#I AM. SO PLEASED. WITH HOW THIS TURNED OUT q(≧▽≦q)
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
Text
It's been literally 20 years since I wrote the YGO fic that to some regard still defines how I view my favorite OC babygirl Aileen to this day 💕✨
So this is a gift for teenage me, who would've probably pretended to be too cool to care, but would have absolutely lost her shit seeing our girl in the style of the show (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧
For those curious, here's a little (updated) character profile of Aileen:
Aileen Noda
18yo (half a year older than Seto, so a class ahead of him)
🇯🇵 (dad), 🇮🇹 (mom)
her dad got sole custody after her parents (never married) split; she's not close to her mom but they're on friendly speaking terms
—
heiress to a multimillion dollar software company that was in business negotiations with the Kaiba Corporation at some point when it was still headed by Gozaburo
moved around a lot as a kid before spending her tweens and most of her teenage years in South England, when business took them there
fluent in English and Japanese (although a bit rusty when it comes to not sounding too direct/impolite with latter) - had one year of German and almost three years of Mandarin before moving schools - knows just enough Italian to survive as a casual tourist
not rly interested in daddy's business at the time/shortly before our story, but figures she still has many years to live her own life and find her passions before she has to step up anyway
(spoiler alert: nope, she does not)
—
has a driver's license and drives just well enough to not get it revoked but not so well that it's a joy to sit next to her
pretty pragmatic with a dry humor
comes off as very confident and independent
loses her dad tho shortly after they've moved to Domino and went into new negotiations with the KC, which rly fucks her up since she hasn't made any friends there yet and her dad was basically her entire support system, which she never realized until he was gone
develops a socially encouraged kind of unhealthy relationship to food and working out, which is not helped by the smaller sizes considered standard in Japan
—
for some reason falls for Seto Kaiba of all people and even ends up with him unaware that she could do a lot better but alas, who am i to tell my daughter No
A while ago I gave rewriting the earlier mentioned fanfic a try, but since YGO isn't my active main fandom anymore, I'll probably never finish it and if I do, it will have a very different format than the original story.
But since we're already in Long As Fuck Read More territory, I've included the prologue and another tiny snippet here, for those who are curious:
Surprising as it may seem, given how his face is plastered all over the city they live in, Yugi and his friends don't really think much about Seto Kaiba in their everyday lives.
They're doing their thing and he does his. … Whatever his thing is.
Building theme parks probably? Yugi remembers him mentioning something like this the last time they spoke but he's not sure anymore. The fact that Kaiba's been gracing class with his presence for the past few days probably means that things are going well enough for him to have the spare time. Although he's spending most of that time on his laptop anyway, not participating in class at all and left alone by the teachers as well.
No, really. Neither Yugi nor his friends know what Kaiba's thing actually is.
So they're a little surprised when after class, during cleaning duty, a girl in another school's uniform slips through the door and makes a beeline for the desk in the far corner of the room where Kaiba, true to his famous team spirit, is still fully focused on his personal work instead of helping his classmates.
One of her long, black pigtails slips over her shoulder as she snatches a glance at his laptop screen. To which Kaiba just reacts by closing said laptop and shoving it into his schoolbag. Which in turn puts a slightly too sweet, almost teasing smile onto her lips. "Want me to give you a ride home?" He sighs and mumbles something that sounds a lot like "There are worse ways to die, I guess" before getting up and following her outside.
It finally becomes apparent why a few of the guys in the class have spent the past couple minutes at the window - the car Kaiba follows that stranger to is a red Porsche cabriolet that looks like right out of a Hollywood movie.
Jounouchi doesn't know what to be more scandalized about - that Kaiba of all people is getting picked up by a cute girl while he doesn't or that some of his female classmates seem completely unimpressed by all of this because "everyone knows he has a girlfriend, duh". He and his friends exchange confused glances.
Seto Kaiba is weird in occasionally dangerous but usually just a little annoying ways and overall just not that interesting. And, as far as they're aware, he's also completely uninterested in making friends or even just understanding the basic concept of friendship - or interpersonal relationships in general.
And yet.
Seto Kaiba has a girlfriend.
If you're still here: Congrats! You earned yourself the secret knowledge that this fic by the way isn't just Seto/OC but also YamiYugi/Seto, as in: Seto is gonna cheat on her with Atem, as soon as he finds out that he can not just play intense card games with the guy but also have sex with him - which never even occured to him until he already had Ati's hand between his legs.
Aileen will break up with him over it.
In the timeline of the original fic from 20 years ago they did end up back together and even marrying though and it wasn't even too bad for a while but became a very unhappy relationship over time, during which she fell for (and had one passionate night with) Seto's assistant Isono. She got pregnant from him and Seto is kind of aware that it is likely not his child and she knows that he probably knows... while Isono tries very hard to tell himself that this kid surely can't be his, nope, no evidence of this one night means it never happened and he never wavered in his loyalty to his Kaiba-sama, it's fine, he's fine, they're all fine.
(It's still mostly him raising the child since Aileen soon realizes she has no idea where exactly to fit a child into her life and Seto... to his credit did manage to not have Mokuba die on him while responsible for him in his teen years, but if we're all honest here that was not by virtue of him being a responsible and trustworthy parental figure.)
I haven't made up my mind yet if Aileen and Seto would also end up married in/after the rewritten fic tho.
Who knows.
Not me.
... Ah, yeah, and I also ship her with Ryou Bakura's dead sister Amane :D so there's that as well.
Anyway.
YAY @ drawing of her I'm very very very satisfied with ( ̄︶ ̄)✨💖
#OC#original character#own character#ygo oc#Yugioh oc#Yugioh#ygo dm#Yugioh DuelMonsters#artists on tumblr#mary sue#fake screencap#fake screenshot#original art#own art#digital art#2024#the aileen tag#picture post#finished piece#dandelion!verse#I AM. SO PLEASED. WITH HOW THIS TURNED OUT q(≧▽≦q)#it took me YEARS - DECADES - to draw her in the style of YGO DM in a way that i am satisfied with#i'm so stoked. my beautiful baby girl. apple of my eye. mary sue of my heart 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕
3 notes
·
View notes
Text






#.•°|•.|.•°AlienHalf|Bouncier°•.|.•|°•.•°|M|AI0G|E|°•─=≡Σ(§•BTC•§)X}§><§{X:•.(*|§*•ETH•°§)<§{X:•.(*|§*•XRP•°§)*X}§><§{X:•..•:X}§>~?#(§*•|•°§) S h e n d e X a h e r 0 m e n t a l S q u a r e R o o t e d V i e n B r a i n P o p |P h a n t o m I n c P h e n o M e n t a l #BirDii0nProBounceabID1*°|Em~Are×ac Kni Studio Box By Missie XAutodidact+AutodidacticISM I See Me! BirdiD>e<X>a<Didumb You See You#.°.Coi Leray.*.Joey.*~*.Liana.*~*~*.Nicole.*~*~*~*.59.BlooMisGDe.XaS.*~*~*~*~*.Pho.e.t.S.*~*~*~*~*~*.°•.•°(A{D}I)DeXaD(0{K}G)#Studio Box By Missie (*氷��雲*) .•°.•.°.Gotham Phantom GOAT.*..•°.•.Phantom.•.°•.|.•°.•.•.°.•. NY|CthMgorea *{0=~|#I'll Bet I Can Show You Go In And Out Of The Writers Room Just For Using The Word >< Valedictorian#Valedictorian Is A Person Who Can Understand The Discussion At Harvard With Claudine Gay#You Are Not To Use This Word Until You Understand That Discussion#Because Those People Are At The Library With That Sign Behind You Writing Words For Your Staged Appearance#Girls Are Players ToWo I'm sittin Past class like Faildictorian 0 See There#Girls Are Players ToWo LikeHimeSanYokEm`yoGeisha Approaching Launch Dock Xsie Goa#Girls Are Players ToWo LikeHimeSanYokEm`yoGeisha Engage Status “Stig`igan#Girls Are Players ToWo LikeHimeSanYokEm`yoGeisha#Behind The Camera *Camera°|Phantom Inc BasedOnATikTokEvent *Camera°|Security0ReachWithoutOfficialEntry#(°Illuminati}AIXG{Minion(*|§*•FudXjar•°§)*.•*.•.°..•.°•.Phantom.•.°•.|.•°.•.AIZeroG.•.°•.M|§§|=*{0=~|.•°.•.#|P h a n t o m I n K X i e M B r a i n P o P h e n o M e n t a l#(§*•M•°§) M•×FHers S h e `n D e X a H e r * M e n T a l (§°•F•*§) F°×mMasc S h e ~ n D e X a H e r ° M e n T a l#Which Way You Going To Turn? You Hit The Fork In The Road With No Ill-Organic KickBack#I Am Not A Tourist In ShowBiz To The Coi Pond The Production 0nProBounceabID1#I Phantom Unlike !ARTIST! Know How To Drive A FanBase 'CoinSlot'Into The Actual NYC ShowBiz Gangsta Syndicate Audience#I'll Keep Bouncing You Off That Camera Until You Open Mouth Then After You Do That Will Happen Also So Please Be Very Careful#How You Talk to Gangsta's You Didn't Know Knew Me Personally While You Pointed Me Out Onside This Flyer Litter#Yeah That's My Ewinem Go Test DriEnd We Kill`N-m}.°.{(AI0G) The Fuck TidePodABet Letter That In G Plex Punc.#MineXanimE Said I Should Create A New Language To Be Able To Talk Past Tide Pod Suds So Gotham Phantom Went And Did It Blow A Tuba#Warlord Radio is on Featuring The Earthling Loser Report L1CoiutD Save The Ice Weasel!#Speaking The Number One Speech Language In The World Hieroigroiantic~Letteringplex~ Letter In G Plex#Blue Bentley MackDic BouNoiseZino I am Gotham Phantom GOAT You Have Now Just Met A Real NYC BackStage Gangsta#Ok now let me fully explain how that production actually works in real life On the Knowledge Basis Of Gotham ShowBiz Let's Start There#If you do that production I Missie Koeni will personally hunt you down and I show up or you do Face to Face
0 notes
Text
nsfw alphabet - nam-gyu (player 124)
(it contains things like degrading, threesomes, and nam-gyu being an asshole tbh, if you aren’t into that i wouldn’t read this x)
saw this on @cybrasigilism ‘s page, you should really check that out ! (love their writing btw)

——————————————————————————
A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)
- sorry to burst your bubble but his aftercare is probably none existent, he might hand you the tv remote afterwards but that’s about it.
B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)
- 100% his hands, obviously he had to add some rings, because he knows girls like you will go crazy over it. favorite part about you is most likely your boobs or your ass (basic am i right?)
C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)
- he for sure has a breeding kink (who said that haha)
D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)
- a dirty secret about namgyu is the fact he would to have a trio with thanos and you, the thought of seeing thanos fucking you turns him on more than he would like to admit.
E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)
- i think he has had a lot of one night stands, so he knows what he is doing.
F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)
- he loves when you are on top of him, that way he can look at your body all he wants, the way your boobs bounce when he is thrusting into you, how you are so out of breath after a few rounds, he loves it.
G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)
- i don’t think he is very humorous in bed, he doesn’t even think about making a joke in the moment because he is so focused.
H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)
- i don’t think he has a insane bush, but lets just say he isn’t perfectly trimmed either.
I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)
- he sees you as a fuckbuddy, good for fucking. he isn’t looking for a relationship so he probably isn’t that romantic.
J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)
- he looks up your (or your friends insta) and jerks off to your photos.
K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)
- i feel like he would love tying you up, seeing how you aren’t able to move while he gets to do whatever he wants. (and knife play ..anyways!)
L = Location (favorite places to do the do)
- definitely in places where you COULD get caught like, fittings rooms & public restrooms.
M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)
- praise 1000%
‘Bet you’ve never been fucked like this huh?’ he says out of breath grabbing your chin, at this point it’s almost impossible for you to talk, it’s like he fucked your brains out. You decide to nod.
‘Fucking speak up’ he says glaring at you.
‘n-namgyu please, i need y-you please’ you manage to puff out.
N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)
- anal.
O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)
- he loves receiving especially when you suck him off. but he is also a munch, he loves going down on you. he could do it for hours.
P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)
- he is very rough and fast, it’s almost like hate fucking, nothing sensual about it.
Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)
- he loves quickies, especially in the games he would find places where he could quickly release his stress onto you.
R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)
- i think he has tried a lot already but will try all sorts of stuff on you.
S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)
- depends if he is under the influence of something, if he’s taken something? he could go on for hours on end. if he is sober he’ll probably pass out after a good 40 minutes.
T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)
- he doesn’t own or use toys, he feels like his hand are good enough to keep you satisfied.
U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)
- he is such a tease, you definitely need to wait before you can cum and he’ll make sure you beg for it.
V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)
- i don’t think he moans, he is more like a grunts guy. i feel like he talks a lot tho. (cursing and degrading you obvi)
W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)
- it kinda turns him on when you try to be bossy for once, telling him what to do and what he isn’t aloud to do.
X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)
- he has a average body, leaning more towards a dad bod than a jacked up guy tho.
Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)
- his sex drive is hiiigh, he always feels horny and is always in for a quickie.
Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)
- give him ten minutes and he is gone.
english isn’t my first language so if i made any mistakes, i apologize x
578 notes
·
View notes
Text
August 30th 2024 Developer Q&A (from the official BioWare Discord) - Complete transcript
Under a cut due to length and spoilers.
Update: This post has now been updated into a word-for-word transcript.
[Link to video recording of Q&A] | [Link to equivalent post for first Q&A (June 14th)] | [Link to video recording for first Q&A]
Update: This post has now been updated into a word-for-word transcript.
If you would like to listen to the Q&A for yourself in video format, or listen to it again, Ghil Dirthalen recorded it and has now uploaded a video of it here. This blog post is linked in the description under the video. ( ˶´ ᵕ `˶ )
Please note before proceeding that the devs advised that this Q&A may contain minor spoilers!
Corinne Busche, John Epler and Community Manager Katey were the devs that were there.
KFM: Community Manager Katey JE: John Epler CB: Corinne Busche
---
KFM: We’re gonna be joined by John and Corinne here in a sec, just waiting for them to get on. Hey John, hey Corinne, thanks for joining - hey!
JE: Hello! Thank you for having us. It's a pleasure.
CB: Hey y’all. It's so good to see so many people, I see some familiar names here. Good to see you again.
KFM: Yeah, yeah, I'm excited to, you know, bring us this second Q&A on the Discord server. Last time we were really, really happy, with the way it happened, y'know, it turned out and how everyone seemed to really enjoy it so we're back again. Thank you for submitting your questions on the ask-bioware channel. I am going to start and kick that off in just a second, but, for those of you who might be new here, I'm the Community Manager, and I'm going to let Corinne and John introduce themselves as well.
CB: Hey y'all, I'm Corinne Busche, Game Director on Dragon Age: The Veilguard. I just generally help people on the team do cool things and create this world.
JE: And I'm John Epler, the Creative Director on Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and Corinne picked probably the best way to describe what I do, too, so I'm just gonna steal that. I'm there to make sure the team can, is enabled to do their best work and I'm super excited to share all this with you.
KFM: Awesome. Yeah before we start I also wanna give a quick heads-up, you might have seen in Announcements, but there are a couple of questions in here that we have answers to that we would consider minor spoilers. I'll give a heads-up before that minor spoiler answer is given, or even the question is read, so you can go, y'know, grab some water, or y'know, go outside for a second, or just do anything, to decide if you want to listen to the answer or not. But, I promise, these spoilers are, y'know, we'll call them out before we say anything.
CB: That is kinda the coolest part of this session, we're getting closer to launch now, so I think we can do a little bit deeper on some of the questions this time.
KFM: Yes, no this is so exciting! Okay, are you guys ready?
JE: Yes! Yes I am.
CB: Let's do it.
KFM: Let's do it.
KFM: Let's start with a fun one. Do all Evanuris hate tea? Does Ghilly-Flower exclusively drink haunted bog water?
JE: Alright. That is a fun one. Y'know, it's funny because I think Solas is the only one of the elven gods that actually really has a tremendous aversion to tea. That said, we don't really get too into what they drink, I would say though, knowing what I know about Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain, I think Elgar'nan probably drinks a combination of gas station coffee and the Thedas equivalent of an energy drink, at all times he's got a big Thermos with him. Whereas Ghilan'nain is all about the herbal concoctions that are supposed to be really good for like, your gut health, things like that - she really takes care of herself, so.
CB: John, I think you just described you, and then me. Interesting.
JE: Hurtful, Corinne, accurate but hurtful.
KFM: Okay, next one. So we know that we can hug Assan, but will we be able to hug any of our companions?
JE: So you can't hug your companions at all times. There's not an option to just walk up and give them a hug. They've got their boundaries, they've got their preferences. But there are opportunities in conversations, in dialogue, in scenes where you will, you know - a companion may ask you for a hug because they're having a rough time and you are able to give it to them.
KFM: And will there be a lot of politicking involved? And by politicking they mean quests like Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts.
JE: Yeah, so I mean, there's not gonna be a quest quite like the Halamshiral Ball, I mean that was very specific to the Inquisitor. The Inquisitor was trying to gain favor with a bunch of different factions, they were trying to form an army. Rook's struggle and Rook's, honestly, challenge is much more immediate and visceral. That said, it's Dragon Age. It wouldn't be Dragon Age if there weren't politics. You'll have influence on the, y'know, things that are happening, and the fate of nations, that are happening around the world, and Rook, I mean, throughout the game, across this adventure, Rook does become a fairly important figure, so it's natural that you’ll have some influence and some involvement with the affairs of the different factions and nations.
KFM: Gotcha. So this question, this next question comes from Onomatopoeia. I know this has been asked before, but they didn't see an answer for it - is there a way to toggle off nudity and sex scenes?
CB: Yeah, let me take this one. It's so funny, John, you get the fun questions and I get the thirsty nudity questions - I'm here for it. So, let me, let me answer and maybe elaborate. So, there is a toggle for on and off nudity. That is one of the settings we have. And we'll be going deeper into settings and accessibility and things like that as we get a little bit closer to launch. But let me also expand on this. So when you're in character creator, you'll actually be able to select what underclothes your Rook wears, and whether that exposes your chest or your breasts. So, by default nudity is on, chest or breast, that is up to you by your underclothing that you select, particularly as you get into, say, romance scenes, but, at any point you can toggle the setting to be non-nudity and it will override your undergarments.
KFM: Gotcha. This question comes from DarkGoddessEris. What are the companions’ ages? That was a question that actually came up a bunch, so I'm excited for somebody to be able to answer this one.
JE: Yeah, I can take this one. So the companions in The Veilguard range anywhere from kind of early-mid twenties with Taash at the youngest, all the way up to Emmrich who is in his early fifties. The rest of the companions tend to be in their late twenties, early thirties, again though, they're all experts in their field, they're all people who have been through a lot, so even the ones that are at the younger end of the age spectrum, their experience, they've been through a tremendous amount by this point by the time you meet them, so, yeah. So I mean, I guess, Taash is the closest to Sera at early twenties, but they’re all in kinda that age range, so.
KFM: This next question I'll pitch to Corinne. How linear is the quest experience? Are there going to be side quests that you can stumble upon and resolve within areas or are you locked into a golden path?
CB: This is such a good one. Yeah, a lot of people have been asking about this so thank you to whoever submitted it. So the content in the game is a mix of directed, kinda like story quest missions, and then explorable content. Or you might say optional content. I don't even like calling it side content because it's a lot of fun, it's really good content. So to give you an idea, a lot of the main story quests are critical path missions if we want to call it that. They're very highly crafted. They're more linear than some of the other parts of the game, because we feel that’s how we can tell the best stories, give you a very intentionally-paced experience, y'know, with lulls and climaxes, so it really hits you. But that's only part of it. You're also gonna explore, fully explore a bunch of the locations in The Veilguard, so like, let me just lay a few on you: Arlathan Forest, Hossberg Wetlands, those are probably two of the biggest ones, the Crossroads - now we've seen Crossroads before in Trespasser, but this, isn't necessarily the Crossroads as you remember it. So you'll be able to explore this, this part of the Crossroads, and as you're there, you're absolutely gonna be discovering new areas, new quests, mysteries and new challenges. So exploration in the game is absolutely about player agency in these larger, less linear levels, and it's really an important part of the overall experience and core to our design. Now, as a player - and I'm just speaking for me personally - I'm the kind of player that wants to 100% every area. I want to go find all the optional quests, all the treasures, I wanna see that big 100% completed on my map. That's gonna take you quite a bit of time. So hopefully that answers the question. It is both.
KFM: I think that's a great answer, thanks, Corinne. This next one is from a user named Benedictus: Will we ever get the Venatori gear?
CB: Yeah, I can take that one as well. Venatori gear - so like, I'm assuming what we mean is for to like, wear on Rooks or on companions. Gosh, y'all, I'm gonna be honest - we really, really tried on that one. Hopefully you've seen in the videos our cloth sim, our hair sim, I think it's quite beautiful. The Venatori gear, generally we couldn't make that work to the quality we'd expect within combat. So, no you can't get most of the Venatori gear, but I will say there is a unique Venatori-themed helmet. I, I don't want to spoil what that is exactly, but, so, you can get a helmet, it is unique, it's pretty interesting and ties into some of the events that can happen in the game but I'm just gonna leave it there.
KFM: Gotcha. So, now we're getting into our first real minor spoiler question, so - consider yourself warned, do whatever you need to do, either listen or don't for the next, like, I don't know, minute. So this question is from Kala: Will there be any romanceable NPCs outside of the companions?
JE: I'll take this one. So, no - not this time. This time the romances for Rook are strictly within the companions. We wanted to really focus on those relationships and make sure that they were as developed and as deep as we could make them. And yet honestly and part of it - the other side of it is - Harding was a great example in DA:I, that was a character that as we were building the game, it really struck us, stuck out to us, this is a character that, actually, y'know, you see a lot, you build this very specific rapport with, and the writer, Sheryl, wanted to create that light romance with Harding. None of the characters in The Veilguard really jumped out to us in that same way as, this is a character we really want to build a relationship with, for Rook, but again, y'know, really focusing down on making sure the companion romances were as deep and meaningful as we could make them.
KFM: And this question is just for fun. So we're passed a spoiler, we'll get back into other spoilers in a bit, but this one's just for fun. We have so many cute, silly bird videos on the internet - Lucanis' Ninth Dagger, by the way, says that birds are their favorite animal - if you could just snap your fingers and a bird Easter Egg would be added for Assan, what would it be?
JE: Oh, that's a good question. So actually I'm gonna cheat, because I am trying to think of bird memes, or bird videos specifically, and I'm having a hard time, but, y'know, the thing about griffons is that they're half bird and also half lion, so I'm gonna go with a cat meme, say my favorite meme, and this is one that still brings me joy years after it came out, is the video of the cat grooving to the guy playing Finnish polka on the drum. Again, years old, I've loved - that's one of my favorite videos on the internet, so y'know, if we were gonna give Assan any kind of Easter Egg it would be that one.
KFM: I love that one -
CB: You know, don't judge me on this, you're putting me on the spot here, but, the only thing I can picture in my head - y'all remember that video a few years back where the kid unleashes the rabbit into the field and then immediately that hawk comes down and snatches it up?
JE: Yes!
CB: Don't judge me, y'all! Don't judge me. But that's where my head goes.
JE: Oh, man.
CB: Assan just getting a little treat.
JE: I love that.
KFM: I love that.
JE: That's a great, that’s a great answer, Corinne. Fantastic.
KFM: So this next one is from a user named Ash. So Taash breathes fire, Lucanis has wings, Harding is a dwarf who has magic. A lot of our companions have some strange abilities - is this because the Veil is compromised?
JE: Oh, I'd say it's, I mean partially yeah. I mean, we've talked before about how over the course of the time since Dragon Age: Inquisition, I mean, it started at the end of Trespasser. The Veil's not in great shape. Corypheus already did a number on it, and Solas has very clearly, as you saw, in the [inaudible] preview, not been making things better in the intervening times. So, there is to some degree, y'know, I'll use Bellara as an example - Bellara's someone who's seeing these artifacts turn on, and being able to interface with them because there's all this magic that's coming back to the world through the torn Veil. Other characters though, I mean, you are recruiting people to stop the end of the world. You're recruiting extraordinary people, they're gonna have extraordinary abilities, and you know, someone like Davrin, a lot of his abilities are focused around Assan and the fact that he's got this partnership, this, almost, you know, familial bond with Assan, his griffon, so.
KFM: Can we get some Assans in the chat?
JE: I think I'm seeing a lot of Assans in the chat, so I think we're well covered there.
KFM: Me too.
KFM: Alright. This next one is for both of you, and I will say, another quick little spoiler, minor spoiler warning, depending on the way that either of you might want to answer this question. This is, of all the companions, who's the team's favorite and what companion was the most difficult to design?
JE: Ooh. I'm gonna cheat, I wrote Bellara so, I’m definitely not gonna say the companion I wrote because that would be weird, but I will say I loved the companion interactions so I'm gonna go with two of my favorite relationships that Bellara has within the team, friendships that she has within the team. So, Bellara and Lucanis start off as two characters who feel like they're from completely different worlds, their experience growing up was very different, where they lived, what they do, and over the course of the game, they kinda build this friendship over all these things that despite again - very different upbringings - they have a lot of things in common. They're both the, y'know, characters who just believe family is deeply important and that shows up in a lot of their interactions, a lot of, y’know, the way they talk to each other, they interact with each other, both within the Lighthouse but also out in the field. The other one - and this was one that came up organically as we were building the game - is Neve and Bellara and they, y'know, Bellara is a character who, y’know, despite being out in Arlathan is very big on stories, very big on - she finds - gets all the newspapers from Tevinter and she has kind’ve learnt who Neve is through that, and they build this very sisterly relationship that I love and that over the course of the game, I mean, we started out without this kind of as the intention, we started finding all these places that this can show up and it turned into, again, one of my favorite friendships that exists between the companions, so.
CB: Oh, that was such a good answer. Yeah, I think I might cheat as well, John, because, first of all, I don't want to speak on behalf of the entire team. So I'm gonna give you my two faves if that's alright. And I feel like y'all already know me on this. Every time we have a chance to talk about Taash and Emmrich I'm right there for it. I'd say they're probably my two favorites, but here's the thing y'all, here's why I love them so much. When you're out in the field like exploring, or on missions with them, their banter is so good, because they do not see eye-to-eye on necromancy, like, at all, and, it's really funny, it's really delightful, I love seeing how it evolves - so like, look - if you wanted a recommendation from me on like, banter in the field, you've got to hear Taash and Emmrich. Most difficult to design, let's touch on that really quickly. I, so, I'm gonna answer, but I don't want to say that like we put more effort into one versus another, but I would say the most challenging was probably Harding, just because you've probably seen if you saw some of the teaser footage, the pre-release trailer, we have teased some strange new powers for Harding, and when we do that we have to figure out how that layers into her combat kit, and when we onboard that, and, yeah it was an interesting challenge, it was a really fun one.
KFM: Awesome. Backing away from spoilers for a quick second, I'm going to ask this question to Corinne. With only two companions per party, as a Nightmare mode player, how can we balance not having a warrior in the team to tank? Will higher difficulty players be forced to bring Davrin or Taash for a melee instead of bringing the characters that we want?
CB: Oh super good - I was hoping this would come up, especially after we released the combat deep-dive for warrior trailer - hopefully y'all enjoyed that. So, let me start by telling you what's happening under the hood. Well, first of all, I'm not gonna bury the lede - you're not gonna have to bring a tank if you don't want to. But, let me first tell you what's happening under the hood, this is gonna be kind of high level, maybe we can go a little bit deeper when we have more time. Behind the scenes when you walk into an enemy encounter, we generally know how much pressure, or you could say intensity or aggression, we want to be putting on Rook to maintain that satisfying moment-to-moment experience. So to give you an idea of some of the levers we have for each encounter, that is the number of enemies that could be specifically focused on you versus your companions, how many enemies can be attacking at once, and even when you have multiple enemies coming at Rook, we have a ticketing system.
[text block character limit reached]
CB: And what that means is each enemy basically knows when it is allowed to attack or not. So, I tell you all that because basically when we're looking at the different types of classes and team compositions, those levers exist underneath the hood, so that we give you the most autonomy and flexibility, but also maintain that, that pressure, that engagement for you the player. So, a couple of other things on that. Now that you kinda get a sense of like what's happening under the hood, it is absolutely beneficial, but not required to have one of each class in your party. We did go into this with the goal of giving players more flexibility than perhaps we've seen in past entries. It's just a different approach. What we know is that players tend to get very attached to certain characters. If you've got your favorites, you oftentimes wanna bring them with you or if you're romancing a character, sometimes it's a feelbad to feel like you have to leave them behind because maybe they're the same class as you. So, the whole game is built and balanced around flexibility, and giving you the agency. So you can be successful, you can mix it up, but you gotta plan for it. So what, what do I mean by that? If you're not using teamwork, if you're not planning for your party composition for those synergies, it's definitely not gonna end super well. Right? Like, I've done no tank runs, but it takes some foresight in the strategy here. So I'll give you an example if you don't mind, I think I've been pretty out there that my favorite class and specialization right now - could change tomorrow - is the rogue Veil Ranger specialization. And this is very much a ranged archery-based specialization. So, I want to keep enemies at ranged, because I want to get those well-aimed critical hits, right, if those enemies are right up on top of me, I'm not gonna be able to do that. So if I don't have a tank in my party, a couple of the tools that I turn to - and I have done this, in fact, in my last playthrough I did this quite a bit - I might bring Bellara and use her Galvanic Tear, which pulls all the enemies towards like this really cool-looking gravity well and gets them off of me. I might instead use Neve's Time Slow. So the cool thing about this is it slows time for everything in the world except for you and your team, right? So I'm running away, I'm doing a Heavy Draw, getting those headshots, or making other tactical decisions. I could also turn to my rune loadout - hopefully y'all saw runes in the warrior combat deep-dive - that's an important part, especially if you're playing on Nightmare Mode, the strategic and tactical options that gives you, will allow you to overcome things like not having a tank. I think everyone may have saw the rune where you're doing a, basically an AoE freeze, and freezing everything in place. So it's kind of a long-winded answer, I'm sorry, it's complicated, but point is, is I think you're gonna have more flexibility in your build crafting and your synergies, but it's gonna depend on the strategy and composition that you feel works best for you and your own preferences. And then you did mention Nightmare, let me just finish with saying, and this is anecdotal, but in our own Nightmare playthroughs, we actually find that the most challenging aspect to plan around isn't necessarily aggro management, but making sure you have coverage on all the various elemental damage types. So, I just say this for anyone planning to go into Nightmare - plan well.
KFM: Staying on the topic of combat, it was noticed during the high-level combat videos that weapons and armor seem to be tied to different factions. Are there bonuses or something similar involved if Rook is a Grey Warden while using Grey Warden equipment? Are these removed if a Shadow Dragon Rook is using Grey Warden equipment?
CB: Oh, interesting. You know, everyone went deep on that gameplay video, hey, I’m glad you noticed that. Yeah, so, to answer this, you're going to be working really closely with the factions in the game, right? Like the threat you’re up against is a world-ending threat so you’re going to interact with each of these factions. So that means that you’re gonna get a lot of the gear that that faction tends to use, and especially the stronger you help them become, the more gear you’ll have available from that faction. So when you see a piece of gear that has like the Veil Jumper icon on it, that signifies that it is aligned with that faction, but you can use it regardless of if that’s your faction background or not. All it means is that, you know, if I want to maybe improve it or get more gear in that vein, or that looks similar, I can see it’s from the Veil Jumpers, I’m going to go back to the Veil Jumper quartermaster, and that’s where I will find more items of that type or upgrade possibilities. But it also leans into the thematic identity. So, you know, I think in that video we were using the transmog system, but if I’m using a Veil Jumper gear like an armor, it’s gonna look like it was crafted by the Veil Jumpers, and it’s gonna lean into the mechanical themes of the Veil Jumpers as well, which, one of those themes tends to be lightning damage. Now, I will also say, and this is a little specific, but occasionally you will find gear, or even like skill nodes, that will occasionally be empowered, they’ll get stronger relative to your strength with that given faction. So like if you find a piece of gear that’s really core to your build, and it strengthens the stronger the Veil Jumpers are, like that gives you a pretty good signifier that maybe that’s a faction you wanna focus on.
CB: Katey, I don't know if you're still there.
JE: Yeah.
CB: Did we lose you?
[there is silence on KFM’s line]
JE: Ope.
CB: We may have lost Katey, y’all.
JE: We can start, just, you know, let’s -
CB: Yeah. Why don’t, why don’t, I do have the list of questions here so why don’t I ask the next one until Katey comes back. I hope everything’s okay on your side Katey. Alright. Next question I see, the Evoker description on the blog-post highlights ice-based magic. Does that mean we will not be able to have lightning- and fire-themed playstyles as the Evoker? No, no, absolutely not. The Evoker can lean into all of the elements, in fact, all mages can to a degree. You probably have seen the skill trees, you’re gonna pick up abilities, perks, traits, of all elemental types, and powering up those elements. So just because you’re an Evoker, doesn’t mean you’re like pigeon-holed into ice spells. What I will say is, if you’re heading towards that specialization, you’re gonna pass through the section of the skill tree where you’re more easily going to be able to naturally pick up those ice spells, right? So it might lean towards ice, but you can expand it. The name of the game is agency here.
JE: Corinne, why don’t I ask you the question so we can still kinda do a Q&A thing? CB: Yeah, that, that sounds good.
JE: Corinne, can I set the gear to look however I want without losing stats? And that is a question from YoCallMeRob.
CB: Alright, well, y’all know, fashion’s the true end game. So, we did confirm we have a full transmog system, so what I’m gonna do is spend some time going a little more in-depth for y’all, so that we’re getting new information. So yeah, if anyone’s not aware, transmog basically is, I have a piece of gear, but I apply an appearance to it that makes it look like something else that I like better so I can be fabulous. So, how this is gonna work is you’re of course gonna find gear as you adventure through the world, and you can equip that. But any piece of gear you find is also going to unlock the appearance for that gear. So you might find something that you really like, and you wanna look that way, and then you replace it, anything that you’ve already acquired, you can apply the appearance to whatever gear you want. Additionally, and this is one of my favorite parts, is, you’ll also find some appearance-only cosmetics that are specifically used just for transmog. So sometimes these are some of the fancier or more niche pieces of gear, maybe end up looking like a training dummy for instance. So you’ll get these appearance datas from opening treasure chests, exploring the world, and more frequently from vendors. So, look, if you’re in it for fashion, check out those vendor inventories because they got you. I would also say that you can transmog your casual wear, so field wear and casual wear, fully transmoggable. If you wanna be platemail while you’re hanging around the Lighthouse as a mage, more power to you. And then if I were just to give you a practical example of this, like on the Blood Dragon Armor, the pre-order bonus, those are cosmetics, those are just appearance datas, right, so they’re effectively evergreen, you can use them anytime you like without compromising your stats.
JE: I will say that I don’t think I’ve spent as much time in any other menu other than transmog, because as Corinne mentioned at the beginning of this, fashion is the true end-game, so. Katey, have we gotcha back yet?
JE: Katey, have we gotcha back yet?
KFM: Am I back? Can you hear me?
JE: Yay, you’re back.
CB: Katey, we did our best Katey.
JE: Yeah.
CB: But I don’t think we were very impressive -
KFM: No, I think you both did a great job. It was one of those weird situations where Discord force-quit, but I could still hear everything everyone was saying. I don’t really know what that was about, but.
CB: I just assumed you didn’t like my answer.
KFM: Yeah, I rage-quit actually Corinne, it’s all your fault.
JE: Taken by the Fade.
KFM: No, thank you for taking over while I was figuring that out. There is a non-zero chance that that happens again, so just keep an eye out.
JE: We’ll keep an eye out for it, we gotcha.
KFM: Thank you.
KFM: So I’ll just pick it up from the next question. The latest, latest - wow, I can’t even talk anymore - video series mentioned how each companion can set up or detonate specific combos. Are those always set in stone or would we get opportunities to change it up, through the skill-trees or otherwise?
CB: Cool, cool, cool. I eat up these really specific combat questions. So first, let me give you an overview of how the primer-detonator relationship works between the classes. Like, this is very nitty-gritty y’all, if this is your jam, get your pencils out. So here’s the overview. Mages, and this whether, this is true of companions and Rook, mages apply weakened and overwhelmed debuffs, and those are two of the debuffs we call primers. Magers detonate the sundered debuff. Then if we go to rogues, rogues apply weakened and sundered debuffs, and rogues detonate overwhelmed. Warriors apply sundered and overwhelmed, and warriors detonate weakened. So you can see, kinda the interesting rock-paper-scissors relationship there. And when I talk about it as beneficial to bring one of each class? It’s just the inherent nature of that rock-paper-scissors relationship that I’m really thinking of. But, to answer your question, that is just the baseline, that is the default if you don’t modify it. Throughout the game, you will find opportunities, whether it’s from gear, skill-tree nodes, even runes, that allow you to break this paradigm. So when it comes to your companion builds, again it all comes down to the abilities you choose, what gear you’re equipping them with, how you allocate your skill points. Yeah, does that answer the question? There’s quite a bit of flexibility but there is a baseline paradigm as well.
KFM: Yeah, I think that answers the question.
KFM: Let’s see. The next one is, will we see a bit more the Lighthouse before release, as well as non-combat gameplay?
CB: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. We’ll keep it brief here because we are gonna be talking more about exploration and the Lighthouse next month, so forgive me, but I’ll say stay tuned on that one.
KFM: Alright. Then, this next one I believe is a little bit of a spoiler. I know that some people have, can’t hear me still for some reason, if you can’t, tell folks to quit Discord and rejoin it, but -
CB: Okay, minor spoiler y’all, if you can’t hear Katey, this one’s a minor spoiler.
KFM: Yes. Thanks Corinne. This one is, will we be able to give gifts to our companions, either generic or plot-specific?
CB: Yeah, you sure can! I actually wanna shout-out one of our lovely designers, Dusty. This was a passion project from him. He was advocating for this. So, the cool thing about this is, it’s not like a transactional thing, like where I’m gonna go farm a bunch of like nonsensical items and just like, mechanically turn them over. Out in the world, and there in various locations, so you kinda stumble upon them, you can buy a gift that is very personal to any one of the companions, and then you go, you turn that into them, you give it to them, they have a nice acknowledgement. And then, the thing that’s just like so sweet about it, we’ve talked about how the companion rooms evolve over time, but if you go and get them one of these, like, very personalized gifts, they’ll display it in their room. Like it doesn’t go into some stats void. It’s actually on display.
KFM: I love that.
KFM: This next question, I'll pitch it to John. Some of our companions like Neve, Emmrich and Lucanis have been in past short stories and comics and there's also a passing resemblance to some of the old concept art from years ago. What is the process like for making a character at some point and then planning to bring them back as a companion, or were they always written or designed and intended to be companions?
JE: Alright, that's a great question, and it's actually one I'm gonna go a little deep on. So, as we build the game, as we start writing companions we see how they fit in the story, see how they fit together. Some characters have been around, some character concepts have been around for quite some time, others come in a little bit later in development as we realise we have a gap, you know, something in the story that we need someone, who makes sense to fill that gap, to be that character. But part of it’s also just as the writers we want to make sure that the people who are writing these companions are passionate, and they're writing a character they want to write. We don't want to just say "we need X, Y and Z. Write a companion to fill these gaps", but it'll be "hey, in this story, it really doesn't make sense that we don't have somebody, ah, doing X, is there a character we can build for that?" And so, y'know, you'll see the old concept art and a lot of those concepts, y'know, a lot of those, kinda the core of those characters remains intact, we may have changed details of them, we may have decided "okay, they were going to be X but now Y makes a little bit more sense" - Or as a writer I'm a little bit more interested in why, y’know, what, this particular concept speaks to me more. In terms of comics, short stories and such, generally speaking - and this isn't universal - but generally speaking, writers are writing these short stories in particular, it’s a volunteer, we ask the team, like, "hey, does anyone - we've got this short story anthology, who wants to write something for it?”, so writers are going to pick characters that they're passionate about and in those cases they tend to be their companions, so for example. You know, Neve’s shown, is mentioned. Neve, Emmrich, Lucanis have all shown up. Those were written by people who are passionate about those characters and we had already intended for them to be companions. Other characters, though - I mean, and Harding is an excellent example - we create a character to fill a role. In the case of Harding, she was in Inquisition largely to be there to kind of connect those exploration spaces together and give you a sense of the Inquisition’s presence, and then we saw the fan reaction, but beyond that, Sheryl really wanted to explore Harding's arc more deeply, so she got promoted to be a companion as well, so, yeah, I mean, it's an organic process, and I mean again, it comes down to, we want to make sure the people who are building these characters, ah, not just the writers but also the artists, y'know, the cinematic designers, the editors, y'know, the gameplay people, are excited to build these characters. And you know, and actually, I'm gonna go a little bit side topic on that. Bellara's a great example where we knew what Bellara wanted to be, needed to be in the story, but gameplay-wise it took a bit to kinda land on how her gameplay and her character arc and who she was melded together. Y'know, Corinne’s talked earlier about the companions and how they show up in gameplay. A really big thing for us on this project is making sure that the gameplay reflects the characters, their arc and their personality as much as possible, so. Yeah, kind’ve a long answer to say, it depends, but yeah, generally if they show up, especially in something like a short story, we’ve already intended for them to be a companion because, those are the characters that people, the writers are most passionate about, so.
KFM: I love that.
KFM: Apart from wanting to try different classes, what are the main incentives for multiple playthroughs now that, now that stuff seems more overall universal, to be attempted all in a single playthrough. Are there choices presented freely - are there choices presented that are impactful, that wildly different outcomes will come from, while - wow, wow, wow, let me start that one again. I think it’s just, I’m reading it straight off the sheet.
JE: No worries.
KFM: I'll start from the top. Apart from wanting to try different classes, what are the main incentives for multiple playthroughs now that stuff seems more universal, to be attempted all in a single playthrough? Are there choices that are impactful and wildly different, and different outcomes and decision paths?
JE: So, I mean, there's a few incentives, one of which, is, and I mean, the most basic is, the three classes from a gameplay perspective do play differently and, you know, I’ve, it’s funny, Corinne was talking about how her favorite is the Veil Ranger but that might change. Mine literally changes every time I play, I start a new playthrough, I develop a new favorite class, which is the class I'm currently playing. But more generally, yeah there are choices in the game, there are different outcomes, there’s content that does, that you will see or won't see based on choices you make both within the critical path of the game but also with the followers themselves so, y'know. You're not going to see everything in a single playthrough, you're not even going to see everything necessarily in a couple of playthroughs, but, y'know, you want to see how your choices have different outcomes, that's the best way to do it.
KFM: This question is - I understand mages having very magical-looking moves, but why do rogues and warriors also have very magical-looking moves? Was making every class look like a mage a purposeful choice?
CB: Cool, cool, cool. So it's a multi-part answer, but yes, everything we've done has been with intention towards supporting the overall player experience. So I guess the first place I'd go to answer this is from a game-tuning and balance perspective. We knew that supporting multiple damage types like physical, fire, electric etc, that was gonna be an important factor in the strategic depth of the combat system, particularly as it leans into builds and the strategies you'd use to take on various enemies. It’s not the extent of it, but it's an important part of it. So that meant that making sure the various classes in some capacity have access to some or all of these damage types. And that then means that we need to make them read visually as such on the battlefield. So the first part is about making sure you have those strategic options on the battlefield. But there is more to it than that I'd say, we also found - and I've heard this from a lot of you, that some of our magical hybrid classes have been amongst the favorites. My goodness the discourse around Knight Enchanter -
JE: M-hm -
CB: - So this felt like a very thematic way for us to support that goal if that makes sense, the goal of game balance but also leaning into the things that seem to resonate the most. If I was to just focus on the Warriors out there for a minute though, because we just released the warrior deep dive, we've actually long had a goal within the team of making them more visually interesting and impactful. We know, and I’ve heard from a bunch of you that warrior, y'know, tends not to be peoples’ first choice, but hey, any of the warrior fans out there - big props to you, because I love them, too. So this was like our chance, really, to show what a warrior can do, to make them feel like they have a presence on the battlefield that could be as interesting as some of the other classes, but I will say, I absolutely recognize that there are those of you that like, if you're playing a melee class, you even want a pure, like, physical-based warrior aesthetic, maybe something that's a little more grounded, you can generally make a build that's more physical-focused if that’s more your taste.
KFM: In addition to playing the first three games, what comic books or novels do you recommend reading before playing The Veilguard?
JE: Oh, that's a great question. I mean, generally speaking, one of the things we wanted to make sure with The Veilguard was that players could get into the story, understand what was going on without needing to, y'know, get into the ancillary material. I love the comics, I love the novels, I love the short stories, but they are intended to be kinda side content. One of the things that we hear loud and clear is sometimes folks don't really want that to feel like I need to have read this, I need to have seen this comic, I need to have watched that show for it to make sense. That said, I’d say The Missing, the most recent comic series. is a very clear lead-up to the beginning of The Veilguard, it's setting up events, it’s kinda setting up, y'know, Varric and Harding's search for Solas, it sets up some of the characters that you'll see in the game. Tevinter Nights is another one, not - we mentioned earlier that some of the companions show up there. Beyond just the companions, there’s some thematic stuff that comes out of that as well, some things that we kinda wanted to set up when we wrote those short stories, like, giving you an idea of what the worldstate is, how things have changed over time, and then I’d say, you know, more very recently, we have the podcast, Vows & Vengeance, which is intended to give you a taste of the companions and also, again, talk about the worldstate of Thedas at this point, you know, giving you kind’ve the lead-up to weeks before the events of the Veilguard, so you do have that sense of what’s going on, who are these people, and how, you know, when I first meet them in The Veilguard, you kinda have an idea of who they are. Again, though, this is all stuff that I think enhances the experience, but it’s not required, there’s never going to be, we’re never gonna put you in a situation where a character shows up and, you know, everyone makes a big deal out of it, and you’re sitting there wondering like, who, who is this person? Because they were introduced in other media. We always wanna make sure that you understand, that the only thing that you need to have done to understand The Veilguard is play The Veilguard, so.
KFM: Awesome. Also, yes, Vows & Vengeance is so good, so definitely, you know, give it a chance. The first episode is out now. I think a lot of people in the Vows & Vengeance Discord server, Discord channel are, are really stoked about it.
KFM: This next question. Will we be able to adjust how much damage the companions do in the accessibility settings?
CB: Yeah, so our customized difficulty, and accessibility settings as well, they’re more focused on how you the player experience the game while in control of Rook. So, things like enemy health, timing, things of that nature. So not in the settings, no, but if you really wanna be that kind of player that wants to amp up your companions, like have them do a greater share of the overall damage, there’s a number of ways to accomplish this. You’ll get gear that just strictly says, your companions do more damage. And then there are some unique buffs we support like Rally Party, so you as Rook can trigger this surge in your companions’ ability. So, again, we know how diverse the motivations are within the player-base, so we wanted to make sure those tools were there for y’all.
KFM: So now we’re getting back into spoiler territory. There’s minor spoilers, but, you know, definitely, take heed, for the next couple of minutes if you don’t wanna hear them. Okay, we ready? Will we finally meet Maevaris Tevani in Tevinter?
CB: Oh my goodness, y’all. Alright, you got the spoiler warning, so when I talk about cameos and appearances, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Okay, this one’s very near and dear to my heart as a trans woman myself, I’m pretty open about that. Yeah, yeah, our dear Mae, she’s in the game, happy to confirm it, and I am, every time I see her I absolutely freak out. What I’m not gonna tell you though is what role or capacity she plays, so you’re just gonna have to wait and see. But Maevaris Tilani, she’s in.
KFM: I am living for chat right now. Like, I try not to look at it too much during these, because it’ll distract me, but I’m living for chat right now.
KFM: This next one is also a minor spoiler. Will we find out what happened to Lucanis' parents, for his grandmother to have had charge of him?
JE: Yeah, so I mean, Lucanis is an Antivan Crow. If you know anything about the Antivan Crows you know that they are, well, assassins, and assassins tend to have fairly deadly politics, and the daggers are a lot more literal than you would see somewhere like Orlais, so. That’s all I’m gonna say. You’ll find out, you’ll find out at some point for sure.
KFM: We’re doing a great job at not giving too much away.
KFM: Do we get any jealousy dialogues from any of the companions if you switch up your romance plans partway through? Are any of the romances hard-locked at any point?
JE: Yeah so, you can, I mean, once, there is an opportunity, or there is a place in a romance where you essentially commit to it being exclusive. And we really wanted to make sure that, A), we were very up front about the fact that you were committing to an exclusive romance at that point, and before that, it is portrayed as, you’re flirting, you’re kind’ve, you know, figuring out each other. So, not, there’s no jealousy dialogues, but there are - places where you commit, and we wanted to be very clear to fans. There’s also going to be a place, because I think I’m reading this right, where, there’s a point in the story where if you haven’t committed, if you haven’t said like, yeah, let’s, let’s, you know, I’m in for it, I’m up for this, let’s do this, where you no longer have that opportunity. We’re very clear about what that point is, because again, we don’t want people to be missing out on a romance, to think like, I’ve got some time, you know, I really wanna romance Neve, but, I’ve got a little, and then find out that no, in fact, you don’t have anymore time, so.
KFM: Are class specializations locked to a particular faction, or can Rook only learn a specialization from a particular faction, like through a faction trainer?
JE: So, the specializations are a lot more thematically tied to the factions than they are a strict, you must be X faction, you must get it from this person. You know, for example, I’ll use the Veil Ranger is all themed, as Corinne said earlier, around electricity, around the use of the Veil, around the use of that kinda magic. So while they are thematically tied, there is no, you must be a Crow to be a Spellblade for example, and part of that is because, while we do like having that connection between gameplay and, you know, roleplay, we also don’t want you to feel like, well, I really wanted to be a Spellblade, but I also really want to be a Grey Warden. We don’t want those two things, sometimes we want gameplay to influence narrative, but we never want you to feel restricted by one against the other, if that makes sense.
KFM: Yeah, definitely
CB: Katey, can I go off-script really quickly?
KFM: Of course.
CB: Alright, so I saw someone post in chat, “okay, poly next time, though”. Let me just say, I cannot make promises, I cannot, but I’m with you. I’m with you.
KFM: I love it. Anytime you wanna address anything that’s happening in chat, by all means.
JE: Oh, shit, copy that.
KFM: I mean, don’t go too crazy. Alright.
KFM: This next question is from Que Sera Sera. Will we be able to change the font size in the UI, subtitles etc?
CB: I can take that one. So, quick reminder, we are gonna do a deeper dive as we get closer to launch on accessibility settings, but let me just answer this one. Yeah, yeah you absolutely can. There are limits of course, but as a fellow person who often has to squint, I’m 42 y’all, my eyes are starting to go. I can play comfortably, I suspect most players will be able to play comfortably.
KFM: Will there be a way to save characters we make so we don't have to start from scratch each time?
CB: Heck yeah, you absolutely can. We, I mean, look, all of you playing Inquisition, you’re still sharing your OC and your characters ten years on. We know how much you love it, so yeah, yeah, absolutely. I do wanna have a, some caveats here though. So, it’s when you’re in the character creator, you can import the character appearance, it’s just gonna be the appearance data, from an existing save of yours. So when I say an existing save, just let me put a very fine point on it, that save has to be local to the machine. Remember, we’re an offline game, there’s no online character sharing built in. But for those of you that like, your OC, are very near and dear to your heart and every time you replay you like to have the same character, and you’ve spent hours and hours and hours working on it, yeah, you can import that.
JE: We saw how many of you were saving screenshots of sliders in DA:I, and that was not a great experience, as we’re well aware, so.
KFM: This next one is, are companion quests going to focus on internal factors or external personal events? Like will it be a growth in character and self-discovery, or are they firmly-rooted in their sense of self and will ask for/need help with their factions, interpersonal relationships, etc?
JE: So that’s a great, another great question. It’s a mix of both. I mean, each companion has their own personal arc over the course of the game. You know, you go on missions with them, you solve problems with them and the nature of those problems, you know, it’s, the problems are a lot, often-times very external in nature, you know, something’s happening that they need help with, but most of the time those problems are also tied to their own personal growth as a character. Again, you know, we really want to make sure that players feel invested in these characters, feel invested in their stories. And we also want to show that these characters do grow over the course of The Veilguard, this is, there aren’t characters that remain completely static from moment one to the end-game. These are characters who grow, and you help them grow. They’re still, their problems are still not going to like, they’re not sitting there saying, well, Rook, you need to do everything for me, but you are, you’re intended to be the leader of this group, but also, you can be their friend and help them with things that, their challenges, so. Yeah, I mean, it’s, it’s a mix of both, we really just, it comes down to the individual character and there is a lot of nuance in that answer I think too.
KFM: This next question from XenoGabby is a minor spoiler, so you’ve been warned once again. The question is, is Lucanis possessed?
JE: So, again, spoilers, everyone has been warned, fairly warned. So Lucanis Dellamorte is also known as The Demon of Vyrantium. And, he has spent a lot of time killing Venatori, who are mages, and who do know a lot about demons, so. Yeah, somebody decided that it might be a good idea to make that nickname stick.
KFM: And this next one, from a user named Crom, is there reactivity towards the specialization that you chose? Like some people might trust more Champions, or maybe freak, others will freak out with Death Callers or Reapers?
CB: Yeah, what a good question, so, in general the reactivity is reserved for things that aren’t necessarily likely to change, things that can create a throughline that we can keep building and building upon, so like your faction, your lineage, your class, your choices. So that keeps a consistent narrative thread with those elements, and then we can assume that thread continues from A to B. So the answer is no, they don’t react to your specialization, but in part that’s because you can full refund, you can respec at any time, you might a Death Caller one moment and another specialization on the next encounter.
KFM: And, this next question. You mentioned encountering companions on their own missions in the world. If I keep my party mostly the same, does that mean that I miss out on their side missions, or are they unavailable to be picked up during that time?
CB: Oh, yeah, yeah. I mean, you’re, you have all the tools that you’re not gonna miss out on quests based on who’s in your party. How would I answer this - so, there are certain plot elements that can change what quests are available to you, and in some cases, some quests that you might have in your journal can actually expire based on choices and how you advance the plot. So there are ways that quest content gets cut off, or alters. But in general you have the visibility and the tools so that you won’t miss out on it. I can give you a couple of examples, that might be helpful. So when you meet companions out in the world, there’s kinda like a couple of different ways that they can show up. In a recent playthrough, I was exploring Hossberg Wetlands. It was technically for a quest that should’ve been more oriented towards Davrin, but I didn’t have him in my party, and as I got close to the objective, he showed up with Assan and helped me clear the path forward. The other way this will happen, I was out in Arlathan, actually doing, on my way to do a main story mission, and I get to the far reaches of Arlathan Forest, and I already knew that Taash wanted to help me with some of the challenges of that arc. Well, Taash is right there waiting for me, so I actually chose to instead like, ah, Taash seems impatient, I’m gonna actually jump on that story arc right now instead of what I intended to do, so. Just some examples of the way that as you’re journeying through this world, opportunities are gonna show up, but they allow you just to express more agency, you’re generally not going to miss them.
KFM: Awesome. This next one is, minor spoiler, you’ve been warned. This next question is from Tazaba. What's the difference between the Veil Jumper faction and the Veil Ranger Specialization?
CB: Yeah, okay, so, yeah we just wanted to kinda flag this as a spoiler, just because there might be assumptions about how you take on specializations in this game. So John touched on this a little bit already, but specializations really represent the training and fighting styles used by a given faction. As John mentioned, you do not have to be a Veil Jumper to choose a specialization that’s associated with the Veil Jumpers. You’ve just been around them, you’re aware of their techniques, and you wanna take that on yourself. So, in this particular case, and I get the confusion because Veil Jumper and Veil Ranger sound very similar. If I’m playing as a rogue, using the Veil Ranger specialization, all that means is I’m fighting in the style of the Veil Jumpers, like they do, with bow and arrow, typically with electric damage, that sort’ve thing. So just, to be super clear, it’s not required that you have to play a Veil Jumper in order to be a Veil Ranger.
KFM: This next question is, where is the equator in Thedas, or the planet Thedas is on, relative to places we’ve explored?
JE: That is a great question. So, I will say that, you know, it’s funny until I saw this question, it’s not something I’d ever thought a lot about, but as I started thinking about it a little bit more deeply, based on how the climate changes across Thedas, you know, obviously, to the south are the Avvar and things get a little bit more wintry, and then up north is a lot more tropical, I’d say that Thedas is a southern continent on this world, so.
KFM: Are there any main story missions that require you to use a specific companion? Kinda similar to a previous question.
CB: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, there are a few, yes, again, in the warrior deep dive, I’m not gonna describe it, just in case anyone, you know, didn’t wanna have spoilers, you can see that a companion was required for that. However, that’s the exception rather than the rule. In general, we try to give players the agency to bring who they want for these moments. There are these times where a companion, either their faction or their story arc is so closely tied or intersects with the events of a main story mission that they do become required, but it’s not the standard. And then of course, in general, if you’re doing your companions’ arcs, those are the moments where they’re more than likely gonna be required.
KFM: Will we be -
CB: It's pretty flexible, like if, if you’re worried about like, every mission I go through, like am I gonna have someone that is gonna be mandated? Generally not.
KFM: Sorry, I almost talked over you there Corinne, my bad.
KFM: This next question is, will we be able to pause cutscenes? Will there be any kind of dialogue history to look back on if we miss what was said?
JE: So, you can pause every cutscene in the game. Obviously, life happens, you know, somebody, maybe you’re cat’s, you know, just to use an example that definitely doesn’t happen to me regularly, my cat might be throwing up in the next room and I need to find a way to get her off the carpet and on to, you know, not the carpet, so you can pause any cutscene, and conversation. There is no dialogue history at the moment unfortunately, and that’s not something, we did look into it but it’s just based on how the dialogue is structured and how it’s built in this game, that’s not something that we are going to have unfortunately.
KFM: I saw somebody say “cat vomiting is so real”, and I agree, sometimes when I’m playing games, my dog decides to do something insane.
KFM: So, this next question is, since companions can get into relationships with each other, is there a mechanic behind which companions get together? Can a companion leave due to your world decisions, and if so, will their partners leave with them?
JE: I’m gonna answer half this question, the other half is a spoiler that we’re not gonna get into right now. Companions, there is not actually a mechanic behind the companions getting together. We never wanted it to feel like a mechanical thing, and obviously, different companions are gonna have different attractions. One of the fun things is, as you’re going through, especially if you’re not flirting with one of the companions, you can see these relationships starting to develop, and the thing that actually allows them to, you know, completely develop is, generally committing to another relationship, or, you know, not being engaging, not engaging in a romance with those companions at all. So, yeah, I mean, there’s not a mechanic, it’s just what we felt made the most sense and, I think that’s honestly one of my favorite things about the companions is, they’re all written to feel like real people with real preferences and real, you know, attractions. So beyond just romances, they also develop friendships and even rivalries with each other, because of these, them feeling like these characters that exist outside of just the game, so.
KFM: Awesome.
KFM: This question is all about Davrin. Hildrana would love to know more about Davrin. What’s his personality like, what kind of hobbies or things does he like, and what his relationship with Assan is like?
JE: So Davrin is one of my favorite, I mean, I say one of my favorite characters, honestly I love all seven companions so it’s challenging for me to say which. But Davrin is stern, thoughtful and considerate though, he has a soft side for sure. You see that develop over time as he starts to warm up to the other companions. He has, you know, a kindness to him that is brought out in particular by certain companions, and also a strong sense of pride and when he develops a rivalry with some of the companions. So there’s that sense of, he knows who he wants to be, he knows who he is, and a lot of his arc is making that journey. In terms of how he relates to Assan, you know, his relationship over, evolves over time, I’m not gonna get too deep into spoilers because there are spoilers for that in his quest. The other interesting thing about, about Davrin, and this shows up, we’ve talked about this before. He’s a monster hunter. He’s not just a Warden who sees fighting monsters as, you know, just part of the job. He believes in turning this into a skill-set that he alone, you know like, he has more than anyone else. Learning how to defeat monsters, learning their weaknesses, and that does show up a lot in his character arc, so.
KFM: This next question came through our askbox on Tumblr, so shoutout the BioWare Tumblr. Rosered is asking why do elves seem to not like wearing shoes? Is there a lore reason behind it? Are they not afraid of getting frostbite or stepping in something gross?
JE: So the shoeless elves thing is in part a, it’s a, Dalish are very close to nature, they walk, go around shoeless, in large part, to become closer to nature. It’s part of their culture, it’s part of who they are. But, you know, especially, and it’s not true of every Dalish clan, the Dalish are a tremendously widely-spread and widely-varied people, so. For example, Bellara does not go around shoeless. She wears boots. She’s climbing around on ancient ruins, walking through maybe a shattered eluvian, or a place where eluvian’s shattered, it’s a great way to get your feet sliced up on the hard rocks and on the hard glass. And in general Veil Jumpers are a little bit more, where they go and what they do really requires a lot more care and a lot more protection, so. I mean you’ll notice in Bellara’s visual design but also in the visual design of the other Veil Jumpers, they’re very practically minded, they know that what they’re doing is dangerous, and, you know, and, again, not every Dalish clan goes round shoeless, so.
KFM: ZJ wants to know, do all companions have aesthetic changes when in the Lighthouse and outside of the Lighthouse?
CB: Amazing. Yeah, yeah, they absolutely do. So, just like Rook, each of the companions has what we refer to as their casual wear. This is how they look in their downtime, their more relaxed moments. It’s definitely different from how they look headed into battle. And I’ll tell you this. If Emmrich’s casual wear doesn’t send you, I just don’t know what to tell you.
KFM: I’ve got a fun one coming up. Do they companions have favorite foods, and if so, what are they?
JE: Oh I love this one, so they do. Each of them does have favorite foods. It’s funny, I’d say that Dragon Age: The Veilguard is probably the most we’ve talked about food in a context of Dragon Age, ever. But yeah, I mean, you know, some of them are a little bit more, you know, they have simpler tastes, and in large part that’s because that’s what they’re used to or what they can cook. We talked, I’m gonna actually give a little bit of a, I don’t know if I consider this a spoiler, but maybe if you’re really sensitive to spoilers you don’t wanna listen to this last part. We’ve talked about how there’s people on the team who are better cooks and people on the team who maybe don’t have necessarily the skill-set, who could burn water. So one of the things I really love is, you know, Bellara and Lucanis actually end up being, essentially, the team cooks. Bellara, you know, spending a lot of time out in nature, learning a lot about, you know, different types of cooking, is really big on experimentation, she likes to, you know, try different things. Lucanis comes from the Crows, Lucanis is very big on the finer things, so between the two of them, there’s a point in the story where they basically decide, if we don’t do this, the entire team is going to starve, so let’s just call ourselves the cook, cooks, and make sure that nobody dies of food poisoning, so.
KFM: This next one, I believe we actually might’ve even touched on this in the first Q&A, but, Trev has noticed a lack of dwarves in our promotional material concerning Rook. Inquisition had them sharing facial hair options with humans. So their question is, will dwarves return to more braided, grander beards, or will the facial hair options be shared like previously?
CB: Yeah, we did touch on this briefly, so let me go a little bit deeper. Yeah, there are some grander dwarven beards, like braids, beads woven in, it’s really lovely and really thematic. And y’all have seen our Strand hair, how great that looks, I think it looks just as great for the beards. And I do know, we’re gonna, at some point leading up to launch, we are gonna be showing some dwarf Rooks. So, let’s see if we can’t get some beard options on display there. It actually really was quite the challenge to get the physics to work with all the armor variance we have on those beards. So I’ll tell you what y’all. The team loves hearing from you. Would it be okay if I just asked in chat, could we get some love for our character art and tech anim teams because they put their heart and soul into make sure this would work for y’all.
JE: It is, it is incredible how good the beards look, like, it just, they did, the work that they’ve done is just spectacular.
CB: Aw y'all are too kind. And then I guess just to finish up this question, we try and let you use as many options as the character creator has for any character you wanna create. So we definitely created bears in mind that are more dwarven in nature. You can use that on a qunari if you want, or you can use a more traditional human beard on a dwarf if you want, but your options are there. Aw, y’all are lovely, thank you so much.
KFM: So we didn't tag this next one as a minor spoiler. I don’t think that it is. But, definitely want to flag it anyway. Will the Solavellans have a chance at a happy ending?
JE: Corinne, I’m gonna let you do this one.
CB: Oh my goodness, this is the question. Look! I mean, I thought y’all wanted the pain? Didn’t you tell me you wanted the pain, that tortured romance that rips your heart out? Honestly though, I just wouldn’t feel right about spoiling anything there. I’ll just say this, I’ll just say this. Trick has done a fantastic job with Solas, they always do, this is some of ther best work I think. And then I’ll also say, as, for myself as the resident shipper on the leadership team, I’m repping y’all, but that’s all I’m gonna say.
KFM: That’s definitely what I meant by, not really a spoiler, but some people might’ve thought that in the beginning.
KFM: Okay, next question is, since you can choose to be part of the same faction for most of the companions, will that give you an advantage when trying to befriend them?
JE: So you will get some unique dialogue with the companions that are part of your own faction. The first time you meet them, they may not all know you by face, but they’ve at least heard of you, I’ve heard of who you are, maybe even heard of you leaving the faction to go help Varric to track down Solas. But that said, you know the faction, you don’t necessarily as people. So they will know you but you still have to work to earn their trust and learn, you know, get them, help them with their problems.
KFM: Next question is, will there be more connections between the Veilguard? Like will we see them hanging out together without out us?
JE: Oh, I love this one. Yeah, I mean, honestly, I think I’ve said this twice already, but my favorite thing is how much the companions feel like a, end up feeling like a found family. They’re invested in each others problems, you know they’re, invested in each others’ success and failures, and this manifests through a bunch of different ways. Scenes, banter, even interactions in the Lighthouse itself. Because one of the things that I think is important, I know Corinne also thinks is super important, these worlds, these games feel the best when they don’t feel like they’re there as a theme-park just for you, just to exist for Rook as a protagonist. These are characters that have relationships, have, you know, things going on that don’t necessarily directly involve Rook all the time. They have their own relationships, their own feelings, and we really want them to feel like their own people, and feel like they do exist outside of just the sphere of Rook. So, you know, they’ll follow, you’re the one leading this fight, but the companions don’t just exist for you.
KFM: So this next one is a real minor spoiler warning. Will the companions have interactions with Solas? I imagine the companions will comment on Rook’s decisions regarding Solas, but was wondering if the potential relationship between Solas and the companions will play any part?
JE: Oh, this is a good question. So a lot of Solas’ relationship is with Rook. Rook and Solas have a connection, they have a bond, and part of that is, and I’ve said this before, but Solas sees a lot of himself in Rook. He sees, you know, the person, you know the person he was before, the person he thinks he is, in Rook, and becomes, you know, again, we, they develop a connection. You get to flavor how it is, you can make it more antagonistic, make it friendlier, but ultimately it is a connection between the two of you. Now, that said, the companions are much a part of Rook’s story as Solas is, and sometimes those relationships can cross over, as well as, there are followers who, you know, are going to have a more complicated connection and complicated relationship with just, Solas as an entity, you know, Bellara, for example, is an elf, she’s Dalish, and this a person from her pantheon, so. There’s going to be a lot more of a, I guess, like I said, complex relationship between the two of them. Davrin is another example, someone else who is Dalish, so, you know, their views on the gods in general are going to be a little bit different. And then on the other side,you have someone like Emmrich who is very big on magic and the Fade, so they’ll have their own [inaudible] and their own thoughts.
KFM: Before I get to this next question I do wanna say we’ve got about a fifteen minute warning, we’ve got about fifteen minutes left, so we’ll get through as many questions as we can in that time. And with that said, our next one is, and, I feel like we might have actually touched on this one earlier, but, keep me honest. Would it be possible to hide some of the combat UI, such as companion trackers and enemy HP bars, for even more immersion?
CB: Yeah, good question. It’s actually, it’s reasonably robust what you can do with your UI. So let me give you some examples. If, normally when you hit an enemy you’ll see damage floaties come off of it. If you wanna turn those off, you can. If you want to play without, say, the minimap or the wayfinding markers, have a more organic experience, you can. I challenged myself to do a, it was really difficult to do a really difficult run where I turned off my own health bar, you can do that too. And then, I know one of them that a lot of people have been asking about is, we do have the incoming attack indicators, that just help you react. But, if you’re the kind’ve player that wants to turn those off, cut down on the noise, yeah, you can do that too, so. You know, I can’t say that we support every single option that you might have in mind, but it’s reasonably robust.
KFM: And then, another, just small, minor spoiler, you’ve been warned yet again, is there lock-picking in the game?
CB: Oh gosh lock-picking, notorious lock-picking. Well let me answer it this way. I think the approach we took in The Veilguard is that each companion has a unique, what we’re calling, exploration ability, or abilities, that you can use to solve puzzle, access new areas and find treasure. So, like in that regard it’s not actually dissimilar to lockpicking, it’s just that it is more thematic to the companions and their unique skill-sets within The Veilguard. It’s very specialized, I guess you could say. And, look, I’ve been there when you’re playing and you feel like you have to take a rogue, otherwise you’re not gonna be open the lockpick chests. Some players like that, some players dislike it, but the option that we wanted to give to y’all is that, you know, we did say this is a spoiler right? We did, yeah. So Rook does find a certain dagger and through it a method to channel these exploration abilities of their companions, even when the companion is not in your party. So like, look, if I’m exploring Hossberg, and there’s a puzzle and I know how to solve it, like I’m not running all the way back to like a party swap-point, you can just use the dagger.
KFM: This is not a spoiler, and it is actually something we confirmed a little bit earlier in the Q&A, but it doesn’t hurt to be clear. Can we freely reallocate or refund skillpoints?
CB: Yeah, so we’ve confirmed this, I’m just gonna keep it brief, yes, absolutely. Refund all, refund last, no cost. It’s an entirely friendly refund system. Go experiment, and then let me know what you do.
KFM: Will the acts be broken down into acts or stages at all? Mainly wondering for like spoiler discussion purposes, while they’re all playing and wanting to talk to one another about it?
JE: So while we don’t officially within the game say this is this act, this is the next act, there are some pretty obvious narrative breakpoints where the context changes, or there is, you know, events that make it clear that things are now advancing into a different stage. That’s now, to be clear, that’s largely around the critical path. Other content can largely be done at any time, but even there we do unlock certain things over the course of time, because, again, it makes, it maybe doesn’t make narrative sense in the context of, say, an earlier act, but now, you know, you’re into act two, it feels a lot more meaningful and makes a lot more sense in the world. You can do a lot of content in any order, but the critical path is largely broken into acts.
KFM: Now, I think this next question might be the most important question we can answer. A user by the name of doggiesnores says, would you please tell me happy birthday?
JE: Happy birthday doggiesnores.
CB: Aww, happy birthday doggie - I feel weird saying doggiesnores. I mean, listen -
JE: You gotta roll with it Corinne.
CB: John, Katey, do we wanna sing? Do we wanna sing?
JE: No!
KFM: Oh we can - oh, okay.
JE: You can sing.
CB: Alright. [sings] Happy birthday to you -
KFM: - [sings] to you - [stops singing] are we gonna stop now? Okay.
CB: We’ll stop, we’ll stop.
JE: Yeah, I think, yeah.
CB: We gotta get back to the questions.
KFM: Yeah, we do have a time limit now.
KFM: Alright, next question, alright. This is from Guapa. Okay. I wanna know the helmet situation. Back in Inquisition, there were helmets exclusive to races, and to be honest, most helmets were exclusive to humans. Will elves and humans share helmets since their head shape seems to be more similar now, and will there be qunari helmets rather than just facepaints?
CB: Love this described as “the helmet situation”. I love it. Yeah, so let me describe this to you. All the helmets can be worn by all the lineages with one big exception. The qunari still use the vitaar face paint. So each helmet has a unique look, and if you’re using the vitaar variant of that instead, that too has a unique look, so you’ll wear that facepaint instead of the helmet. And we, we felt that this was just generally a good precedent following Inquisition and, really what led us to this decision is that, when you see horn customization, and hair customization with the horns in character creator, we didn’t want to sacrifice that aspect of it in character creator. It’s just effing cool, that’s all I can say about it. So, yeah, the qunari will use vitaar. All the other helmets can be worn by all lineages. We’ve talked a lot about transmog, so of course you can transmog them, you can hide your helmet, you can hide your helmet in certain situations. So I’d say, as a “situation”, we’re pretty happy with it.
KFM: This next question is, will we be able to tint and change the color of our armours, or have they, or do they have their default colors only?
CB: Oh cool, yeah, that kinda gets to transmog in a way. Gosh, what’s the, the best way to answer this I think is that each armor piece, like gear piece you have, will have bespoke colors, but for almost every single armor piece, while you can’t dye them, we have created color-variant cosmetics and they’re very often aligned with the various factions in the world, right? So like, there’s one, for instance, that has this like, incredible, like flowing cape, I use it all the time. There’s a variant of it for each faction with different faction, with different colors and logos and things of that nature. So you can’t dye, but it really is flexible and very thematic. And then I guess, going back to the Venatori armor question we had way at the beginning, while I wouldn’t say they’re explicitly Venatori, there are some very Venatori-like color schemes in some of the armors you’ll find.
KFM: I think this might be our last minor spoiler question, so once again, you’ve been warned. AelaFireheart asks, will we be seeing other griffons from The Last Flight?
JE: So, again, just to be clear, spoilers, but yeah, Assan has brothers and sisters, so Assan is not the only griffon that shows up in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
CB: Hey, I just gotta respond to something in comment, that somebody says, wait, does that mean I can’t be pink? And I’m assuming we’re talking about armors. There are some pink armors. Don’t worry -
KFM: Confirmed.
CB: - there’s some pink.
KFM: As some of the companions come from media outside of the games, were they already chosen as companions for the game and then integrated into the additional media, or were they characters outside of the game, and the team wanted to bring them in?
JE: I think this is pretty similar to a question we answered earlier, so I mean, again, it depends, but if they showed up, especially in Tevinter Nights, they were already intended to be companions at that point, so.
KFM: Are there any lineage-based surnames or is it just based on the background?
JE: So surnames in this game are entirely based on your background choice. The reason for this is we do reference your surname in dialogue, a not inconsiderable amount, and we didn’t, at a certain point it becomes unsustainable in terms of how many different variations, so. We reference it based on your surnames, sorry, your background.
KFM: Is there any chance that we will be getting any audio snippets of some of the companions and Rook’s voicelines before release?
JE: Well that’s the great news about the, Vows & Vengeance, is that, each companion will show up in one of the episodes, and you’ll be able to hear their voice in there, so. First episode yesterday, and there’s more to come.
KFM: Remember when I said that was the last, or we had already read the last minor spoiler, I was wrong, there is one more. So, once again, you’ve been warned, minor spoiler upcoming. This question is from SammyCherryLee. Considering Varric’s timeskip, looks are a direct, Varric’s timeskip looks are a direct translation of how he looked in the comics. What thought process went into Morrigan’s new design, and what do you usually consider when bringing in old beloved characters back, but also make sure to adapt them to the years that have passed within the game?
JE: So, in every case, any time we’re bringing back a character, we want to think about, what would, what’s changed for that character in the time since you’ve last saw them, so, Varric, Morrigan, any other characters we bring back, there is this thought of, okay, it’s been, in this case, you know, almost ten years, what’s changed for these characters in that intervening time? In the case of Morrigan, she’s coming to terms with a lot of truths about both herself but also her mother, you know, you see her with Flemeth’s crown, or a variation of it, and that’s speaking to her personal journey of, what I would call, kind’ve acceptance of who she is and how she connects to Flemeth, because ultimately we want this to feel like a real world. It’s, they’re not the same person they are ten years ago, none of us are, and we don’t want characters to feel like, either ten years have passed, and hey, I’m exactly the same, because that’s stagnation for the character, and it’s just not believable or, honestly, fun, for you. And it doesn’t do justice to those characters.
KFM: Can we clarify - ooh, fuck, I think my Discord just went down again.
JE: Yep, I can still hear you.
CB: We can, we can hear you Katey, so.
KFM: Oh, good!
CB: Yeah.
KFM: I’ll just keep talking!
CB: Great, let’s do it!
KFM: I’m so sorry for the f-bomb, I didn’t know you could still hear me.
CB: Hey, we’ve all been there.
JE: Cursing, in our Discord, my goodness!
CB: How very human of you.
KFM: Ban me, ban me. This next question is, can you clarify if Spellblade will be forced to use a dagger, or can we still use staff as a melee combat weapon?
CB: Oh, heck yeah, let’s go. You know, I was wondering if this was gonna be clear in the combat video we put out, so I’ll speak about mage, but this is generally true of all the classes. So they each have two weapon sets, if you’ve seen the character sheet. So for mage, you’re gonna have your staff slot and then you’re gonna have the orb-and-dagger slot. So, at any point, like even between weapon swings, you can swap to your class alternate weapon set by hitting down on the D-pad. So you’re not locked down into one weapon set or the other, even if you’re in a given class or specialization. Now, like what I would say is that the Spellblade specialization has a lot of extra functionality and depth that like is augmented when using the orb-and-dagger, but, like if I give you an anecdote of how I play, the staff heavy-attack armor, I take this, or, the staff heavy attack charge, I take a trait where when I’m doing damage and playing, it’s building up that heavy attack charge on my staff. Even when I’m playing as my Spellblade. So I’ll be, just going to down with orb and dagger, I’ll notice that my staff is fully-charged, I’ll swap at a convenient moment, use my heavy staff attack, blast the enemies down, I was telling y’all, like, these Nightmare players, like planning around your elemental damage types, it’s really great to have weapons of multiple elemental types, right? So I go up against something that’s resistant to fire, I’m gonna hit down and maybe swap to my necrotic weapon.
KFM: I'm back, in record time.
JE: Welcome back!
KFM: Okay, did we get to the next one, or was that just the Spellblade question?
CB: Oh that was, sorry I was geeking out too much Katey.
KFM: Oh that’s okay, no, it’s great!
CB: We hit upon a favorite topic of mine.
KFM: That’s okay. Do we think we have time for one more, or do we think it’s time to wrap up?
JE: I can go a little late, we’ve got, I think we can do a couple more, for sure.
KFM: Okay, we do only have three left, so.
JE: Let’s finish the list!
KFM: Let’s do it.
KFM: Alright, next question. Since it was mentioned that playing as an elf in the Veil Jumpers will see you more of a, see you as more of a Dalish elf, and a City elf if you play as a Shadow Dragon, what kind of elf would you be in the other factions?
JE: So this is actually a really interesting question for me because I think one of the things I’d say is, while City Elf versus Dalish Elf is a lot more of a useful distinction in, you know, Ferelden, Orlais, we’re in northern Thedas, things are different up here. And a great example is Rivain. Dalish settlements, you know, they have Dalish settlements within cities, integrated into the cities, because, again, they don’t have that same bias, that same distinction. So it’s not really a City Elf versus Dalish Elf thing in a lot of those cases. It’s a lot more about, how you play into the faction, you know, and, in some cases it matters more that you’re an elf, in other cases it doesn’t actually matter to the people of that faction, they’re just looking for someone who could do the work. A great example, and I’ll just, very, very light spoilers, Mourn Watch is a great example where, they just care that you are capable of, you know, executing the duties that you’re given, so.
KFM: This next question, we’ve definitely confirmed a few times today already, but I’m sure there’s been a couple of people who cycled in and out. Will, when will we be releasing detailed information on the full list of accessibility features in the game?
JE: So yeah, so I mean, we mentioned, we’re not quite ready to talk about them, but we will be diving into them before launch. We wanna make sure as many people as possible can enjoy and play the game, so.
CB: Yeah, I think we’re doing a feature, some kind of blogpost on that, but, that’ll be a good format where we can be a little bit more in-depth.
JE: Yeah.
KFM: Alright, and the final question that I have on my list. It’s about localization. WoodenSmith says, I’d like to hear more about how localization works. What sorts of things have to be changed or adjusted so they make sense in different regions? Do localization teams have to be super careful when they translate to make sure they’re not accidentally revealing more than was intended in other versions? I’ve also always been very curious about accents in other versions. For example, do the, I’m gonna butcher this, do the Orl - Orlesian -
JE: Orlesian.
KFM: Orlesian, thank you, John. Character voice -
CB: That was really good, Katey!
KFM: I tried!
JE: Yeah, you tried, you got most of the way there, yeah!
KFM: For example, do the Orlesian character voice actors speak in a French accent in the Japanese version, or dwarf characters speak with an American accent in the French version?
JE: So I’m going to talk broadly about localization, and I’ll get a little bit into the accent question. So, localization is a thing that we’re doing constantly. We’re almost working with the teams, we have regular syncs with them, and a lot of that is because localization is not just, a lot of people think of it like, yeah, you’re just translating. Well, you’re not, you’re, you know, you’re, again, there’s different things to understand about different languages, they have different rules around grammar and, I will say, I think every writer has at least one story where they wrote, kind’ve, a fun double-entendre into a conversation, and then they got a ping from some of the localization teams saying, hey, can you very thoroughly explain what you meant there? And that’s what I like to describe as being hoist on your own petard because, sometimes, you’re like, oh I said this, it was really ribald, and now I don’t want to talk to this person who is very seriously and very concernedly, looking, it’s just like, ‘can you please tell us what that means?’ But yeah, I mean, in general, it’s an art-form of its own. You know, different sayings translate differently into different languages, different metaphors translate differently to different languages, and we always wanna make sure that other people, you know, people are playing this game in every language have an experience that feels authentic and meaningful, and doesn’t feel like it’s just kind’ve, you know, phoned in, we just, we just ran it through Google Translate or something, so. Again, localization is a huge part of what we do, the localization team we have is amazing, they do fantastic work, I love working with them. As far as accents, yeah, we do try to keep some consistency, it’s not always going to be a one to one, but we do try to say like, okay, so, this character, this group of characters needs to sound similar, and they’ll find an accent that works with the language that they’re trying, because, again, different accents work differently with different languages, and we wanna make sure that there’s that consistency, so, yeah.
KFM: We did it!
JE: Yeah!
KFM: That’s all of our questions that we’re able to get to you today. Wanna just say a quick thanks again to the community for submitting all of these really questions, it was a lot of fun going through them and, you know, making sure that we were able to give you some new stuff this time around. Yeah, anything you guys wanna say before we hop off?
CB: Yeah, can I just say, look, we love here, being here answering questions for you but the support, the interest you all show, it really fuels us in the team.
JE: Mhm.
CB: You all are a big part of us being able to make this game what it is, and I really hope we do you proud, so just, sincere thank you to everyone.
JE: Yeah, just, I just wanna echo that. I’ve been on this project for a while, and it’s been a lot of, not getting to talk about it, and quietly saying I don’t know, are we making more new Dragon Age? So being able to actually have these conversations and give you the details that you want without spoiling the game, it’s, it’s a lot of fun. This is genuinely the funnest part of my week, so thank you everyone.
KFM: Awesome, well thank you both so much for your time, Corinne and John. And, yeah, we have recorded the audio for this, so we’re going to turn that into a transcription, and put that in the Q&A archive channel, which lives underneath ask-bioware. That will be coming, you know, in the next couple of days to a week or so, you know, we’ll, we’ll be working away at it as soon as possible, so just let, let me know if you have any questions.
JE: Awesome. Thank you so much everyone, have a good Friday, good weekend, and I’m gonna go eat a sandwich, so.
CB: Happy Friday!
KFM: Happy Friday, and happy sandwich day!
CB: Bye bye.
JE: Thank you.
KFM: Bye.
JE: Bye.
[source: the official BioWare Discord server, August 30th dev Q&A]
Update: If you would like to listen to the Q&A for yourself in video format, or listen to it again, Ghil Dirthalen recorded it and has now uploaded a video of it here.
#dragon age: the veilguard#dragon age the veilguard spoilers#<- this is my spoilers tag#dragon age: dreadwolf#dragon age 4#the dread wolf rises#da4#dragon age#bioware#video games#long post#longpost#solas#morrigan#queen of my heart#dragon age: tevinter nights#dragon age: the missing#dragon age: the missing spoilers#dragon age: vows & vengeance#lul#feels#dragon age: vows & vengeance spoilers#lgbtq
742 notes
·
View notes
Text
Argument Over Name - Quinn Hughes
masterlist | wip's
— WARNINGS: nothing just sweet pure content and cute argument over name — SUMMARY: You finally convinced Quinn about getting a puppy, but he argued with you over the puppy’s name when you brought him home. — WORD COUNT: 2,02K
It was around nine am when Quinn got back from his morning practice and you’ve been a pain in his ass ever since then.
You wouldn’t shut up. First it was about your mom’s birthday which he didn’t mind, because he loves your mom.
But it was maybe an hour later, you screamed in excitement as you went through shelter websites and found the most beautiful puppy you had ever seen.
And that was your signal to annoy Quinn as much as you could to convince him to get the puppy. It was hard. It took you almost two days to do it.
Quinn wouldn’t listen to anything else just your rants about how much you want to get the puppy out of the shelter so he knows how love feels.
“Quinny, please!” you whined, shoveling your phone into his face for the millionth time today. You could say he was beyond annoyed with you, but he loved you too much to tell you straight in the face. “Just take a look at him!”
“Babe. I love you, you know that, but who would take care of him? You know that he needs to attend some training.” Quinn sighed, looking over his shoulder at you. Your lips turned into a pout as your eyes didn’t leave the photo on your phone screen.
“I would do it Q,” you whispered still looking at the puppy. “I want to help him.” You said more to yourself as you pulled away from him and went back to the dining table, where you had been sitting before.
Quinn watched you walk away from him with guilt in his eyes. He knew you would take care of the dog, but he didn’t want to deal with some small thing running around his apartment and pissing and shitting everywhere.
But the sad look on your face and the glistening eyes softened him. With a sigh, he threw his head back and got up. You were so into the article about the dog that you didn’t even notice Quinn who was standing behind you.
“Baby,” he whispered his hands were wrapped around your neck the moment he reached you, startling you a little bit. “Will you really take care of him?” he sighed and leaned down to rest his chin on your shoulder.
You nodded your head looking at him with doe eyes and pout. You knew these two things were his weakness and always made him melt. That’s why you did it.
“Okay then, I think we can get a look at him and get him,” he whispered and kissed your neck lightly.
“Really?” you pulled away from him in surprise while you dropped your phone on the table. “Are you serious Quinn?” you whispered again your hand going immediately around his neck.
“Yeah, I am, baby. But you really have to take care of him.” His lips grazed yours in a soft kiss, while his hands roamed your body, not in a sexual way, just to make sure you were okay and happy.
“I love you, Quinn.” You giggled and pressed your lips to his in a hungry kiss.
The bell above the door rang when Quinn and you made your way inside the animal shelter, only a few minutes away from your apartment building.
A lady behind the counter looked at you with a wide smile and said, “Hello, welcome to SPCA how can we help you?” Quinn looked at you and pushed you gently forward. You looked at him with a nervous grin and then politely smiled at the lady.
“Hi, uhm we came here to adopt a puppy,” you breathed out nervously. You hate talking to people and Quinn knew it that is why every time he nudges you forward to talk. “I saw this one on your website and just wanted to know if he is still available.” You pulled out your phone and showed the lady the puppy photo.
“Oh Bully! Yeah of course! You are actually the first one who wanted him.” sad smile linger on her lips for a while as she typed something on the computer.
“Are we?” Quinn’s brows were high on his forehead as he asked with surprise.
“Yeah, i blame it on the way he walks.”
You turned slightly at Quinn who looked down at you with disbelief. You could see the disgust with people.
“What happened to him?” your voice was thick from the weird feeling in your stomach you were feeling. Your hand was playing with the hem of your sweater from the nervousness while the other one was gripping Quinn’s.
Quinn could sense the change in your mood, he knew you like the back of his hand and he could tell when something was off. To calm you down he pressed his lips to your temple, and let them linger there for a while.
“When he was born, the family didn’t want him, so they didn’t feed him properly, just let him have his mother’s milk and that was all. They were somehow able to broke his back left leg in three parts.” Quinn and you could sense the hate in the lady’s voice.
You closed your eyes at that, took in a deep breath and thought about how someone could be so cruel to something so innocent as a puppy. You hated those people. If you were about to change something in this country then it would definitely be highest sentences for hurting animals.
“Assholes.” Quinn murmured under his nose shaking his head as you two followed the lady inside the room with dogs.
Your eyes immediately went to all the puppies and dogs in there. You wanted nothing more than just to adopt all of these so they could feel the love people, the right people, can show them.
As if Quinn was reading your thoughts he bent down until his lips were almost touching your ear and he whispered, “I know love, but just the one okay?”
“Okay, so here is Bully. We didn’t give him any name, because we hope someone would come for him and you did so,” she chuckled at her voice, the same went for you and Quinn. She opened the cage and pulled out the cutest puppy you have ever seen.
You let out a quiet aww when she came closer to you two. You carefully reached your hand forward, to pat him when he barked out and licked your palm.
Goggles left your mouth and Quinn watched you with so much love in his eye. He loves seeing you happy, and if a small four-legged thing shitting and running around your apartment, would make you happy, then he won’t say a word.
Quinn watched as the lady handed you the puppy who was already making its way to you. A smile spread on his lips when a giggle left your mouth when the puppy licked your face.
The lady watched the two of you with a fond smile, knowing that both of you won the lottery, when you found each other. Because in a really long time, she didn’t see a man looking at his woman the way Quinn does at you.
“You can get to know each other while I will take care of the papers. I will be back in a few.” she smiled at you two and left the room, leaving you alone in there with the small fluff in your arms.
You turned around to face Quinn, who was already looking with a small smile.
“What?” you asked, your eyes searched his for some answers and he just shook his head with chuckle.
“Nothing, babe.”
“Really?” the way he was standing there and just staring at the two of makes butterflies flutter in your stomach.
“Yeah, really.” he smirked and reached his hand forward the puppy, who either wiggling tail licked his fingers. “Hi there buddy.”
“Here, hold him,” you handed him over to Quinn, who carefully took him and positioned him like a baby in his arms with a smile lingering on his lips.
You took the opportunity of the two of them together and made some pictures of them so you could later sent them in the Hughes’ group chat.
The lady came back within a few minutes with papers for you to sign.
“We will not name him Goblin, Quinn!” you shouted at him from the kitchen, where you were currently preparing dinner for the two of you. “We are not in The Lord of the Rings.”
It has been three hours since you got home from the SPCA, and the puppy has been sleeping since then. Before you got home you managed to buy everything for him, like food, a collar, a doghouse, toys, and other things which was probably your favorite thing to do.
You could hear a loud sigh from the living room before he said, “But it would be so cool,” he whined, and you could vividly imagine the pout on his lips. “Ph and what about Shmoop?”
As soon as he said that you stopped in your tracks, your jaw hanging open. The fuck?
“Where the fuck did you look for those names?!” you walked out of the kitchen with a knife in your hand and stand in front of him.
“Uhm the AI,” he chuckled nervously and showed you his phone where a list of silly dog names was. “It’s actually really good, you should-“Before he could finish it, you took off your slipper and threw it at him.
“Quinn! Stop making fun of it!” you shouted at him with a slight frown and then went back into the kitchen. You could hear Quinn’s muffled chuckles, forcing you to smile too.
“And what about Waffles?” he said again with a teasing tone. You groaned at his words throwing your head back slightly annoyed.
“I am serious Q. We can’t name our baby like this,” you said while chopping peppers with a little too much force.
You could hear some shuffling coming from the living room before you could feel his presence behind you. You didn’t really acknowledge him and continued preparing the dinner.
“What did you just say?” his voice was deeper and raspier than before, making you turn around and look at him.
“That we will not name our baby like this!” You knew exactly why he asked that which was why a grin spread all over your lips. Quinn, who was standing behind you, made a face as if he heard tight even for the second time, and then he just shrugged his shoulder, accepting his fate. “I have better names,” you sighed when you could feel his hands sneaking around your waist.
“Oh, you have?” he asked with a raised brows which you couldn’t see. He tightened his arms around your waist and pulled himself closer to you.
“Yeah, Winston, Atlas, Orion,” you turned around and threw your arms around his neck while tilting your head.
“No way I will call Orion in the park at him.” he shook his head and pulled away from you slightly. You pursed your lips at him.
“Quinn, you didn’t even want that dog,” You sighed and pulled away from him completely, your shoulders dropping down. “So, I can name him however I want to.” You said stubbornly and turned back to finish your dinner.
“Babe, come on,” he let out a defeated sigh and a smile grew on your lips knowing that you did what you did. You ignored him when he yet again wrapped his hands around your waist. You ignored him when he trailed his lips down your neck and on your shoulder. And you ignored him when rested his forehead against your shoulder and sighed again. “Fine, okay. You can name him however you want to.”
A mischievous smirk appeared on your lips as you achieved what you wanted to. You turned around with doe eyes and a small smile.
“Really?” you asked innocently, giggling when Quinn tickled your hips.
“Yeah, now scoot over I’m gonna help you with the dinner.”
#quinn hughes fic#quinn hughes#qh43#quinn hughes x reader#quinn hughes fluff#quinn hughes fanfic#quinn hughes imagine#quinn hughes fanfiction#vancover canucks#quinn hughes one shot
326 notes
·
View notes
Text
✨ The In Stars and Time Spoiler Q&A ✨
it's time. MASSIVE IN STARS AND TIME SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT. IT'S GONNA BE SO LONG. LET'S GO
I hope you are aware of The Secret Final Boss because I'm also gonna spoil the crab out of that. If you haven't,
1. Did you know the events for interacting with your souvenirs are randomized for some of them, and also change depending on how far you are in the game.
2. Did you know there's a way to show souvenirs to a certain character.
3. Did you know you can go back to Dormont during the Epilogue.
Figure that out, and come back here! Or watch a let's play online. You can also do that.
I will also try to adopt a ~mysterious cool voice with no exclamation points~ for Effect. Come with me on this journey.
Now. Questions time!
✨ Will you ever make a sequel to ISAT, or make a game in the same universe?
Nah. This was always intended to be The Story. This is your turn to imagine things now.
✨ But so what happened to the Country? What was its name? What about the wishes? What about the colors? What did Siffrin say as an openphrase to open the door to the King's room? What about--
I will not answer those. It's your turn.
✨ BUT THE COUNTRY AND THE COLORS AND THE WISHES
Ok fine. Here are some facts that I alluded to in-game, that I am confirming now.
-The Country disappearing and the events that made colors go away are not related.
-The colors disappeared a loooong time ago, which is why knowing they even existed is a relatively new find.
-A wish made everyone forget the Country.
I will ALSO say that ISAT's map operates on Final Fantasy/General Fantasy rules (i.e. in-universe locations are based off of real ones when it comes to culture, but are not one to one parallels, especially for geography), so no, the Country isn't based on the UK oh my god please do not say that to me again or im deleting ISAT out of your computers and putting legos at the foot of your bed. It's based on another place. You can figure it out, I believe in you.
✨ But why won't you give more info on what happened :(
Can you imagine if I did answer. Wouldn't that be a bummer, whatever my answer was. Sometimes things need to stay a mystery. And also, I don't want to answer <3
✨ Does the world Loop came from still exist after they left? Or is this a get mystery'd situation?
There is only One Timeline and it's the timeline that goes from the prologue to ISAT. Every timeline that gets rewound does not exist anymore, and that includes the prologue's timeline.
✨ What's the deal with Siffrin's dream at the start?
It's Siffrin's dream, but that doesn't mean our Siffrin is the main star.
✨ Is [specific missable game moment] canon?
Every moment that you personally experience in the game is canon.
✨ Is there a reason Siffrin remembers their name but the King doesn't?
What makes you think Siffrin does?
✨ At the very very end of the game, if you look out the window behind the Head Housemaiden, Sif mentions seeing an island in the distance. Is that his country?
It is. It's always been there, for the whole game. You can see it in the distance, too.
✨ Who was the King, before?
He was just a guy!
✨ With the King left remembering in the end, does that in any way change the redaction effect for other people in the world going forward?
That's a fun idea. Maybe!
✨ One thing that never really clicked for me is: Is the sweet smell Time Craft or Wish Craft? Or is the sweet smell TIme Craft and specifically the burnt sugar smell is Wish Craft? Other way around? Does this question even matter since without Wish Craft you can't attain Time Craft in the first place? (To me, yes.)
Wish Craft smells sweet. Time Craft doesn't have a smell per se, but it does do something.
✨ Does Mirabelle retain her immunity to being frozen in time after the events of the game or does it go away after the Head Housemaiden is saved? Or does it persist for a while and eventually fade away?
I imagine the immunity slowly faded away. But no one's left to do Time Craft, so it's a moot point anyway.
✨ How was Odile able to stop Siffrin from looping back during the fight against Siffrin?
In the Discord channel I stated that it's because "she's just that cool", but really, she does have access to some skills that heighten the efficacity of Rock/Paper/Scissors attacks, so it's not too much of a stretch to imagine she could lower the efficacity of Time Craft as well. In this last loop, while listening to Loop and observing, she could figure out Siffrin was looping way earlier than she could in even the Sus Quest, so she made plans. She is Very Smart <3
✨ Will you ever share everyone's full names?
That's artbook content <3
✨ In the ending, what happened to Siffrin's hat?
Flew away. It's gone now.
✨ Looking back at the original comics, and seeing how comic!sif has both eyes at the start of their loops, but in ending sequences is shown with his eye patch...did you ever consider making that concept of sif losing their eye a part of the main loop in either of your games? and if so, was there any reason why you decided against it?
Early on, I did think about making that whole event an event that happens during the loops, but quickly let that go since 1. it would be a pain to write and code (two different sets of Siffrin portraits!) and 2. if it happened, the player might want to look for a way to NOT make that happen and so 3. it would be a pain to write and code
✨ How was Siffrin's homelife before?
Pretty good!
✨ How old were Nille and Bonnie when they ran away? How old was Sif when their home got zapped?
Both were teens.
✨ How old IS everyone?
Siffrin is mid-late 20s. Mirabelle and Isabeau are early-mid 20s, with Isabeau being slightly older. Bonnie is a preteen. Odile is Too Old For This. Petronille, Bonnie's sister, is late teens-early 20s. You can ignore whatever I said in the prologue's artbook, whoever wrote this was Wrong!!!!!!!!!!
✨ Regarding the book that talks about someone who crafted a copy of themself using wish craft: is that meant to imply someone we know is the author (and/or the copy), or is it not directly related to any of em? or is it a "who knows ;)" situation where we can just speculate and theorize either way?
Please check the book again during Act 5! This applies to most items/map events by the way, like the pendant. You can check those during Act 5 and 6 for some fun new dialogue!
✨ Why are Siffrin's clothes so warm looking?
The Country got cold at night.
✨ What's up with Siffrin's pins?
They're made out of a special material. And also, they make Siffrin look cool <3
✨ I want to know the story behind Loop’s different eye shades!
They're blind in one eye. Also, fun foreshadowing <3
✨ What determines whether someone is paper/rock/scissors craft? Is it assigned naturally at birth or something else (and how do you find out)? Does it make you more inclined to use that specific craft or is anyone generally free to use whatever craft they want?
Astrology rules, It Just Is A Thing. Being Rock Type means it is way easier for you to do Rock Craft, but that doesn't mean you can't learn other types of craft, although it's way harder. Doing Craft of your type is instinct, doing Craft of another type would take some time and resarch.
✨What crimes has Odile committed before. I need to know.
Odile just smiles.
✨ Why did the King specifically target the House of Dormont?
I had a reason in mind, but adding it to the game would've added a layer of Explanation that really didn't need to be there. It's just a nice House.
✨ Who was Odile's hatecrush...
Dunno. It's your turn.
✨ What is loop's body situation. like is the surface of their "skin" solid? they did poke siffrin that one time, and we know they aren't cold, but...
I have some idea. But it's your turn!
✨ Would Sif still have looped if they hadn't made the wish he made in the beginning? As in, would Vaugarde's combined wish have made him loop until managing to beat the King?
No. But without time powers, you can imagine what would've happened next.
✨ During the Loop Hangout, how did the rest of the team make it all the way to The King? What about during Act 5?
During the Loop Hangout: with difficulty. During Act 5: Loop was there to guide them.
✨ Is Loop: 1. Actually comfortable with both he and they, but only gave the one pronoun to emphasize the distance? 2. Only using they/them because a large life event led to a shift in identity/ how they'd like to be perceived? or 3. time lops stole he from they they :(
Mostly that first one. But all three of those reasons have a bit of truth to them.
✨ Who cooked crab in the House of Change???
This is a very funny question! I've never thought about it. It's your turn.
✨ What are the Orbs that open the gate? Did the King create the Gate or was it there before?
(did not think about the orbs or the gate beyond "plot that proves there was a journey before") Stop Asking Questions,,,, It's your turn,,,,,,
✨ Bonnie's dialogue is *extremely* accurate to how overexcited kids talk, which is really rare to see. Was that something that took a lot of effort to achieve, or did it come naturally to you?
Thank you <3 I'm just that good. Really, Bonnie is an adult with no filter, and less general knowledge. I'm very glad I managed to write Bonnie well, especially since. I haven't talked to a kid. Since I was one myself
✨ The Spoilery Concept Art. Blease
oh yeah. here have it all. this is what I gave Mimi to do the animated trailer!
✨ So. What's everyone's favorite shade.
FINALLY the question. Plus I can say shade names now. White = darkless, Black = lightless. Light and Dark is like light grey/ dark grey. Oh my god I'm checking my notes and I wrote a small event I never used about hair dye colors like "midnight dark", "tomato grey", "snow light" past me that's so fucking funny
Anyway, Siffrin loves darkless, Mirabelle is more of a light shade lover, Isabeau loves that lightless (BECAUSE ITS FASHIONABLE OK), Odile likes darker shades, and Bonnie also loves that lightless (BECAUSE ITS AS DARK AS MY SOUL OK)
✨ Are there any bugs you found during developments that you've made into features?
Two! The first one was the ability to ask Loop to just silently hang out during Act 4. I messed up the code and the game softlocked there, with Siffrin and Loop sitting there silently. I thought it was very sweet. They deserve a little quiet time.
The second was in Act 5 - the House map had a lot of issues with the Act 5 map bringing you back to the normal House map. So one of the testers got brought to the normal House map and didn't notice, and interacted with the Mirror on Floor 3, and it gave them the normal interaction with everyone seeing the mirror and taking a picture, and when they went to look at the picture in their inventory, it gave them the actual Act 5 picture. A little bit after they realized the game bugged out, and told me about it, and begged me to keep that in because they were very unsettled by it. So here it is! Beforehand, it was just Siffrin silently taking a picture, so I'm glad I changed it.
✨ Did you ever have emotional difficulty writing the more sensitive parts of the script, like Siffrin’s intrusive/negative thoughts, for one reason or another? Moreover, did you worry the script may be darker than your initial vision for it anticipated?
Not really. The Mirabelle and Odile hangout scenes were the hardest scenes by far because I really wanted to get them right, but everything else was about the same amount of difficulty. And actually, I wanted to go a little bit darker for the script, but I was worried it was going to be too dark... When it comes to the dagger event, I had a whole tangent about Siffrin thinking about the best way to strike, so to speak, but I deleted it because it was getting A Little Too Detailed. T rating come back to me
✨ For the questions you WON'T answer, did you have your own answers while making the game? Or were they left blank?
Some of them I do, some of them I don't!
✨ I loved this game and I want to replay it but I don't want Siffrin to go through everything again!
Here's a little fun fact I decided: if you hit the credits, you helped a Siffrin escape. If you start a new game, you are creating a new Siffrin that you can emotionally tortu-IIIIIIII MEAN, a new Siffrin that you can help. Do not worry about your Siffrins they are fine
✨ A lot of those answers ended up being "It's your turn", huh.
Yea <3 The answers to some of those questions ARE there if you look. Some just aren't. But you can imagine whatever you want. It's your turn! I finished the game! I'm done working! It's your turn!!!
✨ I loved ISAT and it made me feel so many feelings!
Thank you so much. I'm sorry if you sent a message or ask and I didn't answer it. I read every single one and cherish it! Thank you for playing and thank you for writing me a message!!!!! When I get a little down I look at all of those and I feel better. Thank you. I'm sorry I can't answer them all.
✨ What will you work on next?
I have a project I'm currently in the preproduction stages of. I don't want to talk about it until I feel like I have some stuff to show. Plus I still have to make the ISAT artbook and some other stuff, so it won't be for a while. Nonetheless, I hope you will enjoy it!!!
1K notes
·
View notes
Text
✨ShadowPeach Bio Parents Bio AU Q&A! 12/09✨

Welcome to the Q&A! A space where I can answer related or similar question about the Shadowpeach Bio Parents AU! If you submitted your ask anonimously, then you’ll have to check the whole post if it’s answered here, if it’s not, worry not! Your asks might have been used for a future comic or just in the queue~
@snsp6 I really hope that this won’t change MK’s view on his bio dads :( Anonimo Hello! Wanted to ask or more so I am wondering, will MK start seeing Wukong differently after finding out he literally killed Mac and even after seeing their past and how close they were, dam the trauma, anyhoo I love your art and the Shadowpeach bio parent au! Keep up the great work! >:D
Oh it will. (In a good way? a Bad? that's for me to know and for you to wait a week to know)
@hopefulbelievertimemachine Imagine if MK found someone who recently found out that they were a demon and he comforts them cuz he had a similar experience.
Oh that would be sooo wholesome!!! It's one of my fav trope when there's another character who go throught the same exact thing as another character and the two of them bond over this.
@zammy357 Hello, hope your day/night is going well. I wanted to ask since me and a friend like your bio parents blog and wanted to know if we can use it for an arc? Our blog is called @amnesia-wukong-au. We wanted to ask before we started doing it.
Hi!! Yeah sure as long you tag me and the masterpost of the shadowpeach au
Anonimo Wait what is a glamour (in context of Sun Wukong and Macaque)
A glamour is a magic spell that changes/cover your appearance. Like in the show macaque should technically have 6 ears. for animation purposi I guess they are not drawing all of them, but we say he uses a glamour also for covering his scarred eye.
@clueless-simp ha chiesto: What if PIF, BDK, Sun Wukong, and Macaque (and most definitely Mei) did a "parent trap" tactic to get MK and Red Son together? Setting things up, getting them alone together, pretending they are all busy, and the only option is for them to spend time together under the sunset XD XD XD
Oh no that would end bad. like-comically bad.
@honeylavender27 ha chiesto: Imagine red realizing mk doesn't know about court napping and just invites him over one day. Red son: so I'm sure your wondering why I invited you here.. Mk: yeah it's kinda weird you didn't want Mei to come. Is everything ok? Red: perfect actually, I'll explain everything just enter here first please. Mk: oh ok -walks into the prepared courtnapping room and gets locked in-.....uh red? Redson: consider yourself courtnapped...
Ahah poor MK. I think they would make a disastrous courtnapping that would be the equivalent of the phrase "task failed succesfully"
@artgurusauce ha chiesto: ARGGGHHHH, they're SO CUTE! I love your bioparent AU so much! Altho I am wondering: When MK turns back to normal would he retain some subconscious paternal attachment to our ol boys here? Maybe he even calls Macaque "Mom" without realizing it...
@blazerratbluefire-blog ha chiesto: Plot twist of the century for the oblivious monkey men. MK remembers ~everything~ when he was a cub! I'm not sure if that is what is planned, but! It would be really funny! Especially if he just calls Macaque 'Mama' all casual and just walks away. While Macaque EXP. has crashed and is rebooting. Gosh, that would be so cute! I absolutely love your artwork, by the way! It is so adorable!
Can't answer yet. He does NOT have memories, but he will remember ONE thing...
@daniellemarvel4 Hi, fist off I love your work and can't wait to see what you do next! I was wondering who is more protective of MK when it comes to Red Son? Whether that would be Pigsy, Wukong, Macaque, or even Tang (mabye Mei but I don't think she could stay serious long enough). Also, can we see what Sandy's doing?
mmmmmm---- I think Wukong. Freenoodle is pretty chill with the DBK family after everything that happened. Mac is also quite alright since he was always in good relationship with them. I would say Wukong would just want to be sure his kid doesn't get hurt by the fire in any way
Anonimo I've been squealing, grinning, and kicking my feet going through the Shadowpeach Bio parents AU. Baby MK has been SO CUTE and fun. I wonder if he's going to remember or be embarrassed about it. Another part of me hopes that river is still in play so Sun & Mac can fall in and suddenly MK and everyone has 2 chaotic super-powered Baby Monkeys to take care off 😭 😭 😭
Anonimo ha chiesto: I almost cried they are sooo cute. I hope that we get more sweet family content. Loving the comic thanks for making it 💕💕💕💕
Anonimo ha chiesto: I don’t want the cure to work ! Or could it be like that: MK is such a powerful being that the Dosis Pif gave them, just wasn’t strong enough. Instead it only aged MK up a bit so now he is a small kid or a teenager but not a grown ass money man again. I am not ready to leave the monkey family stuff behind 🥺
unfortunately the river has been close untile further notice. (dw this wont be the end)
@cutvdo ha chiesto: Mei bribing Red Son with baby MK pictures
@luciferapollyon ha chiesto: I hope Mei, Red Son, Macaque and Wukong all got pics before they turned MK back
Anonimo ha chiesto: DHJSJDJDH LIL BABY BEAN! I wonder if Wukong and Macaque took any pics of lil MK while he was smol baby? She would keep them and use them as blackmail. (affectionately)
Anonimo ha chiesto: Your shadowpeach bio parent au is just perfect!! Thankyou for feeding the fandom with the nectar of the gods!!! Especially the one where mac slips into the bed after wukong waits all night. Like Mac would wake up in the morning and see him fast asleep and think of Peng asking 'is there anything Wukong could do that would break his hold over you?' and just seeing him at his most vulnerable right now he's like 'no, not when he always gives me a reason to stay.'
MY HEART

@queen-of-purple-roses Wait if MK is experiencing Macaque’s memories then does that mean that Macaque can experience MK’s? Are they able to dive into each other’s minds?
So the thing is that MK is hearing the past from both POVs. Macaque by definition can hear ANYTHING so yeah he could definitely experience MKs memories. But the thing is-does he want to? I headcanon that his future-present-past hearing abilities are something he only used a couple of times, and because what he heard from them was so traumatic, he decided to NOT use them again (like wukong laser eyes)
@sillygothpartykid ha chiesto: I know everyone is asking you to make the gay monkeys kiss but I actually like how you are developing their relationship. You letting them work through their problems and feeling first giving us that sweet, sweet slow burn! Love your art btw!❤️❤️❤️
awwww ty!!!! yes pls slow burn for life.
@kraytherandomchick ha chiesto: Hey, love your ShadowPeach AU! (Started rereading it after crying from the season 5 finale hehe :'D) But there's always something that's kinda stuck in my head, if MK's no longer immortal, would Macaque or Wukong get sad at the thought of getting older and forced keep going without him?
So- *sigh* technically, we don't really know MK immortality status. it's a grey area for now. Because on one side, he's a stone monkey, who, by nature like Wukong, can perfectly age and grow like a normal monkey. On the other hand, he's technically died already, and by the time he was created by Nuwa, both his biological fathers were already immortal (Wukong bc yes, Macaque because he's a demon, and he can die from wounds and illness, but can't age)
So to answer: we don't know yet what's with him. we will see (I promise that)
@lmk4ever ha chiesto: I LOVE THE SHADOW PEACH BIO PARENT AU SO MUCH!! Mk boi is so lucky to have a artist like you and fathers like them. I want to ask, will shadowpeach ever get into a fight out of anger in front of Mk? Or did they moved on from that phase?
If they will fight it will be more of like- the 2 dads grounding MK. If they need to fight they learned that they need to go on another mountain to do it so they don't bother their child
Anonimo ha chiesto: Will we get a traffic light trio ship?
Probably not, but I'm all for dragonfruit/spicynoodle and having MK and Mei NOT dating each other at the same time.
@yuk1yun ha chiesto: If lmk season 6 isn't like your au, then I don't want to watch it
BRUH THAT'S THE NICEST THING I HEARD ALL WEEK
@conniescialla ha chiesto: HIIII!! ok scusa l'italiano ma letteralmente trovare artisti italiani ispira sempre quel momento patriottico alla YES ONE OF US MUAHHAHAH Scherzi a parte, il comic Shadowpeach bio parents Au è meraviglioso, si approva soprattutto l'hurt/comfort ;p
Tanti kudos!!<3
AAAAHHH CHE BELLO UN ALTR* ITALIAN*!!!!!
Anonimo ha chiesto: I really wanna see jelous wukong!!!!!! I dunno maybe some random demon trying to flirt with emo monkie or something and wukong is like oh hell no!! He is mine!! I think it would be so cute
he would become incredibly possessive and start hissing and growling like a tiger. NOBODY TOUCHES MY SOFT PILLOW
Anonimo ha chiesto: I think it would be so cute if Wukong would take care of sick Macaque! It would show Macaque that Wukong changed and is no longer like he was before. I wonder if Macaque got sick, would MK help or would Macaque be too stubborn to let anyone know.
I know everyone says Wukong is this great sage with incredible abilities in every field (and he is) but I would like to imagine that, since he needs to do these thing for Macaque specifically, he's so stressed over the fact he needs to do them perfectly that he fucks up lmao.
Like, he would try his best to take care of him and almost burn the kitchen in the meantime, while Macaque was only hoping the two of them could just stay more in bed cuddling each other
Anonimo ha chiesto: im just imagining Mac getting anxious becouse he cannot find baby MK and Wukong is there to calm him down
@shadowpeachera ha chiesto: Heyy I absolutely love your shadowpeach bio au, the drawings, the text its perfect! Did Mk every run off or get into trouble now that he’s a cub or even play games with Wukong and Macaque like hide and seek? That would be really cute. I can imagine them playing hide and seek while Mk discovers he can make shadow portals, meanwhile his parents are stressing and scared as they have no idea where he is.
i think both of them would freak out.
WAIT I HAVE THE PIC I HAVE THE PIC
I'VE BEEN SAVING THIS PIC SINCE 2017
@nyx-daughterofchaos98 ha chiesto: Hi! For LMK, I watched a nature documentary on Monkeys the other day and a lot of monkeys correct each others behavior by doing something called “Disciplinary Nips” or “Discipline Bites” (This isn’t a sexual ask I promise) I think it would be absolutely hilarious, if Macaque and Wukong are napping together, and for whatever reason, Wukong keeps moving around, unable to get comfortable. And in his sleep-riddled state, Macaque gets annoyed and bites him. 🤣 Like; I’M TRYING TO SLEEP! KNOCK IT OFF! 🤣🤣🤣 And when Wukong does stop moving, Macaque does actually fall asleep. Even better is if Macaque wakes up and has absolutely No Idea he bit Wukong because he was half asleep at the time. Or he thinks it was a dream and ensue the shenanigans when he realizes it wasn’t.
OMG THAT'S SO CUTE AND SILLY AAHHHH!!! EVEN BETTER: what if they do this without noticing BEFORE they are like-actually romantically back together, and someone sees the mark bites AND THEY START TO ASSUME CERTAIN THINGS BRUH.
@tabs-tabi-tabby Can Macaque help with MK’s clones? Or would that be Wukong’s area?
MK can't make the same clones macaque has. He can control a little bit his own shadow, and use that as a clone. so as long as it's his own shadow, it's more Mac area, if it's his own hair clone then it's Wukong's
@startdustmonkie ha chiesto: Does Mk and or Wukong know about Savage and Rumble? (If so how did they find out about them?) — (also: do Savage and Rumble see Mama macaque as a parent?)
@mushrum-soup ha chiesto: Hi just wanted to say I absolutely adore your shadow peach au it's literally the highlight of my week 💖I was wondering tho are rumble and savage just shadow clones in your au or similar to their Lego counterparts :O?
Yes they know about them. No they aren't his kids let's say. My own personal headcanon for the Au (or the show in general) is that they are both Macaque shadow, like- clones with a little bit of personality just like MK clones represent specific parts of his personality. He has 2 of them because he lived 2 lives, one before and one after he was brought back to life.
Anonimo ha chiesto: Just read the latest Shadowpeach bio kid comic, and i cant help but giggle a bit at how MK’s chirp woke Wukong and Macaque up lmao just the “and they snoozing- OH SHIT BABY CHIRPING WHATS WRONG-“
HE IS BABYYYY
@hellobur ha chiesto: Did you base when mk was reaching fr macaque after he was walking away because mk called him mama after this or was it a funny coincidence (mk also doe the pose but I can't find it lol)

Also I absolutely love this story and your art your work is incredible! ^^
Omg LMAO NO I DIDN’T BUT NOW IT’S 100% MORE FUNNY
@dragonaboni-blog ha chiesto: Hi! First off, I love your art and your Shadowpeach AU, it's the reason I'm reactivating my own Tumblr account lol One of my favorite tropes in this story is "A gets sick and B takes care of him" so I'm wondering… What would that trope be like in the AU? What would the monkey trio be like when they got sick? Do any of them sleep through their illness? Or are any of them extremely dramatic like "These will be my last words…"? CoughcoughWUKONGCoughcough
Aaahh I’ve seen a lot of asks asking this one but honestly I don t know If I’ll ever draw that trope. Maybe bc Wukong should technically have canonically too much knowledge about general illness to be worried about normal daily life illness. If it was something more life-threating. Maybe yes, but I still have to cook.
Anonimo ha chiesto: Counterpoint: wukong can't handle spicy foods because he has no impulse control and his monkee brain wants him to only eat fruit and peaches
Ouch. Yes that seems about accurate for him lmao
Anonimo ha chiesto: About the lmk bio au.... we have seen that MK can manipulate certain parts of his body in the 72 transformations... so..... Wukong and Macaque could technically have children.
I’ll be 100% honest I have no idea if stone monkeys are…fertile?
Anonimo Hey there! I am in love with your art. LMK is something that came into my life recently and damn I love it so much! Love your AU, and I can't wait to see more of it. Funnily, since the baby MK incident I imagine this later on becoming a somewhat spark of many funny arguments later on. What I mean is I see baby MK has a favorite parent (*cough-cough* MacCRACK *cough-cough*) [Sorry with the name joke, couldn't help myself]. XD. And I imagine Wukong be a bit jealous at times and go 'Anything you can do I can do better XD' Also see lovely Redson have a thing for MK, and then I imagine him ask his parents about advice on pursuing his crush. "So who is the lucky girl?" "Well, you already know him-" *Spits out water* "You got yourself a husband?" "What, no I haven't yet-!"
Aww I don't think MK would have a favourite but definitely there are times where he wants one parent more than the other (play time with Wukong, nap time with Mamacaque)
Anonimo ha chiesto: Yknow what they say… like father like son! In the sense that they’re all gay /j
Oh yeah absolutely it's genetic/j
@wolfasketch ha chiesto: Mac being on the sunny side and Wuwu being in the shadows

I know I'm looking into it too much but- AHHH!!!
That was unintentional but HOLY SIT U R RIGHT
Anonimo ha chiesto: Poor Red Boy never got to see baby MK! Imagine him just staring at the adorableness that is baby MK and being like 'I hope our future children look just like you OH MY GODS YOU'RE ADORABLE'. Baby MK: :3
Their child will literally be Kai from Ninjago so I guess THEY ARE RIGHT HE WILL BE
Anonimo ha chiesto: And then MK will wake up back to normal, confused, but proud that he managed to get them even closer?
100% yes
@drowning-in-webnovel-chapters ha chiesto: I can't imagine how the monkey dads are gonna try to go back to sleep after that, oof. Also Wukong definitely knows all that from when he used to help Macaque through visions, right?
Yup! He does indeed!
Anonimo ha chiesto: I’m guessing MK is getting a mini version of Macaque’s “can hear the past/present/future” thingy, did he managed to hear it accidentally or was he trying to learn more about his powers/Shadowpeach’s past ?
Yes, he was just wondering since last time that he found the sleeping cuddling with him, what exactly happened for them to rift away. Guess curiosity killed the cat
@aurabooboo ha chiesto: So. I'm rewatching season 5, right? I noticed that they almost had a yelling match with MK right in the middle. Would Wukong apologize to him for that?
These 3 have so much to talk about… i wont draw everything, but they definitely apologised offscreen.
@elianaroselight ha chiesto: It is quite telling how Wukong immediately knew what to do to help calm MK, but also, Macaque coming in with the perspective of having gone through it himself. The need for them to remain close by and wait until Mk is asleep before trying to leave. This means Mac has been through exactly what he is telling them not to do and knows the pain, sorrow and trauma that comes from feeling abandoned like this. They may be facing their past hurting their own kid through proxy and try to help him fight against the trauma. Luckily they have good people to help when they themselves can't. *looks at Freenoodles*
Yup! Their response is exactly related to what they do to calm the other!
@thenerdycupcake ha chiesto: So, does MK’s gold vision combine with his hearing sometimes so that he sees some of what he’s hearing from the past?
Oooohhh i guess he does! So he can literally see and hear the past!
@frogsfandoms ha chiesto: Omg why can I see after MK wakes up he thinks that it isn’t the past he’s hearing and that it actually just happened. Rushing to see if Wukong and Macaque are hurt and or trying to stop them from fighting 😭😭😭
Oohhh our baby still doesn’t want to believe it actually happened :(
Anonimo ha chiesto: Adult MK: OH MY GOD A SPIDER *desperate scared monkey noises* Baby MK: what's this? A 5 starts meal? *Tries to chomp said spider* He's gonna be sooo disgusted when someone tells him he tried to eat one fkdkdlfmfl
Oh poor MK. He’ll be teased about this for the rest of his days.
@sailera ha chiesto: Hello I have question about you Shadowpeach bio dads au- How would Pigsy react that his only employee turned to a baby? And hadn’t answered his phone in few days? Also love your art!! And your ISAT comic got me again interested in playing Sky ✨
Mk only became a baby for like- 20 hours. Mei told him that he stayed at FFM because he was ‘tired after training’. As of now Pigsy didn!t found out
---------------
That's all for this week! Thank you a lot for all the asks!
972 notes
·
View notes
Text
in the silence, my heart beats the loudest (m.m.)
summary ⇾ minho thinks he's pretty good at keeping his feelings at bay, but sometimes, the silence tends to challenge him details ⇾ 1,273 words / minho moon (xo, kitty) x gn!reader / 🌸 a bunch of soft feels / a sprinkle of curse words / the au where minho's absolutely (silently) whipped for someone (and kitty and q are somehow big shippers) notes ⇾ not me coming back just to write this but hey, i gave xo, kitty a shot and not surprisingly adoring minho ; w ;
a regular occurrence that no one no longer bats their eyes at is the way at any given point, minho could be found by your side despite the claim of i don't have any issues studying alone, as a matter of fact? sit on the other side, you're blocking the light. yet, somehow, minho's willing to give up the window seat he eyes when it's your bag and belongings that claims the seat.
today was no different.
minho finds himself well-acquainted with the seat next to you; almost too comfortably nudging your things aside to make room for himself. it makes you scoff–not out of annoyance–in amusement as you turn the cheek to raise your brow at him.
"well, hello to you too, then," minho jabs, quietly (because this is a library) but the sass in his tone is ever-present.
"there are plenty of seats available, mr. moon," you huff, placing a hand on one of your books to prevent him from putting his things down next to you just yet. he grabs the chair and leans down, squinting his eyes at you, "i don't believe i'm asking if i can sit here," he juts his chin towards the book you have captive, "i am sitting here."
minho hates–hates–how you lean closer towards him that it almost makes him lean back despite appreciating how close you are to him. it was your turn to narrow your eyes at him with the slight purse of your lips and how fucking adorable.
if there's anything that you can attribute minho to, it would be he doesn't back down without a fight. he challenges you by blowing the baby hairs on your forehead due to the close proximity, earning himself a chuckle from you.
"it'll be my treat when we get a snack break later, so please for the love of god, just move your shit."
and if there's anything–more than the many things–minho adores about you (but won't ever tell you just yet), it's the way you mirror his passion in a way that makes his heart swell.
"i get to choose the convenience store?" you're smiling so hard, it spills over in your words as you blink up to him.
minho sighs, "to your heart's desire, my love."
that earns him a gummy grin from you as your arm quite literally shoves everything aside to create the vast amount of space for him to settle in. "welcome in, mr. handsome."
even though minho rolls his eyes, he's trying to mask the smile that threatens to form on his lips when you giddily put your things away properly, scooting to the side a little to accommodate more space for him. he dislikes that you seem to be further away but when he actually sits down and feels you bumping shoulders with him, he's thankful that you give him space or it'll definitely feel like it's too hot in here.
he swallows thickly and settles in, shaking his nerves as he leans back in the seat, eyes carefully drifting over to you to see that you're taking the assignment pretty seriously. he begins to unload his bag, fishing out his laptop and a notebook. it's like you've read his mind (or memorised his patterns) when you mindlessly nudge your pencil case towards his direction despite having your eyes glued onto your book with a highlighter. a smile quirks onto his face as he murmurs a soft thanks, then grabbing a pen to fiddle with as he attempts to take a crack at the work he's assigned with.
the hands of time ticks away, the students begin to file out of the library as it nears the time for the next round of classes (except it doesn't concern either you or minho), which is why he hasn't bothered you from your little "break". quite the contrary, he lets you use his folded blazer as a place for you to rest your head to pillow between the table.
he normally doesn't condone this, but when he knows you've had a late night the night before, it was almost too easy for him to make the decision to pull his folded blazer out for you to–well, goodnight, y/n. he smiles to himself when he sees how accustomed you are to closing your eyes and drifting away in slumber... with one of his hands held captive.
he has this fear... that some way, through the pulse of his fingertips you have in yours, that you can feel how hard his heart is pounding in his chest. how you can render him to feel the whole damn zoo bubbling from within without saying anything at all. he bites down on his tongue to offer himself a sort of relief, even when he knows it's useless. all he does is sigh as he rests his chin in his palm, pretending like it's no big deal as he continues to stare at his laptop... when in fact, everything turns into a blur as his eyes trail down to the keyboard, occasionally glancing over to you with the smile he continuously tries to hide.
he fears that one day, his fear would surface as a weakness instead. that it'll take you away from him. break from this little reverie of happiness he has.
but for now... with the soft glow of the sunlight casted over your features as you peacefully take intakes of air, cheek pressed to his blazer, hand gently holding onto his (because now he had duties as your human alarm clock)... minho allowed himself to have this little piece of heaven.
((minho regrets looking up when he hears his name being whispered in the quiet of the library. he meets with two familiar pair of eyes that makes him scowl. did y/n come here to nap? q mouths, followed by kitty's half-whisper, half-squeal as she whips out her phone, trying to hide the biggest grin on her face as she captures the moment. and are you here to accompany them? q mouths again, only to get nothing in response from minho apart from his glare. "woah, tough crowd," kitty grabs q by the arm, dragging the both of them out of the situation. it's only a couple of beats before kitty half-yells, "check your phone later, minho!" before minho can respond, he's more worried about you waking up that he turns to look at you. he sighs as you remain resting peacefully, keeping one of his hands captive with a small smile to your face. (unknowingly, it makes the boy smile, too) // the vibration against minho's thigh makes him pull out his phone with his free hand. he gulps before he taps on the unread message from kitty. upon clicking on [download] to view the image, minho has to suck the insides of his cheek to stop himself from smiling when he sees it's the view from q and kitty a couple of steps away from where he's sat with you. his hand in yours, your head resting on his blazer, the sunlight glow casting the outline on both of your silhouette and... the softness in his own eyes as they're locked onto you. he tries not to indulge too much, tapping out of the photo to text: you better keep this to yourself, covey [3:32pm] (read) my lips (and hands) are sealed 🤐 [3:33pm] minho is about to text a thank you, but finds himself cursing under his breath when the next text from kitty makes him– for now, at least ;) [3:33pm] but when you're squeezing his hand, unconscious and sitting next to him... he'll ignore it and pretend like everything is okay. for now, everything is at ease and peaceful and sometimes, he'd rather keep things this way if it meant security in having you beside him.))
#minho moon#xo kitty#minho moon x reader#minho xo kitty x reader#minho moon scenarios#minho moon imagines#i did not have writing for xo kitty's minho on my bingo list for 2025#but hey here i am#minho xo kitty#minho xo kitty x you
273 notes
·
View notes
Text
This Week in BL - Why so much on right now?
Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.
NOV 2024 Week 4

Ongoing Series - Thai
Your Sky (Sun iQIYI) ep 1 of 12 - Classic old school Thai BL. Of course I love it. Naïve sunshine freshman vs strict older protective boy (who already likes him but refuses to show it). Is he grumpy or just gay and tired of all of these women? We don’t know. We don’t care. We just want to see them fake a relationship. And that’s what we’re getting. I love it. I also love the friendship group, and that the younger brother is in it and he has some of the same magic BL-hottie superpowers as his older brother. It’s great.
Love Sick 2024 (Sun iQIYI) ep 10 of 15 - Phun actually turns into dangerous babygirl when he is flirting, who knew? (Dangerous Babygirl is a new archetype I have just invented by the way. Yes, I am pleased with myself.) Noh, who is a nice boy, doesn’t stand a chance. Neither does Jeed, since this new babygirl superpower gives Phun a damn near perfect “back off bitch” face.

The arm drape public claiming, it gets me every time. Has done since SOTUS. Nong Mick is hero-level in this version, hands-down my favorite character this time around (and a non-entity last time). I love him so much I can’t stand it. I haven’t updated my 1:1 comparison yet this week, didn’t have time to rewatch 2014, but I will later tonight. I'm chronicling my experience with 2024 as compared to 2014 here.

Kidnap (Fri Gaga) ep 12 end - What an absolutely excellent final episode. Smiley kisses!
Conclusion
A cute if patently absurd little show about a stuntman who is somehow convinced to kidnap a rich kid except they fall in love. It takes itself a little more seriously than it deserves for such a silly plot and some crappy stunts and contradictory content, but it was a pleasantly romantic experience all around, and I enjoyed myself. Extra credit for Q in that perfect blue color throughout. No complaints, a solid BL. 8/10

The Heart Killers (Weds Gaga) ep 1 of 12 - Jojo directs FirstKhao & JoongDunk in an action romcom about assassin brothers (Khao & Joong) who meet a tattoo artist (First) and a cocky mechanic (Dunk). I'm highly amused that Joong plays the older brother to Khao and that we have a take on the Taming of the ShrewBL. This has all GMMTV's best chemistry in one BL and some fresh concepts that I've only seen tackled in m/m romance novels (check out Amy Lane's Racing for the Sun, thank me later). My only quibble is Jojo, I like his style but his characters can get unreliably messy so…... this gonna be interesting.
Buckle up buttercups I got thoughts:
Frankly, I haven’t decided if this is good or so bad and so camp that it’s good? The latter I suspect. Either way, I’m enjoying it very much, but I had very little doubt that I would. This falls into so many of my wheelhouses. Not just the premise but the casting and the approach and the script. They pretty much knocked it out of the park with the first episode: one night stand + safe sex + linguistic negotiation = I’m in! During the opening sequence I spent the entire time worried about how many fingerprints Bison was leaving everywhere. And then I realized this show is going to require DEMAND we turn our brains entirely off.
We are in KinnPorshce / The Sign territory people. Take emergency precautions! Do not engage brain meats!
Kiss Me Kate only gay and hitmen? Frankly, it sells itself. The music is extremely stupid though. (Brain, stop it!) I gotta say that FirstKhao are good because…… FirstKhao. But JoongDunk are absolutely perfectly cast. Like: couldn’t be a better pair in these roles. Dunk, in particular, is slaying. I did not have Dunk as Petruchio down on my “best casting choice of all time” BL bingo card, but apparently there he is. Awesome.

Fourever You (Thurs YT) ep 8 of 16 - I’m warming up to the second couple a little bit. I actually don’t mind a bully romance the way some do. But this isn’t quite hitting the notes that I want from one. Still, I found this week more engaging than last week.
Secret Love (? YT?) 1-12 of 81 eps - They dropped 12 eps at once randomly on YT totaling about 20 min. So of course, I watched it. Because I have no self-control and STEPBROTHERS! Adopted into a rich family, boy falls in love with heir. But when he is made the heir instead, everything goes wrong. Now enemies the two boys reunite and sparks! I hate this format but dammit I love this utter dross. It’s very early Chinese BL feeling but from Thailand. I don’t care. It’s so stupidly great. This is my kind of BL.
Caged Again (Fri Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - There is something sweetly innocent and earnest about this show. It reminds me of Takara and Amagi or even Light On Me but less stiff - this one is quintessentially quirky and casually Thai about it. It’s interesting that this has an 18+ rating, which means it’s either gonna go very violent or sexy or both. Right now I can’t imagine that, it doesn’t suit. But I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes. Junior with his Mean Girl crop top moment is the goddess of the week though. Fierce queen penguin.

Perfect 10 Liners (Sun YT?) ep 4 of 24 - I love the side couple so damn much. How are they so adorable? Still not wild about the mains, and not likely to get there anytime soon. That said, I did like seeing the “sleeping in your boyfriend‘s class while he gives you his jacket” trope drop. We haven’t had that one for a really long time. My Engineer maybe?
Every You Every Me (Mon Gaga) ep 7 of 8 - I did find this installment kind of boring. I just don’t like actors as main characters. Much as I’m enjoying this show and I think the actors are doing a good job, I really do wish it was more like what we had been sold on: Connected reborn characters fated to be together over and over again. Not this weird little mishmash of whatever. I’m now annoyed by a format I was initially charmed by.
Jack & Joker (Mon IQIYI) ep 10-11 of 12 - still on hold until it ends or I can cope with the pain. I just can’t go into darkness right now.
Ongoing Series - Not Thai
Our Youth AKA Miseinen: Mijukuna Oretachi wa Bukiyo ni Shinkochu (Japan Tues Gaga) ep 3 of 11 - SNIFF TEST! But done by Japan so it’s that much better and more kinky. The way H looks at M pretty much defines naked lust. “I got extra beat up so you’d take pity on me and then I admitted it to you” is so damn warped I can’t even with this boy. This feral kid is gonna drive me feral. The power and the control and the execution of this show is just spectacular. I keep thinking about it after its done and telling people IRL about it. (I rarely talk BL IRL.) It’s classy. I do love it when Japan does classy BL for us.
See Your Love (Taiwan Weds Gaga) ep 6 of 13 - so completely and utterly adorable. The learning sign language thing! I loved it so much.
Love is Like a Poison AKA Doku Koi: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru (Japan Tues Netflix?) 10 of 12 eps - Possibly one of the best confessions of the year I have to say. Also a wonderful character growth arc for our lawyer. Exactly as one might hope. The plot twist was slightly predictable but still adds a delicious note of tension to our final episodes.
Blue Canvas of Youthful Days (China Sun iQIYI) eps 7-8 of 12 - You don’t want me but you won’t let anybody else have me either. The song of the repressed seme. I did like the irrational jealousy moment and a few other bits, of course the crying kiss. You know I love a crying kiss. Even if it’s a somewhat censored one. But this is also leaning a little bit darker than I want at the moment. This being China, I anticipate the darkness and doom getting worse not better.

Teenager Judge (Vietnam Sat YT) ep 9 of ? - The incredible migrating lip injury continues. Could we please get on with the BL aspect of this show? I’m getting frustrated as well as slightly bored at this juncture. Pacing darlings. Pacing.
Love in the Air: Koi no Yokan (Japan Sat Gaga) ep 4 of 10 - Still not sure. I think I like this better than the original, but I’m confused. I did make disgusted scoff noises and say “oh dear” a couple of times. Which makes me sound like a World War II grandpa (only the housemate's cat noticed), but is also classic me when profoundly disappointed by a piece of media. That’s said, the sex scene was pretty good. In the end, I wasn’t as frustrated by this version of these characters, but they didn’t have as many highs or lows as the original. So first half probably works out about the same in my all-purpose rating system. The true proof in the pudding is going to be couple number 2 tho......
It's airing but......
Winter Is Not The Death of Summer (Weds YT) ?? eps - Criminals who meet in prison fall in love. I did find it on YouTube, but I did not find any English subs for it. The first episode seems to be only six minutes long. It is very pulp. But it is intriguing. So I hope it gets some sort of international or something at some point. for now I’ll put it to the wayside.
Bad Guy My Boss (Thai Sun Gaga) 10 eps - I DNF'd at ep 7, I couldn't make it. I am weak. Life is hard enough right now, this show is making it harder. It’s not what I want from my entertainment.
Bad to Bed (Taiwan Sat YT) 10 eps - This is a little too low production value even for me + just very very odd. DNF
In Case You Missed it
Love for Loves Sake got some kind of special on 11/9. Not sure what, why, or where. Only the rumor that it...... is. I'll believe it when I see it...... literally. Let me know if you found it.
The Bangkok Podcast covered Marriage Equality in Thailand: More Complex Than it Seems. They missed some of the point and all of the queer perspective. But it's a local lawyer talking about it and how it was implemented, which is quite interesting.
Dominant Yakuza and Wimpy Corporate Slave AKA Ore-sama Yakuza to Hetare Shachiku: Kuni wo Koeta Jingi Naki Dekiai, Japan YT. A 30 min slice of ridiculousness. This mini walked out the back of one of my 1999 yaoi (you know those little shorts they always had along with the main story?) and randomly got cut together by some helpful malcontent, tumbled into my YT feed like a Taiwanese prat fall, and I couldn't be happier.
This is the Cliff's notes of a story that could have been amazing, but I adored it anyway. Basically what it says on the tin: office cutie from Taiwan working in Japan runs across hot AF mafia hit man beating up lesser thugs. Falls instantly in love, turns out so does the yakuza. They end up together for...... reasons? (one is cute and the other is cool?) That's it. It's dumb and I loved it. 7/10 because it really isn't good, but it lives on in a very warped corner of my shriveled old heart.
Next Week Looks Like This:
Still to come:
11/28 Spare Me Your Mercy (Thai Thurs iQIYI) 8 eps on OneD (no word on inter) - Increased rates of deaths in terminal patients has a police captain investigating the palliative care doctor with whom he's fallen in love. Their relationship deepens but the mystery persists, driven by mistrust. Adapted from the novel "Euthanasia" by Sammon (Triage, Manner of Death) stars some old guard BL actors: Tor Thanapob from Hormones as the doctor and (fuck me YES) Jaylerr from Great Men Academy and goddamn Grean Fictions as the captain!
Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.
THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

We stan a smitten seme who's too reserved for his own good. Sunshine is gonna have this boy wrapped around his little finger in no time. (Well in 12 eps, but we know what we like!) Your Sky

King behavior.

Dangerous Babygirl behavior.
Both Love Sick 2024.
(last week)
The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs
#this week in BL#BL updates#Your Sky#fourever you#Perfect 10 Liners#Caged Again#Teenager Judge#Kidnap the series review#Love Sick 2024#The Heart Killers#Secret Love#caged again#Love in the Air Koi no Yokan#Love in the Air Japan#Every You Every Me#Blue Canvas of Youthful Days#Love is Like a Poison#Doku Koi: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru#Our Youth#Miseinen Mijukuna Oretachi wa Bukiyo ni Shinkochu#See Your Love#Ore-sama Yakuza to Hetare Shachiku: Kuni wo Koeta Jingi Naki Dekiai#upcoming BL#BL news#BL reviews#BL gossip
281 notes
·
View notes
Note
Q ACTUALLY GETTIMG TO PLAY maybe! Write it! Xoxoxo :>
"What? What do you mean, you're going to Boston?"
You had been in the shower when Quinn had called you, and you weren't sure if you had heard him correctly or if there was just water in your ears. He wasn't supposed to be in that tournament. Well, he was, but you were being selfish in thinking that he should be resting during the generous two week break. Now, however, you were being told that he was needed as a last minute replacement.
"I haven't been given the green light yet, but there's a chance I'll get to play Thursday." He seemed happy, why wouldn't he be? Quinn had been going on and on about getting to play on Team USA with Jack since he was given the nod before the roster was even considered. You were happy for him as well, but there was a nagging feeling in your chest that made the joy feel minimal.
Your voice dropped off, "Are you sure you're ready?"
"Yeah, I think so. I was pretty much there before the first game but I didn't want to push it."
"That was just a few days ago..."
Quinn sighed, because he knew how you were feeling, and he knew the conversation would likely take this turn. "I know what you're thinking, baby, and I'm alright. You know I wouldn't make this decision without thinking it through."
"I know but--," you were pouting, pacing around your bathroom, dripping water all over the floor since you hadn't had time to wrap your hair in a towel. "You've just been so excited to play with Jack."
Quinn paused, "I am, absolutely, but I wouldn't go into this without looking at all the options. I bowed out because I wanted to make sure I was good to go when the season resumed, but I'm feeling good and I'm needed. I promise you I'm not doing this just because it's my chance to get on the ice with my brother. And I'll only play if someone else gets hurt."
You still couldn't help but feel like this was a bad idea, but you couldn't deny that it was his decision at the end of the day. No doubt the entire Canucks front office had had a conference meeting with him prior to him having called you. They had been monitoring Quinn's injury status before the recent oblique issue, and they'd surely would have talked him out of any stupid decision made in haste.
When you didn't answer, Quinn tried his best to reassure you, "I promise you I'm okay. C'mon, you know me better than I think you're giving me credit for."
"I'm sorry."
"I know you're worried, and I appreciate your concern, I just ask that you trust me, okay?"
'Okay," you mumbled, finally settling. "I just worry about you."
He smiled, it was evident through his tone, "I know you do, and I appreciate it. I really do. I promise I'll be as careful as I can be."
You wanted to be happy for him, you really did, but fear and a concern for his well-being and the remainder of his season was riding on this one game. Just dealing with him when he missed a couple games was bad enough, god forbid if he had to miss any more.
"What if I fly you out tomorrow?"
"Are you serious?" You asked, in shock.
"Yeah, I'm sure I can probably call in a favour or two and get you a ticket," he laughed nervously, at how daunting of a task that might actually be.
There was a silence through the phone. He was trying to lighten the mood while you refused to get out of the rain.
"Just be carefully, baby, please," you added, changing the conversation back to what still had you feeling uneasy.
Quinn's tone softened to give you a sense of calm, "For you, I promise."
#🗣 hockey mom daydreams#quinn hughes#vancouver canucks#quinn hughes imagine#quinn hughes x reader#quinn hughes fanfiction
165 notes
·
View notes
Text
Over the Limit-pt.vi
jenna ortega x female reader
part i | part ii | part iii | part iv | part v | part vi



summary: Sibling fights, pool parties, and drunk college kids. What could go wrong?
word count: 11.4k
warnings: drinking, mentions of drug use, implications of sexual assault (does not happen)
a/n: My plans for this chapter changed a lot from any q&a’s I’ve answered….Thank you for being patient! Hope you enjoy😌 If anyone is in LA or has loved ones there I hope you’re all safe 💜
————
“So what’s his name?”
Hunter turns to you with a raised brow, “Are we really doing this?”
After Aliyah’s suggestion—that was more an order to go to UCLA, you found yourself driving to the acclaimed university. You check the rear view mirror and confirm that the two sisters are knocked out (as it’s now 9pm) before you answer Hunter.
“Well yeah? You know about my Viper situation brewing back there,” you roll your eyes with a laugh quoting his exact words from earlier. “Come onnn!” you whine.
“Oh so you do admit there’s a situation,” Hunter fires back, clearly trying to regain the upper hand. But you hold your ground, unfazed by his teasing—a skill you’ve definitely honed over the course of this road trip. He groans but you can see the blush creeping on his face at the mention of his forbidden lover. “Fine his name is Fielder.”
“Hmm weird name. So you guys dating or is it just sex?” you say getting straight to the point.
“Dude!”
“What! I saw the toothbrush in your bathroom,” you smile. “I’m happy for you man. If you want to be with him or whatever.”
“I-I don’t know," he hesitates. "I really like him, but he’s a Viper and you know what that means."
You glance at him, then take one hand off the wheel to give his shoulder a firm squeeze. “Time to take your own advice, buddy,” you say, your voice steady. “Remember what you told me back then?
‘That’s half the thrill.’
‘When have you ever avoided doing something just because it’s not allowed?’
Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten your own words of wisdom.”
Hunter exhales, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Yeah, yeah, I remember,” he mumbles, but you can see the gears turning in his head.
"Dating is different when you get older," he shares after a moment of silence. "You don't really want to mess around with the forbidden just for the fuck of it. It's like the real deal now," he sighs. "Have your fun while you can, because it doesn't last forever."
You take a moment to really absorb Hunter's words. Was he implying that Jenna was just a phase in your life? Something forbidden you were testing out for the thrill of it? You’re almost certain he didn’t mean it that way, but you hate that he planted the thought in your head. Because you knew for a fact that you never saw Jenna as a fleeting moment. An act of rebellion or someone to mess around with.
The thought shakes you, and the weight of your emotions for the girl asleep in the backseat begins to sink in. It terrifies you—realizing just how much she truly means to you.
You weren’t in the mood for a deep, philosophical conversation right now, so you deflected with some light banter instead. “You’re not that much older than me, what—four, five years tops?”
“Eight,” Hunter deadpans, followed by a dry laugh. “And here I am, heading to a college town to party like I’m still eighteen,” he mutters, shaking his head in mock disbelief.
"Whoa party? Who said anything about partying?" you ask confused.
"Come on, you can't expect us to go to UCLA for the weekend—mind you exam season just finished. And you don't want us to party?"
"There is possibly a drug cartel hunting us down...and you want to party?"
"Yup," he answers, popping the P with an unbothered grin.
————
"Please tell me we're there," Aliyah yawns, stretching her arms out above her. "I can't stand another moment in this car."
"Technically it's an SUV," you mutter under your breath, earning a tired glare from the backseat. "But yeah, we’re almost there. Where am I headed?"
"Hold on let me text Markus real quick."
Again with that name. Before you could flip your mind over wondering who this guy was, you hear Jenna stir in the backseat, her voice groggy as she asked Aliyah, "how long was I out?"
Okay new obsession: Jenna's tired voice. It made your heart do a little flip.
Hunter looks over at you and he rolls his eyes. Why you still deny the fact that you have feelings for this girl is beyond him. He wanted to smack you across the face and ask you if you thought it was normal to get worked up over someone's sleepy voice. It was evident in the way your eyebrows jumped and the stupid smile on your lips. You obviously had feelings for the girl and everyone but you and Jenna could see it.
"Okay Y/n go to 350 De Neve drive," Aliyah shares upon getting the address.
You still had no idea where you were going, but you give a nod to Hunter to put in the address the girl gave.
Finally, not being able to stand it anymore, you ask the question that's been annoying you for the last two hours. "Who's Markus?"
“Our brother,” Jenna answers, glancing up at the rearview mirror where your eyes have been lingering throughout the whole drive.
Her sleepy voice almost distracted you from what she just said. Oh. That explains a lot. Silly old you getting jealous over nothing. Markus was their damn brother. You smile and nod. "Ahh okay, I see."
"What's with the smile Y/l/n?" Hunter teases you, knowing exactly why.
You don't respond and shoot him a side eye. "So is this a younger or older brother?"
"He's my twin," Aliyah mumbles, her attention stolen by something on her phone.
That didn't answer your question. But you still decide to engage in some small talk with Jenna just because you can, and totally not because you wanted to hear more of her tired voice.
"So are you the youngest Jenna?"
This time, Aliyah takes her eyes off her phone and bursts out laughing.
"Pffft—please! I’m dead!" she howls, clearly finding your question hilarious.
"Am I the youngest?" Jenna bites back, her tired voice now laced with a touch of sass. The combination is absolutely killer, and for a split second, you forget how to breathe. But your brain catches up quickly, and you realize you might have more pressing issues to worry about.
"Have you thought all this time that Aliyah is older than me?" she adds, her eyes narrowing playfully at the rearview mirror.
You blink, caught off guard by the sudden shift in tone. “Wait, what? I—uhh—well, yeah, kind of?” You try to backpedal, feeling your face flush slightly. "I mean, she seems older."
Aliyah bursts into laughter again, practically doubling over in the back seat. "Oh my god, I can't believe you thought that! You really think I'm the older one?"
Jenna shakes her head, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Nope. I’m their older sister."
Your eyes widen, and you glance over at Jenna, who looks far too small to be the older sibling. “But… you’re so tiny?” you blurt out before you can stop yourself.
Jenna raises an eyebrow, her tired eyes turning into what you think is an amused glare. "Excuse me? Tiny?"
You instantly regret your words, feeling heat rise to your cheeks. “I mean, you’re just… small compared to Aliyah! I thought she was the older one.”
It was now Hunter's turn to place a hand on your shoulder. "Please shut up before she starts ignoring you again."
————
“Marki-poo!” Aliyah coos running towards a guy that stood quite taller than her with dark hair.
It was around half past nine when you all finally arrived at what you now learned to be Markus’ dorm building.
While the sisters reunited with their brother, you and Hunter climbed out of the SUV that was parked on the road, both of you stretching to shake off the stiffness of hours on the freeway. The cool night air was refreshing, but your attention quickly drifted to Markus. As your eyes flicked toward him, you froze mid-stretch.
Holy shit. He was the spitting image of Jenna. Same piercing eyes, same sharp jawline, and even a similar smile. It was uncanny, and for a moment, you felt like the universe was playing some cosmic joke, doubling down on how much one family could mess with your head.
Before you could ruminate further, Markus noticed you and Hunter lingering by the SUV and waved. His grin widened as he called out, “Hey! You must be Y/n and Hunter. Aliyah and Jenna wouldn’t shut up about you guys over text.”
Aliyah rolled her eyes, while Jenna shot him a wide glare.
You blinked, caught off guard by his friendly tone. “Uh, yeah, that’s us,” you replied, trying to sound casual as you walked over.
“I bet you must love the freedom being away from home," Jenna asks out of the blue while she gazes around the campus mindlessly soaking everything in.
Her voice drew your gaze like a magnet, and for a split second, you forgot anyone else was there.
What was going on with you? Why was her voice making you feel all strange? It wasn't like this before, and even if it was you were at least able to hide it.
Hunter cleared his throat, clearly enjoying your inability to stay cool around Jenna.
“So, what’s the plan?” Hunter asked, breaking the tension.
Markus gestured toward the dorm building. “I’ve got room for all of you to crash if you’re staying the night. It’s a bit of a squeeze, but it beats sleeping in the car.”
Aliyah clapped her hands together, grinning. “Perfect! Let’s get inside. I need to pee, and I’m not doing it in some random gas station bathroom.”
As everyone started heading toward the entrance with their packed bags, Jenna fell into step beside you. Her shoulder brushed yours, and even though it was likely unintentional, it sent your heart racing.
“Thanks for bringing us here,” she said quietly, her voice soft but sincere. “I know this whole trip is a lot. But we haven’t seen Markus in forever.”
You glanced at her, momentarily caught off guard by the genuine gratitude in her tone. “It not that bad,” you replied, trying to sound nonchalant. “Besides, it’s not like I had much of a choice.”
Jenna smirked, the corners of her lips tugging upward in a way that made your chest tighten. “Fair enough.”
As the group disappeared through the dorm’s entrance, you couldn’t shake the feeling that this night was far from over—and that Markus wasn’t the only surprise waiting for you at UCLA.
————
"We need to set them up."
The group makes their trek to Markus' dorm, with the twins up at front, Hunter following in the middle, and Jenna and you walking side by side in the back.
Aliyah decides that she needs to take the reigns for this weekend and enlist her brother's help for something that needs to be done.
"Jenna and Y/n?" He asks, turning back to look at you both.
"—Don't look at them!" she snaps slapping her brother on the arm. "You can't make it obvious."
Markus just looks at her dumbfounded.
“Those two are so into each other, it’s painful to watch. They need to just make out already or something! I’m losing my mind over here.”
“Make out?” Markus repeats, his voice incredulous.
“Yes! Or, like, hold hands—anything! I’m sick of the constant eye-fucking!” she whisper-yells, gesturing dramatically.
“Eye-fucking?”
“Yes, Markus, eye-fucking!” Aliyah says, her tone exasperated as if explaining basic math to a toddler. “Now, what can we do to speed this along? How do college kids even date these days?”
"Uhm I don't know...they meet in class, ask for their snap, or they meet at parties—"
"That's it!" Aliyah shrieks in excitement before she quickly clasps her hand over her mouth, worried she was too loud. "Please tell me there's a party going on tonight?"
"Tonight?" Markus whispers back. "Come on sis, don't you think we should let them relax or something? We can figure this out tomorrow."
"Tonight Markus." She repeats sternly. Markus knew better than to defy his persistent sister. He sighs, "Yeah I know of one."
"Perfect!”
————
"Absolutely the fuck not Aliyah! Are you crazy?!"
The group finally made it to the dorm in one piece, and much to your relief, the tuition prices definitely matched the size of the dorms. It seemed like there was enough space for all five of you, and the best part? Markus had no roommate. Score.
After Aliyah rushes in to use the bathroom, you follow suit, eager to freshen up. You can hear a bit of commotion from the room—the sounds of people getting settled in, and some oddly loud talking—but you think nothing of it. That is, until you step out of the bathroom to the unmistakable sound of shouting.
You freeze.
Jenna and Aliyah are going at it, voices raised and words flying in a heated argument. Whatever was happening, it was definitely not a friendly sibling exchange.
"Oh my god," the younger sister drawls, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "It's just a party, why not?"
You remain at the door, not daring to take a step forward. Your eyes turn to Jenna, waiting for her response. Her eyebrow twitches and she suddenly smiles, but there's no humour behind it. "Why not?"
"Why not, Aliyah?" she responds, her voice dangerously calm. "Why not?"
She takes a step forward, her tone growing colder, sharper.
"Just because—"
Just because what?" Jenna interrupts. "Just because I’m the one who had to step up and pull you out of that mess?"
You notice Aliyah's deameanour slightly falter. Her lips slightly frowning.
"You think I like this shit? You wanna make the same mistakes again, just because you want to go to some stupid college party!" Jenna continues.
You, Markus, and Hunter exchange nervous glances, unsure of when to intervene without getting caught in the crossfire.
"I didn’t ask you to do that for me!" Aliyah finally gets out, her voice rising with defiance.
Jenna’s expression hardens, her words cutting through the air like a knife.
"Yeah, you’re right. You didn’t. But Dad did," Jenna spits the words out, her voice growing more heated with every syllable. "And I had no choice but to put my life on hold and pick up the pieces of your mess. So don’t act like it’s nothing. Don’t you dare act like I’m overreacting, Aliyah. You think I want to keep doing this? You think I want to keep cleaning up after you?"
Holy shit, how much did you miss while in the bathroom? Everything was fine just a few moments ago, how things escalated so fast baffled you.
"Fuck you," Aliyah spits out, her voice trembling as her glossy eyes reflect the anger and hurt beneath the surface. She storms past you, brushing your shoulder, and disappears out of the dorm room before anyone can stop her.
As you’re left standing awkwardly near the door, your eyes instinctively flick to Jenna, who’s still fuming, her chest rising and falling with each sharp breath. She looks like she’s barely holding it together.
But before you can even think about what to do, you notice Hunter and Markus already moving toward her. Hunter places a tentative hand on Jenna’s shoulder, his voice soft as he tries to calm her down. Markus, standing nearby, looks just as lost for words but ready to step in if needed.
Your gaze lingers on Jenna for a moment longer, watching the tension in her jaw and the way she refuses to let her emotions fully break through. Part of you wants to stay, to say something, to comfort her—but it’s clear she’s not alone. Hunter and Markus are already there for her.
The decision was obvious. With a deep breath, you step out into the hallway, following after Aliyah.
You can still hear the muffled voices of Hunter and Markus trying to talk Jenna down as you close the door behind you, leaving the tension of the dorm room behind. But even as you head down the hall, your mind keeps replaying Jenna’s words, the raw emotion in her voice, and the hurt etched into Aliyah’s face.
You sigh, shaking your head. This weekend’s already off to one hell of a start.
————
"Holy shit Aliyah! Slow down would you!" you shout after her as you see her enter the elevator.
You barely make it in time before the doors shut and you're panting while the girl remains silent, as you both wait for the elevator to reach the ground floor.
Neither of you say anything. She walks on the side walk away from the building and you follow a step behind her. There were other students out at this time, it wasn't too late—only around 10pm now. After some more aimless walking she finally plops down on a bench under a streetlight.
You linger for a moment before cautiously sitting down beside her, keeping a bit of space between you. She says nothing, and for a while, you both just sit there, the faint buzz of campus life in the background.
Finally, you break the silence. "Aliyah… you okay?"
She scoffs, wiping at her eyes quickly. "Do I look okay?" Her voice is sharp, but there’s no real venom behind it.
You don’t answer right away, watching her instead. "No," you admit softly. "You don’t. But… do you want to talk about it?"
You hear her sniffle and you turn to face her. She's wiping her eyes now with a sad smile on her face. "I don't even know why I'm crying, she's not wrong you know?"
"I doubt that's true," you offer gently. "She's just worried of losing you. Or seeing you make choices that could...you know, hurt you," you suggest, recalling the information you heard in the argument earlier.
"She didn’t say anything I didn’t already know. But hearing her say it—it hurts. She didn’t have to throw that in my face."
You nod slowly, understanding dawning. "You mean about the Vipers?"
Her head snaps toward you, eyes narrowing. "She told you?"
"No," you say quickly, raising your hands in defense. "She didn’t. That’s her story to tell, and I guess she’ll tell me when she’s ready. But… it’s not hard to figure out that there’s more to this than just a party."
The crying girl clears her throat before leaning back into the bench. “She could’ve told you. She probably didn’t tell you for my sake.”
You tilt your head confused, giving Aliyah your full attention.
“You’ll have to know this anyways if you’re going to date my sister and shut up I don’t wanna hear it. Let me explain.”
You laugh at her comment. How she knew you’d deny potentially dating her sister. But sensing the seriousness of the topic you zip your lips and listen, waiting for your long awaited questions to be answered.
“I’m sure you’ve gathered by now that Jenna is with the Vipers because of me.”
You softly nod.
“A few years ago,” she sighs recalling the night.
————
Aliyah was buzzing, the world around her a kaleidoscope of music, neon lights, and laughter. The bass thumped through her veins as she swayed to the beat, a red plastic cup in her hand. She wasn’t entirely sure what was in it—something strong, something that burned on the way down. Her "friends" had handed it to her earlier with a wink and a “just try it.”
It wasn’t her first party, but it was her first big one. College kids, flashy cars parked outside, and a house way too nice for a bunch of teenagers to be trashing. Percy had been the one to invite her, his charming smile making it seem like she’d be missing out on the event of the year if she didn’t show up.
“Aliyah!” Percy’s voice cut through the music. She turned, almost stumbling as the alcohol hit her harder than expected. He stood there, grinning, a bottle of something expensive-looking in one hand. “Having fun?”
“Yeah!” she replied, her words slightly slurred.
“Good, good,” he said, slinging an arm around her shoulder and steering her toward a quieter corner of the house. “Hey, you gotta try this.”
Aliyah blinked at the small pill he held out to her. “What is it?”
“Just something to help you relax,” he said, his voice smooth and reassuring. “Everyone’s doing it. No big deal.”
Normally, she would’ve said no. Normally, she wouldn’t have even been at a party like this. But the alcohol dulled her judgment, and Percy’s grin made it seem harmless. She hesitated for only a moment before taking the pill and swallowing it with a sip from her cup.
The next few hours were a blur. Colors seemed brighter, music louder, and her body lighter. She laughed at things that weren’t funny and danced until her legs felt like jelly. At some point, Percy led her upstairs, saying she needed to “rest.” She remembered collapsing onto a plush bed, her head spinning, and Percy’s shadow lingering in the doorway.
When she woke up the next morning, her phone was buzzing with texts from Jenna. But it was Percy’s smirk and the way he casually mentioned “having some footage” of her wild night that made her stomach drop.
“You wouldn’t want your dad seeing this, would you?” he’d said with a mockingly sweet tone.
That night changed everything.
————
"Hold on—did that asshole fucking—" you begin to demand, your voice low but trembling with barely contained fury. Your fists clench instinctively, already mapping out how you were gonna beat Percy's ass.
"No! No," she insists, her voice steadying as she places a hand on your arm, as if to keep you tethered. "Thank God, no. But..." Her gaze drops to the ground, shame flickering across her face. "Turns out it was a Viper party, he had footage of me taking whatever it was he gave me. And—" She swallows hard, her voice barely above a whisper, "he planted stuff on me too. Drugs. Enough to ruin everything if anyone found out."
The weight of her words sinks in, and your anger twists into something darker—colder. "That slimy, manipulative piece of shit," you mutter, pacing a few steps away before turning back to her. "He set you up."
Aliyah nods, hugging her arms to herself as if trying to shield herself from the memory.
"Sorry if this comes of rather insensitive but rich kid doing drugs doesn't really strike me as a headline. You see that shit everyday. Would it really have ruined everything?"
"My Dad's a dick. He didn't want it effecting his company. And unfortunately in his world it's a big deal." She pauses before continuing, "Percy just wanted leverage. Something to use against Dad." Her voice breaks, and she exhales shakily. "Dad handled it, but..."
"But that’s when Jenna got pulled into this mess," you finish for her, the realization hitting like a freight train.
Aliyah nods again, her eyes glassy. "Yeah. Dad made her join the Vipers to keep an eye on Percy and make sure he kept his word. But it wasn’t just that." She hesitates, biting her lip before continuing. "Jenna found out Percy made her joining the crew part of his deal. Like he wanted to make sure he had control over us both. And Dad said yes without hesitation."
The depth of Percy’s manipulation and the selfishness of the girls' father makes your stomach churn. You no longer felt any guilt for stealing that assholes car.
"And Jenna agreed?" you ask quietly, already knowing the answer.
"She didn’t have a choice," Aliyah whispers, her voice cracking. "Dad wouldn’t let me take the fall, and Jenna...she’s too loyal. She put herself in the line of fire for me."
You sink onto the bench beside her, running a hand through your hair as the weight of it all settles in. "Aliyah...this isn’t your fault," you say softly, though you’re not sure if you’re convincing her or yourself.
"It feels like it is," she murmurs, staring at her hands. "If I hadn’t been so stupid that night—"
"Stop." Your tone is firm but gentle. "Percy’s the one who’s to blame here. He’s the asshole who exploited you and dragged Jenna into this mess. Not you."
She doesn’t respond, but the way her shoulders shake tells you she’s trying to hold back tears. You reach out, hesitating for a moment before placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We’ll figure this out, Aliyah. We have the leverage we need. We’ll get Jenna out of this. I promise."
For the first time since the argument, she looks at you, her eyes glistening with vulnerability. "You mean that?"
"More than anything."
The two of you sit in silence after the night’s heavy revelations. It’s not awkward—if anything, it feels like the silence is exactly what you both need. As you sit on the bench, you watch students pass by in the soft glow of the campus lights. Some walk alone, weighed down by heavy backpacks and heavier thoughts. Others are carefree, laughing and chatting with friends, their steps light as air. A few move with quiet confidence, calm and steady.
You wonder, not for the first time, what your life might have been like if you hadn’t been born in Brimstone. Would you have been one of these students? What version of you would have existed here, unburdened by everything that came with your hometown?
“I guess…I can see why your sister was upset,” you say finally, breaking the silence.
Aliyah doesn’t respond right away, but she nods, the motion just visible from the corner of your eye.
“But,” you add with a small smile, “that was two years ago. You deserve another chance.” You turn to her, flashing a grin. “And besides, you’ve got me, Hunter, and Markus watching your back now.” You flex your arms dramatically. “No idea about those two, but nothing gets past me.”
She snorts, a laugh bubbling up despite herself. “Please, put those away. You’re going to embarrass us both.”
Her laughter softens, and when she turns to you, there’s a seriousness in her expression that catches you off guard. “I really hope it works out between you and my sister,” she says quietly.
The words hit you harder than you expect, leaving you momentarily speechless. It’s still complicated—still messy. But something about Aliyah’s vulnerability tonight makes it easier to let the thought cross your mind, even if you can’t voice it aloud.
For now, you settle for the truth that feels safest to admit, even if only to yourself.
I hope so too.
————
You’re greeted by the sight of the Ortega sisters wrapped in a tight embrace near the curb. Their voices are low, but the murmured apologies and soft laughter carry in the quiet night.
Jenna’s voice breaks through, her tone unusually tender. “No, I should’ve given you a chance. I didn’t have to be so mean, Aliyah. I’m sorry.”
Aliyah sniffles, her own voice equally apologetic. “I was wrong too. I should’ve listened to you. You’re just trying to look out for me.”
The rest of you—Hunter, Markus, and yourself—watch the heartwarming spectacle from the bench you were on moments ago with Aliyah. You exchange incredulous looks, eyebrows raised in unison.
“They’re hugging,” you point out, still processing.
“Like…full-on hugging,” Markus adds, as if needing confirmation.
Hunter leans back, crossing his arms. “I don’t know what’s more shocking—the fact that they stopped yelling or that they’re acting like this never happened.”
You snort, shaking your head. It’s kind of funny, really, how quickly they’ve gone from shouting to sobbing on each other’s shoulders. You glance at Hunter and Markus, a knowing thought crossing your mind. Just like your talk with Aliyah, it’s clear they must’ve said something to Jenna. Whatever it was, it worked, and you’re quietly grateful for it.
“They’re like a Netflix drama,” Markus muses. “Big fight in episode nine, full reconciliation by episode ten.”
Hunter chuckles. “They’re efficient, I’ll give them that.”
You smile to yourself, watching the sisters. It’s a relief to see them like this, to see the tension replaced with understanding. For all their differences, their bond is unshakable, and tonight, that’s clearer than ever.
“Efficient’s good,” you remark softly. “We could all use a little more of that.”
The three of you fall into a comfortable silence, still seated on the bench, content to let the moment play out. It’s been a long day, but for the first time in hours, it feels like everything might just turn out okay.
Your thoughts drift as the sisters continue to talk, the quiet laughter between them like the perfect breeze after a tense day. The closest you’ve ever had to something like that is Anton. It’s not quite the same—he isn’t your sibling, not by blood anyway, but he’s always been there, filling that role.
And yet, you and Anton aren’t like Jenna and Aliyah. When you two fight, it doesn’t end with quick apologies or mutual understanding. No, you’ve gone days without speaking. Weeks, even. Your disagreements have never been about anything as heavy as the sisters’ fight tonight, but they’ve been passionate all the same—mostly about the club.
You can still hear Anton’s voice in your head during your last big blow-up a few months ago—long before you met Jenna. “You think you’re above this? You think you’re better than the rest of us?” His words had stung, but so had your response. You’d called him reckless, accused him of not understanding your hesitations about racing, about the club, about everything it represented.
Looking back, you know you were both too stubborn to see the other’s perspective. And while things eventually smoothed over—like they always did—you can’t help but wonder if there’s still some lingering tension under the surface, something neither of you has addressed. And ever since that day he jokingly pulled that gun on you, ironically things have been calm. He probably thinks you're establishing yourself in the crew, and you don't know what to tell him.
Watching the sisters now, you feel a pang of envy. They’ve fought, sure, but they’ve also made their way back to each other in a way that feels effortless. You wonder if you and Anton could ever find that same ease, or if the unspoken disagreements between you will always weigh down your bond.
Hunter nudges you out of your thoughts. “You okay over there?”
You nod, shaking off the memory. “Yeah, just thinking.”
“About?”
You glance at the sisters, their shared laughter filling the night air. “How nice it must be to make up that fast,” you say simply.
Markus chimes in. “Don’t get too used to it. This is a rare sight.”
You laugh lightly, but the thought lingers. Maybe, just maybe, you and Anton could find that kind of understanding someday.
The sisters finally break their embrace and walk toward you, their expressions a mix of relief and mischief. Aliyah, ever the wildcard, claps her hands together and grins.
“Well, now that we’re done being dramatic, who’s ready to party?”
You glance at Jenna, who offers a small, almost shy smile, and then at Hunter and Markus. Surprisingly, no one objects. After the emotionally charged evening, maybe letting loose doesn’t sound so bad.
“Alright, let’s do it,” Hunter says, standing and stretching his arms.
As you all head back toward the dorm building, Markus throws a casual comment over his shoulder. “Hope you all packed swimsuits.”
The group collectively freezes, exchanging bewildered glances.
“Swimsuits?” Aliyah asks, narrowing her eyes.
Markus turns to smirk at her. “It’s a pool party. Did I not mention that?”
Your brain short-circuits. A pool party? Swimwear? Holy crap. Jenna in a bikini? You can feel the heat rising to your cheeks, your face turning an embarrassing shade of red.
Oh god, what if she looks over here? you panic internally. Play it cool. Act normal. Breathe.
But the thought of Jenna, all confident and effortlessly beautiful, lounging poolside or—nope, nope, abort mission. You’re pretty sure your gay panic is written all over your face, and you try to busy yourself with looking anywhere but at her.
“Y/n?” Jenna’s voice pulls you from your spiraling thoughts.
You snap your head toward her, your voice coming out a little too loud. “What? Yes! Pool party! Great idea. Love it.”
Jenna raises an eyebrow, clearly amused by your overenthusiasm. “Uh-huh,” she says, her lips quirking into a small smile.
Aliyah gives you a knowing smirk but thankfully doesn’t say anything, and the group continues walking. You tug your shirt over your face, hoping to disappear into it.
————
"Why did you pack so many bikinis?" Jenna asks looking into her sister's duffel bag.
"I had a feeling that something like this would happen," Aliyah mutters, her full attention on the swim suit she’s holding up in front of her.
The top is a classic triangle style with thin straps that tie around the neck and back, offering a simple yet sultry design. The cups are just enough to leave something to the imagination while perfectly accentuating curves. The bottoms—equally bold.
Jenna's eyes narrow at the sight. "You're wearing that?"
"Nope. You are."
The older Ortega looked at her sister like she just said the most insane words known to man. "What?"
"You heard me. You're wearing it."
Jenna snorts, crossing her arms. "Not in this lifetime."
"Oh, come on!" Aliyah groans, dangling the bikini in front of Jenna like a carrot on a stick. "It’s cute, it’ll look amazing on you, and it’s a pool party. You’ll blend right in."
Jenna glares at her sister, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Yeah, because nothing says ‘blending in’ like wearing half an outfit."
Aliyah rolls her eyes, unbothered. "You’ll thank me when you’re the center of attention. Besides..." She leans in, lowering her voice just enough to add some drama. "I’m pretty sure a certain someone would love to see you in this."
Jenna’s face flushes instantly. She hated that she actually considered wearing it for a second.
She snatches the bikini from Aliyah’s hand and tosses it on the bed before her sister can say another word. "You’re impossible."
Aliyah beams triumphantly. "You'll be thanking me later."
————
Outside, you finish getting dressed, opting for a simple look. You stick with your black sports bra and borrow a pair of pink swim shorts from Hunter, not giving much thought to your outfit. With a casual shrug, you figure it’s good enough.
As you adjust the waistband of the shorts, Hunter glances down at your stomach, his eyes lingering a beat too long on your toned abs. He smirks and quips, "Someone’s definitely gonna appreciate those."
You roll your eyes, ignoring the comment as your face heats up slightly. Pulling on your zip-up hoodie, you tug it closed halfway, hoping to downplay any attention.
Hunter chuckles softly, clearly amused by your reaction.
Before you can retaliate, Markus strolls over, sighing dramatically as he collapses onto the edge of his bed. He looks at you with exaggerated seriousness, steepling his fingers like some kind of TV detective.
"I think, as a brother, I have to do this," Markus begins, his tone solemn but with a glint of amusement in his eyes. "I’ve always done this with the guys Aliyah’s been into, so it only feels right to extend the same courtesy for Jenna."
Your stomach drops. Oh no. Is this really happening?
Markus straightens, folding his arms like a dad interrogating his daughter’s date. "What are your intentions with my sister?"
You freeze, blinking at him in horror. "What?"
Hunter chuckles, clearly finding this entire situation hilarious as he leans casually against the wall to watch the show.
"You heard me," Markus presses, his expression still annoyingly serious. "Jenna’s my sister. I need to know you’re not playing games. So, what are your intentions?"
You gulp, the words catching in your throat. You glance at Hunter for backup, but he just shrugs with a grin, clearly enjoying your discomfort.
"I…" you start, feeling your face grow hotter by the second. You will yourself to stay calm, refusing to let the teasing get to you. "Jenna’s… she’s important to me. I’m not leading her on, if that’s what you’re worried about."
Markus raises an eyebrow, clearly not satisfied.
Do you have to admit in this very moment that you maybe kind of like his sister...?
You sigh, running a hand through your hair. "Look, I don’t really know where we stand right now, but I care about her—a lot. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her."
Markus studies you for a moment longer before breaking into a grin. "Okay, that’s acceptable. For now."
"For now?" you echo, incredulous but Markus is already getting up, stretching like he just completed some monumental task.
"Yeah. Just remember, I’ll be watching." He winks at you before heading back to his side of the room.
"What are we watching?" Aliyah's voice suddenly booms, startling you.
You whip your head around at the speed of lightning, and of course your eyes lock onto Jenna's. Thank god she had the same idea as you and wore a jumper over whatever her swim outfit was so you couldn't tell what she was wearing.
Still, your stomach knots. Shit. Did Jenna hear you talking about her?
"Nothing," you mutter to Aliyah, trying to sound casual, though the heat creeping up your neck says otherwise. "Are we ready to go?"
As you glance back at Jenna, you realize she’s watching you intently. Her gaze lingers a little too long, her head tilted ever so slightly, as if she’s piecing something together. You feel your skin flush under her scrutiny, suddenly hyper-aware of her presence.
Then, just as you think you might combust from the tension, a slow, amused smile breaks across her face. Her eyes flick downward, and you follow her gaze to… oh god. The stupidly bright pink shorts Hunter lent you.
"Nice look," Jenna quips, her voice light and teasing.
Your hands instinctively tug at the hem of your hoodie, trying to shield as much of the shorts as possible. "Yeah, well… they’re functional."
"Functional," she echoes, her grin widening. "Sure."
Aliyah raises an eyebrow, looking between the two of you. "Alright, lovebirds," she says, rolling her eyes. "Let’s get going before the party’s over."
As the group starts heading out, you walk ahead, desperate to escape Jenna’s knowing smirk. But you can’t help glancing back just once, catching her still smiling at you, her eyes sparkling with a mix of amusement and something else you can’t quite name.
————
Courtesy of Markus' Uber app, the driver slows to a stop, and you all step out, craning your necks to take in the towering building before you. The sleek glass facade gleams under the city lights, exuding wealth and extravagance.
"Jesus," Hunter breathes, his jaw practically hitting the sidewalk. "Is this a college party or a Kardashian party?"
You find yourself mirroring his wide-eyed expression. "This is… a lot," you mutter.
Markus grins. "Nah, it’s just a kid in my class. He’s cool. His family’s super rich, though."
You nod absently, but the information doesn’t exactly calm your nerves. As you stare at the building, a sudden wave of discomfort washes over you. Will it be obvious that you don’t belong here? The thought crosses your mind and stubbornly lingers, gnawing at the edges of your confidence.
You glance at Hunter, half-expecting him to share your unease, but no—he’s practically bouncing on his toes, his excitement palpable. Of course, he’d thrive in an environment like this.
Before you know it, you’re all piling into the elevator, Aliyah confidently hitting the button for the penthouse. The mirrored walls reflect your group back at you, and you take a steadying breath, trying to shake off the impostor syndrome creeping in.
As the elevator ascends, you feel a gentle tug on your sleeve. You glance down to see Jenna looking up at you, concern etched in her features.
"You okay?" she whispers, her voice soft enough that only you can hear.
You blink, caught off guard. "Huh? Yeah, I’m fine," you reply quickly, though the words feel hollow.
"You’ve been quiet," she presses, her eyes scanning your face. "You were lively during the ride, but now… it’s like you flipped a switch."
Her observation catches you off guard, and for a moment, you’re unsure how to respond. It’s not often someone notices these shifts in you—let alone calls them out.
"I guess I’m just… a little overwhelmed," you admit finally, your voice barely above a whisper.
Jenna’s lips curve into a small, understanding smile. "Don’t worry," she says, her hand brushing against yours briefly in reassurance. "You’re with us. You belong here."
Her words hang in the air as the elevator dings, signaling your arrival at the penthouse. The doors slide open, revealing a lavish space filled with music, laughter, and an intoxicating air of luxury.
You step out, Jenna’s quiet reassurance still echoing in your mind, and try to believe it.
You barely have time to process the fleeting warmth of Jenna’s hand brushing against yours before a guy—presumably the host—beelines toward your group, a wide, sloppy grin plastered on his face.
“Markus! You made it, bro!” he slurs, his sunglasses tilted crookedly on his nose, a solo cup in each hand. One is filled with something neon green, the other an alarming shade of blue, and neither looks remotely safe to drink. You take him in quickly—barefoot, dripping wet, and leaving a sizable puddle in his wake. The guy clearly just climbed out of the massive pool that stretches across the center of the penthouse and doesn’t seem to care one bit about the water ruining the hardwood floors.
While Markus greets him with a laugh and a hearty handshake, you take the opportunity to glance around. The penthouse is sprawling—easily larger than half the homes on your street combined. The walls are painted a deep, moody purple, accented by dim, neon lighting that shifts colors in rhythm with the heavy bass of the music. The furniture screams luxury, from the sleek leather couches to the glass coffee tables littered with half-empty cups, discarded towels, and the occasional misplaced phone.
The centerpiece of the room, though, is undoubtedly the pool. It’s an indoor marvel, its edges lined with glowing tiles that cast an ethereal blue light across the entire space. The water ripples as people dive in or lounge at the edges, drinks in hand. Some are modestly dressed in one-pieces or board shorts, while others push the limits of decency, their swimwear leaving little to the imagination.
The energy in the room is wild, chaotic, and undeniably alluring. You can’t help but feel a little out of place amidst the atmosphere, but there’s also a strange pull to it—a curiosity about what the night might hold.
As Markus continues his lively conversation with the host, Aliyah nudges your arm, drawing your attention. “Anyone catch your attention?" she wiggles her eyebrows while looking around the penthouse.
Thankfully Jenna didn't hear the question and you don't answer. You glance over at Jenna, who’s taking in the chaos with a cool, unreadable expression. She seems completely at ease, as if she’s seen this kind of thing a hundred times before.
Finally, the host turns his attention to the rest of your group, his bleary eyes landing on Jenna. “And who are you?” he slurs, grinning like every rich boy stereotype rolled into one. He awkwardly stacks one solo cup into the other—both already full of whatever questionable concoctions he’s drinking. The liquid sloshes over the sides and onto the floor, and you can’t help but think, Damn, it’s gonna suck for whoever has to clean this up tomorrow.
He adjusts his crooked sunglasses onto his head with one hand and extends the other toward Jenna, clearly expecting her to shake it. Jenna hesitates, her eyes darting to Aliyah for guidance. Aliyah gives her an encouraging nod, but the simple act seems to weigh on her. Finally, after a moment of visible deliberation, Jenna gives the guy’s hand a quick, perfunctory shake, her expression polite but distant.
The host grins wider, clearly undeterred. “Hope you’ve got a swimsuit under that,” he says with a sloppy wink. “Maybe I’ll see you later.”
You stiffen, your jaw clenching as the scene plays out. What the fuck? The guy’s blatant drunkenness is gross enough, but his flirty comment? That’s a whole other level of irritating. You can’t say anything—you don’t have that right—but a twinge of jealousy twists in your chest nonetheless.
Of course something like this was going to happen. How could it not? Jenna was gorgeous, and anyone with eyes could see that. All these drunk college losers were going to shoot their shot, thinking they had a chance with her. The thought makes your blood simmer, but you force yourself to look away, jaw still tight.
Jenna, to her credit, doesn’t react much beyond a slight narrowing of her eyes. She turns back to your group, brushing off the host’s comment as if it were a stray piece of lint on her sleeve.
She turns to look at you and notices the way your jaw is clenched. And she can't help but notice the burning sensation in her chest at the sight. Is this the reaction she had wanted? She should've never let Aliyah get into her head.
"Make her jealous."
Her younger sister had whispered to her before they entered the party.
You breathe out a quiet sigh, your irritation still bubbling under the surface but tempered by the fact that she didn’t seem fazed.
Aliyah nudges you again, her voice low and teasing. “Careful, your face is gonna freeze like that.”
You roll your eyes, the tension easing just slightly. This is fine, you tell yourself. This is just a party.
————
This is not just a party.
The night had started with all five of you sticking together, like a tight-knit squad entering enemy territory. But, predictably, the chaos of the party soon swallowed you up, scattering everyone like confetti. Hunter had found his place in the pool, leading a cannonball competition that echoed with cheers and splashes loud enough to rival the music. Aliyah, ever the social butterfly, was mingling with Markus’ friends—some of whom she seemed to know already, laughing and chatting like this was her natural habitat.
Markus and Jenna claimed a spot poolside, lounging on sleek deck chairs while chatting with a group of partygoers. Probably Markus’ friends, you figured. He looked entirely in his element, gesturing animatedly while Jenna sat beside him, a quiet but magnetic presence.
As for you? Well, you were stationed at the edge of the action, nursing your second cup of the mystery blue fluid. It seemed like the safer option compared to the guy mixing vodka with… was that Mountain Dew? Your self-assigned mission was simple: keep an eye on Aliyah and shoot occasional glances at the girl by the pool.
Okay, maybe more than occasional.
Jenna was wearing a black bikini that was deceptively simple, all clean lines and understated elegance. It wasn’t flashy, but it didn’t need to be. It hugged her in all the right places, the kind of outfit that made her look like she’d walked straight out of a swimwear catalog. You could still feel the lingering heat in your cheeks from when she’d first taken off her jumper.
————
She had casually peeled it off as if it were no big deal—just another layer to shed in the heat of the party. But for you? It was a moment. One second, she was her usual, effortlessly cool self in the oversized jumper, and the next, she was standing there in that bikini, and your brain just… short-circuited.
Your first thought: Oh my god, she’s gorgeous. Your second thought: No, wait, she’s always been gorgeous. Your third thought: Holy crap, I’m staring.
Hunter, of course, had noticed your reaction because he never missed an opportunity to tease. He leaned over with a smirk and whispered, “Careful, you’re gonna burn a hole through her with that look.”
You’d snapped out of it with a flustered, “Shut up,” but it was too late. The damage was done. You were blushing so hard, you were sure your face could have powered the penthouse lights.
————
Now, as you stood there, gripping your cup like a lifeline, your eyes kept drifting back to Jenna. The soft glow from the pool lights made her skin look impossibly smooth, her hair falling over one shoulder in loose waves.
You told yourself to look away—to focus on something, anything else—but it was impossible. She was mesmerizing in a way that made the rest of the party blur into the background.
Your drink was halfway to your lips when you realized you hadn’t blinked in a while. Get it together, you scolded yourself, tearing your gaze away with a sharp breath.
But even as you tried to distract yourself, the truth was unavoidable: Jenna Ortega in a bikini—scratch that. Jenna Ortega was your kryptonite.
————
You can’t take your eyes off her.
You tell yourself it’s because you’re keeping an eye out, making sure no one bothers her, but the truth is, you’re mesmerized. She looks so comfortable, so effortlessly beautiful, and it’s infuriating how easy she makes it all seem.
“Enjoying the view?”
You nearly choke on air and whip your head to the side to see Aliyah standing there, a sly grin on her face.
“I—what?” you stammer, heat rushing to your face.
"I’ve seen you looking over there about fifty times in the last ten minutes."
You stiffened, immediately defensive. "I have not."
Aliyah raised an eyebrow, her smirk betraying just how much she was enjoying this. "Uh-huh. Sure. So, you’re not staring at my sister like she’s the eighth wonder of the world?"
She laughs. “Relax, I’m just messing with you.” She leans in closer, lowering her voice. “But seriously, you need to tell her. How long are you going to keep dancing around? And not like you’re not exactly subtle either.”
You glare at her, but the effect is ruined by the fact that your face is probably as red as the solo cup in your hand. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure you don’t.” She straightens up, her grin widening.
”Are you drinking tonight?” You ask her, changing the topic but also wanting to know the state of her so you can protect her as needed.
“Nope. It’s a sober night. Don’t worry about me and go get your girl before someone else does,” she urges.
Aliyah added, her tone lighter now, "if you do decide to shoot your shot, maybe don’t wait too long. She’s got options, you know."
You groan, taking another swig from your drink. The thought of Jenna with someone else is burning you.
“Anyway, I’m heading to the pool. Try not to stare too hard.”
She saunters off, leaving you standing there, flustered and annoyed but mostly just embarrassed. You glance back at Jenna, who’s now leaning back on her arms, her head tilted toward the ceiling.
You sigh and take a sip of your drink, the bitterness doing little to distract you from the whirlwind in your chest.
This is not just a party, you think again. This is torture.
————
As you leaned against the railing, sipping on your third drink of the night and trying to push Aliyah's words to the back of your mind, the host stumbled up to you, a wide, sloppy grin plastered across his face. He was holding a vape pen, which he took a long drag from before exhaling a cloud of vapor that smelled faintly of mango.
"Hey, my friennnd!" he slurred, swaying slightly as he leaned in closer than necessary. "You not havin’ a good time or what? You’re just… standing here."
You sighed, already exasperated. "I’m fine, thanks."
He squinted at you like he didn’t believe a word of it, then followed your line of sight toward the pool. His eyes lit up in drunken revelation. "Ahhh! I see what this is!" He laughed loudly and gave you a hearty slap on the back that almost made you spill your drink. "You’ve got eyes for the girl, huh?"
You stiffened, your face heating up. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."
"Sure, sure," he said, waving you off with a laugh. "You’re just standing here, gripping the shit out of that drink, sneaking glances at her like a lovesick puppy because you hate her."
You rolled your eyes, trying to brush him off, but he wasn’t done. "You should go talk to her! Make your move, my dude. Life’s short, and she’s…" He gestured vaguely toward Jenna, nearly knocking himself off balance in the process. "She’s worth it, you know?"
The sincerity in his drunken tone threw you for a loop. You frowned, crossing your arms. "Weren’t you flirting with her earlier?"
He blinked at you, then laughed like you’d just told the funniest joke in the world. "Oh, that? Dude, I flirt with everyone here. It’s, like, my whole thing. Keeps the vibe alive, you know?"
You stared at him, unsure whether to be annoyed or amused. "So, what? None of it’s serious?"
He shrugged, leaning heavily against the railing beside you. "Sometimes it is. Sometimes it’s not. Most of the time, it’s just… me trying to connect. I mean, isn’t that what we’re all doing? Trying to feel something?"
His words hit harder than you expected, and you found yourself looking at him in a new light. Despite his slurred speech and drunken antics, there was something oddly profound about what he’d just said.
"So… what are you trying to feel?" you asked before you could stop yourself.
He let out a long sigh, his grin fading slightly. "Dunno, man. Something real, I guess. You ever feel like you’re just… floating? Like, you’re surrounded by people, but none of it feels solid? So you do stupid stuff—throw parties, flirt with strangers—just to remind yourself you’re alive?"
You stared at him, taken aback by the sudden vulnerability.
This was the last thing you were expecting tonight.
"Yeah," you admitted quietly. "I think I get that."
He looked at you, his expression surprisingly sober for a moment. "Then you get why you shouldn’t waste time. If you feel something—really feel something—you gotta go for it. Otherwise, what’s the point?"
You glanced back toward the pool, where Jenna was laughing at something Markus said, her eyes crinkling at the corners in that way that made your heart stutter.
“And if you don’t wanna take that chance. And want to take the easy way out. I’ll show you how to party,” he smirks gesturing to the end of the drinks table where three girls who you hadn’t noticed earlier were very obviously checking you out.
“I feel like kissing that guy over there,” he randomly announced. “Ciao!”
Maybe the drunk host had a point. And you made your choice.
————
The last month had been an avalanche of unsolicited advice.
Anton had urged you to chase what you want. Your mom stressed staying safe and doing what’s necessary. Hunter and Aliyah kept nudging you to address whatever was going on with Jenna.
And yet, you’d done nothing. Every word of wisdom rolled off you like water off a duck’s back. That’s what made it so damn funny that a drunk party host, of all people, was the one to finally light a fire under you.
Half the room was chasing something—a feeling. The same feeling that teens, young adults, and even grown adults spent their lives chasing. Butterflies, knots, secret glances, the kind of love that makes your heart race and your world slow down. Some people would do anything to find it. Others would do anything to forget it. But not everyone gets it.
What hit you was this: half the room was drowning their emptiness in alcohol, filling voids they didn’t know how to name. You, though? You didn’t have to fill that void. Because you already had what they were searching for.
And that was why, with a newfound determination, you started walking toward Markus, Aliyah, and Jenna by the pool.
You rehearsed what you might say in your head. You doubted you had the guts to blurt out a bold “I like you”—not even after three cups of that mystery blue drink. Sure, the booze helped take the edge off your nerves, but it wasn’t strong enough to make you reckless. Nothing at this party was as potent as Sinner’s jungle juice from back home.
Maybe you’d start small: “You look beautiful tonight.” Yeah, that could work. It was a start.
One way or another, Jenna was going to leave this party knowing how you felt about her.
The closer you got, the more you shook off your nerves. You watched Aliyah, now in the pool and leaning on the edge, whisper something in Jenna’s ear. You didn’t think much of it. The party was deafening, so whispering—or yelling—was the only way anyone could be heard.
But as you closed the gap, you saw Jenna turn her attention from Aliyah to the guy next to her. He was already looking at her, and whatever he’d said made her laugh—a real, full-bodied laugh. She even reached out and playfully slapped his arm.
What the hell?
You tried to brush it off. It was just a party. A nervous habit, maybe. It didn’t mean anything.
But then she did it again. The laugh was softer this time, more intimate. The playful arm slap turned into a lingering touch.
And this time, it wasn’t so easy to dismiss.
Jenna rises onto her tiptoes, leaning closer to the guy beside her. Whatever she whispers in his ear makes him nod, a smug grin stretching across his face. He hoists himself up onto the pool’s ledge with ease, droplets of water glistening on his skin in the dim party lights. Then, extending a hand, he helps Jenna out of the pool as well.
You stand frozen, watching as they make their way around the pool—not toward you, but on the opposite side. Hand in hand, they head for the dance floor.
Your stomach knots. Your feet feel glued to the ground, and you can only stand there, watching in disbelief as they disappear into the crowd.
You could see how the guy takes in the sights of her in that swim suit and it made you seethe with anger.
Aliyah scans the room, her gaze drifting over the pulsating crowd of partygoers. She spots you across the pool, standing stiffly, your eyes locked on Jenna like she’s the only person in the room. The intensity of your stare isn’t lost on her.
Her brow furrows, and she mouths a quiet, “Oh.”
“What’s up?” Markus asks, turning to her with a confused expression.
Aliyah hesitates before answering, her voice low, almost guilty. “I think I messed up.”
Aliyah’s stomach twists as she recalls her own words to Jenna earlier: “Go with the flow; it might cause someone to spring into action.”
Markus turns to her, confused. “What’re you talking about?”
Aliyah nods in your direction. “Look at her.”
Markus follows her gaze and immediately notices you, frozen and visibly fuming, your emotions written all over your face. He lets out a low whistle. “Oof. Yeah, that doesn’t look good.”
Aliyah shakes her head, already looking around. “We need to find Hunter. I don’t see this ending well if we don’t intervene.”
Markus groans, but he’s already following her lead. “Great. Another party, another disaster.”
————
Just minutes ago, you’d felt almost enlightened, convinced you were nothing like the crowd around you—certain you weren’t chasing the same empty void so many here seemed desperate to fill.
But now? Now you felt ridiculous. Pissed. And maybe that mystery blue drink had hit harder than you realized, because suddenly, you were stalking through the crowd, determined to find the host.
He wasn’t hard to spot. Sure enough, he’d achieved his goal, currently locked in a passionate kiss with the guy he’d been eyeing earlier.
Thankfully, he noticed you approaching just in time and broke away, grinning lazily.
You stopped in front of him, your frustration bubbling over. “Show me how to have a good time.”
The host’s grin faltered the moment he registered your expression. For someone as drunk as he was, it was almost impressive how quickly his disappointment flickered across his face. He sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly, as if he’d hoped you wouldn’t end up here, fuming and frustrated.
But he nodded, brushing off the moment with a shrug and an exaggerated stumble in your direction. “Alright, alright,” he slurred, gesturing for you to follow him, leaving the guy he was making out with stranded for your sake. “Come on, let’s fix that mood of yours.”
He weaved his way back toward the drinks table, unsteady on his feet but somehow managing to avoid a complete wipeout. You followed reluctantly, your anger simmering beneath the surface as he gestured toward the end of the drinks table. The trio of girls you hadn’t noticed earlier perked up immediately, their eyes lighting up when they spotted you.
"First, we need to get you absolutely zonked!” the host cheers, thrusting a cup of that ominous green liquid into your hand.
You hesitate, staring at the swirling contents as if they might hold all the answers—or at least some of the regrets you’d rather avoid. Still, you take a sip, and the potent concoction hits you almost immediately. It’s stronger than the blue drink, and you know one thing for sure, you don’t want to get so wasted that you do something irreparably stupid at a party full of strangers. One drink, you decide. That’s your limit.
The host, however, is in full swing. “Alright! Step one done. Now, we find you a girl. The goal’s to make your gal jealous, right?”
You don’t say anything, your silence speaking volumes. He glances back at the dance floor, where Jenna’s still twirling and laughing with the guy. “Yeah, I’ll take that as a yes. She’s dancing with him, so we’re gonna play the same game. Cool?”
Guilt creeps up your spine, making your stomach churn more than the drink. You overthink everything. What would Jenna think? Would this make things worse?
The host seems to sense your hesitation. He snaps his fingers in front of your face. “Hey, stop thinking. You wanted to party, right? This is partying. Just dance and vibe—no strings attached. And bonus, she’ll notice. Maybe even pull a move herself. Cool?”
You still don’t answer, but he barrels on regardless, scanning the room with surprising clarity for someone who’s barely standing upright. His gaze lands on a girl across the room, sipping a drink and watching you with an air of quiet confidence. “I say you go for her,” he says, nodding toward her. “She’s not as desperate as those three over there practically undressing you with their eyes.” He gestures to the trio at the end of the table, but your attention is already locked on the girl he pointed out.
She’s gorgeous. Her sleek black hair falls effortlessly over her shoulders, catching the dim lights in a way that feels almost cinematic. Her lips, painted a deep red, curve into a subtle smirk as her dark hazel, almond-shaped eyes fixate on you. Those eyes… they’re hypnotic, pulling you in like she already knows the effect she’s having on you.
And then she does it—the sticky eyes trick. She looks at you, holds your gaze for a heartbeat longer than necessary, then glances away like she’s already won. It’s deliberate, it’s calculated, and it’s working.
“She’s doing it on purpose,” the host mutters, nudging you forward. “That’s your cue, my friend.”
Your feet move before your brain catches up, guilt and hesitation drowned out by whatever magnetic pull this girl has on you. As you approach, she tilts her head slightly, a single brow arching in challenge. The smirk deepens, and she takes a slow sip of her drink, her eyes never leaving yours now. It’s like she’s daring you to come closer, daring you to make the first move.
And you do.
It all happened so fast. One moment, you were walking across the room, drawn in by her magnetic gaze, and the next, you were standing in front of her. Barely any words were exchanged—just a coy smile and a simple, “Hey, I’m Sofia. Wanna dance?” Before you could even think, you nodded, and now here you are—another pair of bodies swaying in the pulsating rhythm of the music, like the rest of the world had melted away.
Her arms rest comfortably around your shoulders, her touch warm and intimate as if you’ve done this a million times before. Your hands find their place naturally at her waist, and the two of you move in perfect sync, every beat of the music mirrored in your steps. It’s effortless—the way her body follows yours, the way your energy bounces off hers.
But every few seconds, your eyes betray you, glancing over your shoulder to see what Jenna’s up to. And there she is, still dancing with that guy, laughing at something he’s said, her head tilting back just enough to make your stomach twist.
Sofia’s voice pulls you back. “Hmm, are we making that girl jealous?” she teases, her tone light but sharp enough to cut through the haze of your thoughts.
“Maybe,” you admit cautiously, the word barely audible over the music. You brace yourself, worried she’ll be offended that you’re using her for this. But instead, she smirks, her dark eyes glinting with mischief.
“Well,” she murmurs, her lips curving into a playful grin, “we’ll have to do a better job than this.” Without hesitation, she steps closer, closing the already small distance between you. Her body presses softly against yours, her movements slower, more deliberate, the intimacy cranked up just enough to make your pulse quicken.
“She an ex?” Sofia whispers, her breath warm against your ear. The words come out smooth, sultry—designed to sound just loud enough for you to hear.
“No,” you reply, your voice catching slightly. “We’re just... friends?”
Sofia throws her head back, laughing dramatically, the sound exaggerated and almost theatrical. It’s over the top, no doubt meant to draw attention. Jenna’s attention. You’re sure she’s watching now, though you don’t dare look back. Instead, you commit fully to the bit, letting the drinks loosen your inhibitions. The music thrums in your chest, your body moving like the college kid you are—reckless, carefree, and untethered.
For the first time tonight, you let yourself stop thinking. You dance like no one’s watching—though deep down, you know someone is.
————
Hunter, Aliyah, and Markus watched the scene unfold like an audience to the world’s most chaotic soap opera. Their expressions ranged from shock to amusement, with Hunter’s jaw practically on the floor.
“What the fuck did I miss?” he asked, eyes darting between you and your dance partner and Jenna and hers.
“I told Jenna to make Y/n jealous,” Aliyah admitted, her voice tinged with guilt. “And now Y/n is retaliating.”
Hunter let out a low whistle, shaking his head. “This is so not like Y/n, but I kinda like it. That girl is cute.”
Aliyah shot him a sharp glare. “Excuse me? Aren’t we rooting for Jenna and Y/n?”
Hunter snickered. “We are, but relax. This is just the pre-show. They’ll have makeup sex and get over it.”
Aliyah groaned, rolling her eyes. “Seriously? Makeup sex? They—"
Hunter smirked. “Yeah, makeup sex. You know, when they—”
Markus laughs at Hunter’s response.
“I know what it is, weirdo,” Aliyah snapped. “But they’re not there yet. They haven’t even admitted they like each other yet! They need to stop being stubborn and actually talk!”
Hunter leaned back, crossing his arms confidently. “It’ll happen. Look at them—they’re both trying to make each other jealous. This is just foreplay. They’ll be fine as long as neither of them crosses the line. Dancing? Fine. Kissing? That could screw everything up.”
Their attention snapped back to the dance floor as Jenna, spotting you with Sofia, retaliated. She moved even closer to her partner, her hands trailing over his shoulders, their movements far more intimate now.
“Oh no,” Aliyah muttered.
“Oh yes,” Hunter said, grinning. “Now it’s getting good.”
The group leaned forward, watching as you noticed Jenna’s escalation. Without missing a beat, you responded. Sofia seemed to catch on quickly, her body now pressed firmly against yours as you matched Jenna’s energy. The two of you danced as if the rest of the world had disappeared, exchanging subtle glances that grew bolder with every passing moment.
It was a game of one-upmanship now. Jenna would sway closer to her partner, and you’d mirror her, pulling Sofia even closer. Jenna’s hands would glide down her partner’s arms, and Sofia would follow suit with you. Back and forth it went, escalating with each move, the tension between you and Jenna palpable even from across the room.
“Holy shit,” Hunter muttered, his grin widening. “They’re not even pretending anymore.”
“They’re literally staring each other down,” Markus added, incredulous.
It was true. Neither of you was hiding the fact that this was all about the other. Your eyes locked with Jenna’s, an unspoken challenge passing between you as your bodies moved in sync with your respective partners. The music thumped, the crowd blurred, but all that mattered was who would break first.
Sofia's hands slid up your arms and found their way to your shoulders as you danced, her movements effortlessly in sync with yours. Her body pressed closer, her breath warm against your neck, and her fingers trailed lightly down your chest to your exposed abs, pausing there just long enough to send a shiver through you.
You felt her touch, soft but deliberate, and couldn't help but glance over your shoulder.
Jenna was watching.
Her gaze wasn't subtle—it lingered, her lips tightening as her eyes followed Sofia's hands on you. The guy she was dancing with had his hands on her waist, pulling her closer, but Jenna's attention wasn't on him at all. It was on you, her expression a mix of irritation and something else you couldn't quite place.
Then, suddenly, you froze. Breaking away from Sofia.
“What’s happening?” Aliyah whispered, her voice tight with worry.
The trio followed your gaze back to Jenna. She was standing on her tiptoes, leaning in toward her partner, her face inches from his. Her lips parted slightly, as if she were about to—
“Oh no,” Aliyah breathed, clutching Markus’s arm.
The three of them stared, holding their breath, as the moment stretched into eternity.
Taglist: @godamnityess @machyishere @freakshow2501 @nwestra @mcchicken88
@101rizzlrr @snowdrop1026 @ilovesneezing069 @btay3115 @burntoutghost
@cobaltperun
#over the limit#jenna ortega x reader#jenna ortega x you#jenna ortega#jenna ortega x female reader#tara carpenter x female reader#tara carpenter x reader#jenna ortega x y/n#tara carpenter imagine#jenna x reader#jenna ortega au#jenna ortega fanfic#jenna ortega imagine
229 notes
·
View notes
Text
nsfw alphabet - kang daeho (player 388)
(contains sexual content, mdni <3)

(these are all my opinion, if you disagree that’s totally fine, just dont interact w this fic xo)
——————————————————————————
A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)
- dae-ho is such a sweetheart and i am convinced he thinks aftercare is the most important thing ever, he’ll do anything to make you comfortable afterwards. preparing you a nice warm bath, making you a sweet treat or just cuddle with you.
B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)
- he loves his arms, especially when he flexes them so he can see his biceps/thriceps, his favorite part about you are your thighs and your ass (i just know he is a ass man)
C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)
- he has a breeding kink, he literally will thank you if you let him come inside. (hahaha going insane rn)
D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)
- he is a switch but loves when you dom him.
E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)
- i think he has good experience, his bodycount is probably below 5 though.
F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)
- reverse cowgirl. (who said that)
G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)
- i feel like he would be kinda goofy, like cracking a little joke when something awkward happens.
H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)
- dae-ho is definitely shaves for you, he knows you hate bushes lol.
I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)
- oh he is hopelessly in love, he loves sharing these intimate moments with you because he absolutely adores you.
J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)
- mutual masturbation 100%
K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)
- praise, some degrading and in a way i feel like he would be such a good brat tamer (i am delusional)
L = Location (favorite places to do the do)
- either the kitchen or the shower.
M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)
- praise.
‘just like that dae-ho, you feel so good, fuck.’
say that and he’ll go on for hours
N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)
- spitting and slapping.
O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)
- dae-ho is a MUNCH, i just know he loooves going down on you, he loves pleasing you.
P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)
- depends on how he is feeling, but i think it kinda switches between the two. (he’ll always make sure to ask you if it isn’t too rough)
Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)
- he doesn’t mind them but he would rather fuck you for hours straight.
R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)
- whenever you suggest something he’ll definitely try them out, he loves when you come with new ideas.
S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)
- i think he lasts LOOONG, he won’t stop until you at least came twice, doesn’t matter how long it has to take.
T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)
- maybe like a vibrator ON you, but that’s about it.
U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)
- i think he is such a tease, joking about you whining and going insane over his touch.
‘you want to cum that bad sweetheart?’ he says grinning.
V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)
- he isn’t that loud but he is definitely whiny and needy, so you’ll probably hear him whimpering and grunting.
W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)
- he loves it when you call him daddy (he’ll probably call you mommy…anyways!)
X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on underneath those clothes)
- dae-ho is not big but kinda buff, like he is not that skinny and actually has some meat on his body (yummy)
Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)
- quick, he probably does something cute like make some tea for the both of you and falls asleep cuddling you.
thank you for reading lovely xo
279 notes
·
View notes
Text
Jschlatt x Fem!reader NSFW A-Z
I'm so sorry I wrote this at 6 am, with zero sleep so please bare with me
18+ MDNI

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)
After he cums, Schlatt is knocked out. Doesn't even bother pulling out, he will just collapse right on top of you.
B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)
On you, he loves your boob's and thighs. Both are so squishy and soft, he likes anything he can just grab.
On him, he likes his hands. He likes what he can do with them, finger you, hold you, have you suck them. Very versatile
C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)
He likes it messy, although hates the cleanup. Would only cum all over you if he knew he had the energy to clean you up. I also think he's very paranoid on getting you pregnant so to be safe he cums in the condom a lot
D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)
Is down to be pegged. Dude can't say he likes water squirted up his ass and doesn't want a strap!! He's just to humiliated to ask
E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)
He's had a few girlfriends and sexual encounters in the past. He doesn't peg me as the one night stand type so all of his past partners have been from relationships. Safe to say he knows what he's doing, isn't an amateur
F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)
Missionary. I think he said it on the SDP but even so, he likes the intimacy that comes with it. He gets to kiss you, look into your eyes, hold you, just very sweet
G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)
It depends on the mood. He can definitely be silly but for the most part, sex is usually serious, not the type to just crack jokes during
H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)
He's got hair, but he keeps it maintained. He's a pretty hairy person, so trying to keep it complete bare would just be a hassle, so it just trims
I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)
I think he's rather intimate. Sex isn't something he just throws around, if he's doing it with you it's cause he cares. Not to say all encounters are long drawn out acts of passion, but he shows his love through small acts and service
J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)
Before you guys started dating, he would jack off about once a day, but now he's with you, maybe only once a week. He only does it when he's up really late from editing and needs to blow off steam, but doesn't want to wake you up
K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)
Tbh I don't see him being into to many kinks. I think he's a pretty vanilla guy. Maybe a little degradation, and chocking but nothing crszy
L = Location (favorite places to do the do)
Almost ways at home. He doesn't like the risk of getting caught so he will usually save it for when you guys are in the safety of your home, but once behind those doors all bets are off. Every surface has been tainted
M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)
You doing mundane things turns him on BAD. doing the dishes, folding laundry, scrolling on your phone. Dude just wants you bad
N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)
He absolutely will not put his hands on you. No slapping on your face, he finds it so dehumanizing, he is willing for a few soft spanks on the ass but nothing that will ever leave a bruise
O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)
BOTH. he's such a munch dude can eat you out for HOURS. It's a stress relief for him. And he can skullfuck the shit out of you, use that mouth to good use (I'm so sorry for that phrasing it's just so funny to me)
P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)
He pegs me as the kind to do slow deep thrusts in the beginning, but the closer he gets the faster and rougher he will go
Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)
He's usually down for a good quick, bit never in public. Only down if it's right before he has to record or before you guys have to leave the house.
R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)
He's willing to try anything you want to try, as long as it doesn't cause you any harm. He is OK with rough things, but wouldn't forgive himself if he went to far
S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)
He's a one round guy. I'm sorry he just seems like once he cums dude is done. You gonna have to give him maybe 10 minutes before another round
T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)
Not really. He's got a cockring, but for you he just prefers to do the work himself. He has gotten you vibrating underwear and sometimes makes you wear them around the house to see you struggle cause he's such a tease
U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)
He likes to tease. Will finger you, then eat you out. It's mostly because he knows once he cums he's tapped out so he tries to satisfy you as much before he enters you
V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)
He's a moaner, very vocal. He's a little ashamed so ge tries to hide it but the longer he's with you he opens up more and you get those delicious. Moans in your ears
W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)
He sniffs panties. No further elaboration
X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)
6 inches, a little thick, curves to the left. Pink tip
Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)
Its pretty high but he can control it. He's always down for sex but won't pursue every urge
Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)
Right after cumming, dude dies
250 notes
·
View notes
Text

CHAT I ACTUALLY FINISHED :0
This took like way too long to finish, but it was fun and actually turned out kinda good?!?!? (for my art at least)






Anyways, hope y'all enjoy! For folks who may not have seen my previous post when this was unfinished, this was an AU where Wirt grows up to be like a HS English Teacher cause it just fits really well for him tbh (and I'm obsessed). I first got the AU idea from the fic "Will 'Cook' for Food" by @skimmingmilk and @sylwritesstuff (I thought it was a lot more popular of a headcanon like Writer!Dipper but alas it's only in like 3 fics).
so...yeah :p


TEXT UNDER THE CUT
**I typically go right to left then top to bottom like the Westerner I am
Top Left- Boxes:
Color Pallet (Title)
Skin and Hair (Sub Label)
Clothes (Sub Label)
Top Middle/Left- Full Body Wirt Doodle:
Homosexual Lookin' Ass
(/affectionate)
(/me too, king)
Expectation ->
Top Middle- Wirt stressed @ his desk
Reality ->
"How the hell do I turn a power point into a GOOGLE SLIDES!?!"
Top Right- Title Card
English Teacher AU
Top Right- Greg Doodle
Greg Cameo
Middle Left- Adult Dipper Doodle
"..."
Dipper.exe has stopped working
In my head, they are boyfriends or husbands
Middle Middle- Eepy Wirt
underpaid teacher-core
Middle Right- Dead Inside Wirt
me when the district won't fund the arts or classrooms but will drop a cool mil. on lawsuits to pray at meetings
Based on my childhood school district... in Southern Cali
[side bar as I'm making this alt text, no one I know uses the term "Cali", it's just So-Cal or California, but it didn't fit as nicely in that area. You didn't need to know that but I needed you to know that. I just hate that word for some reason.]
Bottom Left- Experienced, Older Wirt
"I'll wait"
Experienced Teacher (like 10 yrs (ish))
Bottom Middle/Right- Panicked, YA Wirt
"um-uh, please q-quiet *unintelligible whispers*"
1st year "fresh meat" Teacher
Bottom Right- just text
Empty Space :p
**If y'all have any concerns or advice on how to make my alt text better, please let me know. I'm trying to balance accessibility and my sanity, but I'm far more experienced in other realms of d.a. accessibility
#over the garden wall#otgw#otgw wirt#wirt otgw#he is tired and overworked and so...so... gay#just like me fr#like#This took way too long#dipper pines#for like a second#BUT HE'S THERE SO IT COUNTS#pinescone#also barely there but it's important to me alright#fanart#otgw fanart#how do i tag shit#no seriously
234 notes
·
View notes
Text
Dean Winchester NSFW Alphabet
We made sammy one, we gotta make dean one! This was also requested by an anonymous user! Enjoy!
Rating: MINORS DNI!! 18++
Warnings: Its NSFW thats a warning enough;)
Like my spn posts? Ask to be on the tag list!
GIF NOT MINE
Check out my masterlist
A= Aftercare (what they're like after sex)
Dean is definitely a cuddler, He is always holding you and making sure you are okay. You come first in his mind.
B= Body part (Their favorite body part on themselves and their partners.)
Dean's favorite part of his own body is his smile. He knows he could get what he wants in seconds with one flash of it. On his partner he loves their thighs and mostly when they are around his face ;)
C=Cum (What does he do with it. I AM disgusting)
Dean loves when he sees his cum all over you. Your face, your stomach, but he loves it when it drips out of you.
D=Dirty talk (How much do they dirty talk?)
This Man's mouth is DIRTY, he could get you on your knees in no time.
E=Experience (how experienced are they?)
Dean is definitely experienced to say the least, so rest assured he knows what he is doing.
F=Favorite position (goes without saying)
Cowgirl- Dean is a SUCKER for this position. He loves when you take him how you want him, plus a face full of tits? Yes please.
Doggystyle- Dean loves looking at you taking him, pounding into you to show you who you belong to.
G=Goofy (how goofy or how serious they are in the moment?)
Dean can be goofy or serious. Depending how you both feel or the heat of the moment.
I=Intimacy (How are things during the moment, romantic aspect.)
Deans eyes never leave your body, his hands are on you at every moment.
J=Jack off
Dean gets off at least 4 times a week, his sex drive is high and when he isn’t around you he has to release that frustration. Maybe even calling you for some sexy phone sex ;)
K=Kinks
Dean loves to be dominant with you, but what a lot of people don’t know is that he loves to be dominated by you. He loves when you take control over him and take what you need.
He also has a knife kink… he doesn’t get why he does but just the thought of having it out against your skin or his skin… he loves it.
L=Location (where you guys would do the deed)
Dean would do it anywhere you would be game to do it at, but his favorite is in Baby the sweet 67’ Impala…. Mostly when you give him road head.
M=Motivation (what turns him on, or gets them going)
Dean loves seeing you in his flannels… plus eating pie, having whip cream all over your face? He is ready to pounce.
N=No (Something they wouldn’t do, or turns them off.)
ANYTHING that hurts your or puts you in harms way. You are his world, he won’t let that get hurt.
O=Oral (do they like giving, receiving, both?)
Dean LOVES giving you head, eating you out like a cherry pie. Your his fav flavor though.
Dean loves when you give him head, it relaxes him instantly.
P=Pace (Are they slow? Fast? Rough?)
Depends on Deans mood, he loves taking you rough and fast. But he loves being nice and slow.
Q=Quickie (Their opinion on it, how often would they have one)
Dean is always up for quickies, anytime you both need one he is up and ready.
R=Risk (Are they risky)
In deans line of work, risk is dangerous. But if your down…so is he.
S=Stamina (how long can you last? How many rounds?)
Sessions with a Dean are long, hot, and heavy. You can take 3 rounds but Dean… he can make you do as many rounds he wants.
T=Toys (Do you guys own toys? Do they use them?)
You guys explore with vibrators and sometimes restraints.
U=Unfair (How likely would they tease?)
You would be the one that would be a tease, Dean would definitely have his way with you later ;)
V=Volume (How loud are they)
Dean breathes heavy, low growls and grunts
X=X-ray (what’s going own down there)
Dean is beyond average…he is definitely bigger than most guys.
Y=Yearning (How high is their sex drive)
Deans sex drive is VERY high, you can’t deny that.
Z=ZZZ (how fast he would fall asleep)
Dean would wait till you were taking care of and asleep before even getting comfortable. You come first.
#follow#supernatural#spn#dean winchester#spn fandom#sam winchester#dean winchester x reader#jensen ackles#deanwinchester#dean x you#dean x reader#dean winchester smut#dean angst#dean smut#dean winchester fic#dean winchester imagine#dean winchester angst#dean winchester fanfiction#jensen ackles x female!reader#supernatural headcanon#supernatural fanfiction#supernatural fic#supernatural smut
1K notes
·
View notes
Text
Positive Pt 2



*photos are from Pinterest I do not own them
please do not copy and or upload my work as your own
802 words
(Pairing- Jack Hughes x Sister!Reader, Quinn Hughes x Sister!Reader, Luke Hughes x Sister!Reader)
a month had gone by since those two pink lines changed my life. A month of morning sickness, exhaustion, and trying to wrap my head around the fact that I was going to be a mom.
At seventeen.
my mom and I decided it was best for me to finish the year doing online school, it was for the best, trying to keep everything on the down low because I knew if people found out I would be named the school slut or that I was attention seeking. So to keep me and my baby safe this was the best decision.
telling my mom, dad and brothers that I was pregnant but telling my "boyfriend" I'm carrying his child is the most scariest one
I stood in front of my mirror for hours rehearsing what to say, trying to find the right words to make him understand. But when I finally sat across from him, my hands shaking under the café table, all my carefully planned words vanished.
"I'm pregnant."
His reaction was immediate—his eyes widened, his jaw tightened, and then...nothing. Just a heavy sigh and a shake of his head.
"I can't do this, Y/N," he said, his voice flat. "I don't want to be a dad."
The air left my lungs. I stared at him, waiting for something—regret, second thoughts, anything—but all I saw was indifference. Like I was a problem he wanted to erase.
I left without another word, blinking back tears.
back home
I sat down on my bedroom floor holding pictures of us, wondering where was the guy I fell in love with, why did he change. soon my phone vibrating next to me took me out of my overthinking, It was Quinn, he made it his mission to Facetime me at least once a day
"hey did you watch the game last night, and did you see the goal I made for you and little Bean- hey hey why are you crying munchkin" Quinn cooed soon noticing my tears "he doesn't want to be a dad" I sobbed, Quinn's face dropped "that fucking dick. you don't need him munchkin. You have us. Me, Mom, Dad, Luke—hell, even Jack, whether he wants to admit it or not. We're here for you. And for the baby."
The baby.
Hearing him say it like that like this tiny life inside me mattered like I mattered, made my throat tighten.
"Thanks, Q," I whispered.
soon he hung up the phone as soon as he knew I was going to be okay, but my mind was still clouded with the looming thoughts of what if Jack doesn't want me as his sister anymore and just so many of the what ifs
No matter how hard I tried to push those thoughts away, my brain kept replaying his reaction over and over again he was furious, convinced I had ruined not just my life, but his, too. He had gotten so disappointed in me that he stopped talking to me. Ignored my texts. And then, the final blow—I noticed he had unfollowed me on Instagram and Twitter.
And so did everyone else.
As soon as I opened up TikTok or Twitter I just saw all the notifications of fans and drama pages adding in their comments why did Jack Hughes unfollow his sister? What happened between Y/N and Jack? Family drama??
I stared at my screen, my heart sinking. It was one thing to know my brother was mad at me. It was another to see it so blatantly, so publicly. I turned my phone off soon making my way downstairs to get some chocolate, trying to keep my tears at bay, trying to not let my parents see how much this is affecting me.
Once I entered the kitchen I saw my dad standing there, we didn't make any eye contact or even speak until I sat down at the kitchen bench "I saw what Jack did," he finally said.
I swallowed hard. "Guess that makes two of you disappointed in me."
Dad exhaled through his nose. "I am disappointed, Y/N. Not in you, but in the situation. You have no idea how hard this is for me to accept."
I bit my lip, trying to hold back my emotions.
"But that doesn't mean I'm not here," he continued. "Because I am. No matter how messy this gets."
I looked up at him, tears brimming in my eyes.
"You mean that?"
He nodded. "Of course I do." I hesitated for only a second before wrapping my arms around him. It was the first hug I had given him in a month.
And it felt nice.
For the first time in a long time, I didn't feel like I was drowning.
Maybe Jack still hated me. Maybe my ex wanted nothing to do with this baby. Maybe my future was terrifying and uncertain.
But I wasn't alone.
And maybe, just maybe, I was going to be okay.
#jack hughes#luke hughes#quinn hughes#hughes brothers#hughes sister!reader#hughes sister#vancouver canucks#nj devils
85 notes
·
View notes