#Not a jumping friendship tho. More of a kicking one

[bsaka7]

literally t-2months Til I can jump on not only my college xc best friend bc we're running a half marathon together but Also until I can jump on MY HIGH SCHOOL BFF (No1 person of ALL TIME TO JUMP On only rivaled by my brother) BC I'M MOVING 45MIN FROM HER what are the odds I can get her to play ultimate with me...

[quodekash]

yeah so im gonna make my silly little commentary posts for we are sometimes but not all the time

he stared at his friend's water and started smiling like a fucking idiot 💀

h2o just makes him giddy like that 🥰

also I genuinely fucking adore Pham and Fang's dynamic, they care about each other so much (I might cry)

I JSUT FUCKING LOVE HIM SO MUCH CAN YOU BLAME ME

im sorry, i cant get over the fact that q fuCKING SANG SOUND’S SONG FROM MSP IN THE THIRD FUCKING EPISODE OF THE SHOW

HES JUST SO SMOL I FUCKING ADORE HIM SO MUCH DUDE

here to pick up his twink

HES JUST SO SMOL THO LIKE CAN YOU BLAME ME???

I JUST WANNA RUFFLE HIS HAIR AND PINCH HIS CHEEKS HES SO FUCKING ADORABLE

i think i just really love satang cos during msp every time sound was on screen i lost my shit and now every time toey is on screen i lose my shit

btw i fully had to rewatch that entire scene, i was entirely focusing on satang’s little adorable fuckin face that i forgot to read and process the dialogue lmao

his expression is like “did you bring me here to do your chores, or are you gonna be honest and just say you want to makeout"

the real answer is just that he wants to spend time with him btu doesnt know how to do that normally 💀

(and also that he wants to make out with him)

WHY IS EVERYONE SO FUCKING SMOL TODAY

HES TINY

HES THIS BIG 🤏

OML IT HAPPENED FOR LESS THAN HALF A SECOND BUT I PAUSED IT AT THE EXACT PERFECT MOMENT

I genuinely adore accidental kiss tropes in bls, its just so unrealistic its fucking amazing

[insert image of phum's friends walking in here (I had to delete some of my screenshots because I can only do 30 and I dont want to do more than one post for this)]

AND THEN HIS FRIENDS WALK IN, CLASSIC

it's so awkward and I am LIVING for it

people in bls always walk in at the WORST possible moments and its AMAZING

THIS WHOLE SITUATION IS SO RIDICULOUSLY FUNNY TO ME

phuwin’s character trying to cook is so me

and also my sister, one time she was making spaghetti bolognese for us for dinner and she put way too much salt, and then to attempt to solve the problem, she put water into the pan to "evaporate the salt" 💀

the best part is I didnt even realise why that wouldnt work until my brother started laughing

anyway, back to the ep

WHAT DRUGS ARE IN THIS EPISODE TO MAKE EVERY SINGLE FUCKING CHARACTER SO BABYGIRL

THEYRE ALL SO SMOL AND ADORABLE AND BBG WHAT IS GOING ON

HES SO TINY

Youre fucking KIDDING

IM SO SUDDENLY INVESTED IN THIS MAIN COUPLE

THAT WAS SUCH A SUDDEN SWITCH BRO

literally last week I was like "yeah okay I like it" and then suddenly im on the verge of tears when they make physical contact???

[insert image of pun eating]

PUN !

MY LITTLE GUY

I ADORE THEMMMMM

oh fuck yes I love this friendship already and it just started

AND CHAIN'S GETTING JEALOUSSSSS FUCK YEAH

they look like tired dads fr

is phuwin just fuckin short or is pond like 3 metres tall cos holy shit

LOOK AT HIM

SMOL BITCHES

EVERYONE'S FUCKING TINY TODAY

woah he really just went for it there

HOLY FUCK HE SAID YES

TAN IS LOSING IT HES SO HAPPY I LOVE HIM SO MUCH

great frame

[insert that entire scene with the jump onto him and the holding hands and the FUCKING CHEEK KISS]

HES MY LITTLE FUCKING GUY

HES SO NEURODIVERGENT AND I ADORE HIM

KICKING AND SCREAMING MY FEET RN

he's jealoussssssss

I love pun so much, I truly would die for him

Welcome back to another episode of Toey Thinks Peem And Phum Are Dating (And He’s Right)

Im gonna be completely honest, if pond looked at me like that, id probably do whatever he tells me to without a second thought

thats all im saying

LOOK AT THAT LITTLE FACE

HES SINGING THE FUCKING ABAAB SONG

IM CRYING DUDE THIS IS AMAZING

ARE THEY JUST GONNA SING SONGS FROM OTHER BLS FOR THE QHOLE SERIES? IM FUCKIN DOWN FOR THAT DUDE

this song is so out of winny’s range tho 💀

so fucking SMOL

also chains hand just always naturally rests on pun’s shoulder

literally all the time

what im saying here is I think they should kiss

HE DIDNT JUST GRAB HIS WRIST HERE HE GRABBED HIS HAND ERIJKGBNREJB HOLY SHIT

Cool! 👍

im glad they finally got there

FUCK YES NEXT EPISODE WE'RE GETTING THE SCENE FROM THE PILOT THAT MADE ME LOSE MY SHIT

PUNCHAIN FOREHEAD KISS AND QTOEY CHEEK KISS BITCHES

okay now I just have one final question before I take my leave: what the FUCK was the song playing in the background of the qtoey scene near the end of the episode

it was just electric guitar and I KNOW recognise it but I cant figure out what fucking song it was (literally I finished the episode at like 1:30 but didnt go to sleep til 3 because I was trying to find the song)

so please, if ANYONE recognises it and knows what it is, tell me as soon as you can cos Im fucking dying

update: a moot is pretty sure the song played over other qtoey scenes earlier in the show (the same way msp did with noelm) so now im fuckin PSYCHED for the new song that’s gonna come out eventually

[madisonthetimewalker]

Since people like my headcanon so much.. TAKE MORE ADAMAI HEADCANONS AHAHAHAHA

He hasn’t seen the last of me his goofy ass can never escape my death grip

1. Adamai isn’t really know for personality, back then sure he was actually quite social but he never really fit in so he just kinda gave up.

2. This fucker has the WORST social skills horrible even since Adamai never really had friends besides yugo he doesn’t know how to socialize or start conversations

3. He fidgets a lot, although it’s not noticeable he does fidget with his hands when he gets impatient or annoyed.

4. He doesn’t show much emotion he’s very stoic (this is canon mind you) he can handle things like getting yelled at or being talked down he does complain about it later tho.

5. I like to believe Adamai is very oblivious to specific things like social cues and people dropping hints about wanting to surprise him or even be his friend.

6. He’s smart and VERY hyper-aware like extremely hyper-aware although yes he’s oblivious to specific things this fucker can pick up on things very quickly. Example: someone trying to sabotage him? He will immediately know.

7. He is very good at arguments and will go by any means necessary if he wants to win said argument.

8. He can fight, very VERY well this man can absolutely kick your ass.

9. He likes to draw

10. He doesn’t mind the heat or cold, it’s snowing outside? He doesn’t care. It’s 100 degrees? He can’t feel it.

11. There have been incidents where he has accidentally embarrassed himself. (He slipped and fell while restocking shelves, he’s ok tho.)

12. He likes to ride the carts when he’s alone in the store. (He will push them and then ride them he loves it so much)

13. He has a really REALLY creepy smile. (A child has cried, now he doesn’t smile much)

14. He wears a friendship bracelet although nobody knows where he got it from (my insert gave it to him, YES IM ALLOWING MY INSERT INTO THE MODERN AU IM ALLOWED)

15. He sleeps in the closet.

16. He doesn’t like high places, yes he is very fucking tall but he doesn’t like climbing very much.

17. He usually eats take out, he doesn’t like going out to eat a lot.

18. He has a phone but it has this big ass crack on the side of it, he also has a matching phone charm, won’t say where he got it tho (yes I did it again fear me for I have the power!)

19. There are times where he drinks to much water and almost none at all, there is no in between with this man.

20. He likes to play videogames actually he’s pretty good at fighting games as well, look at my gamer boy.

21. He doesn’t like spiders, if he sees one he’s fucking out of there. If it spooks him he’s like a cat with a cucumber he fucking JUMPS

22. He likes walks around the park, he loves the scenery.

23. If you where to go into his room, you will find a shit ton of posters comic books and his windows completely covered in curtains. Although make sure he doesn’t catch you! He doesn’t like people in his room without his permission, remember he’s a very private person.

24. He’s a bit of a morning person, but not all the time there have been times where he has (quite literally) threw his fucking alarm.

25. He’s actually very responsible with his money, he saves up a lot and doesn’t spend much.

26. I like to imagine he’s like a cat sometimes. He sees something shiny? He fucking TAKES IT, sees a red dot? He try’s to fucking grab it (imagine a cat with a red dot laser) his eyes get HUGEEE

27. He’s very cuddling, since he never gets physical affection he’s very clingy and protective. (My insert can agree SEE I DID IT AGAIN)

28. None of the other dragons seem to talk to him, although he doesn’t know why. (Adamai honey you aren’t really up to dragon standards.)

29. He has this really loud fucking laugh, it’s a rare sight to see him laugh his ass off (unless your yugo trying to skateboard then it’s very common.)

30. He has pictures of him an poo I like to think their actually pretty good friends and get along well. They talk about food recipes and fighting techniques.

31. Adamai is a heavy eater (I like to think he has a high metabolism so he eats a lot.)

32. Since he’s very cunning and sly this fuckers ego is so huge it could match that of ecaflip. (But ecaflip doesn’t get his assbeat like Adamai did in season 4)

33. He likes to listen to family drama, sometimes he makes this “oh no they didn’t face” whenever someone drops a crazy insult.

34. He likes to draw comics and paint people (mostly out of boredom and to practice perspective and lighting points.)

I MADE SO MANY OMGMGGMGMM ANYWAYY I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOYED I SWEAR I CAN MAKE MORE BUT ADAMAI IS MY FAV TO HEADCANON. anyway hope you guys loved these! ENJOYYYYY

[givethemsmut]

Dom Mysterio x Reader

Chapter Two | Where it all started…

Shorter chapter incoming…

Expect some time jumps

Don’t own anything WWE 💪🏼

In no way, shape, or form do I edit. This story is for fun and entertainment purposes.

“Two days. Our flight is at 4 AM. Gives you time to dump the flavor of the week.” The bitterness in his voice hurt. 

“Dom. What we did- I’m sorry. Every second felt amazing, I just couldn’t commit. I was scared.”

“I haven’t been pinning, hermosa. You moved on and so did I. No hard feelings.” He was distant still, cold and vicious.

I knew about the other girls. All of them. He had made it his mission to parade them in front of me. He wanted to make sure I knew he had gotten his dick wet after me.

“No hard feelings? Tell your slut of the month to keep it down this time.” I said walking past him in my bikini as I climbed out of the hot tub. 

I wanted him to see every part of me he could. Dom followed me inside, dry as can be. “It’s not going to work, whatever bullshit you have planned. Parading around in practically nothing and rubbing your boyfriends in my face. It’s not going to make me feel bad.”

“Feel bad? We fucked, Dom. That’s not my fault you can’t get over it.” I shouted back. 

“You’re a fucking bitch for that. You wanna play games? We’ll play. Don’t come crying to me when it finally hurts the same way you hurt me.”

We had taken one leap forward just to hustle back to cruel. 

Dom had no idea there hadn’t been anyone else. No one. He just knew what it looked like and it looked like I was a slut but in reality those moans were faked and nothing went past feeling me up.

I deserved his cruelty tho so I took it like a champ.

Rey had got us a two bedroom condo only this time we didn’t share a bathroom. Dominik was kicking off training and everything WWE the very next day.

The frost melted between us enough for us to eat pizza in our mess of boxes. I wanted to badly to apologize but nothing could take back how I broke him heart.

Eventually we got over it, slowly and started being friends again. I even went to his practice matches and training sessions to support him. Our hormones and not having to share a bathroom truly helped, suddenly we could deal with that tension much easier.

I got meaningless jobs, here and there. Enough to pay for  living, rent if Rey would ever take it from me, which he declined more than once. Every penny I had went to stocking the fridge for Dom who was eating his body weight in food with the training burning extra calories.

We got extremely close again, inseparable most days and boundaries of friendship that made people uncomfortable. It made relationships hard to have and harder to keep. We both went through a period of less serious relationships with minimal risk to our friendship again.

We did have one slip up our twenties after getting drunk. None of it planned and all of it something that didn’t please his fling of the month. 

It was Randy Orton’s birthday, something we never thought we would be invited to but a lot of the roster was so we went. Dom hardly knew anyone and I was just as invisible, only I had boobs that distracted everyone. Least the horny men traveling almost the whole year. No one expected Dom to have anyone with him. He was new, inexperienced, and hadn’t paid any dues in their eyes. It was bullshit. He was the hardest working man I knew who wasn’t letting his dad’s legacy determine anything for him. If I could do anything it was making people believe he was someone before they knew him.

I put in a skin tight dress, a black thong and jean jacket that all fit every curve of my body perfect. Linking arms with Dom I could feel the respect climb the more people saw my hand in his. “Just trust me, okay? You’re gonna leave this party a superstar.”

“Why am I scared right now?” He laughed and smiled but held me closer.

Laughing into his chest I handed the bouncer our invite and breezed by without stopping. That was the night I met Randy, who was married still and raising a toddler. I had no business entertaining his flirting. I had no business letting myself be turned on by the entire night enough to convince Dom to fuck me for the second time.

The head of WWE made his way over to us, extending his hand and introducing himself. “Vince, who are you son?”

I stepped in, “Dominick Mysterio, future of WWE, respectfully.”

Vince laughed placing his hand on my arm and I was prepared to valid every rumor if it meant Dom’s hard work was paying off. “You have balls.”

“Enough to convince you to see what he can do? He’s not his dad, he’s better.”

Dominik’s hands smoothed around my waist, nuzzling his face in my hair, finding my ear. “Mi amore, he’s the owner. Slow down.”

“No one is gonna hand you anything, Dom. You have to want it enough to take it.” 

I smiled, forcing him to talk shop when his hand smoothed down my ass before squeezing. “Remember that later.”

Dom was a flirt, a great talker, dedicated to making it in the same industry his dad did. I was proud of him. 

Talking him up to everyone I let him touch me like I was his at least for the night. When we went back to our condo it was hard to turn it off when he cradled my hips asking me, “Why do you believe in me so much?”

“Because I know you. No more deserves it more.”

The way his mouth covered mine, determined to take me right along with his dreams felt out of my control. I wanted him even tho I shouldn’t have. 

Yanking my dress up to my waits he dipped down to his knee in the middle of the living room. Draping my leg over his shoulder I whimpered in desperation. “Dom. We shouldn’t.”

“Don’t say it. I already know. It’s a mistake. No one finds their soul mate at fourteen. I’ve heard it. I’m not asking you to marry me. I’m asking you to fuck my tongue.”

That’s all he had to say for me to melt and make that mistake all over again.

[little-cereal-draws]

Details I noticed in The Last Wish pt 4

This is going to go from the cave of lost souls to the end

When jump scared by his past lives in the cave of lost souls, Puss has his claws out as he jumps back

When the bear family is setting up their trap with Perrito, Baby bear says, "I just want to pet him with my teeth." Perrito leans forward, smiles, and wags his tail while looking at Baby's teeth

Goldi's blue corset-eque piece is held up by a brown strap on her right shoulder. It's hard to see tho bc it's under all her jewelry

Papa has a huge scar on his left arm that looks like it could be from the claws marks, maybe from another bear

Goldi death glares at Baby when they're all stuck in the trap while he screams about the bees. She is angry lol

When Puss flashes back to Santa Coloma during the panic attack scene, the colors are warm and it looks like it could be an afternoon on a nice sunny day. When he remembers it in the cave of lost souls, all the colors are cold. Everything's has more blue in it and it looks like a big storm is rolling in. It's an interesting contrast between how it actually was vs how he remembers it

One of the things a past life yells at him as he tries to leave the cave is, "Where's your litter box, Pickles?"

As soon as Puss starts reading the incantation on the map at the wishing star, it starts rising. You can see it in the background when Kitty confronts him, the standoff between all the characters, and even the first part of the battle, until it's all the way in the air

I just love the way Perrito says, "Yeah, I don't know what to do with this" as he gives the map to Puss after the battle lol He genuinely doesn't know why everybody wants it so bad

Every time Death hits his sickles together, his eyes flash white. This happens in Puss' final battle with Death but I believe it also happens in their first fight too

When Puss says he's done running, the shot is actually on Kitty, not Puss

This happens throughout the whole movie but whenever two objects hit each other, there's a spikey comic-esque collision shape like in Spiderverse. Puss kicking the cups of milk into the crowd in the opening song, Death kicking him in the final fight, everywhere in between, it adds to the digital drawing style and fast pace

When Death cuts Puss' boots, red flames come out of the slash

When Puss uses the gatito blade to block the scythes, it plays Kitty's theme in the music

In the wide shot when Death is stalking up to Puss after he tells him to pick up the scythe, the foreground is shimmering in the heat of the flames

When Perrito says, "Oh, I was just buying some time for Team Friendship." Jack immediately goes, "Team what?" which I think is a perfectly reasonable response to hearing that name lol

As the star collapses in on itself, Puss picks Perrito up while they all run to the edge. I guess his legs were too short to make it in time by himself lol

When Jack says, "What did I do to deserve this??" as he dies, Puss shakes his head and Kitty rolls her eyes. They're the only two who aren't 'scared but can't look away.' It makes sense tho bc they have the most experience with Jack and know exactly what he did to deserve this lol

The lady listing to the Commodore all the stuff she packed for him as they walk out to the boat looks tired and annoyed. When she sees that Puss stole his boat, however, she looks ecstatic. She does not like her boss and wants him to suffer as much as possible

Part one, Part two, Part three, Part five

[sea-squeaker]

Okay so, instead of practicing German like I should be(I like to test duo's patience) I'm gonna rant about Luke and my hcs for him. Trust me I have tons.

Okay so first of all, for looks I have this card edit I did!!

Asmo did his nails for him, he likes to collect cute hair clips. Much like how he collects cute bandaids ingame:D

How I think his outfit works!! Okay so we all know he has wings and that once got me thinking on how exactly his outfit works with his wings. I'm not happy with just saying "it's magic ig" bcs I need a plausible answer or I'll go insane. Okay anyways, his shirt situation comes in two layers, the shirt part then the cape shoulder thing he's got going on. The shirt has a backless panel to it and is more like a sweater than a shirt, it buttons up in the back so he's able to put it on with his wings out. The shoulder thingy with the tassels is all together, minus the neck tie thing tho. I'll just leave the rest of the explaining to the diagram I tried to sketch up, I really hope it explains things well enough!!

So adding onto this ramble a lil bit, trust me it relates to Luke completely. I think the angels are like birds and do act a bit bird like. Luke has the wings of an albino barbary dove (basically just a white dove). However, due to him being a child, he's got the wings of a baby bird, so he's a lil angel nestling and I just think that's precious. Another thing on just angels, I believe that they do molt and their wings require preening by hand. Usually, juvenile angels are assisted with this by their gaurdians. So this means Simeon does help out Luke with his preening. This also means alot of cleaning around purgatory hall during molting, tons and tons of feathers!! (Luke's feathers are soft and fluffy, Simeon's feathers are longer and course) I also believe Simeon to have the wings of a mourning dove.

So for Luke's music taste, I think part of it is influenced by Simeon, the other part by Levi. Allow me to explain the Levi part. Levi introduced Luke to WonderlandxShowtimes and he most certainly got hooked. His favorite WxS songs are Becoming Potatoes and Miracle Painting, he also enjoys other energeticsongs like that. I think Simeon would like more peaceful and warm songs. Specifically the song, Welcome Home, Son by Radical Face. So yeah Luke likes those types of songs aswell. One more thing he enjoys listening to is the James and the Giant Peach musical:]

Things that Luke would watch!! I think they consist of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Bluey, Gravity Falls, and stuff like that!

Luke has a hard time sleeping without something to snuggle, he has a shiba inu plush that he sleeps with.

Luke really loves sea creatures!! I base this off of him wanting to visit the aquarium in his bday event. For his bday, Solomon got him a big encyclopedia on sea creatures and he was jumping with joy. He proceeded to not read a single other thing until he finished the sea creature book. His favorite sea creatures are blacktip reef sharks, moon jellyfish, sea angels, sea squirts, and sea bunnies:D

When Luke is very happy, he can often be seen jumping up and down, flapping his hands, bouncing on his toes, kicking his feet, etc. He is quite anxious when he can't find Simeon or is waiting for him to come back. He's like a dog waiting for his owner to come back from the grocery store in a way.

Thank you very much for reading these!! Have a Luke doodle:D

[buildarocketboys]

peterick prompt if youre up for taking ideas/prompts

dumbass!pete and traumatized!patrick

so just some unspecified trauma unless you wags get creative

but anyway pete starts messing with pat(pisses him off ofc) and they end up wrestling and pete has patrick pinned under him which makes pat freak out and have a panic attack and ofc pete doesnt notice until he sees patricks breathing speed up, his eyes dart around, he stops responding, etc

just a little thing tho, id love if youd write smt, if not thats cool^^

Tagging @puppyboymikeyway since you've already revealed yourself as the sender :3 Also using this to fill the hurt/comfort bingo prompt "I can't breathe." to Gentle touch for @sweetspicybingo because I'm a maverick like that.

Post-hiatus and unspecified trauma for Patrick (!) Enjoy!

Crossposted to AO3 here

It's good to be back in the studio with Patrick. It's where they belong.

It's always been their natural habitat, the place where their friendship makes the most sense. 

Sure, they've had plenty of fights, verbal and physical, in the studio in the past, but that's all part of the process. 

OK, sure, it had probably gotten a bit too toxic for a while there, but it's still the place they find it easiest to communicate with each other.

Joe and Andy are gonna be in next week, but Patrick had wanted to get in the studio before that, just the two of them, and Pete certainly has no objections.

Plus, he gets the feeling Patrick is kinda nervous to see the others. Apparently it took four hours on the phone to persuade Joe to give the band another go. Patrick's not even sure Joe will agree to work on another album. But he's agreed to try.

Pete knows it'll all work out. He's in one of his optimistic moods, spurred on by his renewed friendship with Patrick and the prospect of getting his band back together.

He and Patrick have been tentatively reaching out to each other for the past few months, the best way they know how - by writing songs.

This is one of the first times they've seen each other in person for ages, though. They had hugged when they arrived, but it had felt kind of awkward. Patrick had been tense, unresponsive to Pete's arms around him.

Pete had let go pretty quickly.

They're just not used to it anymore, he tells himself. Of course, the way Pete wants to deal with that is by throwing himself into Patrick's arms, but he can hardly blame Patrick for being hesitant. Pete's always been the more physically affectionate of the two of them.

They just need something to get them back on track. Maybe if he takes Patrick by surprise, he'll just sink into it without questioning it. Chronic overthinker, that one.

So when he comes back into the studio after using the bathroom to find Patrick standing with his back to him, he takes his chance. He launches himself at Patrick, tackling him to the ground, wrestling him on the floor.

They used to do this a lot - sometimes they were actually fighting, but most of the time it was just horseplay. Boys will be boys.

So it takes him a minute to realize that Patrick isn't fighting back.

In fact, he's not moving at all. His hands are covering his face, and he's frozen, breathing sharp and fast.

"Patrick?" he asks cautiously, still straddling his waist. He tries to remove Patrick's hands from his face but Patrick resists. "You OK, buddy?"

Patrick's breathing kicks up a notch, and Pete feels his heart rate jump in tandem. "I- can't- breathe-" Patrick pants. His face is going purple and- fuck, is he having a panic attack?

Pete finally comes to his senses and carefully climbs off Patrick.

"Patrick," he says tentatively. "You with me, buddy?"

Patrick's removed his arms from his face now and his eyes are darting everywhere, as if searching for an attacker. His breath is still coming out in gasps.

"Patrick," Pete says, firmly and clearly. He wants to ground Patrick, but he doesn't want to touch him and freak him out further. "You're here. With me. With Pete. You're OK." Why wouldn't he be OK?, Pete thinks, his imagination running wild. What the fuck had happened to him to make him react like this?

He tells himself fiercely to calm down. The last thing Patrick needs is for him to have a panic attack too. Patrick will tell him when he's ready.

Or maybe he won't.

Patrick's breaths are slowing now, getting deeper, calmer.

"Pete?" he croaks, his eyes finding Pete's above him.

"Yeah, yeah, it's me, Patrick," he says softly, offering Patrick a hand, which he takes, hauling himself up into a sitting position.

Patrick rests his face on his knees for a minute, just breathing. Then he starts laughing hysterically into his knees. 

Eventually he looks up at Pete, who's watching him anxiously. "Why did you have to do that?" he asks. Before Pete can answer, he shakes his head. "Of course, you're Pete Wentz. You do what you want." He sighs tiredly.

"No, Patrick, that's not-" Fuck. He had sworn it wouldn't be like this, not this time - him all over Patrick, whether Patrick likes it or not. The fact that he's pretty sure Patrick had always liked it is besides the point. "I'm sorry," he tells Patrick, and he means it. "I won't, I won't touch you again." He doesn't know if it's a promise he can keep, but he's damn well going to try.

Patrick raises his eyebrow. "You can touch me," he tells Pete. "Just...a little warning, might be nice."

Pete nods. "Noted." He reaches out for Patrick and waits for him to nod before he puts a hand on Patrick's back, rubbing gently. Patrick leans into his touch, and Pete breathes a sigh of relief.

"What happened, man?" he asks after a few minutes, because clearly something had happened. The Patrick he knew in 2009 wouldn't have reacted like that to Pete wrestling him, even at his most neurotic.

Patrick lets out a humorless laugh. "What didn't happen?" he says hollowly.

Pete waits, staring at Patrick, silently begging him to tell him, but equally desperate not to know.

Patrick sighs and shakes his head. "I'll tell you someday," he says. "Maybe. When I've figured it out myself. It's still all just so fucked up in my head, and I- I can't really talk about it, right now." He looks up pleadingly at Pete. "Is that OK?"

"Yeah, buddy, of course it is," Pete says after just a beat too long. 

Patrick looks at him slyly. "I'd tell you if I could, Pete. And it's not your fault, by the way. Before you start blaming yourself."

Pete can't help but feel a little relieved when Patrick says that. He sighs and lays his head on Patrick's shoulder. "Yeah, I know." Still, he can't help but worry. 

But Patrick seems calm now, his breathing getting deeper and slower with every circle Pete rubs into his back.

For now, he guesses, it's the best he can do.

[same-name-supremacy]

Things about my TD-sona and how I think they would change over in your auG (just using this as a way to hyperfixate to mutuals)

My sonas name is Olivia btw

Was introduced in world tour after being kicked out of the Gemmys along with her brother,both aspiring musical artist who can't catch a hook into the mainstream media,and when presented the opportunity to be on international television she wants to take it to try and boost their popularity - Olivia changes to Oliver,and Ethan changes over to Estella, everything about the

same

Huge hate/fear of Alejandro that fades overtime due to the friendship?(I guess) that they developed over gameplay,and the need to be recognized as something great - with Oliver it's just fear ‚not as much as hate,even tho he has his suspicions on her

Is Chris's personal favorite contestant due to her need to be famous and Chris being the only one who knows that for most of world tour- could imagine it to be the same,strong girlboss lady and her wet cat son

Huge little brother vibes on Cody,even carrying (both literal and metaphorical) him in certain challenges when Sierra could get the chance- I still think they could get the siblings vibes but not being able to carry Jody as much because of how psychotic Simon is

Olivia is 5’2 and my own personal headcanon is the Cody is the same height- with Jody being 4’11 and Oliver being 6ft (because of genetics in his family and the shortness then sorta but also not getting passed to his older sister) which makes me think of Jody and him as this meme

Olivia got to sit out of Niagara brawls due to their being an uneven amount of contestants(blainely originally not even being counted in the first place) and because again Chris’s personal favorite-would probs stay the same

(Ps I would imagine after the challenge and when Jody cuts her hair along with Danika he would try to fucking kill Simon,even going so far to trying to shove him out of the plane doors during opals elimination)

Was voted out 5(before Sierra and after Duncan) after forming an alliance with Alejandro that she believed was legit,him convincing her that he could make cody vote with him and get Heather out,because naturally Sierra always votes with Cody,and after her jump out the plane and everything Heather confesses to Alejandro that she put a wrench in his plans and unconvinced Cody to vote with him,which in reality means Alejandro did plan on a final 4 with Cody Sierra and Olivia,but of course the first assumption in Olivia’s mind was “oh.he lied to me.” So before she jumped she gave him a slap,pre to the Knowledge that Heather revealed after her jump-he wouldn’t slap Alejandra in the Genderbend,because hitting a women is wrong in his eyes

Didn’t show up to the after show after her vote off,immediately recognizing the fame her and her brother little band thing got during her time at the season and already planning their first tour- same,except he watched the season finale from home rooting for Jody to pull out a win

Kept in touch with most of the cast during her days after the season,shopping with Lindsay and hanging out with Noah and Cody as they we’re definitely some of her favorite people on the plane- absolutely the same,the friendship with Jody continues even more once she meets his sister,becoming Estelle’s little sister too

I don’t wanna bore you even more that I have to,but by the slim chance I’m not boring you and you wanna hear about her in all stars and how it could change I’m happy to talk!

Reminder abt this cause ppl never make stuff for me and I appreciate it so much.

Wow! That’s alot! So much lore about Olivia/Oliver

Oliver is definitely one of the guys Danika actually respects. Only a few guys get that (that being Seth, Lincoln, Eva, Leshawn, Bryson and Scruffy)

Thank you for sharing so much about your oc!

[trueoathbreaker]

Im watching a video on mmos and i wanted to talk about my experiences with the genre for the past like 2 decades

I first got into mmos with toontown back when it was all over tv

My parents paid for an account for me and my sibling to share and my dad had his own account

I played a whole bunch of toontown but i avoided a lot of things....i was barely in double digits....stuff like cog buildings and the factory (back when there was like...1) scared me...heck i still tend to avoid them when i go back to ttr (and bc i have zero social skills so i suffer in solo)

My first TRUE mmo was maplestory....i never got far tho i leveled up a few times and got to like the elf area and had someone try to trade me but again i was just a confused 11 year old at the time....idk how mmos work! I still played them!

Theres a bunch of mmos id get into during middle school and into hs but never for too long....i was like a grandma with a cell phone....idk what im doing im just hitting things and running around the first area

I have a friend who id play some of these with back then but even then i didnt know what i was doing

At this point in my life and its only been 28 years of being alive....most of these memories are fuzzy...

I remember always being magic classes until i got one with a gunner...i thought wow thats cool!

My friend always did way more in these games than i did....

And then there was one particular mmo....i had gotten into with a different friend in hs....

Tera

Now my first jump into tera was short lived (in 2013) bc i had a laptop not made to play such a demanding game and i barely saw past lumbertown for years. I shelved tera and had a small burst of playing mmos during this time from new to old

For....whatever reason i dont remember

My previous friend got me to hop back into tera in 2015

And that

Was the start of my true mmo years

Every other mmo i clueless played barely getting anywhere for a few months to playing talesrunner a few times to whatever mmo i wanted to try that gave me a virus once and i very shakily saved my computer from it (probably)

Didnt matter

Here we are back in tera 2 years later and its all different and would only get more different the more i played....i deleted the like 3 characters i had barely used bc their names were trash and i made a new archer named deed

And we had a blast (and i had a third friend join us for some time but we dont talk about him anymore ok ok)

I dont remember how or when

But i had found an mmo coming soon with a closed beta upcoming

Blade and soul

My first time playing blade and soul.....was awful

I was on yet another laptop that could not handle the game....i gave up at the first world boss area bc i had worn the pvp outfit not knowing it was a pvp outfit (whoops) and was basically stun locked into death by strangers bc my poor computer was too slow to handle it

Despite that i bought the founders pack and walked back into the earthern realm with my blade dancer magmia

Who i promptly disgarded to play with my friend on iksnanun

And seeliewood was born

And the rest they say

Is mostly recorded on this blog for your viewing pleasure

Blade and soul to this day is still one of the best experiences ive had in an mmo despite it all despite the games jank despite it taking me months to actually DO non story content bc i had new friends who dragged me with them besides doing the first two dungeons over ans over bc i was a scared baby of 20something despite the absolutely wild people ive met and friendships lost and stupid things ive said and done and times i got my butt kicked by mushin

Its about my friends still letting me try the scary raid with them after i have an embarrassing meltdown down in front of them and a bunch of strangers

Its sitting down for hours in a dungeon just to talk bc no one is gonna yell at us to get out

Its watching a whole raid stop and watch a rare item vanish bc one of u thinks its the ugliest outfit in the world and she paid us to throw it out

Its roping people in to farm pirate princess or black ice for months until they finally drop

Its not about reaching the best gear to do the newest raid that kills you for looking at it funny

Its about a game that introduced me to my gf @shironuri

And while i have had a lot of other mmos following some lasting longer than others including a third return to tera

Most are short lived

I don't stay as hooked on some mmos or i fall back into my rapid pick up and put down way of playing games in general

Many mmos are shutting down or mobile only or have specs past my nearly 10 year old pc that i do not have the money to replace

I'm back to staying away from socializing and many of my friends have moved on or have no time for these games anymore (or they're all in ff14 which i technically own but.... you know)

So many mmos i played only a few years ago are just gone or out of my computers power to play (id love to try and get pso2 to work again but i only played on jp and that takes a HUGE amount of time to set back up)

On that note i realize there's a lot of games i play that should go on this blog but i just haven't

Like other social sims

Yall want my vrchat screens??? Eh probably not theres like 2 active followers yall probably see this on my main enough

[minimoll7]

Hi! Hope its okay that I share something myself!

Similarly to you, I've always believed in God and that Jesus died for my sins and the sins of everyone else. But I was never truly that.. interested in it. Mostly because I was a child who didn't fully understand things and my rough relationship with my dad, who constantly threw Bible verses and lectures down my throat when I was just trying to talk to him about something, didn't help much either (note: my dad meant well with doing that but I was like a kid and he's going in excessive detail that I, in no way, would ever understand)

I've once tried to attend the weekly Bible study when I was a teenager and I lasted for a while, but I think I was there more for socializing than God. I stopped going because I was becoming to socially overwhelmed and exhausted

Fast forward to now, I had lost a very close friend of mine. Not through death mind you. Our friendship was quite literally a month away of officially being 10 years old. I'm not one to keep track of that stuff normally but she did, so I decided that I wanted to draw something nice for her, to show how much I really appreciate her and how I see her as a sister. But then she suddenly went quiet on me, telling me she "wasn't in the mood to talk" (but had also told me that she was feeling fine, so it got me very nervous). Initially, my anxiety was getting to me, assuming the worst. But I know my anxiety so I was like eh, lets not jump to conclusions

But as it got closer to me confronting her on this, as I had decided that if she doesn't say anything in 2 weeks, I'd say something myself, something changed. The anxiety that was making me fear the end of the friendship changed to that of God. I was sad, of course, very sad, but there was a sense of calmness. That this had to happen, even tho I really didn't want it to. And I can see it, as much as I loved this friend, she really wasn't that good for me. She did encourage me to do things I shouldn't and we stood on very different grounds about important topics that she never listened to me to. So it set things up a lot for possible arguments, not to mention her self hatred caused a lot of issues to

I prayed and prayed about this and when the final talk came, I handled it surprisingly well. I know myself, I either would've been very depressing by what she revealed to me (that she was lying to me for so long and she has disdain for Christians, even tho I never really talked about that with her) and would've made her feel so much worse OR I would've been a huge jerk due to how hurt I felt. I knew that despite my tears, God was helping me. I never really had something like that before, it was insane (in a good way!)

That whole ordeal immediately kicked me into gear. I'm now going back to church and have more recently started to read the Bible on my own! But I also did something else that was also just.. so insane to me. I reached out to my pastor and had asked for help (which I did on a phone call, and let me tell you, I do NOT handle phone calls very well unless it someone very close to me. but this time, I was perfectly fine). We set up a meeting where I opened up to my dad. See, my dad has a lot of issues, with anger being his biggest problem. And it has caused a large rift between the two of us (and with my mom to). I avoided him the best I could, I rarely seeked out his company, I felt so much anger, hurt, pettiness and bitterness towards him

I had wanted to talk this out with him for so long but I was always way to scared to. Like genuinely terrified. He does get physical with his anger but that's more of like other things, he rarely hurts anyone directly (especially now, since he's been sober for a long time). But who knows? For all I known, he could've attacked me. I have some very traumatic memories with him.. but I did it. I prayed and prayed and prayed. And it worked! It was hard, I cried the moment I started speaking, but I talked to him, told him how I felt towards him, it all finally came out. And he responded to it very well. I know it must've been really hard for him to hear what I had to say, but he understood that he's been hurting me and my mom for a long time, that there's problems that need to be fixed

I now have more hope than ever for my dad. All that pettiness and bitterness left. I find his jokes funny again (well.. not all of them xD), I don't feel stress or anger when he happens to be around me. I even asked him today to do something this Sunday after church (hoping it won't be that hot, I don't handle heat very well!). This is all stuff that I could only dream of and fantasize about! And yet its real, it happened! There's a healing happening that I never thought could actually happen! And it gives me hope, to, for my mom. I love my mom but she has some healing to do to and I feel that me and my dad healing and being changed through and by Christ will help lead her to the right path

God is absolutely amazing! My anxiety wasn't completely gone, but it wasn't overwhelming like it normally would've been in those cases. I struggle with sleep and getting up early in the morning but God has been helping me get to church anyways. I'm actually reading the Bible now and I'm learning so much! This has all been very recent in my life, like in the past couple months, so I've got SO much more to learn about God and bonding with Him more. It is a great start tho, I've never been so hopeful about my life

Let's talk about Him.

Share your testimony! Tell us what God has done in your life.

I'll go first.

Age 21-27 were some of the roughest years I've experienced. The sad part is, I actually considered some of those years "fun". I was battling my first real round of depression and struggling with finding myself. I had no idea that all I had to do was open a Bible to find my identity and purpose. Instead, I turned to Jack Daniel, Jim Beam and anyone else who could fill the glass to make me feel "full". They couldn't make me feel enough, so I turned to lust. I had never felt so empty in my life. Keep in mind, I grew up going to church. I knew there was a God and I believed Jesus died for me, but I had allowed Satan to lead me astray by trying to fit in with the ways of the world. I couldn't see it that way at the time, but I was spiraling. If something had happened to me on a weekend, there's a good chance I would have met Jesus with whiskey on my breath. Fast forward to an abusive relationship I found myself settling in (which is a story for another time). I found myself looking close to rock bottom, when I was only trying to look for an answer anywhere it couldn't be found. I finally started to attend church again on a somewhat regular basis. Leaving service always left me feeling the hope I had lost before. I began to pray more consistently and just open my heart to God. I almost immediately felt something inside of me change for the better. I felt like I was being pulled away from everything I had known before. I decided to cut out the lifestyle I knew, leave the relationship I was fighting to be free from and work on my relationship with the only one who could really save me. Months later, I felt like a completely different person with a renewed soul. Is life always a breeze now? Not hardly. But I know I can survive the storm because I cling to the one who carries me through. I knew Jesus since I was young, and He was just waiting for me to come back home. I will forever be grateful for a patient Father who doesn't close the door on me. P.S...it's open for you too.

[undiscovered-horizon]

Bestie we need a part two 💳💥💥💳💥💥💳💳💥💥💳💳💳 ASAP u can’t leave this beautifully made fanfic without a  sequel, this made me kick my feet in the air and giggle like schoolgirl 😀 lolll I’m down bad for Eddie/riddler

yo call me FedEx because I deliver (not sure this the package you wanted tho)

Imagine the Riddler being your secret admirer. - Part 2

[Part 1] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5]

What you thought was a single, queer occasion, became something regular. The notes and cards would appear every other day and soon you found yourself expecting them with excitement. You had your own little, deliciously sweet secret. Realizing how the situation might look to others, you didn't dare tell anyone else about the strangeness you've been a part of - they wouldn't understand. People were quick to jump to conclusions, to assume the worst of others even if there was no malice. Just like there was none in the bizarre friendship or relationship, you had with someone whose identity you couldn't even begin to guess.

The question of the secret admirer's identity was something that wouldn't let you sleep. Some occurrences were too tailored to you and your mundane life for the enigmatic person to be someone completely estranged. Like that one day when the whole world seemed to be against you and nothing would go the way you wanted, you found a cinnamon bun with a birthday candle at your doorstep. So whoever they were, they simply cared.

Was there a piece of you that remained wary? Yes, of course, there was - if your life did not transform into a chick flick, it sure became a good buildup to a horror movie. That part of you, however, was silent most of the time. After all, what kind of malice, if any, could reside in a heart of someone who showered you with small gifts and words of affection?

That day, you were greeted with a bouquet of pink and red flowers strung together with raffia. A small tag was tied to the decoration:

What flowers are kissable?

You looked closer at the flowers in the bouquet - they were all of one kind...

"Tulips?" you slowly said to yourself. You couldn't help but laugh. "God, you're so corny."

Shaking your head with amusement, you entered your apartment and went straight to your bedside table to change one mysterious bouquet for another. The previous flowers barely even began to wilt.

"Wish you had a name," you said as your hand caressed the tag attached to the flowers.

Having let out a heavy sigh, you decided to change into something more comfortable. You let your thoughts wander, conjuring up various possibilities about the secret admirer, as you took off your top and pants - completely oblivious to the lovesick voyeur following each of your steps.

He felt a little ashamed for not immediately looking away. But, in the end, it wasn't his fault, was it? How could he ever be blamed for succumbing to your luring beauty? Could sailors truly be responsible for following the siren's song?

Although his eyes were still fixed on you, his mind was already fantasizing about the next gift he should make for you but most importantly - the little wish you had made that he couldn't help but grant. Truthfully, Ed couldn't deny you anything; he was but a humble servant to your ethereal glory.

The next day, when you were about to leave the comfort of your home and face the responsibilities of the real world, you found another envelope laying on the doormat outside your front door. Inside, there was another cheesy card to add to your abundant collection. This one, however, did not have a riddle written on it but a torn-out page from what looked like a vintage collection of poems:

My lady hath of charms her lion’s share; Grace, beauty, wit and a sweet thoughtfulness, Which rests serenely on her gentle face, Sweet as the flowers are, and pure as air.

Below the ripped-out page was a small scribble that made you audibly gasp, although softly: '- Ed'.

"So you do have a name... Eddie." You smiled to yourself feeling how easily the name rolled off your tongue.

His heart stopped for a moment. The world grew silent and the only thing that mattered, truly mattered, was the soft affection with which you spoke his name.

[mrpenguinpants]

Xiao: Fainting HCS

FUCK. I FORGOT TO POST THIS EARLIER. AHHHH. I HAVE WORK IN LIKE 2 MINUTES SO I’LL BE BACK TO REPLY TO EVERYONE. 

Hey anon! So sorry it took me forever to finish writing this but good luck if you’re planning on pulling Xiao. I really wanted to finish writing this fic as an offering to the gacha gods that c1 xiao wants to bless me (even tho that’s not gonna happen). But good luck to everyone rolling today^^.

Disclaimer: I have not watch anything about Xiao because my hype can only take so much. This was written before 1.3. So if I get anything wrong or I’m missing something. That’s why.

---

Can I just say how far Xiao has come in my writing since the first part of the semi series? Sniff, feel like we’re making character development for a character that’s not even out yet. I can’t wait for mihoyo to take my HCS and rip them apart.

Xiao Semi Series

[ Friendship ] [ Falling in Love ] [ Cuddles ] [ Protective ] [ Affection ] [ Jealously ] [ Opposites Attract ] [ String Of Fate (Soulmate) ]

[Masterlist]

---

[taglist]  <- if you want to be added, please read this first.

​  @hanniejji​@mikeysbike​​ @unionwitch​ @musekala​ @sunnshiii​ @stanzastic​ @akaasea​ @xoneaboveallx​ @adoring-ghost​ @asheseiler​ @childelover​ @dilucsz​ @dai-tsukki-desu​ @thicmitten​ @nonniechan​​ @snowy224 @mayumintsu​ @tigerpriestess @yuu-yuukurotsuki​ @legionqueensav​ @eva-0403 @youaskedfurret​ 

Xiao: Fainting HCS

Instant panic mode engaged. If you’ve ever doubted his adepti power of swiftness you’re about to be mistaken. He’s noticed that you seem a bit out of it but brushed it off as you being tired from your recent journey. If there was anything bothering you, you would tell him. But as he turned around to greet you back, it seems like time is slowing down for him. He sees how your eyes glazed over and become unfocused. The muscles in your body snap and you drop to the ground. He can feel his blood run cold as past memories that have been waiting to jump at him suddenly claw at him but he doesn’t even register them. He’s already running towards you.

He’s already caught you in his arms before you can even meet the wooden floor. His brain is racing as he quickly checks your pulse to make sure you didn’t suffer from a heart attack or a curse. He makes a quick search over your body to check for any injuries, he can already feel the red hot iron of anger fill his system at the thought of someone trying to take advantage of you or threaten you. He’s usually logical in these types of situations, even the death of Rex Lapis didn’t shock him this much, but he’s been battling his conflicting feelings ever since he met you. But now that he’s finally accepted you and himself, he wouldn’t know what to do if anything happened to you. His mind flashes to Guizhong before he shakes away the thought.

It doesn’t occur to him that you might be sick as he tries to shake you awake. Whatever teachings Guizhong and Morax have taught him fly out the window as he holds you so close to his chest, he’s pretty sure his grip on you is bruising. He knew mortal souls weren’t as strong as adepti and staying around one might cause sickness or even worse- death. Was this his fault? He can feel the drop in his stomach as he tries to reign in his emotions and powers, not here.

Verr almost screams when Xiao breaks the wooden ceilings and lands in front of her. She’s scared that there was a monster outbreak or something was wrong with Xiao before she notices your passed out form in his arms. As much as she likes to joke around and thinks your relationship with Xiao is cute, she knows that if anything came to seriously harm you she wouldn’t able to calm Xiao before he goes on a rampage. You mean so much to him and he hasn’t opened his heart to anyone except you.

She can tell he’s nearly past his breaking point as he looks at her with dilated eyes as he asks, no commands, her to help you. It’s such whiplash to her. Xiao’s always been polite and reserved that she almost forgets he used to be a demon slaying Yaksha, but this isn’t the time for her to worry about that. She quickly leads him to the backroom since there’s no way Xiao wouldn’t bite any hand that comes near you. Bless Verr’s heart since this isn’t the first time she’s had to handle Xiao’s outbreaks that she manages to save face and contact a doctor that was staying at the inn to look at you. She does feel a bit bad for the doctor who looks like he’s about to piss himself in fear as Xiao growls and watches the doctors every move with piercing yellow eyes.

Xiao is still wary when the doctor and Verr try to calm him down and examine you more closely, always flinching back whenever their hands get too close to you, letting out a dangerous hiss whenever there’s the slightest twitch of discomfort in your face when the doctor feels your heated forehead. As soon as the doctor concludes that you’ve been sick for the past few days and your body just needs to heal itself and recharge, the tension on Xiao’s shoulder loosens and the suffocating aura that’s been filling the room slowly filters out. Verr can’t help but sigh in relief but can’t bring herself to scold Xiao for breaking the inns roof as she watches him look over your form with worried eyes as he softly nudges your cheek. He’s still holding you but his grip has loosen slightly as he rests his forehead against yours. He breathes a sigh of relief as he rubs small circles in your hand. Xiao’s never been the most affectionate or shown to be the most caring but you’ve seriously scared him. She quietly leaves him be and closes the door as she begins to prepare to fix the damages.

Xiao never leaves your side as he waits for you to wake up. He can’t help but berate himself for not confronting you. The doctor said you would be fine but he can’t but imagine your body falling in a more violent scene. He quickly shakes those thoughts away as he paces around the room, sits besides you, then goes back to pacing. Usually he would go on a walk or beat his aggression out but he doesn’t want to leave you alone should you awake early.

Xiao doesn’t ramble about his day while you’re asleep, instead he just observes your features and the small movements you make to remind him that you’re okay. How your chest moves up and down as you breath or how your eyes sometimes scrunch in sleep. You’ve made him almost trip when you did it the first time since he thought you were waking up. He can’t help but think back to his fellow Yaksha’s and what they would say if they saw the way he was acting now.

Since his panic attack has mostly subsided he’s found himself growing more curious. He’s still worried about you but he’s managed to reason with himself that you’re okay, just sick which he’s going to scold you a bit for when you awake, so he softly brushes his fingers across your face. Before snatching his hand away in embarrassment. What the hell is he doing? Guizhong would slap him sideways if she saw him now. He huffs at himself as he deflates a little and rests his head on the bed beside your head. He’s patient. He will wait when your ready to wake up.

When you suddenly gain consciousness, it feels as if the entire world is weighing you down. You slowly blink open your eyes to see a worried Xiao hovering over you, his hands awkwardly in the air since he’s not sure if it’s okay to touch you.

“How are you feeling?” Xiao asks as his eyes dart all over the place before resting on your face. You’re still a bit out of it but you can tell he must have been really worried. You try to give him a small smile but with how scuffy you feel you can bet it’s not a pretty picture.

“Like I got slammed with one of Zhongli’s meteors,” you tried to laughed before coughing as Xiao quickly pressed a cup of water to your lips. Slowly letting you drink and calm down. 

“If you have time to make jokes then you’re alright” Xiao sighs before his features change slightly. His eyes glaze over in concern as a small frown appears. He really does look like a kicked kitten as he slumps over as the stress finally lifts as he feels your hand softly run through his hair.

“Sorry,” you say, he must have been so stressed out while you were passed out for him to look so exhausted. He simply nudges into your hand before turning his face to kiss your palm,

“There’s no need for apologies. I’m...just glad you’re okay,” Xiao mumbles before he’s back to pressing his head into your stomach. You can’t help but smile delicately as you reach over and bring Xiao up with you until he’s lying over you as you hug him gently. There’s a bit of shuffling before you’re able to spoon him as he let’s himself relax after the two day panic attack he just went through.

---

When you’ve fully recovered Xiao seems to hover around you a bit more. Well not a bit, a lot more, but no one has the heart to tell him that. It’s actually kind of adorable seeing the aloof and reserved adepti seem to follow you around like a loss duckling. Making sure you’re okay and you’re not overworking yourself. He still keeps his tough demeanor but you seriously gave him a big scare.

When Zhongli and Childe come over for their weekly visits of tea, they were aware that Xiao had locked himself in a room to watch over you and anyone that even stepped near the door would be skewered with a spear - and Verr would make them pay for the damages (Zhongli) and whatever consequences Xiao saw fit (Childe) - but they are happy to see you’re okay. You all fall back into your usual rhythm of conversation or Childe trying to get a rise out of Xiao while you and Zhongli talk about how lovely the weather’s been.

Zhongli let’s you in on some details that Xiao or Verr never mentioned while Childe and Xiao are fighting about who knows what. How Xiao wouldn’t leave your side or that he resembled a kicked kitten as he nudged your hand when he thought no one was looking. He offers you some medicine herbs to help with exhaustion and to take care of yourself. Likewise, to give Xiao some pain medication on his behalf. You’re one of the few good things in Xiao’s life and he doesn’t want anything bad happening to you.

---

Hmm. I didn’t mean to but I totally believe in the dad zhongli train and I think Zhongli basically just gave you his blessing? Maybe I’m thinking too hard on this haha.

Maybe this is better? Trying to figure out writing styles are hard. Either way, I’m never gonna end up kicking my paragraph HCS habit haha. If you couldn’t tell, I really like feral protective but lowkey vulnerable types (coughrazorcough). Xiao is so OOC at this point I don’t even know how to fix it. Please come home Xiao. 

(Edit: FUCK YEAH HE CAME HOME WITH DILUC. WE 90ED THIS BITCH AND IM ABOUT TO MAX HIS TALENTS. ILL SHARE IT WITH YOU ALL (since people have been asking) WHEN I GET BACK FROM WORK)

[fics-n-stuff]

Booze, Bruises and Town Curses

Pairing: Simon Kalivoda × Reader (gender neutral)

Summary: Simon and Y/N have a lifelong friendship and a persistent habit of making out while intoxicated, which definitely doesn't mean anything at all. One night after working the late shift they get to talking about their futures in Shadyside and the curse that hangs over the town, which might lead to other conversations and discoveries.

Word Count: 4.5k

Warnings: Mentions of drugs and alcohol use (underage), cigarette smoking (also underage), mentions of alcoholism, mentions of a loved one in prison

A/N: I binged the Fear Street trilogy on Halloween and have been obsessed with Simon ever since, so I wrote this. It's entirely separate from the plot of the movie, but I'm thinking of maybe turning this into a little series that does coincide with the movies (Simon lives AU tho because his death broke my heart) so if anyone thinks they'd want to see that then leave a reply and let me know ✌🏽💕

“Sup!” You exclaimed, jumping up to sit on the checkout counter that Simon stood behind. It was five minutes to closing so the grocery store was practically empty, and Simon was one of three employees still working.

“Oh goody, it’s Y/N.” Simon replied jokingly.

“You better be happy to see me, I’m your ride home.” You scoffed, pulling a cigarette out of your pocket. You placed it between your lips and snatched one of the lighters out of the stand on the checkout desk to light it with.

“Some day I’m gonna make you actually buy the lighter.” Simon muttered, not bothering to look up from organising the till. You laughed, which made you cough, and he looked at you then. “You should really quit, you have asthma.”

“What can I say, man?” You wheezed, hitting your chest a few times. “Just can’t kick it.”

“You haven’t tried."

“Don’t preach to me like you don’t have your vices.” You rebutted. That shut him up. You looked back over your shoulder at the middle-aged man at the checkout a few over doing a late night grocery run, taking another long drag of your cigarette.

“Holy shit, did I do that?” Simon asked, and you turned back to him with a curious hum. You saw that his eyes were transfixed on the mess of purple bruises on the side of your neck which you had discovered in the mirror that morning.

“Oh, yeah, guess so.” You chuckled, your hand subconsciously moving up to rub over the hickeys. “I don’t really remember it either.”

Both you and Simon had been far from sober when he had left those hickeys on you, having attended a party the night before. It was a pretty common occurrence for the two of you to make out while drunk or high (or both at the same time), but it wasn’t very often that one of you left so much evidence behind. You just knew that Kate and Deena would mock you relentlessly when they next saw you.

As far as you were concerned, it was normal for close friends to make out while intoxicated. Simon and Kate had hooked up multiple times before – and that was further than you ever went with Simon – and they were just friends, but she and Deena were constantly trying to get you to admit that what you and Simon were doing was more than that. It wasn’t. There was nothing between you when you were sober.

You stayed in silence for a few minutes, Simon counting up the money in the register and clearing up the checkout while you smoked your cigarette, before the other two employees called out to let Simon know that they were leaving and it was just you two alone in the store.

“Do you need any groceries before I lock up?” Simon asked, his voice seeming to echo in the silence.

“Mom wrote a little list.” You replied, pulling a crumpled scrap of paper from your pocket and smoothing it out between your fingers. At the same time, Simon grabbed the ash tray that was kept under the desk and held it up for you to drop your cigarette butt into.

“Alright, let’s go shopping.” He smiled, grabbing a basket from the top of the stack on the end of the checkout and grabbing your hand to pull you down from the counter.

Simon had been using his employee discount for your family’s groceries as well as his own for almost two years now. In exchange, you fixed his family’s junker of a car – and anything else they might need fixing – for free, having started your job at a mechanic and electronics repair store the same month he had started at the grocery store. It seemed an appropriate arrangement for two people who had known each other their whole lives and were supporting their families almost singlehandedly.

“Do you think we get high too often?” You asked as the two of you strolled through the isles collecting the items on your shopping list.

“Nah.” He shrugged, waving his hand dismissively. “We still get to school fine, get to work fine, why shouldn’t we have some fun? Why are you asking?”

“I don’t know, I guess I just don’t want to turn out like my dad. Or my mom, for that matter.”

“Yeah, well, none of us want to become our parents.”

“I’m serious, Simon.” You frowned, halting in your step. “All the drinking and the drugs, it’s fun for now but what if it doesn’t stay that way? What if one day it stops being for fun and we end up just like all the other junkies and alcoholics in this town? I don’t want to become that.”

“Then you won’t.” Simon replied softly, placing a reassuring hand on your shoulder. “You don’t have to be drunk or high to have fun, I promise you’re plenty fun without it. I know you, you won’t let that happen to yourself.”

“And what about you?”

“You won’t let that happen to me either.” He smiled. “You always take care of me, right? Come on, let’s ring this up and get out of here. I’ll grab you a pack of smokes too.”

“I thought you wanted me to quit.” You laughed lightly.

“Eh, not my place to tell you what to do.” Simon shrugged exaggeratedly, and draped an arm over your shoulders as you both started walking again.

You picked up the last few things from your list and headed back to the checkout, Simon grabbing you a pack of cigarettes before ringing it all up. You handed him your card to pay and bagged up the groceries.

“Give me ten minutes to lock up and I’ll meet you at the car.” He said, helping you bag the last of your groceries and grabbing the keys from behind the counter. You hummed in affirmation and grabbed the bags. You had parked your car right in front of the entrance to the store, so you didn’t have to go far, and you loaded the bags into the trunk and hopped into the driver’s seat to wait for Simon.

Your thoughts drifted as you stared out of the window. You thought about what Simon said about you not letting yourself become like your parents, but you knew that wasn’t how it worked. Neither of them ever intended to end up how they were.

Subconsciously, your fingers traced lightly over the hickeys on your neck. You had your reasons to keep drinking, to keep taking drugs, and was it really so wrong if Simon was one of them? You didn’t have many other friends, many other people that you cared about and that cared about you. The only relationship you had ever been in was in middle school and you hardly even counted that as a relationship. What you had with Simon felt special somehow, but it couldn’t continue if you gave up drugs and alcohol. There was nothing between you when you were sober.

“Alright, let’s go.” Simon’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts as he opened the door and swung into the passenger seat. You smiled and started your engine, Ace of Base blasting from the radio as the car came to life.

The drive to Simon’s house from the grocery store was about fifteen minutes, and the two of you spent it singing along to the radio. The roads were pretty empty with how late it was, and the drive felt rather peaceful.

“Have you got a minute to come in and take a look at our radio?” Simon asked as you turned the corner onto his street. “It broke a couple days ago.”

“Yeah, sure.” You nodded, parking outside his house. “I’ll grab my tools and see what I can do.”

You hopped out of the car and grabbed the toolkit that you kept in the trunk, following Simon up the path to his house. When he opened the front door you were hit with a wall of noise as his little brother and sister ran around the living room.

“Y/N's here!” Simon called as the two of you shuffled inside.

“Hi, Y/N!” His mom shouted from somewhere upstairs.

“Hey, Mrs Kalivoda!” You called back.

“Alright, you two get lost while Y/N tries to fix the radio. Why are you even still up anyway? Go to bed.” Simon told his little siblings, shooing them away. They quickly said hi to you before running off upstairs.

“So what’s wrong with it then?” You asked Simon, setting your tools down and gesturing to the boombox radio on the coffee table.

“Timothy dropped it. The cassette player stopped working and I think one of the speakers is busted.” He explained. You sighed.

“Of course Timothy dropped it. Where is he anyway?”

“He got a job delivering pizzas a couple nights a week now that he has his licence. Do you want anything?” He asked as he headed into the kitchen. You declined the offer and started unpacking some tools, sitting down cross-legged on the floor with the radio in your lap.

When Simon returned he had a can of soda in his hand and was no longer wearing a shirt. You rolled your eyes.

“You just couldn’t wait to strip, could you?” you asked sarcastically.

“Hey, I’m in my own home. Look away if you find me so irresistible.” He grinned, and you rolled your eyes again before turning back to the radio.

You made idle chat for a while after that, the conversation being led by Simon because you had a tendency to hold your screwdriver in your mouth rather than just putting it down. You claimed that it helped you focus. Eventually there was lull in the conversation, and the atmosphere seemed to become suddenly very serious.

“What you said earlier, about turning out like your parents, is that something you’re really worried about?” He asked. You paused for a second, then set the radio down on the floor and removed the screwdriver from between your lips.

“Yeah, kinda.” You replied. “I mean, my dad has been in and out of prison my whole life, my mom’s a casual alcoholic. My family’s been in Shadyside for, what, three and a half centuries? And never made anything of themselves. What should make me believe that I’ll be the one to break the cycle?”

“Jesus, you sound like Deena.”

“You know we’re right, though. Barely anyone makes it out of Shadyside, and the few that do leave never go for good reasons. This whole place is cursed, like for real cursed.”

“So maybe it is cursed, people still manage to enjoy their lives here. Have friends, fall in love, have families that don’t fall apart.” Simon argued. “It’s not everyone but it’s some people, why not us?”

You sighed and shrugged, averting your gaze from Simon and grabbing the radio again. You were almost done fixing it, Timothy had just knocked some of the components out of place when he dropped it and it wasn’t too hard to put them back where they belonged.

You were just closing up the back of the boombox when the phone started ringing in the kitchen and Simon jumped up to answer it.

“Oh, hey Mrs Y/L/N.” You heard him say when he picked up, and you put everything down so you could stand. “Yeah, Y/N’s here, I’ll pass the phone over.” He handed the phone to you as soon as you reached him, but instead of just leaving you to talk to your mom he decided instead to tickle your sides.

“Stop it!” You scolded, wriggling away from him and swatting at his hands. “Go and put a shirt on, you animal.” He laughed at that, and you rolled your eyes as he left the kitchen and put the phone to your ear. “Hey, mom.” You greeted.

“Hi, sweetie. Listen, the gas got cut off again this afternoon so we went to grandma’s for dinner. I wanted to call you sooner but nobody picked up at the garage and I wasn’t sure where you’d be going after work. I figured when you weren’t home that you were probably at Simon’s, so I just called to tell you that we don’t have any leftovers for you tonight, honey. I’m really sorry.” Your mother explained, her speech unpausing in the way that it was when she’d had a couple of drinks.

“That’s fine, mom. I’ll just, uh... I’ll just grab something on the way home. Are the kids in bed?”

“Yeah, yeah they went up a couple hours ago.” She answered, and you felt relieved that she had probably at least waited until your little siblings were asleep to start drinking.

“Alright. Well, I’ll probably be here for a little while so call back if there’s an emergency. I’ll be home in a couple of hours maximum, okay?” You told her, and the two of you said your goodbyes.

You sighed harshly as you put the phone back onto the unit and stomped back out into the living room. You rifled through your toolbox for your pad of post-it notes and pen and angrily scribbled a note for yourself to sort out the gas bill.

“Are you okay?” Simon asked gently, now wearing a random t-shirt plucked from the laundry basket full of clothes that needed to be ironed in the corner.

“The gas got switched off, again, so now I have to figure out what mom did with her last paycheck and redo our budgeting for the month so we can have heat and the ability to cook.” You ranted, throwing the post-it notes back into the toolbox and snatching the radio back up to finish the job. “I’m probably gonna have to use my paycheck to pay the bill, which eats into our food budget and completely eradicates the emergency fund for the month, so then I’m gonna have to pick up extra shifts in case we have an unexpected expense. And then what if I find out she forgot to pay the electrical bill again? We’re gonna have to walk around with torches and candles for a month like we did last year. Jesus, if she could just-"

“Y/N, stop.” Simon said sternly, cutting off your angry rambling by grabbing your wrists. He gently moved your hands away from the radio and you realised that you had finished putting it back together and had just been wearing down the heads of the screws. “You’re gonna be okay. You always find a way to make it work.” He took the radio from you and set it on the table before sliding in a cassette tape sat nearby and pressing the on button. There was a brief fizzle before Whatta Man by Salt-N-Pepa started to play. “See, you made it work.”

“Fixing a boombox is a lot easier than fixing my family’s financial situation.” You muttered, standing up.

“For you, maybe. I wouldn’t have known where to start with this thing.” He chuckled. The joke failed to get rid of your frown. “Come on, look at us Y/N. I’ve been the primary breadwinner of this household for almost three years, you’ve been parenting your little siblings basically their whole lives. We figure it out, we make it work, we make the best of it.”

You sighed, leaning forward across the small amount of space between you to rest your forehead against his shoulder. His hand came up to rest on your back comfortingly, and you breathed in the smell of the laundry detergent on his shirt.

“Is that all we get? Barely scraping by and acting happy about it?”

“Maybe.” Simon replied softly. “Maybe it won’t be that bad. As long as we have each other, right? We can carve out our own little corner of happiness in Shadyside.”

“You really believe that?” You asked. He hummed in affirmation, wrapping his other arm around you and pulling you closer, prompting you to wrap your arms around him too. You took a steadying breath and embraced this moment of vulnerability as an opportunity to bring up whatever it was that was going on between the two of you. “Can I tell you something?” You started hesitantly.

“Yeah, of course.”

After a second of hesitation, you pulled away from Simon and took half a step back, your hands clasping in front of you to stop them from shaking. You couldn’t bring yourself to actually look at him – your best friend since childhood and your only lifeline when things got too hard – because you didn’t want to be able to see what he was thinking.

“I’ve been thinking lately about why I drink and do drugs and just, you know, party like we do.” You started, talking at the floor in front of Simon. “I mean, I know I have plenty of sorrows to drown or whatever, and it’s fun and all, but I had to admit to myself that I had a different reason.”

“What, is it a bad reason?” He questioned, concerned by your fidgeting and downcast gaze.

“I don’t know, I guess that’s for you to decide.” You muttered awkwardly. You didn’t notice that your hand had reached up to your neck until it was already brushing against the bruises there, and by then it was too late to act like that wasn’t what you were talking about. “What I mean to say is... well, uh, when I think about it there’s a consistent outcome most times that I get drunk or high, and maybe that outcome is one of the reasons that I keep doing it. Because if I’m not sober then it doesn’t count, and it doesn’t ruin a lifelong friendship when I make out with my best friend.” Your voice trailed off, getting quieter with each word and ending as barely more than a whisper.

Silence hung in the air for what felt like a lifetime, but was probably actually only a few seconds, then you felt Simon’s hand on your shoulder. You still couldn’t bring yourself to look at him, and after another few seconds he took a hold of the hand that was still down by your side.

“That’s not a bad reason.” He replied. “Actually, it’s a pretty damn good one. I mean, just look how pretty I am.” The joke made you exhale sharply through your nose, but you were too uncomfortable to actually laugh. You finally forced yourself to look at Simon, and found him smiling at you. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

“I was worried you might hate me.” You mumbled with a shrug.

“I would never. Nothing you do could make me hate you, especially not this. It’s you and me ‘til the end, right? Always has been, always will be.”

“You mean that?”

“Of course.” He nodded. His eyes flicked across your face and his smile shifted, the corner of his mouth turning into more of a smirk, and he moved his hand from your shoulder up towards your neck. “I don’t know your opinion, but I think these look good on you.”

You bit your bottom lip slightly, a smile tugging at your own mouth, as Simon’s fingers wrapped around the hand that you still had resting at the side of your neck and he closed the half a step of distance between you. You were practically nose to nose now, his breath tickling over your face and creating butterflies in your stomach.

“Is that something we should try while sober?” Simon asked softly, his gaze flicking between your eyes and your lips. You nodded, your mouth suddenly very dry, and tried very hard to relax when he leaned forward across the minuscule amount of space left between you.

It was a different kind of kiss than previous times, much gentler with the lack of any substances in your bloodstreams. Simon’s hand slid up from your neck to cup your jaw, the other moving to grip your waist, while you brought your hands up to his shoulders. It felt right – it felt like what you had wanted it to feel like all of those times that you’d been intoxicated – and for that moment it was like everything else melted away into nothing and it was just you and Simon.

You were grinning when you pulled away. Simon leaned back so he could look at your face without moving away from you, his thumb brushing across your cheekbone.

“I should have done that a long time ago.” He smiled. You giggled lightly and pulled him back in, and he responded eagerly, craning his neck to deepen the kiss. And this was more like what you’d done before, fervid and urgent, just a bit less messy. It didn’t last that long though, you having to pull back for air because you’d been so focused on kissing Simon that you forgot to breathe.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have made you put a shirt on.” You joked, resting your forehead against his. It was then that you realised that the song had changed to The Power Of Love by Celine Dion, and you chuckled. “What is on this cassette?”

“It’s a mixtape that Timothy's girlfriend made for him.” Simon answered, also chuckling. “None of the songs match and most of them are cheesy love songs.”

As if on cue, the front door opened and Timothy hustled inside with a couple of pizza boxes in his hands. You and Simon let go of each other and took a step back before he saw you, and you shoved your hands into your pockets.

“Hey, you’re home.” Simon greeted.

“I can’t work all night.” Timothy smiled. “Hey, Y/N, how come you’re here so late?”

“Fixed the radio. Can I have some of that pizza?”

“Yeah, of course.” He nodded. He crossed over to the stairs and called up that he was home and brought pizza before heading into the kitchen, and you followed after him.

“So what are you getting paid? Minimum wage?” You questioned, hovering at his side ready to swoop for the pizza.

“Yep.” He sighed, turning to you with a resigned smile. Then his eyebrows furrowed. “Are those hickeys?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah.” You answered, actually having forgotten about the bruises on your neck momentarily. “Party last night, you know how it goes.”

“Uhuh, and who was the lucky second party?”

“None of your business, twerp.” You hissed, flicking him in the forehead, but you didn’t miss the way his eyes shifted towards Simon suggestively.

You grabbed a slice of pepperoni as soon as the first box was opened, almost burning your mouth on the cheese which was still surprisingly hot. A few moments later, the two youngest siblings came careening into the kitchen to make a grab for the pizza, followed by Simon’s mom who was much calmer.

“They refused to go to sleep unless they got pizza.” She sighed. “Jesus, Y/N, what happened to your neck?”

“Simon happened, is my guess.” Timothy smirked, and you smacked him round the back of the head.

“Let’s not talk about my neck anymore, okay?” You said around your mouthful of pizza. “I’m gonna cram down a bunch of this pizza and then head home, I’m doing another double shift tomorrow.”

“Working late?” Simon asked. You shook your head.

“Starting early. I have to be at the shop in...” You looked up at the clock. “A bit less than seven hours.”

“Hey, were you guys listening to my tape?” Timothy exclaimed suddenly, rushing out to the living room. The tape had moved on and was now playing I Just Called To Say I Loved You by Stevie Wonder.

“We were checking that the radio was working.” Simon replied. “Your girlfriend kinda needs a lesson in how to put together a cohesive mixtape.”

“Simon, don’t be rude.” Mrs Kalivoda scolded, hitting him in the shoulder, and you laughed as you picked up another slice of pizza.

You had five slices in total, shoved into your mouth as fast as possible. You had been hungrier than you’d realised. When you finished, you threw your tools back into the box and headed for the door.

“Good to see you all, thanks for the pizza.” You smiled, receiving a chorus of goodbyes from Simon’s family. Simon went to the door with you and you expected him to leave you there, but then he started walking down the front walkway with you. “What are you doing?”

“Walking you to your car.” He smiled.

“Okay, why?”

“Because I want to.” He shrugged, and you breathed a laugh. You dropped your toolbox back into the trunk, and as you pushed the hatch shut you felt a pair of hands on your hips.

“Ah, I see. You had ulterior motives.” You smirked, turning around to face him and leaning back against the car.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t think I could do this in front of my family.” He purred, and leaned in to kiss you. It was casual and sweet, and you smiled into it.

“I could get used to this.” You said when you pulled back. Simon grinned and took a step back, glancing back towards his house to check that nobody (Timothy specifically) was watching.

You walked around to the driver’s side door, pulling a cigarette out of your pocket as you went. There was a box of matches in your glove box to light them with. You placed the cigarette between your lips and swung open the door, turning back around to say a final goodbye to Simon. To your surprise, he took a hold of the cigarette in his fingers and gently removed it from your mouth.

“Hey! I thought it wasn’t your place to tell me what I can and can’t do.” You exclaimed with a pout.

“That was before a very important development.” He replied. “If we’re gonna defy the Shadyside curse together, I can’t have you dying early of lung cancer. Also I don’t want you to taste like cigarettes.” You snorted a laugh at that, and nodded in surrender.

“I gotta go. See you Monday.”

“Nah, see you tomorrow. I’m gonna swing by the garage before work and drop you off some breakfast, I know you don’t eat when you start early.”

“Ugh, you’re the best.” You smiled, wrapping your arms around his shoulders and hugging him tightly.

“Yeah, I know. Now go home and get some sleep, I’ll see you in the morning.” He said, and when you released him from the hug you could see him blushing a little. Endeared, you pressed a kiss to his slightly pinkened cheek before saying goodbye and getting into your car.

He waved as you pulled away from the curb, and you watched in the rear-view mirror as he started up the path to his door before he left your field of vision and you turned your full attention to the road ahead, a smile on your face.

[secriden]

oh my gosh babe, no this is the absolute OPPOSITE of annoying i love LOVE it when people interact this way!! this is like the best part of fandom-- sort of dipping your toes into something, and then having someone friendly and nice be like 'LET ME SHOW YOU THE RICHES OF THIS KINGDOM'! *u* <3 (i have no idea who haobin is but I *think* I get the idea. xD)

re: Daou's enlistment

thank you for explaining the thai enlistment thing! but also...wow, daou was enlisted but still got time off to film Love in Translation? and do promotions? that's kind of cool (in that he could keep his career alive even while enlisted), although also sound so hard having to stay fit for military training. one of my good friends is in the infantry and the training is so brutal. but the buzz cut makes sooo much more sense now. i was wondering at the odd choice cuz its so 'rough and tumble' for the thai bl industry. although it definitely has its own aesthetic appeal.

all i know is that the whole clip where offroad jumps into daou's arms when he's in military fatigues is like... what kind of fanfic my lover who I thought was lost on the battlefield has returned to me scene am i watching come to life right now?? i could practically hear the swelling orchestral music. *w*

re: pentor & diamond

YES I made the connection about pentor shortly after i posted my reaction post. xDDD I'm still reeling from that. I really really really hope that if Mame decides to make Love Sand into a show that they recast Pentor. He was hilarious and I really enjoyed his scenes and he's SO SO handsome in that soft kind of winsome way. I WANT TO PROTECT HIM. Also I'm insanely intrigued by the way FortPeat seemed to be familiar/know Pentor fairly well in the BTS of Love Sea and I'm just wondering how?? like I'm wondering if its just from workshops or if they already have like an early friendship cuz of the overall tight knit thai bl actor community.

ohhh I'll check Diamond out! Are Laz1 broken up now that DaouOffroad are kind of focusing on their acting careers and Pentor is off doing another survival show?? IDK how I feel about him going the kpop route tho-- cuz he wouldn't have time for acting if he's going to be in training for kpop.

re: Daou's background/singing

oh damn ok if he's had Chinese opera training that explains how he can hit those insane high notes. like his range is .... very impressive. but yeah just off the few clips i've seen, it does seem like he hasn't been taught to really support very well? although i'm by no means an expert, but he seems to have a lot of tension in his throat when he's in that transitional zone between the mid to high range. then he nails the highest register cuz that may be the opera training kicking in. his singing kind of fascinates me - i wonder if i can find any videos of like a professsional singer analysing his singing style. :O

LOL WAIT DID DAOU RELEASE A SONG ABOUT THE WHOLE PHI/NONG thing??? or is that a cover of a song that already exists? I didn't realise phi/nong excludes romantic implications tho?? i kind of assumed it was kind of like the korean "oppa" which, yes can be used for biological siblings but also works for like a gf/bf (bf/bf) situation. :O its hilarious that he posted a whole ass clip in reaction to that tho. xD Their sense of humour/dynamic is so different from what I'm used to (ok mostly fortpeat) and i love it in its own way. xDDD

The use of the English partner is interesting. Like fortpeat use partner too but I think they mostly use it in thai (hmmm... I need to rewatch some interviews, maybe I'm wrong about this). I wonder if that's like a bl industry staple to avoid having to confirm/deny relationships. Cuz partner works for "professional/acting" and "romantic" relationships.

although idk how much they're trying to "hide" when they have apparently literally eXCHANGED RINGS ALREADY WTF. XD

what... what was offroad expecting?? did he think daou was going to feel the ring through the tissue or something? xD

also daou showing off the ring has the same vibe as fort (peat gave fort a ring a while back and he's quite intentional about wearing it at specific events and standing in such a way that draws attention to his hands when he doesn't really do that at events where he doesn't wear that specific ring ((although its a bit different cuz fp's aren't meant to be couple rings idt... its just a gift that peat gave fort))).

SO i've never heard of lakorns before. :O I looked it up and it says "thai soap opera" so like... basically the thai equivalent of a latin american telenovela? super dramatic and potential for unhinged family story beats?? xD how intriguing. I don't think I've seen a Thai before but I did grow up watching the Indonesian/Malay/Indian versions of these types of shows and I have very fond memories of them. I wonder what that looks like in a bl tho :O

....the one with the fox???? *so confused* I tried googling "century of love fox" and got this (which cracked me up):

*does a bit more digging*

OH. O_O I... I see.

re: the whole discussion about fanservice/"ship"

OK... OKAY yeah i can kind of see why DaouOffroad may be... has quite a bit of evidence. Damn, ok, Daou just saying "its not fanservice" with his whole entire chest is a lot. "It make me upset when people assume that". WOW.

But I actually really like the point he's making about how .... dismissive it can be to assume that it IS fanservice. I've never seen that take before, and it's very thought provoking. I think (although cmiiw please!), he's kind of making the point that implicit in the idea that they're "just doing fanservice" or "its all just for show" is the assumption of heteronormativity which on a fundamental level counteracts something they maybe feel strongly about in terms of representation. Like for them, its important that people not assume that they aren't a genuine couple.

I guess the whole "it's really not our business either way" is a good rule to follow because that kind of stops both extremes.

[Note: I personally don't like it when fans get overly invested with specific couples to the point of pressuring the people to act certain ways or getting mad if they interact with other people... cuz that's the other end of the toxic fandom space that made me leave the kpop fandom years ago. But Daou still makes an excellent point that I've never really considered before and that's so cool and very thought provoking. Hmmm.]

But on the other OTHER hand-- yes, your honour, me thinks they are in love. /sCREAMS

an introduction to daouoffroad: a record (mostly for me)

so, the lovely @luthienmpl was very kind and gave me a daouoffroad starter pack so i'm gonna learn about them!

i adore finding out about something this way because it's like someone shared their love of The Thing with me! how lovely! how lucky to catch a glimpse of how much joy The Thing gives someone else!!

this is literally just random stream of consciousness thoughts as i watch the videos so i'll spare anyone who isn't interested and put it under a cut.

oh my god they met as contestants on a survival boyband show wtf!? what kind of fanfic kdrama au start is this already!?

ok damn but daou's runs tho :O <3

nooooooo offroad is crying and thanking daou for his support how dARE YOU TOY WITH MY HEART LIKE THIS!? ;A;

ohmygosh is that the actress who plays P'Joy in LITA??? <3

fuck, the pressing the face into the tummy of the one standing thing. why is that so cute. ugh D:<

waitwaitWAIT is that a thing? do directors just... write stories/shows for couples who have good chemistry whatttt?? is this like a thai ent industry staple? (oh i guess mame kind of did that with fortpeat/mutrak) that's so funny omg. xDDD

laz1 is so kpop styled :O and i must add Last Kiss to my playlist imMEDIATELY its such a pretty song?? <3333

thiS BRIDGE i AM FEELING IT!?!?! DAOU WHAT IS THAT RIFF!?!??! HOLY SHIT THAT WAS SUCH A SMOOTH TRANSITION UP TO THE HIGH NOTE!? *O* <3

(was daou already an established singer before or something?? boy has pIPES!)

*faintly* d-did he try to... bite... the cat's... paw??

/SCREAMS nO THE HARMONIES yeah ok i'm a fan weLP THA TWAS QUICK

(i'm such a sucker for vocal line groups ugh dammit TwT)

wait, enlistment?? huh i did not know thailand also did that... is it the same as skorea?

oh-- oh my god he sent flowers? through his sister?? *whispers* that's so sweet ;u;

goodness, offroad literally running and jumping into daou's arms while daou is still in military fatigues-- guys this is either zero attempt at being subtle or the best cp marketing i've seen in my life wow

awww did offroad bring his graduation gown to the event just so he could get pics with daou?? that's so cute! ;A;

okAY SIR?? SIR NO the sleeping right pressed up to offroad as he pretends to snore but like daou is just paSSED OUT HALF ON TOP OF HIm NO SIR NO I CANNOT HANDLE THIS NOPE BYE

(the cut right as daou reaches up to shut offroad up had me cracking up tho, they've got a wicked sense of humour i really like them)

ahahahah the members playing along is really cute!! poor daou has to be relegated to the "jealous bf" -- this is SO interesting to watch coming out of old kpop fandom and kpop skinship to this xD like... i am enLIGHTEND *O*

*cries* what is this... poolside actual love confession proposal with rings and pLANNING to commemorate their.. working.. relationship!?!? i'm??? they are so LOUD wtf-- i'm not... used to this... !?! *incoherent noises*

sidebar: i'm struggling to get a handle on their honorifics... are they phi/nong? but sometimes dauo sounds like he's using mueng/guu when he addresses offroad directly?

ljsdfjsLfj THE FACE. IN THE TUMMY. ITS BACK <3

OH FUCK OFFROAD WITH THE ASH HAIR. *O* YEAH YEAH OKOKOK i'M NORMAL ABOUT THIS!!!!

oh oh NO did daou just push offroad to the inside of the road so he's on the outside like that's--t hat's so boyfriend coded wtf

bahahaHAHAH is offroad going on about the bracelet because now daou *has* to buy one for him? xD what a smart cookie. xDDD

wAIT DID IT WORK!? PAHAHA--

other thoughts:

pentor looks SO FAMILIAR and i can't figure out why??? ;A; is he in something else?? i'm so confused but i think i love him already WHAT AN ADORABLE DIMPLED BOI *O*

i know you included the Whats The Matter? MV but I'm sorry I'm going to live in Last Kiss for like the next 5 days especially thAT BRIDGE WTF <3

the acoustic/live version is so PRETTY omg ;A; that 3 part harmony in the first chorus *chefs kiss*

sOMEONE is doing like a really high harmony in the pre-chorus and its so thin and wispy and pRETTY ahhh <3

although also ngl i think daou needs maybe some more vocal training he sounds quite strained sometimes... and he's got a lot of tension in his throat but good GOD his range!! he's SO talented wtf; ALSO their youngest member has SUCH a nice tone UGH <33333

their 2 shows:

ok love in translation actually sounds like exactly my cup of tea hahahah it looks so cute <3 and potentially heartbreaking but like not TOO heartbreaking

century of love... yeah ok i'm gonna put that on my list of things to get to when i'm in the right headspace for that kind of angst but what an interesting concept!! its like comphet, the series. xD

wait both their shows are comphet the series? xDDDD they just swapped who was suffering from it.

hoboy they are SO LOUD already from the beginning wtf

(sidenote but I would KILL for fortpeat to go on something like this cAN YOU IMAGINE the sHINANIGANS!! peat being so happy at all the food. fort's teasing. ugh. where can i start a petition ya'll)

the heIGHT DIFFERENCE am i'm feeling some type of way about it, yes yes i am

bAHAHAH the mandatory piggyback ride that they actually just SAY is boyfriend material i'm-- i'm not use do this lack of wink wink nudge nudge skinship approach in my boyband duos like?? *confused noises pt 2*

oh oh my gosh they have auntie fans too??? how adorableeeee!!!?! damn offroad sounds so soft in southern dialect idk whats going on my ears are blessed *u* <3

I don't know why but daou's "Try traditional snack!" made me crack up xDDDD

i have just realised what a mistake it was to start this on an empty stomach T___T that all looks SO GOOD wtf

lol that poor lady with the corgi's just wanted to go on her way and she got way-landed by these insane boys xDD

wft the nUZZING INTO THE NECK THING. IT S STILL. SO MUCH. IHAVE FEELIGNS ABOUT THIS MOMENT Tu T <3

guYS-- GUYS you said you both paid half... so you don't... you don't still need to do the cheek kisse-- oh nevermind you did them already ok then

i mean ok but for real tho the amount of times offroad just cracks up at somethign random daou does is genuinely really sweet?? like they seem to really have this wavelength that is just their own *u*

[heniareth]

I was really curious about what your opinions on the DAO companions are :) I know we have talked about some, but I'd love to hear more and about the others as well :D I hope it's ok to pose this as an ask :)

Sure! That sounds like a ton of fun. This might be a long one tho. Mind you, this is not the finished version of the answer. I'd like to link stuff and add a cut, but rn that's not possible. I'll update it when I can.

Edit: I have updated it ^^

Let's go alphabetically bc why not.

Alistair:

Sweet guy. So sweet. There was a moment when I was hard pressed chosing between him and Zevran (alas, Zevran won). Also, he's weirdly tall according to the wiki? How did I not notice that before?

Let's get a bit more serious now, Alistair is a great guy. The only reason he's not the hero of the story is because he doesn't want to. He has all the qualities of a leader: he's good at dealing with conflict (as evident with the conversation with the mage at the beginning. He gets where he wants to get without antagonizing the mage, but without allowing him to trample all over him). He's a solid tactitian and knows how to make allies (he suggests to use the Grey Warden treaties, after all). I bet if he was in the leadership position, he'd even not bicker with Morrigan. His moral code is pretty tight; some might say too tight, but I think it's less about the moral code and more about learning to judge people by their actions, not by the labels they fit into (Morrigan is a proud apostate and therefore bad. Wynne is a humble circle mage and therefore good). He also has a bit of a black-and-white way of seeing the world. I empathize a lot with Alistair, especially with his experience with the Chantry and his subsequent reluctance to deal with it. I really wish I had gotten to know more about concrete experiences he had during his training as templar, but he seems reluctant to talk about it (gee, I wonder why).

Since I've only played the game once, I haven't really picked up on Arl Eamon's abuse towards him, which apparently exists (Isolde, however... I mean, even if he were Eamon's illegitimate son, he's a kid, ma'am, he didn't exactly get to chose his parents. So that's so not okay). Alistair's way of speaking about them both, however, is either sign that he has not come within a hundred miles of acknowledging how much it hurt him, or that he's already gone through the whole process and has decided to forgive them. The latter shows a very strong character; yes, he relies on the approval and leadership of others, he has his issues, but he's already started working on them.

That being said, irl Alistair would be like a little brother to me. I'd tease him relentlessly (all in good fun and I promise to stop if it makes him uncomfortable, but he's just so teasable). I still wish the videogame gave him the chance to take important decisions for himself. But that, of course, would somewhat defeat the point of the game.

Leliana:

Another sweet, sweet person. Her singing voice is amazing. Her belief in the Maker inspires me (I'm a religious person and seeing religious characters represented in a positive light is Very Cool. It's also sometimes a source of discomfort, because the Church has done a lot of very messed up stuff and positive representation can sometimes veer into apologetics for things that should not be excused, but that's a whole other can of worms. The bottom line is that religious characters sometimes work for me and other times don't and Leliana works for me very much bc she's an outsider inside the Chantry).

Leliana is best friend material, tbh. I'd love to get to know her irl, discuss theology and philosophy and maybe even politics? She makes mistakes and has prejudices, but, tbh, so do I. And I do get the feeling that she tries her best to learn. From the times she intervenes in a conversation between the Warden and an NPC, she shows herself to be compassionate and open to the needs of others. What I get from her character is that she genuinely wants to help, which is something that I adore of her. I suspect that she sometimes has a hard time deciding wether she's a good person or not. She has killed and seduced and worked for a morally dubious person, and she doesn't show the same nonchalance about it as Zevran (though they both do discuss their line of work in very... professional terms). This is, however, more of a headcanon than actual factual canon.

I also very much enjoy her girly side, like her interest in shoes and dresses. She's one badass woman who also looses her cool about the latest fashions in Val Royeaux. I like that. Between her and Alistair, a non human noble Warden has as good a help to navigate the Fereldan court as they're going to get. Leliana is also, I can't forget that, clever and insightful. It'd be easy to write her off as the innocent chantry girl, but she's so much more than that. Her kindness is paired with foresight, I think. She knows that taking on the trouble to help now can go a long way in the future. I just have a lot of respect for her.

Loghain:

This one's gonna be short bc I didn't recruit him. He's an amazing villain and would probably be a great Warden as well. He reminds me of Denerhor from LOTR; once a hero/stewart of his people, ambition and desperation have driven them both down a terrible path. I have also only little idea about his past. People say he lost a lot, and I believe it wholeheartedly; it doesn't excuse the fact that he plunged the country into a civil war in the middle of a Blight. I don't have a lot of sympathy for short-sighted politicians. I wish he hadn't made himself regent. That's what I take away from his character.

Edit: One thing I forgot to mention that really impressed me was his death. I had Alistair duel him (that was a rough duel), and then it kinda just jumped to a cutscene of my Warden nodding and Alistair executing him. That didn't sit well with me. I didn't want to kill Loghain, and less so in front of Anora. But what impressed me was that Loghain just accepted it. That takes a whole lot of guts. Compare that to Howe's death, and how he screams out that he deserved (more, probably, or anything but death) and it's crystal clear who the more noble of the two is. Loghain strikes me as very lawful neutral, and any neutral alignment has the particularity that it can be dragged towards good or bad, sometimes without the characters noticing it (which is interesting from a DnD perspective; neutral is often concieved of as just as stable as good or evil, but that may not be true. But that's a different post). Anyway, Loghain's death was impactful.

Morrigan:

I could kick myself for not maxing out her approval in the first play-through. I got to enjoy a bit of her friendship by the end of it and boy was even that little bit worth it. Friendship with Morrigan is something that is hard-won. It's all the more precious because of that.

Morrigan is full of paradoxes, I think. She's incredibly wise in some ways, yet also very short-sighted (”just kill them, don't solve their problems”. Morrigan, dear, I'm not going to gain a lot of allies if I kill everybody who poses a problem to me). She is so intelligent, but emotionally... not so. She knows so much about some things, and very little about the next. She's incredibly wilful and knows what she wants, but follows Flemeth's orders all the time through. She hungers for power and independence, yet craves closeness, but won't allow herself to have it. She asks you to prove yourself to her and is extremely critical of your actions, I think, because she's afraid. She bites the hand that feeds her because it might hit her next.

Like with Eamon, I haven't managed to catch the undercurrent of abuse that seems to permeate Flemeth's relationship with Morrigan. Except there are signs, because there must be something Morrigan is scared of and who has instilled all that rage in her, and that's Flemeth. Also, she clearly hates/does not care about her and wants her dead (unless killing Flemeth was part of Flemeth's plan as well? Hm.)

Morrigan is that one person who you are nice to, continuously, because nobody else is. And suddenly she becomes less cold. And then friendly. And suddenly you're asking yourself why everybody hates her, because she's a really good friend! I just wish the other companions came to a similar conclusion, especially Alistair and Wynne.

Oghren:

They did this man dirty. He has such great lines and I'm convinced he was a great person before Branka disappeared. He has that dwarven warrior spirit, and while he looks like Gimli, some of his most impactful lines remind me of Dwalin or even Thorin Oakenshield himself. He could be so noble had he gotten some character development, damnit!

Oghren as he is written is somewhat disgusting. I hate the lechering comments and the drunkenness. And still, I don't hate him because of those amazing lines he has when he's actually sober. It's frustrating and I'll give him that character development myself if the game won't. I strongly associate the song Whiskey Lullaby with him, bc that's how he would have ended up if the Warden hadn't taken him along (warning: the song talks about suicide and alcoholism). Like I said, they could have done such cool things with his character. As he is written now... it's just sad. Moments of lucidity drowned in alcohol and creepy jokes. As you can see, I don't blame the character for either. The alcoholism happens all too often irl. The creepy jokes... I put that one on the writers' tab.

I actually think Oghren could have been a great mentor figure (I know, I shock myself as well sometimes). Next to the Grey Wardens, the ones who know most about fighting darkspawn are the dwarves because they have to deal with them constantly. Especially a warrior caste dwarf like Oghren could have brought a lot of that invaluable knowledge to the team, especially since there are no Grey Wardens in Ferelden but two extremely green recruits. Next, you get the chance to give Oghren the command of the teammates you leave behind in the battle of Denerim with the reason that he has lead men into battle before. Where did that suddenly come from? Oghren should have been right up there telling my Warden that they were doing this wrong, that they needed more food (and booze) and a confident leader to keep the armies they've called together going. Oghren should have been able to tell my civilian city elf who got recruited into the Grey Wardens a six months ago how one leads an army. How one presents oneself to inspire confidence, how one doesn't crack under the pressure, how one gets the leaders of said armies (some who hate each others guts i.e. Dalish elves and humans) to work together. And, last but not least, Oghren could have had a great story about grief. This is a man who has lost most of what made him (and what he hasn't lost he's spilling down the drain with every mug of ale). This is a man who, if you take him into the Deep Roads, has to see what his wife did to his family, how his wife got absolutely obsessed, and can be forced to kill said wife or watch her die. All Wardens loose their home and families at the start of the story. It would really have rounded the whole narrative out if the Warden and Oghren could have recognised their grief in each other and hashed it out somehow. Such as it is, Oghren is a depressed drunkard and there is nothing we can do about that. I find that frustrating.

Rascal (a.k.a. Dog):

Best boy. 100/10. I wish we had gotten to see the reaction of the different origins to the mabari (because elves probably have a whole different experience with them from mages or humans. And dwarves just... I think they straight up have none? XD). Other than that, no complaints. The name Rascal was the one I gave my dog because you have to be a right rascal to survive what he did and play the pranks he plays. Smartest breed in the world indeed.

Shale:

Shale is one of those characters that I recruited rather late in the game, so I haven't had the chance to explore their personality and worldview, really. I didn't even get to take them to the Deep Roads (this will be ammended in playthrough nr. 2). As such, I don't have particularly strong opinions on them (or her? The wiki refers to Shale as 'it', but that sounds weird). But, because I know so little about Shale, I have a lot of questions. First, what were they like before they were a golem? Shayle, as she was called then, was the best warrior of her time if I remember correctly. Why did she become a golem? Was it to be able to eternally protect her people? Was the sarcasm the golem Shale exhibits also part of the dwarven warrior Shayle or did that come later (if for thirty years you have nobody to talk to but yourself, you better be entertaining. And I can imagine how it could make somebody terribly jaded as well).

Next, how attached is Shale to their golem form, exactly? According to the banter, they infinitely prefer it to a squishy fleshy form. If that is the case, however, why go to Tevinter to try and become a squishy dwarf again? It's not like that process could be reversed if they wanted to become a golem again; if Shale survives to the end of the game, the Anvil of the Void is destroyed and Caridin is dead. Was the whole spiel about their indestructible form a façade? It might have been, but not because Shale actually disliked their form. I think it would have more to do with the loss of their memories and with the very invasive experiments and alterations of Shale's body made by the mage Wilhelm. The loss of memories means that Shale is unable to remember life as a fleshy creature. They might be deflecting by pretending that they didn't care for that experience anyway because of the superiority of their golem form. The modifications made to their form by Wilhelm would have alienated them from their body. In light of this, it's significant that Shale asks the Warden to decorate their form with crystals.

All of this is, of course, pure speculation. I may have easily missed or forgotten details that would disprove the above thoughts. All in all, I like Shale and I hope we meet them again in DA4 (given that it's mostly set in Tevinter). It's a liking from a respectful distance, because Shale is tall and made out of rock and also way more experienced than I will ever be (they are literally the oldest member of the Warden's little Blight fighting squad).

Sten:

Sten is another person I'd keep a respectful distance from physically. That seems to be the what he would prefer, at least. I've enjoyed his character a lot, especially because he seems pretty clear-cut at first, but slowly lets the nuance of his person show (gruff and stoic, but then he has an eye for art, a sweet tooth and he likes cute animals). It's also very interesting that there's no moment when you learn "the truth" about him the way you do with Zevran or Leliana. There's no big reveal about his life under the Qun before coming to Ferelden. He says he was sent to monitor the Blight, but honestly? If neither Ferelden nor Orlais knew there was a Blight, how could the Qunari know? I think he's lying, and he takes his secrets back with him when he leaves Ferelden. And yet I think I know him enough to say that a Warden who has become friends with him has nothing to fear from Sten.

One thing I find very interesting about Sten is how he thinks. His conversation about how women can't be soldiers has been analysed a lot on this page I think. He seems to be arguing based on a different paradigma than the one the Warden has. He also seems to have a very clear-cut view of the world. What is fascinating to me is that, when arguing with the Warden and learning about their culture, he is not necessarily becoming more lax about his worldview. I think it's more likely that he is expanding his paradigma, the structure of thought through which he understands the world. I don't think that he is now convinced that women can be warriors as well. I think he rather understands that, in Ferelden, the relationship between occupation and gender is different than under the Qun. Which of the two he thinks is more right or more agreeable, I have no idea. I'm also not very interested in that. But I find it fascinating how he always seems to be looking on quietly, gathering data, classifying it and trying to fit it into his understanding of how the world works. I wouldn't be surprised at all if his original party was a scouting party to see how vulnerable Ferelden was at that moment to outside forces. One thing I don't understand with all of this is why he urges the Warden to meet the Blight head on. No smart soldier would suggest that, except if they are foolishly proud (and Sten doesn't seem like that kind of guy tbh). I get that the Warden takes way longer to gather allies than expected because they first have to solve all of their allies' problems. But surely Sten sees the need to have allies? Is he just that impatient? Does he have a death wish (à la, I lost my sword and am without honour, better to die sooner than later and in glorious battle)? Was he his group's previous commander and is he now having trouble following somebody else's orders? Or maybe it's his way to make sure the Warden knows what they are doing? To push them into becoming the self-assured commander their allies will need once they're all gathered? I really don't know. I like the last option best, however.

For me, Sten is my fellow, more experienced soldier. Like Alistair, he can potentially be the Warden's brother in arms, but he's definitely the older brother here. He probably doesn't take kindly to tearful confessions of how hard everything is, but I feel like he's otherwise a solid rock to lean on. I feel like the Warden can trust him to do what is necessary and count on him no matter what, especially after they get his sword back. His devotion from that point on is honestly so powerful.

Wynne:

Wynne was such a support for my Warden (except with the whole conversation about love vs. duty and that she may have to choose between Zevran and ending the Blight and that she should therefore break up with him. Wynne had a point. Astala was so not willing to sacrifice her relationship with Zevran. But the whole conversation came at a point where she was already so disillusioned that she blew up in Wynne's face (”can i please just have one (1) nice thing????”)). But all in all, Wynne is great.

She has a lot of flaws. She was very marked by her life in the Cricle and, for all her age, she has little experience living outside of it. She is also a conformist despite her strong moral core. In a way, her ability to find peace with her lot in life impresses me deeply because it speaks to a lot of strength of character. Sadly, however, strength can be ill applied and used to suppress. I think she has convinced herself that the Chantry is right under (almost) all circumstances to be able to rationalize the life that mages live. She's had her son taken away from her as a baby and an apprentice killed. Her reaction seems to have been to convince herself that this was right, or for the greater good (and now I'm thinking about the Guardian's question at the temple of Andraste's Ashes; are you wise or do you just repeat what others have told you? The answer is not as clear-cut as it might be). This is why she is so irritated by Zevran and Morrigan. By aligning herself with the Chantry, she is, in her eyes, good. Zevran and Morrigan are not; they do not conform to Chantry morality and they defend themselves tooth and nails against somebody who would try and convert them. This is something Wynne never allowed herself to do; she always did the "right" thing and it has cost her so much. I'm not saying she was right (it would probably have done her some good to rebel from time to time, and to trust her own gut instinct more), but in light of this, it hardly surprises me that she's so judgamental. She has to be, or she would be forced to confront all the evil she has not fought against all those years and all the hurt that has been caused to her by the very institution she protects (and thank God she only tries to argue and can appreciate it when people have found a good life outside of her comfort zone. If she tried to convince by force or, for example, drag her former apprentice back to the Circle... boy oh boy that would get ugly). If you think about it, Wynne really is a good example for what happens if you live by a philosophy of always choosing the lesser evil.

Something that I keep forgetting over her grandmotherly and dignified character is how damn powerful she is. She has escaped the carnage at Ostagar; HOW!? She protected those mage apprentices in the Circle tower for God knows how long. In the battle of Denerim, she wades through an army and comes out alive on the other side. The wiki lists her age at 40, I think, but that doesn't make a lick of sense unless 75 years of age are the Fereldan equivalent to 100. This lady, about whom people make grandmother jokes, did all that. It's impressive.

Zevran:

You know, I would really love to know what Wynne thinks about the events at Kirkwall in DA2. It might be a disaster for her, or it might pave the way for one last bit of character development. She certainly didn't want to return to the Circle after fighting the Blight. That may be an indicator of some change in her stance on the Circle of Magi.

Edit: I forgot that she is what the Circle considers a literal abomination! Holy cow, how could I forget that?? Anyway, her conversation about what being an abomination means is so... heartbreaking, actually. It's so tentative. So careful. "Am I an abomination? Am I the same thing that has killed my students? The same thing as Uldred? Am I lost and damned? Did I invite this spirit in? Is this my fault?" Like wow, Wynne is going through something huge right there. I love it. I have to continue playing the game to see what it ends up as, but it's fascinating and such a huge thing that she allows the Warden in on that.

Ah, Zevran, my beloved (he has stolen my heart so much it's not even funny anymore). He's funny, he's charming, he's so so loyal and it breaks my heart. Zevran is the one about whom I've read most meta: these three wonderful posts for instance, as well as this one about his possible lack of scars, and this one about his lack of freedom. All of these have influenced my opinion of him and they are great reads.

I have talked about Zevran with you before, so I'll just skip to the new stuff. I have come to conclusion that Zevran is an artist at heart. This is totally not biased by the fact that I also do art, but hear me out. One of his preferred gifts are bars of silver and gold. While those have the obvious utility of basically functioning as money (they can be sold to any silversmith or goldsmith and their value is pretty stable through time and in different countries), there's also this from his codex: "Zevran shows an affinity for the finer things in life—hardly surprising for an Antivan Crow—but his appreciation can be more poetic than he lets on. A simple bar of refined silver or gold, uncomplicated by a craftsman's hammer, is elegantly valuable." Tell me that is not an artist's eye that sees that gold and sees the beauty in it. Then, there's also the meta about Zevran the Seducer which I linked above and link here again. It talks specifically about how he lets himself enjoy the target and be seen in his enjoyment. Tell me that is not an artist's eye that beholds the beauty of something he is set out to destroy. Even his talk about his assassinations show this. He talks about it as an art, the way somebody would talk about the brutal intervention in stone that produces a sculpture. Yes, it's a rationalization of the act of killing and yes killing is still wrong. But he doesn't go on about it on a moral tangent the way Alistair or Wynne would (”this person was bad, killing them was necessary”) or even through the argument of survival like Morrigan would (”it was either them or me and it sure as Hell wasn't going to be me”). He talks about the pleasure of a job well done, of the satisfaction of striking the precise point and executing a plan to the perfection so as to minimize chances of discovery and to make a clean death possible. And pleasure in seeing and in doing, this I firmly believe, is absolutely fundamental for an artist.

My favourite part about my Warden and Zevran as a pairing is that Zevran precisely brings out that ability to take your pleasures as they come and to really savour them. Fighting the Blight is tough; it's so important to find good things amidst the chaos to stay sane. If Astala saves Zevran from himself by offering him a place to stay and a purpose, Zevran saves Astala from herself by keeping her from running herself into the ground trying to save the world.

There are some things I don't like about Zev. The incessant flirting, for example, sometimes makes me uncomfortable (it becomes enjoyable for me once the Warden and him are in a relationship, but before that? Nah, no thanks). I wish he would also leave the other female characters alone (and there's so many more shameless comments of his aimed at Morrigan, Leliana or Wynne than at Alistair or maybe even Sten).

---

And that's my take on the Origins companions (this was rather long. Whew ^^' I hope it was still readable and that you enjoyed it!!) Thank you so much for the ask!! It's been a joy thinking about this. I was worrying at first that the less prominent companions like Sten or Shale wouldn't get as much content but... well XD

[niks-minion]

BNHA 310 Chapter rambling

Man, it’s been so long since my last try to analyze this mess pretending to be funny.

Let’s have one more go!

So from the first page Hori puts us in a dark “Batman vs Superman” vibe atmosphere. Rainy season is a bitch.

Are these dudes heroes or vigilantes or just citizens who pretend they care? Poor giant girl. Stomp on them, you have all the rights.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane... it’s Superman!

Deku is just like “ok fellas, how about you back off?” And they are “ok man, jeez, no need to be rude”

What a caring little bun. A true gentleman. I’d have a crush if I was this lady.

I don’t have guts to joke about sugar daddy, I’m sorry.

Seriously tho, during his 40 years of work, I imagine AM has like 30 cars like that. Deku, you lucky bastard. Not only caring but awfully rich dad. Score!

WHO ALSO MAKES YOU FOOD. He enrolled in cooking class after retirement.

Deku even looks like his mini copy.

Hello to my fav hellboy. I’ve missed this dude.

Yep, no progress here. I kinda really curious what the villains up to rn. I like how Deku separated Dabi in his own category 👀

“I doubt Endeavor with Aizawa together...” so not Hawks, not BJ (like the ones from top three) but Aizawa. Thanks, sir. Dadzawa deserves to be listed among the strongest ones!

I don’t even want to cut this frame.

Like we clearly can see panic, and that he’s scared. That the weight of responsibility is pretty damn hard to carry.

But this makes me wonder about todo and baku again. Like Izuku is ok to trust Top 3, to rely on ofa tea party but left those two behind in order to protect? Well, I’m sure as hell they didn’t took that lightly.

Welp, with those two out of the picture we still need our gay tension so here we go!

My heroes 👀 mhm, ok.

Oops, awkward. Not only bnha fandom caught up, but the whole bunch of guys on their pompous chairs are ready to facepalm. 6th rolled his eyes, I’m telling you.

Hahah, have I said that I absolutely adore that gremlin of the ofa squad? Because I do.

It reminds me of Todo family dinner and Bakugou screaming to send it back to normalcy. Nice move!

Oh come on, we all know how it works. Turn around and let Yoichi drag you in the battle. It’s the power of lo... friendship!

On a serious note, I like how the 2 and 3 don’t just jump on the bandwagon. They doubt it and their reasoning is valid.

He has a point, ok?!

I can’t go and leave the elephant in the room. I KNOW HE LOOKS LIKE BAKUGOU.

I’m still gonna die on the hill of denial. Numbers in names thing, his general vibe, Deku without a hint of recognition, this time travel trope being stupid as fuck... you name it.

But thanks, now a have a vivid image of adult Baku for future fics. Yay.

Anyhow, doesn’t prevent me to put him in my number one place from ofa holders. It’s just my type.

Oh, sweet sweet parallels. For me as I see it, it’s a hint on bkdk in the past, also Shigaraki and Deku. Everyone deserves a hand. To be saved.

Also it’s a hint on bkdk 3. This time tho it’s gonna be Bakugou. Extending hand with “you’re not alone, stupid nerd”. He’s gonna be a true hero, and I’m gonna cry a sea of proud tears.

Not only that, it’s a declaration of friendship. Like back then, according to Deku, Bakugou would only accept Kirishima’s hand- bc they are equals and bc they are friends.

BNHA IS ABOUT HANDS HOLY SHIT.

Todo and Enji, Bakugou and Midoriya, now this... TOO SOFT JUST THE WAY I PREFER.

Ok this is my favorite frame this week.

They are so badass, ready to kick asses but then you look closely and see the bento box, lol.

Poor kiddo, no time for self-care.

“Shut up, food first!” Kageyama, you’re right as always!

In conclusion, I want to say, Hori pls give me my boys back already, I’m afraid I can’t suffer any longer. Also despite Deku’s gauntlets I still anticipate some kind of drawback. This top3 squad is doomed to fail.

Also 2,3 guys better not have quirks even slightly similar to Todo and Baku ones.