#also SURELY someones ones to see the reference to the dream team in here. right. pleasee its not that subtle XD

[moonverc3x]

Happy 2 Year Anniversary, Stargate!!! 🥳

Here's my commemorative artwork for Stargates' 2 year anniversary art trade!!! Everyone made such lovely artworks this year!!!

Character tags are under the cut!! I'll be doubling this as tourney propaganda as well, since quite a few ocs from the tourney are present!! (you should also vote for J in the @kirbyoctournament !!!)

Starting with the @kirbyoctournament characters, we have:

Moonstone @m0x1ez

Fylass @george228732

Orion Knight @0mega-starl1ght

Starstruck Dee @starflungwaddledee

Rimuri @zeros-witness

Periwinkle @shibuyatoastedcursor

Wisp @moonsharkss

Aphelion @hadopelagicpsi

Antu jr. @ant-bunny

Neko Knight @electric-s0da

Anti @boa35

Dazor @a-stardusted-sky

J @moonverc3x (in the tv!!)

And to the other half of my friends and foes (/aff) who participated, whos ocs aren't in the tournament!:

Patch Knight @voiddemon

Mono @autumnleafdraws

King Empatal @justalilstar

Chromatic @mementomarx

Freya @zombiecicada

Trix @pikajade

Florence @bloodiegawz

Dune @hyperz0ne

Cod @thatonepizzaman

Coppi @poyobox

Star Galbo @ibatomik

Ichor @sirdarkmatter

Moth Knight @notkirbiinut

Dex @clairetimes

Loga @goldendragonleaf

Happy birthday Stargate!! Its been a lovey two years with you all, and I'm looking forward to spending many more together! <3

[gay-dorito-dust]

Imagine being Joaquin’s favourite avenger -after Sam of course- and Sam figures this when one day Joaquin made a passing comment regarding you, in hopes of coming across as subtle but Sam knew Joaquin and he was anything but subtle when it came to his fanboy side.

‘You were on the same team as y/n right?’

Sam raises a brow at the young man. ‘Yeah, joined at the same time, why? You’re not going to tell me you’ve got a poster of them that you want them to sign do you?’ He says, his voice teasing when he saw Joaquin shift his weight on one foot to another, a habit he had noticed only recently but one that only made his job in teasing the poor lad all the more easier.

‘No.’ Joaquin says almost defensively, crossing his arms over his chest, feeling as though he was being seen through by Sam right now. ‘Just think it’s cool that you were on the same team and they’re cool too, that’s all.’ He adds as he rubs the back of his head sheepishly as a small smile crept across his lips. Oh yeah Sam could see through Joaquin as though he were glass and he was doing a poor job at hiding his true feelings.

Sam smiles when he recalls on all the times that he could tell Joaquin about you that were uncool, but you would have his ass for it as your relationship was that akin to siblings, you took the piss out of one another for tripping over thin air but were straight to defending one another if anyone stepped out of line. So when he feels as though someone has even the slightest hints of attraction towards you, Sam feels the need to size them up and see whether or not they’ll be worth your time and energy, something you expressed embarrassment over multiple times but it never stopped Sam from being overprotective; yet he has this feeling at the back of his head that Joaquin would somehow be different.

‘They are cool, but they’re also a pain in my ass.’ Sam replies, giving Joaquin a pointed look as though he was about to give him a very vital history lesson. ‘So don’t let their sweet and pleasant words fool you because it’s a trap, and before you know it salt is being put in your coffee because you apparently stole their 20inch plushie of a blue highland cow, when in actuality it was misplaced.’ He finishes and the look on Joaquin’s face was priceless as his brows were furrowed and his head tilted to the side, not knowing how to process all this information.

‘Ooookay?’ Joaquin laughs as his eyes shift, not knowing how to fell in getting some insider knowledge about you outside of your avengers persona, finding the fact that you supposedly had a 20inch blue highland cow plushie was cute, but he wasn’t sure why Sam was telling him this stuff to begin with. It wasn’t as if he was ever going to meet you to begin with anyways, having believed that you might’ve retired along with most of your fellow avengers after the battle against Thanos, so Joaquin was more or less under the belief that meeting you was only something that would ever happen in his dreams.

Disheartening? Yes but what could he really do.

Sam watched the young man with observant eyes, clearly seeing the inner teenage boy that has a raging crush and or admiration for you within Joaquin’s every move, every shift in his expression along with the singular bead of sweat dripping down the side of his temple. What the young man had no idea was that Sam had invited you over to meet him, and the moment that a rhythmic knocking on a door sounded throughout the room, a knowing smile blossomed across Sam’s face as he pats Joaquin on his shoulder.

‘They’re here.’ Was all he says as he went to sender the door, leaving poor Joaquin confused as his mind racked any and every possibility of who this ‘they’ Sam could be referring to. The answer was one he least expected, unless it was the plot point of a fanfic or a dream as Sam came back to him with his arm thrown over your shoulders as you shared a laugh over something he didn’t hear.

‘So this is Joaquin?’ You asked Sam, who only hums in agreement as you looked over to the starstruck man in front of you. ‘He’s cute and he’s got promise.’ Joaquin almost felt his heart stop at your compliment as he found himself shifting his weight from one foot to another, smiling to himself as he repeated your words within his head that only made heat rise to his cheeks faster.

Sam squeezed your shoulder. ‘You’ve been here for five minutes and are already flustering the poor lad, look at him!’ He points to Joaquin, who silently was cursing Sam out for putting him on the spot as you only smiled and reached out to pat his arm. ‘Oh shush, if anyone’s flustering the poor lad it’s you pointing it out!’ You replied as you looked into his beautiful eyes, giving him a reassuring smile towards him. Joaquin was indeed a handsome man with dark hair, dark eyes and a smile that many would swoon over but his attractiveness was the least of your concern when Sam was teasing him senselessly, not giving him any room to breath.

‘It’s nice to finally meet you Joaquin, I’ve heard a lot about you from this loser here. I’m sorry you stuck dealing with him.’ You gutted a finger towards Sam, who gasped behind you dramatically.

Joaquin laughs, slowly feeling himself relax within your presence. ‘Good things I can only hope.’ He says, his eyes darting across your face to memorise your every feature in hopes of it being engraved within his head. ‘And Sam’s been nothing but a great mentor, really and I’m not just saying that because he might not be so kind to me in future, especially if I show favouritism toward you over him.’ You chuckled at his words and Joaquin felt as though he was on cloud nine as his eyes president twinkled with happiness, all the while Sam looked between you both with his arms over his chest, only to soon realise that the slowburn between you two has just begun.

[velocesainz]

Can you do a fic where the reader works for Ferrari and has been friends with Charles for a long time, and recently Charles and the reader have a friends with benefits thing going on, but the reader is actually in love with him. Then when Lewis moves to Ferrari, he takes an interest in the reader, the reader decides to give him a shot and stops the situationship with Charles and he realises he doesn't want to let her go.

A/n: This request is literally sooo good also I changed the idea slightly I hope you don't mind, enjoy!

But what about us?

F1 masterlist | Main masterlist |

Summary: reader and Charles are childhood best friends and she works at Ferrari and has an interesting situationship with Charles. When Lewis joins Ferrari he is bewitched by reader and starts developing a strong bond with her but what will happen to Charles and reader?

Warnings: cursing? Mentions of sex, mdni

Pairing: Charles x reader; Lewis x reader

Reader pov:

After another night in with Charles I went back to my apartment to get ready for work.

Me and Charles have been friends from when we were in diapers

A drunken accident a few months ago changed our dynamic turning us into friends with benefits.

It really hurts constantly refer to Charles as my best friend

The truth is I’ve been in love with him for quite a few years at this point but I know he will never see as anything more than his best friend or fuck buddy

I got dressed and headed to the headquarters in Maranello, there was a welcoming meeting for Lewis Hamilton

Lewis was someone who always left me in awe, I admired Lewis so much and to be able to work with him as his race engineer seems like an absolute dream

When I got there the place was already jam packed with people- sponsors, mechanics, managers pretty much the entire Ferrari team was here to welcome him today

“Ah there you are y/n!” I turned around to be met with Fred who was closely followed by Lewis Hamilton himself

“Lewis this is y/n, she will be your race engineer for the coming season. Don’t worry she is one of the absolute best on the entire grid” he said introducing me to Lewis

“Well it’s a pleasure to meet my talented and beautiful race engineer” he said to me adding a wink causing me to blush

THE Lewis Hamilton was flirting with me

Oh god I could pass away right now.

"I'll let you two get acquainted with each other. Y/n make sure he knows all of your weird short signal things" Fred told us and disappeared into the crowd

"Lets go somewhere less crowded." Lewis said to me as he grabbed my hand and led me to an empty room

I felt my heart race as he closed the door and he sat me down in one of the chairs are we started talking

What felt like minutes took hours. We talked and talked about nearly everything, we were in our own world until my phone rang bringing us to the real world.

I looked at the caller id, it was Charles.

I picked up the call and was met with shouting on the other end

"Y/N WHERE ARE YOU? DID YOU LEAVE OR SOMETHING I'VE BEEN WORRIED SICK! I COULDN'T FIND YOU ANYWHERE AND NOBODY KNEW WHERE YOU WENT. ARE YOU OK??"

"Charles I'm fine don't worry, I'm in the conference room 002 with Lewis."

"Lewis? Why were guys in a random conference room? There's no meeting today, Fred is here mingling with everyone"

"Cha Fred told us to get familiar with each other and we couldn't really hear anything outside. You can go home if you wish, my car is with me"

Charles didn't reply and just cut the call

Me and Lewis went straight back to talking and soon enough it was time for us to leave. From next week onwards new season prep would be in full swing.

"I had a really great time with you y/n, I was wondering if I could have your number so we can talk over strategies?" Lewis asked me as we both headed out to our cars.

I blushed and typed in my phone number into his phone and we both went our separate ways

Time skip to Bahrain gp:

We were 3 races deep into the new 2025 season and me and Lewis have become closer than ever and we were going over some strategies in his drivers room in peace.

My mind doesn't go over to Charles as much anymore, Lewis's company really makes it hard to focus on anyone else.

"And that's it. What do you think?" I asked Lewis after going over the latest strategy I came up with.

"It looks really good, I think we'll do this one instead of the first one" He told me and I nodded at him and got up to leave the room to get everything ready for today's race.

"Hey y/n/n could I ask you something?" he asked as I was about to open the door

I stopped and turned to look at him and tilted my head in slight confusion but signalled him to continue

"Would you like to go out to dinner after today's race, l-like a date?"

I blushed a deep shade of red but my mind thought about the situation between me and Charles.

It was clear that he didn't like me back and I felt it was about time for me to move on from him

"The race ends at like 1 Lew, you will be too tired. Tell you what, if you place on the podium today I'll go out with you for lunch. Like a date."

I told him and went out the door but put my ear against the door to hear his cute celebration of "Yes, yes, yes! Finallllllyyyyyy!!"

After the race:

I couldn't believe it. Not only had Lewis got onto the podium, he got onto the top step of it.

It was his first race win in 3 years and his first race win with Ferrari and everyone was surrounding him congratulating him on his wonderful performance until he came up to me

"I'll be at your place at 12, dress nicely. Also thank you for you amazing strategies" he gave me a kiss on the cheek and left leaving me speechless and frozen in place

Charles pov:

I saw everybody celebrating Lewis's but I couldn't help but feel left out. I had DNF'd and I had no one to comfort me.

I knew y/n was the only person who could make me feel better in this situation so I head out to find her only to find her talking to Lewis who kissed her and left for the cooldown room.

She was standing there blushing a ferrari red with a stupidly cute grin on her face.

I felt my world crumble further. First my team started caring about my teammate more than me and now my best friend and my long time crush was in love with him and not me.

The only way we had spent time with each other the past few weeks was when my dick was buried deep inside her but I have a feeling that we won't be able to do that much more now.

I walked back to my drivers room and let out all my emotions sobbing into my hands. Y/n had just sent me a text saying we should stop the friends with benefits we had going on.

Why had the world been so cruel to me? The only support I had left was now also gone.

Time skip:

I texted Y/n for the first time in weeks wanting to hear so desperately from her. I needed to tell her how I felt regardless of how her Lewis were doing.

A/n: Hello lovelies! I'm so so so sorry for being so inactive recently. I promise there will be more fics in the near future. As always make sure to let me know your feedback. Also make sure to comment to be part of the taglist! Kissies ✨

[arcadia-of-pluto]

LADS! Idol Group AU — Y/n

(Banner Art — @/AngyeFdez on X)

Before I officially start on the drabbles/prelude, I just wanted to present the Y/n's for this drabble series! There's going to be six in total, one for each love internet and then one for the polycule.

For poly Y/n, the others will have a purely friendship-type of relationship while in the solo ones, poly! Y/n will be a normal manager and, often times, middle-man for their relationships.

I haven't completely fleshed them out just yet, but I thought I might as well post what I have so far and gauge how y'all feel about it!

I'll also reiterate here the nicknames for each Y/n;

Zayne's Y/n — Petal

Sylus's Y/n — Kitten

Caleb's Y/n — Pipsqueak

Rafayel's Y/n — Cutie

Xavier's Y/n — Starlight

Manager Y/n — Grey

(If I'm honest, Grey came from an old bts fic I read where Y/n was referred to as that instead of Y/n. I couldn't think of a better "name" and I just wanted to let that be known!)

💙🐁🐭💙⚘️🥀💙🐭🐁💙🥀⚘️💙🐁🐭

Zayne's Y/n

Y/n has been with her group since she was 15. From trainee to debut. She was always the poorest of the four, the butt of the joke, but she tried her best to get along with the other three girls. She was the youngest, so she was already at a disadvantage, but she wanted to prove to them and the higher-ups that she was a good addition to the group. However, the group wasn't gaining enough publicity and so her manager decided they needed to have one of the girls act out to get eyes on them.

To be the ‘Wildcard’ and have more people talking about them, and that role was unsurprisingly given to Y/n. At first, Y/n wasn't aware of this. She'd be confused and panicked whenever tabloids would post about her having a “night out” with another guy when she was just hanging out with one of her cousins. Or when she had a class reunion and was photographed leaving the bar with her friends. But eventually, the team sat down with her and explained everything. Because she was being portrayed as a “problem child”, the group was becoming more popular.

People were keeping an eye out on the group for her, to see what she'd get herself into next. Y/n didn't want to ruin her image to put her other bandmates up on a pedestal, but what else could she do? (Her group could be called BILY – Because I Love You). 

Anyway, idol x idol and maybe her manager decides to take it up to the next level and tells her to get close with someone from the most popular idol group at the moment, which is LADS. She only listens to her manager, because maybe someone at UNICORNS INC could help her become a soloist, she can't stay with her group any longer because it's absolutely ruining her image. Every single video, it's “she has such a good voice, it's a shame she acts the way she does”, “if she wasn't such a good dancer, she would've been kicked from the group”, “what's all the hype anyways? She's not even that good looking”, “BILY deserves better! #Y/nleavethegroup”. (It's the best idea I have right now.)

She'll be 19 when LADS is first formed (while Zayne is 22) and when the official drabbles begin, she'll be 24 while Zayne is 27.

❤️🐈‍⬛🖤⛓️🖤🐈‍⬛❤️⛓️❤️🐈‍⬛🖤⛓️🖤🐈‍⬛❤️

Sylus's Y/n

I'm not sure why, but I want his Y/n to be a stripper turned actress. Like she's always had big dreams, but she's doing what she can to make money so she first meets Sylus at the N109 Zone while she's a waitress and a stripper and he's a rapper in Onychinus. As he works his way up through the ranks of Onychinus, she's by his side every step of the way. They're not exactly friends, but they're not strangers either. Right before Sylus leaves to pitch his idea to UNICORNS INC, he tells Y/n about his plans and she encourages him.

She even hits his shoulder with a smile and says, “When you make it big, don't forget about me, y'know?” And while he's off training with his new group, she also gets scouted, but for a completely different industry. Acting.

So his Y/n is basically just actress x idol

I know this one has significantly less writing, but it was the easiest to explain. The other Y/ns, including this one, will be of similar age to their love interest until we get to poly! Y/n whose age will be more in the middle.

💚🐰🐇💚🍂🍃💚🐇🐰💚🍃🍂💚🐰🐇

Caleb's Y/n

For this au, Caleb and Y/n won't be step siblings, because outside of the games, I can't justify pseudo-incest. (I have a step brother and don't wanna screw him — my sister, on the other hand, did 🕴 /srs)

Instead, Caleb was taken in by Y/n's grandma, Josephine. Josephine didn't really want to take Caleb, but Y/n insisted. Josephine worked at an Orphanage, that's how she adopted Y/n, and whenever Y/n sae Caleb, noticed how quiet and distant he was compared to the other children, she couldn’t help but be reminded of herself. So an 11-year old Y/n begged Josephine to take in the 13-year old Caleb. Josephine didn’t even have to adopt him! She could just be his guardian. After she took him in, Y/n grew close with Caleb, learnt his story about how he was separated from his parents, and dove into research and news articles to find his parents. She found nothing.

Besides their last name Xia.

So Caleb continued to live with them, even getting a part time job during school since Josephine paid more attention to Y/n. She didn't even give Caleb an allowance, but Y/n didn't know this. Even when he graduated college, Y/n was the only one there for him. (He went straight to college after highschool graduation at 18 and graduated college at 19. He was volunteering at a local air base to get a feel for if he wanted to work there, shadowing employees throughout college, and eventually he got to flying.

So he technically has two years of experience whenever he gets into his accident at 20.

Again, Y/n was the only one to show up at the hospital for him. (So childhood friends to lovers, but also she's the one who tells the agents, Tara, Jenna, and Simone, about Caleb and to scout him.) 

But also slowly becoming a Josephine disliker. Put her in an old folks home and be done with it 😭

💜🦊💜🎨🖌💜🦊💜🖌🎨💜🦊💜🎨🖌

Rafayel's Y/n

Rafayel's Y/n will be a fan. But she's actually been a fan since his old Tidus days, whenever he revealed his very first artwork (which she immediately bought once he sold it). She's on the richer side of life. She's always gotten what she wants, but she knows the struggles of the lower class.

Her and her mother used to be dirt poor, always scraping by for their next meal, but when Y/n turned 11, there was someone at their doorstep. An agent from UNICORNS INC. They were looking for one Miss “M/n” and it appears your father, who you never knew at this point, had been looking for your mother this whole time.

Your father was elated to learn he had a successor to his company, but also a daughter. A sweet child that he could spoil and now he has his beloved wife back.

Y/n saw Rafayel's first work at 16 (he was 17) and knew she had to have it, but it wasn't for sale. Not until two years later, when Rafayel (Tidus) was more famous, did he sell it. So at 18 (him 19), she was in a huge bid war until she finally won the painting. She has it hung up in her apartment. Then, a few months later, Rafayel dropped from the public eye. (He was doing this idol training with the others, this training went on for a few months before they went to the public to reveal their group).

💛🦢🪺💛🌉💛🪺🦢💛🌉💛🦢🪺💛🌉

Xavier's Y/n

What if his Y/n was someone he had a crush on in college, they slept together at a party when they were drunk (they both remember) and she got pregnant? 🤔 So they'll be parents at 18/19 and when Xavier is 23, the baby would be around 4 years old. Okay, okay.

The two had a mutual crush on each other during college, but neither ever reached out. They were mostly acquaintances, working together on projects and one-sidedly fighting for the top ranked student. Y/n was trying to be number 1, always falling short, and Xavier wasn't even trying. He would usually not nap in classes she was in, but a few weeks after the party, she dropped out. So Xavier lost his motivation to stay up in his classes and that's what led to him being kicked out of college.

Y/n dropped out because she was embarrassed. Her and Xavier weren't dating, she had a crush on him, and now she's pregnant. She's downright mortified. She can't tell him that he's suddenly going to be a father because what if he just says he doesn't care or that he wants nothing to do with her? She's too nervous and anxious of his reaction to even be around him, so she left college and got a job at Linkon's local bookstore. She practices writing while pregnant and after she gives birth, she publishes her first book.

By the time her and Xavier are both 23, she's a best selling author and a mother to a lovely 4 year old daughter named Margot (child of the light). So his Y/n will be one night stand/single parent?

Don't ask why my mind jumped to college pregnancy, hidden baby type stuff for Xavier, but I am extremely attached to Margot

🩷🦭🩷📃✒️🩷🦭🩷✒️📃🩷🦭🩷📃✒️

Poly! Y/n

In the non-poly drabbles, Grey / Y/n will just be their manager. She'll be helping them with their relationships and being completely professional.

In the poly drabbles, Grey / Y/n will also be their manager, but they'll be trying to win her heart. They all know they like her and they're trying to get her to realize it.

The other Y/n's will be present, but Pipsqueak will just be Caleb's childhood friend who called in a favour to get him scouted, Petal will be the troublesome member of BILY who comes to them for help, Cutie will be a rich fan who helps them out with money troubles and the face behind their social media account, Starlight will still have Margot but her and Xavier's college crushes have since went away and they're close friends (Margot comes over to play with Grey and Xavier, and Grey loves it. She would sit there with a smile and say, “I can't wait to have ours…” And “Margo can be their big sister.”) And Kitten will be Sylus's actress friend who helps Rafayel dip his toes into the acting business and is close friends with Grey.

Since Grey's mother was a stripper who worked at the N109 Zone and slept with her clients, which led to her getting pregnant. Grey's mother ditched her and so she was raised by the strippers of the N109 Zone (similar to MaoMao from Apothecary diaries being raised by the sex workers).

[fae-morrigan]

Some of my scattered notes from Sina & Nicole's super son live:

Secondary Title of Super Son is "Dreams So Real"

Damian and Galaxy (taylor barzelay) cameos!

On those two, Nicole referred to Damian as being like Jon's brothers, and hinted at the superqueers sort of forming their own team (with Jayjonia at the center). Described as like, 'the mystery gang but they hate each other' LOL

"Its really trippy and surreal" <- Said several times over the course of the lives

30 pages of the oversized oneshot are Sinas, 10 are Nicoles. Sina has John Timms, Nicole has Travis Mercer.

Reitered several times: "This is sort of teeing these three characters (jon, nia, jay) up for the next two, three years."

Another comparison of Jayjonia to scottjeanwolf LMFAO. We love to see it!

Sina sort of points out that up until this point, Jay's sort of been the ultimate soft boy. He's put a lot of himself aside, he's constantly accomodating, but he's still scrappy, and right now during Super Son he's kind of feeling his anger.

On the above point, Sina and Nicole affirm this one shot really gives Jay the space to feel what he's feeling. With jayjon, "One of the things that Jon fell in love with about Jay was his idealism, and how he saw the world." and "[they've] just been through such intense trauma, [how do they] be there for each other?"

Core of the story is about Trauma. How do you deal with Trauma when you're still in it? What do you do when it overwhelms you?

Jay, Jon and Nia are all canonically in the 18-19 years old range. Young adults, as we suspected.

Sina on writing teen clark vs. jon: "He's more aggressive ... Being this mixture of his mother and his father, he's headstrong, and he takes a lot after his mother, he's not just half human, he's half lois lane"

NICOLE PITCHED A BRAINY & NIA SPINOFF AND THEY FUCKING SAID NO. Also, she originally wanted Brainy on the Dream Team lineup! However she assures me (lol) that Brainia will eventually happen in the comics.

Someone pointed out how interesting it is that Jon's the son of the "big blue boy scout" but his villain is CONSISTENTLY systemic oppression, and Nicole was like, "UGH AND WATCHING HIS LIVED EXPIERIENCE BE IN CONFLICT WITH WHO HE HAS TO BE AS SUPERMAAAAAAAN"

Here's the sneak peak panels we saw.

Be sure to preorder Absolute Power: Super Son by the 26th of August, and then pick it up in stores September 18th!

[maviescafe]

Now that I have experienced the Memories I can say for sure that Infold/the creative team outdid themselves. Why? Simple, this is a AU or Alternative Universe, the cards have good and bad ending and this specific reference to OG otome and it's a really well thought concept and execution I have NOTHING but praise to the dev team and the creative team, they really outdid themselves. The VAs also delivered and I'm really thankful that they put so much work and are committed to give this characters life and keep us immersed in this history.

Whoever, the team behind deciding the paid content made a huge mistake, not the first time though and no one can explain the motive why we have to R1 the card to get the outfits. Wonder in Wander had the SAME issue and CN Sisters weren't happy about it. For those of you who weren't here around that time the problem was similar but it was because MC's outfit was separated the dress from the headpieces and it couldn't be used in battle so everyone questioned why it was a purple dias outfit, a lot of players wasn't on board on it! And now with Tomorrow Catch 22 they separated the Hairstyles from the Clothes and on top of that we have an AMAZING recolor. Maybe it's a technical/programing issue that we don't know about? I don't think so, the ears and tails from the Yes, Caretaker banner was a one piece thing but with the possibility to be equipped separated sooo why they didn't do this with the Hairstyles?

AGAIN to be clear Wander in Wonder is an incredible banner, the clothes of both MC and the LI are myth level, I have to be honest. The Creative team only improved and I believe they will only go up and bring us more dreaming banners and memories to experience with our favorites LIs but now we have to focus on making Paper Games/Infold understand why this boycott is happening.

Honestly? This banner feels like it was thought to go viral and were a test for the Creative team to test possible new features regarding LIs appearance and how well the communitie is receptive of shifting the tropes that every one of the LIs carries within them. Think with me... The trailer had a goal: to shock and make an impression and to be extensively talked about throughout SM, even us wouldn't expect such Concept, right? And I'm not talking about how everyone was expecting a ValD themed banner. Second, not being predictable. Yes, every other game released a Lovey Dovey event for the day so what stand outs catch more attention, right? even though there are people saying that INFOLD didn't expect to top1 in the charts because there is a huge event happening in Honor of Kings I'm sure the team expected to do really good, right? 2nd place is still good. Regarding the Lore (because we know we get chapter updates in 6 months if we are lucky!) this could be a new way to hint at more things and even expand the world that we love and cry about. These Memories were myth level, even if you didn't enjoy it it's clear that the work that was put in those cards shows how the Creative team is willing to give us everything in terms of creativity and to push only forward to be an outstanding game with many aspects and ways of experiencing this great history. I cannot talk about the technical side of it but we can only imagine that it is easier to produce one card rather than 2, right? Or maybe it is faster or even if it can be harder, I don't know and would love to know more about it. If anyone knows, drop a comment and let's spread the word and chat about it.

Speaking of technical side there is a article at IGN covering exactly that, I'm gonna let the link for those of you who like to read about it.

iGN article about Love and Deepspace

It doesn't really matter who started and there is no one to blame rather than the people who are only seeing the money, of course this can be misinterpreted by someone who takes decisions and I fear for the employees, no one here want to see a layoff, especially if the rumors are true and 70% of the companies employees are women. But there are more problems like Sylus missing content that people are claiming is known to be held up behind a paywall by someone at PG and the dev team doesn't share this mindset. So maybe this explains the lack of communication from PG/Infold side? I have no idea honestly.

There are also other issues, like updating a memory to 80/Awakened is really hard to F2P, the pitch that increased tp 85 almost tp 300 to get all the cards and outfits and hair and the list goes on but we have to make our message come across, but what is the right away and with potentially make Infold think it should be better to shou down the Global Servers and not making a huge Lay off? Let's chat Hunters, I believe we can make this together.

[carabas]

Dragon Age Veilguard liveblogging, through the end of the game -

Bianca's broken pieces really were left on Varric's bedside table this whole time, not sure if that's better or worse than if she was part of Rook's hallucination.

And now it's Bellara's turn to send me codex entries from the future, talking about wishing Harding was here now that we've... solved all the big endgame problems that we absolutely have not solved yet? Spoilers, Bellara. i mean, i did already expect to defeat the big bad and save the world in the end. This does rather squash hope for Harding making a last minute Titan-magic-fueled reappearance though.

Talking to Emmrich about when we stopped Solas's ritual back at the very beginning of the game. "It was a team effort. Me, Harding, Neve. And Varric." And the conversation goes on to be specifically about Varric and mourning, no more mention of the others, but that list of names laid out like that is hitting me - Rook is the only person on that list who is not missing or dead. I mean, I've got my fingers crossed for getting Neve back. But the specific people who were lost were the entire team Varric put together, no one left in the Lighthouse ever met him, Varric's team is gone except for Rook.

Talking with Lucanis, Rook questioning if he actually got out of the god prison, this could be more of the Fade... i'm just. flailing in the general direction of the mental Ossuary about this.

And also thinking about all the Dread Wolf's legends about traps, and Rook following in the Dread Wolf's footsteps in this too, both in his own story and as this foundational part of this love story, Rook as the person who opened the door for Lucanis

Also Lucanis wanting to hear Rook talk, "your voice is a comfort" - Rook's voice actor is pretty great, I get it. Pretty sure my love for Rook is mostly due to Alex Jordan's delivery.

Assigning the team to different missions with the allies we've gathered and seeing that play out in this big final battle - feels like everything we did mattered, Dragon Age has really learned from Inquisition's mistakes on this front. Honorary Crow Taash, omg, they get to fulfill their childhood dream!

SOLAS. incoherent flailing in delight about the Rook-Solas confrontation, but WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU WON'T TEAR DOWN THE VEIL, the gasp I gasped, YOU TAKE THAT BACK. Turning on Rook in order to escape the trap wasn't a betrayal, we knew he was going to do that, Rook himself repeatedly said he was going to do that, this is a betrayal. What are you thinking, talk to me Solas... oh, fine, i'm too happy about fighting side by side to be that alarmed right now. One cataclysm at a time.

Bellara thinking over all the questions she had for Solas and what she really wants to know is why he killed Mythal ;_; my girl. i'm so glad I brought this team. And Solas also refers to Spite as a spirit of Determination!! I was starting to wonder if that comes up in this game at all if you don't happen to bring him to fight in the Hall of Valor but Solas points it out too, I'm so happy about this. Lucanis and Spite refusing Solas's offer to separate them, oh my god, everything I want all the time in this game!! except the veil coming down i guess.

BIG WOLF MONSTER SHAPESHIFTER BOYFRIEND i still can't believe they put that in the trailer IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY THE RETURN OF SHAPESHIFTER WIFE, this game is for shady apostate enjoyers specifically

Oh thank god it was a trick lmao, Veil tearing down plan is still on, why did I doubt that, of course it was a trick.

TEN YEARS SINCE INQUISITION. TEN YEARS. and they get their happy ending, lavellan's role in this story was everything i could possibly have dreamed of, no words.

my solavellan heart is very full.

...my mage-rights-obsessed, spirit-loving heart on the other hand is having mixed feelings. i am not surprised the veil did not come down but i did not feel great about turning solas away from that purpose, not without offering him some kind of alternative, someone else picking up the duty he's finally laying down - Lavellan says the people he has wronged are asking him to stop, and indeed some of them are, but the spirits are still so desperate to get back into a world they were separated from that they twist into demons and abominations, Cole in Trespasser was so delighted to discover the Veil was not natural and that he wasn't a wrong thing... but then all my reasons for wanting the Veil torn down come from the previous games and not from Veilguard, why would that be in the ending when it wasn't in the previous hundred hours. Lots of smoothing over of previously complex subjects happening in this game, most of which I'm happy to roll with, but this one's so central to Solas - and the reason this game otherwise works for me even with all its changes in style is because it usually seems to have been built entirely out of love for Solas.

Anyway. I was so incredibly tempted by the option to try to trick the Dread Wolf himself. I want Rook to follow in the Dread Wolf's god-imprisoning-trickster footsteps so badly. But Mythal. And Lavellan's hope for talking Solas around. The lasting reunion for Solavellan that I'd hoped for but wasn't sure we could truly get. So. I haven't looked up what the other endings are like yet, maybe trickster Rook can be something for my Dorianmancing Inquisitor's worldstate.

That post-credits scene - I feel properly rewarded for doing all the sidequests and they've got villains set up for another game if they want them, but by Dragon Age standards that's not even slightly a cliffhanger. The four-game-long story is over. I don't know how I feel but I'm feeling it.

Oh, there's no playable epilogue. I appreciate Bellara's codex entry from the future now.

...okay so I wrote out those last few paragraphs and then actually I couldn't stand having talked him into giving it up, I went back to play through what happens if Rook tries to trick the Dread Wolf and I feel better lmao, it solved my mixed feelings by giving me another, different set of mixed feelings, the mixed feelings balance each other out. I had a blast with this game, we're ending on an odd note, i'm going to be chewing on this for a while.

[solar-serpent]

Hi Paola!!! (Omg I'm not used to calling you by your name hahaha 😆). I'd like to play the astro tarot game please! I pick my FS Venus placement. Thank you!! ^-^

-Karishma

Hello, Karishma! You can call me by my name, Pao or Asteria as sweet old times. Whatever feels comfortable to you💕.

I pulled the 7 of Wands, which is associated with Leo, but this Venus doesn’t give me the vibe of Leo. Sure, they might need to borrow Leo's bravery to function properly, and that’s something that can only be easily achieved through its opposite sign. Aquarius is teaming up with Venus here. Plus, I can’t quite explain this Saturnian feeling I’m getting from this Venus (let’s not forget Aquarius is co-ruled by Saturn).

Your soulmate loves books and anything that involves ink and paper. I’m not sure what his job is, but I can totally picture him with his nose buried in papers, pulling another all-nighter 😶. Venus is the planet of pleasure and self-enjoyment, but in true Aquarius-in-Venus style, he leaves little room for indulgence. What he truly finds 'enjoyable' is the sense of importance that steams from holding a high position at work or having people rely on his power, very much like a father/provider. He genuinely enjoys helping people by giving them the resources they need to thrive, and he has a particular interest in psychology, especially in areas like psychoanalysis and Jungian shadow work. But it goes beyond just an interest—this man is incredibly perceptive and has an expansive view of life. He sees his gifts as a form of therapy, using them to help others face their fears with a calm and steady approach. He has a level of concentration that’s hard to put into words; he always gets tasks done, and it seems almost effortless for him to achieve what he wants. I won’t lie—part of his success likely comes from his family’s wealth or networking with the right people in university. Still, I’d like to give credit to his resilience and sharp eye for spotting opportunities that will benefit him in the long run.

He’s drawn to taboo topics like astral travel, crystal healing, and experiences with death—he actually gives me Victor Vale vibes from Vicious (hope you get the reference, hehe). He’s not one to settle for normalcy or simplicity; he’s drawn to pioneering and understanding the unknown. I’m not entirely sure what the cards mean by this, but it seems he often places himself in situations where he can observe people facing fear or mental struggles. I imagine he might volunteer to understand the challenges of those with fewer resources, and if he’s in the medical field, he’d probably volunteer in hospitals. He’s also deeply invested in a certain phenomenon he experiences often: he can astral travel and seems to have frequent premonitory dreams. He’s very connected to his ancestors, who speak directly to him, so your soulmate is quite protected. I wonder if he sees these messages as a connection with the divine, but I definitely believe he’s a man of some faith.

He has a tendency to hyperfixate, so he can forget about romance for long stretches if he’s fully absorbed in a project or preoccupied with something else. Some people might even think he’s a bit asexual, but I’m sure that’s far from true. He’s drawn to women who can embrace his quirks and show genuine enthusiasm for his wildest ideas. Above all, he wants to feel safe expressing his true self with his partner, free from any fear of judgment. He’s likely drawn to lively, creative women—someone who feels like his opposite. He probably wouldn’t be as compatible with a scientist or engineer, but he could easily fall head over heels for an artist, a kindergarten teacher, or a chef.

I hope this reading was to your liking. If you wish to support me, I will gladly accept a coffee from you.

[mariana-oconnor]

The Crooked Man pt 2

So far we have had no crooked men, miles, sixpences or stiles. I feel a little bereft.

We do however have a corpse, and like so many things, that's a lot more fun in fiction than it would be in real life.

We also have questions: Who else was in the room? Where is the key? Is David a character or a biblical reference? Was this all a swingers evening gone wrong? Why was the door locked? Why did Nancy ask for tea when she usually doesn't?

The paper was covered with the tracings of the foot-marks of some small animal. It had five well-marked foot-pads, an indication of long nails, and the whole print might be nearly as large as a dessert-spoon. “It's a dog,” said I.

Ah nuts, is Watson going to kill this one, too?

“Did you ever hear of a dog running up a curtain? I found distinct traces that this creature had done so.��� “A monkey, then?” “But it is not the print of a monkey.”

Yeah, monkeys have tiny little hands. A cat? They sometimes climb curtains. I'm sure a dog could climb a curtain in the right circumstances.

“Neither dog nor cat nor monkey nor any creature that we are familiar with."

Ferret. I'm going with ferret, although I will accept an alternative mustelidae relative. Probably not a honey badger. Probably...

"You have an indication, you see, of a long body with very short legs attached to it."

Ferret!

Watson, please don't shoot the ferret. I will be very sad if you shoot the ferret.

"On the whole, it was probably some creature of the weasel and stoat tribe—and yet it is larger than any of these that I have seen.”

The honey badger can have a canary, as a treat.

(If it isn't a honey badger now, I'm gonna be so sad. It's a honey badger in my heart.)

"We know, also, that he ran across the lawn, entered the room, accompanied by a strange animal, and that he either struck the Colonel or, as is equally possible, that the Colonel fell down from sheer fright at the sight of him"

"Now, it was equally certain that, immediately on her return, she had gone to the room in which she was least likely to see her husband, had flown to tea as an agitated woman will..."

So the tea is because she was agitated? Okay, I guess I can allow that. It is the British way: crisis = tea. Fair.

"I saw a man coming towards us with is back very bent, and something like a box slung over one of his shoulders. He appeared to be deformed, for he carried his head low and walked with his knees bent."

One (1) 'Crooked' man, check.

Miss Morrison is a good friend, very supportive of her. She is being very rude about this man - Henry - though. 'dreadful looking creature'. He's just a man. Possibly a murderer, true, but there's no need to be quite so rude. Another to join the Watson Society of Judgemental Descriptions.

“‘“I thought you had been dead this thirty years, Henry,” said she, in a shaking voice.'"

So it is a past husband? Right? Right?

Also, I'd like to take a moment to appreciate the amount of nested inverted commas here. This is reported speech within reported speech within reported speech. Double in single in double. I don't think I've ever actually noticed someone doing that before. I know this has nothing really to do with the story, but it's kind of impressive, no?

"'He had a very dark, fearsome face, and a gleam in his eyes that comes back to me in my dreams. His hair and whiskers were shot with gray, and his face was all crinkled and puckered like a withered apple.'"

Clearly we are meant to think of this man as a villain, but I don't want to. Guy's got wrinkles and some sort of disability, so far all he's done is recognise a lady. We've had far creepier people in these stories who everyone's gushed about. I'm on team Henry - for now. Maybe for always.

"The man is by trade a conjurer and performer, going round the canteens after nightfall, and giving a little entertainment at each."

Oh yeah, team Henry absolutely. He's a travelling conjurer of cheap magic tricks?

Although... he does keep a honey badger locked up in a box and brings it out to perform for money. Gosh darn it! This is why we can't have nice things.

Fine, Henry is guilty of animal cruelty and I hope the honey badger eats him. Are you happy ACD? ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?

"She showed it to me, Watson, and it was an Indian rupee."

I thought Indian when they said monkey earlier, because in part one they mentioned the Colonel being involved in the Mutiny - which I assume was one of the Indian Mutinies - but then we went onto mustelidae. And I'm pretty sure the honey badger is native to Africa... oh no, oh no, oh no, I am wrong. It is native to India. HONEY BADGER CONSPIRACY IS BACK IN BUSINESS.

Unless the guy is a were-honey badger. (I mean obviously not really, but that's going in the supernatural Holmes universe in my head as well).

Also it could be a type of marten, but while team Henry has been abandoned, team Honey Badger is going strong.

The man sat all twisted and huddled in his chair in a way which gave an indescribably impression of deformity; but the face which he turned towards us, though worn and swarthy, must at some time have been remarkable for its beauty.

So Watson thinks he's hot? Or he was hot? Coolcool. Not the description I was expecting here.

"There were two men that loved her, and one that she loved, and you'll smile when you look at this poor thing huddled before the fire, and hear me say that it was for my good looks that she loved me."

Well, Watson apparently won't. But it's definitely looking like it's an accidental bigamy situation. I hate it when that happens. Also... liking him for his looks is not the basis for a strong relationship. I hope she liked you for other things, too.

"But the real blow was to my heart and not to my head, for as I came to and listened to as much as I could understand of their talk, I heard enough to tell me that my comrade, the very man who had arranged the way that I was to take, had betrayed me by means of a native servant into the hands of the enemy."

Alas, Colonel Barclay, you were a dick. Congratulations on a truly terrible case of being a poor loser. She didn't want you, just fucking deal with it, my dude. Don't betray your own fucking men. Terrible plan. 0/10. Your death was utterly deserved.

So Henry was tortured and enslaved and permanently disabled, yeah. And also left with so much internalised ableism that he can't bear to go home and be seen like that. Henry, if you weren't super guilty of animal cruelty, I would be fully on your side. I mean I am on your side... just... why do you keep a honey badger in a box?

"But he was dead before he fell. I read death on his face as plain as I can read that text over the fire. The bare sight of me was like a bullet through his guilty heart.”

Good riddance.

I am amused by how things like this happen in victorian fiction, though. Just one look at the guy and he keels over dead.

“It's a mongoose,” I cried.

...

Fine... Honey badger conspiracy is out. But mongeese are pretty cool, too. I've always thought of them as being pretty small, though, but the internet tells me they can be anywhere from 9 inches to 23 inches long. So they are both small and larger, I guess. They're also not mustelids, so there's that.

Also, I should have guessed this, because it's one of my favourite Terry Pratchett quotations and this part is out on the Glorious 25th of May:

'...the trouble with small furry animals in a corner is that, just occasionally, one of them's a mongoose.'

Well it definitely was this time. GNU Terry Pratchett, I should always listen to you.

Honey badger was probably too big to climb up a curtain...

Still shouldn't keep a mongoose in a box and force it to perform, though.

“But if not, there is no object in raking up this scandal against a dead man, foully as he has acted."

I mean, on the one hand, sure, but on the other hand Drag his Ass.

“Yes; David strayed a little occasionally, you know, and on one occasion in the same direction as Sergeant James Barclay. You remember the small affair of Uriah and Bathsheba?"

I may have been wrong about the honey badger, but I was right about the biblical reference. Little wins, amirite?

Turns out Colonel Barclay was as big a dick as the 'violence and vindictiveness' indicated. Alas.

BUT, Watson didn't shoot any animals. Yay.

Although poor Teddy is still shut up in a box and Henry also has a cobra in there that he tortures for the amusement of people in bars.

The next one is another 4-parter, so plenty of time for me to make up harebrained theories about mustelidae.

[usagiverse]

Hello, I totally love you art and designs.

The way the character sheets the expressions change when they show the body is just adorable, and that image of the princess! I'm like Leo! Do you have more designs like that?

By the way I also had that Yuichi's first name/surname debate, I loved your very complete answer.

And now my question I'm curious about Miyamoto and Yuichi's relationship in the image of the two of them together, Miyamoto looks kind of awkward, is it just my imagination?

Hi Nerish, thank you so much for the kind words and compliments! I think you're one of my earliest followers, so here's an official welcome to the blog!

By "designs like that" do you mean more references? I do not! I'm still planning on the story as it involves the already established characters, and they still have some time-period-specific designs that need to be officialized before I can finish their arcs. Other characters, as mentioned before, come in way later in the timeline. Our very first antagonist is one we already know, or at least, we have an idea of who / what. After that arc, we will see another antagonist, and that's where we can start seeing more characters & when I can post new designs. Unless you meant more designs like Princess Miya, in which... Yes, I do! I had a dream about someone posting Leochi art in a discord server, and Yuichi was wearing a uh..... playboy bunny outfit. At the time the dream happened, I thought it was stupid-- a rabbit in a sexy rabbit costume??? But then it got me thinking... first of all, to any NSFW artists out there, that's actually a genius idea, and secondly, I know how to turn a bad idea into a good one. Here are some concepts of a "Magical Girl" inspired AU of Shuji and Yuichi, whose powers are based on different types of flowers. I wanted to keep the same kind of Light VS. Dark theme, and this isn't an AU I will be actively pursuing, but it does exist out there now.

Shuji is based on a Balloon Flower, has a light, airy, and elegant kind of look, while Yuichi is based on a Himalayan Blue Poppy, and has a messy, rough, kind of luxurious feel to it. I like them, but they don't match each other. Most Magical Girl teams, I think, kind of look the same as each other, to signify they are a "team". This looks, well, not like that, lol. Also, couldn't decide if Yuichi should have an asymmetrical arm piece. Lots of strange design choices made here, but they're neat. Yuichi and Miyamoto... Well, I wanted to portray something between them in that image, but as you can see my art style was different then so the expressions are off, the posing is off, everything is... Off. I do think there is something there, though. Miyamoto is training under Yuichi to have the values of a Samurai, but he doesn't abide by them outside of the house. He believes house = safe, and outside = survival, much like Yuichi and Shuji do. Miyamoto is a Samurai at home, and a rogue outside, which is different than the twins who are Samurai all the time. Yuichi is older and wiser, but he has a kooky quality to him that makes Miyamoto question if he was right to train him. Imagine... you know your Uncle to be this funny, kind of hot-headed, stubborn, and even somewhat air-headed dum-dum that never takes anything seriously (from your POV). Then, the mask comes off and he is actually.. really, really strong. You knew that, but you didn't know he was willing to actually pin you against the wall, just to prove a point. It can be a little awkward to think that your Uncle is entirely capable of killing anybody including you, and he is training you to do the same thing. Miyamoto is by no means a pacifist, but he's a peacemaker. If he offers peace and the other side refuses, of course there will be war. But Miyamoto has never had to imagine that he needs to know how to do what Yuichi is training him for, and so, metamorphically, he puts down his sword and walks away from it all. It's a tough responsibility for him. He's not sure he wants to be a Samurai yet. And he has to face the fact that his strange, oddly chillax and really cool Uncle is trained to kill. So this stirs up his little angsty teenage phase, where he shows up to training late, leaves early, doesn't try as hard, and is often away from home. He loves his Uncle. They just gotta work it out is all.

[moldsporr]

Act 5 act 1 is done ! Thank goodness. This took me a couple days so some notes may be outdated (ie: karkat birthday)

Also I finished this last night but. Yk.

Act 1 reaction here

Act 2 reaction here

Act 3 reaction here

Intermission reaction here

Act four reaction here

Notes:

NOOOOO JADE'S DREAM SELF IS DEAD FUCKKKK 

Did Jake write this

Hrrrrngggg this is so. Jade just wanted to hang out with him :( 

Man give the kid some time to cry his friend's dream self is dead!!!

I. Okay. Grieve how you need to grandpa. That makes me so uncomfortable but it's okay 

Oh Morse code. I'm not whipping out the decoder sorry I'm distraught over Jade. I'll download the Pic and translate later 

Hussie idgaf about your recap. What the fuck is happening I thought this was act 5 a few pages ago. Are we NOW At act 5???

Is this trollian

Yaaaaay alternia I've heard of this one. Looks kinda dead though

Yaaaay Karkat birthday. Apparently his bday was yesterday irl!!!!

Emooooo lmaooooo

Troll Sander. Oh Karkat. You and John can and should be besties forever. Kiss now /j

BAHAHAA IVE SEEN THIS PANEL BEFORE. I REFERENCED IT WHEN I DROPPED MY MATH BOOK AND IT MADE A DENT IN THE FLOOR. “I'm karkat-ing it up” I SAID. NO ONE UNDERSTOOD ME

“You were meant to be a bigshot” HAHA SPAMPTOB!!!! Nows ur chance to be a big shot, be a big, be a big, be a big shot 

Omg is this gamzee. Or some other purple guy 

Faygo mention!

AHA YES it's gamzee!!! I know because :o)

Oh gamzee <3 Silly guy. Sure hope he doesn't do anything horrible and violent later (i know a bit of what he does. lord english <333)

The juggalos….

NEPETA AND EQUIUS USERNAMES SPOTTED!!! oh yeah karkats doing stuff. That is what I am supposed to be focusing on

Karkat you're such a drama queen oh my godddd

Terezi you're so cute 

Wait I wanna know the password thing…

CAN WE PLEASE GET TEREZI INTO ACE ATTORNEY. THIS IS SO CUTE I LOVE HER 

That's less cute actually why are you hanging your stuffies. Oh well. Girls can have hobbies I don't mind

YAY NEPETA YAY NEPETA YAY NEPETA

Adorabloodthirsty!!!

Oooo this is Aradia right

That's Eridan methinks

No strife….

This is kinda moving fast ? I mean I don't mind but also I liked the slowness of the previous acts. Oh well. Maybe it's cuz we gotta introduce more characters rn

Sollux!!! I have been told he is not an Eridan lover. Oopsie. The fandom lied to me

HI NEPETA

Aradia what are you doing 

Hey. Is this code how Lord English us born. Isn't it

Oh hi girl! I don't know your name but I've seen you!!! 

Hi tavros! I didn't know you were in a wheelchair. Why do I never see art of you in a wheelchair. All your art is of you smooching gamzee.

HAH REFERENCE… alien reference…

Equius is just Standing There.

ALSO I DONT THINK THATS THE PROPER PROCEDURE TO GIVE SOMEONE PROSTHETIC LEGS

Is that Vriska

Aww… shitty rap offs <333

Ohh yess your name is Aradia!

BAHAH OUIJA BOARD 

Vriska it's you ! I will finally know who you are other than Nagito's daughter. Yippee hurray

Woah baby boy calm down what's in that honey that's making you blast lasers out of your eyeballs

HI SILLY CAT GIRL

OH MY GODDD. The cave in… : (

Autistic girls in caves ftw!!!!

Meowrails… nepeta bite him now 

Team scourge?!?!?! Like warrior cats?@?!?@?@ i never read warrior cats I just know scourge 

Slur count: 13

Vriska what the fuck are you doing

OH MY GOD VRISKA WHY DID YOU DO THAT

Karkat bite her. Vriska that is unhealthy for you to do you cannot control others 

HI EQUIUS what uh. What's that stuff in your horse paintings. Equius. Boy. Theyre public everyone can see them

Oh the girl!! Fish girl!!!! uhh.. f… Ferrari. No wait Guy Ferrari is in this. F something

Me too Nepeta. Me too. Idk what's happening I'm just here for jokes and references and Hal when he shows up

DUN DUN DUN!!!! 

Ribbit

Be the huge bitch

Bitch autocorrected to bitcoin. Phone you will perish in a day

Oh. You gotta feed your parent other kids… not great 

Slur count: 14

Holy shit dude I can't read this

Anyway EQUIUS TIME!!!

Lusus Milk. Ummm. Did he milk himself 

Equius never play video games you'd get so much gamer rage

Yaaaay Equius and Gamzee are chatting!!!

Gamzee why are you so cute. I know you do silly things later!!!!

Awww is he talking about Aradia. Buddy just forget the troll racism 

HAH. Yeah that's fair Equius I'd slap someone who was trying to read my mind. Although can he just. Do that any time?

Yaaaay Aradia bot!!!

Equius kill yourself now /j you're so fucking weird. Can your lusus curb your weirdness a little 

JELP EQUIUS YOU KILLED HER LUSUS

NOOOO AURTHOUR!!!!!!

Okay I kinda like the drama Terezi and Vriska are having. they're both kinda bitchy and conniving but Terezi seems to have good intentions. And vriska. Uh. Spooder

Aradia nooo don't listen to the voices trust me

Waaaait wait wait. Is this white guy Doc Scratch. I know Hal hasn't even shown up yet but is this Doc Scratch. Is he doing time shenanigans. Please let this be doc scratch I need lord english stuff 

Vriska. Vriska what did you do to sollux. Also aw him and aradia are dating??? Sweet

FUCK YEAH I WAS RIGHT!!!! DOC SCRATCH!!!! I LOVE YOU MR SCRATCH

Mr Vanilla Milkshake

Isn't that Jade's cue ball. I knew it was related to doc scratch

“I will explode in your face’

I fucking love Doc Scratch. Yeah Vriska I don't care that your spider mom died I'm busy being a Homosexual 

BAHAHAH EQUIUS. You're such a fucking nut. I mean a fiddlesticks nut. No that doesn't hit the same way

This a hilarious dynamic actually. I love you Aradia

EQUIUS IS DOING THE MEME POSE

But anyway. Fuck yeah Aradia. Equius you freak. Aradia bite him

This makes me realize a pair of my homestuck ocs are like this but yk. Toxic and codependent. There's like four people who know they exist 

Huh

Nepeta cucked… jk I know moirails and the heart thing are different. Silly though. “This my boyfriend equius. And this is equius's girlfriend aradia. And this is aradia's boyfriend sollux.”

SHIPPING WALL WOOOOO

Yesss karkat. “you will never find love or hate” YOU TELL HER!!!! 

Also ooo jack

Yaaaay red blood. Actually I forget what red blood means its low isn't it 

OHHH wait he's got mutant blood. Dangggg

Jack is metal af. What a way to earn a kids trust

Cahoots!!!!

WOOO DOC SCRATCH!!! GIVE JER NEW PURPOSE YAAAAA

Man I sure wish I could have learned all of this in a natural way instead of jusy being told in a couple panels. Haha. Sure would be a fun experience methinks !!

Yaaaay kanaya

Glub glub glub

Slur count: 15

THATS NOT THE PROPER SURGERY PROCEDURE

Troll blood tastes bad. Got it

Yo wait she's moirails with Vriska??? Girl get outta there. Actually wait I love toxic yuri please continue 

Holy shit I didn't think eridan would be so boring to listen to. Snoreeeeee. Eridan do something funny pls poke poke

Funny that Karkat was wrong about Vriska getting bitches though. Why do you guys want her

Where did that last line come from. Eridan you emo. Real though

ROSE'S GAMEFAQ!!!!!! 

Ong troll rose lalonde… kanaya imagines her as a highblood it seems that's cute 

VRISKA YOU CANT SAY THAT actually you technically Can but VRISKA DONT BULLY TAVROS!!!!! 

Vriska girl please go to therapy. Tavros kill her

Scurry!!!!

Someone needs to have Vriska read the You're Not A Real Gamer post

Stabby hatefriend <33

Alright we are doing Peter pan now

Tavros just kill her already. She's scary 

WOAH VRISKA YOU CANT JUSG KISS HIM!!!! 

TAVROSSSSS NOOO DONT FALL FOR HER!!!!

It's kinda funny she hates his guts and he likes her. Can they please get a room

KANAYA GOT CUCKED :(

Poor Kanaya actually… she has horrible taste in women but I feel bad for her

Rose's mom and John's dad are matesprites… man this incest pile is getting crazyyyyy

Oh they are in love!!!!! Hate love!!!!

I love incest!!! the pail Has come 

The rammies… sorry I can't hear ramifications without thinking of the rammies…

Aradia and Equius's little gif matched the beat of the music I'm listening to

FAYGO also I think I completely forgot that Eridan isn't fuschia. Oopsies. Thought he was 

HI JOHN!!! I wish I was reading about your adventures currently 

Okay what's up with Eridan and the fishy girl. This is the second time we've cut to them during this explanation

Hi Eridan. WHAT DONT KILL THE WHALE

Okay hi fish

Ohhh Feferi… that's your name… okay

I don't think that was adorable but okay

Poor orphaned troll : (

Genocide complex… okay sure buddy why don't you get back to larping Harry potter. I'm canceling you babygirl

Aw :> I kinda like Feferi it's sweet she wants to change things for the better

COWBOY X WIZARD FUCK YEAH

Feferi really does have a lameass bi boyfriend

I'm just gonna call them all boyfriend and girlfriend btw. The quadrants don't sound yummy to me. Except pitch. I like that word. Sounds like bitch 

Do u not fw faygo

Just like Dave's fridge…

Can we peleeeease get back to good stuff I'm so sorry I.dont care about these guys. Maybe I will later but I wanna know what's going on with John and the other kids. Maybe focus on Karkat. Maybe on WV and the gang. I don't. Want to see them have a will-they-wont-they… 

Okay real talk. This act has been. Kinda a drag despite them going SO fast with plotpoints. People say that acts 1-3 were slow but I was so entertained by them!!! Is this a lame take. If they just slowed the fuck down I would like this a lot more. Hussie let me enjoy your fucking comic I don't want to speed through it 

Anyway. That aside.

she's in a fish bowl that's not good for her :(

HELP WAIT I TAKE BACK WHAT I SAID ABOUT NOT CARING ABOUT FEFERI AND ERIDAN. OH MY GOODNESS. SHES BREAKING UP WITH HIM KINDA THATS SO

FEFERI KEEPS DOING FISH PUNS WHILE BREAKING UP WITH ERIDAN OH MY

I love Feferi I think. My opinion has changed. Get Fucked Eridan

WHAT HAPPENED TO SOLLUX also why are Gamzee and Jack just. Standing There. Menacingly

SOLLUX NO EHAT COME BACK

I LIKED SOLLUX NOOOOOOOOO GAMZEE STOP HONKING

Feferi kissing Sollux's corpse would be so fucking weird if I didn't know what happens when you do that in homestuck

Sollux back <33 

Oh I forgot uh. That guy is watching. Legit can't remember his name ! Guy without an arm is watching !

THE NEVER ENDING STORY REFERENCE 

Oh hi audience insert !

Hussie. I don't care actually

I think you should be going SLOWER 

DONT THROW CAL also. I don't care!!!! 

:/ :/ :/ this makes me want to *remembers I'm not supposed to make jokes about killing myself*... cull myself 

Thank God we're back

Oh cool! Sollux gets two dream selves!!!

DEUCE?!?!?!?!?!

Terezi is so cute btw. I adore her

FUCK YEAH GO NEPETA

Theyre so cuteeeee I love meowrails

Slur count: 16

VRISKA'S FUTURE USERNAME SAYS FAG BAHAHAHAHA

I'm not including these in my Slur count these are funny

Okay hold on I thought these guys were dead… whag

Whoaj What are you up to Snowman… 

What the fuck

OHHH KICKAAS WINGS TEREZI. What the fuck was happening with the last panel though

Karkat stop calling things schizophrenic honey. I'm grounding you

I love Terezi and Karkat. My babies

Again??? I don't know the Password but I wanna look at what it is…

Is this troll sweet bro and Hella Jeff

I don't understand what really happened in that animation but YEAHHH FUCK HER UP ARADIA FUCK YEAHHHHH

Alpha timeline mention!!! I'm assuming that has to do with the alpha kids

A scratch… LIKE DOC SCRATCH!!!!!

Oh thank God that act is over. Kinda. Friend told me act 5 act 2 has more of the stuff I like. Act 5 act 1 gave me such a fucking headache I did not enjoy it very much!!!

The ending had that same sorta flair as usual homestuck but. The rest. It was like reading bullet points. Like you're doing now except I'm not telling a story I'm telling you my reactions to the story

Idk. Yeah. Not A fan Of act 5 act 1. Here's to hoping act 5 act 2 is better !!!

[landofzero-archive]

Springtime Beneath the Heavens - The Coming of Dreams, Encircling Fate 6

(Location: Forest)

(Several days later)

Tetora: —— And then, the group visited the legendary “Nameless Mountain” where the white snake was said to live. 

Nagisa: …… It has a legend, but it’s a “Nameless Mountain” huh?

Tetora: It hurts when you jab back at that….. This mountain is under the Tenshouin household’s ownership, so it seems that it has no name. 

Nagisa: …… I see. In that case, just for the time being, why don’t we try to name it? 

….. Like maybe “Ensemble Mountain”, naming it after ES. 

Izumi: Ensemble? Don’t you think it doesn’t fit in with this forest’s atmosphere? 

Nagisa: …… No. When the bean paste falls, your writing trembles, it becomes “Ensemble Mountain”.(1)  

Eichi: Uwaa, what terrible alternate reading♪ 

Izumi: Why does he look so happy…… I’m rejecting that way of calling it. Call it “Mountain” like normal, just “Mountain”. 

So anyway Nagumo. Why are you using a camera? 

Eichi: I asked him to. I did say “If you’re going to go searching for the white snake, you better go with Tetora-kun” to Nagisa-kun. 

Izumi: I heard about that while we were leaving. What I want to know is why you’re making a recording of this. 

Eichi: Ah. This sort of expedition is best experienced at the actual place, but if you make a record of it, you’ll be able to have fun looking back at them right? 

One day, I might do a project like this. I thought I’d take some footage as reference material. 

Izumi: Is that so. I don’t really care, but don’t involve me in that, okay?

Rei: Kukuku. If we were in a variety show, that would be a huge thing to pretend about, you know? 

Izumi: I’m not pretending!

Rei: Putting that aside. Tenshouin-kun, is the white snake really inhabiting this mountain? 

Eichi: Yes, it’s here. I’ve been preparing just for today♪ 

Hokuto: You’ve been preparing? Does it not live here? 

Eichi: This mountain is large, and a normal snake would be moving around. 

But. Rather than searching without knowing if it exists or not, you’d surely be able to find a white snake that has been released prior to this, right? 

Hokuto: That’s true, but…… This idea is like goldfish scooping at the night market, or fishing at the a pond in the fish hatchery. 

Nagisa: …… Yeah. It feels awkward to damage the ecosystem just for us. 

Eichi: It’s fine. Because I trust that you all will get it back properly. 

Of course it’s non-toxic, and taking the safety aspect into account, security cameras have been installed in various places so I’d like you to search with confidence. 

Rei: You’re the one having the most fun for no reason aren’t you, Tenshouin-kun? 

Eichi: Fufu. From a safe zone, I’ll be carefully appreciating your movements through the camera Nagumo-kun is holding. In other words, I will be the “audience”. 

Also, after that—

Rei: There’s still more? But I want to start looking for the snake. 

Eichi: I get it. Please bear with me and listen for just a little bit more. 

Your search for the white snake is not simply for having fun, but it is also for you to mingle with each other. 

Even though I said that, there is not enough tension in the four of you searching together. 

Hokuto: I think there’s no need for any tension?

Eichi: However, that’s where it’s more exciting isn’t it? That’s why you should split into two-person pairs— 

Whichever of you finds the white snake first will win the battle. 

Izumi: Haah? Can we stop with the pairing thing. Of course being alone with someone you’re not really close to is gonna be uncomfortable. 

Eichi: Is that so. So you’re going to catch the white snake by yourself when you encounter it then, Sena-kun? 

Izumi: That’s…… 

………

……. Then? Who’ll be pairing up with me?

Eichi: I’ll have Sena-kun team up with Hokuto. 

Izumi: Hidaka~? You, don’t you go holding me back, got it? 

Hokuto: Hmph. That should be my line. 

Rei: Which means I’ll be with Ran-kun then. 

Nagisa: …… Mm. I’ll be counting on you, Sakuma-kun. 

Eichi: Now then, let’s start the adventure immediately. Idols should be a refined and beautiful being on stage—

But right now, I’d like you to find the white snake while covered in sweat and dirt……♪ 

(One hour later. With the Izumi and Hokuto pair)

Hokuto: ………

Izumi: ………

…… Come on. Talk about something.

Hokuto: Even if you tell me to…. Chatting diffuses your attention, so we might accidentally overlook the white snake. 

Izumi: Come on, an awkward silence would make it worse for efficiency. You’re the kouhai here, you should be more thoughtful. 

Hokuto: We’ve both graduated from Yumenosaki Academy. Stop making a big deal of your seniority all the time.(2) 

Izumi: There, a contradiction~. You keep calling me senpai, but you still say that? 

Hokuto: Hmph…… 

Izumi: See, see, you can’t say anything back to me right? Why don’t you just obediently say “I’m sorry, senpai”? 

Hokuto: …… What a bother. I get it, I’ll just sloppily throw down a topic, so satisfy yourself with that. 

A chat huh…… Speaking of which, I feel like I’ve seen this scenery somewhere before. 

Izumi: Aren’t you just imagining things?  It’s just a dense forest. 

Hokuto: Maybe so. But I’ve finally managed to wring out this topic, so stop cutting me off. 

Izumi: Okay okay, I get it. What’s the rest? 

Hokuto: …… I’ve remembered; it was around winter. 

One day, Hibiki-senpai kidnapped me. When I woke up, I was locked up in a mountain hut. 

Izumi: A mountain hut? Why? 

Hokuto: It was under the pretext of a training camp for theater. However, half of it it was something more like going along with that guy’s whims.

Anyhow. The scenery I saw when I left that mountain hut felt like this. 

At that time, Hibiki-senpai said “When I was talking a walk, I found a convenient unoccupied house”. I couldn’t even fathom what sort of walking route that would be…… 

Now, the story is finally coming together. If that mountain was the Tenshouin family’s domain, it would all come together. 

Izumi: Hmm……. So does that mean you’re familiar with this area? 

Hokuto: To some degree. That said, at the time, my head was full of getting off the mountain so I didn’t have the leeway to look around. 

Hmmm…… It looks like the animal trail I used at that time. If we descend on this path, we will eventually get out to find a settlement. 

Izumi: A settlement? People live this deep in the mountains? 

Hokuto: No, it’s a werewolf settlement. If you make eye contact, they’ll attack you. 

Izumi: You must be joking!? That’s more trouble than the white snake, so I definitely don’t want to get close……! 

If we come across them, I’m going to use you as a decoy and I’m going to run as fast as I can. 

Hokuto: Oh dear. What a pathetic statement. One wouldn’t think you’re a senpai. 

Izumi: What’s with that, suuper annoying! 

TL NOTES

餡が散って震えると書いて、��餡散震(あんさんぶる)山』: Nagisa is actually explaining how he thought up the name by making a little one word story out of it. By combining the three kanji 餡(Bean paste) 散(fall) 震(tremble), it becomes 餡散震 and this can be read as An-san-buru (Ensemble). This is an application of Ateji, that is using alternate kanji reading and sometimes prioritising the reading over the meaning. Yeah… Thanks, Nagisa.

先輩風 (SenpaiFu): lit. senior wind. Kind of like pulling rank, but the only rank you have is being there longer or being older in terms of age.

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[dani-luminae]

Finally putting my thoughts together to review For You I'd Steal The Stars!

Jim: [makes a rival] made some new friends

Morph: turns into a mini version of the rival

I see you, treasure planet reference!

Ashla: I can appreciate you taking down the last of the notorious Captain Flint's crew.

Jim, thinking about how he let Flint (his accidental father figure) go free: yep. I took them all down alright.

Jim going out of his way to impress people makes sense to me. He's got a history of bad behaviour and comes from a working class family. He's feeling like he has to prove he belongs here with these people and not squander the opportunity. Natural progression of his character development from the movie. And Ashla knows what's up but she doesn't think he has anything to prove and I think that's a good start to their relationship! telling him he should know his own worth. And then later taking responsibility and making sure Jim doesn't get in trouble for anything she started. Making sure they're on equal footing. And even though they're rivals, they respect each other and mesh well together already! If they learn how to work together and get past whatever animosity they have for each other they'll be a dream team 🥰

I can see shades of Lia in these two already. 🥰😂

I can see the slow reveal of Ashla's background building up. I can't wait to see it! (Captain Sigalu? The mentions of Ashla's mother? Solosar not being on good terms with the armada? It's slowly coming together.) I also can't wait to see what mischief these two get up to to try and erase their bad marks from their records, I can tell it's going to be really entertaining and probably gonna get messed up somehow because these two have to learn to work together before things can go their way. Because if everything came easily there wouldn't be much of a story!

Fabulous first two chapters, I'm really excited to see how these two work together in the coming chapters!!! And also how the rest of the story will go!!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Yes the Treasure Planet reference!!!! Glad someone got it.

And lmao - uh, when Ashla finds out about Silver's escape (aided by Jim) she's just gonna sigh. It won't change anything about her perception of Jim because honestly, all but one of the crew is still incredibly impressive! And she knows a thing or two about getting attached to a parent figure in place of a bad/absent parent, so... she gets it. She doesn't approve, she just understands.

I'm really glad that Jim's new "gotta impress them all" attitude felt like a natural progression! I really didn't want For You I'd Steal the Stars to become another "Disney sequel that has to forget the main character's previous development," while also retaining enough of a character flaw from Jim. The journey to Treasure Planet took this hopeless kid and showed him that he has a future... now it's up to him to figure out how to grab on to that future.

And yet, Ashla sees him as he is. He doesn't need to impress her.

It is very important to me that in setting up these rivals-to-lovers that I established a sort of mutual respect in the first place. Jim knows he can't risk outright disrespect to his classmates, and Ashla sees right through him but also doesn't want to make it harder on him.

I'm glad you can see Lia in them already! Another slight challenge of writing a prequel is nailing these two characters with personalities that will evolve to become Lia's mother and father that we know in her time. I'm glad to hear I'm doing well!

[writing-for-marvel]

Dear January

Bucky Barnes x Enhanced!Avenger!Fem!Reader

Summary: While everyone else is celebrating the new year, all Bucky can think about is his resolution and you, though the two are inextricably linked.

Warnings: a little angst with discussions of Bucky’s past & references to him having PTSD, reader has empathy related powers, fluffy ending

Word count: 1.9k

A/N: banners by @vase-of-lilies, dividers by @newlips. Happy New Year everyone!! I hope 2023 is the year all your wishes and dreams come true 💜💜

Masterlist | Ask me anything! | Library

Dear January, please let the new year be kind to me.

It was nearing midnight when Bucky strayed from the festivities, sneaking away from Steve’s overprotective, hovering presence while he was distracted with one of the new recruits Natasha was attempting to set him up with.

A crowded room with loud music and dancing couples might have been his scene in the 40’s, but was far from the solitary life he enjoyed in the 21st century. Steve had insisted that the party would be a good opportunity to get to know everyone outside of a work environment, and also confirmed you would be in attendance.

If Bucky were honest, that was the only reason he had chosen to come.

This was Steve’s world and Bucky was simply a visitor - if you could call someone who had been living in Stark tower with the rest of the Avengers for more than 6 months a ‘visitor’. But this was Steve’s home, Steve’s friends, Steve’s team, and as happy as Bucky was to see his best friend adapt to these modern times and surround himself with a community of people who trusted and respected him, Bucky still felt like an outsider.

No one trusted or respected him.

Well, with the exception of Steve himself, and perhaps you, the other newest member of the team. But Bucky wasn’t sure if your kindness stemmed from wanting to make a good impression as a newcomer, or if you genuinely liked his company.

He hoped it was the latter.

Bucky’s thoughts as he descended the tower to the small, concealed area in the basement he used to get away from the bustling upper level floors, was that this new year brought a fresh start, and that’s what he needed most right now. A clean slate. To hit the reset button on life.

He knew it was arbitrary, nothing would actually reset at the tick of midnight - his troubles of December 31st would still be his January anxieties; his murderous past would continue to follow him around like a shadow, something he couldn’t simply shake off and which only became darker the more light you shed on it.

But a change in calendar year could at least come with a change in mindset. That would be the first step in achieving his New Year’s resolution and to move on with his life.

Perhaps finally forgiving himself for the atrocities his body committed without permission from his mind would be the first step in feeling like he truly belonged.

“Hey, whatcha doing all the way down here?” Bucky recognised the voice immediately - of course it would be you to find him down here. You were the only person besides Steve to care enough to notice his absence.

“How did you find me?” Bucky chose not to turn around, he didn’t want you seeing the affliction on his face it seemed only you could detect, no matter how hard he tried to mask it.

“It’s not too difficult when you have a cloud of melancholy following you around.” There were times when Bucky relished your powers, being able to sense his emotions meant he didn’t have to find the right words to vividly express how he was feeling when he didn’t have the strength to describe just how miserable and despondent the weight on his chest felt on a particular day. Though, today was not one of those occasions. “What’s wrong?”

“This is technically my first new year since the 40’s, I wasn’t sure how I’d react to the fireworks. Loud sounds sometimes still…” He trailed off, embarrassed at how pathetic it sounded when he tried to articulate that loud sounds still triggered flashbacks to events of a war which occurred eighty years ago.

The concern brimming in your eyes in response to this almost made him feel guilty for not telling you the entire truth - yes, he was concerned that the sporadic, popping sounds of the fireworks would set off one of his PTSD episodes, but what he failed to mention was he was frustrated with himself at not being able to make conversation with the team upstairs as easily as he’d have hoped.

With you it came so easy. Expressing himself to you was effortless and didn’t carry the same nervous weight as it did with everyone else. But that only made his futile efforts earlier that night all the more infuriating and discouraging.

You reached out and took hold of his hand. Even though Bucky had known you for around six months, it still surprised him every time how gentle, almost affectionate, your touch was. It made him flinch, but not in the same way physical touch usually made him recoil. He liked the feeling, he was simply not used to it. Not used to being handled like something cared about, something treasured.

“I’m not going anywhere, I’ll be with you through the whole thing.”

The basement of Stark Tower was the depot for all previously loved items that Tony refused to throw away, so with the items on hand, you set up a blanket fort between a few old chairs, loaded with comfy pillows and sought out some old card and board games to keep the two of you occupied.

When the clock suddenly struck twelve, and the new year commenced, Bucky could barely hear the crackling sound of the fireworks from the haven of your blanket fort, even with his enhanced hearing. You said a quick ‘happy new year!’, kissed him on his cheek and went straight back into the game of uno you were teaching him to play.

He was far too engrossed enjoying his time with you, and trying to hide the blush creeping up his neck to his cheeks, to pay any mind to what was occurring outside the four walls of the basement.

“Do you have a New Year’s resolution?” You asked as you played a draw two card. Bucky groaned in annoyance, though your cute chuckle in response to this was the real reason he had done it.

“Are you really meant to share resolutions? I thought that jinxed them.” Was what Bucky said to avoid saying his out loud.

“It’s not like a wish Buck, you can say a resolution aloud - it’s the work you put into them that makes them come true.” Bucky hesitated a moment but eventually gave in to your curious expression. He knew his aspirations would be safe with you.

“To try and be kinder to myself. Forgive myself for the deeds I was forced to commit and to remind myself what I did doesn’t define who I am now.” His statement sounded recited and even he wasn’t completely convinced by his words, so he knew you, who was privy to every inflection of emotion through his body, would not be satisfied with his answer. “That I’m not a killer anymore.” Bucky added feebly.

“James, you were never a killer.” He had seen the way his own teammates looked at him with utmost caution and terminal wariness every time he entered a room, as if they were all predicting his complete disintegration where he would revert to his brainwashed state and attempt to kill everyone in the tower. He was positive they considered him an executioner.

Bucky paused - you had never looked at him like that.

“I killed people, I’m pretty sure that makes me-”

“No it doesn’t, because that wasn’t you.” You interrupted. The ease at which these words rolled off your tongue and the steady conviction of your voice as you doubled down on your argument, prompted Bucky to think you actually believed them. “You do not hold any of the blame for what you were forced to do, you are a war veteran who fought for the freedoms of so many people, you gave your life so others could live theirs free of Hitler’s regime. You should be commended, not punished.”

“Thank you, for having that faith in me, I’m not sure I deserve it.”

“Yes you do. And I’ll always be around if you need the reminder.” You placed your second last remaining card down on the ever growing pile and claimed ‘uno’. Bucky was too preoccupied with the words you had said to continue focussing on the game.

“Always?”

“For as long as you want me to, Buck.”

“What if I wanted you around forever.” Bucky commented, chuckling slightly so you’d think he was half joking, even though he wasn’t. He bashfully broke eye contact to place a card on the central pile, but it didn’t stop his cheeks from heating like an ember.

“Then forever it is.”

Bucky was absolutely positive you were currently able to sense his feelings of deep affection and devotion for you as easy as noticing the warm sunlight on your skin during a cloudless summer day. But with the way you were earnestly smiling at him, and those kind eyes looking at him like he was all that mattered to you, he didn’t feel panicked that you knew how he felt. In fact, right here with you was the most serene he had felt since the 1940s.

As you placed your final card on the pile, a triumphant smile blossoming on your face as you won the game, he found he could not tear his eyes away from the magnificent sight.

Bucky realised in that moment he would do anything to see you smiling like that every day of his life.

The thought he actually had a remainder of a life to plan for frightened him, but if he would be able to spend it with you then he considered that a life worth living.

“Bucky?” You queried with wide eyes, scooting closer to him in the fort. His heart started pounding rapidly in his chest with anticipation - you wouldn’t have to have empathy powers to tell your proximity made him nervous.

“Mhmm.” He hummed, licking his lips as his gaze quickly averted to your own before returning to your yearning eyes, which were making the carefully constructed walls he used to keep the pain of rejection out, weaker by the millisecond.

“You know, it’s tradition to kiss at the beginning of the new year.” You stated with a contagious cheeky smile.

“I do remember that one.” He chuckled shyly, hopeful excitement buzzed in his stomach at the prospect of what was about to happen.

“I’d like for you to be my first kiss of the year.” You requested, and Bucky’s heart felt like it would explode in his chest it was beating so powerfully. “Also for you to be the only person I kiss all year, if that’s okay with you.” And with that he thought he had died and gone to heaven.

“Perfectly fine with me.”

You reached across the paltry space between you and tenderly placed your lips on his as your eyes fluttered shut. The kiss was tentative at first - you were allowing Bucky to set the pace, determine how deep he wanted to delve. It was Bucky’s first kiss since the 40’s, he was worried he would disappoint you, but when he felt your eager lips against his, it gave him the confidence to go all in.

Reaching across the space between you, Bucky pulled you into his lap, simultaneously silently asking permission to explore your mouth with his tongue, which you freely gave him.

Your bodies pressed together, your hands pulling you ever closer to him, was the unexpected, yet perfect way to start to the new year.

Dear January, thank you for already making this year better than my last.

[lovetorn]

dream’s birthday bash [roommate!dream au]

Roommate!Dream x Reader

summary: it’s dream’s birthdayyyy!!!

warnings: alcohol, swearing

w/c: 2.9k+

a/n: happy birthday dream!! i’m in love w this. i hope u are too. also, there is a few references to past roommate!dream blurbs & one-shots, so i recommend reading those before you start this one or you may be a little confused at some things the characters say. thanks!! <3

roommate!dream masterlist

—

Dream’s birthday is something you haven't experienced yet since you moved in together in September last year.

Dream had promised the football team that his birthday party was going to be the biggest of the year, so you, being the party planner, had vowed to make it the best because Dream can’t organise—he disagreed and said that he only made you the party planner because he knows you’re good at it?? You gave him a confused look; you’ve never planned a party before.

Anyway, the 12th was approaching quicker than you anticipated and the only things you’d organised so far is the alcohol (thanks to George) and decorations. You had little notes on your phone with multiple checklists and you had yet to tick every last box off.

Organising food was probably the hardest thing. You knew that there were going to be around 100+ people squeezing into your apartment, drinking, so food is essential. You asked Dream what types of food he wanted, his reply?

“Chicken wings, not spicy.”

You rolled your lips between your teeth and nodded. Great. “Anything else? There’s gonna be a lot of people, Dream.”

He brought his fingers to rest on his lips as he thought about it. You knew when he got an idea because then he clicked his fingers and pointed at you. “Sandwiches. You know, like the little ones?”

Squinting at him, you sighed. “You think that’s going to be enough for more than 100 people?”

Dream nods. “Easy.”

You shake your head in disbelief and add sandwiches, along with other finger foods, to the list. “Thanks.”

Next to organise was Dream’s present. You spent days racking your brain, trying to figure out what he would want, eventually coming up with nothing.

So, you asked Sapnap, who was no help. “Fuck if I know, the man buys anything he wants himself these days.”

You rolled your eyes and took a trip to Target. Whilst there, you decided on an excess of small gag gifts: a Ron Swanson dishwasher magnet (so you and Dream can stop arguing over who put dirty dishes in with the clean ones), an engraved bottle opener, a ‘do not disturb sign for his bedroom door (chosen based on one too many run-ins), a Minecraft ice cube tray, a toothbrush holder (so both of your toothbrushes stop touching in the cup), and a pack of Minecraft socks.

You put the small presents into a gift bag, covering them with tissue paper, and then put in the final piece that wasn’t a joke gift—a mixtape of your and Dream’s favourite songs for his car. You brushed your thumb over the plastic case and let out a breathy laugh at the photo on the front—a selfie of the two of you in Dream's car, energy drinks in your hands and toothy grins with the text, ‘Dream & Y/n’s Gr8est Hits’ written in bright pink marker. You're excited to give it to him, but you're nervous and embarrassed, too—is it lame?

You shook your head and placed the bag in your closet.

George delivered the alcohol earlier in the day: 18 cases of beer and the same in White Claw, and a few bottles of vodka and rum for the close friends. You couldn't thank him enough for helping you, even more so after he helped put the covered trays of food in the refrigerator from the delivery truck downstairs.

You had (reluctantly) asked Sapnap to organise music because you had no time in between making sure the food order was correct and getting yourself ready. He agreed immediately and waved off your hesitance and told you he'd make the best playlist to ever exist—you put too much trust in him.

Before the party, you and Dream had taken a few shots together, just to get you to stop stressing over the planning of the party and Dream to stop worrying for you.

"Ready?" Dream smirked, his shot glass hanging loosely from his fingers. You nodded and then, at the same time, tapped the glass on the counter before you threw the shot back. The acetone taste of the vodka slid down your throats and you made disgusted faces at each other before a knock at the door indicated that your first guests were here.

Now, the party is in full swing and it's safe to say, there is definitely enough food.

When you see Sapnap at the food table, aka the kitchen counter, he thanks you for ordering non-spicy wings. You shake your head, laugh, and hug him tightly. "I'm serious," He mumbles with chicken in his mouth. "These are so~ good!"

The living room is cramped, but nobody seems to be complaining. Almost everyone from the apartment block is in your flat right now, with a few from other complexes. You lost sight of Dream a few hours ago, choosing to stay with your own friends while he hangs with his as the two groups don't usually mingle together.

“Niki!” You laugh whilst the girl finishes her second shot and passes the bottle of rum back to you. Shaking your head, you bring the large bottle to your lips, already regretting mixing different alcohols. You’d already had a few White Claws, thanks to Sapnap who kept challenging you to shotguns at the start.

Karl comes up behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist before he snatches the bottle out of your hand and takes a swig.

“Karl!” Now, all three of you are laughing together. He slides his hand off of your stomach and stands to his full height, putting his lips to the White Claw can he holds in his other hand. You warn him about mixing alcohol, but he waves you off and assures you that he's fine.

The three of you stand on the dance floor, grooving to the beat of 'Super Freak' by Rick James. You grab Karl's hand to spin him around and then do the same to Niki, laughter filling the small space you have created in the middle of the crowd. You wouldn't admit it to Sapnap, but his playlist is actually good.

"Mi Amor!" The sound of Quackity's voice pulls you from your little group with Niki and Karl and you smile when you see his wide grin as he pushes past a few football players.

"Q! When did you get here? I didn't see you come in," You engulf him in a hug and giggle when he laughs loudly.

"I came in through the window," You pull back slightly to give him an incredulous look and shake your head. God, you are tipsy. "Nahhh, I had an exam, so I just got here."

You nod and feel the rum going straight to your head. Quackity then notices Karl and Niki behind you and gives them hugs too. You watch as your friends greet each other and turn to look at the clock on the wall in the kitchen. 10:33 pm.

“Guys, it's time for cake!” You shout over the music to Niki, Quackity and Karl and they smile and nod, all three of you migrating to the fridge to collect Dream’s cake and get it ready.

You pull a 3 layered vanilla cake out of the refrigerator. It is slathered in white icing and has rainbow sprinkles on the top with the words, ‘happy birthday dream’, in piped icing. Karl's mouth waters at the sight of the dessert and when he goes to get a dollop of icing from the side, you don’t smack his hand away—you have a plan.

Other guests see you preparing the candles and lighting them and turn off the lights for you. You smile at the 21 lit candles and pick up the cake, being careful not to trip on anything.

The entire room starts singing the ‘Happy Birthday’ anthem, their phones out to film as you spot Dream’s messy blonde hair over the crowd. He scrunches his face up in embarrassment and switches his beer from his right hand to his left to give you a side hug and a peck on the cheek when you approach him. The room sings and all attention is on him, but Dream only has eyes for you as you inch the cake closer so he can blow out his candles.

After he does so, the room erupts into cheers and then you give Dream a mischievous grin. There’s a little fear in his eyes and you launch the cake towards his face. Everybody laughs and hollers when you pull the cake stand away from him to see his face covered in white icing and rainbow sprinkles. Dream stands frozen for a moment, wiping his eyes with his free hand, before he wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you close to him, rubbing the icing in your hair and on your cheek.

“Dream!” You cackle, trying to push him off, but failing and eventually succumbing to his hold. The phone torches shine brightly at the two of you as people continue filming. His laughter is music to your ears.

Dream smiles down at you, eyes lazy and cheeks flushed. “Thank you,” He whispers. Your heart flutters in your chest and butterflies swarm your stomach as you nod. Everybody disperses and carries on with their previous antics, leaving you and Dream together.

“I got you a present, I’ll give it to you when everybody’s gone.”

The sentence makes the present seem more sensual than it actually is, and it makes Dream’s heart skip a beat—but he knows it’s not what he’s thinking. You pull away from Dream and wave back at him, knocking into a few people which elicits a laugh from him as he watches.

“Dude, you’re so fucked,” George says, smirking as he follows Dream’s gaze on you. Dream elbows George in the bicep.

“Fuck off.”

“Yeah bro, if you don’t make a move soon, someone else will,” Sapnap comments, coming up to stand on Dream’s other side. The urge to punch the both of them is strong, but instead, the blonde groans and skulls the rest of his beer as he loses sight of you in the crowd.

—

“Bye, guys! Thanks for coming!” Dream tries his best to look composed, but he’s so drunk. As soon as the door closes, he locks it and lets out a huge sigh. You come out of your room with the gift bag in your hands. Dream raises his eyebrows and attempts to give you a surprised look. “Wow, a present?”

You giggle and lead him to the couch. He flops down, throws his feet up and puts his hands behind his head. You sit next to him and shove the bag into his hands. “It’s not much, but you literally have everything already, so this is what I came up with.”

You hold your breath and you watch him pick through the bag. A smile breaks out on his face when he sees the CD. He flips it around to show you as if you haven’t seen it before and opens the case. “A mixtape? How romantic.”

The heat that rises to your cheeks is scolding and you stop yourself from choking. Dream, however, doesn’t look at you as he digs through and comments on every item. When he’s gone through every gift, he picks up the mixtape again and looks you dead in the eyes.

“This is the most thoughtful thing I’ve ever gotten for my birthday. Thank you, Y/n.”

You’re surprised. “The most thoughtful? It’s only a CD.”

Dream’s face contorts into one of confusion. “Only a CD? You made this for me with your own blood, sweat and tears.” You wouldn’t go that far.

“Oh, well, you’re welcome, I guess,” You laugh, reaching down to grasp his large hand. The action causes Dream to tilt his head and shift closer to you.

“Seriously, thank you. You mean so much to me,” He confesses, although you can barely hear it. You feel tears pricking your eyes as you watch him wipe his own. “Fuck, why am I getting emotional? It’s that fucking vodka, that’s why.”

“Don’t make up excuses, D,” You tease, squeezing his hand a few times. He wheezes lightly then sighs. His green eyes are so bright and there’s still a little smudge of icing on the side of his nose from the cake. You reach up and wipe it away, licking your thumb beforehand. Dream closes his eyes as you do so, biting his lip as you pull your hand away. 2:29 am.

“Okay, I think it’s time to get you to bed,” You mumble as you stand up, the moment broken. Dream nods, collecting his presents and chucking them all in the gift bag before he follows you to his room, a little disappointed.

Dream stands in the doorway and watches as you pull back his bed covers and turn on the lamp on his nightstand. “Okay, I’ll leave you to it. Goodnight,” You push past him before you turn. “I’ll have Gatorade and Advil ready for you in the morning, okay?”

Dream gives you a loving smile and nods, still holding the bag in front of him as he stands in the middle of his room. “Goodnight, Y/n, thanks for everything.”

You close the door behind you and when you get back to your room, you kick yourself for not making a move. You peel your clothes off of your body and throw them in the corner of the room, the space becoming too hot for your liking—maybe it's the alcohol, maybe it's the fact that it's summer, or maybe it's your utter embarrassment and regret; you don't bother to choose which one.

You flop down on your bed, half-naked, and stare at the ceiling. Why didn't you make a move? It was the perfect opportunity—

Your thoughts are forgotten when there's a soft knock on your bedroom door. You scramble to put some pyjamas on as you call, 'just a second!', and then you're swinging your door open.

Dream stands there in his sweatpants only. You resist the urge to rake your eyes down his torso.

"Can I sleep in your bed tonight?" The question surprises you—of fucking course it surprises you! The only reason he comes to your room at night is to vent; not like this.

"Uh, yeah," You reply, cracking the door open just a tad wider so he can slip through. Once he's inside, you sigh in confusion and close your door quietly. Dream is already sorting out the bed situation behind you, throwing your hundreds of throw pillows onto the floor and lifting up your duvet so he can slip under.

You tilt your head at him when he looks at you expectantly—you assume he's waiting for you to get in bed, which you do.

You rest your head on your pillow and turn your head to look at Dream, who is already staring at you. Your skin is hot and your heart is in your throat when you see how green his eyes are in the warm glow of your lamp.

"What's up?" You whisper although you didn't mean for it to come out so low. Dream's eyes trace your face; your eyes, eyebrows, nose, freckles, lips. "Dream?"

He's silent for a while and you guess it's because he's trying to figure out his drunken thoughts. "I just wanted to be with you, you know," He says, his voice breaking slightly. You suck in a breath, turning onto your side so you face him. "You planned my party all by yourself and I'm so happy you did."

You don't have the heart to tell him that George and Sapnap helped you, he looks so content. "I'm so glad, Dreamy," Your voice is velvety, and you can't help the warm feeling blooming in your chest. Dream's eyes travel from your own to your lips and stay there.

“C’mere," Dream mumbles. You barely nod before you lean closer to him.

You can tell Dream is figuring out what to do by the way his lips part and then close suddenly a few times, so, for the second time this week, you take things into your own hands.

You scoot closer to him, your breaths mixing in the small space between your lips and his nose bumping yours. You were so close. But not close enough.

"Dream, I'm gonna do something crazy, okay? Don't hate me," Here goes nothing.

"I could never hate you, baby," Dream murmurs, adjusting his head on his pillow. The pet name goes straight to your head and throwing out any and all rational thoughts, you lean in and place your lips softly on his.

It takes him a few seconds to react and in those moments, you fear you've made a huge mistake, but when his hands find your hips and pull you impossibly closer, you're glad you kissed him—are kissing him.

This is nothing like wine night a few weeks ago.

Your hands find the back of his head and tug on his hair lightly, earning a throaty groan. The sound makes you clench your fists and pull a little harder. You move your lips across his jaw and towards his ear. "Happy Birthday, birthday boy," You whisper.

Dream lets out a breathy laugh and hugs you closer. His face presses into your neck and you feel him leaving feather-light kisses on your skin. The feeling makes you giddy.

"I'm one lucky birthday boy, aren't I?" He mutters, pecking your neck firmer now. You giggle softly, running your fingers through the hair at the back of his neck.

"You bet your ass you are."

[libraryofloveletters]

Just A Phase

Evan Buckley x Reader 

Warnings: fem!reader, typical high school nonsense, kinda rude behaviour at first meet, mentions of weed/alcohol and the consumption of, typical cocky jock behaviour, few swear words, being tipsy/drunk

Category: fluff and a little angst 

Word Count: 5.4k

Author’s Note: I just started writing and this is where I ended up so yeah also I feel like I haven’t written in a million years, forgive me if this is shitty // I referred to Buck as Evan for the first little bit because he and the reader had been introduced yet. // thank you to my darling @floralbuckleys for their help!

----

Senior Year Of High School. 

 Evan Buckley, certified jock and bad boy. 

He was the type of guy that only had a soft spot for you, but you didn’t know that yet. Truthfully he wasn’t a mean guy - people just perceived him that way because he was on the football team and popular. He had somewhat of a troublesome reputation.

People knew where he went, trouble followed. 

You, on the other hand, came from a somewhat above average family. Your mom’s a nurse and dad’s a lawyer. They always had big hopes and dreams for you, for you to go off to Harvard in the fall and follow in your father’s footsteps but you didn’t want that. 

You dreamt of being a writer - you couldn't bring yourself to tell your parents that. Since you were young, they had instilled “you’re going to go to Harvard” in you. 

You couldn’t back out now. 

See, high school worked a certain way. You kept to your circles and didn’t mingle with those that didn’t fit into your circle. You and Evan didn’t run in the same circle - he was a troublesome jock and you were a smart preppy girl. 

Being the preppy kid meant volunteering where you could to bulk up your college application hence why you were at school on a Friday afternoon, waiting for the kids to show up. You were part of some tutor program that your chemistry teacher put you into. 

It was mostly just kids that needed some clarification on their work and the occasional jock that needed to pass a course to stay on the team.

You weren't surprised when a group of noisy jocks stumbled in the study hall, reeking of sweat from practice.  

You were surprised to see Evan, he hadn't been in there before. 

“Settle down boys” Mrs. Jacobs told them before sending each guy off to a tutor, leaving Evan standing beside her. “You can head over to y/n” she pointed at you, you gave him a small smile when you glanced up. He looked unpleasant, like he didn’t want to be there. 

He made his way over nonetheless. “Good afternoon” you say quietly, unsure if he heard you. He grumbles a hello as he sits down. 

The first few minutes, it was quiet. He sat there flipping through his textbook and scribbling down answers into the notebook in front of him. 

“Is there anything I can help you-” “I'm not stupid.” 

You glance at him, eyes catching his blue ones looking back at you. “I never said you were.” 

“I'm only here because I didn’t turn in my mid term project and now stupid Mr. Jefferson thinks I don't understand this shit” he explains himself. 

You hum, glancing down at the notebook in front of him, pulling it towards you. Reading over the sheet, all the answers were right. A hum of satisfaction slips pass your lips as you slide the notebook back over to him. 

“Not just another dumb jock then.” your eyes study his face after the statement. His lips curl into a small smile, a hum as he turns his attention back to his paper. 

“So prep life must be dull - no parties, all study.” 

“Who says prep kids don't party ?” 

He chuckles, “maybe the lack of prep kids at the parties.” “I’ll have you know, I party plenty, Evan.” 

Once again, he chuckles. “The phrasing of that statement shows that you clearly don’t- but call me Buck, all the guys do.” he slides the notebook over to you. 

“Check this over, I'll be back” you watched as he stepped out of the study hall and disappeared into the hallway. 

A few minutes pass by, you’re tired and in need of a nap but you blink away the tiredness to read his work. There’s a voice behind you and then you feel something heavy on your chair. Leaning back to figure out what it was, the back of your head hit something hard. You shift in your seat and look up to see your head has hit Buck’s torso. 

“How's the work, peach ?” his voice is low, the drop in octave from before causes butterflies in your stomach. 

Your brows furrow at the nickname, he noticed your confusion and glances down at your top and your eyes follow his only to see that your peach colour bra was sticking out from the top of your shirt. 

You had stretched back into your seat when he stepped out and you hadn't noticed the shift in your clothing.

Pulling the top of your shirt back up, he smiles and returns to his seat. You clear your throat, head down and eyes on the work in front of you as you could feel the blush on your face. 

“Um, the work is fine.” 

“Do you have plans tonight ?” 

“No, why?” 

“Come with me to Johnson’s party, you can show me how prep kids party” he smiles, his words are teasing you- taunting you even. “I would, but my parents are out of town so I don’t have the car and I have to watch the house.” 

“The house won’t disappear if you’re gone for a few hours and I'll pick you up then. What’s your address ?” 

“Buck, I really shouldn't” 

“Y/n, come on. Pull the stick out your ass for one night and enjoy senior year. You can go back to Harvard prep tomorrow.” 

His word choice doesn't shock you, it’s quite on brand for him. He’s looking at you, waiting for your answer and you can't help but give in.

Taking the pen from him, you scribble your address and number on his notebook. “See you at 7?” picking your bag up before slinging it over your shoulder. 

“7? Peach, the party doesn’t start ‘till 9. I’ll pick you up at 10:30.” 

“Oh um- okay.” you hum, confused but you agree anyways. 

--- 

10:45 and you were sitting on your couch, glancing at your phone and back to the window. 

You had been stood up once before but to be stood up by a jock, and a popular one ? Will be the death of any social life you had. 

Finally there’s a knock on your door and you get up a little faster than you would have liked but you make your way over. Pulling it open, you met with Buck. 

“Ready ?” 

“Sure, let me grab my phone” you leave the door open, stepping back to the couch. Buck had disappeared from the doorway when you returned, you locked up and followed what looked like headlights to the driveway. 

Buck sat on his bike, he scoots forwards a bit before patting the space behind him. 

“No.” you mumble. 

“What ?” 

“I’m not getting on that thing.” 

“That thing ? I'm offended. Come on, you’ll be fine.” 

“Evan, no.” 

Buck gets up, making his way over to you. His hands grab yours, looking at you now. “Y/n, I promise you that you’ll be fine. Can we go now ?” 

“I’ll kill you if something happens to you” you grumbled as you reluctantly made your way over to the bike. Buck gets on first, you mirror his actions. Your hands were to your side, Buck reached back and wrapped them around his waist. 

“You good back there ?” 

“As good as I could be.”

-- 

The house, who you assumed belonged to Johnson’s parents, (you had no idea who Johnson was because you barely ever went to the football games) reeked of alcohol and weed. 

Your face didn’t hide your displeasure as well as you thought it had. Buck chuckled as he slung his arm over your shoulder. 

“So is this what you do ?” you shout over the loud music, Buck was saying hello to someone he knew and wasn't paying attention to what you had asked him. 

You manage to wiggle your way out of his grip and find your way to the kitchen. It’s a few minutes later that Buck finds you sipping on a beer. 

“You drink ?” he gives you a questionable look with a smile on his face. 

“You brought me to a party so I'll do what people do at a party” you hum, leaning back against the counter. He finds his way to you, leaning back against the counter too. 

“Enjoying the party ?” 

“Not really, you kinda left me to talk to some guy for twenty minutes” 

“That guy happens to be our star quarterback.” 

“I care why?” you glance up at him. Buck’s face is pure amusement, you aren't sure if you’re the cause of that or something else but the way he's looking at you- you can feel the butterflies again. 

“Buck!” a group of guys shout as they make their way into the kitchen. They all say hello to him, some are drinking, some are shoving chips into their mouths. 

You stay quiet while Buck talks to them and judging by their varsity jackets, it was safe to assume that they were on the team with Buck. 

“Who’s your friend ?” a brunette guy asks him, stepping towards you. 

“I’m y/n, you are?” you ask before Buck could. 

“Mike, call me Johnson.” 

“Oh, so this is your place ? Cute house” you give him a smile, he laughs. 

“How do you know Buck?” Johnson asks, he was nosy for a drunk guy. 

“Just bumped into each other, we have class together” you lie, not sure if Buck wanted them to know how you really met, Buck gives you a small smile. 

“You’re pretty, how about a dance ?” his hand grabs yours. 

“Thanks but no thanks” you give a polite smile before pulling your hand away. 

Johnson takes a step forward, his hand reaching out and grabbing your hip. “C’mon, dance with me” you could smell the alcohol on him- he reeked. You push his hand off, “I said no thank you” you tell him once more, being ever so polite. 

“Y/n, c’mon, one dance baby” he takes another step, he’s now face to face with you. Before you could say anything, Buck is in front of you, between you and Johnson. 

“Dude, she said no. Leave her alone.” 

Buck’s sudden need to protect you was much appreciated. Usually if a guy did that, especially a jock, you’d be weird out because they never pay attention to you- but Buck, you had this indescribable feeling, pride, satisfaction, maybe even relief ? 

“She’s not even your girl, why are you protecting her?” 

“Doesn’t matter, she said no so get out of her fucking face.” Buck’s hand was against his chest, pushing him away as his other hand reached back for yours. It would be cheesy to say that your hand fit in his like it was made to be there but it was true. 

Buck’s hand was still in yours as he pulled you out the back door. Your back was up against the wall as he stood in front of you. 

“Are you okay ?” you could hear the concern in his voice - different from his usual tone. 

At a loss for words, his eyes study your face. Johnson was a douche and he knew that, he mentally cursed himself for even bringing you here. 

“Y/n.. talk to me” he takes a step towards you. 

“Buck,” your hand presses against his chest, “I'm fine. It’s not the first time a drunk guy has hit on me” 

A breath of relief slipped past his lips, “do you want to leave?” his face softens when he asks. “No, I'm alright.” 

“Stay here, I'll be back” his hand comes down and squeezes your waist gently before he steps back into the house. 

--

It was a while before Buck returned. He had disappeared into the house for half an hour and when he returned, you were by the pool with a pingpong ball in hand. 

“Suck it!” your loud laugh filled his ears, you took a sip from the red cup in your hand and you watched as the guy across from you drank the beer in the cup that the ball landed in. 

“Looks like you’re having fun” Buck smiles, now beside you. 

“Hey!” you reeked of beer at this point. “I’m having fun” your words come out in a slurred mumble. 

“Mhm okay, I think it’s time to head home” Buck takes the cup from you and sets it down. 

“What ?” Your hand reaches for the cup again, a pout evident on your face.

Buck’s hands finds your waist, hoisting you up and over his shoulder. A louder than expected gasp left your mouth, you felt the cold breeze against your legs as he walked towards the front of the yard. 

He put you down in the backseat of a car but you knew you came with his bike so you were confused, just as you go to ask, he scoots you over and gets in the back with you. Buck’s arm is over your shoulder, you’re so tired that you just lean into him. 

-- 

You had noticed you fell asleep and when you woke, you were on the porch swing at your house with Buck’s hand in your pocket. 

“Whatcha looking for?” he glances up at you when he hears your voice. 

“Keys.” 

“Other pocket” 

He manages to find the keys and get the door open. Getting you in the house was another story. “Y/n, come on” he pulls your hands in an attempt to get you up but you weren’t budging. 

What happened to you being a prep kid and not drinking ? He didn’t even think it was possible to get drunk that fast. 

“No, tired” you mumbles, making yourself comfortable on the porch swing. “Do you want your parents to come home and find you here? I’m cool with leaving you here if that’s the case” Buck teased, he had no idea when your parents were coming home. 

The mention of your parents finding you outside, drunk, horrified you. You got up so quick, you nearly toppled over. Buck helped you inside and onto the couch. He disappeared for a moment and then returned with a glass of water. 

“Small sips” he settles beside you, watching as you take a sip. You hum, resting your head on his shoulder as his arm comes over your shoulder. 

“Buck?” 

“Yeah?” 

He felt your head shift, now looking up at him, eyes full of sleep. You were studying his face, from the birthmark above his eye to his pink lips.

“I really like you, you know” your words filled with sleep as your eyes drooped, you blinked a few times, forcing yourself to stay awake.

Buck chuckles, “that’ll pass peach, I’m just a phase.” He hummed quietly, fingers running through your hair as you drift to sleep. 

--

The Monday after the party, you saw Buck in the hallway after waking up to an empty house on the couch, head pounding even in the deafening silence and and you can’t quite remember how you got home. 

Buck had been radio silence since then but you weren't sure why. He was walking in from the front doors and you were by your locker. You turn to speak to him but he barely glances at you before continuing his conversation with Johnson. 

From that day, you never spoke to Buck again. Last you saw him was graduation day and last you had heard was that he was in college and you were headed off to Harvard. 

----

Present.

You had become a big shot lawyer, everything your parents wanted. Moved out to LA to start your own firm and everything was going well until this morning. 

You had barely walked into the office when the fire alarm went off. The sudden alarm caused an onset of commotion in the office, the woman next to you bumped into you, spilling your hot cup of coffee onto you. 

She mumbled a sorry as she passed but you could feel the heat coming from where the liquid had spilt. Nonetheless, you made your way out, the sound of the sirens from fire trucks blaring. 

Not that you didn’t enjoy seeing the handsome firefighters (or so your co-workers seem to say) but you had a ton of paperwork to do for an upcoming case you had and you barely started. 

You stood by the curb, watching as the firefighters made their way over to the crowd and into the building to clear it. 

“Ma'am ?” A firefighter made his way over to you, there was a helmet in his hand as he passed a hand through his hair. You glance up from your phone, to see what he wanted. 

“May I take a look?” his eyes shifted to your chest where there is currently a coffee stain on your white shirt. “Oh, thank you but no. I’m fine” 

“Are you sure? Because that’ll leave a pretty nasty mark if you don't get it cleaned. If you aren’t comfortable, we have a female medic” he offered, hoping you’d consider. 

“You’re a medic ?” you asked, looking him up and down. He nods, taking a step back. He begins walking back to the ambulance and you follow him. “Do you want me to get her?” 

“No, you’re a professional, it’s cool” you give him a small smile before moving your shirt so he could check. 

The firefighter’s hand was now right under your collarbone, dabbing at your skin with some gauze. His fingers were cold, you weren’t sure if it was actually his fingers or the gloves that were cold but either way you looked at him. 

“What’s your name ?” 

“Diaz, Eddie Diaz” he tells you, flashing you a smile before going back to his job. 

You hum, staying still as Eddie rubs something on your skin. 

That’s when you saw him. 

The same blue eyes, the same blonde hair, the same gorgeous smile that always played in your mind. Not a day went by that you didn’t think of him. You had always wondered what he ended up doing, he was smart and destined for great things, there was more for him than a small life in a place where no one ever really did anything. 

Every guy you had dated, you compared to him. It was always something- they didn’t look like him, they didn’t act like him, they didn’t treat you the way he did, they wouldn't stand up for you like he did. 

He lived rent free in your mind. 

“Ma'am?” Eddie’s voice broke your gaze. “Y/n,” you corrected him, “ma’am is for old women” your eyes going back to Buck. Eddie noticed your lack of attention and followed your gaze. 

“Do you know Buck?” 

“He still lets people call him that ?” you chuckle to yourself, feeling Eddie’s eyes burning a hole into you. 

Before you could answer, his radio buzzed before a voice came through, “building’s clear. Start directing people back in.” Eddie looks over at you, you’re already getting out of the ambulance. 

“Keep that clean and dry” were his last words to you after you left. 

--- 

It wasn’t until you were back in the building that you realized your phone was in the ambulance. 

You were majorly screwed. 

Remembering the medic’s name which was the only thing you remember mids the confusion and seeing Buck after 10+ years. You asked around the office if anyone knew what station responded to the call. You had contacts that worked for the city but the lack of phone made it hard for you to call and find out. 

Finally giving in, you google the medic’s name. There were a few articles that had photos but none of them said anything that helped. There was a video from Taylor Kelly at channel 8 news, some sort of video about the fire station. 

Station 118- that was 10 minutes down the road and you pass it everyday on the way to work. The thoughts began filling your head, had Buck been there all along? 

12 years- 12 long, empty years that you acted like he didn’t exist and that you didn’t want to know what happened between you two but he was right down the road. 

You didn’t even know if you wanted to talk to him. You had finally come to peace with it even though a part of you will always long for what could have been. Feelings aside, you set out to the station to get your phone. 

Upon arriving, there were a few guys by the trucks. You asked for Eddie, assuming that he might have an idea of where your phone ended up or if they even found it. 

“Up the stairs and he should be somewhere up there” the guy pointed, you thanked him before heading towards the stairs. When you got upstairs, it was empty. 

You weren't sure if you should go back down or wait so you sort of awkwardly stood there, glancing around the room. The station was nicer than you had imagined it to be, not that you really had an idea of what to expect. 

Your back was to the kitchen when someone tapped your shoulder. “Can I help you?” his voice called out as you turned. 

Buck. 

You let out a breath, your eyes studying his perfect face for a moment. Do you say something or just pretend like you didn’t know him?

“Yeah, I'm uh- I'm looking for Eddie. I think I left my phone in the ambulance.” 

“Do I know you from somewhere ?” 

“I work at the building down the road, 14th street. You guys were there earlier, hence the phone in the ambulance” you tell him, hoping he drops the topic. 

“Y/n! Hey! What are you doing here?” You see Eddie call from behind Buck. 

Thank god. 

“I left my phone in the ambulance. I figured you’d know what happened to it” you’ve stepped past Buck and towards Eddie now. “I haven’t seen it, but maybe it’s still in there. Come with me, we can check for it” 

Eddie was making his way down the stairs and you were behind him when Buck called your name. 

Not y/n. 

Peach. 

You paused, taking a deep breath in before turning to face him. “I thought I remembered you from somewhere” he smiled, him and his stupid smile. 

“I’m in a rush, Evan. Plus, I'm not in the mood to reminisce.” 

The smile dropped from his face, the guilt crept up on you. The feeling of your stomach twisting, sighing before making your way down to Eddie who was by the ambulance, your phone in hand. 

“There’s more to the story than I thought,” Eddie hands the phone over, you give him a hum and thank him. “Let me walk you out.” he follows you out to your car. 

“You know, whatever he did- he’s changed. He’s a good guy.” Eddie says, his voice sincere. 

“I know, I just- I don't know” 

“What did he do? If I can ask” 

“We were- I don't know what we were. We hung out in high school, just once but he was different from the other guys. He genuinely cared. We went to a party together and he brought me home after. I remember falling asleep with him in the house and the next morning he was gone. Total radio silence that whole weekend and when I saw him at school the following week, he acted like he didn’t know me - it was like that for the rest of senior year. We never spoke after that.” 

Here you were pouring your heart out to a firefighter who you had only met an hour ago who also had seen your bare chest (in a professional way, of course)  on a Tuesday morning in the parking lot. 

“Wow- I can see why you wouldn’t want to talk to him.”

“Yeah, thank you for the phone though. I gotta get back to work” 

“Wait, let me get your number” 

You pause, looking at him with furrowed brows. He seemed confused then he realized how that sounded. “Oh god- no not like that, sorry. I meant maybe we could grab a drink sometimes, as friends and maybe you could tell me more about high school Buck ?” 

“Um- yes to the number and drinks but I don’t know about Buck” you hand the phone back over to him, telling him that you’d text him. 

--- 

It was a while before you heard from Eddie, he said he was off on Saturday if you were up for drinks and weren't busy. The whole team was going out but he invited you along to join them. 

After some back and forth “I couldn't intrude” and “you won’t be, come join us” you finally gave in. 

Now it’s 9pm and you, Eddie and Buck are sitting at a booth. Coincidentally, everyone else was busy. Chimney and Hen who you hadn’t met yet, were with their significant others and kids. So that left the 3 of you together. 

You wanted to walk back out when you saw it was only the two of them but Eddie had seen you and called you over. His phone buzzed just as Buck came back with drinks. 

“Everything okay?” Buck asked his friend, Eddie, still typing away on his phone. “Huh? Yeah, it’s Carla. Chris is running a fever” you could hear the concern in his voice. 

“Chris is your son?” 

“Yeah- I'm sorry I got to go. I’ll make it up to you. Drinks on me another night” Eddie gave your shoulder a squeeze as he stood. 

“No yeah, of course. Go, it’s fine” you smiled. 

“Let me know if you need anything” Buck shifts towards Eddie, the two of them seem to have some sort of routine or way of how things work between them.  

And now there were two. 

Buck sipped on his beer, you sat across from him, your nails tapping against the bottle in front of you. He was the first one to speak.

“So, how have you been?”

“Good. You?”

“Good too. I don’t know if you remember my sister but she had a baby recently so I've been hanging out with her after work”

“Oh, that’s nice. Maddie right?”

“Yeah, she had a little girl. She’s the cutest little girl ever.” Buck pulls his phone out, showing you a photo of him holding a baby in a blanket with a brunette beside him. The woman beside him, Maddie you assumed, was smiling at Buck, fixing the blanket while he looked at the camera, the joy evident on his face.

“She’s adorable and your sister looks the same, she hasn’t aged a day” you hum, passing the phone over to him.

Back to awkward silence.

“What happened to us?” Buck’s question catches you off guard.

“What happened to us? You happened.”

“What? I thought we were friends.” Your eyes met, his full of confusion and yours with displeasure.

“Friends don’t disappear in the middle of the night with no explanation and ignore them for the rest of senior year.” You get up, grab your phone and make your way to the door. Buck’s calling out to you but you don’t want to stop and talk to him.

The night was cold, the wind hit your bare shoulders and you shivered for a moment before walking. Buck was still calling out your name, he had followed you out the bar.

“Y/n! Stop! Y/n, c’mon. Please!” His hand wrapped around your wrist, holding you in place. You pull your hand back.

“No! You don’t get to do that. Act like everything is fine when you disappeared with no explanation. I know we weren’t best friends but I thought we were at least friends. That fucking hurt, Evan.”

“Fine,” he sighs, looking at you. “You want the truth ?” Your brows raised, waiting for him to continue.

“You told me you liked me. You were a good kid, going to Harvard, which you obviously did” gesturing at you, he continued. “I didn’t know what I wanted and I didn’t want you to feel like you needed to be by my side until I figured it out. I knew you would resent me for that and I couldn’t do that to you, I couldn’t do it to myself.”

“That’s selfish. It’s about you ? That’s why you left with no explanation ? You couldn’t do it to yourself ? Man the fuck up Buck, life isn’t about you.” 

“You think I don’t know that ?! You think I didn’t think about you all the time? That I didn’t miss you?” 

“Don’t start with that shit. You knew where I would be. You said it yourself, I was “a good kid, going to Harvard” so if you really missed me, you could have found me.” 

“Y/n, be real. We were just out of high school, what means did I have to go searching for you? I had my own shit to deal with.” 

“Just stop, I don’t even want to know.” 

“No, you stop” 

“No you.” 

“Y/n” his voice was stern, the annoyance clearly there. 

“Evan.” your tone matched his.

That stupid smug smile of his was on his face, that was enough to make you roll your eyes. “’Kay, I'm over your shit.” turning away from him, you go to walk away but his hand grabs yours. 

Still fit like it was made to be there. 

Before you could register what was happening, Buck’s lips were on yours. Maybe time stopped when Buck’s lips met yours but your heart didn’t- it felt like it was beating a million times seconds and the butterflies in your stomach were restless. 

It wasn't clear to either of you at the moment that it had started pouring rain but it didn’t matter. There was this raw emotion in the way his hands felt on your waist or how his chest was pressed to yours. 

Buck would be lying if he said he didn’t open his eyes slightly, sneaking a guilty peek at you just to make sure you weren’t a fiction of his imagination. Every breath he took smelt of lavender and honey, the same scent that had lingered on his mind since the day he met you. His arms wrapped around you, pulling you closer to him, if that was even possible. 

Maybe this was meant to be, fate bringing back what was meant for him to him or maybe this really was all a fabrication of his imagination but he wanted to live in his moment forever. 

It wasn't until thunder rumbled that he pulled away. The rain had soaked your clothes and hair, your makeup had smudged and half of your lipstick was on Buck. 

The same stupid smug smile on his face.

“God,” rolling your eyes at him. “You’re so annoying.” wiping your lips with the back on your hand, hoping that you got all the lipstick off. 

“Yeah, I'm the annoying one” Buck’s face twisted, giving you a playful shove as you stepped towards him. Your thumb comes up to wipe the lipstick off him. Buck’s arm lifts, now over your shoulder. 

The two of you looked at each other as you made your way down the street. 

“Just a phase huh ?” you hum, glancing at Buck. 

The blonde let out a chuckle, “maybe not.” 

--- 

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