#and talk to him to unlock friendship levels or something

[corvusternion]

ooc // its really interesting seeing people talk about their lore and shit heeheehee. i would do the same but i think that ill just let it unfold in real time. some know some dont you know the drill

[felassan]

New today from IGN: 'Dragon Age: The Veilguard's Devs Reveal New Info About Each of the Companions (and Solas and Varric, Too)'

It turns out The Veilguard really is the friends we made along the way.

Intro:

"Friendships, romantic relationships, and everything in between have always been an integral part of not just the Dragon Age series, but of BioWare in general. From Mass Effect’s Garrus Vakarian to Dragon Age’s Varric Tethras, the characters – and how they get along with the player – are inseparable from titles from the studio. But, perhaps more than any other BioWare game, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is leaning in heavily on this idea, as it’s already easy to see from the marketing material. For one, the name changed from Dragon Age: Dreadwolf back in June, with BioWare general manager Gary McKay telling us at the time that it was out of a desire to shift the focus to a “really deep and compelling group of companions.” That would be followed by a first official trailer at Summer Game Fest that put the focus squarely on seven new companions that will be tagging along with the player character, Rook, in The Veilguard. With all that in mind, it’s little surprise to hear game director Corinne Busche talk about how these companions aren’t just central to the story of The Veilguard, but the gameplay and combat as well. “Building a relationship with companions has always been a staple of Dragon Age, but this time around, that relationship translates into how well you work together as a team,” Busche tells IGN. “It is how you're actually going to level up your companions, by getting to know them better. That's how you're going to unlock skill points. So when you look at all of the various abilities the companions have, there's inherent combos and synergies and roles that they'll have on the battlefield.” She uses the example of Neve, the mysterious detective mage who has a wildly useful special ability to slow time in combat. “But if I really get the opportunity to know her,” Busche explains, “whether it's platonic or romantic, I'm going to help be able to shape her skills and augment those abilities that work really well with my own personal build, so our sense of teamwork really deepens.” During our time with the game, IGN got to see some of this in action; unsurprisingly, Dragon Age: The Veilguard has an approval/disapproval system, with pop-up text on the side of the screen indicating whether or not a companion liked what Rook just did or said. But something new in this Dragon Age: even just completing a quest with a companion in your party increases your “bond” with them, whether they agree with how you handled things or not. Your relationship, Busche says, isn’t necessarily about “how much they like you, but how well you get to know them.” “This is about a found family,” Busche tells us. “That is, they have the same goals, different complications in their life, but they're all giving everything they have to defend Thedas. You're going to get to know them really well. You're going to develop trust, understanding. That doesn't mean you're always going to agree.” But, we’ll have plenty more to say about the game systems and combat later. With Busche, we had the opportunity to really dive into the seven companions at the center of The Veilguard and what they’re all about. Here’s what she had to say about each one:"

"DAVRIN Busche: “When we were thinking about Davrin, how we were going to develop him as a character, we had to think about, 'How is he going to show up on the battlefield?' And it was unique because he has this, I guess you could say, companion of his own, the griffon Assan. That makes him, as a companion, very unique, because Assan shows up on the battlefield. So we had to think about how that integrates into his abilities, where Davrin as a Grey Warden is capable on his own, but also, when does he call upon Assan and what does that look like? What happens if you're indoors?... And indeed, when you're doing some of Davrin's content, just seeing Assan gliding through the environments, you really get a sense that they care and they're protective about each other. “…When we think about Davrin and his being the representative of the Grey Wardens within the team of The Veilguard, it was an opportunity for us to really go back to some of those roots that we know our fans, our players, deeply care about. Dragon Age: Origins, of course, was so Grey Warden-forward. We want to evoke those memories, those connections that our players have. And I absolutely love when you're journeying with Davrin, not only his aesthetic, how he carries himself as a Warden, but how he interacts with his fellow Wardens. The little wrinkle of, 'Hey, there actually are some griffons remaining in Thedas,' how he learns as a Warden to train and interact with these griffons that, to our knowledge, haven't existed for quite some time, it's a learning experience on a lost art of the Grey Wardens that is really unique to Davrin's character.”"

"HARDING Busche: “To talk about Harding as a companion, I guess I'd have to go back to Inquisition. Of course, Harding showed up. She was your scout on the field. There was a light romance with her, and I think one of the things that the team didn't quite expect is how much Harding would catch on in Inquisition. Players fell in love with her, and we heard them. They wanted a deeper romance, they wanted more engagement with Harding. So for the team, I felt like it was kind of a no-brainer for us to bring back Harding, and we also wanted to reestablish that connection to the Inquisition in the world of Thedas, which occurred 10 years ago, the events of Inquisition. “Harding serves as our proxy back to those events, and you get to learn about what's happened with the Inquisition since, so she presents some really lovely opportunities for us. I will say, personality-wise and her role on the battlefield, she is among my favorites. When you see her leap into the air, unleashing these devastating attacks with her bow and arrow, I just can't get enough of her.”"

"TAASH Busche: “Taash, in the creation of their arc, is one of our more complex characters. It's a journey along their arc that is about introspection. 'Where do I belong in the world? What are my boundaries? What do I fight for? How do I become at peace with who I am?' So I love the juxtaposition, actually, between Taash's personal journey and this imposing literal dragon slayer, that sort of hard exterior and really gentle interior. It makes Taash a really special companion for me.” (When asked which companion had the steamiest romance): “I'll just speak for me personally, but at the culmination of the romance arcs, I'd have to say Taash. When I got to that scene and saw the finished version of that cinematic, I was hollering. Hollering.”"

"EMMRICH Busche: “The thing about Emmrich that is going to surprise our fans the most is his relationship with necromancy. I really love that we kind of turned the idea of a necromancer on its head here, where you think of them as these conjurers of evil, the certain malice when you hear the term 'necromancer,' but it couldn't be farther from the truth for Emmrich. There is a reverence about the dead. He has a unique relationship with death. You get to explore how he ended up in the Mourn Watch. Death has shaped this character in all aspects of his life, and we frequently refer to him as our gentleman necromancer. I think his proper, kind nature stems from that respect that he's learned about this cycle of life and death throughout his life. “Manfred is like a son to Emmrich. He very much has an affinity for this wisp, this life force that he's given a second chance through this skeletal body, and in many ways, it's the story of a parent raising a child. Emmrich, he needs to teach Manfred and help him along to develop as a character of their own, things like learning new skills, how to assist The Veilguard. Some of our most charming moments are in dealing with Manfred, and I must say I absolutely love the interactions. They just have me rolling whenever Manfred steals the show. “…In my last playthrough, I romanced Emmrich. What I also loved is as I'm synergizing with him as we're doing combos, just having him refer to me as ‘my dear’ on the battlefield. ‘Well done, my dear!’ It just fills me with joy every time.”"

"LUCANIS Busche: “The character that went through the most changes [throughout development] without a doubt was Lucanis. Lucanis is very complex. He's an assassin. He is very skilled in the art of death. The Antivan Crows, they pursue these contracts with a certain level of dispassion, but also, Lucanis is a romantic, and he's dealing with some internal struggles. He's been through a lot of trauma. He's relearning how to trust. And all of those elements come together with a richness, but it creates a lot of complexity in how we tell that story. So I'd say Lucanis is the first one that comes to my mind in terms of the thought that's gone into it, where we've had to make adjustments to really cover all facets of his character.”"

"NEVE Busche: “Neve is our confident noir detective. I love to bring her onto the battlefield because she's just so incredibly capable. She's our ice mage, so really big on controlling the battlefield, and that's actually a good metaphor to her arc. She wants to fight for change. She wants to fight for a better Minrathous, and she's going to use all the tools at her disposal to try and reshape Minrathous into a better place for all. She's very much a Shadow Dragon. This is among the mantra of the Shadow Dragons. They operate from the shadows, fighting for a better Minrathous. So as this accomplished ice mage, she's fierce. She's not going to shy away from any challenge, whether it's taking down darkspawn or dealing with the Magisterium in Minrathous.”"

"BELLARA Busche: “Oh, my dear, sweet Bellara. I relate to Bellara a lot. She is joyous. She's been through a lot, but she remains curious, optimistic. She's kind of a geek. She really likes her fiction. She fangirls over Neve a little bit. She's just so relatable, and I think that's what our players will find and fall in love with when they get to meet Bellara, is just how much you'll recognize some of those patterns and sensibilities that she holds, but don't let it fool you. She is also a Veil Jumper. She's very comfortable in elven ruins. I frequently bring her with me in my party. I like to play rogue. I like to play the Veil Jumper, or the Veil Ranger. Bellara's a fantastic companion to set up that spec with electric vulnerabilities, so I love her both on and off the battlefield.”"

Bonus rounds:

"SOLAS Okay okay, so Solas isn’t technically one of your core companions who will travel with you, but given his place in the Dragon Age story, we still had to ask about his relationship with Rook. Here’s what Busche had to say: Busche: “Rook's relationship with Solas is a complicated one. Everyone has seen, at this point, the gameplay reveal and the opening moments of the game, so you'll know things got shaken up pretty radically for Solas already. He's trapped. He's basically communicating with you as an advisor, and I absolutely love that idea of, ‘He's your lifeline right now, but can you trust him?’ And those touch points with him, ‘Do I take his advice or not? Can he be trusted? Is he going to betray me?’ All the while giving you this information that you absolutely need in order to be successful. “It creates an interesting stage for us, where, I think our fans will agree, Solas is very complicated. He firmly believes he's doing the right thing, and some of our fans will agree that he's trying to do the right thing. Others will not, and this creates a stage for you, the player, where you get to lean into those tendencies of your own as you're taking advice from Solas throughout parts of the game. I think those really interesting debates about, ‘Was he ever redeemable? Can he be trusted? Was he wrong all along?’ You're really going to be able to dive in deep on that.”"

"VARRIC Varric, while a part of Dragon Age: The Veilguard and a series mainstay, isn’t part of your core companions either. But, as fans can see in the trailers, he’s still very much in The Veilguard, so we asked Dragon Age creative director John Epler about how he’s changed since we last saw him in Inquisition: Epler: “Since the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition, he has spent the time, just briefly, obviously, [serving as] Viscount of Kirkwall. I mean, anybody who knows much about Varric knows how well a job where he sits around and tells people what to do is going to sit with him. He has been participating in the hunt for Solas. And I think for Varric in particular, that's a very difficult thing for him to do because Solas is his friend. Solas is somebody that he grew close to over the events of Inquisition. They adventure together, they work together. “And now knowing who Solas really is, that eats at Varric. Because Varric always sees, Varric believes he can always make somebody do the right thing. Varric believes he is the most convincing, charismatic, because he cares about people. And he has this belief that as long as I get a chance to talk to Solas, I'm going to be able to turn him. But as he's seeing what Solas' ritual is doing to the world around him, as he experienced in the comics, Dragon Age: The Missing, that eats at him a little bit. That's challenging his world view of him as always being the best judge of people, being able to see that somebody is able to be redeemed. And he's starting to question a little bit, ‘am I right or am I being a fool by believing in Solas?’ ”"

[source]

[sleepyghostuwu]

Aventurine Headcanons: Working with him

(A/N) Just some goofy ahh headcanons I made for our goofy ahh gambler because I like him very much (I'm patiently waiting and saving up for his banner). These can be viewed from both a platonic and a romantic POV ;) Enjoy~!

Cw: Alcohol and gambling mentions, subtle spoilers to his backstory from HSR 2.1

First off, you're going to have one heck of a ride with this man

He's very snarky, so brace yourself for a hellish amount of attitude every time you interact with him for any purpose. It can and will get to the point that you actually start complaining about him at least once to your other friends and colleagues during breaks or even work itself.

Aeons forbid if aforementioned friends and colleagues counter your complaints with the argument that he's very handsome. As if being devilishly good-looking and charismatic is going to excuse his sass (Unfortunately, it does).

He can't help but chuckle whenever he finds out that you've been grumbling about him to pretty much the entire workplace. Not even the innocent janitors and cafe baristas are spared from your rants.

He also has a bad tendency to eavesdrop on your conversations whenever given the chance, solely for his entertainment.

He finds it amusing to "just so happen to pass by" when you're talking about anything (including your complaints about him messing with you), even more so when he decides to interject into the conversation when you finish talking, giving you a nasty surprise in the process.

"...I just can't stand having him around anymore!" Aventurine, who has been listening for the past 20 minutes: "Oh no, how awful of him." "SHUT UP, YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID!"

Even when his sass continues to show itself to you, once the both of you get used to working together and get more acquainted with each other, you may even end up getting along with him pretty well, much to the surprise of both of you. Before you know it, when the time comes, the both of you are now good friends with each other.

If you think simply working with him in the same workplace is bad enough of an experience, imagine earning his friendship and unlocking a newer level of shenanigans he's about to pull off before you while you're at it.

Being more open to your company, Aventurine will make it a habit to drag you to the casino and bar after working hours to spend time with you.

You initially protest against his seemingly unhealthy obsession with gambling and alcohol, and often question out loud how his life is still put together, much to his amusement. As time passed, your nagging ceased, but of course, you still express concern towards that aspect of him.

He eagerly teaches you how to gamble your fortunes skillfully whenever you join him at the casino, but he only allows you three tries when it comes to playing around with the the assortment of gambling machines there, claiming that you were not ready to push your luck as far as he did with his.

He treats you to lots of drinks too. Being a regular at the bar, sometimes he boasts about having you as his companion to the bartender and the other patrons, much to your initial embarrassment.

He also makes outrightly crude jokes about colleagues he has beef with, after which you either burst out in boisterous laughter from the drinks and the same sense of humour, or you stare at him in disbelief and horror as you wonder if the both of you would be sued for his reckless remarks in public.

Sometimes you have to make Aventurine aware of his own alcohol tolerance as he downs one drink after another, even having to request a simple cup of soda for him to help him stay alert.

There are also times where he gets so wasted that you practically had to drag him home with you (you did not have his address) and leave him in a spare room for him to stay the night until he sobered up, something that he silently appreciates you for. In return, he genuinely tries to make work easier for you and tones down his attitude just a teeny bit as a way of showing his gratitude.

Needless to say, having you look out for him is a big win, both for you and the man himself.

If you've managed to reach this part of your relations with Aventurine, congratulations. You've hit the jackpot.

As the both of you spend more time together, bantering during working hours and (almost) getting financially and physically wasted at the casino bar every now and then, Aventurine slowly displays a starkly contrasting side of his flamboyant self.

While your initial outings with him were merely restricted to the casino bar, he gradually begins bringing you around a variety of places, most of which were noticeably quieter than what you thought was his taste.

Heck, he even brought you to the library once to read together with you, and you had trouble figuring out whether this was actually Aventurine you were going out with and not some quiet impostor from work who decided to steal you away after work.

That being said, you eventually find out that Aventurine has a much softer side of him that he has been keeping in the dark, one that he finally decided that he felt safe sharing with you.

You also find out that he likes drawing as a hobby and is surprisingly good at it, though most of the time he makes Gepard-skill level of doodles of his colleagues and higher-ups out of spite.

You joke once about sending those doodles to their respective art subjects as gifts, and when an amused Aventurine agrees, you honestly can't tell if he was playing along or seriously considering your suggestion.

Having grown closer to him, you also can't help but suddenly feel more curious about who he is, not as the extravagant and sometimes obnoxious member of the Ten Stonehearts of the IPC, but rather as a person, whatever his real name may be.

You asked him about the barcode-like tattoo on his neck once, though from the way he tensed up at your question, you decided that this man (unsurprisingly) had some walls up, and for now, it was not yours to break through by force.

On the bright side, at least you know him a lot better compared to most people around him. For Aventurine, that will be more than enough...for now.

[f1byjessie]

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS ━━ LN4.

sometimes the right words are hard to come across, and sometimes everything you need to say can be captured in an image.

( lando norris x photographer!reader )

━━ part four.

“Saw McLaren posted pics of the new car,” Jack says in lieu of a greeting when he sees you after the weekend. He picks up his pace and crosses the distance to meet you where you’re fumbling with the keys to your “office”, and then he takes a few of the many equipment bags you’re attempting to juggle, saying as he does so, “You take any of those or no?”

You laugh, “Ah, no. They actually hire on a whole studio crew that does that. They’ve got lights, green screens, special camera lenses, the whole lot. The post-production on those photos is mad though.” You get the door unlocked and usher him inside, “I got to sit in on it once, and it’s crazy how much work goes into getting just a couple week’s worth of promotional content.”

He sets your bags down where you direct him to and then offers you a snarky grin, “Still probably would’ve looked cooler if you took ‘em, to be fair.”

It makes you laugh again. Jack seems to be good at that, and it feels nice to get along so well with someone you work with. You’ve found a surprising friend in him. At the end of your conversation on Friday, you’d exchanged numbers and he’d made you promise to reach out if you needed him for anything. You hadn’t, but he’d still sent you an unflatteringly angled picture of Kyle Walker from after their match against Newcastle, followed quickly with━ “use this in the next media drop thx,” and the chatter had gone from there.

You set down your own bags. “Well, thank you. Pretty sure it’s not as fun as this job, though.”

And you mean it. You’ve had opportunities to switch over to studio photography, and though you respect the people who do it and the unique challenges it poses in its own right, there’s nothing like being upfront and personal with all the action, getting to see the athletes in their element and know them on a level that goes beyond an hour or two shoot. You wouldn’t trade it for the world.

“Wait,” you pause, hands stopping just above where you’re ready to start sorting through your equipment, “since when did you keep up with Formula One?”

Jack shrugs. “I don’t. But you work for that team, yeah? So I figured I might as well see what they’re all about.”

“Well, if you need something to do during the summer, let me know and I’ll see what I can do,” you tell him, resuming your sorting. “They give me extra tickets for each race but they usually end up going to waste.”

You don’t bring up the falling out you had with your parents at eighteen when you told them you were going to pursue photography or the fact that you haven’t really talked to them in years because of it. You also don’t mention that due to the strenuous, near-constant traveling and the strict schedule of your job, your friendships are limited to the athletes you work with and the other McLaren staff that travel with you━ all of whom have passes of their own, for obvious reasons.

Jack, thankfully, doesn’t ask about it either. Whether he’s made his own assumptions or respects that it’s probably a sore subject, he leaves it alone and the two of you carry on in companionable silence.

You get your equipment unzipped from the bags and organized across the room per your system, guiding your temporary helper with pointed fingers to where it all should go.

The silence is only broken again when he asks you a question. “You got a favorite driver?”

It’s so out of the blue that you nearly jump, startled by the suddenness of it against the quietness of the room. But then you laugh and shake your head. “Officially no, but just between the two of us, me and Lando started at the same time so he’s got a special place in my heart. He’s also my best friend.”

Jack raises an eyebrow, “Oh yeah?” Despite the persona he puts on, you think he secretly loves gossip. “How’d he take the news about you being with Ward, then? ‘Cause I’d have some choice things to say to any friend of mine if they got with a prick like that.”

You purse your lips, divert your gaze to avoid Jack’s eyes, and shrug, fiddling with the neck strap of your camera as you do so. “I don’t know.”

“You ‘don’t know?’”

You shrug again and feign checking over the settings as if your camera’s aperture is suddenly the most interesting thing in the world. “He hasn’t been picking up my calls,” you start, “or answering my texts since the paps released the pics, so.”

When you glance back up, Jack’s making a face. “So, your best friend finds out you’re dating a total bellend, and instead of asking you about it or at the very least taking the piss, he ignores you?”

When he puts it like that, you feel a bit stupid for being more sad than you are angry.

All you can do is shrug.

INSTAGRAM.

liked by mancity, jackgrealish, and 241,976 others

tagged: jackgrealish

yourusername ladies and gentlemen, jack grealish (i was threatened into posting these, send help pls)

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You decide that if Lando gets to be petty, then so do you.

The thing is, you’d told Lando you wouldn’t replace him with any of the guys from Manchester City, and you’d meant it━ you still mean it, despite your frustrations and annoyances with him telling you otherwise.

But if he’s going to play games, then so are you.

Technically you hadn’t started the relationship with Garrett willingly, but Lando doesn’t know that, and even if you had that doesn’t give him the right to go about ignoring you. You’ve been supportive when he’s gotten girlfriends━ you even ate greasy pizza, drank cheap wine, and cried watching The Notebook together when he ended his long-term relationship back in 2022. He could at least pretend to be supportive, or better yet he could pick up the fucking phone. 

As pathetic as it sounds, you’d let him yell at and berate you if it just meant he’d answer your calls. Because having Jack around to gossip with and shoot the shit is nice, and he really does help you not feel so alone at Etihad Campus, but Lando’s your best friend and he has been for years now. There’s nobody that understands you as well as he does, even if he is a twat half the time, and what you need now most of all is that particular Lando brand of annoying to cheer you up.

The door opens, drawing your attention from where you’re scrolling through McLaren’s newest posts. Garrett stands in the opening.

The memory of that night still lingers like a bad taste in your mouth, bitter and unpleasant. You’ve managed to avoid him for the most part in the time since then, ignoring the looks he shoots your way out on the field or in the weight room, and lucky enough that his meetings with the physio team keep him preoccupied so that he can’t seek you out in between training sessions. You’d known it was inevitable that you’d have to face him, but that doesn’t stop the dread from pooling in your stomach when you see him standing in the doorway with his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised as he surveys the makeshift office you’ve done up for yourself.

“They couldn’t find you an actual office?” He comments, looking disdainfully towards your desk and the large Manchester City logo emblazoned across the front.

You shrug, wishing he’d just get to the point. “I’m only here for a few months. Doesn’t matter much to me. What do you want?”

He takes a step farther into the room and closes the door behind him, taking his sweet time to cross the distance toward the seats. When he’s finally lowered down into one, he looks up to you with a nonchalance that fills you immediately with anger.

“I’m making some amendments to our agreement,” he announces.

“Like hell you are.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Did you seriously expect people to believe we’re a couple if we never actually do anything to give off the impression of being a couple?”

You scowl. Obviously, you hadn’t expected to just skate by on the coattails of pictures from a single night. You’d known from the very beginning that you would eventually need to make another public appearance together at the very least if you wanted to keep the paparazzi fed and encourage the idea to the media that you’re in a committed relationship with one another. You’d just been hoping you would’ve had more time until then.

“I’m not an idiot, Garrett,” you grumble, crossing your arms in your seat. You had been looking through pictures from the day’s morning practice, but now you think having to look at any more of Kevin De Bruyne’s grinning face will make you lose your mind when you feel the furthest thing from happy.

“Obviously,” Garrett scoffs. “But you’re the one who said I get one kiss and nothing more. Newsflash, love━” your scowl deepens, “━couples do more than just kiss one time.”

“So what are you suggesting?”

He pulls his phone from the pocket of his joggers and swipes across the screen for a few moments of anticipatory silence. “Well,” he finally says, “it’s the sixteenth now. We haven’t got a match until the twenty-sixth. Go on a date with me this weekend.”

You can’t say no. There’s no plausible excuse for you to get out of it, and deep down you know the only way you can get rid of Garrett is to just do what he says and hope the media make their conclusions about his change quick enough that you can ditch him before the summer break.

At least during the Formula One season, you can use traveling as a reason to get out of dates. When the Champion’s League starts back up he’ll be traveling around Europe a bit more than he is now, and there’s always a chance you could be in the same country at the same time, but the likelihood of your schedules aligning is slim and that means you’ll be safe from any ventures out into public.

But for the time being, you’re stuck.

“Okay,” you reluctantly agree.

He claps his hands, a deceptively cheerful grin on his face. If you didn’t already think of him as the worst prick you’ve ever met, you might’ve found it charming. It’s the same smile he used to flash at you in your first week when he was trying to cozy up and ease his way into your good graces. The sight of it makes you sick to your stomach, now.

“Great,” he rises from his seat. “We’ll do some shopping, get some lunch━ make a full day out of it.”

At this point, you don’t care what he has planned. You just want him to leave you alone so you can try to at least pretend like you’re gonna finish the rest of the work you need to get around to.

Garrett’s made his way to the door and has his hand reaching for the handle when he turns back around and gives you a smirk. “Might wanna work on your happy face, though, love,” he comments, gesturing towards you with a nod of his head. “‘Cause if you look like that in front of the paps they definitely aren’t gonna be very convinced that you love me.”

Just to spite him, you let your scowl deepen. “I don’t need your advice. I know how to handle myself, Garrett.” You say his name like a curse━ like the very feeling of it on your tongue causes you pain.

If he notices, he doesn’t comment. His face turns thoughtful, but there’s still the smugness painted across his features that makes you so unfathomably annoyed. “You must be pretty familiar with the paps if you’re always around those drivers, yeah?” He knows the answer to his question already, so you’re not sure why he’s even asking.

He stays silent, though, like he’s genuinely expecting an answer, so you shrug your shoulders. “Obviously.”

“Obviously,” he repeats back to you.

His laughter is all you hear echoing in your ears even once he’s long gone.

Until your phone starts to ring and Lando's name flashes across the screen.

━━ tags: @maih23 @urfavnoirette @leclercsluv @f1luvur @formulaal @a-disturbing-self-reflection @starlightpierre @chezmardybum @marshmummy @405rry @sideboobrry11 @d3kstar @mcmuppet @happylittlereader @casperlikej @5starl1ght

━━ a/n: cliffhanger hehe~ also, i promise we're getting to ACTUAL formula one stuff soon

[holylulusworld]

Shy Guy (6) - Present

Summary: You grew up together. Bucky is the one. He’s just too shy to make a move.

Pairing: Shy!Bucky Barnes x Fratgirl!Reader

Sidepairing (friendship): Steve Rogers x Reader

Warnings: teasing, banter, friendship, fluff, cocky reader, virgin Bucky, shy Bucky, Steve being a good friend, talk about consent and sex (pegging, sex, oral sex)

Inspired by this ask: Shy guy ask and @dawn-petrichor-world made me do it…

Shy Guy (5) - Present

Shy guy masterlist

Bucky listened to his friend’s explanations for over three hours.

He rubs his tired eyes and yawns. 

“Hey! Stop yawning,” Steve grunts. “We are getting to the good part now.” The blonde points at the chart pinned to the investigation wall.

“Okay.”

“Firstly, you’ll buy flowers and snacks for your movie night with Y/N.”

“Flowers and snacks,” Bucky hums. “What else?”

“Y/N wants to cook, so, don’t forget to compliment her food. That’s important,” he points out. “Even if it tastes like old socks, you’ll tell her it was the best fucking food you ever tasted.”

“Got it.”

“Good,” Steve turns around to point at the next picture. “We talked about erogenous zones, flirting, and kissing. Now let’s get to the next level.”

“Next level,” Bucky swallows thickly. 

“Just listen and learn, my young friend. This is a whole new world you will explore…”

Bucky eagerly takes notes while Steve explains the world of women, erogenous zones, and dating to him once again.

“You cannot shove your hand down her pants right away,” Steve warns. “Consent, my friend, is essential. If she grabs your hand and puts it down her pants, it’s a go.” He clears his throat. “If you are making out, and she spreads her legs, eagerly grinding against your fingers, it’s a go too. But-” He points at the next picture, "if she pushes your hand away, or says no. It means no, Buck."

“Consent,” Bucky murmurs. “I’d never do anything Y/N doesn’t want to do. I’m not like that, Steve! She’s my friend and I respect her.”

“You’re a good guy, my friend,” Steve says. “But there are guys out there, not taking no for an answer. I only wanted to point out, that sometimes your dick gets the best out of a guy. You need to remind yourself not to do anything the girl doesn’t want.”

Bucky makes a face. “I’m too nervous to even kiss her cheek when Y/N is around. I don’t think I’ll eat her pussy anytime soon.”

“Aw, my pussy enthusiast wants to give up already?” Steve grins. “You won’t!” He points his finger at Bucky. “We talked about consent. Now it’s time to talk about making out. Maybe sex too.”

“SEX?” Bucky hiccups. He rubs his chin, wondering if you already had sex and if you are kinky. He’s got no experience and is afraid he won’t be able to satisfy your needs. “Do you think Y/N is into odd things?”

“Like what?” Steve snickers. “I bet you’d love to let her shove a finger into your ass.”

“No!” Bucky mutters. “I want to do it missionary and eat her pussy. Maybe suckle her tits too.” He hums and unlocks his phone. “Do you think she’ll like this?”

“What is that?” Steve snatches the phone out of Bucky’s hands. “You’ll learn everything you need to know from me, not porn. Forget about that shit. This is only good for lonely nights when you want to beat the meat.”

“Hmm…” Not convinced Bucky glances at the phone in Steve’s hand. “They said it’s porn for women. Maybe I’ll learn something from it too.”

“No porn!” Steve insists. “You’ll get brain rot from porn. Stop watching it before you want to go out with a girl.”

“Did you watch porn before a date?”

Steve’s cheeks turn pink. He clears his throat and nods. “Worst date ever. I had a boner and she ran for the hills. But…” He grins now. “I met Sharon on my way back to the frat house and she sucked me off. A happy ending…”

“What if a girl wants to suck my dick? Do I tell her no…or…?”

“What the fuck!” Steve slaps the back of Bucky’s head. “If a girl wants to suck your dick, you will gladly accept and treat her like a goddess. Now stop with the questions. We need to talk about kissing and petting before we get to eating pussy…”

“Hi—uh,” Bucky pushes the flowers he bought into your hands. He’s a nervous wreck, and you need to hold back a chuckle. “I brought snacks too.”

“I can see that,” you cock a brow. Bucky holds a huge brown paper bag filled with snacks in one arm. “Did you think I’ll mess the food up?”

“No, no,” he furiously shakes his head. “Of course not, Y/N. I thought about bringing something for our movie night. You know, for after the dinner.”

“I was just kidding,” you grin. “Relax, Buck. It’s only us here.” You jerk your head toward the kitchenette at your apartment. “Let’s bring the snacks into the kitchen. Dinner is almost ready.”

Bucky nods, silently praying he’s ready for a date with you too. Since he met you for the first time, Bucky wanted to be your friend. It was a dream come true when you decided that Bucky would be your friend back then.

“Sure, I—thank you for inviting me for dinner, and cooking,” he inhales deeply. “Smells deliciously, Y/N.”

You look at the flowers in your hands, feeling your heart flutter.

“Thank you for the flowers, Buck. They are very nice.”

“I remembered that you like [your favorite flowers]. Your mom always bought them for you for your birthday,” Bucky proudly tells you. “I hope you still like them.”

“I do,” you smile, and giggle when he shyly looks at you. “How about you put the snacks over there on the kitchen island, and I’ll check if the pasta can be served.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Bucky places the snacks on the kitchen island. “Can I help you with the food? Do you want me to prepare the table or something?”

“The table is ready. I thought we could eat and watch a movie,” you say while tasting the sauce one last time. It’s not the best sauce you ever tasted, but you hope Bucky will like it. “Just two friends hanging out.”

“Yeah,” he nods eagerly. “Two friends hanging out.” Bucky sighs, relieved. You won’t expect him to be the perfect lover tonight. He visibly relaxes and even cracks a joke. “Eating snacks.”

You start preparing the dishes while Bucky carries the beverages and glasses inside the living room. He tries to tame his wildly beating heart, hoping you don’t recognize he’s a nervous wreck.

“Let’s eat,” you jerk your head toward the table while balancing two plates in your hands. “I got pasta and salad for us.”

Bucky watches you place the plates on the table. He waits for you to sit down and does the same seconds later. “Thank you for inviting me, Y/N.”

“Okay, this is odd. You are nervous and don’t feel comfortable,” you break the awkward moment, and crack a smile. “I need to do something about it.”

“I…sorry. I never was good at dating. And I never…” He sniffs. “I know you are more experienced, but I’ll try my best to be a good boyfriend.”

“You’re so cute and honest,” you straddle his lap before Bucky can protest. You cup his face and look him deep in the eyes. “I had a few dates.” You peck his lips. “But…” you wrap your arms around his neck. “I waited for you to make a move.” You kiss him again. 

“What does that mean?” Bucky furrows his brows.

“I’m a virgin too…” 

Tags in reblog.

[lfghughes]

Heaven Can’t Help Me Now

a/n: I have been sooooo excited about posting this and I was going to put it up later but I can’t wait. I really hope you guys like it because I really enjoyed writing it and I kinda wanna make multiple parts if it’s something you guys want

From the moment you had moved in next door to the boys, it had been the three of you since. It’s not like you had been in each others lives since childhood or even for several years yet but it was one of those where you had meshed in so well and now if you didn’t see at least one of them a day it was weird. Of course there were days when they would go off on their hockey trips and you wouldn’t see them. Summer last year wasn’t too bad either because you somehow managed to tag along on their plans instead of going the full few months without them.

It had all really started when they had come home from practice one afternoon and you were struggling carrying some boxes in when you were moving in. Immediately they offered to help you and after easily getting into conversation with them you three found out you had a lot more in common than you would have thought. From that point on you spent a lot of lunches, dinners, and late nights at their place or yours. You went to their games, they’ve met your family, and so much more.

Now summer was coming again and your plans had stayed pretty similar to last year. You were actually in the middle of packing because Trevor had invited you to go to Canada for the F1 stuff that was going on and you knew his friend Jack and Cole would be there too. Jamie had a few things going on with his family so he wouldn’t be making the trip this time. But you already made plans with him for when you got back.

“Z is out for the night but wanna come over and watch a movie before you abandon me for weeks ;p” a laugh left your lips as soon as you read Jamies text and you quickly typed back a yes before heading on over. It wasn’t exactly shocking that the door was already unlocked for you to come in and that he already had the whole living room set up for the two of you. “I got your favorite popcorn, extra butter. Also some candy for the both of us.” He patted the spot on the couch next to him.

You made yourself at home, grabbing a blanket and putting it out between the two of you. One thing you did like about your friendship with them was your level of comfort with them and also the affection you three could share and it didn’t mean anything romantically. You let your head rest against Jamies shoulder as you watched the movie. “I’m going to miss you while you’re gone.”

“I’m only going to be gone a week but I do wish you could have come with us too. You keep me sane with all of Trevors energy.” You teased as you tilted your head to look up at Jamie. There was a look in his eyes that you couldn’t quite describe but it almost seemed like he was trying to decide on something in that moment. His hand went up to your jaw, cautiously and you could feel your heart thumping in your chest because you had a feeling you knew what was coming next.

His lips were mere inches from yours when you heard the front door close shut, making both of you jump feet away from each other. You let out a small awkward cough as you adjusted yourself back on the couch as Trevor walked into the living room. “How are my favorite two people doing??” He was clearly in a good mood as he leaned over, pressing a kiss to the top of your head and ruffling Jamies hair. 

“You got your stuff all packed right? We leave at five a.m so I figured I was going to just bring my bags out to the car now and I can come with you to your place and grab your stuff too.” You nodded your head, trying your best to keep up with the information your best friend was throwing at you but you were still reeling from the fact that your other best friend had just almost kissed you.

“Well come on then.” Trevor said and you got up from the couch. Clearly you and Jamie were not going to get a couple of minutes to talk about this tonight. “Alright, well I’m going to head to bed and since I won’t be awake at that time I hope you two have a safe trip. See you when you get back.” You knew that last sentence was more directed at you and you nodded your head.

As you and Trevor walked the short walk back to your place you felt his arms wrap around your waist as he picked you up and spun you around before setting you back down. “So you excited about hanging out with me for the whole week, baby girl?” A groan left your lips at the nickname he had deemed was yours just to annoy you. “You’re going to give me such a headache.” You teased but you knew he’d take it just like that. 

While you felt like your friendship with Jamie was a lot more on the affectionate side and sweet. Your friendship with Trevor had tones of that too but you two also loved annoying each other this way. Jamie was your person when you needed comfort and someone to talk to about what was bothering you. Trevor was your person to get your mind off of what was bothering you. It was a great dynamic and now you were worried that this almost kiss could have ruined it.

“Don’t worry, I have some great plans I think you’ll enjoy out there. Just you and me, baby.” He gave you a little tap on the nose with his pointer finger. You had helped him grab the two bags you had packed and he quickly adjusted it so he could carry both back to his car. “Don’t worry, I’ll go pack these up. You go to sleep because we have a fun week ahead of us.”

[slxtarchive]

dylan minnette ; when you participated in a trend and revealed a interesting secret, someone from your past decided to get in touch with you sparking up nostalgic memories and rekindling old feelings.

✮ ... ready… and… post.

you had no idea if the video would do well but it was fun to do. you enjoyed looking back at old photos and videos of the best night of your teenage life.

looking back at your quinceañera court, your chambelanes, damas, specifically your main chambelán. looking back it was… the time of your life.

even though it was a bittersweet feeling, you were glad you did it.

immediately your video was flooded with comments.

minnettefilm: wait is that dylan??

obsessedylanm: wtf um let’s talk about the main chambelan

ithinkimfallin: clay jensen wtf u doin here!?

you saw how each comment somehow had something to do with dylan.

dylan minnette. your main chambelan. your first love.

that day was forever ago. it had been about 8 years since you’ve seen him. you had always wondered how he was. he seemed to be doing awesome. he was part of a band. that was all you knew and all you could handle.

part of you knew you still cared deeply about him past a friendship level.

a few hours passed, and the comments on tiktok flooded your mind for the whole day. as you were about to get ready for bed, you looked back at the video one more time.

that’s when you saw a pending message.

from: @/dylanminnette

this was so long ago

i miss it

your heart dropped to your ass. you did not expect this message.

you didn’t expect dylan to text you individually about the video. you didn’t know what to reply with. oh hey dylan, yeah it was. i miss you so much. no yn, he said he misses it not you.

you thought about what to text back, for like 10 minutes straight dancing between, ‘yeah it was! i miss it too.’ or ‘it definitely was, i miss it too. how have you been?’. an obvious difference between them.

it’s not random to ask how he is right? i mean you you two had something more than just friends. it was more than just liking someone. you were in love.

you decided on the second option, clicking send before tossing your phone across your bed. you felt your heart pounding out of your chest. you haven’t felt this way in so long and like a flash of lighting, you heard a buzz from your phone.

a notification from imessage.

dylan.

your fingers shook as you hovered over the notification. your face id unlocked revealing the message. “i’ve been good. how about you?”

you gulped wondering what to say. you felt like a teenage girl all over again. your fingers moved before your mind typing out your message.

to dylan:

i’ve been okay

i’m glad you’re doing okay

you sent the message and felt pleased to see it said read immediately. you waited watching those three dots move then saw the message appear.

from dylan:

well, i’m doing much better now that we’re messaging.

since that message, you both have been texting non-stop.

it’s been 4 months and you’ve gotten to know each other all over again. your first date was amazing. he took you to the beach for a picnic and ended it with watching the sunset.

more months passed and the next thing you knew you two were closer than ever before.

you texted all day and facetimed all night. soon enough you went in your first date. then second. then third. by the fourth he couldn’t wait any longer. he took you to the beach and made a picnic for you before asking the question he’d been wanting to ask you since the day he saw your face again.

liked by braedenlemasters, colepressston and 562,494 others

dylanminnette finally made her mine.

view all 23,928 comments

wallowsfirstlover and the internet broke ❤︎ by author

braedenlemasters about time ❤︎ by author

ynismyrealgfbtw IS THIS WHO I THINK IT IS ❤︎ by author

dylanminnette replying to ynismyrealgf your username is false.

after that things only got better. it was like the universe soul tied you both. years later he decided just like he did asking you if he could be your boyfriend, he could not wait to ask you to be his wife.

liked by yn and 1,234,090 others

dylanminnette pretty woman said yes 🤍

view all 582,989 comments

braedenlemasters brother making the move

pleaserlover oh my god no way

yn i love you ❤︎ by author

dylanminnette replying to yn i love you

one comment really stood out to you and brought a wide smile across your face.

lovelyflowdyl why is it… quinceañeras always marry their main chambelánes

© slxtarchive

[pyriteplates]

Give us the full story behind Jirazero baby

THERES SO MUCH BRO. but I'll try to go in chronological order of what we have so far.. as for her conception, it was a joke at first, but I quickly got attached to her... see the attached image... And here we are under 2 weeks later with over 100 images on her toyhouse!! WOW!!!!!

I'm going to put the rest under a readmore for everyone's sanity!

All of the links throughout this post will be toyhouse links (marked with an x) to relevant pieces of art ☺️

Let's start with the story before the timelines split. This first part, I'm going to have to talk briefly about mpreg, so skip to the next paragraph if you don't want to read that! We start off with our average jirazero, toxic as hell but we love them for it. We decided that Zeroro ends up having a cryptic pregnancy, because otherwise that thang is getting aborted! Zeroro ends up giving birth in his bathtub, you'll have to unlock level 5 Plates friendship to hear more about the specifics of that.. 😋 in the end, Zeroro and the baby end up moving in with Jirara.

x x x x

Zeroro loves his baby girl! She's his bundle of joy, the light of his life, she's just plain perfect. She represents the perfect nuclear family he always wanted, and fantasized about having with Jirara. What seemed like a pipe dream before seems to be unfolding perfectly in front of him. Of course, it's not Exactly what he had imagined, but he's sure their family will get there! Jirara is a good man at heart, he knows he is!

x x

Jirara, as you can imagine, is not Stoked about this baby! He's adamant that this baby stays a SECRET from the public no matter what. She could absolutely destroy his reputation. He doesn't allow them to leave the house without disguises to cover their symbols. But, overall, he's uninterested in and annoyed by her. He only assists with costs, and maybe halfheartedly watches her when Zeroro is in the shower. Above all, he's disappointed that his best soldier has become nothing but a bumbling housewife.

x x x x

Zeroro homeschools baby to the best of his ability. Giroro and Keroro come by to help out occasionally when Jirara is out of the house, and Pururu acts as her doctor, although she has a very limited knowledge in pediatrics. Jirara doesn't trust that a doctor won't be paid off by the press to leak the fact that he has a bastard daughter with his subordinate, but Zeroro managed to convince him to allow Pururu to make home visits. She is the only other person within this circle to interact with Jirara directly. Zeroro's family does not know about the baby.

x x

Let me be very clear that Jirara is not physically abusive, but psychologically and emotionally abusive. I don't want to see anyone getting the wrong idea and drawing baby or Zeroro with a black eye or something.

Now, onto where the timelines split. We'll start with the Giroro timeline, since it's the least developed and will take less time to get through here.

In this timeline, Giroro and Keroro are able to convince Zeroro to run away with Baby and move in with Giroro. (Of course, it wouldn't be a story I worked on without girodoro 😉 although it won't come until MUCH later!) When they run away, baby is about 6 years old in developmental human years. (1,500 in Keronian years)

x

Zeroro feels a lot of heavy guilt about leaving Jirara, but luckily he's got a support system, and he's finally able to tell his mother about his child! And Baby finally gets to go to SCHOOOOOL!! There's still a lot that needs to be figured out about this timeline, so wait patiently and all will be revealed... But, overall, this is the timeline where baby grows up to be the cheerful girl she was meant to be!

x x x

The Jirara timeline is the timeline where they're unable to convince Zeroro to run away from Jirara, and their life continues as dysfunctional. When baby is 12 in developmental human years (3,000 in Keronian years), Zeroro is drafted into a platoon for the Pekopon invasion. Here's a comic I haven't posted before about it, since I never got a chance to finish/ink it..! (as well as the transcription, i know it's very faint)

Before he leaves, he does his best to teach baby some basic self-maintenance, like doing her own laundry, dishes, etc, but he's not able to teach her as much as he'd like to, leaving it to Jirara once he gets deployed.

x x x x x

On Keron, Jirara is still largely uninterested in baby at first, but eventually decides to start training her as an assassin. By the time Baby is 16 (4,000) he ships her off to training camp, where she meets her roommate, Friend.

Friend is the contrast to Baby. She's an average girl, she's up-to-date on trends, she makes friends easily, and she's much more willing to bend the rules than Baby is.

x x x

When Baby is 19, Friend helps her sneak out of the camp and onto a train headed to Pekopon.... what happens next... is still in the works! So once again please be patient to find out!

[abbacchiosbelt]

you asked for diluc asks and i couldnt help myself, but indulge in it as well.

ive been thinking about an arranged marriage au with diluc, where both of you are kinda like, yeah it is what it is. yall dont like each other romantically, but its tolerable enough. it feels like a surface level friendship between the two of you, so thats something. until one day, everyone around you starts talking about when are you and diluc going to have a baby, because you know, thats kinda a pertinent part in this entire marriage. i mean, you guys didnt get married willy nilly because of some deep passionate love shared between you and diluc. you barely knew him when you had to marry him the moment you were of age. rather, because both your families thought that through your marriage, a child conceived out of it will surely further both family legacies. why else did they get you two together? both families are rich and influential, so you gotta respect family honor somehow.

so, wheres the baby?

tbh, both of you are really not on board with that idea. and so far, have managed to ignore the idea of it for the first few years together. but as you and diluc continue to live together as a married couple, it starts to get a little hard to push this aside. it seems to be your main duty as a couple and you feel the pressure burdening you. you can only ignore it for so long, until you see how your "husband" begins to look at you less with coldness but... with something deeper. with all this baby talk, diluc cant help himself but grow to almost like--no, open to the idea of it. especially with you...maybe it isnt too bad? if you were to become a parent, you'd make a good one, he thinks, because youre nice and caring...youre always eager to help others around you...you always seem happy too, with a pretty smile...and you smell nice...and you have soft skin...have you always looked this beautiful?

you cant help but shiver at the dark glint reflected in his eyes.

but in all honesty, i just kinda wanna see diluc slowly go feral after putting up with all this baby talk </3 one moment hes like, not into it at all. diluc never thought of having kids, ever, in the first place. but then the next moment, hes raising an eyebrow and going: "did this unlock something in me?"

[this could divulge into dark/yan content tbh. bc imagine diluc goes from being fine with sleeping in separate rooms and even letting this marriage be an open relationship, to suddenly forcing you to sleep next to him and demanding that both of you should start acting like a "proper" couple. you ought to listen to him more and to never stray too far from home.]

anon 👀👀👀 this is so tasty!! i am a sucker for arranged marriages gone yandere, but i do like the idea of a regular diluc just getting baby fever from being with you.

and yandere diluc in this scenario... hhh. his possessive side rears its ugly head FAST. he's not forceful about things - he'd never want to hurt you - but he makes it clear that his requests aren't something you can ignore. you'll understand, diluc thinks, when you see how he's going to properly romance you. you're going to treat him like a proper husband now, and that means fulfilling your duties as his spouse...

[little-cereal-draws]

Nimona Stim Headcanons

Nimona: She likes to chew on things in most forms. Wolf, mouse, human, shark, cat, you name it. The problem is her teeth are very sharp and she often breaks whatever's in her mouth. It's been a struggle to find something she can bite without breaking it or hurting herself but Ballister's confident he'll find something eventually. She also likes to shred things as a cat; there are different sensations between shredding paper and cloth but she likes both. Bal gave her a pack of tissue paper once and that entertained her for hours; she was smiling and giggling the whole time. Her shifting itself can be a stim and sometimes she'll rapidly change shape while listening to someone talk to help her focus. Unfortunately, it's usually pretty distracting to the person talking to her. She also likes to listen to music and tap along to the songs. She uses her fingers but also things like pencils and silverware to make different sounds.

Ballister: This man bounces his leg like there's no tomorrow. All- every- all the time. He doesn't even notice he's doing it until someone asks him to stop shaking the whole table. He chews on the back of his pencils/pens while he thinks too. Also doesn't know he's doing it until he looks down and it's covered in bite marks. When he's anxious about something, he'll repeat words and phrases to calm himself down. For example, before he went into knight training evaluations, he would whisper "helmet, sword, chest plate, boots" over and over and over to himself like his life depended on it. Ambrosius asked him if he was ok and he said he was fine, he just wanted to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. For physical things like that, he'll also touch the object each time he lists it to make sure it's still there.

Ambrosius: He strikes me as a flappy hands kind of guy. When he's super excited or stressed he starts flapping his hands to regulate some of that emotion. He's only started doing it freely recently but he's always found subtle ways to express it. Like doing jazz hands/waving his hands around while talking excitedly or shaking his pencil during stressful meetings or tests. He also really likes soft textures/things. I can see him rubbing his hands over a nice fabric for as long as he can until someone pulls him away. Whenever they watch a movie on the couch, he likes to hug a pillow even tho Bal's right there. I can also see him really liking stuffed animals; he probably had a bunch when he was a kid, had to get rid of them bc he "was too old," but now has a bunch. They're soft and he can hug them and they're shaped like little friends. What's not to love? Bal is the big spoon, Ambs is the middle spoon, and then all of his stuffed animals are the little spoon lol

Dr. Blitzmeyer (bc yes she is a part of this family and I want to include her): This isn't technically a stim but her most important possession is her goggles. As long as she's wearing them there are no bad lights, no eye contact, and a constant reassuring pressure. They started out as a lab safety precaution, but she realized how much they helped and wears them 24/7 now. The only time she takes them off is for showers and bed. But on bad days when she's too anxious and the world is too much, she won't want to take them off and Ballister has to coax her out of them so they won't bruise her face. She also likes pulling on her purse strap while taking to people in public to give her hands smth to do. She likes to chew on things while she thinks too but has a few stim toys for that so she's not putting lab equipment in her mouth like Ballister. She also likes to bite people she feels comfortable with, like a quick soft bite on the shoulder, but you have to be level 3000 in friendship to unlock that so it's not a super common stim. So far she's only done it to Bal and he was pretty confused after, not upset, just confused.

[hinamie]

Hina, hi! Hope your day is going well!

How about 9 and 14 for the Fanartist Ask Game?

hi kiya! i am melting but other than that my day Is going well !!

i think both of these r already answered but i will try and find more to elaborate on so as not 2 leave u hanging :'>

9. how would you describe your art style?

part of me wants to answer this question using other artists as like....a frame of reference....but i'm always a bit hesitant to compare my art style to other artists i admire cries,, i also generally dislike thing where it's like "your art style looks like [other artist]" bc when u spend so long trying to develop something that feels intuitive and right to you, hearing it looks like someone else's work can feel kind of invalidating even when the intentions r good. i'm even MORE hesitant to directly name some of my biggest art inspo (especially active jjk fandom artists lmao u can pry those from my cold dead hands or unlock friendship level 1 and i will tell u)

i'm rambling hh fuck it theyre both massive they won't see this ghjsd if i had to describe my style using other artists that inspire me as comparison, i would say tht my style is like if viria and velinxi were a. worse at what they do and b. used more chalky and dry brushes.

14. are certain characters harder to draw than others? Who's hardest for you?

I already talked about yuuji and nanami i'll throw sukuna into the ring. another masculine character big surprise ghjfsd but a few things tht make sukuna difficult r the fact that he also has yuuji's face (at least most of the time when I draw him) and slicks back his already-challenging hair which makes it INFINITELY more difficult to draw. listen. i did my time in yuri on ice i suffered through eros!yuri . slicked back hair is so hard and for whAT. idk if anyone has picked up on it but i have little tricks to make the shape language of slicked hair more forgiving ghsdj i either give sukuna a few front bang pieces or sweep his hair off to one side rather than straight back. anything 2 ease the Horrors

fanartist ask game

[dkniade]

who was the first genshin character who caught your eye?

Thank you for the question! Since you asked, I’ll talk about how I got attached to some characters I like near the beginning

(slightly suggestive in first bit)

I will be completely honest and say some time before I finally convinced myself to download the game in early 2021, I saw a greyscale fanart of a smug & shirtless Kaeya. So visually speaking, I suppose it was his face that first caught my eye… haha

(I didn’t know his name back then so I described the fanart to a friend who played the game. I must’ve seen a full-colour illust of Kaeya too before that.)

Friend: what colour

Me: blue

Me: uh.. it’s “Kaeya” I think…?

Friend, jokingly: OF COURSE IT’S KAEYA IT’S ALWAYS KAEYA

Still, I didn’t start playing the game back then (I’m the type to do a ton of research on a game to see if it’s worth investing my time into, and even back then the artifact system felt complicated) and only read a few reader inserts of him. And drew fan art.

Shortly after (or before?) I started playing I went onto the Chinese wiki and read his entire backstory since I didn’t have the patience to unlock them by Friendship Level, and here we are. I really started appreciating Kaeya after that, and I think last autumn/winter I thought, “Kaeya was able to succeed and rise to such a high position in the knights despite all the hardships he went through, so I should be hopeful too.”

This piece was from a long time after, when I finally got to Act III of the Prologue. (I was a very casual player. Maybe even back then I had doubts about the game design.) Maybe I was moody when I did the sketch, but it was pretty fun to colour it haha (I’d like to try colouring like this again)

Before I started playing, I was also interested in Venti (because a friend liked him) BUT ALSO because of Circus-P’s Venti fan song “Last Words” (ft. Len Kagamine & Fukase). I thought it told the story in an interesting way. (I’m a VOCALOID fan so I like narrative music videos.) Even cried watching @gierosajie’s fan animatic to the song (wait hold on it’s This Artist I just realized- If you see this, I’d like to say it’s still a wonderful animatic❤️). I must’ve also watched the official cutscene animation “The Boy and the Whirlwind” and thought it was cool too.

But in terms of official character art, I think I was aware of the game around the time the 1.3 first Lantern Rite began, meaning 1.2 was just tying up, and I must’ve come across the key visual of Albedo and thought “I don’t know if that’s a man or a woman but damn their hair looks nice.” Watched the 1.2 trailer and thought Dragonspine looked cool. Eventually I also read his backstory on a wiki and got interested in him.

2.3 dropped and I did his Story Quest near the end of the event, and thought he was very polite and felt the quest was intimate (because of how he showed interest in the Traveler). I didn’t get the chance to personally do the event back then so based on the trailer I had a loose theory Albedo lost control just like how he said he might (at the end of his quest) and the corruption turned his Vision from Geo to Cryo and something about Kaeya’s lineage and Kaeya freaking out that Albedo knows about it, haha.. Eventually I learned of the three Albedos plot and waited for basically a year before watching the play-through itself, and here we are (again).

Inevitably, I find myself intrigued by characters who went through trauma, and how it shapes them in the past and affects them in the future… It’s interesting to see what they’ll do, how far they’ll go forward despite that.

[technicallyverycowboy]

kinnporsche babey ep3

shit i loved about ep 3:

i think it's really interesting that tey immediately identified porsche as kinn's type, but none of the other people we see kinn with really look like porsche at all. (i read this as a deliberate choice on kinn's part, to minimize the chance he'll catch feelings)

porsche going 0 to 60 from 'man, fuck this guy,' to, 'pay attention to me >:(' he's 100% willing to work hard when he wants something. also he runs like a fucking muppet.

pete and porsche friendship leveling up to unlocking their tragic backstories

i love the contrast between chan emphasizing that the primary skill a bodyguard needs is using a gun vs. porsche's inclination to punch or talk first. it carries along with the idea that the more porsche doesn't react the way he's supposed to, the more interesting he is to kinn.

pete is obvious the ultimate pet and good boy of this show, but for my money i think there's a real parallel between pete and porsche on that level. a lot of this episode makes sense if you look at it through a lens of porsche's irritation being that his 'owner' isn't taking care of him like he promised. porsche may belong to kinn, but flip side of that is kinn owes porsche the care that implies.

that! kiss! the vulnerability!! given that kinn's biggest issue is trust, it's so fucking good that it comes after porsche being honest about how he feels about the job that he does. i don't think kinn really feels like he knows what he's doing as head of the family yet and i think he's looking for people who will question him as much as he's questioning himself.

bonus things i loved about ep 3:

i would die for yok

petting the stuffed one is the closest kinn has ever been to beaver eyyyyyyy

kim is tim drake and i will not be taking questions at this time.

NOT ONE OF THESE MEN CAN DANCE bless

tey and time absolutely took porsche's friend home, right?

arm is that ripped from carrying the weight of the only braincell in kuhn's bodyguard contingent

[r-2-peepoo]

Obviously for Codywan: 6 and its cousin 17 🥹

These ones were more challenging than the last ones but still a lot of fun to think about

(Link to the OTP Relationship Asks)

6. When did they realize they loved each other?

I wish I was familiar enough with all the arcs in Clone Wars to be exact but here is my best answer.

I will say Cody needed much longer to figure it out but I think he would’ve first opened up to the possibility of something deeper when he got his scar. This is obviously a complete headcanon, but I believe Obi Wan would’ve checked up on him to make sure he was okay after he received medical attention. I don’t believe there’s a canon explanation for his scar (maybe there’s something in Legends) but it had to be early in the war. Head wounds bleed a lot and Cody’s scar is pretty big, meaning something really bad would’ve had to happen. It really throws Obi Wan off, way more than he expects it to. When he saw the injury, even though he could still feel Cody in the force, he thought he was close to death because there was so much blood. Since he doesn’t have much time for friends who aren’t Jedi (and the ones he has he barely gets to see), Cody represents something very unique and important in his life because he speaks to him nearly every day. He goes to see Cody and they have a genuine, off-duty conversation and Obi Wan is visibly shaken, which catches Cody's attention even with all the painkillers he's on. If this was a video game, this would be the time when Obi Wan levels up and unlocks the path toward real friendship (and maybe something deeper) with Cody. The genuine care he has shown him, not just for him as a soldier but as a person causes Cody to reevaluate some things. He already genuinely liked Obi Wan. The Jedi has more than earned his trust. But now he’s like “Okay, this guy took time out of his day to come and see if I was alright because he wanted to. It wasn’t a matter of duty. He, personally, was worried so to soothe that worry, he went out of his way to come and check on me.” Cody figures out he really means something to Obi Wan and that’s a weird sort of feeling since he has only ever had his brothers to look out for him. He sees the man behind the titles and that man looks way more vulnerable than he expected him to and it really makes Cody begin to feel something new for him. It's a feeling he doesn't quite understand yet though.

As for when Cody actually realises, I think it would be after an arc like the Battle of Umbara. A moment in the war where there are a lot of clone casualties. Cody comes off as a very serious, stoic person but it doesn’t mean he actually is. That’s just how he presents himself. But even if he was, one person can only take so much. He would take all the casualties much harder than normal. It would’ve been building up for a while and then this latest tragedy in a long line would finally cause him to snap (of course Cody snapping is vastly different from most people because he still largely has his shit together).

Of course, Obi Wan is no stranger to loss. He doesn’t want to risk comparing their experiences, but he does come to see Cody. They don’t talk immediately. He just sits with him so he isn’t alone. 

After a while, Cody tells him he’s not sure how much more of it he can take. Obi Wan has no idea how he manages it. Losing Qui Gon was bad enough for him. He can’t imagine what it would be like for him to lose more of the Jedi. Don’t worry dude you’ll find out pretty soon.

Instead, he starts to tell Cody about what the Jedi believe about loss. It isn’t a lesson. He isn’t preaching at him. He’s just trying to share part of his life with a man he deeply cares about. Cody knows that. Obi Wan tells him that from the very beginning of their training, the Jedi masters reiterate over and over that the force flows through everything. It’s the foundation of the entire Jedi religion. The force is the only constant in the universe. To the Jedi, there is no death. You can’t ever really die, you just become one with the force. Cody asks him if he really believes that, or if it actually makes him feel better. Obi Wan answers that he knows it’s the truth. If he closes his eyes and focuses hard enough, sometimes he thinks he can still feel Qui Gon’s presence in the force. He’s not entirely sure how much of it is real and how much of it’s in his head though. On bad days, it doesn’t make him feel better. It still hurts that he’s gone, but when he’s able to think more rationally, it can be quite reassuring. He just tries to live his life in a way that he hopes honours Qui Gon and he tells Cody that’s what he does every day. There’s a reason why his brothers look up to him so much. There’s a reason why he was made commander so quickly. They listen to him and they trust him to look out for them, so just by being himself, he honours their memory. He also says he knows Cody can’t feel the force, but when he first came to Kamino, he was struck by just how brightly he and all his brothers shine in the force. It’s proof they’re alive, no matter what anyone in the senate says, and the force has a place for them too. They aren’t an exception and they won’t be left behind. 

I know Mando’a is used a lot in fics, but realistically I don’t think Jango would’ve cared to spend enough time with the clones for them to pick up some of his language. I love the fics that do it, but going with the idea that they don’t understand Mando’a, I think Obi Wan would go on to talk about what he knows about Mandalorian culture because he truly believes its relevant to the clones and that they should be allowed to have some sort of connection to it because they came from a Mandalorian. Over the years, he’s learned a lot and has picked up different pieces of the language but there’s one phrase that stuck with him. It’s a phrase you’ve probably seen used in fanfiction before. 

"Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la "

"Not gone, merely marching far away"

He tells Cody he secretly likes this idea more than the idea of becoming one with the force, although he definitely shouldn’t. It feels somewhat like a betrayal of his ideals but the idea that all the people they lost aren’t gone forever, but are just marching ahead of them, brings him a lot more comfort. Maybe they can catch up with them eventually. He also points out that these two concepts are different but both go with the idea that death isn’t the end. With so many different cultures and religions across the Galaxy sharing this idea of there being something more than just this one life, they can’t all be wrong. It stands to reason that, one day, maybe they’ll meet again. 

Cody can read between the lines. Obi Wan isn’t saying this to convince him to get over his grief, he’s sharing the weight of it with him. He’s letting him know that even Jedi struggle with this and that he isn’t alone. That to grieve is to be alive and that in order to feel grief, you have to have felt love first.

He also knows his Jedi well enough to see a little undercurrent of anger in Obi Wan’s words. Cody know what Obi Wan thinks of the clones and how they're treated. He knows he’s angry because the clones aren’t given the time or the resources to mourn their brothers. The Jedi have elaborate funerals and the clones gets nothing. Obi Wan needs Cody to know he’s not alone because he recognises that the rest of the galaxy is trying to make him feel like he is. He wishes he could give Cody some kind of justice. Cody knows he can’t and he doesn’t blame him. The Jedi had almost as little choice in being part of the war as the clones did.

It’s during this conversation that Cody realises he loves him. How could he not? It’s sort of his “fuck it” moment where he stops suppressing the feelings he obviously has because Obi Wan is trying so hard to be there for him. It’s a little overwhelming, if he’s being honest, because people do not take the time to say things like this to him. Obi Wan isn’t saying the things he’s saying to do anything other than reach out to him and hold onto him so he doesn’t get lost in his feelings (something that very nearly happened to him when he lost Qui Gon) and Cody loves him. After that point, there’s nothing he can do to avoid thinking about it. He loves him so much and he’s never loved anyone like this before in his entire life and he isn’t sure what to do with all that love. He loves Obi Wan because he earned his love so many times. Cody just hopes the Jedi can't feel how strong his feelings are. (Spoiler alert: he can.)

As for when Obi Wan realises, it would be something so small. Something really trivial that would make him realise. 

Cody and Obi Wan get into an habit of doing paperwork together. They don’t need to talk to each other, it’s just to have the company. At one point, probably quite late at night, Cody started grumbling about how illegible Rex’s reports from the latest mission they were on together are. Rex is a fantastic soldier but his ability at filling in forms is catastrophic. Obi Wan just watches him get more and more frustrated and that’s when he realises that he could fill out boring paperwork with this man forever. In fact, he hopes he gets to, even after the war is over. Doing dull things with him is the part of his day he looks forward to the most. It’s grounding. Cody balances him out perfectly. They are just similar enough and just different enough that, when they have time together where they aren’t being shot at by droids or attacked by Separatists, Obi Wan feels so calm. He rarely gets to feel like that in his life. Cody is the only one who can evoke the feeling. The beauty of their relationship is in the little moments and that's when he knows.

17. Who fell in love first?

Definitely Obi Wan. I think Cody had feelings way earlier than most people think he did, but he needed longer to figure out what it was he was feeling. Obi Wan knew almost immediately though because it’s not the first time he’s felt this way. I will never ever downplay Satine’s importance in Obi Wan’s life and what Obi felt for her and what he feels for Cody are equally important but very different. Satine was his first love and so it was very strong feelings combined with a lot of guilt. He was still coming to terms with his identity and his place in the Jedi order. With Cody, he’s had time to grow up and learn to process these things better and also not be so hard on himself. There’s something quieter about their love too. It's just as strong, but there’s simultaneously something much calmer about it. I also wholeheartedly believe this man is a hopeless romantic, he just can’t act on his feelings because he’s a Jedi so they’re like stories in his head he can use to escape from reality for a while if he needs to. It’s like his happy place. He imagines all the things he’d do with Cody if there wasn’t a stupid war in the way and he didn’t have any responsibilities. And they aren’t impossible fantasies or anything. The feelings between them are mutual. There’s a chance one day when the war is over, maybe just maybe they could find a way to make it work. If anyone could do it, it would be them. It's an idea Obi Wan holds very close to his heart when he feels run down or lost. The hope there is for the future, a future that Cody definitely has a place in if it's what he wants. The war has changed the Jedi order permanently anyway. Obi Wan wonders what else could change and what possibilities it could lead to.

[chaotictarlos]

I’ve always dreamed of me and you, now here we are

ship: Tarlos | fandom: 911 Lone Star | author: chaotictarlos | read on ao3

Rating: Explicit | Warnings/Tag: Secret Dating AU, Social Worker!Carlos Reyes, Professor TK Strand, ex’s to lovers, warnings to be added, smut in later chapters

Summary: It’s a tale as old as time, meeting the right person but during the wrong time of life. TK Strand and Carlos Reyes dated in college but parted ways when they graduated, not knowing they would ever see each other again. Six years later, Carlos is working as a social worker in Travis County and TK has just accepted a position as a professor at The University of Texas at Austin. They run into each other when a mutual friend invited TK out for the evening.

Authors Note: Thank you to @noxsoulmate for beta'ing for me. I hope you guys are enjoying this fic as much as I am! Leave me a comment and check out my season 4 Fics! Please don't hate me for this chapter.

Prologue | Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six

---------

By the time fall break rolls around, TK is exhausted. He feels like he’s put in more work in the last few months than he has in his entire career. Which isn’t true, but working as a teacher introduced him to a whole other level of exhaustion than he would have thought was real.

Just like his students, he’s looking forward to a full week off where he can sleep and laze around.

Maybe go on a date or two.

TK spends his first day of break catching up on some much-needed sleep and doesn’t roll out of bed until after noon. When he wakes, he feels refreshed and less like he is going to melt under the stress of teaching students and grading papers.

He starts his day out with a shower, letting the warm water loosen his sore body and his thoughts drift into less-than-appropriate places where Carlos might still be the focus point. He allows his mind to wander, touching himself and coming to Carlos’ name falling from his lips and only feeling a smidge of guilt.

TK knows that he needs to stop getting off to the thought of Carlos, but it is so hard not to. Carlos is still everything that TK has ever wanted in a partner.

Except he isn’t his partner.

After their talk - a talk that might have killed TK a little inside - they haven’t hooked up again. There were a couple of close calls, but they both managed to pull themselves back and stay in the murky waters of friendship. TK doesn’t really like it, but it’s okay because he’s the one who suggested it and pushed for a friendship without anything getting confusing.

Only because TK is quite sure that Carlos isn’t interested in having another relationship with him, which is fine because TK is perfectly happy with being friends.

After he gets out of the shower he makes his way to the kitchen to make himself something to eat when his phone pings with a text message. Humming softly to himself, he pulls his phone from his pocket and unlocks it, only mildly surprised to see that it’s a message from Paul.

[Paul] Hey, I have a friend that I think you might hit it off with.

[TK] Are you trying to set me up with someone? Again?

[Paul] Yes. Dude, you’ve been here months and you haven’t gone on a single date. You need to live a little.

TK thinks about it as he puts together a sandwich for himself. Paul isn’t wrong - TK hasn’t gone on dates but he’s hooked up with one guy that he met at the club a few weeks ago and then  Carlos once. Maybe he should give in and go on a date with Paul’s friend, it wouldn’t really hurt anyone and it would fall into TK’s plan to go on a few dates during fall break.

[TK] Okay, sure, send me his info and I’ll set it up.

[Paul] You can just meet him at Roaring Fork at 7.

READ THE REST ON AO3

tags: @strangefurychaos @sapphire11 @first-kanaphan@noxsoulmate@rangergurlgleek1211@detective-giggles @tarlos-spain @lonestardust@bubblesandroses8@thebumblecee@mooshkat@importantbailiffpaperpony@otter-love-asll @paperstorm

[miniscrew-anon]

A small exploration into my Blorbo (Four)

Writing Add to Cart made me do some deep thinking about his character so here they are.

Stormy once wrote that “Four does have a proper bedroom in the Castle Town townhouse, at Time’s order insistence. He keeps his door locked at all times, and he’s in there to sleep only three-ish hours a night. None of the other boys have seen the inside of his bedroom”.

And that influenced my writing a lot with Four because there are so many interesting implications there. 

For one, you would think a guy who values his privacy and space as much as Four would love to have a proper door instead of living in what is kind of a common area (garage). But no, apparently he didn’t want one. Presumably he would have preferred to stay in the garage. Which is so weird because there’s so little security in a place where anyone could walk in at any time. 

So I took that to mean that Four values the emotional distance he gets by keeping to himself in a separate part of the house, even if that means being physically less secure. And clearly that hasn't changed even after HSH1. And considering Four’s trust issues are so severe he locks and blocks his door with furniture when he feels vulnerable (<- careful, that one's NSFW), that means a lot. We’re talking about a guy who showered at the gym for Weeks when he first moved into the townhouse - that’s Next Level trust issues. This guy’s trust issues have trust issues. 

So my HC is that Four hasn’t really settled into living there like everyone else has - mentally and emotionally speaking, he’s got one foot out the door already. He’s not planning to leave or anything, but subconsciously he’s still treating his spot in the house like it’s temporary. So he’s still in that mindset of living waaaaayyyyy below his means (you never know when you’ll be out on the street again so you better save every rupee) and the idea of owning things is uncomfortable (it's just one more thing you’ll lose when you have to run again). Even something as basic as having his own room, something that should make him feel more secure, just puts him even more on edge (it feels like a broken promise in the making - he’s never felt secure so this feeling has to be fake too). 

Four is and has been in survival mode for so long that he just can’t shake it off. And it’s this strange sense of “I can’t get comfortable here because this won’t last” that keeps all this distance between Four and everyone else. Worst part is that a lot of it is subconscious - Four doesn’t really think Time will kick him out. But he also can’t shake the nagging feeling that it is going to happen. He’s perpetually waiting for the other shoe to drop, even if he doesn’t realize it. And that constant insecurity really fucks with his head.

No one really knows about it either. Twilight, who is the one closest to him, is only close enough to make Four feel like he doesn't have to be "The Responsible One". Which is a good start. But considering everything they've all been through together it doesn't look good for everyone to rank even lower than that. Everyone else must be on, like, friendship level 1-3. And that's not nearly enough to unlock his tragic backstory.

And Four is really good at seeming fine - he’s quiet and mostly polite. He doesn’t broadcast what he feels and he stonewalls like no one else. And no one looks too closely at him because of this. There are other Links with louder, more obvious problems and that lets Four fade into the background. The guys might be able to tell that there's something wrong, but no one's close enough to identify exactly what it is. And he doesn't feel close enough to them to share, either.

Add this to everything internal that Four deals with, you just end up with a guy who's so blocked off that no one even knows where to start. The guys can't even get their foot into the metaphorical door of Four's feelings because he welded it shut years ago.

And so I think that it's going to take a powerful external force acting upon the household to finally force something to bend or break - and it'll either be Four's silence or the other guys' willingness to stay out of it. (Probably the guys tho. I'm pretty sure Four would literally rather die than speak up at this point.)

Good thing everybody else in that house is fully willing to throw down for him, even if he himself doesn't know it.