#and the thing is i didn't even hate logan when he was first introduced

[thelilylav]

Ok finally got to the bridesmaids episode in gg and uh... why exactly do people defend Logan? To review, he: is a dick to an old friend of Rory because of an assumption he makes about their relationship that doesn't get confirmed until well into the dinner they're having together, then when Rory confronts him about being an asshole (which, yeah, he was being a classist dick that entire time) he tells her, "everyone's doing something," and when this causes her to spiral about her life direction, he makes it seem like she's blaming him after she didn't even mention his name, and then yells at her for bruising his ego and storms out of the bar, doesn't reach out to her afterward, sleeps with his sister's friends, waits for Rory to find out that apparently they're broken up from said sister, and then never tells her that he slept with people while they were apart. Yes, Rory says they're broken up, AFTER the phone call with his sister. Before then, there was no clarification, and she has every right to be upset that he slept with people while they were still together! He never reached out! He is a twenty-one-year-old by the time this is happening, there is no reason he can't reach out to clarify and make sure he isn't hurting Rory. And why wouldn't he clarify, if he supposedly loves her so much? I really tried to like Logan, even though I knew him being from such a wealthy family would irk me, but he's not even decent to the one person he's supposedly reformed for and I'm just supposed to sit here and let people blame Rory for the whole situation? No. He's an adult. They agreed to a relationship. You want to sleep around because you think you've broken up? Confirm that you broke up first.

[iriswritesforyou]

His Mona Lisa

Warning - small violence, prejudice against mutants, and maybe some other things? IDK

Word count - 1,889

Description: Reader is a human art teacher at the school. You and Logan had both been giving each other eyes for a while now but things heat up during a field trip.

Charles Xaiver had asked you, a human, to teach at his school for mutants, as an art teacher. You were reluctant at first, not because you were scared of mutants but because you felt as if you had nothing to offer them. Your only gift rested in your ability to paint and draw, to bring the images in your mind to life, and to help the youth do the same. 

It was rocky at first, the kids were hesitant to warm up to you and you were hesitant to discipline them but that all changed one day when you introduced them to what you liked to call ‘splat balloon painting’. You had set up a canvas for each kid with balloons filled with paint next to them outside, encouraging them to throw them at the canvases. The kids loved it so much and getting paint all over you was definitely worth watching them smile and laugh. The true solidarity came when one of the kids' powers acted up and you got freezing cold acrylic paint all over you. The kid expected you to be angry like most humans would but you werent, to their surprise you just laughed it off and assured the kid you were fine. 

After that day your class was one of the favorites among the students, even the kids who had hated art in previous years found themselves enjoying your class. 

And then there was Logan, the combat instructor teacher who plagued your thoughts and little did you know you plagued him as well. It all started when one of your kids came to class all battered up and looking worse for wear claiming it was from Logan’s combat class. You didn't know much about Logan and you didn't know much about his class but you did know that your students shouldnt be showing up to class looking like they just got beat up in an alleyway. 

So you marched down into the lower levels of the school determined to scold Logan like a parent would a child. 

He was quite surprised to see a young human woman dressed in paint covered overall hanging off one of her shoulders, paint brushes stuck in her hair, and mismatched jewelry stomping up to him.

He had heard about you of course, there was a stir when you joined the campus, people whispered about you with some saying you didn’t belong and others thinking your presence would be good for future relations between humans and mutants, he didn't particularly care. This was the first time he had seen you through and you certainly left your mark on him huffing and puffing about how the kids shouldnt be showing up to class battered and bruised. 

If Logan was being honest, despite what most people thought his reaction would be, he wasn't annoyed or angry, in fact he found it a little endearing how you cared for the kids, but he pushed that down and explained to you how it wasn't his intentions but the kids have to learn somehow. 

A couple months had passed since then and you and Logan were cordial to each other, you smiled at each other in passing but nothing more than that but the rest of the teachers and even students could see how both of your eyes always found each other in a room. 

Things started to heat up when you scheduled a field trip for the students to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Logan was going with you to help you watch the kids.

Logan knew he should have been paying more attention to the kids but he couldn't help but keep his eyes on you, the way you smiled when you explained the exhibits or how you lit up when they would ask questions. And you couldn't help but notice his watchful gaze, mostly on you and it unnerved you. Why was he staring? Was there something wrong with the way you were dressed? Something on your face? 

“Alright I want everybody to find a partner and split up, the sheet of paper I handed you all lays out the entire place and all of the attractions. Please, remember to meet up back here in an hour.” You told the kids as Logan came up beside you and you smiled at him gently “And you and I will be walking around keeping an eye on them.” he didn't say anything but nodded. 

You both had wandered over to the Museum history panel and read the date 1870, was Logan born just after that? 

“Can I ask you something personal?” He didn't even have to think about it before answering “Yes.”. 

“It says this place was founded in 1870.” your voice dropped into a whisper “weren't you born around then?” He snapped his face towards you while you stayed looking away. He wondered how you knew that you and him hadn't had a conversation in months. 

“How did you know that?” You now turned to face him completely, faces close and heart racing, he could hear it. Your eyes were locked onto each other and he couldn't help but study how the light danced in them and skin became flushed under the cool lighting, he thought he was making you scared and took a step back. He wouldn't admit it but he didn't want to take a step back. He wanted to take a step closer. 

“I’ve been - asking around, about you. I'm sorry, I should have asked you but-.” Unspoken words held in the air. 

It was your guilty pleasure to find out more about Logan, the more you knew the more you had answers and you couldn't ask him, he was, well, him. 

“You could have just asked me.” He said. You thought he would be mad, furious even but instead he looked hurt. “You're right Logan, and I’m sorry. If I’m being honest you intimidate me a little.” 

He raised one of his brows at you, he knew he had that effect on people but he didn't want it on you. “Well, you don't have to be. I don't want you to be.” His gruff voice made you stay locked onto him. 

Time could have passed for a hundred years and you both could have stayed right there forever but time didn't care what you wanted as a blood curdling scream snapped you both back to reality. 

Over in the Egyptian side of the room one of your kids and a human boy were having an all out brawl with your kid winning. Logan got there faster than you and pulled him off while the human boy quickly got up and spat at the ground by your feet, “mutant.” 

That one word was all it took for your kid to start kicking in Logan's arm, trying to claw his way back over to the human boy while he just stood there glaring. You quickly walked over to the human boy and grabbed his forearm,  “where are your parents?” and it was as if they heard you. 

A lady in an expensive looking green suit and a man twice the size of you came over, the woman with tears in her eyes, hyperventilating and the man getting red in the face with anger. 

“Let go of my son!” the man huffed getting up into your face, so close you could see the pimple about to burst on his nose. Letting go of his son you took a step back and he took one again closer to you. “Mutant bitch” It was two words now that snapped Logan into action, as he had been watching the exchange with the kid still fighting in his arms. Quickly, Logan let him go, not caring if he went back over to the human boy and started another fight. No, his only concern was you. 

Stepping in between you and the man, blocking him from your sight, they stood toe to toe. Logan was clearly taller and stronger than the man but that did nothing to deter him “And you must be her mutant bastard”. You grabbed the back of Logan's clothes hoping he wouldn't start something “Logan” you gently whispered. Logan may be an angry man but it was never for himself, he wouldn't start anything. 

It wasn't until you stepped around Logan hesitantly, still keeping your grip on him and started to try and mend the situation. “Please, ma’am, sir, we are truly, very sorry. And -”, a sickening slap echoed around the now quiet room, he had hit you and Logan wasn't going to let that slide. 

In the blink of an eye Logan pulled you back and into the arms of your mutant students who had now gathered around the both of you and punched the guy right back. 

Chaos exploded, the woman shrieked as Logan had the man jacked up against the wall as he cried, half of your kids went for the human boy who had bullied your kid and the other half stuck by you as you stood there in shock. 

It took ten security members to pry off Logan and the aftermath was quite horrific. Blood was on the walls and floors, but only the man and his boy had seriously gotten injured with your mutant students only having minor bumps and bruises. 

They would have hauled Logan off to jail if it wasn't for Charles showing up and sweet talking to them, promising not just financial compensation for the museum but for them personally as well, the human family too. 

It wasn't until you got back to the school that you really felt the pain in your upper cheek bone and eye. As you were about to open your door Logan stood there with his fist raised about to knock. 

“I’m so sorry Logan.” He didn't say anything back, his eyes not wavering from a particular spot on your face. He reached towards it and gently touched it making you hiss and jerk back “I should have hit him harder.” 

You shook your head in disbelief  “No, anything more and you would have gone to jail Logan.” 

“You need to go down to the infirmary.” He took your hand in his. “That's actually where I was about to go.” but he still held your hand and led you to the infirmary. 

“I’m sorry.” The gruff man apologized this time.

“Why?” he stopped and fully turned to you, feeling ashamed for running your first field trip. 

“It was a shitty field trip, your first one.” you shrugged but still stayed looking at him “I'm more upset about not being able to tour the museum, I've always wanted to go.” 

He felt guilty now, he knew art was your passion and he didn't even think about that part of the debacle. 

“I'll make it up to you, I'll take you next time.” He couldn't even believe the words that had come out of his mouth but he wanted to take them back, not because he didn't want to but because he assumed you wouldn't want to go with him. But to his surprise a smile grew on your face “Like a date?” 

There was a beat of silence as he gazed down at your beautiful face and gave a small smile down at you “Like a date sweetheart.” 

[chandelier-s-notebook]

Hey, so I started writing a Landoscar 5+1 which...didn't even spiral outwardly that badly, but I hate it. I hate it enough that I never want to look at it again, and I think that if I put it down, I will never pick it back up. And both desperately want to put it down, and don't believe in continually ramming your head into the wall if something isn't working. So, into the fic graveyard it goes.

But! Instead of tossing it in the trash, never to be seen again, I am posting it here to Tumblr. Maybe someone can enjoy it.

It's supposed to be Landoscar, but it takes Lando 1800 of those prose words to show up. What's happening in that first 1.8k? Charles adopting Oscar. Alex and George are also here. Max exists, and Lando is a biter.

The whole 5+1 part is outlined, it's five different things Lando calls Oscar in a College!AU and one time Oscar gives him a nickname back. The bones are all there, but...

*ahem*

I present to you: 2.3k of pose and 1.1k of outline.

Have an experience.

[INSERT TITLE HERE]

Oscar Piastri is a regular engineering major university shut in by the time Winter semester rolls around in his first year of university.

He has one friend—Logan, his roommate, who he’d met all the way back in middle school—two different incompetent lab groups, a class with four midterms and a final, 18 hours of lecture a week, a never ending stream of assignments, a healthy addition to Monster Energy™, and three humanities he has to take if he wants to graduate at all.

Oscar is taking a 300-level Principles of Marketing—he figures it will be useful enough—when he meets Charles Leclerc.

And that's when his life starts to change.

— — —

Charles is a business major, and Charles happens to be sitting next to Oscar when Professor Vettel—”But please call me Sebastain, or even Seb,”—asks them to introduce themselves to the person sitting next to them.

“Oscar Piastri. I’m in engineering, mechanical, first year.”

“Ah. So you are here for the credit, then? I am Charles Leclerc, second year.”

The name pings some level of familiarity deep in the back of his brain, but it’s not enough of a connection for him to follow it down any sort of rabbit hole. “Pretty much, but I have to keep my GPA up to keep my scholarship, so I’m not planning on being completely useless.”

“Good,” Charles smiles. “Because this introduction thing is how Seb likes to assign groups of the term.”

Oscar feels like a bucket of water has been dumped on his head. “What?”

“I know. It is weird, but all of the professors here are. I hope we work well together. When I was in Intro to Marketing, I was stuck with George. George is nice, but he is very intense about the wrong things sometimes. We did not work well together.”

“This class is going to be, like, last on my list of priorities,” Oscar feels the need to tell him.

But Charles just smiles again. “I figured, since you said you are an engineer. That is okay. At least I know what I am in for from the start. We will meet once a week, yes? So we have a dedicated time to work on this class, and you can ignore it the rest of the time?”

Oscar starts to protest, but a clap sounds from the front of the room. “Well. I hope you like the person sitting next to you,” Professor Vettel, Sebastian, Seb says. “Because this is who you will be working with for the rest of the semester! I’ll give you five minutes to exchange contact information, and then we’ll get started!”

Charles winks at him; he’s bad at it. “See?”

Oscar forks over his number, and pencils in a weekly Wednesday evening library session with Charles Leclerc.

— — —

Wednesday evening quickly becomes Oscar’s favourite time of the week.

For two hours he can shut off his brain, ignore all of his coursework, and just hangout with Charles Leclerc. At least it feels like they’re just hanging out, because what’s actually happening is Charles is explaining to Oscar what the fuck he’s doing for their joint assignments that Oscar feels a little bit bad about putting his name on.

“It’s okay,” Charles assures him. “Seb’s husband is one of the engineering profs. He knows which people in his class are eng students, and how much they’ve got on their plates.”

“Which one?”

“Not telling.”

“Rude!”

“Besides, you’re doing quality control.”

“I don’t know what quality I am controlling, is the issue.”

“That is okay.”

“Is it? I’m going to fail the final at this rate.”

“No you aren’t.”

Oscar flops down onto the table. “Yes I am.”

“Because it is a term project.”

He looks up. “I’m not letting you do an entire term project on your own.”

“Of course you are not. We need to build a product website. I cannot code, and I know that coding is a requirement to graduate, so I will make the design document, and you will code.”

“Okay,” he says, small. “I don’t want to drag your grade down because I don’t know what’s going on in this course.”

“You won’t. I won’t let you,” Charles tells him. “You understand the lectures, non?”

“Yeah. And I’m acing the theory quizzes.”

Charles grins. “See? You are doing very well.”

Oscar smiles. “Okay, but what goes in a design document?”

— — —

“Charles, I know I have to be the one to do the presentation, but I can’t. I’m going to sound so stupid standing up there reading off these cards.”

“You are not going to sound stupid. That is why we are practicing.”

“You’re biased. You need to tell me I’m going well so I stay calm.”

“Are you not calm?” Charles asks, tilting his head.

“I am not calm.”

“This is you not calm?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm. I cannot tell. Which is good, because then no one will be able to see if you start to panic. The audience is like a snark.”

“Not helpful!”

“Right.” Charles taps his chin with this index finger. “I know! I will get George.”

“George?”

“Yes!” The upperclassman pulls out his phone. “If you can present to George, you can present to anybody.”

“I thought you didn’t like George?”

“I don’t like working with George. He is judgy.”

“And you want me to present in front of him?”

“Oui. He will stay quiet until you are done.”

“I hate this.”

“You told me you would.”

George is apparently George Russell, the man Oscar’s Solid Mechanics TA, Max Verstappen, loves to draw into pointless arguments. He brings his friend Alexander “Alex” Albon—wildlife biology major. They are both very good at quietly listening to him fumble, while keeping their expressions carefully blank.

At least George is. Alex is smiling at him in a way he knows is supposed to be comforting, but all it’s doing is making him more aware of tightness in his chest.

“And that’s that.” Oscar claps his hands together, and immediately regrets it.

Charles applauds and cheers like he’s just won a race or something.

Alex claps as well.

George turns to Charles. “You’ve adopted an engineer.”

“Maybe,” Charles grins. “You can barely tell.”

“It’s obvious.”

“No it’s not,” Charles turns to assure Oscar. “Barely. If you weren’t you, you couldn’t tell.”

“I mean it’s not really far, because I’ve seen him in Max’s office.”

Charles looks absolutely betrayed when his gaze whips towards him. “Why are you in Max’s office?”

“For help?”

Charles narrows his eyes.

“He’s my TA; solid mech.”

“Who do you like more?”

“Huh?”

“Me and Max. Who do you like more?”

Oscar’s eyes dart to Alex’s for a little help. There’s not much he can do, but he does manage to convey that this answer is apparently very important.

Oscar has never considered Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen against each other. They aren’t exactly in the same category of people in his mind.

“You?”

“More confidence.”

“You.”

“Good. Keep it that way.” Charles sits back in his seat. “Do it again. Do you have a suit? You will wear a suit to this presentation.”

Oscar is only a little scared.

“Does Max like Oscar?” Charles asks George while they all go about packing their bags at the end of the session.

“I’d say so. You know how he pretends to be professional with the underclassmen, but when it’s just Oscar in the room he’s right back to his usual state of no decorum.”

Charles hums. “Do you do anything on Fridays, Oscar? Friday evenings?”

“Cry? All of my assignments are due Friday.”

“So you stay up all night doing them?”

“No, that's Thursday. I fix everything Friday morning, so that I’ve got time to cry in the evening before I start next week’s assignments on Saturday.”

Alex snorts. “Nice.”

“You are coming for drinks,” Charlest tells him. “Crying with friends is better than crying alone. I will come pick you up. Give me your address.” He holds out his phone in front of Oscar’s nose.

Oscar’s eyes dart back to Alex’s. The man looks just as befuddled as he feels, but honestly: Oscar would like more than one friend.

“Will I have to pay?” he asks.

“Non. If I tell you you have to pay you will come up with excuses to not come. I will pay. You have a class that ends at five thirty, non?”

“Yes.”

“Perfect. Then I will be there at six thirty. That will give you an hour to get home, and do whatever introvert things you need to do before we go out.”

At Oscar’s expression Alex tells him, “We also always meet up at seven.”

Which is good, because Oscar was about to tell Charles that they shouldn’t change their whole schedule for him.

— — —

Oscar’s shirt is only halfway on when there’s a knock at his door.

“In a minute!”

“I’ve got it!” Logan calls.

The door opens.

“Who are you?” he demands.

“You are not Oscar.”

“No. I’m not. Who are you?”

“Charles!” Oscar gasps, running out of his room. “Logan, this is Charles. He’s my Marketing partner. Charles, this is Logan, he’s my roommate.”

“You never mentioned a roommate.”

“Never came up,” he says, bending down to tie his shoelaces.

“I told you about my roommates!” Charles cries.

“You complained about your roommate to me,” he corrects.

Logan laughs. “Dude, you’re supposed to share horror stories when that happens.”

Oscar furrows his brows. “But I don’t have horror stories.”

“Oscar.”

“Yes?”

“Your roommate answered the door eating cereal out of a frying pan.”

Oscar turns to look.

Logan shrugs.

“Have you heard of bowls?” Charles shrieks.

“American,” he grins.

Oscar huffs. “He’s joking,” he assures Charles while grabbing his coat. “We’ve run out of bowls. Logan was supposed to do the dishes tonight.”

The man in question clicks his tongue, and shoots Charles with a finger gun. “Are you going out?”

“Yeah. I’ll be back…when will I be back?”

“Two?”

“I’m not making it to two. I’ll be back at ten.”

“Text me. I’m staying in.”

“Cool.” Oscar throws him a thumbs up. “Shall we? Who’s going to be there, by the way?”

“George, Alex, Pierre, Esteban, Yuki, Liam, Lando, and Max is not coming.”

“Pierre is your roommate?”

“Oui.”

When Oscar gets to the pub, he is immediately reminded why he’s bad at making friends.

While everybody else introduced themselves with their first names only, Oscar had said: “Oscar Piastri.”

Full name, full confidence.

Which was his only saving grace: the confidence. His face didn’t even scrunch up in displeasure.

“Nice to meet you Oscar Piastri!” Lando says.

“Just Oscar is fine.”

“But your name is Oscar Piastri.”

“Oh my god Lando,” Alex laughs. “Ignore him. He bites, but he’s harmless.”

“I thought the saying goes ‘he doesn’t bite,’ right?”

“Yeah,” George shrugs. “But Lando does bite. Literally. He’s a bit feral, but he’s good the first hour.”

Charles pats Oscar’s shoulder. “I’ll keep you safe.”

“You’re all making me sound like a dog. I’m not a pet!”

“I think it’d be nice to be a pet dog. No solid mech homework.”

“Is that what we’re crying about tonight?” Alex asks.

“Yep.”

Lando’s eyes light up. “You schedule your crying?”

“I’m in mech eng.”

“Oh Oscar Piastri, I’m so sorry.”

George groans. “Just call him Oscar.”

“No.”

Oscar laughs. He doesn’t really mind. It’s very clear that he’s just teasing. Besides, Oscar likes the way Lando says his full name: Oscar Piastri. It rolls off his tongue like it’s a single entity.

— — —

The presentation goes well, all things considered, and Oscar even manages to actually answer some of the audience questions without looking at Charles in panic first.

It’s a miracle.

“Good job!” Charles says, clapping his shoulder as they go back to their seats. “That was great. I’m so proud of you.”

Oscar blushes. “Stop. I feel like you’re about to give me a gold star or something.”

“I could. Do you want one?” Charles asks, way too earnestly for Oscar’s taste. “I carry some around with me. We give them to Lando when he does a good job.”

“First you tell me he bites, then you tell me you give him treats, are you sure he’s not the friend group’s dog or something.”

Charles grins. “Don’t let his whining confuse you, he likes it. He has a little sticker booklet, so if you are going to give him one you have to give it to him, because you put it on him it won’t be sticky anymore and it will be difficult to keep in the booklet.”

“Oh my god.”

“Would you like one?”

“I don’t have a booklet.”

“That is okay. You can put it on your laptop. They are die cut vinyl; very good quality.”

“Wow. Yeah I’ll have one.”

Oscar’s laptop is now the proud wearer of a smiling cartoon golden star sticker.

It’s silly, but he loves it.

— — —

At six thirty sharp every Friday, Charles Leclerc is at his door ready to drag him off to the pub with his friends who are all slowly, but surely, also being Oscar’s friends.

He jumps when all he gets is a loud “OSCAR!” before Lando is barrelling into his side, almost sending him sprawling just outside of the peb entrance.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

Oscar is not not bracing for a bite.

Not because he wants Lando to bite him, but because he likes to think they’re friends, and apparently Lando bites his friends.

Or maybe they just told that to Oscar to scare him, and take the mick out of Lando in a single blow.

“Ah! Lando!” Alex cries. “You pest. Give me warning! You can’t just bite people.”

“I gave you a whole four seconds after arriving,” Lando pouts. “That’s plenty of warning. Not my fault you ignored it.”

“Say something,” Alex pleads, rubbing his shoulder. “You’ve gotten better at biting lightly, thank you.”

Lando brightens. “You’re welcome!” He turns to George. “George, I’m going to bite you.”

“Oh I don’t like that,” Alex says. “That’s so ominous. Nevermind. Don’t say anything. But like, tap me or something.”

Lando whacks George’s shoulder, and then with a “hwam” he clamps his teeth around the other man’s shoulder.

Oscar isn’t sure if he should be watching with horror or fascination.

Oscar jumps about twelve feet in the air when he hears a loud “OSCAR” shouted across the quad

Lando.

The biter.

Who didn’t bite anybody last time they were out

But they’ve known each other for longer than an hour, so he’s a little bit worried

Because Charles doesn’t tend to lie to him.

Lando throws himself into Oscar’s side

“Where are you going?”

“Physics Building.”

“Ugh. Why?”

“Solid Mech. Need to talk to my TA.”

“Terrible. I think. Max likes Solid Mech, but Max is a freak.”

“Verstappen?”

“Yep! Do you know him?”

“He’s my TA.”

“For Solid Mech?”

“Yup.”

“Of course he is. He was probably grading your assignments, that’s why he didn’t come out last night.”

Oscar pales. “You’re friends with my TA?”

“Yup! He’s a freak, but he’s cool.”

“If he’s a freak, what are you? I’m waiting for you to bite me.”

Lando pauses. “Do you want me to bite you, Oscar?”

“I was told you bite your friends.”

“Are we friends?”

“I dunno. Don’t have many of those.”

“Well we’ve got to fix that.”

Suddenly Lando is being scruffed.

“Lando. Why are you about to bite my favourite student?”

“We’re friends now. Charles brought him to the pub.”

“Ah.”

“Stop giving Oscar so many assignments. Cause then he’ll be less stressed, and you’ll be able to hangout more!”

“Not how that works. If I let you go, are you going to bite him?”

“He literally asked for it.”

“I did.”

Max sighs. “I see why Charles took you in. Were you having trouble with the assignment?”

“The indeterminate structures are doing my head in again.”

“The what?”

Max hauls Lando into his office. “Come in, you. You’re going to be Oscar’s rubber duck.”

“What?” he squawks. “Oscar! Max just called me dumb!”

Oscar feels warm.

He has a friend.

— — —

Lando loosens up a bit more and stops pronouncing the r in his name. It shouldn’t affect him as much as it does, but it practically kills Oscar.

Lando is an arts major, graphic design and photography

He sits with Oscar while he works on his assignments

Well, Lando is usually drawing or editing pictures

To Oscar it feels like not working, but Lando assures him that he is actually working

“Oscah. I’m bored.”

“I’m busy.”

“I knoooooooow. Can I take pictures of you?”

“What?”

“Pictures? With my camera? I need to practice my human portraits stuff. Framing and shit. And how to deal with natural lighting. The lighting in here is shit, mate.”

Oscar glances at him.

“I’ll be taking candid shots. Like you in your natural habitat. So I won’t even be talking. I’ll shut up!”

“Why is that a selling point?”

“Because you’re trying to work? I can be considerate.”

Oscar smiles. “Go for it. Might be a bit awkward though.”

“I’ve got you Oscah. I’ll make you look cool even without dynamic lighting.”

“I hate dynamics.”

— — —

Osc is not made for the pub despite being an engineer

“We are we are we are we are We are the engineers We can we can we can we can We can demolish forty beers So come so come so come so come So come along with us For we don't give a damn for any damn man who don't give a damn for us”

Oscar has been drinking water for the past three pubs on this crawl

He runs into Max at some point

Max, who decides that it’s time to save him, and Oscar is being dragged into a booth with Charles and his friends.

“Do you think those guys are going to notice you are gone?”

“Maybe? Probably. I’ve been Logan’s introvert all night. He’ll go looking for me before everybody leaves.”

Charles gets him another water.

Oscar starts asking questions about the torsion unit.

Max laughs, and they are doing office hours again.

“There you are! Man, I thought I’d lost you for good. You good, man?”

“Yeah! There is Charles.” He points.

Logan grins and shakes his hand. “Hey. Oscar’s roommate.”

“The messy one who eats cereal out of the frying pan?”

Logan laughs, everybody laughs. “Yeah. That’s me. We’re headed off to the next pub…”

Lando wraps his arms around Oscar’s torso and clings. “Nope. Osc is ours now. We’re keeping him. You have fun on your crawl.”

“Osc?” Lando jolts back. His face is suddenly stricken with a worried expression. “Is that okay? Can I call you that?”

“Of course it’s okay,” Logan tells him when Oscar starts floundering. “Use protection!” he calls over his shoulder. “I’m staying at Liam’s!”

— — —

Lando comes over and finds out that Logan calls Oscar Osc and has for years.

He gets very pouty

“Just give him your own nickname,” Logan says in between bites of cereal.

“Do you not own bowls?”

“There are two left. Figured you would want one? And Oscar has some dignity left, so frying pan for me.”

“Osco, your roommate hurts me.”

“Osco?”

“I’ve decided on it.”

“Okay.”

“But seriously, what is wrong with your roommate?”

“American.”

“Bro.”

“He just called you bro.” Lando claps. “I’ve never heard someone do that in real life.”

Oscar sighs.

— — —

Charles: Who is your favourite?

Oscar *panicking*: Lando

Charles *waves him away*: Obviously. Between me and Max. Who is your favourite?

Oscar *deer in headlines*: Lando

Lando: *cackles*

Max: Remember, I grade your assignments. Actually, I am grading your midterm right now.

Oscar: How am I doing?

Max: Who is your favourite?

Oscar: *pales*

Charles: I do your assignments. I will not put your name on it.

George: That’s not going to work. Seb knows you well enough to know that Oscar hasn’t done any work all semester, and that you’re being petty.

Charles: And when Seb calls me for a meeting I will tell him how Oscar has been terrible to me, and does not deserve to coast off my work.

Oscar *panicking*: I need this class.

Charles *mouthing*: I’m joking.

Max: I’ll tell Mark that Oscar chose me over you, and he’ll tell Seb. Who’s Seb going to believe? You? Or a story that sounds exactly like something you would do?”

Charles: *pouts*

Oscar: Lando.

Lando: Say George. It’ll piss them both off.

Oscar: Alex.

George: Oi!

Alex: Don’t bring me into this!

Charles: It’s me, right?

Oscar: Yes?

Charles: With confidence.

Oscar: Yes.

Oscar is not a nickname guy.

But Lando clearly is

Charles drags Oscar to movie night in his dorm.

Lando gets up to stretch mid-action scene

“Anybody want anything? I’m gonna refill the popcorn.”

A chorus of nos from everybody in the room, but then Oscar finishes his drink.

“Hey, Lan, actually could you get me a Monster?”

Lando freezes.

He practically trips as he runs.

He throws himself on the couch

And bite

“Ow!”

“We warned you!”

“I let my guard down. It’s been weeks.”

[piastrixpole]

i. bahrain

pairing: logan sargeant x fem!oc (daisy shaw)

genre: written

based on the 2023 season

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daisyshaw   off-season (feat danny ric)

Contrary to what her name would suggest Daisy Shaw was anything but pure and joyful when she was first exposed to the pinnacle of motorsport. When the discourse surrounding whether or not a woman should be allowed ascend to the highest level of motorsport first circulated on the internet there was of course mixed reactions. One thing was for certain though - nobody had been expecting it to be someone like Daisy.

The not so fittingly named Daisy who had been hardened beyond recognition on her journey to the top. The Daisy who had emerged from the flames of the underworld which had sought to burn her alive like a re-coming of Prometheus himself. The Daisy who projected a cold front to those around her but was achingly lonely.

Becoming a sort of poster girl for acceptance and inclusivity within Formula One was an unfortunate side effect of finally getting a seat at the table. Daisy hated all the attention she received purely for being there and the questions which didn't even attempt to cover her driving, the only thing that made her slightly happy was that she definitely wasn't the kind of girl the FIA wanted to be the first female driver on the grid. She was icy, detached and unafraid to call out the blatant sexists she encountered even if it didn't make her popular with the public who just wanted a well tempered, sunshine of a girl.

She wasn't exactly approachable so despite the terrible loneliness eroding through her veins with each awkward smile shared with a fellow driver she knew it was her own doing, and for the better. Last year in her rookie season she had been paired up with Henry Downing, a fellow British driver 8 years her senior who had retired at the end of the year. Daisy had ended up outperforming him by the end of the season which hadn't helped their already tense relationship so she wasn't overly upset to see him go.

And now in an all too ironic twist of fate she was joining sunshine personified himself, Daniel Ricciardo. Daisy's sharp edges and brash words didn't faze him. Not when one of his best friends was a slightly prickly Max Verstappen. Daniel was determined to make Daisy admit they were best friends at some point over the season, and truth be told she could see it happening. It was hard not to when he was so infuriatingly positive and welcoming to her. She wasn't going to be voicing it aloud anytime soon though. He already had enough of an ego and she wasn't quite ready to open up to him just yet.

"Daisy," a now familiar voice boomed from further up the track and a quick glance up from the data she'd been reviewing with her race engineer "how's my favourite rain cloud??"

As Daniel approached with his trademark grin, Daisy couldn't help but roll her eyes internally. His relentless positivity was like a ray of sunshine piercing through her carefully constructed storm clouds. She appreciated his efforts, she really did, but sometimes she wished he could just let her be. That and she'd been hoping that Daniel wasn't going to make that nickname stick but apparently all that longing was futile. "So much worse now that you're here," she gave him a sickly sweet smile in return, knowing he wouldn't actually take her words seriously.

Rain cloud had come around from the first time her and Daniel had met after he signed for Porsche. Despite being on the grid together the year before Daniel had never spoken to the young girl and it wasn't as if Daisy was running around introducing herself to everyone either. The only person she had really gotten to know was Zhou, her fellow rookie, as she could talk freely with him far easier and without generating dating rumours about herself.

She'd learnt that the hard way when the Lewis Hamilton had gone out of his way to meet her and the next day she woke up to every media outlet running a story accusing her of sleeping with him to get her seat. Was it kind of flattering? Definitely. It was Lewis Hamilton for crying out loud. But she wasn't going to give them any more ammunition so Daisy had kept to herself after that.

Daniel chuckled, unfazed by her sardonic response. He'd gotten well acquainted with the way Daisy talked during testing and when he'd seen her around in the factory. "Ah, you wound me, Daisy," he said, clapping a hand on her shoulder. "You know you love having me around to brighten up your day."

Daisy resisted the urge to shrug off his touch, instead offering him a wry smile. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Ricciardo," she retorted, her gaze flickering towards the track. "We've got a qualifying session to focus on, remember?"

Undeterred by her dismissive tone, Daniel grinned. "Always so serious little rain cloud," he said, falling into step beside her as they made their way towards the garage. "But hey, no hard feelings when I beat you out there, yeah?"

Daisy raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing at the corners of her lips. "Oh, you wish, Ricciardo," she shot back, a competitive fire igniting in her eyes. "I'll see you on the track – and may the best driver win."

Getting back into the car to race was thrill like no other. Adrenaline pumped through Daisy at a remarkable speed as the anticipation grew. Her trusty pair of headphones were still resting on the crown of her head as she blasted music through them to hype herself up. Daisy's music choices before racing had been a long running joke on Twitter as they were strictly depressing, a stark contrast to the rest of the grid. It was either that or something so British that it out George Russell to shame.

As she finished dancing away in her seat to Phoebe Bridgers, Daniel waved at her from the other side of the garage. They had been putting in similar lap times during free practice but she wanted to be better in qualifying. It wasn't going to be easy though. Not when they were both hungry for a win and desperate to prove themselves. Daniel had a rough season last year at McLaren and was determined to show that he still had it. And Daisy bore the burden of proving her gender's competency to drive in F1 every time she got in the car, along with her individual desire to perform to the highest standard.

Both Porsche drivers were in a precarious position. Teetering on the verge of greatness but with each less than optimal finish, with every practice that could have gone better the tightrope they were balancing on grew less stable. Now Daisy would never claim to be immune to pressure, it was quite the opposite in fact. She welcomed the high expectations placed on her shoulders and the highly critical eyes zoned in on her performance. She thrived because of it all. It had always been that way. Ever since she was a young girl she had lived for the thrill of proving everyone wrong and that trait had transitioned into adulthood and only grown.

As the moon cast its silver hues over the Bahrain International Circuit Daisy slipped into the cockpit of her car, her heartbeat echoing in her ears as she got into position. The roar of the engine reverberated through her bones as she navigated the pit lane, her mind focused and unyielding. That was something Daisy adored about driving. As soon as she was behind that wheel it was as if everything else ceased to exist. Time rather ironically slowed down and all that was left was her. Before she knew it, Daisy was approaching the start of her first flying lap around the circuit and the comforting surge of adrenaline coursed through her veins, reigniting the fire within her that had been dormant since the end of last season.

Behind the wheel, Daisy felt the car come alive beneath her, its power and agility responding to her every command. Yet, as she pushed harder, she encountered her first challenge – a sharp turn that demanded precision and finesse. With a deft touch on the brakes and a calculated flick of the steering wheel she weaved swiftly around the corner, her heart pounding with exhilaration.

The relentless heat became more of an issue as the laps wore on. Daisy was incredibly grateful for the experience she'd gained racing this track last year in her rookie season but she definitely hadn't missed the sweltering heat it brought even in the night. Considering that she'd been born and raised in North England most of her life and then only moved to Germany once she signed with Porsche, she didn't cope well with warm climates. However she was determined to not show weakness nor to let it get to her. So she continued to work with the car, searching for that elusive sweet spot where speed and control converged.

Amidst the chaos of the track, Daisy found solace in the voice of her race engineer whose instructions crackled through the radio like a lifeline. "Try braking later into turn 4 Daisy, you're gaining time there," Anja advised, her voice cutting through the cacophony that was the engine's roar.

One of Daisy's conditions when she had signed for the team the prior year was that she wanted a female team around her. If she was going to be the unwilling poster girl for diversity in the sport, she at least wanted to surround herself with more girls and Anja had been stellar last year so Daisy was thrilled to have her alongside again. Taking her advice, Daisy adjusted her approach, pushing the car to its limits as she attacked the corner with newfound aggression. The sensation of the G-forces pressing against her body only propelled her forward with unwavering resolve.

It was nearing the end of qualifying and Daisy was about to embark upon her final lap of the session. Heart racing with anticipation, Daisy gave it her all as she navigated the turns and the straights with precision.

"Keep pushing Daisy, you're doing great." Anja reassured her.

As she rounded the final corner and charged towards the finish line, Daisy poured every last ounce of energy she had left into her for the final push. Then breathless but exhilarated Daisy waited with bated breath for Anja to deliver the verdict of her efforts.

"That's P9 Daisy," Anja informed her over the radio "P9, good job."

While that wasn't quite the result Daisy had been hoping for, she was still satisfied that she'd done absolutely everything she could with the car and her performance couldn't have been better. "Thanks Anja, where's Daniel."

There was a pause on the other end before the other girl replied "P7."

"Not a bad start from us huh," Daisy hummed as she guided her Porsche into its designated spot. P9 could be a lot better but she was prepared to fight tooth and nail on the track the next day and hopefully gain some ground over the course of the race.

The fact that Daniel had outqualified her did gnaw at her confidence a little. But she kept that beneath the surface, fighting to bottle away the lingering disappointment as she congratulated him and the team. It wasn't as though she cared that he personally outplaced her and was now in a better starting position and Daisy was genuinely happy for his success after his previous rough year but she yearned to prove herself on equal footing. Never mind the fact that Daniel was a highly gifted and seasoned driver, Daisy had to show the world that she was more than just a diversity quota – that she belonged amongst the elite.

Anja seemed to be able to read between the lines without Daisy even mentioning the slight envy she felt "Do you want to know the order Daisy?"

She contemplated it momentarily but her curiosity was more important than her ego then "sure, go on."

"Top 10 are Verstappen, Perez, Leclerc, Sainz, Alonso, Russel, Daniel, Hamilton, you and Stroll."

"Redbull front row lockout," Daisy remarked, voice dripping with sarcasm "who could've seen that coming? But anyways, good job everyone – appreciate it."

As the hustle and bustle of parc ferme enveloped her, Daisy forced a small smile onto her lips, determined not to let her inner doubts be visible to the rest of the grid. She congratulated Daniel again with a small smile and exchanged nods with those around her, masking her disappointment behind a façade of confidence. Her mind was racing already in preparation for the following day as she still had something to prove. And if there was one thing that fuelled her, it was spite.

There was something so captivating about night races to Daisy. The way the stars and night sky provided such a dramatic backdrop for the spectacle of the race. Under the dazzling lights surrounding the circuit, Daisy was sitting in P9, practically jumping in her seat with anticipation for the race to start. While her qualifying hadn't exactly gone to plan Daisy still had her eyes set on the podium. Maybe it was a little unrealistic a goal considering how dominant the two redbulls had been in practice and the day before but she still hoped to bring back a result the team could be proud of.

As the lights slowly dimmed and the roar of twenty engines filled the air in synchrony, Daisy inhaled sharply to focus, her heart pounding so intensely she half expected it to rip through the pericardium and her ribs. A rush of adrenaline surged through every nerve of her body as she gunned the throttle, launching her car forward with precision and determination.

If she had to describe her driving style in one word, Daisy would say aggressive. Her ability to put pressure on other drivers and seize any open opportunities had shocked people in her debut race last year. It was something Daisy was rather proud of. They had seemingly expected her to be more gentle, hesitant even with competing - as if she were a doormat of a girl, and oh had she relished in being the exact opposite.

She could practically hear the commentary in her head as Max predictably took a quick lead but she wasn't going to get distracted by him. To make it a closer battle she'd have to somehow manage getting out of the mess that was the midfield. Her usual nonchalance was replaced by steely focus as she fought tooth and nail for every inch of tarmac.

Daisy had managed to make it out of the constant back and forth switching of positions she'd found herself trapped in towards the start as she finally gained some pace on Albon's Williams. Things were starting to work out smoothly for Daisy as Ocon was suddenly out of the race and there was now nobody left between her and Daniel.

Lap by lap Daisy found herself locked in an intense battle with her teammate. They were racing side by side along the straights of the circuit, both of them trying to pull ahead of the other coming out of a corner so they could leave them in the dust. She was half expecting an order to come over the radio telling her not to fight Daniel and to just let him have it because that had occurred a few times last year with Henry but to her surprise there was nothing.

Until Anja finally called for her to pit so they could send her back out on fresh tires. There was a decent gap between her and Alex so as long as the pitstop went smoothly she'd be able to get back out and re-join the race before he could overtake her in the standings.

With the race hanging in the balance, every second counted as Daisy navigated her way towards the pit lane. As she approached her designated pit box, Daisy braced herself for the flurry of activity that awaited her. The anticipation coiled in her stomach, a potent mix of excitement and nerves as she brought her car to a halt with pinpoint precision.

In an instant, her crew swarmed around her car like a well-oiled machine, their movements a blur of activity as they worked with surgical precision to execute the tire change. Swiftly removing the warm tires and switching them out for fresh wheels. Every movement was performed with a practiced ease that she had gotten familiar with over the past year.

Then once the tire change was complete and she was given the signal to go, Daisy revved her engine and shot out of the pit lane with renewed vigour. The fresh tires gripped the asphalt beneath her, propelling her forward with newfound speed and confidence as she re-joined the race.

Merging back into the racing line Daisy prepared herself for the challenges ahead. Asking Anja quickly "Gap to Dan?"

"1.2 Daisy, that's 1.2," Anja's voice replied on the other end, calm as always.

Despite her best efforts at warming her tires, closing the gap proved to be a daunting ordeal. Daniel's pace was relentless and he temporarily had the advantage of not being on fresh tires. The only thing keeping Daisy going was the fact that he still had to pit at some point and the end of the race was inching closer so her window of opportunity hadn't quite slipped from her grasp, not yet.

With determination burning bright in her eyes, Daisy threw caution to the wind and dialled up the aggression, pushing her Porsche to its absolute limit. Each corner became a calculated risk, each straight a chance to gain ground on her teammate.

But as the laps wore on, Daniel's tire degradation began to take its toll, his pace faltering ever so slightly as the wear on his tires became apparent. Sensing an opportunity, Daisy seized the moment, closing the gap with each passing lap as she hunted down her prey with unwavering focus.

Finally, with Daniel's pit stop looming on the horizon, Daisy made her move, diving deep into a corner and executing a daring overtake to claim the position ahead of her teammate. The crowd erupted into cheers as she completed the manoeuvre, her heart pounding with exhilaration as she surged ahead.

As Daniel peeled off into the pit lane for his long-awaited stop, Daisy pressed on, her sights set on the cars ahead. In the end it was Daisy who crossed the finish line first, Daniel hot on her heels after an even faster stop than her own. But she had done it! P7 was a respectable result and certainly nothing to scoff at, and the insecure part of herself was thrilled to have beaten her teammate even if it was by a tiny margin and only one position.

Daisy's face was alight with a mix of pure exhaustion and exhilaration as her mechanics helped her out of the car. Daniel hopping out right beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as he whooped loudly. Stiffening momentarily at the unexpected contact, her instinctive reaction was to pull away from his embrace. But after a moments hesitation she relented and allowed herself to be drawn into a hug, not letting the reluctant smile past her cool facade.

"I guess the best driver did win," she hummed cheekily, glancing up at Daniel, calling back to their little jabs before qualifying

"Yeah...Max did win," Daniel retorted and that actually drew a grin from Daisy. Daniel's constant energy did mentally jade her a lot of the time but she really loved that he got her humour and was able to give it back to her as well.

"The rain cloud smiles," Daniel gasped, a vision of melodrama "I never thought I'd see the day."

"Yeah, yeah," Daisy was keen to brush it off and change the subject away from her "don't get used to it or you're going to be severely disappointed."

They stood amongst the sea of drivers crowded below the podium, observing Max hoist his trophy into the air and the Dutch national anthem rang out, for what was likely the first out of many times. Checo and Fernando to his sides.

Daisy couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude pass over her. In moments like these where she got to slow down she was always reminded of how lucky she was to be able to compete at this level and the support from her team. All she hoped now was that this season would be worthy of their admiration and unwavering support.

The Porsche team had a solid start. Both drivers finishing and ending in the points had set them up with a good, sturdy foundation. They just needed to keep building upon it every week. However good wasn't what Daisy was in formula 1 to achieve. As a girl, as the only girl it was all or nothing. Talent and potential was only so much to offer. It wasn't genius or winning and no amount of sponsors or decent results could make it so.

It was cutthroat but she had to win. Otherwise she was nothing. And Daisy Shaw was determined to make them all remember her name, whatever it took.

[dreamwritesimagines]

Ok but AU where it takes Logan every bit of energy to focus on the mission and not get involved with her...

Until he figures that if he's already here to change the past then he might as well do this.

And man if he thought he hated Theo's dad before... he makes his blood boil when he sees him yell at her in the middle of the street with Theo in her arms.

- and he decides he likes Jamie, alot actually. He witnesses first hand the Legendary Bar Fight of 2019 where Jamie got off his 48hr shift and went to a bar to find Theo's dad cheating on her and proceeded to beat him up before Logan even gets his claws out.

Logan and Jamie become pretty good friends because Logan stops him getting arrested and he gets to lay down the groundwork when Jamie invites to a dinner party and she's right there... single and so beautiful and her son adores him the way he always does.

Omg this is such a great AU! ❤️ Thank you so much honey!❤️

Until he figures that if he's already here to change the past then he might as well do this. Can you imagine Logan's relief when it dawns on him that he can in fact make a move on Sunshine?!😂❤️

when he sees him yell at her in the middle of the street with Theo in her arms. Theo's dad needs to be punched in the face repeatedly omg, YELLING AT SUNSHINE?! IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET?! WITH THEO IN HER ARMS?!😱

I can so see him doing that, he's such an asshole😱

the Legendary Bar Fight of 2019 where Jamie got off his 48hr shift and went to a bar to find Theo's dad cheating on her and proceeded to beat him up Jamie is amaziiiing! ❤️ And asdfghjkl the legendary bar fight, Logan has definitely heard about it from Sunshine and Nik and even Julie😂

Oooh Logan becoming friends with Jamie! ❤️ It would be such a cute scene when Logan is trying to pretend he doesn't know much about Sunshine when Jamie first introduces them and trying to play it cool😂 Because Jamie would like go to find Nik, and Sunshine would be like,

"Jamie has told me a lot about you! He says you made sure he didn't get in trouble at that bar fight."

"I didn't think he could throw a punch like that, it was a little surprising. He looks like a pretty calm dude."

"Yeah he is usually, except for when it comes to me. He never really liked..."

"Your ex?"

"Oh he told you about that?"

"A little. Are you okay? After...?"

"No worries, that breakup might be the best thing that has ever happened to me. To me and Theo."

"Theo, right. Jamie mentioned him as well."

"Oh yeah, that adorable three year old over there, playing with the cat? That's Theo. I think he'll be a vet when he grows up, he loves animals so much. Either that or a historian, I've been watching a lot of historical documentaries so..."

[swhhdr-wthhr]

lots of fun facts about my sanders sides opposite au: (but i clearly have thought of some characters more than others)

logan :

introduced around the time of og accepting anxiety. represents bad decision making and willful ignorance

his first big moment was in can lying be good, which was a game show run by him instead of a play directed by janus. he didn't care whether thomas lied or not. he just wanted to give janus a morality crisis and joke around with virgil

only uses analog technology (ex: if someone asked to borrow his phone, he'd pull out a rotary phone, which works despite not being plugged in)

he's an amateur magician and loves showing off his tricks. virgil is the only one who is impressed by this

pulls things out of seemingly-too-small spaces like mary poppins with her bag, but only from other people's clothes (he will often steal janus's hat and pull something absurdly large out of it)

instead of rising up or appearing out of nowhere in the videos, in every video he walks out from a different random place (ex: from behind the tv like remus, from underneath the couch, down the stairs virgil sits on)

all of his clothes are glow in the dark

he doesn't know he needs glasses. he just assumes everyone has blurry vision

uses vocab cards like original logan but all of the words are made up and have never been said by anyone

regularly puts inflection on all the wrong parts of words and pronounces common words wrong (he doesn't pronounce long, uncommon words wrong, just short, easy to pronounce ones)

always talks just a little too loud and a little too fast

conspiracy theorist but only for theories that no one has ever heard of

wears a suit in every video except the court room one, where he wore the unicorn onesie the whole time

when thomas died his hair purple, his hair was inexplicably a completely different color. it would change every time someone mentioned it and he would never acknowledge that his hair looked different from everyone else's

censors people like og janus, but instead of covering their mouths, he just makes a loud distracting noise like og remus

the only side who doesn't think he's annoying is virgil, who finds him hilarious

virgil:

introduced in episode 1. represents pretty much all of thomas's positive emotions and none of the negative ones. also impulsive thoughts (impulsive not intrusive)

is technically a light side based on his role in the story but he's friends with everyone and "doesn't pick sides" (he sides with whoever is the most useful or interesting to him in the moment)

whenever conversation with the others bores him, he shamelessly ignores them, often scrolling on his phone in the middle of a video

extreme form of a hedonist. he chases dopamine like his life depends on it and is willing to do extremely reckless things if he thinks it will be a little fun

often causally tries to usurp the others and gain unilateral control over thomas's life ("wouldn't it be fun if you just ignored all of them and listened to me?")

is very open to trying new things for the experience, even if he can reasonably guess that he won't enjoy it. roman has no short supply of horrifying, painful ideas that they can try together

very good at insulting people in ways that really hurt. also very good at acting innocent and pretending he wasn't trying to be mean

some parts of the fandom in this universe would think he had a corruption arc when he became friends with the dark sides (there would definitely be fanfics where patton kidnapped and brainwashed him to be evil or smth) but he was just always like this.

always excited to help out the dark sides with their plans, being a bit of a double agent because thomas trusts and listens to him

he's an asshole who just wants to have fun and get what he wants all the time forever

roman:

introduced in this version of dwit, but he represents dark creativity and melancholy more so than intrusive thoughts

claims to hate disney but constantly quotes disney villains

frequently goes on long, depressing, overly dramatic speeches

collects dead things. he's trying to get a corpse of as many different animals, plants, etc. as possible

shameless masochist. (his shoes feel like he's walking on broken glass all the time and he loves it. he was inspired by the original little mermaid)

says all of the same types of things as og remus, but in a more monotone, gloomy way

often very aggressive, especially towards logan. he shows his love through violence and insults. he does the same with patton and virgil but less overtly because he can't get away with it as easily

came up with the name "the dark sides" just like he did in the og series, but this time it's an official term because it was created by one of them

always fights with patton over who's in charge. patton is usually the winner. either way, they don't like listening to each other so whoever wins would just boss around logan (they already both do)

janus:

introduced in episode 1. represents honesty and justice

the most gullible person ever. assumes everyone is always telling the truth and is completely blindsided when he's lied to

a strict kantian. he literally has never lied intentionally

associated with sheep instead of snakes (get it? like the bible?) it's much more subtle than the snake symbolism but gets more obvious as the show goes on and he gets an outfit change. (he wears a white wool turtleneck, has sheep/goat rectangular pupils, and has little horns under his hat, which is why he wears it)

his logo doesn't have a sheep on it, but his christmas sweaters do

tries to be nice to everyone since it's his job to be a good role model, but he would rather be honest than polite, so he can be pretty sassy at times

always feels guilty for something, even if he did nothing wrong

always a target of logan for his gullibility, and how he tries so hard to steer thomas in the right direction. in can lying be good, the game show logan hosted was rigged and completely nonsensical. this drove him crazy because...

he cares very much about things being fair

much more competent in the courtroom scenario than og patton was, too bad patton in this universe is also more strategic than og janus

remus:

introduced in episode 1. represents light creativity, hopes and dreams, and innocence

very squeamish and easily scared

if og remus is r rated creativity and og roman is pg creativity, this remus is g rated. never curses. very averse to violence

he's kind of the straight man of this group of gay men (similar to og logan). he's fed up with everyone, especially the dark sides

really hates the fact that virgil is friends with the dark sides, but he can't really do anything about it so he just sulks

you know in the we take requests video where they say the most out of character thing each character could say? and for remus they say like 'can you guys just chill? i'm trying to sing all of moby dick'? that's this remus's energy

writes poetry in his free time

his ideas can be pretty out there and weird like og remus, but just without the dark stuff

mostly pretty calm and subdued, but can get very hyper and intense when he's exited about an idea or a romantic opportunity for thomas

patton:

introduced around the time of svs

very strategic. plans meticulously before doing anything. (even little unimportant things) he was the mastermind behind pretty much everything logan and roman did before he was even introduced

says that he doesn't care about the other dark sides and that he only works with them out of necessity. he is actually very fond of and protective over them. he'll never admit it

always polite to everyone, even when he's arguing against them (this was very confusing to thomas who expected him to be even scarier than roman). it's just performative though. he's a hater, not a lover

enjoys making puns but always denies that they were intentional (like og logan but if he was lying about it being an accident)

has very dulled emotions. he enjoys spending time with roman, logan, and virgil because they're all so intense in different ways and allow him to feel something

he is especially attached to virgil, since virgil can't just make him feel any emotion, he can make him feel happy

doesn't emote with his eyes. or blink.

starts off as less threatening than roman, but later on, he gets some much scarier moments. roman has more of a constant, steady stream of scariness, while patton holds most of it in until it builds up to an explosion

has a #1 Dad mug, but it's been crossed out and has #2 Boss written under it (logan gave it to him)

roman frequently tries to kill him. he pretends not to notice it to frustrate him (ex: roman will poison his coffee and he'll drink the whole thing with no reaction)

[smoooothoperator]

Beautiful Stranger

08: Shape Of Lies

Driver! Lando Norris x OC (Lily Barton)

Summer love, strangers to friends to lovers, Greece and Greek mythology references

Words: 2.1k

warnings: THE ANGST, social media au, third person pov, flashbacks are on italics

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a/n: here is the angst!!! The part everyone wanted. What do you think will happen after this?

Every way of feedback is very welcomed

The domino effect is a chain reaction that occurs when one event sets off a series of similar, related, or connected events.

Is often used in reference to a catastrophic event or chain of interconnected events such as a natural disaster, series of accidents, or financial collapse. 

He started it by saying a wrong name. Then a wrong job. And because of the first lie, the snowball rolling down the hill started to grow bigger and bigger, making him lose control of it.

And now he has to face the consequences.

"Lily…" 

"Tell me what, Logan?" she frowned, feeling how her heart started to shatter. "Or whoever you are"

He swallowed thickly, feeling how his heartbeat was echoing on his ears. He didn't hear Carlos ending the call after a sigh, he couldn't even hear what he said. 

This it. This is the moment he feared the most. It came sooner than he thought. 

That's what happens when you are a coward.

"I- Lily…" he mumbled, feeling how his mouth was dry. Even if he swallowed he couldn't make anything to get rid of the dryness. "I can explain-"

"How dare you?" she asked, hurt. 

"I can explain!" he exclaimed, taking a step closer to her.

"Don't come closer!" she screamed, making Lando flinch. "Who the fuck are you?"

"I… my name is Lando" he said with a little voice. 

"Everything was a lie, right?" she asked, hurt.

It was suffocating her. Everything was perfect, she started to think about the future. A future with him.

In her mind she created the perfect story for them. Once he left for work, the two of them would be texting and calling, not forgetting to tell the other how their day went. She wanted to visit him by surprise, thinking that he would be happy to see her and introduce her to his family and friends. She wanted to go back to England just to be closer to him. She wanted to see him more often, having dates and sleeping in each other's houses. She wanted to be with him for such a long time that one of them had to suggest to move in together.

She wanted so many things. 

And those plans just exploded in front of her face like a window breaks during an expansive wave.

"Lily, please…" Lando begged, trying to grab her hands.

He needed to touch the person that calms him, the person that for once helps his mind to work at a normal speed.

But how can he do that? The person that calms him is at the same time the person he hurt. The person he has been lying to since they met. 

He's selfish. He deserves everything bad that will happen after this. And he knows it.

But it hurts so bad, and it scares him not knowing what will happen.

He deserves her hate.

"Don't touch me!" she screamed, closing her eyes and letting her body take control.

He didn't see that coming. He didn't see her hand moving towards his cheek. When he noticed it he was already looking to his side and with his skin burning after the slap.

"How dare you?!" she screamed, feeling her heart pounding against her chest. "I gave you everything! Everything! And you just lied to me all this fucking time!"

He never heard her curse in english. It was something he found cute about her. Maybe she cursed in Greek, but since he didn't understand a word of it, he never knew about it.

But now, hearing her curse, he felt worse. She is really angry.

"I didn't want you to know who I was…" he mumbled.

Wrong answer.

"And then you decided to tell me lies all the time?!" she exclaimed.

She couldn't believe it. She fell for a lie. She fell for a man that is not who he says he is. She let him come to her house, to her bed. She let him touch her. 

She let him use her.

"I told you who I was! I told you about my past, about my family and how they treated me!" she screamed. "I trusted you! And what did you do all this time? Not trust me and lie about yourself all the fucking time! How dare you do this to me?! How dare you play with me?!"

"I wanted to tell you" he said. 

There's no use to scream, to argue. He's not the one hurt here. He doesn't have any right to defend himself.

"When? Once you are gone?" she scoffed, letting her heart break more. "How mature" she said sarcastically.

How mature. She's right. Everyone is right. He's not mature. He's 23 years old and still acts like a kid. Maybe everyone was right, maybe Carlos was right. He needed to mature and act like the adult he is. 

"Lily, please… let me explain" he mumbled, taking another step closer to her.

"I don't want to hear it" she groaned. "Get out of my house"

"Don't do this, love…"

"Stop!" she exclaimed, grabbing his backpack and throwing it to him. "Don't you dare to call me like that ever again!"

"I-"

"Get out of my house!" she screamed, pushing him out of her bedroom, throwing his phone to him.

"Lily!"

"Leave!" She screamed, grabbing the first thing she found and threatening to throw it to him.

With his shoulders down and tears rolling down his cheeks, he nodded defeated. He grabbed his backpack from the floor and walked out of her apartment. He knows he has things in her apartment, he knows he left clothes because she liked to sleep on his shirts.

She has every right to be mad at him, to not look at him and to push him out of her house. He did everything to deserve to be treated that way.

When she heard him open the front door and close it behind him she ran towards it. She ran to close the door, locking it after leaning on it and falling to the floor slowly.

He lied to her. He lied about his name, about who he is. Maybe he lied and he doesn't love her. Everything he did was use her and laugh at her.

The moment Lando heard how she locked the door he knew everything ended. That he doesn't have a chance to talk and explain.

He deserves it.

He knows the meaning of her locking the door. He broke her trust. He broke her heart. He broke her.

Lando heard her cry when he went to his apartment. He heard things falling to the floor and breaking. He heard her anger and he couldn't be there to stop it.

He took a deep breath and looked at his phone. The screen is broken. It probably broke the moment it fell from his hand when she walked inside the room after hearing his call with Carlos.

This can't be happening. There's no way he, amongst everyone, did that.

She was in shock, standing in the middle of her messy living room. Cushions on the floor, the things he left on the coffee table on the floor. Every thing he touched was on the floor and she wanted to burn it.

Him, the person she loves and trusts, betrayed her. 

Maybe it was karma? Maybe she deserved it. She deserves it for being a bad daughter and a bad fiance. 

The dress was too tight. It wasn't letting her breathe.

"Mother I can't breathe" she mumbled, waving her hand in front of her face to create some type of air. "The dress is too tight"

"Tight? I barely started unbuttoning it" she said, making sure the material of the dress was fitting her. "You look absolutely beautiful"

"Mom, stop! I can't breathe!" she exclaimed, taking a step away from her mother.

"Eh, watch your tone!" the woman frowned, looking at her. "Adrian is waiting for you"

"I didn't choose that! I didn't choose to be married to a stranger! I didn't choose this stupid life!"

The older woman frowned, looking at the behavior of her daughter. There is no way she can let her act this way. There's no way she will let her daughter keep doing this.

"Stop talking, Liliane!" she screamed, slapping her cheek and not caring about the mark her hand will leave later.

The young woman gasped, looking at her side and feeling the tears threatening to fall. 

"Hear me, you little spoiled brat" her mother said, pointing at her with anger. "This will be the last time I tell you this. Your life would have been way better if you did everything we wanted you to do. You are the daughter of one of the most important men of England. You only had one thing to do and it was studying to work for your father and then having his place in the firm!"

"I never asked for this life!" she screamed. "I never asked to be your daughter, to have all the money we have, to be a Barton! I never wanted to get married to Adrian!"

"Shut up!" she screamed. "Get ready, the guests are waiting"

With that, her mother walked out of the room leaving her alone in front of the mirror.

That woman is not her. The reflection is not her. That woman, dressed in a white dress with a veil and expensive jewels, is not her. 

Liliane Barton is just a wax figure her parents molded the way they wanted, and with every mistake she made they added the double pressure to mold it better.

But Lily, the girl she always wanted to be, never wore jewels. She never wanted to look like her mother, even if she was the exact copy of her. She never wanted to have the same life she had.

"Fuck it" she groaned, grabbing the diamonds necklace and pulling it out of her neck, breaking it. "Fuck everything! Fuck everyone!"

She took off her dress, leaving it on the floor of the hotel room and kicked it away from her. She grabbed the veil and made a ball with it, throwing it to the bed.

She feels free, not wearing that tight dress anymore.

But she needs more freedom.

She looked around, finding the clothes she came into the hotel, clothes that have more of her essence than the ones she was going to wear later. 

Quickly, she got changed into that floral dress and into her flat sandals, throwing the high heels to the mirror, breaking it, and grabbed her bag.

If someone finds her in the corridor she's wasted. If someone finds her running away she's wasted. 

"Good" she nodded when she opened the room door, not finding anyone around.

She ran for her freedom. She ran with everything that was hers inside that bag. 

"Get out!" she said to the man that was inside the car that was going to take her to the chapel. 

"But… miss Barton" he frowned.

"I said get out!" 

The man sighed, leaving the keys for the car inside and getting out of the vehicle. He could see her shaking, the mark of a hand on her cheek and the make up messy. 

Lily drove to her apartment, to her small space of freedom. She parked the car and got out of it, opening the door of the apartment and rushing inside of it, searching for bags and things to take with her. Clothes, her personal identifications, her credit cards. Everything.

She called the bank to make sure her parents didn't take away her money. Money that wasn't hers but she knew that she would need.

If someone looked at her from the outside they would think she was crazy, with her makeup and messy hair, a big suitcase and a backpack next to her and a big smile on her lips while looking at the departure screen at the airport.

Greece. Greece is the place she belongs. Something deep inside of her tells her to go there, like soft voices encouraging to buy a ticket no matter how expensive it is. Melodic voices promised her that her destiny is to be there.

And she did that. She ran towards her freedom.

She ran away, leaving her past behind in a hotel room with clothes on the floor, a broken mirror and broken jewels.

Liliane Barton was a woman that didn't want to live in a lie, but fell in love with one.

taglist

@lestappenloverr @racinggirl @roni-midnights @livster8 @kakorrhaphiphobia @starkeyellow @celestialpierre @ophcelia @msliz @lorarri @ironmaiden1313 @imsorare @mycenterfold @im-an-overthinker @soosheee @karmabyfernando @landoyesrizz @sticksdoesart @beatricemiruna

[vintage-voxx]

Been reminiscing on my first Watch of X-Men ‘97 again recently and kinda wanna put thought to metaphorical paper to actually see how deep i should let this obsession go, and given the introduction of the fox x-men to the mcu with the Doomsday trailer, they resurfaced.

i wanna pre-face this by saying- I DONT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE X-MEN!!! i have literally only seen '97 and small things I've heard about though other marvel interests i have, so please correct anything i have off even if it as simple as how i see a character. i'm making this as a temp check before i watch the movies leading up to anything else i might read or watch.

So, that outta the way. lets talk.

⟡•—— ・₊˚ ❀ ˚₊ ・ ——•⟡•—— ・₊˚ ❀ ˚₊ ・ ——•⟡

I'm not sure if 97 was the right place to start, so i could just have started with a flawed adaptation, but i cant say it felt how i expected it to? the characters that i was most exited to see in action either didn't play the way i expected them too (rogue, mainly.) or they died halfway through (REMY.) Not to mention how just uncomfortable Rogue and Magneto made me. Granted, most love triangles make me uncomfortable, i didn't like the side stuff between logan and jean either, but i still hated it less than rogue and magneto. other than that, it was amazingly animated, really well acted and i did like a lot of the characters and story. but at the same time they were kinda the reason i didn't like certain parts and going online to see opinions is just guaranteed to give your opinion validation. So I figured I put it out there in a place of people who actually love these characters like tumblr

My main gripe, character-wise at least, was Rogue, I think. I loved her and Gambit's dynamic all the way until her and Magneto's stuff started. But once I started to feel like I got the vibe, I lost it again. Then I thought I got it and lost it again. It was when she turned on the team after Professor X came back when I just gave up trying to find a consistency and accepted my confusions. I saw someone somewhere say that she kinda got shoved into Colossus's role but i'm so unfamiliar that i can't speak to that, but it did feel like that kinda vibe from my eyes. Now, i admit, i went into this already unsure about it because of some opinions i had heard online through research so i might've started it looking for critiques to make and being a nitpicker. I don’t like harping so much on rogue because of how much unnecessary hate female characters get, but she dose feel like one of the glaring issues for me and I’m not sure how much is this portrayal of her or just what her character is.

And i cant mention my issues without talking about the choice of killing off Remy LeBeau, at least a bit. Gambit, Le Diable Blanc, the card throwing cajun, is my favorite mutant with the only rivals being Morph (i really like sassy gender benders) and Deadpool and he has been ever since i grabbed one of my uncles comics and read it and saw a cool motherfucker with an accent throwing cards that glow and blow up when i was 9. i watched this show heavily because i saw him in action in trailers... specifically the motorcycle scene... if i had known that the moment i was waiting for WAS HIS DEATH, i wouldnt have been so exited! remy dying probably marked where i started doubting the show itself more than my enjoyment and affinity towards the actual source material. It really fell flat to me and didnt contribute much to the story. I do get what the goal was. But they just didn’t have enough to get there.

But other than those issues, It was actually quite charming in retrospect. The writing quickly set the tone of the story and characters. The moments between Cyclopes and Jean were cavity levels of cute and it got even better when Cable was introduced and started playing a role (the car scene was a big one), Seeing storms issues when she lost her powers was a really good showing that as much as you want to be something else at times, your just fine being who you are. And as much as I dislike the love triangles the moments between logan and Jean did help set the tone between the 3. I’m a sucker for found family, especially when they are dysfunctional and absurd like 1-A from Mha or the bat family and justice league and this just hit that so well in the beginning, but that goes away after the first episode. No more Beignets and basketball the second magneto was shown. Thus, a whirlwind of applause and criticism from me.

⟡•—— ・₊˚ ❀ ˚₊ ・ ——•⟡•—— ・₊˚ ❀ ˚₊ ・ ——•⟡

All that leads to a question thats been bothering me since. do i actually like the x-men? or just what mutants represent? i love the ideas and vibes of the team and characters, to the point of making multiple mutants and little moments in my head fanfic wise, even with my conflicting feelings. But at the same time some of the moments make me question whether I actually like the source or not. If these traits I don’t like are integral, then it might just not be for me. But I really want to get into these characters and love them. but I don’t know how to go deeper to answer these questions considering I’m not much of a comic person. I’ve only really read Under the Red Hood to completion and I haven’t seen any x-men anthologies in my local stores. I’d LOVE and recommended reading or shows, wether it’s the fox movies, certain graphic novels or animations. I was gonna wait for the mcu movie but given how it’s going over at Disney… I’m not too confident that’s smart.

[aaliyah-sturns]

Fake dating | Matt S.

(ᴘᴀʀᴛ2)

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒔, 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔, 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒃𝒐𝒚. 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍, 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒂 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒓𝒐𝒙𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒂𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒂, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒍 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒇𝒍𝒐 -𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒚- 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆... 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒐 𝒐𝒏 𝒂 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆.

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝑺𝒎𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒄𝒓𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒔𝒕

Cancel, florence said. But-, please chase? Don't leave me alone with them, florence said with pleading eyes. fine, but you owe me one, chase said with a sigh. thank you, I'll see you later, florence said as she entered her classroom. speak to you later floss, chase said as he walked away.

*florence went inside, taking her notebook and pen out as soon as she reached her desk, there was immediately a group of girls around her, telling her that her hair looked pretty, that her handwriting was neat, that her outfit was beautiful, she didn't really care for her compliments, and she cared even less when he entered the room... matt sturniolo. Matt arrived at school a few minutes late but he still didn't rush, he parked his motorcycle, taking the helmet from his head and hanging it on the handlebar. He noticed the hushed whispers as people walked past him and he felt anxiety bubbling into his stomach until he felt somebody clap him on the back*

What the fuck, matt said as he turned around mad. oh its you, matt said. of course its me, who else would slap you on the back? Logan said, with a confused laugh. A dumb girl who thinks she has a chance with me. Matt said firmly. scared nobody could handle you? logan said jokingly. they couldn't handle me and, even if they could, I'm not really boyfriend material. Matt said as logan rolled his eyes. i think you are. I'd want you if i was a girl. Logan said as he leaned against Matt's motorcycle. can you imagine introducing me to parents. one look at my tattoos and they decide I'm a bad influence on their perfect little daughters. matt said in a mocking tone. what's got you feeling so fucking down on a monday morning? Logan said. Matt opened his mouth to reply before pulling Logan towards him slightly. Can you get the fuck off my motorcycle dipshit? Matt said sternly. Were meant to be bros, you should let me lean on your bike. Logan said as Matt rolled his eyes. Nobody touches my bike, what class you got first? Matt said. English, you? said Logan. Science, I fucking hate that lesson. Matt said angrily. Flo's in that class, isn't she? Logan said giving Matt a confused look. Yeah, Matt said. Just stare at her, I know you have a thing for her, Logan said with a grin on his face. Fuck you Logan, no I don't. Matt said angrily.

*logan just laughed, raising his cigarette to his lips. His best friend could lie all he wanted, but it was evident that he felt something for that stupid girl. Matt didn't bother to argue any longer just taking the cigarette from Logan and taking a drag. Matt didn't have a thing for Florence, he just wanted one thing with her, he wanted to ruin her. - and no, not in that way... Well, maybe, but that wasn't his intention-. He fucking hated Florence miller. She always turned up to school, even when she was deathly ill with the flu. She still got top grades and she still looked beautiful when her hair was tied into a messy bun and her freckles were showing because she didn't bother to wear makeup. He didn't understand why everybody called her flo, even the teachers. even though that wasn't her name. He didn't understand how she was such a nerd yet still popular. He didn't understand why she had two gorgeous best friends when she was so boring.*

I'll meet you after class? Logan said. Yeah, see you bro. Matt said while going to dab Logan up. See you man, Logan said while he dabed up Matt and walked away.

* Florence acted like she was perfect in almost every way, she was.. but there was something that brought her darkness to light, someone nobody knew about.. her feelings for Matt sturniolo, not even her two best friends. Chase had a suspicion that she liked him, but she would always lie and said she didn't. -Technically she wasn't even lying because she couldn't tell whether she liked him. Everybody at school was obsessed with Florence, the girls flocked to her, always complimenting her, or trying to help her with work she had already completed, the boys were nice to her never making vulgar comments and always asking what she was planning to do today, but Matt didn't, and Florence thrived off of that. Matt had never spoken to her, he had never complimented her, or tried to help her with work or asked what her plans were, he had never even glanced in her direction, and Florence thought he didn't even know who she was, which was crazy because everybody knew who Florence miller was. Matt barely turned up to school and when he did everybody knew he was there. His motorcycle was always parked in his designated spot, the halls would smell like cigarettes or Cologne, his tattoos were always on display, basically everybody knew who Matt was, and everybody knew who Florence was, but for completely different reasons. Florence secretly loved when Matt would turn up whilst the teacher spoke, she would angle herself so that it looked like she was paying attention when reality she was studying Matt's tattoos, she really wanted to know the backstory behind each one, what the pain was like and what his next one was going to be, you could say she was obsessed with Matt, but she would never admit that to herself. In a way she was kinda jealous of Matt, he barely turned up to school and if he did he didn't really try hard, she noticed that he barely even spoke to his own brothers at school, instead he would hang out with Logan. Logan seemed to be the only person Matt spoke too, and Florence wondered what made him special that he choosed Matt. She was still looking at him, wondering what he might be thinking about, when he suddenly turned his head and let his gaze fall onto her, she felt her heart drop, but she pretended to be unfazed and kept looking at him, she expected him to look away but he didn't.*

"Flo?"

*she pulled her gaze from looking at Matt, looking at the girl next to her.*

Yeah? Florence said. "I'm sorry to ask but do you know the answer to question four?" Yeah it's 67, Florence said. "Thanks!"

* flo gave her a quick smile before turning back to Matt, but he wasn't looking at her anymore he was looking at the ginger girl in front of him, and she felt her shoulders slump in defeat, Matt rarely ever looked at her and the only time he was, somebody had to talk to her. Matt really did try to pay attention but he just never could, his anxiety wasn't at the peak today, but it was always pretty bad, he hated to know that people could be looking at him, thinking about him, wondering why he screwed his life up at only eight teen. He hadn't meant to do that anxiety forced him into that lifestyle and even though he was sober now, people still acted like he was a raging acholic with drug issues who treated women like shit, the longer he thought about it the more his skin itched and the urge to leave the classroom just got stronger.*

-after class-

How was class, Gabriella said while Florence and her were walking down the hall. It was good, Florence said. Did you hear any more rumors about me and Chris? Gabi said. No but Matt is in today, so people aren't going to be gossiping about his brother, Florence said while she shrugged her shoulders. I wish i knew who started that fucking rumor... It's so fucking annoying. Gabriella said annoyed while Florence rolled her eyes. Chris doesn't seem to be that bothered, Florence said in a playful tone. That's because he wished he could hit this, the rumors are probably boosting his ego. Gabriella said. That's true, Florence said while smiling. Flo!, Gabi!, Roxanne said happily.

*the two girls turned to see Roxanne rushing towards them, not really bothering to look at who she was pushing out the way, to be honest the people parted like the red sea whenever they saw the trio, meaning getting through the halls wasn't ever difficult.*

Hey, Gabi said to Roxanne. Please tell me you both have a free class next, Roxanne said with a whine. We do why, Florence said confused. I'm wearing my best jeans and I've just got on my period... I cannot risk leaking... I have to change. Roxanne said with a little sass in her voice. So drive home, Gabi said to Roxanne. Obviously but I want you both to come with me. We can get McDonald's before coming back to school if that's okay, roxanne said. Okay but we have to be back to my next class, or else my mom would murder me. Florence said. We'll be back in time Roxanne said while she rolled her eyes.

[chimerapartyhouse]

Got to experiance the Pen's Marriage mod quest and HOLY WHAT THEY DID AN AMAZING JOB. It has inspired so much brainrot in me now that I can have my true pairing together again. The two together simultaneously make each other feral and calmer. So I'm dumping the shitposts I wrote here.

Ruber-Roseus says:

"Was told yer were beating up inmates constantly. Why they'd think letting yer near anyone was a good idea I don't know... (quietly) Good lad." 

"Oh look, I get to return the favour finally. We're now a couple who wears matching clothes. Congrats." 

"Gunna need two copies of yer book. One for yer to sign, the other ta bash yer nogging with." 

"Hate to break it to yer Honey, but the big not-bandit has the hots for me. Take from that info what yer want." 

"...Yes, I would love to sit on yer back as you do push ups. Missed you." 

"People in town refuse to talk to me cause of this mess. Thanks by the way."

(Pen trying to bite him in public) "Bad dog!" 

"I should 'ave asked Avery for a paycheck for this." 

"I'D THROW YA TO THE PERIPHERIES BUT THEN I'D FEEL BAD FOR EVERY LIVING THING THERE!" 

"That's it, hold my hand. I'm not letting go till yeh behave." 

"Grace is going to kill me if Logan doesn't first." 

"Get OFF ME. SomEONE here actually has a job that pays BILLS."

"Yes, you're hot. Yes, I love your muscles, looks, hair, jawline, voice. All your stuff. But please behave in public, you've traumatised Burgess more than enough already." 

"I would threaten to tie you up but I know that's not a threat to you." 

"Fine, instead I'll tie you up, have my fun, and leave you there." (Threat works.) 

"Been wanting to introduce you to my Ma but what would I even tell her now?!" 

"Let me sit on your lap and cuddle me, Kitten. Work was exhausting." 

"If you get us banned from the Blue Saloon one day I will never forgive you." 

"Honey, please get yer hand off me ass." 

Pen forgoing his usual tracksuit for more revealing clothing cause he's cover in certain kinds of bruises. 

(Pull out a stool, places it in front of Pen, stands on it.) "Now listen here ya little-" 

"You're lucky I love you so much, and that others hold me back, or else I'd be the one in prison." 

Finding Ruber passing out at stupid times from exhaustion turns from funny to sad real fast. Worse so when Pen learns why it keeps happening. 

"I can't even torture you in normal ways. I could threaten suffocation and you'd just go 'mh, yes please'."

"It is an actual miracle that no one has seriously tried to separate us. Maybe we mellow each other out enough that it's not worth it." 

"I wonder if it's possible to teach Rosy how to cook cause I'm scared of what you'll do to my precious kitchen if you use it." 

(Pen and Rosy getting envious of each other.) "Ladies, I love you both dearly."

Punishes Pen by slipping in really hot chilli pepper into his food. Not Duvos Pepper levels, but it does the job when he's done something seriously bad. 

"Something may have slipped out during a talk with Pablo. So sorry if the town acts weirder than usual soon." 

"For the last time, stop reading that damn book my Ma gave ya! I thought you didn't want kids anyway?!" 

"You can big-talk all you want, you've still never beaten me at whack-a-mole." 

"Sorry, being pretty is exhausting." (Collapses into Pen's arms.) 

"There are days where I wonder, 'what if?'. And then see your ass and immediately dismiss the idea." Pen: Do you mean me or my- (muffled squeak) "I mean your glorious globes." (Slapped his ass.) 

Ruber laying his head on Pen's chest. "You can say your heart is unbeating all you want. I can hear it calling for me." 

"If you make one more 'rabbit in heat' joke I'm sending you back to prison." 

"My Crystal, I promise I'm no longer interested in Justice. If it helps, I would have kicked your ass to the curb long ago if it were the case. You can also talk to Pablo too, that man will never stop interfering with my love life." 

"Snow Leopard, Pablo and Vivi agreed to help me make a new custom wardrobe for yer. It's your turn to be the dress up doll."

[misireads]

The Obsession by Jesse Q. Sutanto

[ audiobook, listened in english ]

a high school boy is grieving the death of the girl he loved when he has a chance meeting with another girl who looks exactly like his crush. he immediately decides to make this girl his own. the girl, in the meanwhile, is struggling in a domestic abuse situation perpetrated by her mother's new boyfriend and has very little trust in men. things start getting spicy when she accidentally kills the man one day. the boy finds out about it because he's set secret cameras in her house.

🖤🛑💣

➕ these bitches crazy. here we have a book that's not particularly clever or anything but man if it's not entertaining. at first i thought it would be your run-of-the-mill oo he's obsessive, he's going to stalk her, she's spooked out, whatever. then when the evil stepdad was introduced i wasn't so sure where this was going anymore. there were quite many twists and turns that i didn't see coming. i also liked that the girl, too, is fucking cooked. both go on and on with these raving inner monologues where they overthink and strategise every single thing in what seems like nanoseconds (and neither seems to realise their own respective mental problems) and it's gloriously entertaining. the narrators of the audiobook also sounded fittingly insane, the woman is like gasping for breath all the time

➕ i actually liked that this stayed very PG. it adds a layer of this particular gentlemanly chivalrous horridness to logan when he's like i'm SUCH a good guy, i'm NOT even trying to have sex with her because i am AN EXCELLENT MAN WHO WON'T TOUCH HER

➕ i liked the twist about an evil librarian

➖ the plot moves a bit slow. there's a lot of dillydallying around the same things, i feel. some repetition also. and then it just. ends, with not a very satisfactory conclusion

➖ the female characters are dumb ass bitches. the main girl's mother and best girlfriend in particular, they're comically unaware of her distress and don't address it, i mean the best friend turned out alright later but basically what happens is that her bestie goes on a first date with a guy neither knows, comes back royally fucked up and is avoiding talking about it, and what the bestie does is get angry with her because WHY ARE YOU NOT TELLING ME!!!!! I ANGY BECAUSE YOU IGNORE ME!!!! that was nonsense. clearly the best and most reasonable woman here is mendez (which is why delilah hates her)

➖ very minor thing but i thought it a huge missed opportunity to not have sophie the previous girl completely unaware of logan. like it would have enhanced his weirdness considerably if their entire relationship was also his delusion

⭐ score: 3½ -- i enjoyed this! listened to it very fast because i wanted to know what happens. not the case with all books as you can see from this blog

[awanderingdeal]

omg HI so since your requests are still open and I have an adoration of SOs teaching each other things as well as an aggressive HC that Leo does ballet or gymnastics for flexibility practice, PLEASE him just bringing his boyfriends along for a class. Because Leo has grace but Finn O'Hara definitely does not but man is he enthusiastic and I'm just picturing big tough broad scary man Tremblay walking in and totally intimidating everyone but then so sweet trying SO HARD to perfect his form -aj

Hi aj! Long time no see! I'm sorry it took so long to fulfil this (and I know that @livingforcoopsandoknutzy did a little something for this already, but I'd already started writing this so I hope you don't mind!) Anyway, enjoyyyyy, please.

O'Knutzy Week - Day 7

It is here. A little (a lot) late, but better than never.

Prompt: Free day

Rating: G

CW: Exercise.

Credits: O'Knutzy belong to @lumosinlove and thank you to @oknutzyweek for organising all this.

A deeply hidden memory clawed its way to the front of Logan's mind as they got closer to the studio. The distinct smell of wood, sweat and leather was prominent, as if he was actually there again, newly five years old and stuffed into a white t-shirt and black short., Even now his nose wrinkled with how much he'd hated it - for the mere six months he'd lasted before being asked to leave. 

"You made me rock climb," Leo laughed. He slipped his hand into Logan's, tugging him across the threshold. 

"You're a giraffe, you were made to rock climb." 

“Allez,” Leo teased. “You’ll be fine.”

Logan muttered rapid French under his breath and Leo didn’t even bother asking him to repeat it. " 

"Go on, Go. I want to go." Finn said, practically climbing over Logan to get through the door. 

"Come on now boys, we're waiting for you," their teacher, who Leo had said was named Serena, beckoned them over. "To the barre, please. Next time, please try to arrive fifteen minutes prior to the start." 

Logan blushed under the inquisitive stares of the five students seemingly ready to begin. 

"Sorry Serena, we had a little...resistance," Leo said. He pointedly did not look at Logan, but Finn had already bounded across the floor to the barre, so it was rather obvious who the guilty party was.   

Serena hummed, a small smile curving her lips. "Well, hopefully by the end of the class those who may be hesitant will be somewhat less resistant, as you put it." 

Serena was a petite woman, her hair white with age and a map of wrinkles on her pale skin. Despite the authoritative air, her hazel eyes held kindness. Nothing like the harsh glare of the lady who had taught his pre-ballet class way back then. 

Leo took his place at the end of the barre. He'd already explained Serena preferred those with more experience at the end, so when they turned around a beginner wouldn't be left with no one in front of them to follow. Finn slipped in quickly next to him, and as much as Logan loved his boyfriend, he wasn't sure he'd be the best example to follow. 

Logan gave his most charming smile as he moved further along, slotting himself in the gap between a wiry middle aged man who looked like he belonged in a suit, and a broad shouldered woman with red hair. They both took a hesitant step to the side. Did I forget deodorant this morning? Maybe that title of ‘smelliest feet’ was well earned in last year's locker room awards.

"First, we will go through some basics, after which we will start with some combinations. We will keep them simple, which means I want to see excellent form from those of you who have been here longer okay?" Serena introduced. 

It seemed simple enough. 30 minutes later Logan was sweating and muscles he didn't even know he possessed hurt. There was so much to know. First position. Third position. Plie.Port de bras. Tendu. 

“Why is there so much French?” Finn groaned, even as he flung his leg back out in a poor imitation of what Serena had shown them. 

Trust me love, knowing what the words mean doesn’t help much.

"Eyes up," Serena called. "Yes, I'm talking you, Mr. O'Hara. It is generally considered impolite to stare at the behind of those in front of us. “Don't make me send you to the other end." 

“It’s such a good behind though,” Finn chuckled. 

They moved on to what Serena called ‘centre work', next. Logan was glad to get away from the barre, but as Phillipa demonstrated the series of movements Serena dictated, any relief ebbed away. The only thing getting him through was the stupid goofy grin on Finn’s face. 

“Plie. Jump,” Serena showed, lifting a good few inches off the floor despite her age. “Make sure to really push off the floor, so you're engaging your glutes and hamstrings.”

Finally, Logan thought, something he could do.

“Very good, Logan. Just try to land with a little more grace.” 

Logan felt the small proud smile that had crept onto his face slip away. More grace. He wasn’t exactly known for being graceful. Fast and powerful, he could do. Grace was not really his department. 

“Hey, don’t worry. I used to get the same critique. Just pretend there's a tiny puppy underfoot and you don’t want to squash it.” 

“Quoi?” Logan frowned.

The same broad shouldered woman he’d been stood by earlier (he thought her name was Jenny, or maybe it was Agatha) made a jump, exaggerating the soft movement. “Don’t kill the puppy.”

“Right, don’t kill the puppy.”

And like every stubborn decision Logan ever made, he tried again.

"Better," Serena praised.

Logan caught Leo looking a him with a muted smile - the same kind he made when Harry did anything vaguely new - and hoped the tan of his skin hid the blush he could feel warming his cheeks.

[sunshinemage]

Interview: Commander Littlearrow edition

.:: INTRODUCTION ::.

Can you introduce yourself?

My name is Rory Littlearrow. If you want the full pedantic shebang, it would be 'Commander Littlearrow, Champion of Aurene, Head of Dragon's Watch'. I am devoted to Tyria and its protection. But I wouldn't mind a holiday from time to time.

What is your gender identity, orientation and relationship status?

I identify as male, bisexual and happily married.

Where and when were you born?

I was born in 88 Phoenix, 1289 AE in Rata Sum.

What is your weapon of choice and fighting style?

Longbow when I want to keep my distance or when I'm on a vantage point, sword & warhorn (sometimes greatsword) when I fight in closer quarters. I specialize in the use of various poisons that I coat my weapons in. There are also my black and white moas, who fight alongside me.

Lastly, are you happy?

There are... currently a lot of things in the world that would make anyone unhappy, but we're doing alright, I think. I'm happy with what we manage to accomplish each day.

.:: FAMILY AND FRIENDS ::.

What’s your family like? What is your relationship with them?

My family is my old team: my wife Audra, Ossun and his daughter Osnje, whom we like to call our niece.

My family is also all the new members that came along: Taimi, Gorrik, Jory, Kas, Rox, Braham, Canach, Caithe, Zojja, Logan and Rytlock.

Describing them would be very long and I don't want to talk for hours, but they all are the best people in the world, and I love them dearly. Despite the losses and the tragedies, despite the numerous hardships and the distance.

If you're talking about my biological family, I don't know if they're alive and I don't care.

Have you ever ran away from home?

Ha! Wouldn't be here if I didn't run away.

I never ran away from my true home, though. Skipped class or sneaked out once or twice yes, but never ran away.

Would you consider marriage or having children?

Already married! Never thought about having our own children, we're both are quite busy at the moment.

Do you secretly hate one of your friends?

If I hate them, they're probably not my friend.

Which friend knows everything about you?

Audra does. There are maybe two or three things Ossun doesn't know, but then again we traveled for almost eighteen years together.

I'm working on being less... taciturn with Dragon's Watch. I haven't told them much about me for some reason. It felt like there never was the time. But I'm working on it.

.:: ASKED BY FANS ::.

Are you literate? Have you been to school?

Although I am Asura, I didn't do my studies in one of the three Colleges. I finished growing up in the Durmand Priory and learnt everything I needed to know there.

The eeriest prediction you made that later came true?

I wasn't the one who made it, and it's not exactly true, but one time Ossun was a bit drunk and joked that if Audra and I ever tried to have a child, it would look like a dragon. And now, I have a dragon daughter... even if she grew so beautifully that she looks and sounds timeless. I still held her when she was an egg!

What is something you were embarrassingly late to realize?

When I fist arrived to the Priory, there always was someone talking about master Stonehealer, how they had to show him this and that, how he gave a nice lecture... I thought this master Stonehealer had to be a respected scholar, but I never got to properly meet him until a couple of years. The only time I saw him before actually meeting him, he was sitting on a bench, unmoving, so I just walked past. I thought this was an actual lifeless statue, I had no idea this was Stonehealer.

In my defense, I was young.

Do you have mental health or physical issues?

Mental health issues, probably. I died.

No physical issues, at least for now, which is kind of a small miracle, given all that's happened to me.

What is your current main goal?

Peace and stability.

.:: THIS OR THAT ::.

Drink or food?

Food! I love a god drink, but I like to eat more.

Cats or dogs?

Both are perfect in their own ways.

Early bird or night owl?

Night owl by choice, early bird by necessity.

Optimist or pessimist?

I like to think I'm optimistic, but people would tell you otherwise.

Sassy or sarcastic?

Sarcastic.

.:: HAVE YOU EVER- ::.

-been caught sneaking out?

Only once, and it was the first time I tried sneaking out. The next times I was more careful.

-broken a bone?

My left arm when I fell from a big rock while trying to sneak out. Which was why I got caught. I couldn't shoot a bow properly for a little while, I was miserable.

-received flowers?

A child from Skimmer Ranch in Elona gave me an Elon Lily. I keep it preserved in my pocket.

-ghosted someone?

I don't know, maybe? Not intentionally, at least.

-pretended to laugh at a joke you didn’t get?

Oh yes. When I went to Hoelbrak for the first time. Fortunately Ossun was with me to tell me when to laugh.

_____

That was fun! I won't tag anyone because I think pretty much everyone has done it haha

[heyitsmejona]

Jona’s Story

background reference 

Story under the break!

TABLE OF EVENTS:

Backstory

Zhaitan

Mordremoth [HoT]

Break [LW3]

Balthazar/Joko [PoF]

Kralkatorrik [LW4]

Jormag [IS] 

Warning: Some big spoilers for every single story part in GW2 ahead! 

1. Backstory

She was born and raised in Divinity’s Reach and had a more or less protected childhood. It was always her dream to become a member of the Seraphs. But her parents died really early into her teenage years because of a bandit attack on their bakery. Then it was only her older sister and her, who had to make due by themselves. Her dream was slowly moving away from her, they had to sell the bakery and she started to work as a barmaid in one of the taverns. As she reached adulthood her sister met her future spouse and moved to Queensdale a few years later. Jona remained in Divinity’s Reach, until she spit up a bar fight between a group of Seraphs and citizens. That is when she first met Logan, her life made a full turn afterwards and she soon carried the armor of the seraphs proudly. Her name grew after she saved the Village of Shaemoor, helped her Quaggan friends and became a member of the Vigil. Still unaware of future events, her life began to enter a downward spiral as her sister got captured by the Harathi. She managed to save her just in time but after she brought her to safety she had to depart, to save Lion’s Arch from an unknown threat.

2. Zhaitan

After joining the vigil, she fell in love for the first time. It was truly magnificent for her. She wasn't on to make friends easily, so this pretty much surprised her. After she saved Lion’s Arch from the first Undead attack. The massacre of Claw Island was a blink away. Her love died on that island, she would never return to. Her anger and rage was short, but her grieving began. She went to Orr, fought the Undead and their master Zhaitan. But her heart grew empty. So many good people died there, her groll was mostly aimed at Trahearne. She could not even look him into the eyes anymore. She always wondered how he could lead so many people into their wet graves with the look of excitement on his face. But she also gave herself a load of guild too, she didn’t stop it. She knew you weren’t able to save everyone but she could have at least tried a bit harder. That was when she entered another turning point in her life. She left her friends behind and disappeared. She wanted to help people but this was not the way.

3. Mordremoth

The expedition into the Heart of Maguuma and its failure happened. She couldn't just close her eyes about the whole event, so she went to help. But not as the commander, just as a mere soldier with a new face and name. Maguuma was hard and unforgiving, she did  not stay until the very end. She could not, the thought that her friends were captured and might die just because she didn't offer her help, broke her. During all this she only met Aurene only briefly one time. She made a beeline for the Shiverpeak Mountains. 

4. Break

One of her sister’s friends, an old norn woman owned an abandoned homestead not far from their own. She offered it to Jona in exchange for a little help with the Dolyaks and the Sons of Svanir. Almost no one from her former life knew where she was, or if she was still alive. Until she began to exchange letters with Zojja. Who wrote her about all the things that happened in Maguuma and Trahearne’s and Eir’s death, that Logan and her were still recovering and what all her other friends were up to. They build a strong friendship over the many letters exchanged. It helped them both, to tend to old wounds and give each other a helping hand as they built themselves anew again out of their broken parts. After a while Jona made the decision to travel again, see where she could help folks out. And maybe she slowly got her mind ready to finally stop running.

5. Balthazar/Joko

With the “discovery” of The Crystal Desert and Elona her travels were bound to end up there eventually. She met her friends in a fight against the Forged and helped them out. Both sides were not really ready for the sudden meeting, but when is one ever ready for something. The climate was tense and the remaining trust only a thin strand. But Jona stayed and the old nature of their friendship started to shine through. But she was a different person now, not entirely, her essence was still the same but some parts changed. She was wiser now and more collected and ready to die for everyone. Which eventually happened by the hand of Balthazar. She didn't really mind, it was peaceful? She had to return of course, there were still things to do but it brought to her a certain comfort. She didn't have to fear death anymore. Joko, the master of the Awakened was only a mere wood lump in her way, which she stepped over easily. He was a bit funny, I think they could have been friends in another world. But her next problem wasn’t far ahead.

6. Kralkatorrik

The third elder dragon she met ate Balthazar? And she was off to fight a new threat to the world. She didn’t go by commander anymore though. She was just Lady Jona to her colleagues and subordinates. Many still called her commander of course, and just blatantly ignored her request. The title was a form of respect to them. She wondered if her suffering would ever find an end. During all of this she got finally introduced to Aurene. Aurene knew that Jona was her champion, it was supposed to be this way. But Aurene also saw that Jona would not easily be swayed into this position. It took a lot of trust and many personal talks to accept that this was her destiny. She liked Aurene, and saw her more like her little sister over time. She planned to introduce her to her older sister, once this was over. Because let’s be real, Aurene’s original family totally sucks. They deliver Kralkatorrik from his pain together. But another war was as always about to start soon.

7. Jormag

After Kralkatorrik’s defeat, the relationship between the Charr legions began to boil slowly but surely, and soon the blood legion attacked and Bengar's betrayal would let the galaxy fall into disarray. (I’m sorry) Jormag whispers weren’t far away and grew louder and louder. They wanted Jona to become their champion. Jona was prone to listen, these times would expose themself to be another straining experience on her mental wellbeing. She almost gave in a few times, would not have others been there to help her find a way through the snowstorm. Almorra’s body was discovered, another friend and lost love gone.But she was stronger this time and Aurene and Taimi got her back. Braham and her still didn't talk about Eir much but Rox grew to be a new friend and ally in dangerous situations. Gorrik turned out to be funny and she almost adopted him, she loved that little guy and would always listen when he told her about Blish. She isn't really one to hold grudges, so when she found out that Rytlock released Balthazar and Ryland was his son or that Gorrik was a former member of the Inquest she almost toppled over from laughing so hard. She even forgave Braham for blaming her for Eir’s death, even though he didn’t talk to her about it. He wasn’t so wrong after all but not justified either. But damn, did she hate Ryland.

To be continued?

[waokevale]

Porcelain Face - Chapter 2

[One year ago]

 Logan has finally graduated from collage and started his new job as a teacher at the local high school.

Similar to the students teachers were also introduced by the principal, but more formal.

The principal has showed him his new class meanwhile also telling him about the car accident the previous teacher had as Logan tried to make a pitiful expression on his face.

It was hard, since most of your life you lacked emotions like some heartless robot.

After that he perceived to talk to them as he examined all of their faces. Nothing has surprised him until he saw a boy with an interesting "face" or more exactly a paper material mask that could somehow change it's expression, which was also a little burned and scratched either meaning the boy has probably gone through a lot or he just had a worn off mask on his face.

The students all looked differently at him

Some were excited, some were curious, some bored or unimpressed and others....Ugh...let's just say their face wanted to do the illegal things from the movies that Logan despised yet had a contact with them somehow.

Mostly girls...The dressed up ones specifically.

The mysterious cardboard boy though had especially different expression than everybody else, at least his mask showed a different one.

It was somewhat of  fear and anxiousness, like Logan was some sort of a threat to him.

He could as well examine what is wrong later as he was told by the principal to start his lesson or at least hear what the students wanted to say about themselves...

And so they did. 

Most of them were stereotypical.

Popular girls, mean kids, intelligent one's that lacked sleep, (that Logan could tell because of the bags under their eyes) or so called nerds, gaming kids who too lacked sleep, loners and theatre kids. 

Nothing much changed in these 5 years that had passed since he attended high school.

It was rather disappointing for him to say.

Then again...It finally came to the cardboard kid.

He wasn't like most of them, some of them were very confident while they were  talking, some were bored and some stuttered a bit but managed to say what they intended to.

This kid was quiet. it was clear, that he tried to form words behind his mask but wasn't able to until someone else has spoken.

-"He's just a quiet freak, that's what he is!" Some kid laughed.

The boy in the mask was getting even more nervous from the unnecessary attention and the laughter from the other kids.

-"That's enough!" - Logan yelled emotionlessly as the class that was giggling went silent.

-"Listen to me James, it was clearly not funny for either me or the boy, I'm wondering how would you feel at his place.

But I hope you learn one thing from this lesson, no one should care about your idiotic opinions, might as well keep them to yourself, won't you?" Logan kept talking with a dead look on his face and voice that could be described as Arctic cold yet venomous like a viper.

The kid that was very confident before now fearfully flinched in his chair as he did not expect that from the new teacher.

After Logan's own monologue he sat back on his chair and counted to five. He perfectly calculated the time as when he said five the bell rang and everyone run out of the class, except the cardboard boy, who walked sloppily and shakily.

-"Would you mind staying a little longer in the classroom?" - Logan said as the short boy in hoodie flinched but nodded slowly in defeat.

-"Sit down here, please." - The man in the glasses and the tie motioned to the nearest chair from his desk as the boy listened to his command and sat there, still very anxious as ever.

-"Do you know why I have told you to stay here?" Logan asked calmly yet that didn't help the boy as he kept shaking.

-"...n-n-n-no." - He barely mumbled his reply.

His voice was weak and shaky, it wasn't much of a surprise for Logan though.

-"Do not worry, kid. I do not intend harm upon you or anything of that matter. I just want to communicate with you for a bit, since the break has already began."

The boy nodded getting a little better from the answer.

-"First, If it wouldn't be a problem I would like to hear your name. Mind sharing it with me?Do to the fact I do not wish to call you a "kid" unless you want me to."

-"V-V-Virgil..." The cardboard boy replied.

-"I'm glad you have shared this information with me, Virgil." - Logan tried smiling but it looked more like he made a derp face which made Virgil chuckle, but he suddenly realised his "mistake" and apologized.

-"What are you apologizing me for?" - Logan asked.

-"F-f-for l-laughing....I-I-I shouldn't, I-" the kid broke down in his chair.

Logan didn't know exactly what to do, but he knew that in these situations you usually go to the person and try to comfort them as he came closer to the boy and put his hand on Virgil's shoulder.

-"Virgil, that is untrue, I'm not sure if you've known that laughing is actually healthy for your organism? As well as the hormone endorphins that represents your happiness, if you've studied it on biology. Happiness is very important for your mental health. If you experience lack of happiness it can cause mental illnesses which are not good for your body.

Besides you didn't intend to laugh at me for no reason at all. I myself fail at emotions and I'm incredibly sorry for not helping at all."

-"It's O-ok Mr.Be-" But Virgil's sentence was cut off by Logan saying:

-"Though I like my surname I do not wish for you to call me by it. 

Just call me Logan when it comes to conversations like this one. I don't want to feel like someone who can't exactly be trusted by you, besides I'm only six years older than you. 

 I Intend to be your friend not foe." Logan blankly explained.

-"Y-you won't like m-me Mr-Logan, I'm v-very sorry."

-"It's okay, Virgil. You are a very nice kid so I see no reason for me not to like you." The man in glasses encouraged.

-"B-but m-my mask...." Virgil stuttered getting nervous yet again.

-"What's wrong with it? Despite it having burned marks and scratches of course." - 

-"-Aren't you f-forcing me to take it off? M-many of the other teachers tried, but I always said n-no, a-a-and...t-they a-always sent m-me to d-detentions f-for t-t-that... - the boy said while softly sobbing.

As we've already seen Virgil was a very fragile kid back then, it was very easy for him to break down.

Logan looked rather shocked and disappointed if you could actually read his expression.

-"I've read the school rules 3 times and there was nothing about not being able to wear masks or any other items even do to important means of course. Since you are clearly not wearing this for show I do not understand why would they do such things."

-"B-b-because t-they h-hate m-me.

E-e-everybody does....." Virgil finally cried covering his cardboard face in his hands.

To his and Logan's own surprise he has embraced the younger boy with a hug.

Virgil was frozen at first, but he slowly melted into the hug.

After a minute or so Logan has finally pulled away as he couldn't hear sobs no more.

-"Are you feeling better Virgil? Or should I call someone"

-"No-no-no! It's fine, I'm fine! .....Thank you so much M-Logan...I'm sure you'll dislike me one day anyways, but I-I'm glad that at least for now you sort of accept m-me."

-"Do not assume Virgil. You are a likeable, good person. Your mask or what's under it does not define you. Just please, at least try to understand it." Logan said.

The boy nodded unsurely as the bell rang for another lesson to start.

Virgil has already run back to his seat getting anxious again and fearing what would the person who usually sat there do to him.

Logan sighed sadly as he got out of the classroom, since Virgil and the others had a lesson with a different teacher this time.

He headed back to the teacher's room  mumbling to himself.

-"Some changes must be made...."

_________________________________

Logan's mom/big bro mode has activated! I hope you like the chapter.

:V

[arc852]

3 times Virgil Felt Small and the 1 Time He Didn't

Summary: Virgil has always been small but lately it seems he’s been smaller than ever.

Warnings: panic, fear, self-deprecation, spiders, worry, being trapped, almost freezing, and feelings of helplessness

1

 Virgil had always felt small, mostly because he was. Compared to everything around him he was but a bug. He stood no more than four inches tall, it was no surprise. However, he didn’t truly know the meaning of feeling small until he was captured by three humans. Up until that point he had made an effort to not get anywhere near the human’s he lived with. Not just for the rules of his kind, but for his safety and fear as well.

 Of course, the one time he had made a mistake and he was caught. Just like that. No warning, no preparation. Just something as simple as the light turning on and he was seen. Patton had been the one to find him that night. Later on, Virgil would come to find out that Patton had had a nightmare that night and had come down initially to bake some cookies. That had changed when Patton locked eyes with Virgil.

 Virgil had been terrified, but honestly, the meeting had gone better than expected. Sure, Virgil had sprained his ankle trying to run away, but Patton turned out to be very gentle. Virgil had always thought Patton would react to him by squealing and squeezing and the borrower was thankful that turned out to not be the case. (Both those things would come later though when he was more comfortable with all of them).

 That night had ended with Patton wrapping Virgil’s ankle and Virgil falling asleep in a little makeshift bed on Patton’s nightstand. Virgil still doesn’t know how on earth he fell asleep that night, what with his heart racing from fear and worry. But he did and Patton would tell him later that he looked cute when he did.

 And then came the next morning.

 Virgil almost thought the night had been a dream until he heard familiar voices on all sides of him. He shot up, blankets falling off his form as he stared up into the equally wide eyes of all three humans living in the house. Patton was near the back and was looking a little nervous as he glanced from his friends to Virgil. The look did nothing to ease the borrower.

 “What on earth is it?” Virgil remembers Logan muttering to himself. Virgil had winced at being called an it, but later down the line, Logan had made sure to apologize profusely for it. Still, at the time the word only made Virgil feel smaller.

 As Logan continued to study him, Roman had been the one to take action. Before Virgil could fully realize what was happening, he found himself swept up in Roman’s hand. His face inches away from the self-called prince. Through his rapidly beating heart, he had heard Patton gasp.

 “Roman! Be careful!” Patton had reprimanded Roman, but he had been too focused on Virgil to really hear him. 

 “You are simply amazing! You’re so small!” Roman’s finger had poked his side as he said this, causing Virgil to yelp and flinch away. Again, Roman hadn’t seemed to notice. Before Roman could do anything else, Virgil felt another pair of hands cup around him and take him away. Virgil had let out another involuntary yelp and looked to see Logan was now the one who had him. Virgil started to curl in on himself.

 “You’re right, it’s simply amazing. This creature shouldn't exist, yet here it is.” Logan had muttered once again to himself. Virgil had not liked Logan’s gaze right then. It had felt like it was piercing through him. Logan went to adjust his glasses with his free hand when Virgil felt Roman’s hand come over and pick him up again. Honestly, Virgil had been surprised none of them had been able to feel the rapid beating of his heart. In the moment, it had felt like it was gonna explode.

 “And he is just so cute!” Roman spoke giving him a smile, but his eyes had held a bit too much fascination and curiosity for Virgil’s liking. It hadn’t lasted long though, because Virgil soon found himself back in Logan’s hands. And then back to Roman’s and repeating a few more times. Each of them going back and forth, words flying over his head as Virgil was slowly succumbing to a panic attack.

 “Enough!” Patton had shouted, finally having enough with everyone. Virgil felt himself being scooped up one last time and held closely to Patton’s chest. Patton had sent everyone a disappointed glare. 

 “Can’t you guys see you're scaring him?” Patton’s voice had gone soft, after feeling that Virgil was shaking. The other two humans had gone silent as they stared at the borrower, both exchanging mixtures of guilty looks.

 “I think you guys need to leave for a bit.” They had left with no argument and Patton had rubbed Virgil’s back a few times as he set him down on the bed.

 “I’m so sorry about that kiddo. But everything’s okay now, I promise they won’t hurt you. They just got over-excited.” Patton had slowly stopped with the rubbing and had stood up, walking towards the door.

 “You relax here and I’ll go talk with them, okay? I’ll be back later with some food for you.” And with that Virgil had been alone.

 Virgil hates to admit it, but he remembers every single bad thought he’s ever had. And that morning, the only thing running through his head was how weak and worthless he was. That he couldn’t stop them from doing anything they wanted to do. He had felt small.

 The others had gotten better, even with the rough start. But unfortunately, that hadn’t been the last time Virgil would feel so small. 

***

2

 It was a few weeks after he had first been found and Virgil was walking around the house by himself, for some much needed alone time. All the others were currently out of the house, giving him no reason to be afraid of being on the floor. As much as he had grown towards the humans, he still felt overwhelmed by them and was thankful for any and all alone time he was given.

Virgil gripped his bag tight as he made his way to the kitchen. Patton had suggested leaving food out for him, but Virgil had politely declined. He was perfectly capable of getting his own food. After all, he had been doing so since he was twelve. And any chance that he was able to show his independence he would.

 When he came up to the counter, he unclipped his hook and spun it around over his head before letting it fly. It hooked against the edge of the counter with practiced ease. Virgil let a proud smile grace his features. He then took a deep breath and started to climb. He reached the top of the counter, rolling the hook back up as he surveyed his surroundings. 

 Now he could just get some of the crackers he knew were in the middle cupboard. But really, Virgil was craving something that he had been introduced to just recently. Ice cream, Patton had called it. It was the first time Virgil ever ate anything that actually tasted good cold. And he was really craving more of the strange food.

 But that begged the question of where it was kept. The food was cold which meant...Virgil turned toward the fridge. But no, not there. Patton had said it was kept extra cold since it apparently melted very easily. With that tidbit of information, Virgil’s eyes glanced a little more up towards what he knew to be the freezer.

 No, no he couldn’t. The freezer was dangerous, he shouldn’t even be thinking about risking it. He could just have a cracker now and wait for the others to get home to have some ice cream. But an image flashed in his mind. Of the others calling him out on not being able to get it himself.

 You really couldn’t get it yourself? Seriously?

 I knew we shouldn’t have left you alone.

 Weak. Pathetic. Worthless.

 Virgil gasped, only just realizing he hadn’t been breathing. He hated how those thoughts intruded his mind, but he couldn’t stop them. He knew they were wrong, but what if they weren’t? What if the others looked down on him (more so than they already did) because he couldn’t get something as simple as his own ice cream by himself.

 Before Virgil could talk himself out of it, he was slinging his hook towards the top of the fridge. 

 He was able to climb up there no problem. He put away his hook and sat near the crack of the door. Using his feet, he pushed the door open enough for him to slip through. Hooking his rope onto the top, he slowly lowered himself into the freezer. Immediately he could feel the drop in temperature and felt a shiver crawl up his back. Thankfully he was wearing his hoodie, so it was a little more bearable.

 He looked around, spotting the tub of ice cream quickly. He jogged over to it and studied for a way to get in. He was so focused on his task that he didn’t notice the door to the freezer was closing. Not until he heard his hook fall into the freezer with him and he was cloaked in darkness.

 He stood there a moment, his mind not willing to take in what just happened. 

 And then the panic set in.

 Virgil ran over to the door and tried his hardest to push it back open. He was desperate, ramming his shoulder into the door so hard he was sure it was now bruised. But despite his best efforts, the door didn’t so much as budge.

 He was trapped.

 Virgil backed away from the door, breathing heavy. He shivered, was it just him or had it suddenly gotten a lot colder. The cold seemed to seep through his hoodie and right to his skin. Virgil hugged himself.

 There was no way out, he was going to freeze, he was going to die-

 Suddenly, from outside the freezer, he heard the unmistakable sound of the front door unlock. Followed quickly by a number of voices. The humans were home. His friends were home. He ran back up to the door, any thought of them thinking he was worthless gone in favor of just wanting to get out of there before he froze.

 “Virgil, we’re home!” He heard Patton shout.

 “Guys! Help!” Silence. Furrowing his eyebrows he pressed his ear against the door.

 “Virgil?” He heard Patton say again, this time quieter. “That’s weird, he usually comes out by now.”

 “Guys!” Virgil tried again, screaming even louder. 

 “Maybe he’s resting, you never know. I’m sure he’ll turn up eventually.” He heard Roman say.

 “No! Guys, I’m in the freezer, help!” He slammed his fists against the door, praying they would hear him.

 “I guess…” Patton said and then the voices of the others slowly faded out. Virgil’s eyes widened.

 “No. No. No no no no no no no!” Virgil continued to slam his fists against the door, ignoring the cold that stung his hands as he did so.

 “Patton please!” Virgil screamed, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. “Logan!” His voice was quieter this time and his hand laid resting on the door now.

 “Roman.” Virgil slid to his knees, head against the cold freezer door. He shut his eyes, the tears finally falling.

 They hadn’t heard him. 

 They hadn’t heard him.

 Even screaming at the top of his lungs, banging with all his might against the door, they couldn’t hear him.

 Because he was too darn small.

 Virgil curled up into himself, trying his best to reserve any and all body heat. He doesn’t know how long he stayed like that, but eventually, he heard a voice grow closer.

 “You guys want some ice cream too?! I think there’s enough-Virgil!?” The door opened and Virgil looked up to reveal Roman. The human was looking at him with shock and what seemed to be a deep concern.

 “Holy mother of-Virgil how long-how did you even-” As Roman stammered he reached in and scooped Virgil up. All Virgil could do was snuggle into the warm hands. “Guys! I-I need help!”

 It was a bit of a blur after that for Virgil. He recognized the panicked voices but couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. He then felt himself move between different touches of warmth before being settled into something soft and very warm. He let out a small sigh of relief as he felt his body finally start to warm up.

 He ended up falling asleep. The nightmares that followed replaying the experience over and over again. Feeling smaller than ever.

***

3

 Even with being with humans for the past two months, Virgil had been able to avoid one thing. Being on the floor while any of the others were around. Virgil had made it a point to not be on the floor with any of them. For the fact that accidents could always happen and the view that would be revealed to Virgil from down below. Telling him how tall the humans really were and how small he really was.

 Unfortunately, Virgil couldn’t avoid it forever.

 He thought no one had been home. Patton had said earlier that they were all going to see a movie. They had offered him a chance to go but Virgil declined like he always did. Being out and about with so many humans wasn’t his idea of a good time. He much preferred movie nights inside.

 Anyway, because Virgil thought no one was home, he decided to use the floor instead of his tunnels in the walls to get to the kitchen. He was walking down the side of the hall when vibrations started from under him. Virgil froze.

 A part of him was hoping it was an actual earthquake that was happening but he knew that wasn’t right. The way the vibrations rumbled, he would know it anywhere. But unfortunately, he was too far from any exit of his to get out of the way. He was forced to watch as Logan turned the corner, looking down at a book in his hands. 

 Virgil squeaked in fear as he finally got a good look at the human’s true height. The massive figure coming toward him caused his heart to falter, despite knowing Logan would never hurt him. He took several steps back in fear and the movement seemed to catch Logan’s eye because he glanced away from his book and towards the ground. His eyes met Virgil’s.

 “Oh, hello, Virgil.” Logan greeted. Virgil couldn’t find his voice and simply waved. 

 Logan paused for a moment and thought for a moment before he started to bend his knees and reach down toward Virgil. Virgil let out another little squeak and could only turn his head away from the hand as it came towards him. It wrapped around his body before lifting him up to Logan’s chest height. As soon as the hand stopped, the palm opened and allowed Virgil to sit on it.

 “Sorry. I figured I could help you get to where you needed to go faster. I assume you were headed for the kitchen?” Logan asked. Virgil, trying to control his shaking, just nodded and Logan started walking back where he had come.

 Virgil had been picked up before but never like that. Never from that kind of angle. It had truly been terrifying. 

 And once again, it only reminded Virgil of just how small he was.

 At this point though? Virgil might as well be used to it.

***

+1

 “Logan, are you sure this is safe?” Patton asked, looking at the machine Logan was fiddling with nervously. Logan nodded.

 “I am positive,” Logan said as he stood up straighter to grab a wrench. After having discovered Virgil, Logan had been hard at work in trying to replicate such a stature in a human. Essentially, he was trying to create a shrink ray.

 “Are you sure it’s going to work this time?” Roman asked next with a raised eyebrow. Logan paused.

 “...Theoretically, it should.” At Logan’s words, Roman groaned. 

 “Great, you said that last time too.” Roman huffed. Yes, he thought the machine was cool and wanted it to work just as much as Logan but after 8 failures Roman wasn’t exactly optimistic.

 “Alright.” Logan took a step back to admire his work for a moment before placing the apple on the desk a few feet away from it. “Now, hopefully, it will shrink this apple.”

 “Oh, I really hope this works,” Patton whispered, bouncing up and down in excitement and nerves. Logan was thinking much the same.

 Logan flipped the switch and stepped back, watched at the machine whirred to life. It flashed and made noises and for a moment, it really looked like it was about to fire but then it suddenly died. Logan’s shoulders slumped.

 “Oh…” Patton said in disappointment and Roman sighed. 

 “Well, I suppose that means back to the drawing board,” Logan muttered. He went over to the device but suddenly it shook to life again. But...it was shaking a bit too much. All three human’s eyes widened as a fire of light shot out of the device, heading straight for them.

***

 Virgil exited the walls, finding himself on the kitchen counter with a frown. He had been looking for everyone for about an hour now but he was starting to think no one was home. Which was weird, considering Patton had told him they weren’t going anywhere today. Maybe an emergency happened? He hadn’t heard any alarmed shouts though…

 Speaking of, just as he thought that, he heard a scream. “H-Help!” Virgil’s eyes widened as he would recognize that scream anywhere. 

 “Patton!” Virgil quickly descended down the counter and ran into the wall where the scream seemed to have come from. He skidded to a halt in shock and gasped. Patton, Logan, and Roman were all there but...but they were small. Like borrower small. But that was impossible...Virgil had to be dreaming.

 Patton let out another short scream and Virgil finally noticed the other creature along with them. Virgil’s eyes widened as he took in the large spider. It was slowly crawling towards the shrunken humans with a look Virgil knew all too well. Dream or not, he was not about to let his friends get eaten by some insect.

 He unsheathed his pin from his side, happy he had grabbed it today and ran to jump in front of the others. They gasped. “V-Virgil?” He heard Patton ask and Virgil turned around and smiled at them before turning back to the spider with a determined look.

 The spider hissed at him and ran forward but Virgil kept it back with a slash. The spider faltered a little but was back on him in an instant. Thankfully, Virgil was used to dealing with the quick movements of spiders and easily slashed the side of it. It collapsed in agony, writhing around and oozing blood out of the large gash. Deciding to put it out of its misery, Virgil brought his needle down into it. The movements ceased.

 Virgil let out a sigh as he sheathed his pin. He heard shuffling behind him and he turned to meet Patton’s gaze, who had taken several steps forward. “You...You saved us!” Patton ran forward and collided with Virgil in a hug. 

 Virgil’s eyes widened at the strange feeling but of course, he felt himself hugging back. He couldn’t believe he was hugging Patton. Properly hugging him. Patton pulled away and held him at arm's length. “Oh, kiddo...look at you!” Patton grinned and they both seemed to realize this was the first time they were properly seeing each other.

 “Wha-wait, Virgil are you taller then Patton?” Roman said, coming up next to them. Virgil blinked and looked at Patton and...huh, he seemed to be a few inches taller than the usually giant human.

 “That’s...that’s just weird.” Virgil shook his head. “What happened? Am I dreaming?” Virgil asked, only for Logan to answer with a sigh. He adjusted his glasses.

 “I’m afraid not. I’ve been working on a shrink ray for some time now but...well…”

 “It got messed up and ended up shrinking us even though it wasn’t supposed to.” Roman continued for Logan.

 “This is crazy,” Virgil muttered and took notice that while he was taller than Patton, both Logan and Roman were still taller than him. Although, unlike normally, it was only by a few inches. It was really freaking Virgil out, seeing his friends like this instead of giant.

 “Yes, I must say it’s quite…” Logan trailed off as he stared at the dead spider. “...interesting down here.”

 “I think you mean terrifying. I don’t know how you do it, Virge!” Patton exclaimed, hanging onto his arm. Virgil thought for a moment before shrugging.

 “Uh, I guess I’m just used to it?” He didn’t know any different, after all. Although at times, it was still scary to Virgil. “So...what are we going to do? Is this...permanent?” Virgil asked nervously, hoping that wasn’t the case.

 Thankfully, Logan shook his head. “No, but the device blew out its battery when it miniaturized us, so we have to go retrieve another one.”

 Virgil hummed. “A battery huh? Well, those are in the top drawer in the kitchen on the right if I’m remembering...clearly…” Virgil trailed off in embarrassment as the others looked at him. He coughed. “Uh, sorry.” It was probably weird to hear that he knew where things were.

 “Don’t be, stormy nightmare,” Roman said, swinging an arm around Virgil’s shoulders and causing a yelp to escape him. “You actually just helped us. None of us could remember where we put them.” He chuckled sheepishly and Virgil, at the new information, gave a small smile.

 “But now we have another problem. How do we acquire it?” Logan asked as they all started towards the kitchen. As they walked, Patton moved to hold Virgil’s hand. Again, the feeling was strange but Virgil didn’t pull away.

 “Oh, that’s easy,” Virgil answered. “I’ll just climb up there and get it.” Virgil watched as the three humans froze for a moment, causing him to stop as well. They all exchanged looks and Virgil raised an eyebrow. “Wait, did you guys seriously forget I could do that?”

 “What? No! Of course not, we would never-”

 “It appears in our panicked states of becoming small we had overlooked that particular fact, yes.” Logan cut Roman off, causing the other to glare at him.

 Virgil chuckled. “Well, it’s a good thing I’m here.” They certainly would have been stuck like this without an actual borrower to help. They started back towards the kitchen, quickly coming up the counter. The humans eyed it with awe but for Virgil didn’t think twice about it as he took out his hook and swung it up to the top.

 “Whoa! What a throw, kiddo!” Patton exclaimed with a grin. Of course, he had seen Virgil throw his hook before but from this perspective, he could see just how impressive it was. Virgil blushed at the praise.

 “Oh, uh, thanks.” After checking to see if the string was secure, Virgil started to climb. He made it to the top in under a minute and then went to the drawer he knew held the battery. He used his legs to push it open enough for him to drop inside and he looked around the dark, his eyes adjusting to it almost immediately. 

 “How many did you need!?” Virgil called out from the drawer and he strained his ears to hear a reply.

 “Just one!” He heard Logan call out, so Virgil grabbed one before hoisting himself out of the drawer. 

 “Got it!” He yelled before heading back over to his hook and climbing down with one hand as the other held onto the battery. When he reached the floor he found himself once again tackled into a hug by Patton.

 “That was awesome, kiddo!” Patton exclaimed as he nuzzled into Virgil’s side. Virgil blinked and found himself blushing again from the praise. 

 “That was quite impressive, Virgil,” Logan added on, only for Roman to jump in.

 “Impressive? That was way more than impressive, Virgil practically just scaled up a skyscraper like it was nothing!” Virgil blush grew to a deeper red and he let out a shy smile at the praise. Honestly, it felt good. He slowly pried himself away from Patton before flicking his wrist and sending his hook down. He caught it in midair and he heard another awed gasp at the simple action.

 “Uh, anyway, we should get this back to your room, right?” Virgil asked, looking at Logan. Logan nodded.

 “Of course.” They started walking back the way they came, towards Logan’s room and the device. Virgil still held the battery under one arm as Roman came up to him. 

 “I can hold that for you, emo nightmare.” Roman offered and Virgil blinked at him.

 “Are you sure? It’s kind of heavy.” At Virgil’s words, Roman scoffed. 

 “Please, it’s just a battery. It can’t be that heavy.” Roman said. Virgil shrugged and passed the battery onto him. As soon as it was in his arms, Roman nearly fell over. The only reason he didn’t, was because Virgil was there to help keep him up. “What in the holy mother of Disney!? This weighs like a ton!”

 Virgil chuckled. “I tried to tell you.” Virgil took back the battery and Roman was even more in awe when he saw that Virgil held it with no problem. He supposed he never realized just how strong Virgil was.

 They made it to the room a few minutes later and stared up at the desk where the device lay. Virgil rolled back his shoulders and took out his hook. “Alright, so I’ll just scale up and put the battery back in. No problem.”

 Virgil threw his hook up, just as he had done before in the kitchen and scaled up the side of the desk. “Yeah! Go, Virge!” Patton shouted and Virgil grinned. Honestly, he had never felt so needed before. Or special. He was only doing normal borrower things, after all. Nothing big.

 He reached the top and looked at the device. He frowned at the weird look of it and walked all around to try and find where the battery was supposed to go. “Uh, Logan where am I supposed to put this?”

 “There should be a small indent on the backside, with screws around it. The screwdriver should be nearby.” Logan shouted up. Virgil frowned and headed around the backside of the device. He saw the indent and the screwdriver but...well, he had little idea how he was going to do this by himself.

 “Uh, guys, I think I might need help!” He went over to the edge to look down at the humans. “I need someone to hold the screwdriver in place while I twist it.” The humans all exchanged looks.

 “I’ll do it!” Roman volunteered and went up to the hook still hanging over the side of the desk. He paused and eyed the long way up, gulping. “Um…”

 Virgil noticed Roman’s hesitance to climbing and hummed in thought for a moment. “Hold on Roman! Be right back, don’t move!” Roman was confused but he didn’t have to be told twice.

 Virgil went over to the desk drawer and pushed it open, hopping inside. He grinned when he saw exactly what he was looking for, a paper clip and string. He grabbed both items and started molding the clip into a hook shape before double knotting the string to it. He climbed out of the drawer and gave it a test tug, satisfied with his work when he saw that it held. He ran back over to the edge and slid down his hook with practiced ease.

 Roman stepped back in surprise and Virgil smiled at him. “Don’t worry, I have a plan.” Virgil took the newly made hook and tossed it up right next to his. 

 Patton’s eyes widened. “Oh! You’re going to help him up!”

 Virgil nodded and grinned at Patton. “Yep. I’ll climb up with you, just to make sure you don’t fall or anything. Sound good?”

 Roman nodded. “Yes, not falling sounds wonderful.” 

 Virgil nodded and help Roman grip the string properly before grabbing his own. “Now just do one hand in front of the other and keep your legs on the string, like this.” Virgil demonstrated, moving up a few inches before stopping and looking down at Roman.

 Roman took in a deep breath and nodded before starting to climb up himself. He certainly struggled a lot more than Virgil but at least he was making progress. Virgil had to reach out a few times to steady him and help him along but eventually, they made it up to the top with no problems.

 “I did it!” Roman grinned and Virgil chuckled. 

 “Yeah, you did pretty well Ro. Good job.” The borrower turned to the screwdriver. “Alright, now I need you to hold the end steady while I twist.”

 Roman nodded and did as told as the two lifted it up and held it to the screws. With Roman’s help, it was easy for Virgil to twist the screws out. It only took them a few minutes before all the screws lay on the table and the plate fell off the device, showing where the battery should go. There was already one in there but like Logan had said, it looked worse for wear.

 “We got it open!” Virgil called down.

 “Good! Then replace the battery and that should do it!” Virgil nodded despite Logan unable to see him and with Roman’s help, they managed to free the partly melted battery and replace it with the new one.

 “We did it!” Virgil called down.

 “Yay! I knew you could!” Patton shouted up and Logan had a fond smile on his face.

 “Perfect. Now, I need you to flip the switch that should be on your right and Roman will have to come back down here with us.” Logan explained. Roman and Virgil shared a look.

 “Think you can get down on your own?” Virgil asked, half teasing and half-serious. Roman rolled his eyes but he had a smile on his face.

 “Yes, I think I’ve got it down.” He wrapped an arm around Virgil’s shoulder. “Thanks to an amazing teacher, of course.” Virgil found himself blushing again and Roman chuckled before removing his arm.

 “Just be careful,” Virgil warned and Roman nodded, grabbing the string and slowly moving down. Virgil waited until Roman gave a shout of victory before sighing in relief and going over to the switch that Logan had mentioned. He flipped it and then looked down at the floor where the others were moving.

 “Okay, I flipped it! Now what?” Virgil yelled.

 “Push the button next to the switch on my command!” Logan yelled back and Virgil went to stand next to said button.

 Logan moved everyone to where they had been standing before and looked at everyone to make sure they were ready. “Alright, Virgil! Now!”

 Virgil pressed the button and he quickly backed away as the device lit up and started shaking. A beam of light shot out of it and Virgil turned away. He didn’t look back until the light died down and he was both surprised and happy to see his three friends normal-sized once again.

 Patton immediately ran over to Virgil and lifted him up and Virgil was glad to say that he barely even flinched. “Kiddo, you were amazing!”

 Virgil blinked. “Wh-What?”

 “Well, without you, it’s possible we would have been stuck like that.” Logan chimed in. “We were clearly unfit and unprepared to face the dangers and obstacles of being small.

 “I-I mean, I was just doing what any borrower does…” Virgil trailed off and Patton lifted him higher, giving him a soft smile.

 “Kiddo, you really have to stop selling yourself short,” Patton spoke gently.

 “Yes! You are quite the strongman!” Roman noted. “Even stronger than me, when we are to scale.”

 “Not to mention, it takes a lot of skill to do the things that you did,” Logan spoke up.

 “And a whole lot of bravery!” Patton spoke again.

 “You...You guys really think I’m brave? A-And strong?” They all nodded.

 “And smart, yes,” Logan added on, adjusting his glasses as he did so.

 Virgil looked down, rubbing at his arm. “I mean, it’s just...it’s kind of hard not to, ya know, sell myself short...considering…” He looked down at himself.

 “Kiddo…” Patton bit his lip. “Kiddo, you are so important to us. That was proven more than ever tonight. Just because you’re small...doesn’t mean you aren’t big in your own ways.”

 Virgil blinked and really, it was proven tonight, wasn’t it? He hadn’t felt as small as he had been when he was helping his friends out. And they had needed him. Really and truly needed him. And now Patton was basically saying that...that they would always need him?

 “O-Oh…” Virgil felt a weight being lifted off his shoulders at all their words and tears started to flow down his cheeks.

 “Aww, kiddo…” Patton said as he noticed his tears. “Do you want a hug?”

 Virgil nodded. “Yes, please.”

 Patton hugged him close to his chest and the other to get as close as possible, surrounding him in familiar and soothing warmth.

 It was the first time in, well, ever, that Virgil didn’t feel small.

 In fact, he felt quite big.

 …

 “Hey, if the device can grow us back to normal...can’t it grow Virgil too?”