#baxter ward mention

[moonsplit]

cove x derek

imagine derek’s crush on mc fading only for him to realize he likes cove

mc would be with baxter in this i think

mc and cove helping each other with relationship advice cause they’re the bestest friends ever

double dates

the world needs more derek x cove

✰ "Don't tell him, please-?" ✰

pairingミ☆ cove x derek word count ミ☆ 1,067 tagsミ☆ getting together, jamie last, mc and cove are the best even just platonically, I'm in love with them all, pictionary double date, cove's easily embarrassed & it's actually really cute

notes ミ☆ okay agreed though, they're such an underrated duo and I hope and pray I did them justice!! I'll be using "Jamie Last" and they/them for the MC because it's not a reader focused post, but feel free to replace those with your own MC/yourself!

Okay to start

Derek didn't know who to tell

So, naturally, he told Jamie

Who nearly spit out their drink because ?????

That was unexpected to them

He made them promise not to tell Cove until he was ready

And uh oh

They could see where this was going from a mile away

"Okay, just to be clear, even if I find out he has a crush on you, and he makes me promise not to tell you, I can't tell him?"

"No! Please- I mean- please Jamie?"

They groaned. "Alright, alright. No telling Cove no matter what happens. I reserve the right to set you two up if I have to though."

"That's fair! Thank you so much- so much."

Jamie smiled, snickering a bit. Still, they knew exactly where this was gonna go, if media told them anything. This was gonna be a long and grueling few years.

Cove's the last to know about his crush on Derek

This partially includes Derek himself

Partially.

Jamie snickered to themselves about this constantly, and talked to Baxter about it very often

Listen, the hell of watching these two do an annoying tango around the bush that was their feelings? They couldn't do it alone

Baxter wasn't the closest with Cove nor Derek, but even he was invested in if or when the relationship would happen

And when Cove finally realized his feelings and almost yelled his realization to Jamie, they fully laughed

Not at him, not at his feelings, just- they half thought he knew??? How could he not

Then again

They were the most autistic friendship this world has ever seen

So really, with as dense as they both were, it should not have been a shock

"IthinkIlikeDerek," Cove blurted out in one quick breath, having called Jamie at the prime time of- midnight? Jesus Christ, Cove. Jamie has insomnia, what's your excuse?

It took them a few moments to process what he said, but when they did they laughed. "You're realizing this at midnight on a Wednesday?"

"Why are you acting like you knew?"

Silence.

"Did you know I have a crush on him before I did!?" Jamie's laughter told him all he needed to know, and they could almost hear the embarrassment in his tone. "Was I really that obvious to everyone else?"

Yeah, so, Jamie proceeded to play matchmaker

With Baxter's help, because there was no way in hell they were doing it alone

The two would never do it unless they were pushed, though

So while Jamie painstakingly tried convincing one (or both!) of them to confess, Bax started scheming up a backup plan

Unfortunately for him, Jamie actually succeeded in convincing Cove

Which was

Honestly a fucking miracle, have you seen the guy?

"Fine."

"Wait, actually?" Jamie was instantly ecstatic, grinning up at their too-tall friend.

"If you promise not to make fun of me for crying after it happens."

"'Course not! You're the best sentimental crier I know," while not a lie, Cove was also the only person Jamie knew who cried so often. "I'll have celebratory or depression treats ready for you."

Cove smiled, face flushed red from the whole discussion. "Thanks Jamie- you really think he feels the same?"

"I know it."

Of course, to no one but Cove's surprise

Jamie was right!

Cove and Derek were officially together

Now, I could write their first date

But frankly I don't want to right now (anyone reading can feel free to rq it and I'll make a oneshot or hc set though!)

Derek somehow got even brighter after they got together

And found himself making the way down to Sunset Bird far more often than before

He practically lived at Jamie's house, having sleepovers with them only to go visit Cove while they talked hours away with Baxter

When Jamie brought up the idea of a double date, Derek was immediately on board

Baxter agreed quickly too, partially because he loved Jamie and partially because he wanted to see the end result of the pining Jamie had spent years agonizing over

(Slow burns seemed to be a running theme in this group, looking at his and their relationship. But I digress, this isn't about them)

Cove agrees, a bit hesitant but happy to spend time with his closest friend, his boyfriend, and- whatever Baxter was to him, friend?

The four of them end up going out to dinner together and playing Pictionary at Cove's house

Cove is... horrible at it

He tanks his and Derek's points when he has to draw

But on the bright side!

Derek was good enough at doodling quickly that they got points that way

Jamie and Baxter were both decently good artists, but Jamie cracked under the pressure of the time crunch and could usually not get their sketch out properly

and Baxter's were so bare-boned that Jamie had trouble guessing until his time was almost up

Derek and Cove won pictionary against the artists, it's a miracle!

In his excitement of winning, Derek kissed Cove

Jamie almost cheered, because holy shit finally

And Cove

Was almost dead on the ground with how flustered he was

I think they're a really sweet couple

I mean, obviously, right?

From quiet nights on the couch watching movies together, to actually going out and doing things together, they just love being in each others' company

There is rarely a time you'll see them together but not touching

Usually it's subtle, hand-holding or wrapping an arm around each other

Other times, it's almost sickening how sweet and affectionate they are

It flusters Cove 24/7

But especially when they're in public and Derek decides to shower him with kisses

Derek will fumble to make up for Cove's bluntness and try and teach him how to be more situationally-aware/polite

It doesn't go well but hey, he tried

And Cove appreciates the effort, he really does, even if he does feel a little silly for not really getting it

Why would someone want you to be polite over being honest? Wouldn't you rather know what he really thought?

And Cove is adamant that Derek's not annoying

Any time Derek apologizes or backtracks or quiets down, he's encouraged to keep going on his rambles

"You're not annoying me, I just don't have anything to say" with a soft little smile that makes Derek's heart melt

I love them, they're so cute

[akiacia]

multi-step shenanigans

[bamb-procrastinates]

Inspired by this post by @/differenteagletragedy where Xavier reminds Baxter of an MC with pink hair.

I had to draw it hehe :D

[burplewrites]

thoughts | cove james holden

𓆉 | fandom: our life: beginnings & always

𓆉 | characters: cove holden, reader

𓆉 | word count: 1,547 words 8,375 characters

𓆉 | a/n: this has been in my notes for so long i got disgusted by it and i wanted it gone (the ending sucks i cant make conclusions)

from a young age, y/n has experienced happiness. they had loving parents, even though they were adopted. their older sister, who was a brat when they were younger, loved them unconditionally. they had amazing relatives and friends and were always surrounded by positivity since they were a child. although from a young age, they always felt like this feeling would be temporary.

their moms wouldn’t love them anymore, cove wouldn’t care, derek, terri, and miranda wouldn’t care, baxter…. well, they were right about baxter. but baxter left, making everything they thought would happen a reality… that terrified them.

normally when it was just thoughts, that’s all it was. thoughts. their mind was fucking with them, making them feel horrible for no reason. but it’s been those thoughts that have been brought into the world, that possibility was a real one. baxter had left three months ago and y/n was still stuck in that moment when he closed the door to their relationship.

no calls, no texts, no anything. y/n saw the signs, they were right in front of their face. baxter always thought of his stay here as temporary. but it didn’t have to be. they could have remained friends. but he chose to cut contact with everyone in sunset bird, with them.

maybe baxter was different, a messed up variable. they had only known each other for a summer, but if he could do it, what was holding everyone else from doing that too? what is everyone waiting for?

when was everyone going to leave them too?

it was a summer fling, just a short little thing. nothing too serious. that was said from the beginning. y/n felt hard though, which made it hurt even more. what was that whole relationship to him anyway? did he truthfully like it, did he like them as much as they liked him?

he had always been so distant, a barrier was always there, separating them from really getting to know the real baxter ward. if they knew the real him, would they still have been attracted to him? would everything be the same? would they still have entered that fling, would baxter be willing to ask them out, would they accept… what would be the outcome, the reactions, how would life be right now, three months after that summer?

y/n laid in bed, their mind taking all the energy that would otherwise be used to go do random stuff with their family and friends. their eyes were closed, with the cover over their head as they tried to control their breathing and get out of this spiral they were trapping themselves in. they didn't even notice when cove came into their room.

their window was always left unlocked due to cove's unwarranted but not unwanted visits, so he was never locked outside on the side of the building.

"y/n, it's like 1 pm." cove said gently before sitting on the side of their bed. y/n sat up, and faked a yawn, before smiling at cove. they didn't want to burden him with their thoughts again. they did that the day baxter left, and even though cove didn't seem to mind, they didn't want to put him through that again. "y/n, what's the matter? you can't lie to me with that fake yawn. i know you better than that, and i know you know that too."

"it's nothing, i was just thinking. don't worry." they got out of bed and stretched, not registering how upset they looked, or how their mannerisms were so drained. from the bed, cove was watching them do random things, like pick things up, and put them away in a completely different place, arrange their desk, all while trying to start a conversation with cove. they gave up midway though, and just started humming a song under their breath.

cove didn't know what to do. he realised that something was upsetting y/n, it was clear to see, but he didn't know what. he didn't know what he could say or do to help them feel better, since they weren't talking about it but cove could tell it was eating at them. so he did the only thing he thought of in that moment. he stood up and engulfed them in a hug. y/n's body tensed up in shock before relaxing. their back was to cove's chest, and cove was holding them tightly.

"ok space cadet, what's up with this?" y/n said with a chuckle. "you know back hugs barely count, right?"

cove sighed and loosened the hug, which gave y/n the chance to turn around and be engulfed in a normal hug. y/n knew cove wanted to say something, and was prepared to stay in this hug until he did. it was a thing they came up with that happened randomly.

"y/n, you're still upset about baxter, aren't you?" cove said softly. y/n's breath hitched, which was an answer in itself as they sighed.

"i- was it that obvious?"

"no, i just know you. we're kind of connected, remember?" cove chuckled before pulling away from the hug. he pulled y/n back to the bed before sitting beside them. they made eye contact, and cove began.

"talk to me y/n. let me lend an ear."

"it's fine cove, i'm getting through it. you don't have to listen to this." y/n said with a smile, betraying the tears building up in their eyes.

cove stared at y/n softly, before holding their hands. "i know i don't have to, but i want to. i want to be there for you y/n, because you're someone that i truly about and that's never going to change, so let me be there. let me carry some of your worries."

at those words, the dam opened. tears started dropping from y/n's glossy eyes, and more came as they tried wiping them. their breathing shallowed as they sobbed on the side of their bed, cove holding them, offering the comfort he could at that moment.

"it's not supposed to hurt that hard. we barely knew each other cove. we dated for the summer, i'm supposed to be focusing on the future, not remembering this!" y/n started, more tears bubbling up with a pause in their words. "but he left. he didn't even care, he just dismissed it, and i'm trying to understand but it hurts so much."

y/n cried in cove's arms a little, not caring how messed they looked. cove was one of their rocks. a constant. yes, they doubted it sometimes, but it was hard to find even the smallest part of cove wanting to abandon them. cove was always there, cove was family. y/n always felt the safest when he was there by their side.

"i knew it wouldn't last forever, but it set everything in stone, that everyone is going to leave and i'm just going to be stuck here, without anyone. miranda and terri, derek and you… moms, liz.. everyone is just going to leave. they wouldn't need a reason to stick by me anymore. i wouldn't mean much to them anymore, and i-"

y/n was spiralling, and cove squeezed them hard in the hug to get them to snap out of it, without 'interrupting' them. y/n turned to look at cove with a confused look and cove looked at them wiping his own tears from his aquamarine eyes.

"we aren't going to leave you behind. we never would do that. we love you, i love you. i can confidently speak for miranda, and terri, and elizabeth, and your moms, as well as myself. we would never even think of abandoning you. you have such an important effect on out lives y/n, and we wouldn't change it for anything."

"so why did he leave, cove? why didn't he want to stay friends, why didn't he want to keep in contact with me? am i that unlikable and unlovable-"

cove shook his head, making y/n's face wrench with more tears, as their head faced the ground.

"i don't know what was going through his head, but him leaving does not make you unlovable and unlikable. he liked you enough to want to be your friend, he liked you enough to want to start dating you, he liked you enough to help you out, to form memories with you, and to be there with you for as long as he could. i couldn't tell you why he couldn't stay friends, but i can tell you that he's probably going to regret losing someone like you in his life." y/n smiled a little and leaned their head against their best friend.

"thank you cove.. i love you too."

"i know." cove said gently, reaching over and passing y/n some tissues. "y/n anytime you need to talk, anytime you have doubts about anything.. you have to tell me about it. or your moms, or liz, or our friends, but don't just keep it locked inside. isn't that what you taught me?"

y/n chuckled.

"yeah, i guess i'm just not good at following my own advice."

"i can see that." cove teased, making y/n glare at him playfully. cove sat there, as a pillar for y/n letting them lean against him, as they sniffed and calmed down, giving them all the time they needed.

[asydicsydney]

I would be so powerful as a fictional character. The opposites attract potential of me, a colorful introvert, and some guy, a monochrome extrovert, it would be too much for y'all

[mariocki]

Night Key (1937)

"Now, listen, Steve. Twenty years ago you robbed me of the patent rights of the system that you're now using. Perhaps there was some excuse for that: because it gave you wealth, success, position, all the things that tempt one man to rob another. But now that you have everything and I have nothing, what possible reason is there for you to do this to me again?"

[minthe-drawings]

So who wants a little Baxter Ward Event to countdown up to his birthday? ✨

Announcing BaxterMC Week!✨📢

A whole week dedicated to Baxter Ward and MC!❤️

Please read the guidelines below⬇️

Guidelines:

1. Please use #BaxterMCWeek and tag/mention me in each BaxterMC Week related submission.

2. Please indicate which prompt your submission is for in each post.

3. You can make your submission NSFW, but keep in mind that I will refrain from sharing explicit works.

4. Any Baxter enjoyer can participate! Fan artists, fic writers, etc.

5. I reserve the right to not share any submission that I find to be too inappropriate, hateful or discriminatory, for any reason.

6. Have fun and do not stress!! It’s ok if you can’t do a submission for every day.  Late submissions will still be shared until June 19th!

[milomarigold]

Baxter Ward Can Cook

You're just in time. Dinner is ready!" - Baxter

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Baxter learns to cook in Step 4 :D! Not to mention, that GB Patch said he may be the best cook out of the 3 bachelors. So, I couldn't resist making a drawing of such.

Honestly, I struggled with this one, choosing a color palette for instance. I wanted a limited palette, and eventually I had the most fun with pinks. Hope you like Baxter and his fish dinner, bon appetite!

P.S. thanks reblogging💕!! Have some dessert 🍰🍨🍫

[differenteagletragedy]

swap au: the boy across the street is Baxter, the boy who lives far away but is still your friend is Cove, and the boy who comes for but one summer is Derek.

When I tell you the powerful and immediate urge I had to rewrite the entire dang game with this ... this is so much fun, thank you!!!

You could hear the new neighbors moving in at your spot behind your house. You'd thought about taking a peek to see what kind of people they were like, but decided to stay out of the way, watching clouds on the poppy hill instead. With how nosy your moms had been after the "for sale" sign disappeared, you'd be learning about them soon enough.

After a while, the clouds stopped holding your attention and you stood, looking for a new activity. Before you knew it, you were making your way to the shore -- there was always something to do there.

When you arrived, the typically empty beach wasn't quite as empty as it usually was. Up near the path, away from the water but still on the sand, was a boy. He looked to be your age, maybe a little older. He hadn't heard you approach, and was instead staring straight ahead at the ocean.

"Hi," you said, and you quickly broke whatever spell he was under. "I haven't seen you around before."

"That would be because I just moved here," he said. He pulled on the hem of his shirt, then smiled at you, extending a hand. "My name is Baxter Ward."

At the time, you thought it was weirdly formal, something grown-ups did to greet each other, not kids. But over time, as you got to know him and all his quirks, you looked back at the moment fondly.

That summer, he became your best friend.

You took to each other immediately, and if you had it your way you would've have spent every waking minute together. Sometimes Baxter couldn't hang out though -- he didn't talk about it much, but he seemed sad sometimes when he talked about his parents, and the few times you spoke with them you got the feeling they didn't like you very much.

But Baxter, as oddly formal as he was, wasn't afraid to break rules. And after a meeting between his parents and yours that didn't seem to go so well, your moms were quick to welcome him whenever he wanted to come over. You were able to get close.

By the time the summer was over, you could hardly remember what life was like before he came into it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Five years later, you were 13, and Baxter was still your best friend. He went to a private school while you went to the public one, and from what little he told you about it, he didn't really have friends there. It was a boring place to be, he told you, and he'd much rather be spending time with you than with those spoiled rich kids.

He never bothered noting that he was also a spoiled rich kid.

One day, the two of you were in your bedroom, wasting away a day together. He was lying comfortably on your bed and you were sitting at the foot of it, leaned against the window he regularly used for secret visits -- when he didn't want to hear his parents complain about him spending so much time with you, he found it easier to just slip away unnoticed.

"There's a boy coming over today," he mentioned, ending a comfortable silence. "I think you'll find him interesting."

"If you think he's interesting, then I'm officially scared," you teased.

He smirked in response. He was proud.

Over the past few months, Baxter had started getting more experimental with his fashion. He'd always dressed a bit preppy, and that hadn't changed much, but now he was moving towards clothes that were only black and white. He'd shown you a few more alternative pieces he'd ordered, things that matched the color scheme but were a little more out there, but he hadn't had the nerve to wear them out yet.

"He's the son of a business partner of my father's," he explained of the mystery boy. "I've met him a few times before, he's very shy."

"Then why do you think I'll think he's interesting?" you asked.

"He's also very cute."

You blushed, and he laughed.

You'd had a crush on him for a while, and you couldn't tell if he knew, or if he might like you back, but it was certainly clear that he enjoyed teasing you about anything even remotely related to dating. It always flustered you, but he enjoyed that, too.

He opened his mouth to say anything else, but before he could, the door to your room opened and Liz popped her head in.

"Some kid is at the door asking for you," she told Baxter. "I didn't realize you'd officially moved in."

"Thank you for the warm welcome, sis," he said easily, then stood and looked at you.

"Let's go," he said. "That would be the boy of the hour."

He held out a hand to help you off the bed, and, blushing again, you took it. There was that smirk again, but this time he chose to let it go.

When you went downstairs and to the door, you saw the boy had retreated back towards the street, looking uncomfortable. He was tall and gangly with bright green hair and glasses, and Baxter had been right -- he was cute.

"Cove!" your friend called out brightly, leading you over for an introduction. The boy, Cove, held up his hand in a slight wave. He was nervous.

But as awkward as Cove was, he managed to work his way into your cozy little friend group of two, turning it into a trio.

At one point during the summer, you and Cove had exchanged phone numbers. His father -- his parents were divorced and he lived in another neighborhood with his dad -- was much more easygoing than Baxter's parents, so you were able to visit him quite a bit.

You were even invited over for a sleepover, which Baxter had been surprised about. He'd reacted strangely when you told him about it, it seemed -- you weren't sure if he was upset that his parents had never let you stay over, or if it was something about you getting close to Cove. But in the end, he'd put on his old friendly smile and told you to have fun.

When your moms dropped you off at Cove's house, he greeted you at the door and invited you in, as awkward as the day you had met.

"It was my dad's idea, to ask you to stay over," he explained as you made your way to his room to hang out. "Not that I don't want you to stay over! It was just his idea is all."

"Why would he want me to stay over?" you asked.

He turned to face you as you came to a stop in his bedroom, but he kept his eyes down. He started rubbing his arm, a nervous tick you'd picked up on pretty quickly.

"I don't ... I mean, I don't really have many friends, I guess," he said. "My dad wants me to have more. I think he worries about it."

"Why didn't you ask Baxter?"

"My dad doesn't like his dad," he said.

That made sense to you. You didn't like Baxter's dad either.

Cove didn't live in your neighborhood, but he still lived near a beach. You walked there together and spent most of the evening there, and when you went back, his dad had cooked you dinner.

Throughout the day, he had loosened up, but when it was time for bed, he started getting shy again. His father had laid out two sleeping bags side by side on the living room floor, and after you both got into them, he didn't say a word.

"Cove?" you asked.

He didn't say anything. You turned to face him, sure he hadn't been able to fall asleep that quickly. In the faint light coming in from the kitchen, you saw his eyes wide open, and maybe a tiny bit of color on his cheeks.

"Are you all right?"

He turned his head toward you slightly, not enough to make eye contact, and said, "Yeah."

It wasn't very convincing.

It was your turn to stay quiet -- you weren't sure what to say. Then, without further prompting, he turned to face you too. He met your eyes.

"I get nervous around you," he said plainly. "More than other people. That's why I don't say stuff sometimes."

"Oh," you replied. Then, "Why?"

He shrugged, a decidedly non-romantic gesture, but it still tugged at your heartstrings.

He ended up changing the subject, and you laid there together for a long time, whispering about what you'd done that day and what you wanted to do tomorrow, what you wanted to do with your lives. It was nice, and when you finally fell asleep, you thought maybe you could see Cove being in your life for a long time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Five more years went by, and more big changes came with them.

Baxter was your best friend and still your neighbor -- for the time being. You'd graduated high school and were now adults, and you knew he was desperate to get out of his parents' home.

Cove was still important to you, though you'd been seeing him less and less. His father had cut professional ties with Baxter's, and there was a bit of bad blood there. He'd also decided he wanted to go to college to study marine biology, which was no big surprise, but it did mean that a lot of his free time went to studying.

You weren't sure what exactly you wanted to do, but at the beginning of the summer, an opportunity for a quick adventure before diving into real adulthood presented itself, almost literally on your doorstep.

Gossip spread easily in Sunset Bird, and your moms had heard that the newly vacant condo next door to Baxter's house had been rented. They were eager to see who was coming into the neighborhood, but because they had to leave for work before anything happened, they asked you and Baxter, who was almost always over, to keep an eye out.

Baxter agreed before you could say anything. He'd always done anything your moms asked. You thought it was because he was thankful that they'd unofficially adopted him as their third child.

The two of you settled outside on your front step, waiting and chatting idly about some nonsense he'd made up about who the new neighbor would be. He was really getting into the details when a cab pulled up across the street, and a guy who looked to be about your age stepped out.

"This is not what I expected," Baxter whispered to you before letting his mouth hang open.

You watched as the newest resident of your tiny town moved to the back of the car, opening the trunk and easily pulling out a suitcase. He was all muscles and tan skin and had such a big smile as he tipped the driver. The cab left, and the stranger must have felt your eyes on him, because he turned to you then and smiled even wider.

"Hey, neighbors!" he called out, sounding as friendly as he looked. He started making his way over, and you saw bright green eyes twinkling at you.

Baxter stood, sticking his hand out to help you up. You took it, and he used his other hand to smooth his black and white hair.

"My name's Derek," the guy said holding out a hand to you the same way Baxter had when you first met him ten years before. You shook it, and he smiled directly at you before moving to shake your friend's hand as well.

You and Baxter introduced yourselves, then Baxter asked, "So, Derek, what brings you into our tiny neck of the woods?"

"I'm on vacation," he answered. "Well, kind of. I play college soccer, and there's a coach in the city that's really good, I'm going to work with him this summer. My parents wanted me to have an actual vacation too though, so ..."

He finished his thought by gesturing to his condo.

"I see," Baxter said, and you could hear it in his voice already -- he was turning the charm on. "Well, you know what they say about all work and no play. If you ever feel the need to play, don't hesitate to find us."

Ten years of friendship, and Baxter could still make you blush. If Derek was taken aback by his forwardness, he didn't show it -- instead, he laughed openly.

"I'll keep that in mind," he said. You thought you saw him sneak a glance at you as his smile turned smaller, but you weren't sure.

You learned quickly that Derek was serious about his work. He left for long stretches to go into the city for his private training, and you frequently saw him out for runs around the neighborhood.

But he also, it seemed, had taken a liking to you.

One evening, he knocked on your door. You were home alone, so naturally you were the one to answer, and he was there, as always, with a big grin on his face.

"Hey!" he said. "I totally get if you have plans, but if not I thought I'd come check to see if you wanted to hang out?"

"I'm free," you told him.

"Cool. Do you wanna come over?"

When you paused, he quickly continued, telling you, "Oh no, I'm not ... I'm not trying to ... do you like video games?"

A few minutes later, you were sitting next to Derek on his couch, starting up a game of MarioKart.

His composure regained, he said, "I hope you know I'm not going to take it easy on you."

"Why would I think you'd take it easy on me?" you laughed, looking at the tv to choose your character.

"Pretty people always think they can get their way."

That stopped you in your tracks. You glanced over at him, and he was smiling at you.

"You would know," you replied, trying to return the compliment.

As you played, you both found little ways to get closer to each other. Once he scooted over to show you which button to press to do a certain move, and soon after you'd done the same, pretending like you'd forgotten.

After a particularly intense race, it happened -- you finally beat Derek. He'd stayed true to his word and hadn't taken it easy on you, beating you time after time, but now, you'd bested him.

You stood up enthusiastically, cheering for yourself, and ever the gentleman, he stood up as well to cheer along with you.

The next thing you knew, he had his strong arms around your waist, and yours had gone up around his neck. He leaned in a bit, then paused.

"I like you," he said softly, "and I think it would be nice to kiss you. But I'm going back to college in a couple of months, and --"

"A couple of months is enough for me," you told him.

He smiled again, then kissed you. It was gentle and sweet, and over far too soon.

"I'm thinking I should probably make a little bit more time this summer for playing," he said, giving you a smirk that could almost rival Baxter's.

[acrula]

Baxter Ward one shot: Regret

Quick context: basically the cove wedding dlc with baxter as the wedding planner but this time baxter disguises himself since he had a whole panic attack n stuff abt mc and cove getting married,, yea this was just an excuse to write angst that's what a baxter brainrot does to u </3

Tw: panic attack, brief mention of suicide during it, angst,,, I'm sorry there's no aftercare

Baxter Alexander Ward believes he's a stable man. He has a stable job, a few acquaintances and colleagues he can count on, a nice, well-furnished apartment in the heart of South California–what more could he ask for?

Well–that’s what he tells himself on most days. But on others, it lingers, gnawing at the edge of his mind, haunting him like an ever-lingering shadow.

In recent days, he’s been waking up to the same dream. Some might call it premonition, however, his pride would never allow him to entertain such a preposterous idea–his parents certainly wouldn’t.

Not like it mattered, he scoffed,  his lips curving into a small smirk at the thought of a younger version of him running to his parents about a nightmare he’d had. They’d bluntly told him to grow up and get over it, outrightly dismissing it. No more no less. Perhaps he should thank his parents for instilling that mindset in him since his younger days, but when the relentless dream continues to claw its way into his normally dream-less dreamscape, he’s willing to bite the bullet and admit–it might be more than just a ‘dream’.

Should it even be called a dream? 

He’d woken up in cold sweat on the first day. The faint hum of the fans in the air-conditioner had alerted him that he was indeed in reality, yet everything from the dream felt all too real. He’d bitten his tongue at the time while pondering over it, before glancing over at the clock once again to ensure he was actually awake. 

5:30 A.M.

Baxter Ward has never been wrenched from his sleep by something so trivial like a mere dream at such an ungodly timing.

This ‘dream’ had brought him back to a moment 5 years ago–one he swore he’d forget. One he tried everything in his power to erase.

Spoiler alert: he didn’t. 

He hadn’t forgotten. Not a single bit of it. 

It was as if he was stuck in a loop, his mind constantly replaying the scene over and over and over again in his head, like a broken recorder.

5 years had passed, and not a single detail of the memory had deteriorated. Clear as day, he could still see it in his eyes. 

The haunting look of pain, the trembling lip as the person’s teeth bit down on it so hard he had once felt the urge to ask if it hurt–until he realised he had caused it.

The endless pools of light in their eyes everytime they talked to him, whether it be about their day, or someone close to them, or that attentive glimmer as they rapt on every word he talked about, clinging to every detail as if it had mattered. He had unwittingly opened himself up too much, before he knew it, they were tearing down his walls. Those iron-clad walls that seemed impenetrable from miles away, but once knocked on, came crumbling down like a wooden-straw house. 

They had that effect on him. 

Baxter wasn’t sure what it was–still isn’t– but something about them had been so mesmerizing. It enraptured him, and ensnared him in their web without them even knowing. From their little mannerisms, to their body language, to their micro-expressions, he’d gotten to know them so well in such a short amount of time.

That was his first mistake. Getting too close and letting them in.

And he’d never blame them for it. It was his own weakness that allowed him to be ensnared. A buried longing that he thought he’d locked away in the recesses of his heart for a long while, and until that person showed up in his life, he thought he was doing a good job at it–fantastic, even.

Until they unraveled him.

Before he knew it, he was falling. Hard. Fast. faster than any hurricane could have swept him off his feet.

And before he knew it again, he had lost them. Like every other relationship in his life, he had failed to securely grasp onto them.

It was too late now.

The dream had been a startling reminder of that. That he’d never get them back now. 

But a part of him hopes.

And hopes.

That somewhere on earth, he’d get to see them one last time.

And he’d get that one last chance.

But he knows he won’t.

And he’s not okay with that.

===

Baxter Ward strolls into the building, a paper cup of black coffee in hand. He keeps his posture straight and his smile polite as he walks up to the receptionist. Upon hearing his footsteps, the receptionist glances up, her glasses tilting askew at the speed she had glanced up. She passes him a small smile and greets him with a twinkle in her eye.

“Good morning, Mr. Ward!” She greets him sweetly, clicking her pen off to pause whatever she had been furiously scribbling.

“Ah, what a fine morning to you, too, Ms. Chloe,” he returns her greeting, his smile nothing less than the very picture of a composed gentleman. He catches the faintest red tint on her cheeks for a few seconds, before she yelps quietly to herself, jumping in her seat.

“Everything alright?” He inquires, leaning over the desk just in time to see her vanish beneath it. A muffled sound from under the desk and the ruffling of papers tell him she’s only busy being attacked by the endless stack of documents threatening to consume her workspace. She resurfaces shortly after, a stack of papers in her hand–miraculously uncrumpled and still in pristine condition. Chloe places the stack of papers down on the table, gently gesturing to it.

“We have a list of important clients!” She explains, removing the paper clip binding the small stacks together as she swiftly shuffles through them. “I know you’ve just finished a pretty big wedding for your client, but these–” she cuts herself off, hesitating as she tugs on the collar of her blouse. 

“They’re paying a little more than the usual package considering their tighter deadlines…” She glances to the side sheepishly, almost embarrassed to admit the last part of her sentence aloud.

Baxter tilts his head to the side inquisitively, and before he has any chance to speak, she interjects hurriedly. “W-well, you don’t have to if you don’t want to! I can speak to other consultants, or refer these clients to one of our neighbouring firms, s-”

“It’s perfectly alright, I’ll take a look at it and get back to you with one that I’ve selected,” Baxter cuts in gently, plucking the papers from her hands. With the polite smile still on his face, he reassures her it’s no trouble, and he sees her shoulders sag with what looked like relief. She sends him off with a weak smile as he bids her goodbye and heads towards the elevator leading up to his office.

As soon as he enters his office, he takes a seat at his desk, internally groaning at his silly, on-the-spur of the moment decisions. Most wedding deadlines were tight enough already, and the way that Chloe had brought up the list meant that these clients were somehow expecting a full-blown wedding to be prepared in an even shorter time? He scoffs at himself, or rather, the absurdity of the requests. As much as possible, he’d always tried to pre-prepare everything in advance, he despised rushed, last-minute planning.

He heaves another sigh to himself, feeling a migraine already forming in his temples. He glances at the papers, skimming through the time he had to prepare before the wedding. Majority of the clients’ requests were still.. Somewhat reasonable, considering how they ranged from 2 weeks to a month. However, a specific request catches his eyes, and his eyeballs almost pop out of his head comically.

4 days??

He slaps a palm to his forehead. Now that was an interesting and almost idiotic way to ask a wedding planner for help. Most wedding planners wouldn’t even begin to consider such a tight request. 

But fortunately for this couple, (and unfortunately for him) he wasn’t ‘most wedding planners’. 

Even he normally wouldn’t take up a request of this caliber in such a short amount of time, but something was nagging at him to do it.

He makes up his mind, internally deciding to help the couple. Plus, the sum of money they were giving wasn’t small either, however monetary gains were on the lower end of his priorities.

With a resigned sigh, he picks up the phone off his desk, ringing into the lobby. If he was going to decide on this now, he’d rather confirm it before his mind had the chance to even question him. In less than three rings, the line was picked up.

“Hello, Chloe, you can book me in with one of the couples.” A relieved sigh crackles on the other end of the speaker.

“Great! Which one have you chosen?” 

“Client fifty-fi…” he trails off, his words getting caught in his throat as he sees the black inked words printed on the paper under the row of client 55.

“...Hello? Mr Ward? Is the line on?” Chloe asks, confusion evident in her voice as Baxter trailed off. Silence filled the space and seemed to drag on for eternity for Baxter. He barely registers her voice as he’s absorbed into the letters on the paper. His mind turns.

And turns.

And spins.

And–

“...Mr Ward?”

He snaps out of the trance. Realising where he is and he’s still on the phone with Chloe, he pointedly clears his throat, forcing the last of his words to spill out before he loses his voice once more.

“Yes, Chloe, I’ll take client 55. Please let them know I’ll meet them for dinner at the usual spot.” With that, he barely registers her confirmation before abruptly ending the phone call.

Panic. 

He sucks in a sharp breath.

And another.

And another.

And another.

Too fast. Too shallow.

And– he’s gasping for air before he realises he is. 

Underneath him, the paper crumples with a crunching sound under the weight of his hand. He scrunches the paper, feeling the edges of the crisp sheet cutting into his palm, attempting to ground himself in the sharp sensation. Yet, he doesn’t focus on the uncomfortable, sharp texture of the paper in his hand.

He can’t.

He’s aware that his jaw clenched and his tongue feels like sandpaper. He wants to scream, but there’s something stuck in his throat. Something holding him back. He’s trying to swallow, but it hurts.

It hurts so much.

Or was that his heart? Pounding. Slamming. Hammering. Relentless against his ribcage.

He makes an attempt to get up from his chair–but fails miserably as his knees abruptly gave way and hits his carpeted floor with a loud thud. There’s a sting in his palm, a sore throb in his knees, but the ringing in his ears drown everything out.

He hears everything and nothing all at the same time. He’s made hyper aware of each shaky and unsteady breath he tries to take, trying to gulp in every bit of oxygen there is, while he’s struggling to breathe out. He’s aware of the running air-conditioner in his office. He’s aware how the rest of the papers in the pile have been strewn across his usually organised desk and how half of them should be scattered across the floor around him.

Through his haze, he fumbles for something–anything, to cling on. If they were here, they would be–

No, stop thinking about them. His hand goes to his chest and he subconsciously grips the front of his clothes, uncaring if he rumples his usually prim-and-proper attire.

They’re gone. 

There would be no one to comfort him of that fact. 

A cold-hard fact, that’s what it is. It’s like a bucket of ice-cold water has been doused on him, somewhat snapping him back to reality. The stark realisation that everything has changed, and will never go back, slowly starts to seep into his psyche.

Into his veins, into his blood vessels, into his arteries, into his heart, into his mind.

And he doesn’t know why he feels this–no, he does. 

And he regrets it. 

He hates it.

He regrets. Every bit of his past self, the self he hates, the self he still continues to despise even after all these years of him telling himself it was all ‘just a phase’. His old shadow had never left him, it had only lurked, taking a backseat in his mind. It never did. It was only waiting for the opportune moment to show itself again.

He hates himself.

Every staggering breath he manages feels like he’s swallowing up fire and smoke. Bile rises up the back of his throat and he feels like retching, but he knows if he does, nothing will come up. 

The ringing starts to fade ever-so-slightly. But the nagging thought in the back of his mind doesn’t shut up. 

He wants to die. He wants to die. He wants to die. 

Oxygen is depleting. 

Fast. 

He can't breathe.

He can't scream.

The chill makes its way down to his arms and legs. It encases his motor neurons from moving his arms and limbs. Trapped in a thick layer of unbreakable ice, his blood runs cold and he loses all feeling in his body.

He can't move.

He doesn't. 

He won’t.

~

When Baxter comes to, his vision is still blurred. He’s sprawled on the ground, papers scattered around him in a heap all over the floor. Disoriented, he blindly reaches for his phone, trying to blink away the grogginess out of his eyes.

He feels like shit. He feels like he’s been run over by a truck, was sent flying through the air into a garbage landfill, and had been fished out of it by a garbage tow truck.

He ignores the metallic taste in his mouth as he crawls on the floor towards his phone–somehow on the other side of the room, he doesn’t know how–and he’s faintly aware of the stiffness of the dried tear tracks on his face as he moves, a stark reminder of what just happened.

He looks like shit. 

He knew if anyone saw him like that, he’d die of embarrassment and would rather crawl into the seventh layer of hell than let anyone ever catch him in such a pathetic and humiliating state.

Except for them. 

A laugh escapes him–dry, broken, lifeless, hollow. Lacking substance and all vital signs of life. 

He feels like a shell of what he once was.

But life has to move on, right? 

That’s what he’s been telling himself for five years.

So he shoves it all down, every last splinter of himself. Picks up his phone. Gathers the broken pieces of himself off the floor, not caring if they bled into his hands, not bothering to stop to repair them.

And heads out of the door.

~

[Your POV] 

“Cove! I’m so sorry I’m late!” You huff, skidding to a stop after a full blown sprint from one end of the parking lot to the other. You placed your weight on your knees, gasping for air as your eyes locked onto the pavement, trying to regain your bearings. 

A sigh from above you. Soft and amused. This causes you to look up, only for you to be met with a set of familiar, bright, aquamarine eyes. The sigh was nothing short of affection, even if you had kept him waiting out here for a few extra minutes compared to your agreed meet-up time.

He grins at you, ruffling your hair gently as he patiently waits for you to collect your breath.

“Have you been waiting long?” You wince as you check the phone. “Sorry for being 10 minutes late… I kept you and the wedding planner waiting.”

“Oh, it’s fine!” Cove reassures, though his expression changes to one of sheepishness as he scratches the back of his head, “But I’m not sure how our wedding planner would feel about that…”

You cringe. “Hopefully, he’s fine with it.” You weren’t one to be late, but the trip to the restaurant had been slightly delayed due to you sleeping in for a bit longer than you should have been–jetlag was the enemy of many, afterall. 

Then it hits you–“Hey! You left the wedding planner there all by themselves?” You teasingly punched Cove in the arm.

“Ow,” he yelps, pretending to be hurt as he rubs the ‘sore’ spot.

“W-well, he won’t mind!” Cove mumbles under his breath as the two of you walk into the restaurant after your mini banter. 

Inside, Cove signals to the host who nods in recognition before leading you to the seating area. The spot that Cove and the wedding planner had chosen was one towards the back of the restaurant–one with a glorious view of the sun setting over the ocean and a fair amount of privacy.

At the table, a young man is already seated; his legs crossed primly, with his chin resting ever so delicately against a hand.

Swept hair and a tailored suit–every detail immaculately refined. In the reddish light of evening, his brown eyes shone like rich pools of dark honey. A living portrait of class. You were almost intimidated by him.

That was the wedding planner.

As you neared the table, the planner seemed to sense your presence and glanced up at you. You swear his chestnut eyes seem to falter as he gazes at you for a split second too long–but the moment was gone so fast you weren’t sure if you had hallucinated it. He moves to shake your hand, his chair dragging silently against the floor as every movement he made exuded one of grace.

You stuck your hand out, a jovial smile on your face as you introduced yourself.

He shook your hand, his grip was firm, yet… tender? At the same time. You weren’t sure if you were imagining it again, but you swore his touch felt so familiar. The quick shock between your hands as they met sent a thrill through your body, almost as if it was reacting on instinct.

Had you… met this man somewhere before?

All thoughts of that were thrown for a loop as he introduced himself.

“Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Alexander.” He gives off a polite smile, however, when you meet his eyes during your handshake, it feels like you’re staring into an abyss.

And the abyss gazed back.

An abyss… filled with memories. The look was so warm, so comforting, so familiar.

Yet, you didn’t know of anyone with the first name ‘Alexander’.

Before you could open your mouth to vocalise your inquiry, the man answered it for you.

“I believe this is the first time we’re all meeting–” He paused abruptly, surveying you and Cove, who were still standing up. “Ah, my apologies, please take a seat,” he gestures to the two chairs in front of him.

The two of you sat down, fingers still laced together. There’s a sparkle that doesn’t exactly meet Mr Alexander’s eyes, and if you looked away for a second, you would see his smile falter out of the corner of your eyes, but you didn’t think much of it.

“Congratulations on your wedding.” Resigning yourself to ignoring why this man felt so familiar, you decided to shift your thoughts to other things.

What you never caught on was–

The way his eyes had flicked over to your joint hands.

The way his jaw had tightened with each lie he spewed about congratulating the two of you.

The way his other hand had been clenched in his pocket, nails digging into his palm, hard enough to draw blood.

The longing gaze in his eyes as he stared for too long at how you conversed with Cove.

You never caught onto any of it.

Nor the faint birthmark on his neck, covered by a few layers of foundation, yet still visible if you paid enough attention.

You didn’t, though.

And he was fine with it.

He would be fine with it.

He had to be fine with it.

After all, it was too late.

You weren’t the person he had chosen–and yet none of it could be attributed to your fault. It never was. It never has been. It had always been him and his self-loathing.

5 years ago, he wanted something, yet he let go of it.

And now, he’s lost it forever.

“Really, congratulations on your wedding.” His brain moves on autopilot in his most professional mannerism possible.

“Thank you!” And your smile was so wide, he couldn’t dare to even attempt to blame you or Cove for it.

It was his mistake.

His loss.

And as he moves out of his chair, with the meeting all wrapped up, he casts one last glance back at you–to see you sharing a short, yet loving kiss with the other man that could have been him…

And his heart shatters.

He doesn’t look back.

=END=

[lvndrptchwrk]

Hi! If you have request , Could I request Baxter Ward with a reader whos a model? Step 3 or 4 are cool!

((omg thank you for the request ! i just finished the baxter dlc the other day so i've been itching to write him and this seems like the perfect scenario ! ))

baxter ward with a model mc

step 3/4 baxter x gn! mc 

spoilers for baxter’s dlc ahead! 

🔲 you’ve always had a particular taste in fashion and always loved dressing up, so it’d make sense that you would find a part time job at a modeling company after you graduated

🔲 meeting baxter for the first time, you two instantly clicked about your tastes in fashion

🔲 colorful wardrobe: he is your exact polar opposite with his black and white wardrobe, but you two loved to compare the differences in taste, and see if there's any similarities

🔲 black and white wardrobe: he is enamored about how similar your wardrobe is to his and you two talk about the similarities and how bad of an idea it is to wear black in the heat 

🔲no matter what your wardrobe is, he simply loves seeing the kinds of outfits you wear for different occasions, from casual hang-outs to fancy nights out

🔲 you two would try to coordinate your outfits to match when possible ! esp if you have a colorful wardrobe yall would be true polar opposites ! and with the matching black and white outfits you guys would fr be twins 

🔲 if you take part in a fashion show or photoshoot, he would definitely attend or want to see the photos

🔲 seeing your photos or watching you model clothes has him blown away, you are in your element and truly the star of the show in his eyes

🔲 during sightseeing, mountain and drinks, he would offer to take pictures of you throughout your time together so you could post them to social media and enhance your portfolio

🔲 leaving when summer ends is probably the hardest thing he’s done, he truly loved seeing you and you’ve impacted his life more than he ever imagined 

🔲 “as much as staying would benefit both of us, it simply isn’t meant to be . as you say, the show must go on . ”

🔲 gives you his iconic black and white eye button up as a souvenir of him

🔲 “you would find use of this when you model . plus, i can always buy another one”

🔲 after he leaves, he finds you on social media and watches as your modeling career takes off 

🔲 always likes your posts of professionally done photos and videos of you on the runway 

🔲 has cried when he saw pics of you modeling in his button up (and made it his wallpaper on his phone)

🔲 if you're contracted to model for a clothing company, he would definitely buy a couple of articles of clothing that you’ve modeled in (if its black and white of course)

🔲 if you start a blog of fashion tips, he would follow the blog and take some of your tips to heart, learning what colors would work best for him

🔲 would also take these tips for his clients, offering them colors and themes that would make them pop out at the wedding

🔲 if you ever appear on the cover of a magazine, he’d buy a couple copies just because you're on the front page

🔲 if he’s also bought posters and prints of you as well, that’s definitely for him to know and no one else to find out (he has a poster of you hanging in his office at work) 

🔲 when it’s time for jude and scott’s wedding, you were in charge of ensuring everyone’s outfits were coordinating and all the decorations matched

🔲 jude and scott definitely mentioned you were in charge of outfits but since they never mentioned you by name, he was floored when he realized you were the one helping for the wedding 

🔲 “it all makes sense, looking back at it . only you could make everyone look as divine as they are tonight, truly the work of a model”

🔲 you instantly hit it off right away a second time, you both simply could not not talk to each other, whether its about modeling or the wedding or fashion in general

🔲 he eventually reveals he follows you on social media and could not stay away from you and your work (the poster in his office was a partial giveaway)

🔲 when you two start dating again, he starts coming to all of your shows/photoshoots when he can 

🔲 if you lived far, you would definitely convince your work to let you move closer to baxter so he’d be able to see your shows or take constant trips out to model near the area

🔲 loves when you coordinate clothes with him, loves it even more when you wear his clothes

🔲 has modeled with you once or twice in his freetime, and was elated to see his face alongside yours in the final product

🔲 you both are so photogenic so obviously photographers constantly love you two together in photos

🔲 your fanbase goes feral over seeing you two together, they simply can't ignore how good you both look

🔲 he however is your number one fan and makes everyone aware of it 

🔲 “hi yes im baxter ward, wedding planner and mc’s number one fan”

[kunimilktea]

This picture of kori in the last post is sending me

She looks so silly dkkskskdkd.

Speaking of kori (also hey I had an mc called cori that's cool!) when do her and cove get together? Is it in the step 2 epilogue with the confession or during the charity confession?

Also unrelated to Kori but what do you mind going more into depth on your thoughts for both Derek and Baxter dlcs? I love discussions around their dlcs I wish people would genuinely talk more about itz going into depth into the themes of the dlcs and how they affect Derek and Baxter as characters, but then again I'm someone who loves analyzing the media they consume so djdkdkjd. General discussions about these things drive me crazy (I think is worth mentioning that I'm autistic so djdkdk)

Your art is also very lovely I loved watching your doodles, you're one of the artists I always look forward to to get a notification from 🫶

THATS ALOT OF QUESTIONS YOU GOT THERE BUDDY,,,,

Im kidding tho it's appreciated nonetheless ^_^

SO FIRST OF ALL THANKS FOR LIKING MY ART 🥹🥹🥹 i try my best to make time for drawing my silly our life doodles despite being busy in college and i appreciate anyone who rlly enjoys my dumb doodles of my ol mc shenanigans

Answering the confession question, they confess at the end of step 3 cause i thought the slowburn was fun 😇

I actually drew their first kiss right here

Now with the derek and baxter dlc question,,,

So fun fact! With how i played the the dlcs over all me and my friend Lo (@/oiulse) would choose which boy to play the dlc and stream it on call, so Lo picked Baxter and i took Derek, it was really funny cause casual constantly played in our heads during the Baxter dlc (bless lo btw for gifting me both dlcs labyu oomf 🫰)

With how i feel with BOTH dlcs

For my boy Derek Suarez

When i played the first moment from dereks dlc my voice started like acting up from how long THAT specific moment was, maybe its just me but the first moment in particular felt really long, I get it though its the first time ur meeting the suarez family and in no way did i NOT enjoy it, but there were indeed moments where im like DAMN ITS STILL NOT OVER cause of how tired my voice was getting LMFAO, all the other moments were rlly fun my favorite one from the dlc was where u hang out with liz on daddy day and there was an option to gift a card to cliff 🥹, his step 4 was also a bunch of fun i loved the family bonding get to do with the suarez brothers (u can just tell that i love family aus) and getting to hang out with derek made me love him more as a chr, HIS STEP 4 VOICE IS STILL A JUMPSCARE TO ME FROM HOW DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT IT IS (no hate to the va btw) STILL VERY FUNNY THOUGH HAHAHA, i made it so that Derek, kori and cove get to be neighbors before the both of them get married so now they hang out LOTS

With THE Baxter FUCKING Alexander Ward

I heard from another friend that the baxter's dlc was gonna be angsty and i was like oh hell fuckin yeah i love angst! AND THERE CERTAINLY WAS ANGST ILL TELL U THAT MUCH, since i was watching lo play through the Baxter dlc i will admit there were a few times where i spaced out cause ANOTHER fun fact, we played the dlcs like really late on my timezone so i was either drawing while Lo was playing or i was in the brink of conking the fuck out, i was able to know what was going on overall i think the ONLY moment i like fully spaced out on was when the mc and baxter were like out drinking or smth and there was this entire thing with the bartender and the singer, that specific scene in particular i was fully focusing on smth else and it wasnt till later that when i played the baxter dlc for myself that i knew what was finally going on, since me and lo have our castaways au to think abt while playing these dlcs we were building aus upon aus of what lo's mc would do when meeting with baxter again after 5 years its fun lo has never been the same since and neither have i, the angst was good soup and i can see why baxter's dlc was more expensive than derek's LMFAO

But ironically enough the dlc that made me cry was DEREKS DLC,,, that moment on the step 4 epilogue with the brothers having a heart to heart is going to be MY ROMAN EMPIRE, I FUCKING LOVE FAMILIES BRO GAUGHHHH

Anyways sorry that was unnecessarily long i could have organized my thoughts more but i dont have the patience for that so i hope u dont mind that all my thoughts and feelings were all over the place hahaha

In conclusion the dlcs was a nice content buffet 👍

[starisaidso]

❝ RP AD♡꒱ (09/24)

Hello all!! My name is Onyx and I am in search of a cool, swag, epic roleplay partner (who is 18+) that wants to also be friend outside of rp!! Information on lil ole me!;

I'm 20 years old

I go by she/her (cis female)

10ish+ years of roleplaying/writing under my belt

MOSTLY fast reply time (i sleep a lot :P)

Timezone: EST

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What I write for: ʚ Fluff ʚ Angst ʚ Smut 〰 ʚ OC x CC (double ups ONLY!) ʚ B x B ʚ G x G ʚ NB x NB/G/B [✹IMPORTANT: I do my best to stay away from most yandere stuff, especially stuff dealing with S/A just because of my own personal trauma! Other than that, I can handle most of it!]

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As mentioned earlier in my post, I want to be able to befriend my rp partner! I wanna know how you're doing, if you need to talk, ect.! I just want to be able to grow a friendship and not just a partnership for rp!! I don't bite! I roleplay ONLY ON DISCORD!!! I use to roleplay in tumblr DMs but then notifications wouldn't go through or somehow the DM read itself as opened and I hadn't opened it? It also is a struggle to talk outside of roleplay in tumblr DMs, lol! So because of this, I am a discord only gal!! ⟶ Since the roleplay will be taken place on discord, this means I will making a server so I can organize everything! Different channels include out-of-rp chat, an rp chat, a visuals chat (for outfits, hair styles, ect.), and others!! I've ran into this problem once, but made me realized I've never specified this in my last rp ad! I do a collab type roleplay! This means (in my head) I roleplay in the same rp universe your oc exists in! My oc and your oc could be friends in such universe or just have mutual friends in common, who knows! I've always rp'ed this way and honestly would like to keep it this way, it doesn't make anything confusing. One final thing before I get into fandoms; I don't really care about reply length? I do, but I don't. As long I see you're doing your best to reply, I don't mind! I understand life is busy but you need that shot of dopamine! I always do my best to match my partner's length in reply but typically I do a 1-2 paragraph (various lengths) as a reply. Starters are different though! If I am in charge of the starter, I typically write up and a little past the nitro word limit in discord. Do not fret though! You obviously do not need to match my 6+ paragraph starter, lol!

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Fandom time!! I have a list of all my fandoms [here], but I am super into these right now and am desperately looking for a twst rp !! ☆ Twisted Wonderland ☆ Our Life: Beginnings & Always ☆ Dr. Stone ☆ Jujutsu Kaisen

For any fandoms listed above, here are the characters I'd like if you could play against my OC(s)!; ☓) Malleus Draconia or Trey Clover x Akako ☓) Idia Shroud x Alanis Briar ☓) Lilia Vanrouge x Senki (not a finished OC) - ☓) Baxter Ward or Cove Holden x Atlantis - ☓) Gen x Eden (DRST) ☓) Chrome x Cynthia (DRST) ☓) Ukyo x Anzu (DRST) - ☓) Satoru Gojo or Suguru Geto x Annamaria ☓) Ieiri Shok x Salem ☓) Megumi Fushiguro or Yuta Okkotsu x Eden ╰› Obviously !!! We do not have to use multiple OCs if you do not feel like it! I also see it as playing even-steven in a way, if you're using only one OC, I would like to only use one OC. Just so it's fair!!

✹ If you're interested PLEASE don't be afraid to message me on this account! <3

[sugar-omi]

okay so i met him. AND OMI. LET ME TELL YOU. SARO WAS NOT KIDDING WHEN HE SAID THIS MAN WAS FORWARD.

(also, real quick, to that one anon; apologies for bursting your bubble, but the derek of this story is already my best friend AND spoken for...funny enough, his name IS derek (last name NOT suarez), so maybe i am living through olba LMFAO)

so let me put this into perspective for you. the first couple days of class, we were allowed to sit where we wanted so our professor could get a feel of everyone's dynamics with each other and decide our seating chart. and today was the day when the seating chart was implemented... ON THE SAME DAY THAT THIS GUY CAME AROUND.

and saro, being the ta, was allowed to make some input on where certain students that the prof was having trouble placing could go. and he happened to mention that she didn't know this new guy yet, but miss ximi was oh so affable and personable, surely she could help him feel welcomed in case he was the shy type...

so i get there and i make my way to my assigned seat, and i end up sliding in next to this downright GORGEOUS mf. when i tell you bro is literally STUNNING? if he's supposed to be baxter ward in this situation then the black and white biohazard has some competition bc no way can a mf this dazzling exist. every time he talks i imagine those flowers and sparkles surrounding him like in the manhwas

so i sit down and he turns around to look at me, and the way his face LIGHTS UP? I WAS ALMOST BLINDED SIR. and i smile at him a little nervously, take a split-second glance behind him - AND THERE'S SARO GRINNING LIKE AN IDIOT BEHIND THAT STUPID SEXY CLIPBOARD. HE KNEW. HE KNEWWWWWW.

more in the next ask... all of this CANNOT fit in the one, istg

STOP IT. YPURE LITERALLY LIVING EVERYONES DREAM RN, SHUT UP <//3 WHAT DRAGON DID YPU SLAY TO ATTRACT ALL RHESE CUTE DAZZLING MEN???? HUHHHH???

ALSO WHAT IS SARO SMIRKING FOR... NO WAY.....

omg okay what did Mr. dazzling say 😭

[morticious-delicious]

I finished Poor Things (book by Alisdair Gray) last night after having watched Poor Things (movie dir. Yorgos Lanthimos) this weekend and I am not ok.

The movie: Beautiful to watch, a little extra with the sexi-times, and full of obscenities. (I'm not afraid of the word Fuck but ... FUCK it was excessive! And a little out of character!) I understand that much of the movie was Bella finding the freedom to be herself and do and fuck whom she wanted, I get it. But its all alluded to in the book. We don't have scene after scene of Ruffalos sweaty dad bod. There is no mention of her learning how to use breakfast foods in new and creative ways or assaulting the maid.

(spoilers)

The book has a few parts: The account by McCandless, and then an account by Bella "Victoria" Baxter where she laments the bogusness of his account! She's like holy shit he's a great doctor but has no imagination! He stole from Mary Shelley, He stole from Poe (and a number of other Gothic authors). Basically-

NONE of the story they show in the movie was supposed to have happened. I mean, like, even in the story not like, its fiction. Even in spite of the author throwing in historical tidbits after wards that make it all sound real and true. She runs away from her abusive husband! She moves in with Godwin and loves him for being the only fucking doctor in the UK who is caring to lady patients! She marries McCandless because he's a gentle man who will not try and control her! She LOVES Godwin (who also does not try and control her!) None of the Frankenstein stuff happens! She becomes a doctor and a socialist and has a life thats not quite the adventure they show, but I see what he was trying to do.

The complaints about "She's a baby in a womans body!" Yes! Notice how the men LOVE her when shes infantile and then grow tried of her when she starts thinking and having ideas! (also maturing at an accelerated rate).

She's still a fascinating character but not the manic pixie hmm hmm hmm they show in the movie. If anything she reminds me more of Mattie from True Grit. No nonsense. She does what needs to be done and what she wants! Still interesting but would have made for a less interesting movie.

anyway I'm reeling from this. It reminded me of Blonde. A fictional account of a real person and then they make a movie that shows a lot more sex then was actually in the original piece. Only Bella/Victoria (Beautiful Victory!) wasn't real so I am 100% more ok with it. Anyway. Good movie Good book. I need to lay down. I need men to stop re-writing women.

[b4ts1e]

▀▄▀▄▀▄An Alternate Meeting▄▀▄▀▄▀ (𝚐𝚗!𝙼𝙲)

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝙸𝚗𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚍𝚎𝚍: 𝙲𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝙷𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝙱𝚊𝚡𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚀𝚒𝚞/𝙰𝚞𝚝𝚞𝚖𝚗 𝙻𝚒𝚗 (𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚍) 𝚃𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝙱𝚊𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚗 (𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚍) 𝙹𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚎 𝙻𝚊𝚜𝚝 (𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚍) 𝙼𝙲 𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍 (𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝙾𝙻:𝙽&𝙵)

𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚙𝚝: Baxter and MC go to Sunset Bird for their summer vacation, choosing to be roommates for the short time despite being there for seperate reasons. Takes place in Step 3 of OL:B&A.

(𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚍 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗)

It was an average day in Sunset Bird- well that's what it seemed like to Cove as he helped the ORCA clean up the remenants of a party that happened last night on the shore line. Despite Cove loving the summer, after all school was offically out and he could go surfing if he pleased- but the part he disliked severely was the vacationers who come here just for the summer and leaving their mess everywhere only for it to be swept into the sea.

The seafoam haired boy was lost in his thoughts, silently cursing the ones who left such a mess behind before his focus was broken by a voice behind him, making him jump slightly.

"Excuse me, but- may I ask you a question really quick?" He turned around to see a boy behind him with white and black hair, a hand in his pocket and his phone in the other- wearing a half black and half white button down shirt. Cove rose to his feet, not bothering to wipe the sand from his shins and knees- unbothered by the texture. "What can I do for you?" Now don't get me wrong- Cove was not a people person, but he wouldn't allow himself to tarnish the ORCA name by showing his frustrations to someone who was obviously one of the previously mentioned vacationers. "Sorry to interupt your work, but I'm looking for my friend- their name is MC and they said they'd be helping the ORCA today. I have a picture of them if that'd help." The black and white boy turned his phone around, showing Cove a photo of two people. One was a person in a white sweater with gray-blue acents, they had long brunette hair and a grin plastered onto their face as their arm was loosely wrapped around the other person in the picture. The first was unfamiliar, but the second person- who was adorned in a slightly larger, heavy dull green puffer jacket with fur lining, also grinning brightly with a peace sign up- was definetely familiar. "Their name is MC, they volunteered with your group for this summer." The boy provided a bit more insight after getting no reply from Cove as he analyzed the image. "Yeah- I recognize them. They were stationed here with me for a bit, but went to get waters for us." He explained before- as if being summoned, MC came jogging down the shore with a small cooler and more garbage bags. "Mr. Holden! I'm back! Sorry that look so long!" they shouted a bit, catching the attention of both boys- that's when they noticed the black and white boy with their teammate. "Oh! Baxter! Hey!" their voice slowly quieted down as they neared the two, slightly panting from the mix of jogging and the heat they were definetely not used to- it was much cooler in Golden Grove, even in the summer months. "There you are, I came to check how things were going and met your team mate- I am so sorry I never got your name...and I never told you mine. How rude of me. I'm Baxter Ward, it's a pleasure to meet you-" He introduced himself, leaving the last sentence to be contiued by the blue eyed boy. "Oh uh- Cove Holden. Also- MC I told you before, Mr. Holden is too formal. Just use my name, please." He said, taking the cooler from MC and checking it's contents- seeing multiple waters and cut fruits.

"Oh- uh, somebody named Jamie dropped by the ORCA headquarters and left the fruit for you. I brought it with since there's still work to do and I heard you mumbling about being hungry before I left, hope that was okay?" They explained, causing a light blush to spread across Cove's cheeks- slightly embarrassed to be called out for his muttering, how much had they overheard? "Thanks, uhm- sorry." His slight embarassment contiued, growing slightly when the two tourists chuckled a bit. "Don't apologize, seriously. We've been out here since ten cleaning up after these people- it's completely valid to be hungry after four hours of work." MC offered him a smile. "Anyways- now that I'm here, if you'd like I can help out? Make this go faster?" Baxter offered, slipping his phone into his beach short pocket. "I'd be alright with it, but Cove- is it fine if he helps out? Just for right now." They ask to which he nodded, he was not going to turn down an offer to help. "Sure, not like an extra hand could hurt any. Plus, the sooner we get this done the sooner we can return to HQ." He was quick to drop down to the ground again, picking up trash once more- this time being joined by two others. "So- not a fan of summer tourists huh?" MC said with a smirk, not looking away from the ground as they clean. Baxter gasped in mock offence, playing along. "Oh goodness! We barely know each other and you already dislike me Cove?! Oh woe is me!" he said over dramatically, obviously acting, making both MC and Cove laugh. "It's not that, I'm just- annoyed at the ones who think they can leave all this trash around as if it isn't doing any harm. The ORCA is one of the few clean the beach programs in Sunset Bird, so it sucks that the work load practically triples in the summer when we all could be doing something starting a fundraiser or enjoying the beach properly." He rambled a bit once the laughter died down, the look in his eye showed how passionate he was about the ORCA's mission. "Y'know- you remind me of one of our friends from Golden Grove. She's just like you about keeping her forest clean, it's how she earned the title Queen of the Forest." MC explained with a light chuckle, smiling at the two boys who kept cleaning but were listening intently. "You make her sound so peaceful MC, Tamarack gets super protective over you- it's scary!" Baxter quipped back, chuckling a bit. "She isn't scary, try angering Autumn back in middle school! They're the one who gets scary when being protective!" MC stated back before looking to Cove with a smile. "Sorry, Autumn is another one of our friends-" they had started before Baxter cut them off "You mean your partner~?" he teased, making MC flush pink. "Baxter! We're not together!" they sputtered out quickly before clearing their throat to contiue. "He's another one of our friends, from Golden Grove. We all grew up together, similar to you and Jamie I assume?" they offer him an easy in to the conversation. "Oh- yeah. Me and Jamie met when I first moved here, they were the first friend I made here in Sunset Bird." He replied with a thankful smile, before the conversation continued peacefully as the three cleaned. Chatting about how they met their friends, memories, and getting to know each other as the day passes slowly. Although it'd be temporary for one of them- this was the start of a beautiful summer blossom friendship.

𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝: 1,192