#because well we were also already way too long

[nuka-rockit]

There were hints of this problem in DAI already tbh when Hawke showed up and the Inquisitor had to take a back seat to THE CHAMPION OF KIRKWALL and all that. But at least hawke was a former player character, who was well established as politically important to what was going on, and someone who had a long history with the main threat.

in DAV its just. Why is rook even here? Because they're Varric's prodigy? The Inquisitor was that also in a way, plus Varric has tons of friends all over. And the Inquisitor has a network of year long contacts across the borders of Thedas, as well as probably the strongest motivation to hunt Solas down.

The other Protagonists all had pretty valid reasons why they ended up as the one in charge:

The warden was forced to lead because they were one of 2 wardens left in Ferelden and the other one refused flat out, and only a warden can kill an Archdemon so they have no option but to do it if they dont want darkspawn to kill everyone.

Hawke becomes leader only AFTER they actually accomplish something exceptional that puts them in the spotlight. Before they find the treasure they're treated like a dreg, just another impoverished Fereldan refugee. After they get cash they're in by far the most influential position of any of the team - the others are all pariahs in some way or other, an escaped slave elf, a dalish elf apostate, a human apostate, a pirate, a dwarven gangster, and the guard captain who is not free to act as she wishes - so they become the de facto face of the party in situations that deal with authority.

And the inquisitor is literally physically fused to the only Thing in The Entire World that can be used to prevent the veil from just breaking, meaning that they HAVE to be involved. And after Haven, whether they wanted to or not, they have become a political symbol in the face of systems too busy arguing amongst themselves to actually deal with the immediate threat.

But what does Rook do? Why are they here? Why is everyone listening to them? We get told via codex entries and some quips at the start of all the cool things Rook supposedly did, but not only is this rarely if ever even mentioned, this has no atcual reactivity in the game either. its just flavor to justify why Rook isnt at home at the game start.

Literally everyone in the Veilguard team is more competent, accomplished and knowledgable in their field than Rook, and there really isn't any counterbalance that justify why Rook is the leader anyway. There is nothing special about Rook that makes them unique.

What’s really jumping out at me on my second playthrough is that the writers of the first three games understood that your character was the main character. The Veilguard writers clearly thought that the main characters were their characters, the companions.

Every scene is about setting the companions up as cool or competent or sympathetic. Often, this is done at Rook’s expense. The companions get all the witty one-liners; Rook’s attempts at humor not only frequently fall flat, but are frequently called out for falling flat (even when they’re completely automatic and the player has no say in them).

The companions have all the knowledge and skills; Rook just brought them all together and gives them all pep talks so they can focus. I’m trying to edit out all of the comments where Rook is like “Um… what????” from my videos, and let me tell you, it takes WORK. There are A LOT of them. I can count on one hand the number of times when the Inquisitor or Hawke comes across as dumb, but it seems to be a built-in, unavoidable part of Rook’s character. I have not selected a single “purple” option in all of Act 1, and Rook is still coming across as the kid who tries to be the class clown to cover for the fact that he’s always confused. Rook’s role in most scenes is to say “Uhhh… what?” so that the companions look smart.

Rook is always the one offering sympathy and never the one getting it. No one actually comes to comfort you after Varric’s death. No one asks you how you’re feeling about having to lead the team now that Varric is gone. No one tries to reassure you or give you advice for dealing with the trickster god haunting your dreams. We’re told that Neve could keep Solas out of your head, but she never actually offers to do this for you. No one comforts a Shadow Dragon Rook when Minrathous is destroyed or a Grey Warden Rook when Weisshaupt is destroyed. Rook’s problems don’t matter. Only the problems of main characters matter.

Rook is a secondary character in their own story.

[floraisunwell]

Cramps | s.r

who? spencer reid x fem!reader

category: fluffy fluff

summary: you stained spencer's bed sheets and clothes and think he's going to be mad but you couldn't be more chill about it

based on: MY PERIOD CRAMPS WERE KILLING ME BAHAHAHAHA

word count: 685

a/n: i stained my bedsheets during my afternoon nap the other day and i wished i had a spencer to take care of me because my cramps are BRUTAL (and i'm just a sucker for period fics overall lol) @angellic4l my beautiful proofreader, our baby is here.

t.w: mention of blood and very briefly a knife wound

The sound of the shower running awoke you and even in your sleepy state, you smiled because that was a sign that Spencer was already home.

You sat up and that’s when you saw the bags of groceries that were plopped beside the bedroom door, one was from your favorite take-out place, and the other from the corner store down the street, you knew for sure that it contained all the treats you love and your smile widened when you realized that Spencer knew everything you needed just from reading the text you sent a few hours ago

-these cramps are killing me. going for a nap, don’t wake me up when you get home-

You were already opening the package of Sour Patch Kids when you noticed the brownish-red stain in the spot where you had woken up. You instinctively looked down at your sweatpants, Spencer’s sweatpants, and surely, a stain in the same shade of red could also be found there.

“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…” you grunted

“Is everything okay angel?” your boyfriend inquires getting out of the bathroom with wide eyes

“No, oh my god your bed sheets, oh god”

“My, my bed sheets? What’s wrong with them?” he asks but his eyes have already landed on the stain and a relived ‘oh’ escapes his lips

“Baby I thought something had happened; you scared me for a moment,” he said with a slight smile.

“No, something did happen, did you not see your sheets? And also, your sweats,” you say pointing down “Oh god they look disgusting” you spit out.

“Oh no, don’t say that angel,” he says reaching for your hand but you take a step away and start talking again

“I destroyed them, Spence. It looks horrible. They looked expensive too,” you say, pointing at both the bed and the pants. That stain is so huge, too. It probably reached your mattress,” you say, your face contorting into an emotion Spencer can’t describe.

“What no, you didn’t destroy them, they will be perfectly fine after a wash or two”

“Spence that blood literally came from inside me,” you say with an overly serious tone

“Well, it would be concerning if it had come from anywhere else angel” he says, a smirk tugging at his lips

“Haha, what a perfect time to curate your humour doctor,” you say trying to hide a chuckle because this is one of the occasions where Spencer was funny.

“But seriously it’s not a problem angel I don’t care about the sheets, or the pants, at all. I can literally think of more than 30 ways to clean off those stains.” He says pulling you into a hug.

“Are you sure you’re not completely and utterly disgusted by my bodily fluids?” you ask smiling.

“Not at all, I see too much blood daily to be disgusted by that” he replies looking down at you

“But I mean, that’s period blood, it’s different from blood from like a knife wound or something like that,” you say still looking up at him

“And? Seeing period blood is actually better angel” he says while resting his chin atop your head.

“Are you sure?” you ask with a slightly unbelieving tone

“I am completely sure,” He said leaving a kiss on your forehead “So, how are your cramps? I got you ibuprofen”

“Oh, I left some last time I was here and I have some in my bag too, but thank you, Spence”

“No problem angel,” he stated as he got away from the hug “Now go take the bath I prepared for you, while I take care of these stains, you’re so worried about”

“And then we can cuddle?” you ask with the same wide grin you had when you woke up.

“And then we can cuddle however long you want.” He replies with a smile as wide as yours mirrored in his face.

And as you took your shower and smiled stupidly at the wall you couldn’t stop questioning yourself about how this man kept making you fall in love with him over and over again

[crunchystarz]

How they sleep in bed w/you | headcanons

NRC boys(-ortho) x GN! Reader

Summary: how are they as cuddle buddies/their sleep habits

Cw- none just fluff, established relationships, reader is implied to be yuu(only really in Vil and Idia's tbh) not proof read

A/N : WE ARE SOOO BACK sorry for the lack of post I've been busy ngl(not rlly) , also remember my reqs are open!

Heartslabyul

Riddle Rosehearts

Riddle isn't fond of the idea of sharing a bed with you at first. It's not that he doesn't like you because he does...like really likes you. He just hasn't even thought about the idea of sleeping in the same bed as someone.

He's already really awkward when it comes to just holding your hand so he feels very embarrassed when you pull him into bed the first time.

He just lets you hug onto him, not returning the embrace at first. When you go to ask if he feels uncomfortable he's quick to shake his head no. He doesn't hate it , quite the opposite. He will wrap his arms around you as well as if he was testing the waters.

Eventually he'll get used to your cuddle time and it even finds its way into his schedule. He'll wait for you expectingly in bed and then cling onto you once you lay down. He's a touch starved man, please just let him hold onto you while fall into a slumber.

Trey Clover

Trey had no problem when you suggested sleeping in the same bed however he did warn you; he isn't the ideal person to sleep with. He's great at cuddling. He loves holding you, feeling pride whenever you snuggle closer to him.

It makes him happy just having you so calm laying down next to him late at night. He's very quick to fall asleep the second you two are tangled in one other. He never struggles with sleep if you're near.

The only thing is that he moves a lot in his sleep. You'll fall asleep snug in his arms, then wake up on the floor or in pain because he managed to kick you in his sleep.

He'll always apologize In the morning, and how could you stay mad when he's bringing you breakfast in bed? His food makes up for your back pain.

Cater Diamond

Cater is always down for some cuddles from you so of course when you brought it up he was immediately on board with it. He likes to wrap you both in tons of blankets. He likes the feeling of them around him, plus you two can get even closer.

On nights where he can't fall asleep he'll pull you into his chest and 'force' you to watch whatever show he's watching with him. He'll be mindlessly scrolling through magicam and you'll occasionally put in your input causing him to snicker.

Cater also seems like the kind of person who will fall asleep to white noise like ocean waves or rain sounds, but if you're not into that he'll be satisfied with just laying against your chest and listening to your steady heartbeat.

Heavy sleeper once he is asleep you have to shake him as hard as you can to get him up.(However if you manage to slip from his arms he's immediately awake and pouty)

Ace Trappola

Ace tried to play off sleeping with you cool; however his face was absolutely red and flustered sleeping in the same bed as his crush?!?(You've been dating for months)

Absolute blanket thief. He doesn't even use it most of the time he'll snatches it off you in his sleep then let it hit the floor or rest on his legs while he snuggles into you. You're just much warmer.

He loves to wrap around your waist or lay his head on your stomach. Yet he'll be the one calling you clingy. (He'll pout if he wakes up and doesn't find you in his arms anymore)

Ace also talks in his sleep from time to time. You've caught snippets of his dreams by him rambling in his sleep. He'll grip you tighter while he mumbles about sevens knows what. He'll deny it all in the morning.

Deuce Spade

Deuce was okay if you were okay with it. It didn't matter as long as you were comfortable. However he was overjoyed to be near you more, not that he'd say that out loud anyway.

First few nights he's super respectful. Honestly stiff as a board too scared to touch you(as if you two haven't cuddled countless times before) he just doesn't want to accidentally make you uncomfortable .

However you mentioned to him how he didn't need to be so uptight he's clinging onto you like a teddy bear. He's still very cautious of your space but he won't hesitate to hold onto you. (Hold him too please)

He will rub circles into your back and hum if you're having trouble sleeping, a habit he picked up from his mother that always kept him calm.

Savanaclaw

Leona Kingscholar

You don't even have to ask. Once you two establish you were an official couple you also established to be his personal pillow for all his naps.

Doesn't matter where if he's tired enough he's dragging you with him and snuggling you into you as close as possible. Multiple times where he has you trapped in his arms mid day when you're supposed to be in class just because he feels like it.

He likes to snuggle into your neck and smell your scent. He finds it calming. He'll deny it but he lets out low purrs whenever you run your fingers through his hair while he's half asleep. Mumbles about how much he loves you when he's in a sleepy state, he doesn't know what he's saying he's just tired and speaking his mind.

Likes to wrap his tail around you sometimes. He just wants to be holding you in every way possible. Don't even think about trying to get up while he's still asleep either it's pointless, he is not letting you go.

Jack Howl

Jack isn't really sure at first but after some convincing he eventually gives in. However now he can't properly get sleep without you in bed next to him. He stresses that he needs a good nights rest so you're always being dragged into bed when Jack is ready for bed.(If you have a terrible sleep schedule trust that's being fixed around Jack)

The beast man either wants to hold you or lay on top of you, no in-between. When his holding you he's big spoon, wrapping his tail around you with his chin resting on your head. Constantly pulling you closer and enjoying your warmth.

That or he's basically your big ol weighted blanket. He'll sometimes forget his actual size and weight and accidentally crush you a bit. He'll apologize over and over. He's like one of those big dogs who forgets they're in fact not a lap dog.

Whenever he wakes up with you in his arms, his tail will subconsciously wag. A little more sleep won't be so bad(he just wants to lay with you a bit longer)

Ruggie Bucchi

Acts all smug when you ask him about falling asleep together. "You wanna sleep next to lil ol me?" He'll tease you about it but is so on board with it.

He doesn't start off as a cuddler at first, he'll hold your hand , sure but he doesn't fully cuddle you to sleep. However you always wake up with him wrapped around your torso.

If you wake up in the middle of the night, you’ll usually find him sprawled across you, one leg thrown over yours and his arms tightly around you like a koala.

Ruggie gets hot easily so you usually don't have to worry about not having enough blanket during the night. Also definitely a light snorer.

Octavinelle

Azul Ashengrotto

When you asked him about starting to share a bed he simply agreed and went on with his day. You two have been a thing for awhile so it only makes sense, no big deal. Until it's actually time to sleep and he's a pathetic flustered mess.

He's a light sleeper so he's hyper aware of everything. If you try and get up he'll immediately stir awake. He'll mumble something like "leaving already so cruel" then drag you back to bed to lay next to him.

Merfolk are known for living in a colder environment so your warmth is nice. His grip on you is firm but not too suffocating. He secretly likes to be the smaller spoon, he just enjoys being held from time to time.

He's an early bird, always up at the ass crack of dawn, he tries his best to be quiet and let you sleep in but eventually you've just learned to wake up when he does.

Jade Leech

Jade doesn't say anything when you ask just tilts his head and nods. You honestly never know what's going on in his head and are convinced he's constantly plotting.

Not a big cuddler. He just likes his space when he sleeps. However that doesn't mean he doesn't cuddle you at all. When he has a particularly stressful day or he's just so exhausted he doesn't want space he needs to be as close to you as possible.

Jade likes to run his hands along your back or through your hair before bed. He says it's to calm you but in reality he just likes to be able to touch you. Definitely sleeps like a rock too so good luck waking him up on your time.

He's also a snorer but unlike Ruggie he got them dad snores. Sometimes you debate throwing a pillow at him if you can't fall asleep because of it.

Floyd Leech

"shrimpy wants to sleep with me ? I must be irresistible" he giggles clinging onto you. You two cuddle all the time so sleeping in the same bed isn't that big of a deal but he's sure gonna tease you about it nonetheless.

Floyd is the opposite of his brother. He knows no personal space. Your space is his space in his eyes. He adores squeezing you, careful not wanting to hurt you or anything he just loves ya tons he has to show it.

If he's having his mood swings and he's still upset by bed time you often find it very affective to just hug him really tight, he'll cave in and just cuddle you you.

Will bite you in your sleep, no doubt. Sometimes he'll wake up before you and you just look so..."biteable"(his words). You've woken up to new bite marks on your neck shoulders and arms wherever is exposed he's sinking his teeth into. You have threatened to kick him out of the room (he always weasels his way out of it)

Scarabia

Kalim Al Asim

You weren't the one to ask him, he basically begged you to snuggle with him to bed once but he loved it so much he craved to cuddle you to bed almost every night.

How could you deny him? He's just so sweet you couldn't say no. He's a big cuddler. He just wants to hold you and you to hold him. He loves your warmth and just finds your presence soothing.

Sometimes you'll lay on his chest while he talks about whatever he can think of. You often just smile and play with his fingers as you listen to him talk about what he got up to during the day.

He's a sound sleeper, he's not easily woken up but at the same time it doesn't take a lot to get him up. He mumbles a lot in his sleep usually what's going on in his dream. He'll mutter out I love yous here and there.

Jamil Viper

Jamil tries to act indifferent, but you can tell he’s caught off guard.vHe won’t outright reject it, but he does hesitate. He’s used to being alone and keeping his distance even if you two have been dating for a while.

He's always tense, even in sleep. It takes a while for him to fully relax, but when he does, his expression softens considerably. He lets you come to him when it comes to cuddles.

Although he loves when you hold him and run your fingers through his hair, he at first didn't say anything but whenever he has a long day he'll ask you to before bed.

He wakes up early too, unlike Azul if he's up you're up. Don't worry though he'll make you some tea and breakfast every morning so you don't be so cranky.

Pomefiore

Vil Schoenheit

Vil had no complaints when you asked about it, you were his darling after all so why wouldn't you too share a bed. "I thought you'd never ask I knew that bed in ramshackle wasn't doing you any good"

Just like Jack if you had a shitty sleep schedule say bye bye to it completely. Vil is very particular about his beauty sleep and has a strict schedule. He insists you follow it as well. You need at least 6 hours of sleep minimum.

Vil sleeps with grace, but the moment you shift in your sleep or try to slip away, his arm snakes around your waist, keeping you in place.

He prefers to sleep on his back and while he hasn't explicitly told you it's clear he adores when you lay on top of him when you sleep. He just likes the feel of your weight on him it brings him an odd sense of comfort.

Rook Hunt

When you ask about sleeping together Rook’s eyes would gleam with delight, and he’d place a hand dramatically on his chest. “Ah, mon trésor, to share a bed is such a precious gesture! I am truly touched!”

You actually aren't sure if Rook even sleeps. You Always fall asleep before him and he's always up before you. Seriously no matter how early you try and wake up it's like he's already awake.

He likes to watch you sleep(not in a creepy way...as noncreepy as it can get with Rook anyway) he just likes to see your peaceful and calm state as you rest next to him.

Surprisingly he doesn't smother you with cuddles, he's firm yet gentle. He does love when you're the one snuggling up to him though, makes him feel a small sense of pride.

Epel Felmier

Epel wasn't expecting you to ask but it's not like he's opposed to the idea. He acts all cool and smug(he's doing victory laps in his head)

He’d be shy and awkward at first, unsure of what to do. Over time, though, he’d relax and eventually basically gravitates to you like a magnet. You basically have to pry him off of you in the morning.

He likes to hold onto you like a pillow, resting his head against your shoulder or burying his face in your neck.

If you try to pull away, he grumbles in his sleep and tightens his grip, mumbling something about “jus five minutes " all and all he just really loves holding you. Like seriously he can't get enough but he acts so nonchalant about it if you bring it up.

Ignihyde

Idia Shroud

Are you playing with his feelings right now? Don't do that to him he can't handle it. Is what he was thinking when you first suggested sleeping in his bed with him. "Well will Grim be okay with staying alone?!?"

Idia is a natural night owl and is up late most nights. You often have to drag him to bed instead of staring at his PC all night. He'll protest like a grouch but eventually will come to bed.

There's been times where he stays up so late where you've already fallen asleep. He awkwardly will crawl to bed exhausted and then flustered when you wake up to him over you trying to get comfortable.

He's so awkward at first...well he never learns to not be awkward he's much more chill about it later on. He'll slowly scoot closer to you before he's just attaching himself to you.

Diasomina

Malleus Draconia

Malleus is the one to ask you about sleeping together. It's normal for partners to sleep next to one another no? Totally not because he's clingy and possessive and wants you near almost always.

Sleeping near someone is very intimate and shows a lot of trust in his eyes so he's over the moon when you agree. He's very touchy he either needs to be holding your hand, cuddling you or having it to where his tail is visible and very much wrapped around you.

Dragons purr... in their own way at least. He'll let out low rumbles whenever you two cuddle. Especially if you kiss him while you two are just laying down.

Malleus loves sleeping next to you and gets super pouty if he has to spend a night without you. He just becomes so used to waking up with you in his arms he gets In a mood when it's changed.

He moves a lot in his sleep as well. He's always moving around, trying to pull you closer is always the main goal. Will complain if his sleep is interrupted by others since he finds it so sacred when it's with you.

Sebek Vigvolt

Sebek was very taken back when you offhandedly mentioned sharing a bed since you two were dating for a significant time. He's honored and treats it like a big thing, Because to him it definitely was.

He's so painfully stiff in bed, not even because he's awkward he's just... naturally like that. He does let his body soften a bit whenever you move closer to him. He'll wrap his arms around you and let you use him as his designated pillow.

If he wakes up before you, he’ll sit there for a while, staring at the ceiling, he thinks he's the luckiest guy in the world. He doesn't know what he did to wake up with you every morning but he's not complaining one bit.

Definitely snores and drools a bit, he'll be embarrassed and will deny it heavily if you tease him about it. He does not snore loud!(he definitely does).

Silver

Don't even need to ask. It's Silver. He's fallen asleep next to you so many times it's become something you're used to. You fell asleep next to him in bed once, you two were just cuddling and then he of course drifted off , after that it became routine.

Silver doesn't really have a preferred position to sleep in, as long as you're near he honestly doesn't care. He does often sleep holding you, usually a subconscious thing, he just wants to protect you.

Like Leona Silver will pull you into his naps, he's not as demanding as the beast man however. He just wants to know you're near when he's asleep it puts him at ease.

He's a sound sleeper, you often find him in bed before you. He'll always wake up whenever you crawl into bed and mumble an I love you before pulling you closer and falling back into his sleep

Lilia vanrouge

Lilia will also be very teasing when you bring it up, but he's very open to the idea. You'll just have to get used to his...odd sleeping habits.

Lilia’s sleep habits are anything but ordinary. Sometimes, he falls asleep sitting up, propped against a pillow, like a perfectly still statue. Other times, he might be sprawled out in strange positions, like on his back with his legs bent awkwardly.

He'll go to bed cuddling you then proceed to wake up on the floor somehow. He trained himself to fall asleep in a matter of minutes a while ago. He uses that to his advantage. There have been times where he purposely fell back asleep just so he could have an excuse to hold onto you a little longer.

He drools too. Like an odd amount of drool. If you bring it up he'll just say it's proof that he gets good sleep when you're around. You two have matching pjs

Masterlist

[percyswhxre]

spin the bottle

loser! best friend! luke castellan x daughter of athena! daughter

a/n: this is only my third story, and i’m open to feedback! let me know if you guys like it. also in this story, pretend that annabeth never like luke in that way. and sorry for the abrupt ending, i didn’t really know what to do

word count: about 900 words

it was the kind of party that was loud, messy, and filled with way too many people. music blared from the speakers, cups clinked, and laughter echoed off the walls. y/n sat on the couch with a group of people, her eyes scanning the crowd, not really paying attention to the conversation. she spotted luke across the room, his usual awkward self, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. he looked uncomfortable, like he didn’t know what to do with his hands.

y/n grinned to herself. she couldn’t help it. luke was her best friend, and after all his moping, he was still… well, luke. and even though he was the one to act all cool, he was secretly a mess around people, especially girls.

“you’re staring,” annabeth teased, nudging y/n’s shoulder.

“shut up,” y/n muttered, her face flushing a little. annabeth had been making fun of her for weeks now. ever since she’d started noticing that luke didn’t look as awful to her as he used to.

“okay, whatever,” annabeth said, dropping the subject, but her grin stayed.

the night wore on, and soon enough, someone suggested playing spin the bottle. y/n was just about to protest when annabeth grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her into the circle.

"this is gonna be fun," annabeth said, her eyes twinkling.

“right,” y/n muttered, rolling her eyes. the bottle spun, people kissed, laughter filled the air. it wasn’t a big deal, not really. she’d played before. but this time, there was a weight to it—something she couldn’t explain. maybe it was because luke was in the circle, sitting right across from her, looking more uncomfortable than ever.

the bottle spun again, slowly at first, then picking up speed. y/n watched it, her heart beating a little faster for no reason at all. she had no idea why, but her gaze kept drifting back to luke. it stopped. everyone gasped, laughing. y/n froze when she saw who the bottle had landed on.

luke.

he was already looking at her, his face a little red, eyes wide. he cleared his throat, looking everywhere but at her.

“well…” someone said, breaking the tension. “this is gonna be interesting.”

y/n felt her palms get sweaty. why was she nervous? they were best friends, right? they’d hung out, fought monsters, saved the world together. but for some reason, this felt different.

“come on, just kiss him already,” annabeth teased. y/n shot her a glare, but annabeth just grinned, obviously enjoying the moment.

“yeah, it’s no big deal,” luke said, his voice a little shaky, like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

y/n took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. she leaned in, closing her eyes. when her lips brushed against luke’s, the world kind of… stopped. it wasn’t a long kiss, just a quick peck, but it felt like everything changed. her heart was pounding, and when they pulled away, their faces were only inches apart.

there was a long silence.

“that was… different,” y/n said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“yeah,” luke agreed, his voice thick with something y/n couldn’t quite place.

the game continued around them, but they both stayed frozen, caught in the moment. luke’s gaze didn’t leave her face, and she could see the confusion and uncertainty in his eyes. but there was something else, something softer.

“hey,” luke said quietly, once everyone’s attention was elsewhere. “can we… talk for a minute?”

y/n nodded, feeling a little dizzy from the kiss. she followed him outside onto the back porch, away from the noise of the party. the cool night air hit her, and she felt a little clearer.

they stood in silence for a moment, neither of them sure what to say. luke kicked a loose pebble, clearly not knowing how to start. finally, he looked at her, his eyes serious.

“so… that kiss. it wasn’t like… just a kiss, right?”

y/n blinked, caught off guard. “uh, no,” she admitted, her voice small. “it wasn’t. but I didn’t… I mean, I didn’t expect it to be.”

“me neither,” luke said, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. but then his expression shifted. “but… y/n, I… I’ve kind of liked you for a while now. like, more than a friend.”

y/n’s breath caught in her throat. she stared at him, trying to figure out if she’d heard him right. luke castellan, the guy who had never kissed anyone, who was always awkward and unsure, liked her?

“you… you do?” she asked, almost too afraid to ask the question.

he nodded, looking a little embarrassed but also relieved, like he was glad to finally say it out loud.

“yeah,” he said, stepping a little closer. “I think I always have. and after that kiss… I don’t know, it felt like maybe you felt the same.”

y/n smiled, her heart racing. “well, you’re right. I do. I’ve just been too stupid to say it.”

luke grinned, stepping closer still until there was barely any space between them. “well, then,” he said softly, leaning in, “maybe we should try that again.”

this time, when their lips met, it wasn’t quick or awkward. it was slow, and sure, and everything that had been unsaid between them clicked into place.

luke’s hands grabbed her waist and y/n’s hands tangled in his hair. she began to walk backwards as he walked forwards, until they found the padded bench seat. he sat down, pulling her into his lap without breaking their kiss.

y/n broke away with a small laugh before getting up and grabbing his hand. “let’s go back inside now, and maybe we’ll continue this later?” she asked and he almost immediately nodded. they walked back inside to the party, holding hands.

[thewertsearch]

@elkian asked: PS - I think Sally can watch [S] Duodecim Rex Angelus at this point(?), but obvs I don't want to interrupt if she's on a roll lol @marinerofthestars asked: Since you’ve now finished Act 5, I think you can now watch (and react to when you have some time?) Rex Duodecim Angelus without risk of spoilers. It’s a 7-minute long fanmade Flash depicting the trolls’ battle against the Black King at the end of their session, hope you enjoy: https://youtu.be/-19Up0dLzNw @captorations asked: you've probably got a bunch of messages about this but. there's a fanfic out there that is the full text of strider-ified detective pony, and it is, unironically, one of the greatest fanworks ever created. i do not grant that title lightly, and i cannot recommend it enough. also! maybe i've forgotten and you did cover it, but. at this point i believe you're very much able to watch rex duodecim angelus, the fanmade flash of the trolls fighting their black king, without spoilers of any kind. some parts of act 6 can be a bit slow, so. if you need a break for action, it's there @joyfulldreams asked: By the way, since you've finished Act 5, you can absolutely watch Rex Duodecim Angelus now! (If you haven't already.) @transguyhawkeye asked: Not sure if anyones mentioned it yet but now that you've read the ancestor section you should be able to watch [s] Rex Duodecim Angelus spoiler-free! Anonymous asked: It looks like maybe no one's pointed out that you can now watch Rex Duodecim Angelus (which you were recommended in 2022 and 2023 but it was too early to watch then). You should definitely do that. Hussie declared it canonical, and Cat even suggested liveblogging it. Anonymous asked: OKAY YAY. There's a fan animation that I hear Hussie canonized called [S] Rex Duodecim Angelus and most people recommend that the earliest possible spot in a reading to view it is right after the completion of act 5. You don't have to liveblog it but I would LOVE it if you did. Anonymous asked: Augh I forgot to add that Rex Duodecim Angelus is of the troll session's fight against the black king. That would be worth mentioning. Especially so that you could dig up some of the references to the battle made in the comic ;>_> @morganwick asked: [...] this is a reminder that you used to go through the newsposts/blog posts/Formspring answers preserved in the Homestuck Collection, but you haven't done that in a while (cancelling it at the end of Act 4 in your haste to get to Act 5); were you thinking of catching up at the end of Act 5? I think you're close to the point where the Formspring stopped already. @likelyvampirical asked: [S] Rex Duodecim Angelus is now spoiler-free. On a related note, we've not had an episode of Tunes with Sally since November 2022. Maybe we could do some album reviews before coming back with Act 6?

Yup, it's finally time. After hearing about this legendary video for over a year and a half, today I'm going to check out one of Homestuck's most iconic fanworks, [S] Rex Duodecim Angelus!

I've heard from several people now that Hussie declared it canon, but no one's been able to track down a source for that just yet. Either way, it's clearly intended to be canon-compliant, so I'm interested in seeing how they handle the more ambiguous aspects of this fight, such as Gamzee's Rage attack.

On another note, I've deliberately placed Tunes with Sally on hiatus until later in the comic - mostly because the albums often contain songs from flashes we haven't seen yet, and I want to experience Homestuck's OST from within the comic first.

Finally, I promise I'll get to the Formspring eventually, as well as Hussie's news and blog posts. They're just not a giant priority, at the moment - but if anyone's got any specific Hussie quotes they'd like me to check out, feel free to send 'em in.

Anyways, I'll be watching Rex Duodecim Angelus after I've had dinner. Talk to y'all then!

[lesbianherald]

random not super consequential thought (apologies if you’ve addressed this already): was your mental image of viktor in coming home commune era long hair or academy era short hair? or some variation thereof? what about the fantasy au?

since i wrote coming home before season 2 came out, season 1 for sure! i kind of imagined them mirroring their act 1 looks, but older, jayce maybe with some stubble.

I went this way (in my head) because I imagined this world (for all of its flaws) as a kinder one where neither would age as quickly. this is a choice i kind of regret now? again at the time i was like dont think just write this stupid lil thing and your brain will stop feeling like a prison DKFSJHD.

you were probably expecting two sentences but since we are on the topic, descriptors are kind of high key my biggest regret with coming home. at the time they didn't have many looks. but also I was so so so used to/deep into writing screenplays that i forgot my prose background/just hadn't worked that muscle in a long time. this is also why I personally HATE the first two chapters - because in my own re-reads I can really tell I'm trying to re-work the prose muscle back to life let me tell you it is not like riding a bike.

when you write a screenplay, you usually leave out a lot of what other departments would cover unless its super relevant - costumes, props, hair, etc - and it was only when i was like wayy too late in the game that I was like fuck bro. I screenplayed them DSKLFJHSD. again - it started as a project for me - i had no ideaaaaa you know. now i definetly wish i put more care into describing them.

but that also has created for a really fun side effect of different interpretations of them in the art.

this is something i'm really excited to NOT do in my upcoming fic. in fact, i'm working with an incredibly kind artist in the fandom on really bringing their looks to life. which is so fun. and i'm so excited for ppl to see it.

Viktor is in his long hair baylage era but he's.... not purple LOL. He's using his crutch. Has a sick cloak. Won't give too much else away.

Jayce has his beard/longer hair. Starts out out of his brace but gets an injury where he subsequently wears it. Very similar to episode 8/9 jayce. He will have one feature that is very unique to this fic that he inherits at the end of chapter 1 that is very... well you guys will see its ... i have a flair for drama and romance what can i say.

[lesbianalanwake]

Severance S2E2:

--holy shit. I see why the season is 10 episodes instead of 9. two episodes to resolve the S1 finale and wind up to the pitch. there was so much legwork in this episode, and so much tension that I could barely sit still.

--I hope they paid Milchick a big overtime bonus in addition to his new salary!!! man did all that in 48 hours!!!

--Mark and Devon.... Mark being in denial about the possibility that Mark S could have been talking about Gemma, when we later see that it's been weighing on him heavily and he needed to talk to Cobel to confront it. it's such a small, small hope.... if he believes in the possibility that Gemma is alive, and it turns out that she is not, it would destroy him completely, and he's already come so close to destroying himself while grieving the first time. but Devon! Devon is so sharp! she knows her brother, and she glimpsed a younger, lighter version of her brother that she hasn't seen in a long time, and she clocked his tone and body language and everything about the situation correctly! and she can't live with the unanswered question of whether Gemma could be alive, because she misses her sister-in-law and misses who her brother used to be! she can't stop thinking about it while Mark is doing everything in his power to not think about it! aaaaah!

--Cobel bookending this episode by being as unhinged and mysterious as ever. we don't even know if she accepted the advisory council position! what is she up to! the final scene is so fucking good because I was like "I bet she's thinking about hitting Mark with her car," and then she screams like a bat out of hell and almost does just that LMAO. and she's still telling him to quit, even though Lumon is doing something significant with Gemma and "Cold Harbor," enough that they need Mark back to finish it, and Cobel knows what it is and wants something from it, and now Mark knows for sure that Gemma is alive because he needed to look Cobel in the eye and ask. I love their weird fucking dynamic. she's so fucking mad at Lumon, but maybe cares about Mark in her own unhinged way?? and his feelings were HURT that she lied to him because he went straight for the only thing that could maybe hurt her feelings a little bit in turn ("I ate your shitty fucking cookies").

--makes me hope that Cobel gets a "villain turned weird ally" arc, and that Milchick is right behind her, because he's already getting a taste of how thankless the severed floor manager position is, getting no guidance beyond "let Kier guide your heart" and having to defend the feat he managed to pull together in 48 hours.

--which brings me to: HELENA. HELENAAA. class traitor arc INCOMING. the "behind the scenes" bit reinforced this too: she is living in a gilded cage (the shot of her on the top floor with the windows acting as bars!) and seeing that her innie of all people gets affection and respect in a way that she never has, and she is enthralled. you can do it baby! I hope you kill your dad!

- I'm glad they clarified that the correct term for complex innie/outie romantic dynamics is "throuple" because Mark/Helly is finally compelling. by itself = eh. as part of Helena's development and possibly some kind of villainous fixation that can't possibly end well no matter how you slice it because Mark/Mark S is also going through a throuple thing with his dead wife who is actually alive, and don't think I've forgotten whatever thing that Helena and Milchick had going on in S1 (which is the only thing I was missing from this ep and hope they revisit) = now we're cooking with gas. not to mention Burt spying on Irving! throuples for days.

--tentatively believing that it really is Helena down there, and they sent her to play the part of Helly R to keep Mark complacent so that Cold Harbor gets finished, because Helly is too much of an unpredictable wild card but Helena is controllable (for now!). which would add another juicy flavor to Mark/Helly. they really did it, they really made the ship pop.

--it is so, so compelling how innies/outies are opposites. Helly is bold and rebellious, Helena is calm and subservient. Mark S is sweet and mild-mannered, Mark is cold and sarcastic. Dylan G is confident and driven, Dylan George is nervous and hesitant. Irving B is obedient and proper, Irving Bailiff is defiant and unconventional. and yet! bits of the other shine through, and we see it more and more, and they're slowly but surely on a collision course.

--the Good Doors interviewer says "you remind me of myself" and looks like Dylan, and I love this show because I can't tell if it's to continue the visual motif of doubling/reflections and show a "what could have been" path for Dylan, or if it's because there is truly something FUCKED going on across this whole town. or both.

--Lumon is in such a precarious position. they're a major global corporation, and they have politicians in their pocket, but there is also a lot of hostility and mistrust from the general public, enough to make a severed employee unhireable. (which further entraps their employees and keeps them dependent on Lumon.... Dylan. 😭) Lumon has to walk a fine line to continue, uh, whatever it is they're doing, without turning the public against them in a way that they couldn't recover from, hence the placating attempts at damage control. but all it would take would be a sufficiently strong spark to light that powder keg.

--because like, man.... I hope Helena and Cobel and Milchick all get their "fuck you Lumon" arcs. god. so many threads poised to unravel out of control and snap with the right push because the line that Lumon is walking is THIN. they do the most to try to control their severed employees, but they seem to take their non-severed employees for granted, and I'm wondering if that will be their undoing.

[urgardenandmine]

cute little match 𓃦 - l. dunbar

summary: liam dunbar has met his match on the lacrosse field genre: fluff (what is like the opposite of fluff because this is like not that cute but y'know what i mean?) pairing: m!reader x liam dunbar word count: 1.8K

“alright grunts, today we are playing a quick scrimmage game with the varsity team of devenford prep because last night was a monstrosity. a total and utter, amazingly, piece of crap.” coach had announced, seeing all the students on the field clutching the shaft of their lacrosse stick. the famous fiery dunbar teen had groaned, rubbing his temple with his gloved hand. he glanced over to the leading group of teens who adorned green jerseys and white shorts. liam grumbled, seeing the new team of devenford students. he was still scared of the rumor and the reputation he left at his old school yet he couldn’t do much now. he was also a changed man, instead of keying cars, he could use his claws. 

one boy had caught the eye of liam. he was behind the new captain of the lacrosse team. he didn’t seem to be that much taller, almost the same height as liam himself or shorter. his hair was not that long nor too short, which was a common thing with the freshman at devenford, except those who didn’t give a fuck like how brett was. his [e/c] were almost another shade due to the sunlight hitting them just perfectly. he had a certain aura about him, something that pulled liam in yet he couldn’t tell what. it was almost as if he- 

“dunbar! earth to dunbar! i swear it’s like you just never listen to me…” coach finstock shouted, causing liam to snap out of his daydream as he turned his attention to the older man. coach had raised his arms above his head, staring at the gawking boy as he was tired of waiting for him to get into position. 

“s-sorry, coach,” liam had stuttered out, “right. where do you want me?” he asked, trying to smoothe over his already rocky start to the re-do of last nights mistakes. he couldn’t afford to make another one or else he and his team would have to run a couple laps. for him, it was no biggie, but to run in front of his old school and making his teammates run would be a shit start for the new lacrosse season.

“you’re on mid and facing us off. get a move on, dunbar. mccall said you were good so go prove him not wrong.” coach said, as he made his way off the field to stand next to the other coach of the other school. liam nodded, putting on his helmet as he trudged over to the center of the field. he had held his mouth guard in one hand, wanting to exchange at least a couple friendly introductions to the other player before he, hopingly, crushed them.

making his way towards the center, liam had stuck out his hand and smiled from under the plastic grate at the other player. it was the boy from before, who was now in his gear. he looked at liam’s hand, before meeting his gaze towards the brunette. liam chuckled softly, before gesturing towards the other, still trying to be polite.

“let’s have some fun, man.” liam chirped. the other boy had his lacrosse stick in his hand, while leaning his chin on the end of the shaft. he chuckled softly, sighing as he got closer and grabbed liam’s hand. when their hands met, liam was met with a small shock, causing him to jump back and retract his hand as quick as possible. the other boy smirked, winking at the young wolf before getting into position.

“lets.” he said, staring up at liam before putting in his mouth guard. liam looked down at him, seeing the boy teasingly wink at him another time. liam tittered, soon getting into position as well after following suit and placing his mouth guard in. he had grabbed his stick tightly, staring at the boy who had his eyes focused on the ball. liam smiled, thinking to himself…

“he’s not even looking at me. this is gonna be easy…”

w h e e !

the sound of the whistle had caused liam to snap out of his thoughts, and then in the following second…

he was on his back. 

“get up, dunbar!” a teammate had shouted. liam groaned, turning his head back further to see above him. looking upside down, the smaller boy was now halfway across the field with the ball in the net. liam grunted, rushing himself up as he was then darting halfway across the field. seeing the boy soon reach one of the defenders who were twice his size, liam cheered in his head as he had no way to get passed them. as he saw the boy reach the defenders, the boy then slipped passed them as if he was water rushing through two rocks. liam groaned, running faster and faster till…

“goal! one for devenford.” the coach of the other team had announced, as the ball had smacked into the net before anyone could even blink. the boy smirked, walking back to the center off the field as he brushed passed liam. as he got closer to the other boy, he winked again, this time his eyes flashing a small orange hue. liam had now stared at him, seeing the small flash. he shook his head, thinking he was only making things up. 

making his way back to the mid-field, liam looked down at the boy before getting into position. the boy’s eyes met with liam’s, winking another time as liam twisted his hands on the shaft of his stick. waiting for the whistle, liam began to devise a plan to throw the other off his guard. as he stared at the other boy, liam got somewhat lost in the other’s features. he took in the other boy’s eye color, his facial shape and the way his eyebrows furrowed when he was thinking. the brunette shook his head, shaking the thoughts out of his head.

“focus, liam! now is not the time to think about those things! maybe like…after?” 

w h e e ! 

as the chirp of the whistle filled his ear, liam found himself again on the ground, this time on his side. looking towards the distance of his team’s goal, he saw the other boy now rushing passed again. liam groaned, getting up and chasing after the boy. 

liam, right behind the boy’s tail, soon nudged himself into the other. the boy had faltered, tripping over his feet and leaning towards his right side. almost dropping the ball and feeling himself about to tumble, the boy had immediately done a quick flip to land at an angle, landing with his legs wide apart and his weight shifted onto his left foot. liam furrowed his brows, looking in awe. in the next second, the boy was off again, heading to the goal. 

seeing him dash off, liam was about to push him again when he saw the ball fly right passed the goalie. liam sighed, breathing heavily and trying to catch his breath as he scratched his arm in slight frustration. he looked at the boy, seeing his other teammates now crowd him and pat him on the back and give him small words of congratulations. 

“maybe he was just lucky this time and we won’t have to do laps.” liam whispered to himself.

he was wrong. 

flopping onto the cooling grass, liam heaved slightly as he had finished up his tenth lap. this was usually a cake walk for him but it wasn’t easy considering he just got his ass beat by some random cute guy. closing his eyes to shield himself from the blinding sun, liam moaned as he wanted his water yet he wanted to just rot on top of the grass. seeing a shadow now appear in his vision, liam opened one eye and saw the one person he didn’t want to see above him holding a water bottle.

it was the boy who whooped his ass and made him run ten laps.

liam sat up, looking at the water bottle extended towards him. switching glances between the bottle and the boy, liam slouched over as he took the water bottle and began gulping it down. the boy giggled, sitting down beside him, tucking in his knees to his chest as liam ran a hand through his long brown hair. finishing up his last sip, the young wolf looked over to the boy and chuckled softly. liam examined the boy’s face. he was barely sweating, nor did he seem tired at all. in the moment they were taking in one another’s presence, the other boy had wiped a small water droplet from liam’s lips, smirking. 

“so, who knew wolves were so slow?” the other asked, causing liam’s ears to turn a red shade as he coughed. he covered his mouth and tried to not to cough on the other, looking away. trying to stifle his fit of dryness, he looked back at the [h/c] boy and shrugged it off, feigning a small laugh.

“wolf? what wolf? i don’t-”

“you’re liam dunbar, right?” he asked, waiting for a response from the other who took a small sip of water to soother his throat. the beta nodded, looking at the other boy who scooted closer.

“your reputation proceeds, man.” he said, nudging him softly. the blue eyed beta looked the other up and down, confused as he didn’t sense any other type of “wolf-ness” from the other.

“what are you?” liam asked, now feeling a bit more on edge as this wasn’t the first time someone supernatural had picked on him. the other boy huffed, his [l/c] lips shifting into a wide grin. he whispered close to the other’s ear.

“took a look with your eyes.” he teased, lightly biting dunbar’s earlobe, causing him to blush. making sure no one else was around, liam’s eyes had changed from their usual blue to their now bright gold. jumping back in awe, liam took in the sight before him.

the smaller boy was now shrouded in an outlined aura of a fox-like humanoid. the color of his aura was similar to his older packmate, kira, a bright orange. the aura though was not as fiery as the previous, possibly being that this guy hasn’t been in any crazy battles like he has. blinking hard and shaking his head, liam looked again and saw the same boy from before. 

“so you’re a-”

“yeah. and you’re the famous cutie liam dunbar.” the other replied. liam nodded, looking at his feet before turning quickly back to the other.

“cutie?” he inquired, blushing as the now revealed fox boy laughed.

“how about we make a deal, cutie. if we beat you tomorrow night, you have to take me out on a date. and if you guys win, then i’ll take you on a date.” he teased, biting his lower lip. liam chuckled, nodding as he stood up and helped up the other, pulling him closely by his waist. the other boy tilted his head, waiting for an answer.

“you’re on.” 

⋆｡°✩

been waiting to write this one for a while but i couldn't figure out who :p

most kitsunes in history are depicted as women but historically, some stories have been about old men but like...i don't wanna write that pairing TT

hope y'all enjoyed it! sorry for the like lack luster quality because it's like 2AM where i am

[pedricos]

You could do one where the reader feels insecure about the attention Héctor receives from other girls and he comforts her Using the translator I hope you understand

Hector Fort – I chose you .ᐟ

a.n: english is not my first language

warnings: slight angst, intentional lowercase, crying (?), eventual fluff

summary: where y/n gets insecure about her boyfriend's fans, so he reassure his loving for her! (1,1k words)

hector sure enough was handsome. not just handsome, he was hot, he played well, he loved and was loved by his family. he's every girl dream.. and that's the problem! because with this many girls cheering for him in the crowd, signs asking for his shirt how can you not be in such distress?

he has such a pretty smile, he's so funny too.. all the girl wanted him! you couldn't blame them, you can't take his eyes off him too.

but it was too much when you came to visit him training. you were already known between the guards, who welcomed you while a warm smile, letting you enter the training camp in the evening.

you didn't have to go that far after the gates to see your boyfriend being surrounded by girl screaming his name, asking to sign their shirts, trying to get a selfie. they were also so pretty too..

you boyfriend saw you from afar, waving his hand on your direction. he excused some fans, trying to make his away in your direction, but when he got off of the middle of various girls trying to snatch him, you were nowhere to be found.

“hector, aquí! sign, please!” the crowd when after him again, trapping him once again, “not now guys, otra vez!” he tried to be as polite as possible, only to hear them boo-ing on his face. (here/another time)

you were already so tired already, you could only make your way to the visits benches, watching his teammates training. gavi was the first to notice your presence, and maybe the only one too, “heyy, ms. fort! que passas?” he tried to be cheerful. (what's up?)

your face didn't tried to hide away your feelings, your shoulders shrinking and you arms hugging themselves, “héctor busy with the fans..” you said, and gavi got the message, nodding his head and pouting his lips, “te dejare descansar, he will be back soon!” he softly taps your shoulder, making you smile with his act of unnecessary kindness and understanding. (ill let you rest!)

hector watched from afar as he entered the training camp running, looking for you. the only thing he saw was gavi trying to be respectful and leave with your thoughts, but for him? how could you ignore your own boyfriend and be so smiley with one of his teammates?

he was the one ignoring your presence now. being weirdly cold about the fact that he's the one who invited you to watch him training, but now, he wasn't even looking at your direction. on his water break he wouldn't speak with you, nor come closer to the benches to give you, his so called, ‘good luck kiss’.

by the dawn, both of you haven't spoke a single word to eachother, being pitty as never. you made you way to the parking lot as he was already getting ready to go home, and so, you waited him by his car. the whole time you were silent, mostly enjoying the sunset in madrid.

“we can go now, no te haré esperar” hector appeared with a cold tone, his keys already on his hands as he pressed the button to unlock his car. he didn't looked at you directly, his eyes so focused on everytime but your presence right now. (i won't make you wait)

you both entered the car in pure silence, it took a long few minutes until both tried to break the silence.

“why me?” you asks.

“why me?" he asks.

both at the same time.

it's impossible to not crack a laugh right now, even with the tension in the air.

“why me and not one of them?” you asks again, firmly. héctor took a second to process the question, frowning his eyebrows and looking at you in disbelief. “them? who's them, bonita?” his hands found it's way to your cheeks, caressing them so lightly. (pretty)

and héctor was always like this. touching you so softly, like you could break if put to much force into your skin. but that's how he thinks loving you is. is soft, it's ease with no pressure.

“the girls in your dms.. the fans..” you said almost in a whisper tone, having héctor to slightly come closer to hear clearly your insecurities.

“why care about them, guapita? do you see me responding to any of them?” he passes his arms through your shoulders, using his hand to caresses the strand falling prettily by your face, “look at you.. i wouldn't want anyone else in this word, pero tu” he plants the softest kiss on your forehead. (pretty girl/but you)

“te amo, and you only” héctor places his own forehead against yours, you instinctively closing your eyes, forgetting about any concern in the world. (i love you)

the golden hour had arrived, when you opened your eyes to look at him he looked majestic. his curls in the prettiest golden brown tone, his eyes turning this pretty honey gold.

in this moment he could only see you. your hair falling down so perfectly on your shoulders, the sun glowing directly into your face making your eyes glow so angelic. you were so his. so made for him to love. ‘how could you doubt his love for you?’ he always thought.

“look at you, mi amor.. how can i not love you?” he asks so sincerely, his heart beating a million times faster. he could cry about how much he loves you.

the truth is: even though many fans tried everything in the crowd to get his attention, he only has eyes for you. the last whistle was blown? he's running to the reserved area to hug you and give you his shirt for the nth time. you came to surprise him in the training field? he's so radiant the whole day, he just can't stop smiling.

“i love you more, mi vida.. please, ser solo mio?” your voice sounds so week, your vocal cords giving up in the last minute while a single thin tear rolled down your cheek, the tear stopped rolled down when meeting his thumb, whose hands were still holding your face. (you're only mine?)

“solo tuyo” he reassures. (only yours)

his lips meet yours as soon as he finishes his sentence. a kiss so sweet yet so full of yearning for eachother, not wanting to let go for one second.

“and you?” he separate the kiss as soon as he feels that both of you need air, keeping his hands running through your hair, “todo tuyo” he comes closer to run his noser softly into yours, getting a giggle out of you. (all yours)

he adjust himself in the driver's seat, grabbing the steering wheel.

“and what was that with gavi?” his tone is suddenly so serious.

“oh, díos mio!”

sorry if it's too rushed.. it's so hot where i live, my brain is meltiinngg

im taking requests for other players!! bye bye, hope u like it 💋

[biowaredisasterbisexual]

And a continuation with Fluff 4, because these are fun and I cannot help myself. Also just for fun! And also likely to follow the earlier prompt and one day evolve into something for the multichapter mess that haunts me.

Fluff 4. Character A and Character B go dancing.

Rook was trying very hard not to keep looking over at Neve as nonchalantly made his way through the main hall of the Imperator’s house. He didn’t have a specific destination in mind, just a goal: to figure out what the cultists were up to.

So he and Neve had split up - which felt, honestly, kind of unfair after having already spent an entire week apart, but he guessed he could only complain so much - and were mingling. Something he suspected she hated far more than he did.

And something that would be even easier if he could possibly stop trying to, however unconsciously, find her with his eyes.

It wasn’t his fault. Neve in a formal robe was something he’d committed to memory the moment she’d changed clothes. He was only human.

He’d made idle conversation with several bureaucrats, clearly all hoping to get on the Imperator’s good side based on how they fawned over the man, and now was overdue for a drink. Both for camouflage and because something had to liven this party up, and so long as they were split up it tragically wouldn’t be Neve.

“I told you not to cause trouble in my city,” a low and angry voice said, just behind his ear over by the bar. Rook accepted his drink and smiled amiably at the Legate.

“Who’s causing trouble? I’m just here to have a good time and partake in libations way fancier than I normally get to.”

Well, okay, it wasn’t entirely true. He was friends with Lucanis, after all. But the Legate didn’t need to know that.

The older man glared at him, and Rook grinned. “I’ve got my eye on you.”

“With all this scenery to take in?” Rook gestured at the ‘distinguished guests’ around the room. “Seems like a waste.”

He smiled sweetly and took a sip of the expensive whiskey he held.

The Legate stomped away, and Rook silently gave himself another point towards victory.

“It can’t be!” Faster than Rook would have guessed, he was being tugged around by a thin woman with a pinched face, dressed in a silken garment that even he knew wasn’t cheap.

“Iulia,” he recognized. “I don’t think I’ve seen you since your wedding to my cousin. How are you?”

“All the better now that you’re here!”

He looked at her in confusion. He couldn’t figure out how him being there would in anyway improve her night in the least. His eldest cousin, Octavian, had never been Rook’s biggest fan - and he couldn’t imagine that had changed after all these years - it wasn’t like he and Octavian’s wife had ever been close.

“Thanks, it’s…good to see you too.” He took another sip of his drink. “I hope you have a-“

She grabbed his free hand with surprising strength for a woman so small, and began dragging him towards the center of the room.

“Oh, but we can’t part ways without at least one dance!”

This was weird. Very weird. And after watching Harding become a conduit of titan magic, an elven god’s face speak to them from the clouds, and smug, sad cat of a powerful mage bound to the veil separating the normal world from the Fade, Rook knew weird.

He hadn’t even danced with Iulia at her wedding, when he and his family had been on good terms. He couldn’t imagine why it would ever be necessary now.

But causing a scene - well, right now anyway, later might be different - wasn’t going to help him or Neve collect information. So Rook set his drink down as they reached the floor and let himself be pulled on to it for what would probably be the second or third most awkward dance of his life.

“Oh, you can hold me closer than that!” Her feigned laugher was grating, and Rook steered his hands back to the proper position even as she tried to tug them down. “We’re family.”

“I doubt your husband would appreciate that, cousin,” he replied, his brain finally piecing together what was happening here.

She wanted to either piss Octavian off or make him jealous. And, not that Rook had incredibly fond feelings for her older cousin, he didn’t really want to participate.

Years of formal education let him put his footwork to the back of his mind, muscle memory taking over, and allowing him to focus on how to get out of this as quickly as possible and keeping his hands in the standard position. Despite Iulia’s best efforts.

Neve’s distinctive gait behind him was a welcome relief, and he grinned as he felt her tap his shoulder. “I’m afraid I have to cut in.”

He immediately let go of Iulia, and thanked a Maker he hardly believed in for the fact it now wasn’t a slight. “Neve,” Rook said, hoping his smile conveyed the mountain-sized amount of gratitude he felt. “Of course.”

He turned to his cousin’s wife and offered an apologetic shrug. “I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening. You’ve been very interesting company.”

He could almost feel Neve hiding a smirk. Iulia glared at them both and all but stomped away.

“So,” Rook held out his arms. “Shall we?”

Neve’s expression faltered, just for a moment, as she stepped closer and Rook placed a far less careful hand on her waist and took her hand. “I haven’t done this since the Circle, Trouble.”

“I’ve got you,” he promised, and he felt like he’d won a prize as she smiled. Whether due to a year of fighting together, months of extracurricular activities together, or just natural chemistry, they moved together easily as Neve followed his lead.

Rook couldn’t say he’d ever thought much about formal dancing with Neve Gallus. But after tonight, it might be all he could think about for awhile.

Writing Challenge Wednesday:

Yay Wednesday! Let's write! (Btw if you sent a Rook Storytime Ask I'm still working my way through them thank you for being patient, they're actually really helping me flesh out my next story and they're a ton of fun. ) As always on these there is no time limit, tag or link or dm or reblog or comment under this post! No word count either just have fun with it that's what it's here for. I don't have standards for submission take or leave what you want, link your Ao3's, and it's all tagged writing challenge on my page! As long as it gets you writing I don't care and I will share. Let me show you off!!!

Okay I did a really fun self-imposed challenge where I turned fluffy head canons into angst cause I can turn anything into angst if you give me long enough ;) I thought it'd be fun to play with that today so I'm going to give you some fluffy head canons and some angsty head canons and I want you to flip the script and take the mood from fluff to angst or angst to fluff. (Please do platonic relationships as well as romantic if you're so inclined I'm into that)

Fluff:

Character A gives Character B a present.

Character A helps character B with their hair/makeup/outfit.

Character A and Character B want to teach Character C a skill.

Character A and Character B go dancing.

Characters A, B, and C are druuuuuuuuunk.

Angst:

Characters A and B have to go to a funeral together.

Character C has tragically gone missing and A and B have to cope.

Character A has lost someone close to them and can't stop crying. Character B and if you want Character C notices as well.

Character A has lost an important item to them or it was destroyed.

Character A and Character B are fighting for real. Real emotional or physical or both. Perhaps Character C intervenes or they work it out themselves.

Have at it and I will post mine later!!!!!

[witchygagirlwrites]

Antonio Dawson x Reader

Maybe you should've taken the advice about not sleeping with your partner?

Smut with a tiny bit of story? 😂

“Too slow” you ducked under Antonio’s punch and rolled your eyes at his instruction as if you hadn’t been in a boxing gym damn near as long as him. “The only reason you have more time boxing under your belt is because you’re older than me” you blurted out and he smirked “Feeling feisty mamacita, I like it” you grinned “Do you now papi?”

You hadn’t meant to call him that but when you did the look in his eyes told you he liked it so you didn’t exactly regret it either. You threw another punch and this time he caught your fist and tucked it against your back, pulling you to his chest. You could feel your heart speed up as you looked up at him and he swallowed hard “Just work on it partner. I don’t mean to be on your ass. I just want you at the top of your game ok?”

You nodded quickly “I will” he smiled “Good, something happen to you..I don’t wanna think about it” then he let you go and stepped back. “Get changed, we gotta get to work”

You glanced up and Antonio was looking your way. You grinned “Yeah Dawson?” he shook his head “You did good on that bust” you nodded “Thank you, my partner had my back pretty well also” he smiled “Seems like a pretty decent guy that partner of yours” you shrugged “For the most part”

He shook his head and turned back to the paperwork that was on his desk. You knew better than to be feeling what you were feeling for Antonio. He was your partner, nothing more. Yeah he was gorgeous and sweet and one of the most caring men you’d ever met but you couldn’t cross that line. You’d been warned one too many times about how complicated that would become.

No matter how much you thought about him, you had to keep your feelings as professional as possible.

____________

You were headed out of the district when Antonio caught you in the parking lot “Cariño, where are you headed?” you turned to face him with a smile “Home? I’m tired and apparently I need to hit the gym early again in the morning” he laughed “Well you do have anytime access to it so you can go whenever. Come get dinner with me” you raised an eyebrow “What’s the occasion?”

“I gotta have an occasion to buy you a burger?” he asked so you shrugged “Guess not. Ok” you walked down the steps and he fell in next to you. You cut your eyes at him and saw he was staring at you and shook your head “Take a picture Toni, it’ll last longer” he laughed “I’ve already got quite a few of you or do you forget how often you take selfies on my phone”

Your eyes widened “You don’t delete those?” he shook his head “Why would I?” you felt your face warm “I only take em to annoy you when you see em. I never thought you’d keep em” he shrugged “You’re beautiful and mean a lot to me” you shook your head “Ok enough of that before I start stuttering or something lets go get some food”

You sat across from Antonio at the restaurant and felt your heart flip every time his eyes landed on you. What were you doing? You never should’ve agreed to this. “Toni, maybe I should go” you stood to leave and his hand shot out to grab yours “Why?” you shook your head “I just I need to go”

You pulled your hand from his and headed to the parking lot. You should’ve known you wouldn’t get far before he managed to catch you. He called your name and you froze with your hand on your car door “What did I do?” 

You turned to face him with a smile “Nothing, I promise ok? I just need to go” he nodded “Ok. I’ll meet you in the morning?” you smiled “Ok”

You sidestepped Antonio and he grinned “Good girl” you felt your mouth go dry. Did he really have to say that? You missed the next combo and nearly stumbled so of course he caught you. “Are you ok?” he asked, eyes full of concern. You nodded “Yeah, I um…we gotta get to work” he eyed you for a minute then nodded “Ok”

_____________

You and Antonio were chasing a perp and had gotten separated. You tackled the guy and he managed to get in a couple good hits before you cuffed him. You were fine but when Antonio caught up with you and saw your split lip? You hadn’t seen him that pissed off in a while. He’d ended up punching the guy about six times while he was cuffed. Not like Voight was gonna say anything but damn that wasn’t like Toni, he was pretty even tempered for the most part especially at work.

You were quiet the rest of the day until Antonio tapped on your desk and nodded towards the break room “We need to talk” you cut your eyes up at him and nodded “Ok” you stood and followed him. He closed the door, pulling the blind then walked over to you. His touch was so gentle as he took your face in his hand, turning your face to examine your lip “I’m fine” you assured him and he shook his head “This never should’ve happened” 

“It was just a couple punches. I’ve had worse” you whispered and he shook his head “I’m your partner, I’m supposed to protect you” you covered his hand with yours “You do, ok? You’ve helped me knock the rust off my boxing and retaught me how to roll with a punch. I’m ok really”

He shook his head “I’m not” “What’s wrong?” he sighed “Not here, can we talk after work?” you nodded “Of course. Come to my place?” he nodded “I’ll see you there” and kissed your cheek before walking out of the break room.

You were waiting not so patiently when Antonio knocked on your door. How did you know it was him? Maybe you knew him a little too well. 

You opened the door and he walked in. “Now, what’s wrong?” you asked and he turned to face you “I can’t keep acting like you’re just my partner to me” “What?” you asked and he shrugged “After my kids you’re the most important thing” you swallowed hard “What are you saying Antonio?” he took a step closer to you “I think about you all the time. Why do you think I’m constantly wanting you in the gym? That’s one way I can protect you when I’m not there. You’re so damn beautiful and brave and not afraid of a lot and I really want to kiss you right now”

You smiled “Then do it” he pulled you into his arms and crashed his lips against yours. You damn near melted into him, hands going to his shoulders in an attempt to pull him closer as he deepened the kiss. He broke away from the kiss to smile at you “Cariño you’re gonna be the death of me” you grinned at him “What a way to go, right love?” and he shook his head “Come here”

He pulled you back to him so you walked backwards to the couch. When your knees hit it you pulled him down with you. He moved from your lips down to your neck and you gasped when he nipped right below your ear “Fuck Toni” he rolled his hips down into yours “I don’t want to do this on your couch” you laughed lightly “What a gentleman” and wiggled out from under him, catching his hand along the way “Come on then”

You walked into your room, pulling your shirt over your head then turned to face Antonio. He slipped his shirt off then crashed his lips against yours. You pulled him backwards to the bed but right before he pushed you onto it he said “You’re mine now. I hope you know that and I don’t share Mi cielo” you smiled “Good because I don’t share either love” and pulled him down onto the bed with you.

His lips moved from yours down to your neck and you gasped when you felt him bit down across your collarbone. He moved further down and slipped his hand under you to strip you of your bra. Once your top half was bare he grinned “Look at you” before lowering his mouth to your breasts. You whimpered when he swirled his tongue around one of your nipples, using his fingers to tease the other. Your fingers went to his hair as he continued his teasing.

Your head fell back against the bed, your legs falling open as he kissed down your body to your stomach. When he got to the buckle of your jeans he kissed your lower stomach “Lift up baby” he spoke and you did as he asked so he tugged your jeans off along with your panties and tossed them somewhere behind him. Once you were bare to him he shook his head “You’re even more beautiful like this” you felt your face warm before one of his fingers teased at your opening causing a moan to escape you. “You sound so damn beautiful too” he praised before adding a second finger, eyes never leaving your face. “Fuck, right there” you sobbed when he hit that spot inside of you. He used his thumb to rub circles on your clit and you were shaking under him in no time.

When you came down from the orgasm he was smiling at you “How ya feeling” you grinned “I want you” he nodded “You can have me” your hands reached for his jeans and he let you unbuckle them before shoving them off. He kissed his way back up your body. When he got to your lips he left a lingering kiss on them before shoving his boxers off too and kicking them off. You felt his hard cock against your thigh and spread your legs a little further “Please”

He shook his head “Don’t ever beg for me, just tell me you want me” he lined himself up with your opening and slowly slid into you. A long gasp escaped you as he filled you completely. He pressed his forehead to yours “You ok?” you nodded “Fuck you feel good” he grinned “So do you”

He moved his hips in a slow circle and you damn near fell apart then and there. Your hands went to his shoulders, holding him tight to you. He grinned and tried a different angle and when your eyes rolled back he chuckled lightly “I want to see you fall apart under me Amor”

You  felt his hand around your throat and your eyes focused on his face, a lazy smile slipping onto your face as his hips snapped into yours, chasing any other thoughts from your head besides the building pleasure he was causing you “Hey” you whispered and he laughed “Hey” 

You could feel the pressure building and knew you were right there, he must have too because one of his hands slipped down between you, teasing at your clit. Your orgasm slammed into you and you moaned his name. He brushed a kiss against your lips before his thrusts got harder, sharper as he tried to find his own release. You knew he was close. “Let me feel you” you whispered and he groaned, snapping his hips into yours.

“Right there, fuck right there” you moaned and he cut his eyes at you “Again?” you grinned and his hand went back to your clit, teasing at it before he buried himself inside of you with one final thrust both of you finding that high together. Your legs were shaking around him and he laid his head over on your chest as his hands rubbed your thighs “So, I’m yours?” you asked and he nodded “I’m yours too” you nodded “Good cause I would hate to kill someone who thinks they’re gonna touch you now”

He laughed lightly and pressed a kiss to your neck “You’re insane” you smiled up at him “But I’m yours”

[enjoythesilentworld]

💜💜

X Me    (“Simon, my back really hurts after rowing practice. You think you can give me a massage?”)

hello anon <3 so, at this point we've learned that i'm incapable of drabbles. i hope this little 1.5k ficlet lives up to your expectations with that beautiful quote you've provided xx

also, i wondered how i was going to do this prompt without making it very horny. and, well, it's definitely horny, but also has some fluff sprinkled in! (very fade-to-black M-rating)

A not-so-short, but straight to the finally-falling-into-each-other, friends to lovers AU.

~

“Simon, my back really hurts after rowing practice. You think you can give me a massage?”

Simon lifted his gaze from where he’d been hunched over his laptop and found Wille standing in the entryway to their apartment. He was slightly sweaty and frowning, uncomfortably rolling his shoulders, but Simon could see the slight smirk hidden in his features, the challenge.

Things had begun to shift between them lately. Simon first met Wille in the freshman dorms on the first day he’d arrived at university. Nearly four years later, after many late night study sessions and trips to coffee shops and video game competitions, they were best friends and still lived together. The thing that had shifted was the fact that, since one month ago, both of them were finally single at the same time.

Either one or both of them had been in some kind of relationship for the past few years, and about a week after Wille ended his last fling, things began to change. He and Wille had always been more touchy than a typical friendship, but it was never weird for them. There was a certain blurry, invisible line they never crossed, but Simon never saw it as anything other than platonic. That was, until they were both single and suddenly the way Wille brushed past him in the kitchen with a hand to the small of Simon’s back or the way Simon sometimes curled up into Wille’s side on the couch had a very different undertone. Then, there was the time two weeks ago when they’d both gotten a little drunk at a party and danced together, a little too close to be casual. Or that other time one week ago when they’d gone out to dinner with friends and sat pressed up against each other in a booth and Wille put a hand on Simon’s thigh, a little too high to be friendly.

It was like they were playing a game, amping up the tension that had been building between them for— Honestly, for the last four years. If, on that first night in their shared dorm room, Wille hadn’t disappeared to go to some party with a cousin of his and hadn’t come back in the morning covered in hickies, things probably would’ve started between them much earlier.

Simon already felt like he was going to burst at the seams, and so it was really very cruel of Wille to return from rowing practice looking like that, asking Simon to do that, and doing a real terrible job of hiding the fact that he knew exactly what he was doing.

“What?” Simon asked, feigning cluelessness.

Wille took a few steps forward and dropped his bag on the floor. With a dry mouth, Simon watched him interlace his fingers behind his back, the damp, almost see-through material of his T-shirt stretching as he did.

“I think I might’ve pulled something,” Wille said, voice strained as he lifted his clasped hands, traps and upper biceps flexing with the movement. He pouted at Simon. “Please?”

Simon swallowed and kept his eyes locked on Wille’s, even as the man reached down and picked up the hem of his shirt, using it to wipe his sweaty brow. In his peripheral, Simon could still see the revealed expanse of skin.

He managed to keep his tone relatively casual, eyes flitting back down to his laptop, as he said, “Yeah, sure. But only if you take a shower first. I can smell you from here.”

“You’re the best,” Wille grinned and saluted Simon before heading to the bathroom.

The moment he heard the shower turn on, Simon stopped pretending to click away on his laptop and dropped his head into his hands, exhaling a long, suffering sigh.

It would be fine. Simon would pull himself together and give his roommate, who he was maybe-not-just-friends with, a massage and it would all be fine. He would not lose this game they’d started.

Because he needed to do something with his hands, and because he’d abandoned all hope of focusing on his essay any longer, Simon went to the kitchen and quickly made a smoothie for Wille. He knew that, after a rough practice, Wille was always too tired to make real food and would just end up having chips, which was not a very good post-workout meal.

The shower shut off just as Simon was cleaning out the blender. He whirled around when he heard the bathroom door swing open.

“Where do you want me?” Wille asked from the doorway, still damp, hair dripping, and nothing but a towel around his waist. His smirk softened to an adoring smile when he saw Simon approaching him, holding out the smoothie. “Oh— You made that for me?”  

“Yes. You need real nutrients, Wille. That’s probably why you hurt yourself.”

Wille snorted and took the smoothie, giving Simon a quick peck on the cheek. His smell, fresh and soapy but still so Wille, overwhelmed Simon’s senses.

“God,” Wille moaned, licking his lips. “This is delicious. Maybe I should start neglecting my health more often. I swear your smoothies are better than mine.”

He would not lose this game.

Simon rolled his eyes and knocked his shoulder into Wille’s as he brushed past. It left a damp mark on his shirt.

“Come on. It’ll be easiest if you lie down,” Simon said, letting himself into Wille’s room. “Do you have—”

“I’ve got this?”

Wille had followed after him and was holding out a half-empty bottle of massage oil.

“Right. Perfect,” Simon murmured, taking the bottle from him.

Wille took another big sip of his smoothie, then deposited the cup on the nightstand and lay down across the bed. His feet dangled off the edge. He sighed happily and shifted a bit, back muscles flexing, and half buried his face in the pillows.

Tentatively, Simon knelt on the edge of the bed. “Where?”

“Between my shoulder blades,” Wille said, voice muffled. Simon’s eyes tracked the bulging of his triceps, the rippling of his obliques, as he bent an arm at an awkward angle to gesture at the area.

He nodded then, realizing Wille had shut his eyes and couldn’t see him, stuttered, “O— Okay.”

With slow, careful hands, he pumped out a bit of the oil onto his hands and lathered it together between them to warm it up, then leaned forward and spread it gently across the expanse of Wille’s broad back.

He would not lose this game.

To keep his head, Simon focused on the feeling of the knots under his fingertips. There were a few along the bottom edges of his shoulder blades, and he also noticed that one side of the muscles along his spine were slightly more raised than the other. He ran a firm thumb over a spot of tightness and Wille punched out an exhalation.

Simon froze. “Did that hurt?”

“Yes,” Wille chuckled tightly. “But it’s nice.”

When Simon didn’t move, Wille added, “It’s okay, Simon. You can press harder. It feels really good. Honestly, a bit of pain makes it better.”

So he wouldn’t have to think about the double meaning of those words, about a very different context in which Wille could be saying them, Simon started again.

He would not lose this game.

He worked the heel of his hand over the tighter spots, pausing occasionally to add more oil. Starting near the base of his spine, then smoothing it up, up, up to right below his neck, then out across the top of his shoulder.

“Thank you for doing this.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I am,” Wille said softly, “really grateful for you. I’m really glad you’re in my life.”

Simon smiled down at the side of Wille’s head, the way his face smushed into the pillows, the way his eyebrows drew together and he bit his lip as Simon worked over a particularly tight spot.

Voice tight, he mumbled, “I just love you, Simon.”

“I love you, Wille.” His hands slipped slightly, and he felt his cheeks flame with the words. It felt different than all the other times they’d said it. To hide how much his heart had soared at the exchange, he sassed, “Except you owe me after this,” then dug his thumb deep into a knot.

“Whatever you—fuck.” Wille’s fond words broke off into a heated moan and he arched slightly into Simon’s touch. “Fuck that feels so good, Simon.”

The tender moment was definitely lost, and the sounds shot straight to Simon’s groin. His resolve was crumbling.

“There?” Simon asked quietly, rubbing his thumb over the same spot.

“Th—yes. Right there. Shit.”

Wille stopped biting his lip, stopped muffling his groans, as Simon worked over the taut muscles. Right where Wille had indicated, then slowly moving down his back, over smooth, oiled, beautiful skin.

His fingers hesitated at the edge of the bath towel that still covered Wille’s lower half.

“Simon,” Wille breathed, tone almost pleading.

“Can I take this off?” he asked quietly, thumbing across the fluffy fabric.

“Please.”

Simon was plenty happy to lose this game.

[quietwingsinthesky]

i understand that the modern day segments are the thing that binds the assassin’s creed games together and that they’re essential to the story. but consider. they suck dick and balls.

[fragmentedblade]

Fu Xuan calls March "young girl", which is understandable. But she also calls Chengjie "young man from the Artisanship Commission" and like... ma'am how old are you

[snekdood]

i just struggle to believe theres any ethical way to harvest meat. farm animal dying of old age? yeah. ok. sure. but farm animals aren't going to be perpetually dying of old age enough to fulfill the demand for their meats. you can make better and more convincing arguments to me for ethically harvesting eggs, wool and milk rather than meat.

[vole-mon-amour]

I reached 30 tags so screw it:

if they made it like Silco and Vander had a fallout way before the Mom's death, it could've kinda worked 'cause Vi could've recognized Vander but not Silco, so Jinx still jumps into a stranger's embrace and Silco ends up raising her.

but then again, Vander tried to murder Silco WAY before that scene in the bar in s2. Vander looks way older, even though Silco looks completely different to what we see in flashback in s1.

it's like they didn't put any effort at ALL. it doesn't match. it doesn't make sense. was s1 good on a accident? should have they tried to at least get rid of inconsistencies? or don't go with the theory in s2? because so far it truly looks like "this is the story we wanted to tell" vs "this is the story we actually told" and now it's two completely different stories.

ugh.

I think ignoring s2 and treating s1 as a standalone might be the best choice here, cause s2 is definitely not going to work with the story they told in s1. what a shame.

The Vander/Silco Shitshow - generic, juvenile, and gimmicky slop

So, I think that Vander/Silco flashback was terrible. Tropey, careless, juvenile, clichéd bullshit that stripped away everything that made their season 1 story nuanced and poignant, while simultaneously ripping open a fat plot hole because the team got careless and did not catch the discrepancy between the story they'd written in their heads and the visuals that ended up on screen in season 1. This is just going to be a long rant post detailing the reasons I absolutely despised this flashback. Obligatory disclaimer that this is just my (strongly held) opinion.

1) The timeline plot hole

No, I'm not misusing the term. So a plot hole is an inconsistency in a fictional narrative that cannot be explained away by any plausible in-universe justifications. There are many moments of weak writing in Arcane that may be contrived, rushed, weird, convenient, etc. but aren't plot holes.

This Vander/Silco situation however. Oh boy. If you all remember, Season 1 opened with the bridge massacre, also known as the Day of Ash. Vander is shown cracking enforcers' skulls. He looks like this.

The sisters, seemingly recognizing him, ask him where their parents are. He gestures to their corpses, the sisters cry, Vander has his "violence is not the answer" epiphany, drops the gauntlets very dramatically to underscore this massive turning point of character development for him, then picks the girls up and leaves the bridge.

In episode 3, we are shown a flashback. Vander is trying to kill Silco in the river. He looks like this.

Let's compare this to how he looked like on the Day of Ash.

Yeah. According to the visuals shown in Season 1, the falling out of Vander and Silco seems to have occured in the past before the Day of Ash, evidenced by how much younger Vander looks. Unless Silco is a time traveller who jumped forward to the future to throw a molotov at the riot because he just loves violent extremism that much, or Vander took the time to shave his beard and apply heavy duty anti-aging lotion on his face before hunting Silco down, there are no plausible in-universe explanations for this inconsistency. Not to mention, if Silco and Vander were really as close as brothers and the sisters knew Vander, then it's impossible they wouldn't have known who Silco was.

Yet, in Season 1, that's exactly what we see - not a single sliver of recognition between Silco and the girls, nothing to imply they knew of his existence before episode 3. Not a single conversation between Jinx and Silco implied that he knew, let alone was close to, her mother. Nothing from Vi throughout the entire first season indicated that she knew of his past friendships with her mother and Vander. They acted like total strangers to each other.

Many fans already caught this inconsistency during the three-year gap after writers' comments online implied Silco was involved in the Day of Ash. We had hoped the writers would catch on to this discrepancy too and either iron out the timeline if they want to do serious flashbacks, or just avoid calling attention to it completely by not doing flashbacks of their falling out. Alas.

2) Leonardo Dicaprio pointing meme

Death to the everybody-knows-everyone trope and lines that only exist to invoke the "Leonardo Dicaprio pointing" meme. Throw them into a fucking fire. Boring, mind-numbing, clichéd, overdone garbage. Not every character needs to have some kind of half-baked relation with each other. Not every major incident needs to be tied back to the main characters. Not every single detail needs to be overexplained and justified and again, somehow tied to a main character. They are unnecessary, and make the world feel so much more claustrophobic and smaller than it should be.

"The enforcers actually commited the Day of Ash massacre because SILCO threw a molotov. Vander actually tried to kill Silco because of VI AND JINX'S mother. She knew both Silco and Vander personally and TOLD THEM to help her raise her kids. VANDER named Vi."

Bullshit like this really fucks with immersion, because it becomes clear very quickly that the world is only occupied by a small handful of real characters while the thousands of other people in it are nothing more than inconsequential set dressing and wallpaper. The story and world no longer feel real, vast, and immersive. And these forced "connections" between main characters are so obviously manufactured to generate "OUGHHH" and Dicaprio pointing reactions. Idk about anyone else, but it takes me completely out of the story when I can obviously tell the writing is trying too hard to blow my mind.

The girls' mom waltzing up to Vander and Silco and just. Fucking telling them to help her with her kids lmfaoooooooo. (OUGHH and they both really ended up raising her kids WOAGH😱🤯). Jinx's mom saying choosing a name is stressful because her child will feel stuck with it (GASP and Powder ended up changing her name WOOOOWW😱). Vander coming up with Vi's fucking name. (OUGHHHH HE REALLY WAS MEANT TO BE FATHER ALL ALONG WOADGHHGHDHDH🤯🤯🤯).

Fucking kill me. Arcane Season 1 was surprisingly good precisely because they DIDN'T, for the most part, resort to tropey bullshit like this. It had, for the most part, originality. Uniqueness. In fact all the strongest aspects of Season 1, aspects I loved, were deliberate subversions of overdone clichés. For Season 2 to resort to this kind of writing reminiscent of Disney slop is insanely disappointing.

I'm waiting for a character to unironically say, "What are we, some kind of League of Legends?" in Act 3 now.

3) "Ohhhhh so THAT'S why he did that!!!!!!!!!"

Also death to overexplanations and giving justifications for things that never needed justifications. You know what I was never confused by while watching Season 1 of Arcane? Why Vander adopted the girls. Why Silco adopted Jinx. Why both came to care for their girls so much, they were willing to sacrifice so much for them. I thought the reasons for those things were very clear and poignant in the first season. I never needed an extra on-the-nose justification for the adoptions in the form of, "they wuved yo mama". It's not only redundant, it's also one of the most tired ass tropes in fiction. To me, Vander taking in the girls and Silco taking in Jinx are so much more powerful if they really were just random guys with no real connection to the girls' parents.

But I've already seen some positive reactions to this flashback with "Ohhhhh so THAT's why Silco/Vander cared for the girls so much, now I understand😯🤯😓" mf what exactly did you not understand before??

4) Character motivations

The motivations of both Vander and Silco are made downright bizarre by this flashback. So Silco was hellbent on murdering Vi last season, despite being close friends with her mom whose death he may feel guilty for? Literally despised her and wanted to kill her the entire time with no hesitation lol. So Vander had that aforementioned dramatic moment of character development, dropped the gauntlets, realized violence wasn't the answer, and carried the kids to safety... then doubled back to violently hunt down and murder Silco? But not before shaving his beard and applying youthful lotion of course. Can't kill your bro while looking crusty. Then he failed to kill Silco so he just... went back to the kids and pretended like nothing happened? Lol.

Silco being close to, let alone loving, the girls' parents makes no fucking sense for his character. Vander knowing them at least makes sense, but casual friends would have sufficed. "I was lowkey crushing (?????) on your mom and also named you" just cheapened the entire Vander/Vi and Silco/Jinx surrogate father dynamic. Vander's motivation for killing Silco being yet another fridged woman is also weak as fuck. First Viktor with Sky, and now Vander/Silco. They really should have left this one up to our imaginations if this was the boring tripe they came up with.