#did not expect to ramble so much this was just supposed to be a list
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erial-c · 7 months ago
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#5
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started listening to this creator recently and i rlly like their worldbuilding !!!
this might be the closest video on this list to boyfriend asmr lmao, it's the perfect balance of sleep aid and lore (though i cld not sleep because i had to absorb all the plot)
#4
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channel name cut off (curse the mobile yt layout) so for clarification this is by mage bunkshelf !!!
i definitely listen to stuff that leans more towards audio rp than bf asmr (can you tell)
love this audio though it still has the bf asmr elements to it, the speaker character is so chill abt a moth person flying into his room i love it
#3
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oooohhh my pizza rat . love yuurivoice especially this little guy of a character . i feel so cool as the listener character.
this video is so good but it KILLS me every time . tbh the only instance of the misunderstanding cliche that i love
#2
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again, can you tell i prefer audio rp videos yet
LOVE this series its such a good balance of worldbuilding, slow burn (maybe. ...) and comedy . this video in particular UGH *chef's kiss*
i've yet to get into the series abt albus's backstory though </33
#1
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if i had a nickel for every pizza guy character from an asmr channel that i've listened to, i'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird it happened twice
tbh was fighting for my LIFE choosing over guy or sam, and what video in their playlists i would choose
though i think this is the video i listen to the most, also my favorite reverse comfort audio đŸ«¶ đŸ«¶Â (also because its the closest i'll get 2 guy angst)
What are your top 5 favorite boyfriend ASMR videos?
I’ll go first ïżŒ
#5 this boy looks so well loved ïżŒ
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#4 ïżŒ listen.
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#3 (I may or may not have depression)
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#2 đŸŽ¶My love is mine all mine~đŸŽ¶
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#1 what can I say? I have two Ollie’s in my life I’m a Simp for both of them
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Feel free to re-blog I love seeing other peoples favorites!!!
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httpsdana · 8 months ago
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Request: 148 HĂ©ctor Fort
Only Yours~HĂ©ctor Fort
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*GIF isn't mine. credits to the owner*
completely devastated after yesterday's match with Pedri and Frenkie injured. We can't seem to get a break unfortunately :( anyways enjoy <3
you can request from my prompt list
this is my master list
players/drivers I write for
148-"I don't fucking care you're supposed to be mine."
This takes place after the barca/villareal match (i died that day)
The disappointing match has finally ended. Barca losing 5-3 to the 15th place Villareal. Hector has played an amazing match, starting with the team and later on being subbed off.
The whole team was devastated, not only them but also the fans were frustrated. y/n knew Hector would be fuming, so she kept a note to herself to measure her words before speaking.
Walking down to the tunnel, she just wanted to check on Hector before he goes to the lockers where the team will probably have a small meeting.
She stood in the tunnel as the players started walking down, greeting politely the ones she knew, before her favorite player (after Hector ofc) appeared. Pedri smiled at slightly, walking to greet her.
"hola hermosa. how are you?" he asked with his usual charming smile, that seemed a bit upset this time.
y/n blushed slightly at the nickname, before waking herself from her trance, and smiling at him.
"I'm good. nice goal out there. shame it didn't end like we wanted" she said, while he nodded sorrow taking over his features
"yeah...not how we wanted it, but we'll come back I'm sure" he gave her an encouraging smile
She nodded, agreeing with his statement. They stood in silence for a while, before Pedri spoke up again.
"waiting for Hector I assume?" he asked, while she nodded and mumbled a small yes, glancing over his shoulder to see if he arrived.
"well I'm gonna go now. it was nice talking to you" he gave her a small hug before he flashed a smile and walked down the tunnel.
As Pedri disappeared, Hector stood on the top of the tunnel, rage taking over his eyes and face. y/n assumed it was because of the match, little did she know Hector had seen every interaction she had wit his teammate, and let the jealousy take over.
"hi amor. you did so good today" she mumbled, wrapping her arms around his neck. Instead of his usual hug, he just put a hand on her back and pulled away.
"I have to go. we have a small meeting" he avoided her eyes and started to walk away
"I'll wait in the car" she said in a high voice.
He didn't say anything and kept walking down the tunnel. She felt something off about him, but brushed it off and started her small walk to where she had parked her car.
After about 15 minutes of waiting, Hector arrived, seemingly taking a shower already. He opened the passenger door and got in his seat, not saying a word. When y/n opened her mouth to say something, he beat her to it.
"Xavi is leaving at the end of the season" he mumbled, crossing his arms around his chest. y/n was left in shock, not expecting it. Xavi means a lot to Hector because of the opportunity he gave to him with the first team. What y/n didn't know was that Hector's anger wasn't because of Xavi.
The drive home was silent, the tension between the two can be cut with a knife. When they arrived home, Hector was quick to leave the car and slam the door behind him. y/n rolled her eyes and followed him inside.
"so what's with your mood swings now?" she stood in front of him with her arms crossed
"you're talking about my mood swings? why don't you talk about your flirting with my teammates huh?" he said angrily, standing up from the couch he was sitting on
"what the fuck are you talking about?" she said back in the same tone
"did you think I didn't see you with Pedri? I saw every interaction between you too, and you were enjoying it way too much" he rambled, his voice loud and angry.
y/n stood for a second taking in what he said, she did nothing wrong with Pedri but knowing Hector he got jealous over anything.
"really Hector? you're jealous of your teammate? me and him are friends and you know it. YOU were the one who introduced us, why so jealous now then huh?" she raised her eyebrow waiting for his answer
"I don't fucking care you're supposed to be mine." he said through gritted teeth, his jaw clenching while he stood close to her, looking down at her frame that seemed shorter than his
"I'm dating you not him Hector. grow the fuck up please. talk to me when you realize how stupid all this was" she said calmly, leaving him in the living room while she left to the bedroom.
After about 10 minutes, Hector made y/n and himself some tea and took their mugs to the room. He knocked on the door with his foot before pushing the door open.
''hey baby...I made you some tea" he said in a low voice, walking to her side of the bed. She was reading a book, so she closed it and took the mug from him.
"thank you" she mumbled
"I'm sorry for the scene I made. I was already fuming after the match and I guess seeing you with Pedri just made me angrier. I didn't mean for it to end like this and I don't wanna sleep knowing you're still mad at me." he said sincerely, reaching over to brush some hair from her face. She smiled at his apology, kissing the hand on her face and reaching over to hug him
"it's okay babe, just don't do it again. I wouldn't leave you for anyone else. I love you too much to do that" she smiled, him smiling wider
He pressed a kiss on her lips and sat next to her enjoying their cup of tea with some chit chats
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cleo-fox · 5 months ago
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As the Clock Strikes Midnight - Part I
Series Masterlist Chapter Summary: In which your story begins. Chapter Warnings: Off screen parental death, implied alcoholism, financial ruin, Loki being vaguely menacing in a library.
Tag List: I don’t have a tag list for this fic, sorry! The best way to hear about updates is to follow me on Tumblr or subscribe to the fic on AO3.
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Once upon a time, you had a family and you were happy.
Your father was a lord with a modest estate to his name. You had enough money to live comfortably and pay your servants well, but not so much that you lost all perspective. Your parents were good, kind people who were well-liked and well-respected, and they loved you very much. Though they had been married for many, many years, they still behaved as a couple newly and madly in love. Your mother’s eyes lit up when your father walked into the room and your father looked at your mother like she was the sun and moon and all the stars combined in one dizzying and glittering person who lit up his entire world.
In the darkest part of the night, when all your tears had been spent and your heart felt as though it would never stop breaking, you wondered if it would have been better had he loved her a little less, if that would have made things easier for him in the end. It’s the sort of thought that you feel guilty having, the sort of question that you know you’re not supposed to ask—after all, some stones are better left unturned.
Your bright and glittering mother burned too brightly for this world and it seemed rather bitterly poetic that she should be taken by a fever. Her eyes shone bright as new silver coins as the sickness burned through her, her fevered mind conjuring demons and shadowy figures from the flickering firelight in her chambers. The shadows in her mind made her weep and scream so loudly that you couldn’t help but hear it, even though your father tried to shield you from the worst of it. Worse, though, was when she went very still and quiet, her rattling cough the only sign that life still lingered in her too bright eyes.
She was only sick for a fortnight, but it felt like months of pressing cool cloths against her burning brow and waiting with bated breath for relief that did not come.
She died at sunrise, leaving you alone and taking a part of your father with her.
He tried, your father. He really did. He got up and got dressed every day. He still took you on rambling strolls through the city, still took an interest in your studies, still quizzed you on history at the dinner table, still told you he loved you. But his eyes never really regained their former sparkle and his face grew hollow and just a shade too thin. He drank more—always at night after he thought you’d gone to bed. Sometimes, you would find him staring empty-eyed into the fire, like if he looked hard enough, he might catch a glimpse of your glittering mother dancing in the flames just beyond his reach.
The worst part of it was when you tried to talk about it, he insisted he was fine, even as he began to neglect the house, even as he did not hire replacements for the servants who had begun to leave. You suspected—but could not say for certain—that if you were to look at the house’s accounts, you would find a good deal of red in the ledger. He grew weaker and thinner, like he was trying with all of his might to just disappear.
Your father died like your mother—in the quiet of the night before you could say goodbye.
But your problems were only just beginning. 
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You hadn’t expected them to bring you before the king’s steward, but that is where they take you when you arrive at the palace. The palace as a whole is light and airy and bright, but Fritjof’s office feels like a dungeon—largely because of the man himself. Fritjof is a thin and reedy man who would seem less imposing and severe if he were carved from granite. He sits at his desk as he looks you over, his mouth drawn into a thin hard line like you've already disappointed him.
“Do you know why you’re here, girl?” You don’t know it yet, but this greeting is a rather apt example of what your entire relationship with Fritjof will be: cold, distant, and abrupt.
You’re not sure if you should look him in the eye—he seems like the sort of man who would interpret a direct gaze as a sign of impertinence while simultaneously demanding it as a sign of respect. There is no winning with that sort of man—you’re young, but you know this.
Ultimately, though, you decide to look him in the eye. Not for him, but for yourself—it at least gives you the illusion that you’re somewhat in control. It’s a comforting illusion, even if it is a lie.
You clear your throat. “My father’s debts, sir.”
He sniffs slightly and it’s somehow dismissive, like you’d said the wrong thing and he’d expected that. “No.” He picks up a quill and makes a careful note on one of the papers sitting in front of him. “You are here,” he says as he writes, “because of the Allfather’s generosity.” He looks up, fixing you with a stern gaze. “You will do well to remember that.”
“Yes, sir,” you say.
He returns to his writing. “You are not of age and you have no family to take you in.”
This is a fact that you’ve become quite well acquainted with, but you are still surprised by how painful it is to hear Fritjof say.
“The Allfather has settled your father’s debts and you are now a ward in the employ of the crown. You will take no wage until such a time that your debt to the crown has been repaid. You have ceded all claims to your title and any property of significant value.”
He sets his quill down and looks up, his expression devoid of any warmth. “You are a servant, you are indebted to the crown, and you will remember your rightful place at all times. I do not tolerate foolishness, laziness, impertinence, or stupidity. Do I make myself clear?”
You swallow, your fingernails digging hard into the palms of your hands, any hope of finding kindness at the palace well and truly extinguished. “Yes, sir.”
Fritjof stares at you for a moment longer and you get the sense that he’s trying to decide whether you’re truly clever enough to have answered his question. You bite the inside of your cheek to keep yourself from squirming under his gaze. Finally, he clears his throat.
“You will work in the kitchens. Grete will see to your training. You are dismissed.”
You don’t really know where the kitchens are or who Grete is, but you exit as quickly as possible, desperate to leave Fritjof and his icy gaze well and far behind you.
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Years pass and you come of age in the punishing pace of the palace kitchens.
You are an average worker, precise and methodical, but not exemplary or incompetent enough to draw much attention. You like it this way—the less conspicuous you are, the less likely that you’ll stumble into Fritjof’s crosshairs. While Fritjof spends very little time in the kitchens, his general presence in the palace has the same effect as an icy draft on a guttering fire. He doesn’t exactly seem to like anyone in particular, but it feels like he reserves a particular kind of disdain for you especially. You’re not entirely sure why—it’s not as if you’ve done anything other than simply exist in front of the man—but you try not to think on it much. At some point, you mention it to Grete and she laughs.
“That man has never smiled a day in his life,” she says. “His soul’s made of vinegar. Keep your head down and pay him no mind.”
You laugh, but you still can’t quite shake the feeling.
Grete is something like a friend, you suppose. She’s around your age and prone to gossip, but she’s pleasant enough. She makes an effort to include you in her small group of friends—Marit, Solvi, Lise, and Ylva. It’s not quite the same as your life before, but you have something that resembles a social life, which is more than you expected given Fritjof’s icy reception.
The head cook, Anja, also turns out to be something of a blessing. While the details of your current situation have left you feeling a little wary about trusting anyone, Anja proves to be the exception to that rule. She’s not exactly a warm person, but when she finds you crying in the pantry one night not long after you first arrive at the palace, she sits you down in front of the fire and fixes you a mug of warm milk.
“I’m not one much for sentiment,” she says gruffly as she hands you the mug.
You tense in anticipation of the lecture you’re certain is coming.
“But losing both your parents in such a short time, that’s a heartache I understand.”
You don’t really know what to say to that, so you nod and take a careful sip from your mug.
“I won’t tell you it gets easier,” she says, “but the pain dulls after a while. It’ll become an ache you can live with.”
Anja is quiet for a long time as you sip at your milk, but it’s not an uncomfortable quiet. “You’re a smart girl,” she says eventually. “This—” she gestures broadly at the kitchen, “—this is just a short season in your life. You won’t be a ward of the crown forever.”
It’s the first time that anyone has said anything like that to you, the first time that your debt has felt like anything other than an immovable and immutable obstacle. It’s a hope that feels practical and you feel something lighten in your spirit. 
You blink away more tears and Anja pretends she doesn’t see. “Thank you,” you say.
Anja pats your shoulder as she stands. “Wash the cup before you go to bed.”
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For the most part, you keep your head down and focus on your work, dreaming about the day your debt is repaid and you can leave the palace behind.
Though you’re curious about your outstanding balance, you decide that you cannot ask Fritjof about it for a while yet. While Fritjof’s general unpleasantness and seeming dislike of you is a motivating factor, the main reason is because the amount you owe is large enough that it doesn't seem particularly prudent to check until enough time has passed for your work to start to make a difference.
So, you wait and work.
It’s many years after your arrival that you finally drum up the courage to knock on Fritjof’s office door. Though you are now a woman grown, you can’t help but feel like you did on that first day: wide-eyed and terrified, your fingernails digging into the palms of your hands in an effort to maintain your composure. Even though you’ve never asked him about this before, Fritjof still looks annoyed as he hauls out his ledger, licking his index finger as he flips through the pages.
Your knees are shaking when he finally slides the ledger across his desk for you to inspect. You suck in an uncertain breath while your eyes scan across the page until you find your name.
And there in Fritjof’s precise script is a horrible truth: your balance owed has barely moved at all.
You have worked until your body ached, forgone sleep and many other comforts, and it all amounts to a raindrop in the ocean. At this rate, you will be an old woman by the time it is paid off in full.
You have years of practice holding back tears, but this creeping sense of despair and the lump in your throat are both new. You feel as though you’ve lost something important and after a moment, it occurs to you that the feeling you’ve lost is hope.
“Will that be all?” Fritjof says gruffly.
You jolt. “Yes. Thank you, sir.”
You only allow yourself to weep later that evening under the cover of darkness.
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But despite that loss, this is the year that everything begins to change, though you won’t know that until much later.
You spend the first week after Fritjof’s revelation walking around in a dazed fog. You eat little and sleep as soon as your work ends in the evening, clinging to what scant comfort your dreams are able to provide. But from that consuming fog of hopelessness emerges a strange kind of freedom. It’s not exactly apathy so much as it is perspective—suddenly, the little things that bothered you seem pointless, arbitrary rules that kept you in line feel less consequential. Does it truly matter if you sneak an extra pastry into the pocket of your apron when so many more years of backbreaking work lay ahead of you?
It’s this change in perspective that motivates you to begin visiting the palace library.
Reading is a pleasure that was taken from you when you came to the palace. You had managed to keep four favorites from your parents’ library, but you have read them so many times over that it is difficult to enjoy them in the same way that you had before. With all of your wages going toward your debt, you have no money to buy books of your own, not even the cheap paperbacks they sell in the marketplace. From time to time, you might be able to arrange a trade with one of the other servants—bartering an extra shift for a borrowed book—but your reading interests and theirs did not always align. A library is a luxury that you can barely even begin to imagine—and one day, it occurs to you that maybe you shouldn’t have to imagine it.
You’re not exactly breaking a specific rule. That is the story you intend to tell if you are ever caught. The library is open to the entire palace and no one has ever specifically said that servants are excluded. Granted, if you have to guess, you’re fairly certain that you’re not supposed to be there, but you’re prepared to play dumb if it comes down to that.
You are still careful, though. You only go very late at night during your free hours. You don’t stay long—maybe an hour at most, the clock chiming midnight always serving as your cue to exit. You never take anything with you—you read quietly standing in the stacks, your eyes straining in the dim lamplight.
You like this new rhythm to your days—it gives you something to look forward to, a glimmer of light in an otherwise exhausting existence. The only person who notices you coming and going at late hours is Grete, but she easily convinces herself that you’re sneaking about because you’ve taken a lover. You roll your eyes and tell her that you’ve simply grown fond of a late evening walk. She doesn’t believe you, but she doesn’t try to stop you either, which is the only thing you care about.
It’s three weeks in when you’re caught. You expected this would happen at some point, but you didn’t think it would be so soon and you didn’t think that one of the princes would be the one to catch you.
Your stomach drops as you recognize the emerald gaze boring into you from across the room. You hadn’t seen him sitting there, hadn’t heard him come in, and there is no way to hide the open book in your hand. It’s not like you could pretend that you are here on urgent kitchen business, either. If Thor had been the one to find you, you might have had a hope of pleading your case, but Loki...well. Loki isn’t exactly known for being particularly merciful.
You meet his gaze dead on, your chin jutting out almost instinctively in quiet defiance. He looks at you, utterly unreadable, his gaze flitting briefly to the book in your hand. There’s a slight twitch at the corner of his lips—something that could be a hint of amusement, though you can’t quite imagine him smiling in this moment.
He holds your gaze for a moment more and then his gaze drops back to his book.
You stare at him for a few seconds before retreating back into the shadows of the stacks, your heart beating wildly. You’re not entirely certain what this means. Perhaps he is biding his time; perhaps he will go straight from here to Fritjof’s office after he finishes his book. Perhaps he will wait until morning.
You consider this for a moment. If he intends to report you, your time in the library is surely limited; you’ll be back to rereading your own books and making bargains with the other servants. This could be your last chance to enjoy a new book for quite a while. You might as well make the most of it.
It’s not easy to bring your focus back to the text, but you manage, even though your heart is still thundering in your chest. Your legs are a little wobbly, but you convince yourself to stay until the clock chimes midnight.
Loki looks up as you are leaving the library. You keep your eyes on his, chin tilted up as you dip into a perfunctory curtsy. You’re not quite sure if it’s amusement or something darker that makes his eyes glitter like jewels, but it’s out of your hands now and you’re resigned to whatever fate has in store. You leave the library with your head held high, the hairs on the back of your neck prickling under the weight of Loki’s gaze.
When all is said and done, though, he doesn’t report you.
He’s there the next evening when you return and most of the ones after that. You seem to have reached some sort of unspoken agreement with him, though it baffles you. You are not entirely certain of his motivations—perhaps he sees you as an amusing curiosity, perhaps he does not care enough about rules and protocol to be much concerned when someone breaks them. Perhaps it’s simply the fact that you never seek to deprive him of the chair that he favors—the red one right by the window. Or perhaps he still intends to turn you over to Fritjof and he’s merely waiting for the right moment to do it. Whatever the reason, he seems content to allow you to go about your business and you decide that it’s a reprieve that’s best not questioned overly much. 
Still, even with this silent truce between you, even with your vow not to think about all the ways this could go wrong, Loki gives you the same feeling you get when you discover a wasp trapped indoors: a slight sense of unease, the feeling that you must be aware of his presence at all times or risk some sort of danger.
Careful, you think.
Sometimes, you lock eyes and it’s hard to ignore how hard your heart beats in your throat, how difficult it is to hold your head high and not look away. It gives you a strange feeling, but not necessarily an unwelcome one.
He’s also rather absurdly handsome, which doesn’t help matters. 
Careful.
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Every year, the palace hosts a masquerade ball. It’s meant to be a celebration for all of Asgard—everyone is invited, even the servants. Inviting the servants is a nice gesture, but a slightly thoughtless one—a ball requires an enormous amount of work, especially from the kitchen staff. If everyone took the night off to attend, there would be no celebration at all.
Many years ago, Anja had implemented a solution to this problem. There would be a rotation—the full staff would work together the day of the ball, with one third being dismissed a few hours early to attend and the other two thirds remaining in the kitchens to work. The assignments would change every year so everyone got the chance to attend. It wasn’t perfect, but it was fair and no one could find any fault with fair.
The problem for you was that Fritjof was the one who actually arranged the staffing for this. And every single year, you are assigned to the group scheduled to work. You know that this is intentional on Fritjof’s part: it is the sort of pointless, petty revenge that he is fond of and it requires little effort for him to accomplish.
It doesn’t really occur to you to complain about it. You’re trying to keep your head down and complaining to Fritjof is not worth the trouble it would cause, even though you would very much like to go. So, every year you ignore the sympathetic looks from Grete and the other girls and try not to think about the dress you have tucked away in the trunk in your room as you work the night away in the kitchens.
Among the few belongings that you were permitted to take with you to the palace is a gown that once belonged to your mother. You wanted a bright, glittering reminder of her when she died and this dress was the brightest and most glittering one in her wardrobe. It is several seasons out of fashion, but it is beautifully elegant, all ivory silk and lace and hemmed with silvery embroidered leaves. The matching shoes are encrusted with blue and silver beads that glitter like glass when they catch the light. A matching mask of silver filigree accompanies it—your mother must have worn it to one of the masquerade balls many years ago.
It is an impractical dress to keep—you have never worn it anywhere outside of your own room—but it’s nice to put it on and pretend sometimes. If you ever get the chance to go, this would be the dress you would wear—everyone dressed a little outlandishly for the masquerade and a gown a few seasons out of fashion would draw no special attention.
It’s a silly, passing thought—just another daydream that makes your old life seem not quite as far away. 
But in the year that everything changes, your absence from the ball is finally brought to Anja’s attention.
On the day of the masquerade, Anja summons you to the larder on the pretext of helping her with some pastries. The moment the door closes, she whirls on you, fixing you with a stern gaze. You tense and for a moment, you think she must have found out about your trips to the library.
“Why didn’t you tell me that you’ve been assigned to work during the masquerade every year since you’ve arrived?”
Your relief is immediate, accompanied by a dizzying rush of adrenaline that almost makes you want to laugh. “I didn’t think it mattered.”
“Of course it matters,” says Anja with a level of feeling that surprises you. “Everyone's meant to have a chance to go, not everyone except for one person. You should have said something to me.”
You know you’re speaking out of turn, but the indignation in Anja’s voice is oddly disarming. “I didn’t think Fritjof would allow it,” you say.
Anja’s shoulders sag slightly and there’s a flash of softness in her eyes that disappears almost as quickly as it appears. “I’ll thank you not to repeat this, but that man is too hard on you.”
You shrug, not really sure what to say.
“Luckily, he’s predictable,” she continues. “He’ll be in and out of the kitchens early on in the evening, so I can’t change your assignment without him noticing. Once desserts go out, though, he’s likely to stay in the ballroom. After the cakes are iced, I’ll send you to go get dressed. You won’t have more’n two hours in all, but it’s enough time to get cleaned up and dressed and have a dance or two before the unmasking at midnight.”
Your mouth hangs open. This was beyond what you had hoped for. “Really?”
“Don’t gape at me, girlie, it’s unbecoming,” she says, lightly tapping your cheek. There’s something warm growing and expanding in your chest and you realize there are tears brimming in your eyes. “Don’t you cry on me either or I’ll change my mind,” says Anja gruffly, though there’s warmth there.
You nod, hastily wiping your eyes. “I just—I never thought...thank you, Anja.”
“It’s the decent thing to do,” she says, brushing you off. “Now look lively, there’s a lot of work to be done yet.”
You think of your bright and glittering mother and your kind father and the life that they wanted for you. It’s just a masquerade, but you can’t help the small, hopeful feeling that blooms in your chest.
Little do you know that this will be the start of something rather extraordinary.
Next chapter
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kale-of-the-forbidden-cities · 9 months ago
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Just thinking about Fitz and Keefe. They're both so jealous of each other. It spiraled into more and more talking about fitz and vacker imperfections and stuff, enjoy :>
(I rambled out the draft on discord, but I did change a few things and add on a bit at the end, so if you feel like rereading it might make more sense now)
tw: breif mentions of ed, suicidal thoughts, and implied sh, but they're all like very brief and not descriptive just want to put a warning
Remember in Flashback when Sophie and Fitz were going all Fitzphie on Keefe's mind, and they found the memory of Alden telling Keefe he was proud?
Imagine it hurt so bad for Fitz when he watched that. Because Alden never says that to Fitz even when he came out on top, no matter how perfect he was, so why did Keefe get that kind of praise?
Keefe may have come out second to Fitz with Foxfire grades, but Fitz has always felt second to Keefe in everything. No matter how perfect he tries to be or how much of a people pleaser he is, it seems inevitable that everyone likes Keefe better anyway.
And how could they not? He's funny, he's messy, he's imperfect.
Fitz could never be like keefe. His family would hate him. But they still like Keefe better.
Alvar always liked Keefe better than his actual little brother. Even though Fitz looked up to Alvar more than anyone! He admitted that in Neverseen!
Alden told Keefe he was proud of him?? for coming in second? Even after all the studying and work Fitz put into being first, being top, being perfect, people always choose keefe, Which is one of the reasons Fitz was so insecure about Sophie spending a lot of time with Keefe while she and Fitz were dating, he was scared she was going to leave him for Keefe, like people always do, because he's just better. he's nicer, he doesn't lash out at people, he doesn't have as much pressure on him because he never cared about pleasing his parents.
AND SHE DID! Sophie did leave him for Keefe. Even though Fitz promised to take things at her pace. Even though he said he'd wait. But it was the match lists that ended up breaking them apart. But what was Fitz supposed to do?? Not care about the match? There had never been a Vacker bad match, and Fitz beign the first one, after everything Alvar did and how much all the Vackers already hate these five in particular, it would bring a whole new level of shame on the family. Not just him, but Biana and Alden and Della too.
Keefe is allowed to not care about this stuff, because he's not perfect. Fitz is so, so, so jealous of Keefe because he GETS TO BE IMPERFECT. HE'S ALLOWED TO MAKE MISTAKES. He's allowed to feel things.
Keefe's parents are awful, Fitz's parents are fine. Anytime Fitz dares to think "hey maybe my parents are manipulating or using me or putting unrealistic expectations on me" he also remembers that he has it GOOD. He's so lucky compared to everyone else. So he has no right to be upset about anything.
In Flashback, Fitz actually says something like this to Sophie: Sophie had to grow up with humans, Keefe has his whole thing with his parents, Dex was bullied for being the son of a bad match, Tam and Linh were banished
 so he's had it easy! He has no right to feel sad when his life is just. so. perfect.
And the thing is, everyone thinks his life is perfect. Especially Keefe! Keefe is always talking about how the Vackers are perfect and lucky and he wishes he was one, when inside, Fitz would secretly rather be Keefe. Even with the whole everything with his parents, at least he doesnt have to be perfect! At least he's allowed to disappoint his parents, because theyre bad parents! And people always like him more. Without fail, Fitz has always felt second to Keefe. Every time he thinks he did good, people go to keefe for being imperfect.
Why did keefe get Alden's praise when he came out second in the level? Fitz barely slept to make sure he came out on top! If Fitz had gotten 98/100, he wouldn't be yelled at, but he'd get a disappointed talk. Why is it different with Keefe, who isnt even Alden's son, why does Alden like him more?
So Fitz ends up spiraling and obsessing more and more.
He can't be imperfect like Keefe, he wouldnt dare. So he does what he can to be as perfect as possible. Maybe he just needs to get a hold on his temper. Wait till he's behind closed doors to do anything but smile. Maybe he needs to eat less, get a perfect number on the scale. Maybe then he'll be good enough.
But he's never good enough.
Nothing he does will ever be good enough.
Keefe is reckless, imperfect, and messy. but even though Fitz does his best to not step a toe out of line, he does everything he can to be perfect...... They keep picking Keefe. without fail, no matter what.
Fitz knows he shohld accept defeat, accept that he'll never be good enough for anyone because of everything he's done to try to be perfect, but he can't stop trying.
He'll keep pushing himself, he'll stay up for hours studying, looking for clues about the Neverseen, going through Alvar's old room, he'll do ANYTHING for someone to say theyre proud of him. For someone to tell him that he did good, for once in his life, but they never notice.
It's never "Wow, you've been working so hard, good job!" or "You look good, did you lose weight?" or "Thanks for helping out, thanks for at least trying"
EVEN THOUGH HE DOES NOTHING BUT TRY. HE'S TRYING SO HARD
Instead, people are saying things like "You look awful, you've got bags under your eyes" (maybe he should put on some makeup to hide that) or "You never join us for dinner, it's like you hate us" (he does. he secretly hates his family so much) or "You've gotten so distant that you're ruining all your relationships with your friends and family" (what else is he supposed to do? they dont like him anyway)
He's driving himself insane over being perfect, only to have people like Sophie say that he's "too perfect." HE JUST CANT WIN!
He's not allowed to make mistakes, but maybe the worst mistake he made was being too perfect!
But how does he stop?
He can't. he trapped himself here. He's convinced he brought this on himself, but he cant get out of this cycle,
And nobody else will get him out,
Because he's not perfect enough.
If they havent noticed his struggling, maybe they dont care enough. But Fitz has gotten so good at hiding it. Nobody will notice until he passes out in the hall or just fucking kills himself because it's too much.
Fitz thinks, why is it that Keefe's allowed to be open about hating himself, and yet as soon as he makes the slightest self deprecating comment, he's suddenly "being dramatic" or "looking for attention"?
And we're back to talking about Keefe again.
None of this is Keefe's fault but he will still feel so so guilty. He felt Fitz's jealousy and hurt when they watched the memory of Alden saying he's proud of him.
Keefe and Fitz are constantly comparing themselves to each other, but by the end of the story, Keefe will be getting the help and support he needs to move on from it. Fitz never showed it and wouldnt dare admit it. So he does not.
Alden and Cassius both seem to prefer the other's son.
Even with Fitz and Biana. There's still a bit of jealousy there, because Biana is starting to seperate herself from her family, and start her own "Vacker Legacy," whatever that means.
After Nightfall, biana has grown more comfortable with herself, she is challenging what it means to be a Vacker, realizing that their family isn't all it's claimed to be. She has no shame in being her fun confident self, and crying when she needs to, and showing off her scars, while if Fitz showed his scars, he'd probably end up in a psych ward or something (or at the very least getting yelled at).
Fitz is jealous of Biana almost as much as he's jealous of keefe. She's never been quite perfect either, but it's always in a good way, isn't it? she's managed to keep her friends (not including the earlier books) and she used to be a bit of a jerk to people, so people can look back and see how far she's come.
Fitz has only gotten worse over the years, and he knows it. he hears what people say in the halls. their whispers hardly hide it. He's presented himself the way he wanted to be - perfect. But it gets harder and harder to hide his imperfections, and people only notice the bad things, don't they? They don't worry, they only judge.
Biana's probably dealing with her own issues, as everyone in the Vacker family does, but she can be more honest about it. She's starting to break the habit of plastering on a smile and saying everything's fine. She's working on her relationship with people. She's like reverse Fitz.
Fitz fears he's going down a similar path of destruction to Alvar, but he counters those fears by being Alden's perfect golden boy like he was always supposed to be. Alden has such a hold on Fitz, he'd do anything for him if Alden worded it right. Ever since he was a kid he always knew he'd do anything to please his parents, even if it was potentially dangerous. But nobody has seemed to even bat an eye when they hear how young Fitz was when he went to the Forbidden Cities. So he must be overreacting, right? Because how could Fitz's childhood be anything less than perfect?
See, when Sophie started learning a little bit about Fitz's past and how things were actually not perfect in the Vacker house, she started to ignore him more and more. She had her other reasons, but to Fitz, it seemed like she was seeing how imperfect he really was, and he's not everything she hoped for. So he panics, and does his best to prove to her that he is the perfect boyfriend she wanted, but it didn't matter anyway because... she. liked. Keefe. better.
And Fitz hates himself so much for wishing he was keefe because Keefe has it so bad with the legacy thing, he hates how he wishes his parents were worse so he didn't feel so guilty every time he made a mistake that would disappoint them.
Not one person in Fitz's life has ever chosen him first. With everyone. There's always someone they love more.
Della loves Biana more, Biana chooses her friends, Sophie chose Keefe, Keefe chose Sophie.
Alden seemed to favor Keefe, or his work, or even just the ways he uses Fitz instead of loving him as his son or as a person. Maybe that's why Fitz is so desperate to listen to Alden, to please him, because he's the only person who seems to even care, even if he only cares when he's doing good or being perfect.
Alvar would choose Biana or Keefe over Fitz any day, even before the betrayal. Fitz still looked up to him, despite his vague dislike for Fitz. He likes Biana better because he thinks she'd understand better what the Vacker legacy is, Because FITZ IS PART OF IT. HE'S ADDING ONTO IT, WHATEVER IT IS!
Yep that's all I have, feel free to add your own ideas :3
tags:
@fitz-avery-vacker @autistic-daydreamer
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screamingfromuz · 1 year ago
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People have tried a few approaches to get through to you. I'm going to try another. Why do you think this attack was such a surprise in Israel but not to anyone else on earth? When I ask people I know IRL (In the UK) about this, they say, "I'm shocked by what Hamas are doing but what did Israel expect to happen?" Outside Israel it's clear to everyone that the Gaza Strip situation was going to lead to something like this. You've known about Gaza your whole life, you've know that situation was festering for decades, so why the surprise? How did you think this would end?
i'm emotional, so you won't get a good well researched and structured answer, but an emotional ramble. but you don't want a well researched and organized answer, you want me to cave in call israel a monster colonizer and praise the "brave palestinian freedom fighters". fuck you. or say something you can use to prove how bad all israelis are and how good all palestinians are.
do you know what happened back in the 90s when the news of peace talk broke? the amount of attacks against Israelis grew, the death toll grew. in the four years after the accords the death doll doubled. Palestinian authorities celebrated that "israel gave so much without getting back like fools" and "the only good thing that came out of the accords was the intifada".
so I turn the fucking question to you? what is Israel supposed to do? who are we to talk to to reach peace? or should it dissolve? turn power on my life to people who stated they would like to kill or expel all the Jews? give more resources to a terrorist group? you saw where they put the money they get.
why the fuck do you think Israel exist? because we learned that we can never be free nor safe to be ourselves under the control of others. do you know that between 1948-1951 about 300000 MENA Jews became refugees? and the only reason nobody cares is because Israel took them in, while the whole arab world was happy to leave the Palestinians to rot. do you want a fucking list of every atrocity that was made during this conflict? because both sides have a very long one and the big difference is that Israel fucking won the 1948 war!
and of-fucking-coarse we knew something big was gonna happen! it was in the news for months! people have been screaming at the assholes in charge for so long! it doesn't make it less horrifying! it doesn't matter that we knew that Hamas are stealing all the recourse to make missiles and are going to take advantage of the chaos in israel, it doesn't matter that our extremists are feeding their extremists, cause IT DOESN'T MAKE IT FUCKING RIGHT! we knew Hamas will do some horrid war crime but didn't want to think that people will take whole cities hostage and kidnap and murder hundreds! nobody wanted it to become a fucking war you piece of condescending shit!
we wanted the sane people of both sides to take over and work together! we were hoping to use the near municipal elections to get people who support cooperative living in to the city councils so we can change stuff for the better and fight the anti peace movements of both sides! and maybe gain enough power so in the next parliamentarian elections we will get some decent people that would kickstart the peace process and support palestinian communities into the cabinet! do you know how hard we worked to support Israeli-Palestinian lists for the municipal races? how much effort is put by people to try and make things better?
so i'm gonna ask you again, what was Israel supposed to fucking do?
and If you say "to stop existing" I want you to know that you just exposed yourself as a supporter of genocide.
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lyssala · 6 months ago
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I was trying to figure out They are stuck in my mind at all times and when I was thinking, I realized oh OH they're the same picture. So really I apparently just have a trope hierarchy to which if you resemble Roy/Riza in anyway you skyrocket to the top of my list.
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Some ramblings about Clorinde/Wriothesley under the cut because I have no where else to do it. I'm sorry to all the people who've been my followers for years and I literally just come here once a year to drop a ship fixation LOL Here's my big dose of copium I guess đŸ€Ł
(For the record, I have nothing against the popular pairings for either of them; I multiship just fine. There isn't an ounce of ship bashing in this because 1. that's rude lol 2. discrediting canonical relationships because they threaten the chances of my pair being on top defeats the purpose of analyzing characters)
(Updated: 8/25 just to acknowledge a few other various things before the end of the Fontaine era)
Roy & Wriothesley: fight using their hands (in different ways but still; fire and ice though); masks their true goals behind a facade (whether staged like Roy or Wriothesley just letting people believe what they want about him); most people don't know their true personality/history; hold a position of power in what most people assume is ambition but really they just want to do good to those who need it.
Riza & Clorinde: observant/quiet personality; the world's best shot; the best poker face; straight faced humor; tough as nails; sass and teasing is a love language; recognized as the top of their respective fields and respected by many.
It's uncanny right??
1. Familiar With One Another
It's so clear they have history together. This is not their first mission, first interaction. They can read the lines between what is being said to understand something more, that is the definition of knowing and understanding how someone operates. It means some kind of history.
Between her greeting upon walking in the room (Clorinde: What's that look on your face? I thought I made good time on the way back.) and her knowing how he is about tea (Wriothesley: Want some tea? Clorinde: Not particularly. If you want to drink some that badly, just say so.) Those are not things you would know/say if you don't know a person. She knows he's giving her a weird look, or a look she wasn't expecting. He offers tea, and instead of saying no thank you, she's just no, but I know you do and you don't need me as an excuse đŸ€Ł
Even when he clarifies for her that he does want tea, he asks her again, maybe knowing she does actually like it but only if he's already making it - which I do all the time to Ren LOL (Wriothesley: Fine, I'd like to get some tea. Want me to get you a cup too, since I've already made it?) and that time she agrees (Clorinde: Eh, might as well then, I suppose.)
Idk like these are people who know each other. They know their quirks and their mannerisms. They talk to each other as equals (he doesn't question when she's telling the Duke wtf are you looking at me like that I'm right on time, and he's just like I know you're right on time you always are) I just think that's a big deal??
During the wrap-up of the main story quest, when talking to Charlotte when Clorinde is dodging interview attempts and Charlotte guesses how Clorinde knew Charlotte had an interview at Meropide (Clorinde: In truth, all Monsieur Neuvillette asked me was "When did the Fortress become so friendly towards the media?" I told him that it was best not to speak too soon — there's no guarantee that Wriothesley will make a personal appearance). It's likely that Clorinde was in the room when Neuvillette spoke the question aloud, but I also like him going up to her just to ask her like she'd know the answer to what Wriothesley was doing. I mean, she did still know the answer: that just because Charlotte had an interview, Wriothesley probably wouldn't show up. She knows he hates publicity as much as Clorinde does - I do have to imagine its because they've talked about it, they're friends.
In that same scene, Clorinde says to Navia that she seems interested in the Fortress, and Navia says duh, but that man gave me a headache (Navia: Of course! Ugh, that Wriothesley... I still remember going down to the Fortress to grill him for information on my father's case. Boy, did he take me for a ride... without telling me anything, of course). Clorinde then is like, yeah, but he invited you to tea, and it was good, right? (Clorinde: But he did invite you to tea, didn't he? Navia: Two large pots of it, in fact — it was good tea, though. Clorinde: I have to agree. The tea there is very good). My girl, how much time do you spend down there to know he'll habitually ask and that it's always good. Also, lol, the fact that she gave him such a hard time saying no, I don't want any tea, but if you want it, I'll have it, but then to Navia, Clorinde is much more straightforward about how good his tea is because she isn't teasing Navia.
Then of course their bets. (Wriothesley: I win this bet. You owe me a present. Clorinde: Very well, it was indeed just as you said.) This is a thing they do and apparently have done before. She literally talks about how much he gets into it, implying she's learned to go along with it because she knows he enjoys it.
My girl MY GIRL how do you know what kind of gifts he likes, or that he enjoys it all if you haven't done this a million times (Clorinde: Wriothesley gets really invested in that sort of thing. But he couldn't care less about what he wins in the end. Clorinde: You could give him mint plants that you plucked from the side of the road, and he wouldn't even mind). I also have to wonder if the reason he doesn't set a stipulation on what he wants, is because he likes to see what she comes up with, what reminds her of him and that's why he's so happy with anything - that's a little too me with the ship colored glasses on but still (the only other time we see him given a gift he's appreciative, but poor sweet Neuvillette has to explain it first so I can't judge Wriothesley's reaction in comparison).
A smaller thing is Navia always complaining about how hard it is to talk to Wriothesley while Clorinde just bubbles about calling the Duke by his first name and how he likes making bet and loves gifts đŸ€Ł (Navia: If only he was that easygoing when it came to talking business...) I know it's because Wriothesley intentionally avoids Navia due to whatever promise he made with her father. Still, the image of Navia's best friend being super chill with the Duke of Meropide while Navia is exhausted by the thought of talking to him is so superb. Chefs kiss on that dynamic, Hoyo (also can we talk about how the trio of Wrio, Clorinde, and Navia doesn't get nearly enough love and I'm genuinely saddened over that).
I guess one last thing for this section because I don't know where else to fit it, with Wriothesley, to everyone else Clorinde is Miss Clorinde, including to her when they're in public but when Wriothesley is talking to Neuvillette when he's delivering all the gifts, she's just Clorinde (Wriothesley: I have to hand it to Clorinde. Just a simple gift delivery, and she has the great and mighty Iudex at her beck and call.) possibly because Neuvillette would be one of the few people to know they have a relationship outside of work? Though Clorinde is just like oh yeah Wriothesley is just like that in front of a whole slew of people LOL so maybe it's an on work time/off work time thing đŸ€Ł I don't necessarily have a clear analysis but I 💯 noticed it still.
2. Familiar With The Fortress
Moreso for Clorinde since obviously Wriothesley is familiar with it. I think the most clear indication there is for Clorinde spending time down there is through Sigewinne. The official livestream announcement image being a lovely example.
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Okay, I know it's because her and Sigewinne were the two new characters and like I said Sigewinne doesn't leave Meropide all too often. Still there were plenty ways to promote them: in the infirmary, in Neuvillette's office (like they did later for her demo/trailer), at the dining hall in Meropide, streets of Fontaine, even no place at all. A choice was made to have them sitting in Wriothesley's office.
I mean Clorinde has to spend a decent amount of time down there??Sigewinne has her drink meaning either Clorinde was comfortable enough to brew Wriothesley's tea or he brewed it for her/them. It's his teas set that sits in his office in game. Again these were choices that were made LOL Clorinde is reading so she's clearly not there for business, just hanging out in his office with Sigewinne.
Also, Clorinde's little smile đŸ„č Another is the dolphin (whale? looks dolphin to me) sticker on her book, meaning that Sigewinne made a sticker of Clorinde (like she did with Wriothesley and Neuvillette). Most of all implying that Clorinde is close enough to Sigewinne to get that honor and the fact it's on Clorinde's book, that she spends enough time in Meropide that Sigewinne also likes to stick stickers on Clorinde's things like Sigewinne does to Wriothesley.
Another small thing, was Clorinde in Sigewinne's character trailer. Navia was about to guzzle that tea when Clorinde stopped her like, no, girl, wait. She's 100% had Sigewinne's drink creations before there would be no reason for Clorinde to otherwise stop Navia. And even Clorinde's little cough compare to Navia's big wide eyes of shock lol Clorinde has been through it.
One last thing with Sigewinne is her voiceline about Clorinde and that she's been around Clorinde enough to try to learn how to read her (Sigewinne: Miss Clorinde doesn't make a lot of facial expressions when she talks. It's pretty difficult to tell what mood she's in from what her face is doing...She used the lipstick I gave her? Really? Hee-hee, I'm so glad she likes it! I knew that color would go great on her!). But, Sigewinne also knows her enough to give her gifts - and vice versa (Clorinde: And some tea-flavored hard candies. They're for Sigewinne) - because they're also friends. That can literally only happen if Clorinde has spent time there longer than what we've seen/were told.
Another thing I found so cute about Clorinde's connection to Meropide, was in Clorinde's story quest, when they went to the Meropide set (Clorinde: I admire the work put into the set. Still, it's obvious the script writer has never paid a visit to the Fortress of Meropide). Yes, yes, we know, you're apparently so familiar with it you can tell when details are missing, okay, girl.
A little more of a stretch with some ship goggles on but I can't help but laugh at the image of Clorinde smiling at the prospect of getting to throw her players in Meropide and as GM getting to play Wriothesley's job (Furina: So this set... is going to be a part of the script? Clorinde: Unfortunately, that is something I can neither confirm nor deny. Paimon: Um, anyone think Clorinde's smile is starting to look kinda scary...?). Still sort of unrelated but also Paimon's line in that scene was adorable too - if only there were snacks in prison...oh, there are if the Duke likes you LOL (Paimon: If only there were desserts and tea in real prison... Oh, wait, guess that's kind of how the Fortress of Meropide works if you're lucky.)
3. Same Sense of Humor
Their humor too omg they have like the same brand of humor and it's fantastic and because it's so dry; poor Neuvillette is always just like and you what now? LOL (Clorinde: He already has tons of tea in his office. I'm thinking about a set of legal codices. Wriothesley: That wouldn't happen to be a dig at my lack of legal awareness, would it... Clorinde: I'm sure His Grace doesn't consider the Fortress to be outside the law.)
Which she brings up again in her voiceline (Clorinde: I highly suspect that he keeps quiet about some of the methods he uses, but there's no way we can know) teasing again that he operates outside the law. The other thing about this line (though I don't put it very high, it could be a translation thing) but that she switches from I highly suspect to no way we can know. Why she didn't just say no way I can know, is probably because she does know or she knows she could know if she asked LOL
One of my favorite examples is from his character stories because omg I feel like it's the definition of their humor and it makes me laugh so much ("Why does it feel like you have even more free time than me? Your title wasn’t bought, was it?"
"One moment, please."
So saying, Wriothesley rifled through three drawers before producing several thick documents with a flourish. "Now, let me see... 'excellent management'... 'leading tax contributor'... 'specially granted this title...' Well, what do you know? Good guess, that's pretty much what happened after all.") I just feel like she's not afraid to challenge him with jabs as jokes and he's perfectly fine to take it. But I also think that's saying something because who else knows that they can poke fun at him like that, she knows because she knows him.
4. Work Life Together
I just wish Hoyo would tell us more about it đŸ˜© like is it just because he hires her to do stuff for him? How did that start? Why? Even in the character story above, it's said it was over a business transaction what does that meaaaan? There's no way he, woke up one way and went, you know what time to hire this one Champion Duelist (she's the best but she's still not the only one) to do some secret missions.
When asked, he said it's because she's an independent party (Wriothesley: As a Champion Duelist, Miss Clorinde can be considered to be an independent party. I needed to find an exceptionally capable person to help me get through the impending crisis) but I mean she works for the court idk how that makes her independent? He does say "crisis" so it's likely she knew about a lot of the things going on ahead of time but I don't think he would have ever just hired someone just because of their station. Mainly because in doing so, he trusted her to be in his inner circle of the plan with Sigewinne - who Clorinde also has a relationship with as I went through already - and Neuvillette, two people we know Wriothesley does have canonical history with.
I saw someone say that Clorinde was already staying down there at the time already working with Wriothesley on the mission, so it was easy for her to get Freminet, but I couldn't ever find what in canon pointed to that. She was staying after at least, she was eating dinner there but they weren't expecting the gate to blow that night. You'd assume she'd leave after she told him everything he needed to know. But no it's like middle of the night/early morning and she's right down there with him. So part of the crisis he referred to is letting her in on one of the biggest secrets of Meropide because she knew exactly what to do and was ready and willing to do it.
I also really love Navia's voice line about him because it says that Clorinde knows what the arraignment he had with Callas was otherwise she wouldn't have told Navia it was okay (Navia: Trying to discuss anything with that guy is an exhausting process. Clorinde says I needn't have any reservations about collaborating with him in the scope of our preexisting agreement, but I still shouldn't trust everything that comes out of his mouth.) I imagine Clorinde bullying it out of him to make sure if was a safe arraignment for Navia (and maybe upon learning what it was and how it came about could've been the early steps in how Clorinde learned to trust him too because it's mutual - she's not a mercenary, she takes jobs with him because she also trusts him and what he does). But I also imagine that bit about not trusting a word that comes from his mouth (since Wriothesley hasn't ever lied that I recall, he hides things very well and doesn't clarify to make things appear certain ways, but I don't recall him flat out being deceitful) is either 1. Clorinde teasing him to Navia without her even knowing but it gives Clorinde a little amusement 2. She knows that man is gonna run his mouth one day to tease her and she's laying the foundations now so Navia won't listen to him đŸ€Ł
Or Clorinde is helping him keep his mysterious and bad boy persona because she knows he's actually a big softie - all wins to me lol because I genuinely can't see her believing he's untrustworthy; she literally risked her life to stay with him while they waited for Neuvillette, that doesn't sound like a person you didn't trust. Because again as far as I know a Champion Duelist is still not a mercenary.
5. Battle Couple
Which leads me back into my original Roy and Riza comparison, the way they fight together (Wriothesley: Clorinde is the best Champion Duelist you can find. Her combat prowess is already the stuff of legend. I've never fought her myself, but that's because there's never been a need for it.) I saw someone point out how does he know this when he'd likely have to make a special trip just to see her fight. I imagine some is word of mouth considering the phrasing of stuff of legend. Regardless of how he knew initially, he knows now because they've fought together before. He's never fought her, like he said, but they're fought side by side.
They had to. I'm sorry, this is not the delulu brain worms, you cannot tell me they didn't.
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They likely had some sort of plan otherwise idk how she would know to shoot the door controls, but she's watching him from a distance, sees his signal of a simple nod and proceeds (she nods back to him but I couldn't find a gif that included it). I say because they didn't know what was going to happen; the plan was probably if it looks bad, shoot the controls I don't care where I am. I don't think it was as specific as I'll just give you a nod it's fine. He could've shouted, made a bigger motion, lots of things really - he didn't because he was literally running for his life and he knew she was watching, she'd see him and know what to do that's why I bring it up. That's why I refuse to believe they've never fought/worked side by side before, you don't just read people like that; you don't just trust people like that, especially two people who it's in their job description to be sus and careful with who you trust. You read faces, eyes, subtle signals from people you know and trust.
It reminded me so much of Roy and Riza in this scene when she can't speak from her injury and he is about to lose his mind and all she needs to do is move her eyes and he gets it.
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(I mean, Roy and Riza have literally a lifetime of history, experience, and love for one another, I don't think Wriothesley and Clorinde have known each other as long or have that rich a history, but all I'm saying is I keep seeing them in each other, okay? Okay).
6. Similarities in Story and Interests
I threw this one down at the bottom because I’m not sure if they’re aware of their own similarities. It’s more meta in the sense I see the similarities without having canon to tell me that they know how similar they are. The first being the most obvious in that they were both orphaned as babies, and then were raised with foster parents/guardians until Clorinde was 10 and Wriothesley was a teen (Clorinde at least getting the better deal in that her Master who took her in was unconventional but seemingly cared for Clorinde unlike Wriothesley who had the rug ripped out from under him to see the truth of his family). Clorinde then presumably was looked after by Callas and Wriothesley grew up in Meropide. Both don’t talk about their personal lives often, but in both they’re story quests, they talk about their past pretty openly. So its possible they know, but because Hoyo is too afraid to put them in the same room again, I can’t say.
They also both hate newspapers and paparazzi. Clorinde talks about why she likes Charlotte by alluding to what other journalists put Clorinde through (Clorinde: Unlike some, [Charlotte] doesn't ambush me with her Kamera on my way to work, or follow me to the coffee shop to report on what I'm drinking today... And most commendably of all, she is well aware that I do not do interviews and doesn't nag me about it continuously). Wriothesley we know also turns down interviews frequently (Charlotte: And that's exactly why I'd like you to come conduct interviews with me. You're the best incubators of news, if you haven't noticed — and also, with you around, I'm sure I'll get to see that Duke. Paimon: Are you sure? Hasn't he turned you down several times already?). I imagine its because both have been victims of the journalists turning on them for a front page story (I’m sure everything with Callas was sensationalized, same with Wriothesley when he was a teen and also probably just how criminals are depicted in journalism to begin with).
The last bit comes from the Fontaine Tour Group video since so far the only two playable characters who have displayed knowledge on Remuria. Wriothesley both in the Archon Quests and his Friendship stories (Wriothesley: Then maybe you haven't heard of the story of ancient Remuria. To give you a quick rundown, Fontaine used to be ruled by the Remurian Dynasty) and Clorinde in the Fontaine Tour Group video (Clorinde: 
oh, they have a Conch Harp here? Navia: Something wrong? Clorinde: It’s nothing. Probably dates back to the days of Remuria, that’s all). In the video, Navia clearly had listened to Clorinde talk about it because she remembered the connection but she also couldn’t even remember the name after Clorinde just said it, so it’s clearly not common knowledge. I imagine Clorinde was taught about it with her Master due to the ties to the Marechaussee Hunters and Clorinde’s clear love of history. But I also can’t imagine that Clorinde and Wriothesley never discussed both having interests/knowledge in the same niche era of Fontaine’s history. We know that she knew about the splice gate, so I also imagine she knew about the Winglet and therefore they absolutely would’ve talked about Fontaine history and folklore together.
And So
One thing I've seen a lot in this fandom, when others are trying to discredit a ship they try to give proof of pairs that are "more canon" and I didn't do this to try and say they have more canon standing. They aren't seen together all that often, and sometimes we just have to pull the crumbs out of our own analysis and that's okay. I don't like the phrase "more canon" because its canon or its not lol Being in more scenes together doesn't make a pairing more canon unless they're in the scene confessing their love verbally or physically. It just means they have a relationship, whether that's friendship, familial or romantic. How you see a relationship is up to you and you aren't wrong (because there is no right answer - n o s h i p i s c a n o n).
When it comes to Clorinde and Wriothesley, I don't know if Hoyo will ever put them in the same room together again (though they gave me enough crumbs that I need to now clarify pictured/interacting in the same room lol). They're just gonna give us a Character like Wriothesley and just leave him down there to never interact with people 😭 Clorinde's story quest didn't even touch on her being a Champion Duelist. I still have so many questions.
I’m a little peeved with Hoyo to be honest which is a whole other conversation I’ll have on how we went from some of the best storytelling and some of the best characters into some of the blandest storytelling and complete wasted potential. Nothing will make me stop loving what I loved about Fontaine, but it’s incredibly frustrating also feeling like I was lied to my face only because Hoyo caved to fanservice (which is how it looks), completely erasing character stories and relationships they established in the first place.
ALAS, with the new region on the horizon, maybe we’ll finally see some peace as the fandom moves on to a new region. We’ll just have to speculate and answer the questions for ourselves <3
In any regard, I wrote up all this to (cope because I adore them and I run out of content to satisfy my intake on a daily basis) hopefully make someone else also feel better that no, no one was crazy for thinking these two had that good fucking chemistry, because it radiated off the goddamn screen. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise 💙 Also, oh my fucking god I thought that after being in with Genshin since version 1.3 I already had my hyperfixation period back in Liyue nope the fucking prison warden and trial by combat champion decided to ruin my life.
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ticklygiggles · 6 months ago
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You've got a friend in me pt. 3 | Yamaguchi, Tsukishima, Hinata & Reader
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A/N: First fic from new commissions made by always kind and wonderful Max (@wertzunge)! As always, I apologize for the delay, but I hope you enjoy this fic Max! Thank you so much for always being so kind to me! ❀
Words: 3k+
Summary: On a little school trip to Kyoto, Hinata seems to be very excited to have you around, but a certain freckled boy seemed to be a bit... upset.
Male!Reader. You can read part 1 and part 2 of this series!
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The weather was beautiful: clear skies, warm sun and fresh air. Perfect for this trip to Kyoto. Your heart fluttered like a small caged bird inside your chest, the excitement ran through you from the tips of your toes to the crown of your head. It was your first time on a school trip to Kyoto- this was supposed to be an educational trip, (something about history? You really couldn't recall), but your teachers had promised a free day for the students to go wherever they pleased. 
Yamaguchi and you had decided on doing some research about the places you both would like to visit and prepare an itinerary for that day. For this, you've decided to sit together, wanting to plan everything as soon as possible. You really couldn't wait to get into the bus! 
“Aren't you excited?!” A voice chirped behind you and you jumped slightly when you felt a soft poke near your left side. 
Turning around, your lips stretched into a smile. “I feel like I'm gonna explode, Shouyou!” 
Having made friends with a certain piece of sunshine did nothing to help relax your excitement. You had not long become friends with Hinata Shouyou. It was to be expected that by visiting Yamaguchi and Tsukishima so much at their volleyball practices, they would eventually introduce you to the rest of the team. Everyone had been exceptionally kind, but Hinata seemed attached to you from day one. You couldn't lie, at first Hinata's overflowing and bright energy made you feel terribly nervous, but it didn't take long for you to adapt to it and soon you became good friends.
Hinata was practically jumping on one foot with excitement. He rambled on about this and that and you could only nod with a smile, but in a second he was gone and was now fighting with Kageyama. Those two were certainly a very fun duo to watch, you chuckled and squealed when yet another poke to your side surprised you. 
“Did you do your research?”
Turning around again, the biggest grin pulled at the corners of your lips. Yamaguchi was looking at you with a smile just as bright. 
“I did!” You hurriedly pulled out a notepad from the side of your bag. “I made a very detailed list with cons and pros about each place!” You said excitedly. “We can compare our research!”
Yamaguchi nodded, chuckling a little and your cheeks flushed slightly. “That sounds like a good idea! Don't forget we'll seat together so we can-” 
“Ack!” 
You nearly dropped your notepad when someone suddenly hooked their arm around yours, dragging you away from Yamaguchi. 
“H-Huh?! Shouyou?!” 
“C'mon, c'mon!” He said, all smiles and laughs. “You'll sit with me, okay?! Quick! Before they get the best spots!” 
“A-Ah, Shouyou- I promised I would- agh!” You looked back at Yamaguchi and he was looking at you with a surprised expression. 
“I'm sorry!” You mouthed and you saw his shoulders falling a little as he gave a sad smile and a nod. 
Sooner than later you were squeezed between the window and Hinata’s incessant talking. You tried to keep your smile warm and sincere, but something felt heavy in your chest– you had promised Yamaguchi you both would sit together, but now you were with Hinata and Yamaguchi didn't look too happy even though he was sitting with Tsukishima. 
You sighed. Well, you hoped you'd get a chance to apologize once you were at the inn. Hinata, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi and you would be sharing a room after all, so there were plenty of chances to properly apologize and compensate your dear friend
 right?
--
The bus ride didn't seem very long to you. Hinata's mouth just wouldn't shut up and soon he was making you laugh and making you chat animatedly with him. The only time he was silent was when he fell asleep for a few minutes and you were able to watch the scenery out the window. You pushed the small problem with Yamaguchi to the back of your head, it wasn't worth getting overwhelmed by it now when you could deal with it later.
Finally arriving at the inn, the butterflies in your stomach returned. The air in Kyoto even felt different, but maybe it was just you
 but was the sky bluer there? Impossible, right? Chuckling to yourself, you started to get off the bus along with everyone else. Hinata practically held you prisoner, clinging tightly to your arm until his bright eyes found Kageyama, and laughing, he said he would see you in a moment. 
You started your own search; your eyes scanning the faces in that sea of ​​students in front of you until you found that adorable freckled face. You perked like a little puppy and quickly made your way to him while the teachers did the check in. 
“Tadashi!” You called once you were a couple of feet away from him. “Tadashi, I'm so sorry about earlier! I really wanted to sit with you, but Shouyou, he just-"
You jolted when you heard your name screamed at the top of Hinata's lungs. In a moment, the little ball of orange energy was at your side, grabbing your arm and dragging you somewhere. 
“What- Shouyou?! I was talking to- 
Hinata didn't even listen to you. “C'mon! You can do that later! Let's go see our room!”
Once again, you were dragged away from Yamaguchi without even the chance to look at him one last time before Hinata took you to your room.
–
You expected the room to be big enough to fit four people in, but you certainly didn't expect it to be that big. It was a very spacious room, but modest. The tatami felt extremely comfortable under your feet and four futons were properly arranged. A small wooden table in the middle of the room and some decorations here and there. It was cozy and somehow warm.
“I want this bed!” He called your name as he threw his back somewhere. “You'll sleep next to me, right?!” 
You chuckled shyly, “Sh-Shouyou, I think we should let everyone choose where-"
“I want to be the farest away from Hinata as possible.” Tsukishima’s voice surprised you and you smiled when you saw Yamaguchi entering the room right behind the tall boy. 
To your surprise, Yamaguchi made eye contact with you, but quickly averted his eyes. Something uncomfortably heavy set on the pit of your stomach and you felt that awful sensation of anxiety starting to swirl in your chest and wrap around your throat. You gulped and took a deep breath. Let's calm down, you repeated inside your head over and over. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. 
From left to right: Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, you and Hinata. After a bit of chaos and someone almost asking to change rooms and saying that he'd rather sleep in the King's room, you all finally could choose your own bed and set that problem aside. 
“Since we are next to each other,” you said to Yamaguchi as you both pulled out some clean clothing from your bags. “I think we can talk about the places we want to visit, right?” 
Yamaguchi halted for a mere second before nodding softly. “Mhmm.” 
You felt your cheeks heating up a little. “H-Hmm
 Tadashi, are you mad at m-”
“Hey!” Hinata suddenly grabbed your arm. “The teacher said we should meet outside for a quick tour! Let's go!” 
“S-Shouyou, give me just one second, I- 
“Go on,” Yamaguchi said and you froze, quickly looking at him. “We should hurry.” With that, he was out of the room, leaving not only you and Hinata back, but also Tsukishima. 
That awkward sensation tightened around your throat, almost choking you. This was going downhill, but you weren't trying to upset anyone, Hinata was just-
“Let's go?” He asked with a bright, warm smile and happy eyes and you sighed, nodding and smiling back at him. You really couldn't get mad at Hinata, he simply was
 excited. Perhaps a bit too much, but you were sure he didn't mean harm. 
Sighing again, you looked behind. “Let's go, Tsukki.” Tsukishima simply hummed in agreement and followed you and Hinata out the room.  
In the lobby, you quickly found Yamaguchi and joined him, but standing next to him just felt
 terribly awkward. You tried to do small talk, though you hated it to the bone, even throwing in some jokes that made you blush slightly, but your attempts seemed to work: Yamaguchi tried to hide a smile and he even spoke to you a couple of times, he was still curt in his answers, but at least he seemed to want to talk to you again.
The tour of the small inn was boring. The teachers in charge guided you through practically every room occupied by the students in your class, the teachers’ own rooms, the bathrooms, and so on, by the time you all had finished, you were exhausted. Not only physically, but also mentally. Although Yamaguchi seemed to be back to normal, he would still try to avoid talking to you too much. It had been too long since you had felt that suffocating sensation around your neck. Thousands of negative thoughts gathered in your head and you felt your temples throb. You heard your heart racing behind your ears and your breathing was a little erratic, barely perceptible to anyone, but deafening to you.
Letting out a deep sigh once you all were back to your room, you collapsed on your designated futon wearing a comfortable yukata given by the inn. Everyone had taken a shower, the room smelled like the sun and your eyelids felt heavy, you could have fallen asleep right then, but someone's voice woke you up. 
“Shall we play a bit?” It was Yamaguchi, kneeling on his futon and showing you a deck of uno cards. You beamed, nodding excitedly, not feeling sleepy anymore. “I bet you can't beat me this time.”
You chuckled, getting up and approaching the little table with Yamaguchi. “When have I been able to do it?” 
You both laughed and some of the growing anxiety in your chest dissipated. Everything was fine. It had just been a small misunderstanding. You and Yamaguchi were still friends and you were probably going to have a lot of fun on that trip... right?
One game turned into two and then into three and four. All four times you lost miserably, Yamaguchi had always been extremely good at uno, you couldn't really remember a time you had beaten him, but it didn't matter, you always had fun with him and seeing him happy to win over and over again was more than enough for you. 
“You are terrible at this,” Hinata chuckled, glued to your side as Yamaguchi and you played for the fifth time. “This one,” he said, pointing at a card in your hand. 
“A-Ah, this one?”
“Yes!” He said and waited for Yamaguchi to throw his next card. “Hmm, now this one. Why do you have so many cards? You could've won decades ago- now throw this one and this, and this and now this and- 
You and Hinata jumped in surprise when Yamaguchi slammed his palms against the table. Your eyes widened when he looked at you, his brow deep in a big frown. He was furious.
“Can't you do anything by yourself?!” He yelled, getting up and rushing out of the room. 
You were stunned. Your eyes wide and your heart hammering in your chest. What had happened?! Weren't you and Yamaguchi better now? You started to breathe heavily, your hands started to shake, the cards falling from your grip. You, Hinata, and Tsukishima seemed to have frozen in place. The three of you were staring at the door where Yamaguchi had come out.
Tsukishima was the first one to react, he sighed softly and started to get up from his futon where he was listening to music. He looked at you and you flinched. “I'll go check-
“No,” Hinata said, gently tapping your shoulder as he got up from his spot beside you. “I will go. This is my fault after all.” Hinata can be painfully dense many times, but even he could tell what had happened here. He smiled sheepishly at you and quickly left the room to look for Yamaguchi. 
This was terrible. Was it happening again? Were you going to lose Yamaguchi? After everything it had cost you to open up to him and after all the affection you already felt for him- was it going to end like this? For a misunderstanding? It was your fault. Maybe the problem has always been you, maybe you don't know how to maintain a friendship. Maybe the problem is your behavior and attitude. Poor Yamaguchi, he had to know the worst side of you and now he was hurt like this. Were you really... a bad person? 
“Hey
” You jumped, feeling a hand rubbing your back. Tsukishima was sitting beside you, and he reached out to wipe a tear falling from your cheek. “Don't be like this. This is not your fault.”
Your bottom lip trembled and more tears streamed down your cheeks. “It is my fault,” you said between soft sobs. “I've hurt Tadashi and now he hates me. I didn't m-mean to, I promise, Kei!” You looked at him with shame. Was Tsukishima going to hate you too? After all, Yamaguchi was his precious friend, of course Tsukishima would feel upset towards you and- 
A gasp escaped your mouth when Tsukishima hugged you tightly with one arm. “I'm telling you this is not your fault, you don't understand?” He asked, gently rubbing your back. “Yamaguchi doesn't hate you. He just can't hate you. He likes you so much, can't you see how precious you are to him? You did nothing wrong.” 
You hid your face on Tsukishima's shoulder and cried some more, letting Tsukishima's words settle in your heart. Yamaguchi didn't hate you? The possibility of that being true made your heart jump. If Yamaguchi didn't hate you, you could apologize and everything would go back to normal and you would both continue enjoying each other's company for a long time. Yamaguchi was so precious to you, you couldn't imagine the that you two could stop being friends. Just thinking about it made your bones hurt and made you feel dizzy and nauseous. Your friendship with him couldn't end yet- at least not this way.
“There, there. Are you better?” You nodded a little, slowly pulling away from the embrace. Tsukishima sighed. "You're so silly. How could you think Yamaguchi would hate you because of something so silly? You should apologize for thinking this way.” You blushed, nodding and Tsukishima chuckled. “You both are so childish. You need to grow up.” Although his words seemed harsh, there was no venom in them. His finger was suddenly poking your side, making you jump with a squeak. 
“You see? How can you be so ticklish? Yamaguchi too, you both really are so alike,” he said, poking and poking and poking every spot he could reach: your sides, your ribs, your tummy and even your neck. In seconds he had you giggling and trying to stop his hand. 
“Thahat- That d-dohoesn't have to do wihith a-anythihing!” You giggled out, squeaking when he started to knead your sides. “Kehehei!” 
Tsukishima snorted softly before finally stopping. “Everything will be fine, you'll see,” he said with a warm smile, playfully ruffling your hair. 
You breathed and smiled softly at him. “Thank you, Kei.” 
"We are back!" 
Like a spring, you stood up as soon as you saw Yamaguchi enter. His eyes were red and wet, he had also been crying a little. His freckled face was twisted into an expression of sadness, shyness and remorse and you were dying to hug him and tell him how important he was to you, but before you could even open your mouth, Yamaguchi had already started speaking, his voice barely above a whisper. 
“I'm sorry,” he said softly, looking at you. “I acted like a kid-” 
Tsukishima, “That's what I said.”
Hinata, “Tsukishima!!” 
“... I was
,” Yamaguchi continued. “I was tremendously jealous about how well you got along with Hinata. I thought
,” he sighed, his cheeks turning pink. “I thought you just
 would leave me behind and wouldn't want to be friends with me anymore.
I was just stupid
 instead of trying to talk to you, I decided to just be mad and childish and in the end I only hurt you just because I was scared I was going to be left behind and I even made Hinata feel bad just because he wanted to be friends with you
”
You knew that feeling of being forgotten and not belonging very well and it hurt you that Yamaguchi felt that way. 
“So I am very, very sorry. Would you forgive me this time? I promise I'll do better
 please?” 
You smiled at him and quickly wrapped your arms around Yamaguchi, hugging him tightly. Yamaguchi hugged you back, letting out a long, pleased sigh. Forgive him? Of course! There had been blame on both sides in this situation, both had hurt the other in one way or another, so of course you forgave him. Your precious friend. 
You chuckled, hugging Yamaguchi even tighter. “I think
 there's only one way I can truly forgive you, Tadashi.”
Yamaguchi nodded. “Yes! Please let me know what it is and I'll- eek!”
Yamaguchi pushed your shoulders lightly when you squeezed both his sides, tickling him. He looked at you and you smirked, making him flush; he tried to run, but you started to squeeze his sides again and again and again and soon, his laughter filled the whole room as he jumped and squirmed, trying to escape. 
“I'll have to tickle you until I think it's enough!” You said with a laugh as Yamaguchi collapsed to the floor, your hands glued to his torso, following him down. 
“N-Nohoho! I'm s-sohorry! I didn't- ahaha!” 
Yamaguchi thrashed around, his hands around your wrists trying to push your hands away without much force or intention. His bitter expression had completely changed with a vibrant, bright smile that almost split his face in half. The sad tears streaming down his face had turned into tears of laughter and the way he laughed your name made you laugh along with him. Very soon, the bad time you were going through was behind you and now you were having fun like you always did. 
“I want to play too! I want to play too!” Hinata chirped, jumping up and down excitedly. You thought that if he had a tail, he would be wagging it from side to side. You chuckled and looked up at him. “Can I join? Can I join?!”
You nodded, “yeah! Come help me out, Shouyou!” 
“N-Nohoho! Ts-Tsuhuki, help! Ahahack!” 
Not even you noticed when or how, but Hinata already had his hyperactive fingers on Yamaguchi's stomach, pinching the muscle on the sides of his belly and vibrating the tips of his fingers around Yamaguchi’s belly button. The redhead was giggling and babbling something about how ticklish Yamaguchi was and you chuckled, moving your fingers up to his ribs. 
Yamaguchi laughed and squealed. His hands were an uncoordinated mess, trying to cover his stomach and then his ribs and also his mouth and his reddened cheeks. He laughed heartily, it seemed to you as if he were almost laughing with relief and you smiled tenderly. How could you even think that Yamaguchi would hate you? Tsukishima was right, you weren't giving him the credit he deserved.
“Oof-!” 
You gasped heavily as someone grabbed your shoulders from behind and gently pushed you back, pinning one of your arms above your head. It was Tsukishima. He straddled your waist and smirked from above you. 
“Someone here also needs a punishment for beating himself around too hard, hmm?” 
“K-Kehei, no, please! I'm s-sorry I just- ahaHAHA! N-NOHOHO!” 
Tsukishima simply loved to go for your weakest spots. It was like that every single time he tickled you. His fingers started to wiggle against your exposed underarm. He scratched the sensitive skin at the hollow and kneaded the muscle with his thumb, making you shriek with ticklish laughter. 
Yamaguchi was also busy laughing his head off, you could hear him begging for mercy as Hinata quickly found the weak spot at his hips. Your laughter filled the room and you thought in a small moment of lucidity, when Tsukishima stopped tickling you to get a better grip on your arm, that very soon someone would be knocking on the door asking you all to shut up, but no one did and so you and Yamaguchi were under a vicious tickle attack until you both were able to pin your captors back. 
Hinata's vibrant and rich laughter, along with Tsukishima's serene and gentle laughter formed a combination that was not at all unpleasant to hear. You already knew each of the points that made Tsukishima shriek with laughter, and Yamaguchi seemed to be having lots of fun trying to find Hinata's, which wasn't too hard, he seemed to be a walking tickle spot! 
Tsukishima kept laughing out threats that had you laughing and feeling nervous butterflies in your tummy, but before he could actually get revenge on you, you and Yamaguchi locked eyes and in seconds, you both were after each other, trying to pin the other down while your hands latched to that place that made you scream with laughter. 
Hinata wanted to join in the fun again and, somehow, Tsukishima was dragged in too, this time going for Yamaguchi who was driving you crazy because of the tickling under your arms. Hinata, for his part, took Yamaguchi's place, so you had a second of rest before you began to laugh loudly once again. 
It had been an eventful day, you had to admit it. You could assure that you had felt almost every emotion in the world that day, but you were happy that everything had been fixed. You and Yamaguchi had strengthened your bond and you were sure that you would continue to be together for a long time to come. 
It was the first night, but you knew that this trip would be one of the best of your life, as long as you and Yamaguchi remained the best of friends! 
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wompwompwrote · 10 months ago
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Conflicted
Sooooo this is my first time writing fan fiction so I'm sorry if it's awful!!!!
Warnings: None <3
WC: 616 (Teeny Tiny.)
I'll probs write a part two!
----------------
Megumi does not like you. 
You’re absolutely aggravating. The way you speak, your mannerisms, even the way you breathe– just gets under his skin. Honestly, he doesn’t understand how you’re so beloved to everyone! You're apparently everyone’s best friend, yet how can they not see how irritating you are?
What’s even more troublesome, is that you’re constantly on his mind. Only because he hates you, not any other reason of course! When he reveals this to Yuuji, the response he gets is far from the one he expected. 
———— 
“Honestly dude, it sounds like you have a crush.” Yuuji shrugs, not giving much thought to Megumi’s predicament.
This leaves Megumi reeling. A crush? On her? Absolutely not. 
“No. There’s no way dumbass. You guys just don’t notice how fucking irritating she is because she’s got you all wrapped around her stupid little finger.”
Yuuji looks up from his phone, staring Megumi down. 
“Listen dude, literally no one here has ever had an issue with her. This really does sound like a you problem. All of the things you listed that are “wrong” about her just sounds like you’re looking for reasons to hate her.” Yuuji sighs, hoping that he can knock some sense into Megumi’s thick skull. 
“I agree with Yuuji!”
Megumi’s head whips around, only to spot Nobara standing in the doorway, hands full with plastic bags containing chinese take out.
“How much did you hear?” He cringes, awaiting her answer. 
“Just about everything! You’ve got some serious issues, Megs. Y/N’s the lovelist, prettiest, and coolest gal ever.” Nobara lets out a huff as she sets the bags down. Yuuji greedily snatches one of the bags, dodging Nobara’s trying to swat him away. 
“Oh! I have a perfect idea! Why don’t we invite Y/N over to eat with us?” Nobara squeals, and Megumi believes the universe may actually be against him. 
“If you invite her, I’ll leave.”
“Oh, shush Megumi!” She throws her hands up, annoyed with her friend’s behavior. 
Cheeks flaring red, Megumi slinks out of Yuuji's room. He was on a mission to forget his conversation with Yuuji even happened. Unfortunately, as he sulks off to his own room, he runs into his most hated foe– Y/N. 
“Oh hi, ‘Gumi! I haven’t seen you around recently! How are you?” Y/N asks while a bright smile on her face, eyes shining, teeth gleaming. Looking at her made Megumi’s throat constrict, for reasons of annoyance, certainly. 
“I’m well.” He chokes out. He swiftly moves around her, attempting to go to his own room. However, before he could go any farther, a hand clamped down on his wrist prevented him from doing so. 
“So– I have a question. Could we train together some time? I-it’s just that I think you’d be a great sparring partner and we haven’t actually sparred together before so I just think it would be
productive? Also, I’ve sparred with literally everyone here before except you and I don’t want you to think I’m avoiding you and oh my gosh I’m so sorry I’m rambling!” To save herself from embarrassment, Y/N hides her face and burning cheeks in her hands. 
Her rant leaves Megumi speechless. He didn’t know what to say, but he supposed he should say yes, but only because it would be productive to spar with her. 
“Fine.”
Y/N claps and smiles widely. “Yay! How does 10 AM tomorrow sound? Perfect? Perfect! It’s a date!” After establishing what time they’d be meeting, Y/N bounces away to Nobara’s room. 
“Um- Nobara isn’t in her room, she’s in Yuuji’s.”
“Oh, Thanks! See ya tomorrow, ‘Gumi!”  
 Megumi is left feeling conflicted, and weirdly nervous for the day ahead.
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5eraphim · 11 months ago
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Just saw ur lovely request are open once again,but I want to see some headcanons between zed and maynard when you- a former mercenary that left the war- comes back to check on the team- only to be terrified and creeped out by the surroundings.
And upon exploring inside- you find yourself to get lost upon the building..and when you saw a resemblance of your old teammate; engineer you couldn't help but be relieved..in a hurry you went over to him- and began to ramble and talk to him in worry..however you noticed something was off by the way he acts..he doesn't seem to know you..he seems surprised.. and when you call him dell- he even chuckles as if he finds it funny..
He offers you to go somewhere else- saying it's not safe- being lost and naive- you follow- making him actually lead you deeper inside.
You used to work here- why did this place suddenly became complex for you to wander around?
But then suddenly an another engineer appears and you panicked, raising your only weapon up towards them, but the engineer beside you stops you- taking the gun away from you.
You became confused- telling him there's an enemy right in front of you and he just laughs. You hear the supposed enemy engineer ask who you are- calling the engineer you first met- maynard and you became more confused and panicked as you realizes that this guy wasn't the same engineer you worked with.. and well.. this rambling could go even further with them trapping you inside the conagher slaughter house.
I 100% forgot you wanted this "headcanons" style, and drafted the entire oneshot before I Realized. I hope that's alright with you! Thank you so much for the request, I really hope you enjoy.
Title: Where He Once Stood
Characters: Maynard and Zed (Emesis Blue)
Rating: M (MINORS DO NOT INTERACT, GO PLAY OUTSIDE)
Content Warnings: Reader is gender neutral, x reader, implied forced intimacy, power imbalance, deceptive abduction, slight amnesia, yandere
Word Count: 3.7k
MASTER LIST
TIP JAR
"The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." (Jeremiah 8:20)
"Even blood washes out, or you can fill your mouth with things that hide the taste." Sophie MacKintosh, Excerpt from "Cursed Bread"
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You thought you knew your way around this place; you'd been around these parts plenty of times before. Sure, some years had passed, but that didn't explain how utterly lost you felt wandering Dustbowl. You ditched the war ages ago to find your own way in life, and you were content with that. It wasn't until recently that you decided you wanted to catch up with your closest friend from your time serving, Dell. 
As a Sniper, you didn't interact much with the Engineer, but it wasn't your time on the battlefield you remembered fondly. It was his warmth and kindness at the end of the day, how excited you would get meeting up with him and the rest of the team for breakfast every day, despite knowing the grim work in store for you later in the day, and all the other moments of levity during such a dark time in your life. He was a good man, much too good to be stuck fighting the war.
The flashlight's beam did little to cut through the intense darkness overhead, and you could tell rain was due any minute now. You expected navigation would be tricky, but this was absolutely futile. The longer you wandered, the more your brain fog intensified, making you feel like a small child lost in the dark looking for their mother, jumping at shadows and fearing the sound of wind whipping overhead was the voices of ghosts.
Mindlessly, you fiddled with the strap securing your rifle to your body. Passing by a reflective window, you did a double take, catching your reflection. Looking down, you realized you were in your old Sniper's uniform. You could've sworn you came here dressed in civilian clothes when you departed, but frustratingly, you couldn't remember for sure.
In the distance, thunder rumbled, the storm was closing in, and you needed to find your way to proper shelter. Feeling a light rain against your face, you picked up the pace, trying to find any signs of life nearby, and to your immense relief, after rounding what felt like the hundredth nondescript dark corner, you spotted a light on, and could just make out the blurry details of Dell's old workshop. Running closer, you smiled, seeing the silhouette of someone inside tinkering away. It just had to be Dell!
As you sped closer and got a better look at the workshop, annoyed slightly by the fogged glass obscuring your vision keeping you from seeing inside, but you were too excited to see him again to care much.
Knocking on the door, you yelled, "Dell, open up!"
Watching a silhouette draw closer to the door, you were confused as he stalled for a moment, "Dell, will you let me in! It's freezing out here!"
The door creaked open, and Dell stood stiffly, without hesitating; you wrapped both arms around him, hugging as close as you could, almost sobbing with happiness after finally finding a familiar face around here.
"It's good to see you again! I missed you so much!"
Awkwardly, he patted your back and returned the hug before pulling away, staring at you with an almost blank look. "Sniper?"
Forcing a smile, you tried to ignore how uneasy he was acting, "C'mon Dell, it's me- we fought together for years. Don't tell me you've forgotten already?"
With an odd look on his face, he nodded, a strange smile spread across his face, "Course I remember ya, that's right- it's me, your ol' buddy Dell. It's been a while since I saw your face- whatcha doin' 'round here?"
He was acting weird, but it had been so long since he'd seen you face to face, and you didn't want to say anything. As he let you inside, you couldn't ignore the mess around the workshop. Dell could get buried in his work more than anyone you knew, but he was never so sloppy before. Beer cans littered tables, cigarettes piled over in ashtrays, and countless grease stains streaked across the tables and walls. You had to force yourself to keep from recoiling at the smell of stale air and debris. Seeing your old comrade out of uniform was odd, even if he still dawned the hard hat and goggles. Did he get taller after the war? You wondered but didn't want to ask out loud.
He noticed your staring, even if you were too meek to say anything definitive. With a hearty laugh, he pulled you into a crushing bear hug, "Good to see ya again, partner. It's been awful quiet 'round these parts lately."
You wanted to pull up a chair and catch up, but you couldn't forget the nightmarish terrain you crossed to get here. Pushing away from the hug, biting your lower lip nervously, you spoke, "Dell, I think something's up. We gotta get out of here."
Dell didn't seem to notice how bleak things were outside his shop. "This ol' place? I've been living under this roof since day one
 It ain't been that long since you ditched the war." He gave you a cheeky smile, "Don't tell me you've already forgotten this place."
He was right. Objectively, you were fighting in the war just a few years ago, and there was no reason for you to have already forgotten so much. It didn't make any sense. Too insecure about the bizarre amnesia and brain fog to confess to either, you didn't respond, watching Dell cautiously nodding. Dell sighed, "I'm a might busy now, but I can walk with you for a while; I reckon I can take one night off. Help ya outta here an' all."
Stepping away a bit, you expected Dell to lead you back outside, but to your surprise, he drew further into the workshop, bringing you to the door attaching the shop to the rest of the warehouse. He opened the door, holding it open for you as you paced onward. It didn't make sense to you that this could be the way out, but Dell was your friend, and you trusted him. And it wasn't like you had any better ideas.
The two of you shuffled forward in a slightly awkward silence, you couldn't ignore how different everything looked from how you remembered it. How could everything have fallen into disrepair so fast? Windows were shattered, and walls were fractured by massive cracks, it was like the place had been abandoned for at least a decade. Things were run down, broken, and you tried not to consider the possibility you'd somehow stumbled onto enemy territory. You reasoned it was only a matter of time before you saw something you remembered, and if it were the enemy base, surely you'd have gotten yourself shot by now.
Dell broke the silence, "You came all this way to see me. You still talkin' with the others? Any idea how they're holdin' up?"
He sounded so disinterested; it was hard to imagine someone like him hadn't kept up with the others back home, if there was one person to be "a friend to all", it was Dell."I'm not so sure, actually. It's been getting quieter and quieter on their end
 I just- I uh, really wanted to come and see you before you went silent too
"
Dell looked over his shoulder to smile at you, but this was an expression you'd never seen from him before. "Well, aren't you just the sweetest thing." Something was seriously off with him, but you couldn't put your finger on it.
You were so unsettled you didn't know how to respond, keeping your head down and hands mindlessly fumbling with your gun strap, trying to hold onto the hope this would all be over soon.
"To get outta here, we're gonna cross someone who don't take kindly to trespassers. But hold my hand, and I promise I'll getcha through." He extended his un-gloved hand for you to take, a kind gesture, but not one you were too thrilled to accept.
Raising an eyebrow, you responded, "If it's just one guy, I think I can defend myself just fine." As you spoke, you tapped the tip of the rifle strapped to your back with your fingernail. 
Dell looked like he was trying to stifle a laugh, "Buddy, don't wanna do that, trust me. Ya ain't gonna win a quick draw against him." Once again, he extended his hand palm-up for you to take, which you reluctantly accepted. To your slight relief, Dell's hands were at least as warm as you remembered. It wasn't much, but you found it comforting.
You were thankful Dell didn't try to rush. Matching your feeble pace and walking close enough beside, you could almost feel his hip pressed against your own. "Is it Spy? Is he still around?" 
Dell snickered, "Nope."
You continued walking by his side for a while without saying anything. Listening to the sound of your own footsteps against the creaking floor, trying to ignore the other noises of the house. The rain pattering against the windows, which rattled in the wind. Even creepier, you couldn't ignore the unidentifiable sounds from below the floorboards, sounding almost like someone moaning in pain. You could've sworn you could hear whispers coming from behind the dark corners, but you knew there was no way anyone else was around. Inner reason told you it was just your mind playing tricks on you, but you couldn't help but whip your head toward the voices to catch someone there, but no one ever was.
If Dell could hear the moans of pain or the hushed voices, he didn't say anything. As you walked, he ran his thumb in soft, slow circles against the back of your hand to try and comfort you. He hummed a little under his breath as though trying to minimize the creepiness of the place.
When you were about to ask how much longer until you found a way out, Dell stopped at another door. Remarkably sturdy looking and well-maintained compared to the shabbiness of the rest of the house. Given how heavy and industrial it appeared, it hardly resembled a door, looking more like the entrance to a bank vault. "This is it. He's right in 'ere. Don't let him scare ya. He's all bark and no bite
 Sort of."
You were too tense to ask precisely what he meant by that, giving him a single nod in response, pressing your lips together into a hard line, tightening your grip against his hand. Stealing your resolve with a deep breath, you had no idea what lay in wait behind the door, but you were ready to tackle it head-on if it meant getting out. Pulling a tarnished silver key from his top pocket, Dell unlatched the door, stealing a quick glance your way before pushing the heavy door open. 
You weren't ready to see what was behind that door, let alone confront him. The sight of another Engineer covered in fresh blood, chunks of carnage clinging to his overalls, and cleaning his tools, which were just as drenched in gore as he was, made you lock up with fear. The smell of carnage and motor oil almost made you wretch, and it took all your strength to keep from covering your eyes or screaming. 
Two Engineers at the same base was confusing enough, but seeing one of them drenched in blood off the battlefield made you even more horrified. They both looked so much like Dell, but you knew with a sinking realization neither of these men were the Engie you knew and cared for. The other Engineer looked up at his twin, only then noticing he wasn't alone. "Who the hell is that?"
He shot up from his seat, ready to dart in your direction. Instinctively, you drew your weapon and were prepared to aim at the other Engineer. Your hands shook badly, and you knew you'd miss him if you tried to fire, even at such a close range. 
Before you could even raise the crosshairs to your eye, you felt a heavy hand on your shoulder, pulling you protectively closer to his body, effortlessly yanking you from your weak stance, speaking in a louder but not quite aggressive voice. "Hey, easy there- don't do anything stupid now. We're just here to talk."
You weren't sure if he was talking to you or the other Engineer, but thankfully, he stopped where he was, keeping one hand planted on the gun attached to his belt. "Don't do anything stupid? Maynard! What the hell are you doin' bringin' someone up here!?"
Confusion slowly began to dwarf your fear. Keeping a tight hold on your gun, you lowered it a little more, whispering under your breath, glancing at the man beside you out of the corner of your eye, "Maynard?"
Despite the hostile situation, he grinned and winked, "Charmed to make your acquaintance, partner."
The other Engineer was far less amused. "Maynard, answer me! You got a hell of a lotta explainin' to do, brother!" It was too dark to see his face, as though you could even really see him under the hard hat and glasses, but his voice was more than enough to make you go stunned and silent.
All rational was gone. You could only think about getting out of this awful place. You tried to turn on your heel and break from Maynard's grip, but he was even stronger than he looked, keeping you effortlessly pinned in place.
A pair of bulky arms hugged you from behind, wrapping around your belly, pulling you securely against a chest broader than you remembered Dell's being. You felt the hairs on the back of your neck prickle as you were forced to fully realize how close the stranger was and how far away from safety you were. 
Sure, you were scared before, but Dell was your best friend, and you'd follow him anywhere, but this wasn't Dell, and now you were in the clutches of something much more nefarious than you had expected.
Leaning close to whisper in your ear, you heard the stranger speak, "You weren't runnin' away on me now, were you? You wouldn't leave me all alone in here, would ya, darlin'? And here I thought we were getting along so well." His hug from behind tightened noticeably as he hissed that last part into your ear, crushing the air from your lungs. Your eyes widened, watching the other Engineer stalking closer. He looked so much like Dell, but you knew this wasn't him, the similarities making him all the more terrifying. The other Engineer didn't once take his hand from his gun, but at least he wasn't yelling anymore. "The hell are you doing here? Just who the hell-"
Maynard raised one hand to silence the other Engineer, who complied through grit teeth, and you could only imagine the enraged look on his face under his goggles. 
"Relax, Zed, this one is harmless-"
Zed fumed, "Don't tell me to relax, you lazy bastard! You bring a surprise visitor this deep into the house with a gun pointed at my head! And you want me to relax!?"
You paled, listening to Zed confirm what you'd feared all along. You weren't being led the way out. You were following blindly even deeper into enemy territory, brought all the way into his den without even trying to fight back. You couldn't even call it your old base anymore. Where you stood now was his turf. Any pathetic, fleeting hope of escaping this bizarre place vanished the instant the words left Zed's mouth. Tears of hopelessness stung your eyes, threatening to spill as you heard Maynard's deep, unsettling laughter rumbling behind you. Too scared to move much on your own, you managed to buck forward suddenly, wriggling free as his arm detached from around you, forcing you to support yourself with shaking knees, holding your rifle to your chest with white knuckles, breathing rapidly. 
Maynard took a half-step away and smiled reassuringly before extending a hand your way. In a faux-soothing voice, though with a note of condescension, as though he were speaking to a small child, "You heard the man. Hand it over." 
The mere sight of Zed standing close by, staring you down with complete vitriol, made you hesitate. Your situation was hopeless; anyone could see that trying to hold onto your gun would likely give you more trouble than anything else, but still, you were too scared out of your mind to think clearly. 
Seconds passed like hours as Maynard stared at you with that creepy smile, "Don'tcha want this all over with? Just hand me the gun, buddy. That's all ya gotta do." You looked back between Zed and Maynard like a hunted animal.
"C'mon now, Don't make me take it from you," Maynard warned, sounding a little too excited to enforce his own threat. Swallowing the lump in your throat, with unsteady hands, you complied, turning over your only means of defense to the stranger. Your sniper rifle was more than a gun. It was an extension of yourself, and handing it away felt like a severe betrayal.
Without a second thought, the Texan smiled, accepting your weapon into his own hands, holding the thing carefully in his hands, and seeming to admire the firearm before smashing it into the cement wall beside him. The sound of metal against cement rang out like a gunshot, making you yelp, watching your precious gun get smashed to pieces. 
Maynard took a few more good swings against the wall before dropping the battered rifle to the ground, giving it a steel-toed stomp for good measure, beaming at the sound of metal breaking apart and shattering beneath his foot. 
Maynard looked at Zed with an almost chipper smile, "See, gun's gone now. I told ya that one's harness, didn't I?" Unable to look away, you stared down at your poor gun, not even flinching as Maynard slung an arm around your shoulders, pulling you back into his chest.
Zed appeared unphased by the brutal display, nodding at the sight of the broken weapon, at last moving his hand from his holster, crossing his arms over his chest. "I see. But I wanna know why you brought a hostage all the way up here. I know we got more than enough room in the bunkers-"
Maynard interrupted, squeezing you a little tighter, "Not a hostage. A guest, this one's an old friend of Dell's." Turning his head to face you, uncomfortably close, Maynard asked, "Dell ever mentioned he had brothers to ya before?"
You winced hearing his name. You didn't want to upset your captors more than they were, but you honestly had no idea what was happening, so you shook your head.
Maynard sighed, "Looks like our baby brother didn't spend much time missin' the folks back home. Typical youngest sibling', he thinks just cuz he's the golden child, he can leave the rest of us behind."
You were almost too scared to ask; you just had to know. "Dell is still alive
 Isn't he?"
Maynard frowned, "Well, he ain't come our way in a long time. But I know he's out there. He'll be back soon
 An' I know you'll be good an' help welcome him home, won'tcha?" While he spoke, his fingers began to drum over your shoulder, playing with the fabric of your shirt between his fingertips. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Zed watching you like a hawk, not moving from his position several paces away, likely still ready to blow your head off at a moment's notice.
Trying your hardest not to let him see how his touch made you shudder, you mumbled, "How long? How much longer till he's back?"
Maynard sighed, shrugging, "Well, tough to say for sure. We've been waitin' on a visit for ages now, but ya never know with him."
Your face fell, and your head dropped forward, not wanting to give Maynard the satisfaction of seeing you cry. Ruffling the top of your head with his gloved hand, he muttered, "Hey now, don't cry, it won't be so bad. We'll keep you nice and safe. I always did like a little company around here."
Maynard looked past you to talk to Zed, "Just give us a few. I'll get 'em settled in and be back to work."
Zed huffed but didn't say anything to stop his brother, allowing him to walk past where he stood to the hallways connecting personal quarters to the den. As he passed the threshold out of the den, Maynard laughed a little to himself, "Yeah, sorry 'bout him. He's always a lil' cranky 'round strangers."
If that was Zed being cranky, you didn't want to know what he looked like when he was really pissed. It wasn't long until Maynard stopped at another doorway at the end of the hall, which creaked harshly when pushed open. 
So this was where he was leading you all along, his bedroom. Somewhere so deep in the heart of the house, you didn't have a prayer of finding your own way out. You let Maynard lead you to his bed. He sat you down on the blanket, drinking in the scared look on your face with great satisfaction. 
"I gotta take care of a few more things, but I want ya to stay here; keep the bed nice and warm for me. I'll be back before ya know it."
You didn't say anything, too disgusted to even look him in the eye, but you could hear him chuckling at your adorable stubbornness, "What's the matter, partner? Got nothing to say?"
Still refusing to look at him, you mumbled. "You were never going to take me home. You lied to me."
Using his human hand, Maynard brushed the side of your cheek with the pad of his thumb, curling his other hand beneath your chin to tilt your head up to look at him.
"I promised to get you outta the workshop. I never promised to take ya home. But hey, it's gonna be ok, darlin', Don'tcha see? You are home now."
Biting your lower lip to keep from sobbing, you could feel your face trembling to keep the tears in, "This can't be real. This has gotta be a dream
"
Maynard leaned down to kiss your head, muttering, "Ya really think this is all some dream, huh? That's cute. Go on and hold onto that hope while ya can. Ya ain't gonna have much hope left after I've had my way with ya."
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brandogenius · 9 months ago
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wait, omg can we get a fic for the falling in love after the fake proposal for the cake?
IT WOULD BE SO CUTE
YES YOU CAN!!
part 3 to these two!
1, 2,
‌RPF‌
FIC - “ Newly wedded wife”
Julien x reader
word count: 1.375
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being proposed to at a restaurant for a slice of cake was definitely something not on your bucket list for this year. especially it being done by one of your friends. well..it kind of makes a bit of sense anyway.
you didn’t expect twitter to blow up the very next day with photos and videos of you and julien from different angles of the restaurant. people uploading the videos to tiktok. fans and people recognising the guitarist and running with the video.
it went viral. sometime about seeing you and julien at a table together laughing while eating a slice of cake after the shorter woman got down on one knee with her old rusty ring. it made you role your eyes but smile.
julien took pride in the bit. wanting to keep it going for as long as she can. some fans took it well. surprising you when threads on twitter appeared with theories upon speculation that the two of you were dating prior to the restaurant event. it had you curious. were you and julien always that touchy with each other?
it didn’t cross your mind how dedicated julien was to this bit the both of you have made. referring to you as your fiancĂ©- coming up with a whole backstory.
“yeah we decided to get together after our first album. pretty long time huh?” you just sat there, shaking your head as you watched juliens goofy grin in your laptop. rambling about times the two of you have been to places on ‘platonic friend dates’ but to the interviewer, she describes them in much more romantic detail. she was a pretty good convincing actress. if you didn’t know, you’d think the woman was actually in love.
there comes a time about a week ago where you thought you were doing a bit. deciding to go all out for a fake wedding with julien. renting out a small church for the day. you thought it was a great idea. something fun to do and tease everyone.
it’s not everyday you realise that the person phoebe found off the side of the road was actually a professional and registered ordained ministry. declaring you wife and wife, julien leaned in and kissed you. it was just something for the photos. maybe for everyone to look back on and laugh.
but why did you enjoy it? the feeling of juliens lips against yours was interesting to say the least. you didn’t mind it. when julien broke away you found yourself a bit sad. wanting more.
“i think that settles it for the day” julien patted your shoulder. she wiped her lips, walking down the isle. phoebe and lucy were sitting front row, all dolled and dressed up for the occasion.
“congratulations to both of you” turning your head, you stared at the man with a confused stare. “it’s not everyday i do private weddings. let alone on the spur of the moment” he opened his hand for you to shake. you shook his hand with a confused stare. “i don’t think i understand?” you casted a glance at phoebe who looked back at you with an even more confused look
“i was asked by this lovely lady to marry you two” the man smiled. shoving on his backpack. “i thought to do it for free since i presume you all were in a rush. i best be going. it was lovely. i congratulate you two on a wonderful and long life” the man patted your shoulder and walked away. you stood at the top of the isle, mouth hung open.
“phoebe..” you turned to look at the silver haired woman. “phoebe don’t tell me..”
“how was i supposed to know?!” phoebes voice raised in volume.
“are you telling me, we’re officially and legally married?” julien spoke up, taking a seat beside lucy, glancing between you and the others. “i guess?” phoebe rushed out, looking away as she started to chuckle.
you quickly rushed down the isle, smacking phoebe on the shoulder who bursted out laughing “are you serious?! - oh my god. first it was the cake, a fake engagement now im actually married to you?” you pointed a finger at julien who raised her eyebrows
“do you not want to be married to me?!”
“well not necessarily! i thought it was a bit!”
“that bit is long gone now ever since you stepped foot in the church” lucy’s voice piped up from behind you.
“i want a divorce” you sighed into your hands. this wasn’t what you planned your day - or month to be. legally married to your best friend for a joke. what’s next?
you heard a gasp. quickly looking up, you were met with julien. hand over her heart as she mocks offence. “are you breaking up with me? after all we’ve been through”
you couldn’t contain the sigh from your mouth. a small - barely noticeable smile on your face. phoebe cackled into her sleeve, silently doubled over in a wheeze as she hit lucy’s leg.
“there’s nothing funny about this- we are getting a divorce as soon as we can!” you stood up, quickly leaving the church.
-
“are you still mad at me?” you looked up from your book. laying under the covers in your bed, you put the book down. julien stood at the door awkwardly. one hand in her pocket as the other gripped her phone.
“i wasn’t mad at you in particular, annoyed? maybe. i hold no grudges” you confirmed, going back to your book. julien took this as an invitation into your room. quietly shutting the door behind her. she awkwardly walked into the center of the room.
you could feel the awkwardness and tension wavering off julien. “what’s wrong?” you notice julien stiffen up from the corner of your eye. “oh- i.. just wanted to come in-“ you looked up at the woman, raising an eyebrow. you had a feeling you knew what she wanted.
“you want to sit down with me and read?” you lifted up the covers, an invitation for julien. she quickly nodded her head, getting in under the covers. she kept her distance, laying on one of the pillows, glancing at your book.
“just.. don’t wanna make you uncomfortable or anything.. after today” that was it. you understood. this.. whatever you would call it- was something very common you both did. walking into the others room, cuddling while the other caught up on the newest episode of their favourite tv show or read.
you understood it though. coming from juliens perspective. fake engagement to a real marriage. she didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.
“it’s fine. come here” you lifted your arm. allowing julien to lay further down in the bed, resting against your arm. she looked up at the book you were reading. “i’m sorry if i made you upset today”
“i’m not upset at you. i’m a bit pissed off at phoebe but at the end of the day it wasn’t her fault” you messed around with small strands of juliens hair.
“besides, it’s nice to finally say i’m married. i didn’t think i was someone worth being loved” you chuckled, eyes fixated on the paragraph in front of you.
“that sounds pretty fucking sad man” julien huffed. you couldn’t help but let out a stifled laugh. “as your newly wedded wife. how about i treat you to a nice dinner tomorrow baby?” julien teased. you couldn’t help but notice the way your heart fluttered. fluttering the way it used to when you were a teenager back in high school. stealing small glances at the popular girl who had her eyes fixated on the boy beside her.
maybe it was just your thoughts. maybe it was just your mind playing games. tricking yourself into believing something that was false. you knew what it meant. but you wouldn’t allow yourself to have it.
you valued your friendship - or marriage with your best friend. you wouldn’t want to ruin it. ruin the memories and core moments you shared with the older woman..
“i would love to, honey” you leaned your head to the side, comfortably resting on the top of juliens head.
“want me to read to you?”
“please?”
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naturepointstheway · 4 months ago
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2008 Wellington Non-Replica Cats here we go
Gather around, everyone, while I pull out my souvenir programme from 2008 Cats I still have from this production way back yonks ago. Feel free to partake in some snacks! There will be plenty of photos from the brochure, hence putting them under a "read more".
Okay, so looking through this production's cast list, I see that there were pretty much the whole cast you'd expect (we had a Plato rather than Admetus, for example), plus some OCs sprinkled in there as well, which I like! The Growltiger sequence was clearly still in there, as there's a Griddlebone for example. One thing I really love is that they cast a very old (I think retired, or close to) actor as Old Deuteronomy which makes sense to me, because he is supposed to be an old cat (I think the actor was in his mid-sixties at least). Ditto for Gus as well, also of a similar age to the actor who played Old Deut, which I love for this cast, and also it makes sense for them to be played by older people, considering they are supposed to be on the older side of life.
There was a separate Quaxo character from Mistoffelees as well, and also kept the Exotica character from the 1998 movie as well.
OCs created (names only, sadly) include Victor, Johnny, Isis, Savannah, Rocket, Anoushka, and Garbo.
Okay enough rambles, on to the photos I took on my phone from the brochure!
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Yes, that is Munkustrap, and honestly love his wig--very wild, very maine coon ears in there. Interesting they gave him leopard spots--maybe Jenny gave him those for him to wear for the night? I actually don't mind they gave him some leopard spots here, as it makes him look a lot more like Tugger as well, selling that whole Munk and Tugger are brothers thing even more.
Speaking of our favourite rock star cat...
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That leather costume. Umph. My poor bisexual heart. I love the extra floof at his ankles (I think those are leg warmers). This Tugger, from what I remember, gave me very John Partridge's Tugger vibes, which I wholly approve of. Victoria has called shotgun for the space between his legs, and an OC (I think) cat is clawing her way up his thigh which, mood. Yes. Electra is the one that did the screaming at the end of his song (the one stretching up to him, wearing that white-ish unitard.
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Griddlebone and Growltiger (I think)!
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This Macavity fucks, and I remember his costumed was sparkly as fuck. Practically was in a sparkle-off competition with Mistoffelees in terms of sparkly costumes. I can absolutely see why Bomba wanted this Macavity inside her NOW.
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Here's the one and only Grizabella; my favourite costume out of this non-replica Cats, I have to say.
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Found a Teazer lurking at the beginning of the brochure, and I love her makeup, which is definitely very much based on the 1998 film Teazer's makeup. I love it!
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I think this is supposed to be Misto, and they're adorable, especially with the makeup (which is why I'm pegging them as likely to be our favourite magical sparkly boy, as that looks very similar to Jacob's makeup in the 1998 movie.)
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A Mungo has been spotted, looking cute as all get out. He absolutely uses his cute face to fool people into thinking he would never, ever steal or cause a ruckus no way he absolutely knows nothing about that Ming vase or the winter vest he stole from the humans' drawers. That was definitely another cat that looked just like him and just happened (impossible as it seems) to have a name very similar to his.
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Old Deut looks very cuddly I want to snuggle him.
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Munkustrap would like to have the spotlight for a bit in the middle of Bustopher's song. For some reason I keep thinking the cat next to him over his right shoulder is wearing a superhero outfit, and now all I can think of is either Teazer or Jerrie (looks like one of them) trying to convince Munkustrap they cause ruckus because they're superheroes dammit! Munk is having the fucking time of his life and I'm here for it! Let the stressed out junkyard dad have some fun and this song absolutely Brings Joy for him. Bless this Munk.
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First page of a two-page spread from what seems to be The Naming of Cats. One of my favourite things is how some of the wigs are very based on the original Broadway wigs and I'm a thousand percent HERE for this. I LOVE wild wigs that you sometimes see in other productions too, especially in bootlegs from earlier productions from the eighties/early nineties. I see one of the psychic twins (Tanto I believe) with their unmistakeable wig, and a sparkly Misto behind whom I THINK is Jemima (1980s style wig), and Victoria is also very easy to recognise here too with her white wig and unitard.
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Second page of the two-page spread from what is likely Naming of Cats. I can very easily spot Tugger right at the back at top left corner, and there's a Jenny over near the right top corner too (very bright orange stripes. We're talking neon here!)
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First page of a two-page spread from the Jellicle Ball, everyone looking fab there; I believe I spotted a Tugger again (yep there he is at the far left), a Victoria, and what might be Quaxo right at the back there in the tuxedo costume.
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Second page of a two-page spread from the Jellicle Ball, and oh hi Misto there you are looking all cryptid and mysterious way up on your lonesome in the back. I think I finally spotted Alonzo at the bottom right corner (his patterns suggest he could be Alonzo) too.
Aaand that's all! Hope you enjoyed this little journey through my very old souvenir programme from a non-replica Cats performance in Wellington, NZ in 2008. May your conjuring turns never falter and may you always meditate on your secret third name.
Name...
name...
name...
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thefandomenchantress · 6 months ago
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A new Disventure Camp episode came out today!! I figured now would be a good time to list some of my thoughts. Not only on this episode in particular, but also on Hunter's whole situation.
I mostly liked Ashley this episode, which is good since it was her last, but there's this one point in the episode that bothered me a lot, that being how she blows up at Jake and Ally for not getting along...And then just immediately forgives Jake the next scene when he gets sad?
I don't care if they make up, that's not what I'm getting at, but I really wish Jake would've apologized and said something like: "I'm sorry, Ashley, you're always so supportive and I just keep messing things up. I--I should've blown up at Ally like that-" and then have Ashley forgive him. As it is, I got some severe whiplash by how it seemed like Ashley was having a falling out with Jake and Ally, genuinely being mad at them, only for that to just be forgotten a few minutes later. I understand that Ashley is a forgiving person, but it seems too extreme even for her to just forgive him without him doing anything but complain about Tom being close. That's just what I think, though.
I really liked the rest of the episode, besides that small nitpick. I was worried I wouldn't like Gabby as much if she became evil and a legitimate threat, since I liked her more cartoony demeanor. Luckily, my worry was misplaced, because Gabby is just as silly as ever, even if she is trying to be evil. She literally said she was going to make a costume with a cape and mask to be evil in like she's a Scooby-doo villain or something, I love her so much. Then again, Yul did say she was a "Tumblr girl" so maybe it makes sense that I like her haha. While Gabby is a threat now, the writers don't try to make you take her super seriously, which I appreciated. Non-serious villains are always my favorites.
Sadly, I got Ashley's elimination partially spoiled for me (someone replied to a comment I made on the YouTube trailer for the episode, saying something along the lines of, 'yeah she goes home :)' to someone else in the replies who speculated she would. The downside of your comment becoming popular I guess). But I still liked it and genuinely considered that the person might've been lying when the elimination ceremony started. That was a pretty good subversion of expectations, I really thought Aiden was a goner.
I've never been a big fan of Jake, and while I'm not desperate for him to go home...I'm kind of over him, if I'm being honest. I know he's supposed to be flawed and partially unlikeable, but personally I just can't deal with all his bullshit, it stresses me out. I've never been too invested in TomJake, so all that nonsense this season hasn't been too fun for me, I'll be honest. I understand why people like it, but it's just not for me, I suppose. At this point I'm thankful James got out early, so that at least there's no drama between him and Aiden (yet). Most of the relationships this season are going downhill, haha. Except for Ally and Tess (please bring the polycule back I miss it it's one of the only polycule representations I've ever seen in media PLEASE--).
(Now starting the Hunter section. if you don't want to hear my insane ramblings about him, turn back.)
...I don't know when I'm going to make another post about Disventure Camp so I'm gonna vent about Hunter here, too. He was technically mentioned this episode, so it's totally relevant that I talk about him, right? Right.
Hunter was my favorite in season 2. I honestly don't know why, since he's pretty bland all things considered. Usually, I like the zany characters. I think it was him repeatedly failing to befriend Tess that pulled me in, since I can never resist a...Boyfailure? I think that's the internet term for it.
But this season I was just...NOT into his characterization. And as far as I've seen, I'm in the minority with that opinion, since I've seen a lot of people say they like him more now. The main line of reasoning I've seen is, "He was boring in season 2, and I liked him better in All-Stars because they gave him flaws."
And...I don't agree. I'm fine with them 3-dimentionaliszing his character, I agree that he was pretty flat before in terms of characterization. Actually, I'd love if they gave him some flaws! What if they highlight how bad he is at making connections/alliances with anyone other than Ally and Tess? They kind of do this by making Fiore be on his team and showing how his strategy of "win challenges to stay in the game" completely falls apart when he can't win challenges. And I thought that was all fine and good.
The thing I don't like is how they decided one of his main flaws should be being a not-good boyfriend. Which just doesn't feel right to me? His whole thing in season two was offering emotional support to Ally and Tess, and now they spin it so that he isn't paying proper attention to Ally or what she says, not grabbing her Switch, not listening to her when she talks about her games, etc.. I'm fine with Ally and Hunter having relationship troubles, but...I don't know, I guess I'm just a little mad they took his compassion away. He just seems a lot angrier and more mean-spirited this go around. He's not fun to watch. I think I have a good example to prove what I mean.
In the Secret-revealing episode of season 2, one of Ally's secrets is that she yelled at a group of children until they cried because they were using cheats in a game she was playing, and her excuse for doing so is that she was stressed. The writers bashing Ally aside, Hunter says something like, "Do you always yell at children when you're stressed?" in response, showing that even though he hasn't met those children who were doing something wrong, he doesn't think lashing out at them was okay.
...Meanwhile season 3 Hunter is yelling and lashing out at Fiore, a child, the whole time he's in the game. I know it's not exactly the same, Fiore is a bit of a demon-child, and Hunter was, ironically, stressed, but still. He seems so much more competitive and not as nice as he used to be. Being chill used to be his default, but now it's a sort of aggressiveness that just doesn't mesh with the original Hunter in my mind.
...I recently read that something happened behind the scenes that helped create this change in characterization, but as someone who wasn't aware of that when the first episodes aired and became upset when he was changed, I really would've liked to at least have an in-universe explanation instead of this just happening. Because until I read that information, I thought they changed him just because they thought the audience didn't like him much in season two. In short, I thought it was a needless retcon and became upset when there was no explanation for the change. If the behind-the-scenes stuff was a big enough deal that they wanted to change him like this without in-universe explanation...I might've preferred them just not using him at all. Then again, the season's not over. So I guess it's a little unfair of me to assume anything yet.
Anyways, that's all just my opinion. Feel free to share your thoughts or tell me why you think I'm being too dramatic about Hunter, haha. I feel like I'm one of very few season-two-Hunter enjoyers, so I'm not expecting that to be a super popular take. I'm just mopey that he changed, I guess.
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riddle-me-ri · 2 years ago
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A/N: Whelp, the results are in, and the vast majority of you guys voted to how the Rogues will react to a reader refusing to reciprocate their affections. When I tell you it was hard to narrow down the title to fit the header image lmao but I hope it still makes sense! Starting up first with the Riddlers...duh and the rest will follow shortly I promise! Hope you guys enjoy! And thanks so much for voting again!
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Reader Ignores The Riddlers' Affections
Arkhamverse Riddler: 
Listen, I don’t think it’s even worth it to see his reaction. 
He’s not that big on affection as it is. 
Now that you finally somehow warmed him up to the idea

You’re gonna tease him? 
Really?
You know this isn’t
normal for him
Why give him a hard time??
FINE, be that way
it’s not like he enjoys your hugs or kisses anyway
absolutely stupid.
(not really, please don’t ignore him)
There’s no point in mentioning that miniscule sigh of relief he lets out when you kiss his cheek. 
He will never admit to it.
Reevesverse/Dano Riddler: 
He’s going to immediately think he’s done something wrong. 
Did
did he do something wrong?
Oh, gosh
did he forget a birthday? Anniversary? Holiday?? No..he couldn’t have..
You’re always so forthcoming with your hugs and kisses.
At the very least, you always reciprocated. That’s how Edward knew he was
doing it right.
Like many Riddlers on this list, this is new to him. 
Please don’t tease him too harshly
Man’s will get mad confused and flustered. 
You have to be as quick to apologize and comfort him. 
Kiss him until your lips are numb and your arms are falling asleep.
And please don’t do it again
Gotham Riddler: 
Are you upset? Has your mind drifted to something else? 
He puts his hand on your shoulder or taps you lightly. 
Okay, you acknowledged him, he gives you his signature tight lipped smile.
He leans in and gives you a peck on the cheek
After a pause he taps his own cheek.
You’re supposed to return it
don’t shrug and walk away!
This leads Ed to anxiously ramble about every decision he made that day, apolgizing for each one, cause clearly you’re mad. 
The only way to get him to shut up is to kiss him. 
Tell him he’s fine, you were only messing with him. 
He’s relieved but, please, don’t do that again. 
BTAS Riddler: 
Ed loves to give you adoring kisses on the cheek and sweet hugs. 
It’s quite routine, whenever he first sees you, either in the morning or in a new room he does it. 
You always return the gesture. 
So he’s taken aback when you blatantly ignore him. 
At first he wants to think you were distracted about something, or something is wrong.
When you remain steadfast, he becomes flustered. 
However, the minute you see his face fall, you can’t keep it up. 
You hug him and kiss him back, surprising him.
You apologies giggly, saying you only meant to tease him a tad.
You both agree you took it a bit too far. 
You promise not to do it again
for now with a kiss. 
Zero Year/Capullo Riddler: 
Ugh fine, whatever. 
Don’t come crying to him when he leaves. 
You should’ve taken his affections when you had the chance. 
He doesn’t have to stick around, kiss your cheek or hand, wrap his arm around you.
Nope, he just did it cause he knew you liked it. 
(also knew it’d give him brownie points to your pants later)
Although that’s likely the reason you stopped returning his gestures in the first place. 
Is it so hard to actually be romantic without expecting something? 
Likely the only Riddler where you hold out from returning ANY affection for the longest. 
It takes awhile, but Ed eventually becomes to frustrated and pent up. 
The moment he admits you may have a point or better yet, he may be so torn up to apologize. 
You return the praises, kisses, and caresses. 
You will never forget the absolute sparkle in his green eyes. 
Twojar Riddler: 
Edward is taken aback.
He too tries to think if he’s done something to piss you off. 
Yet, when you don’t give him a straight answer, he’s likely to pick up on the fact you’re just teasing. 
Well, two can play at that game. 
What once started as a means to get him to grovel to his knees towards you

Winds up being an almost two week long challenge to see who yearned more for the other. 
Who wins is totally up for debate. 
Regardless whoever wins or loses
you both get yours in the end. 
Gotham City Sirens Riddler: 
Ed cringes, but sighs in exhausted defeat. 
He’s already assumed your cross with him because he has been neglectful. 
Things have been crazy busy at the office, case after case

And you both know he can’t afford to say no to too many of them. 
When you turn your head from his lips and don’t get off the couch to hug him. 
He already knows your hurt, and already sets the wheels in motion to make things right. 
Eddie almost breaks your heart when he outright apologizes if he’s been neglectful of you. 
You instantly go to him, wrap your arms around him and shake your head. 
Insisting that it wasn’t him, you were just teasing, he hadn’t done anything wrong. 
Now you’re the one apologizing, not realizing how good of a front you put up. 
All is forgiven in the end, with a sweet long kiss.
Telltale Riddler: 
Probably, no most definitely, the one least bothered about it. 
He finds it annoying more than anything. 
You constantly nag him about showing a lack of affection.
So now that he shows it, you're going to ignore him?
Fine, suit yourself.
But don't come bothering him later about him not trying.
It doesn't take long for you to realize you may have messed up. 
You instantly apologize, saying you were just teasing.
Even asking how it feels to be ignored

(which he has been guilty of doing to you when you kiss or embrace him)
Edward rolls his eyes and just sighs. 
You guys still have a ways to go, but there has been some progress.
Young Justice Riddler: 
Another riddle lad that thinks he's messed up somehow. 
When you turn your head to the side to dodge a kiss.
Eddie's hurt almost instantly.
He's also immediately thrown into panic mode. 
Oh my god, please comfort him
He’s about to cry
You hug him and kiss him. 
You didn’t mean anything by it, just wanting to tease him. 
Please, please don’t tease his wee heart like that. 
Eddie can only take so much. 
Hush (DCAU) Riddler: 
Edward instantly assumes you're mad at him for something. 
If anyone is aware of his shortcomings it's him. 
He wouldn't be surprised if he messed up somewhere. 
But when it comes to you, it's harder to sweep under the rug
Ed asks if something is wrong, usually, you return his kisses with your own. 
It's extremely discouraging, especially from someone
the only one who has encouraged him in anything. 
After dodging a couple more pecks and embraces
you can't keep the act up anymore. 
You just can't handle that saddened look on his face. 
You spend most of the evening reassuring him, insisting you were just teasing. 
You promise not to ever turn down his affections again.
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keiipopped · 1 year ago
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Reason Number 60: We’re not just friends.
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a/n: I hate this so bad but I needed something to write before I get booted out of enha writer land💀 send help(and requestsđŸ„Č) Synopsis: The one where your bestfriend gets jealous and gives you all the reasons why he should be your boyfriend. Pairing: Bestfriend Jay X reader Genre: fluff, fluffy angst, friends to lovers Warning: the writing is awful and it barely makes sense. also one poorly written kiss. yay
“Reason number 54; i’d cook for you” 
“Sounds convincing..” you noticed a small smile creeping up his face “but you cook for everybody” you looked at him noticing how he deadpans as you complete your sentence. “Not true! It’d be special” he whined at you. “Sure Jay”
You weren't sure how you ended up here. What was supposed to be a fun movie night with your best friend turned into him listing all the reasons he’d be a good boyfriend for you. 
This type of conversation wasn’t necessarily a new topic for y'all as Jay was pretty flirty and pretty often too. You always took it with a grain of salt quick to brush it off knowing Jay didn’t have the cleanest of reputations with women. 
He wasn’t a typical player or college fuckboy. He was a gentleman honestly
 too much of one. His subtle flirty nature often had girls thinking he liked them in a way he didn't, leading to them being offended at the notice of another girl..and another girl..and another feeling the same. So it would be kinda messy and you tried to keep yourself out of it most of the time.
“Oh! Reason 58; your family loves me! I'd help your mom cook, help with your little brother. All of it” 
Right. How did you get here? Well you and Jay were having your weekly movie night that you actually hadn’t had the chance to have in about 5 months with the assignments and school projects you both had being at an all time high. 
Finally getting the chance to sit down and actually soak in your presence Jay wanted nothing more than to just wrap up in a blanket with you, some popcorn and yalls favorite snacks and enjoy the movie
  but you. You just wouldn't shut up. Which he typically wouldn't have an issue with but you wouldn’t stop gushing about how cute the main character of the movie was. Failing to notice Jay's exaggerated eye rolls as he attempted to ignore your little fangirl breakdown. But what set him off was when you started going on about how ‘boyfriend material’ said main character was. Jay sat up setting his popcorn on the near coffee table and turning on the lights turning to you. “How on earth is he boyfriend material!? He's brushing his teeth” Jay says,voice laced with irritation. He folded his arms sitting back, a slight pout forming on his lips and you couldn't help but laugh at his sudden child-like behavior. “Whats funny? Im being serious'' he started sitting up intently and you knew he was preparing to go into a lecture. 
You definitely didn't expect to be sitting here nearly 20 minutes later; tv still paused as your best friend went into his 60th reason for why he’d be a better boyfriend than the character on the screen who still hadn’t gotten the chance to finish brushing his teeth. 
“Okay. how about this reason,um. 60. Id wake you up with kisses every morning” 
Woah. 
That was a topic that was never touched. Yes, there had been jokes about you both kissing when you were like 14 or 17 but it's been years. And it was never mentioned in such a serious sense. 
Something so simple yet so domestic and now your heart was beating faster than it had in a while as you saw the serious glint in Jay's eyes.
He didn't fail to notice the change in your body language 
“I mean if you want that. Of course I'm not trying to force you to be with me or anything. You know I'm just saying so you’d consider it. Only if you want though”
He's rambling. And you're rambling in your head.
Obviously by the 60 reasons he’d be a good boyfriend for you and the nervous tone he had he was being serious. It wasn’t just a joke anymore and you couldn’t help yourself anymore.
Reaching over resting both of your hands on the side of his jaw, you leaned your body towards him. As soon as your hands touched him, his found their way to both sides of your waist. Everything happened so quickly yet so smoothly and in no time your lips had met. It wasn't rushed or messy at all. The kiss was very warm, and filled with years of unspoken love. All the feelings that had been brushed away and laughed off now being poured into this one kiss. After what felt like forever you both pulled away looking at each other. Jay broke into a smile almost immediately as you just stared at each other. “So i'm assuming you like reason number 60” he said, giving you one of his signature smirks and tightening his grip on your waist. You just laughed a bit giving him a light smack on the arm and rested your head on his shoulder “can we finish the damn movie now” you ask as he laughs a bit turning the lights off and settling again.
Who knew what would happen later or what you both were to each other at this point, whatever it was, it was obvious you were no longer just friends.
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ruthiesrambles2 · 28 days ago
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Sharing clothes: re: the hospitality uniforms.
"Melanie?" Ruth begins, a little out breath.
None of the passengers she had passed on the way to the hospitality office would have seen anything amiss, a pleasant smile on her face and walking, never running, with purpose. The breathlessness the only sign thst Ruth had been rushing.
"What's the emergency? Tristan said-" she stopped as Melanie turned to face her. "Oh."
Melanie's face was serious as Ruth held back a laugh. Melanie's jacket lay discarded on the desk, evidently removed to assess the full damage of the large dark stain on an otherwise crisp white blouse.
"it's not funny, Ruth. This is my last shirt, laundry are days behind with uniforms and I was minding my own business when that - that - boy barrelled into me and sent my coffee flying! The next thing I know he's running out the door talking about how you'll know how to fix it and I -" Melanie let out a frustrated noise, "- I haven't got time for this!"
"Now Melanie, Tristan is a very nice young man and I'm sure he didn't -"
"Ruth!" Melanie gestured wildly at the still wet shirt that was now sticking to the skin below.
"Okay, okay!" Ruth conceded, marching to the drawers at the back of the room. "Let me think. Coffee... We need to blot it as much as we can. Draw out as much liquid as possible... Aha!"
With a triumphant smile she turned back to Melanie, holding out the large stack of napkins she had been searching for.
"The batch we recalled for the W being upside down. I guess we never got them restitched."
Melanie took one of the proffered pieces of cloth and dabbed at the large damp area on her chest.
"Be easier with it on a flat surface," Ruth mused. "And anyway, we'll need to run it under cold water next."
Melanie just stared in response.
"What? It'll be harder to get out if we leave it," Ruth offered.
"What am I supposed to wear in the meantime? I've got that meeting with the catering team about - oh god, and then Lilah Folger is expecting me to discuss LJ's birthday -"
Melanie's speech was rapid, verging into panicked. Ruth had seen her handle many a crisis, and felt a twinge of discomfort watching the unflappable head of hospitality, well, flapping.
"Oh!" she interjected, cutting off Melanie's to do list. "I've got a - hang on -"
Ruth returned to the drawers, pulling open the one marked 'Misc. Supplies' in perfect script.
"I almost forgot this was here. It's probably a bit creased, but it's clean. I stashed one away for - well for this really. Only for me, obviously. It might come up a little big but I'm sure we can tuck it in..."
Now it was Ruth's turn to ramble, but she stopped as she saw Melanie's eyes widen in surprise at the shirt in her hands.
"Ruth, I could kiss you!" she exclaimed.
Ruth barely had time to register the blush rising to her cheeks before it rose again. She swallowed harshly as Melanie began to pull up her coffee stained shirt.
"I-" she spluttered, quickly turning away.
She fiddled with her W pin as she stared at the wall, her own pulse loud in her ears. She must have really been rushing around, she thought. Just not got her breath back...
"Come help me zip?" she heard Melanie ask over the roar of her heartbeat.
She swallowed again.
Slowly turning back, she saw Melanie unsuccessfully reaching for the zipper halfway down her spine, arms contorted. The shirt was a little big, but Ruth couldn't help but think it looked good. Not that Melanie ever looked bad in anything ever but...
Ruth shook herself back out of her head, stepping forwards as Melanie turned her back towards her.
Carefully reaching for the zipper, she pulled it up slowly, careful not to catch any skin.
She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, only she must have been too close when she did so, as the skin on Melanie's neck rose up in goosebumps.
"Thanks," Melanie said, uncharacteristically softly, as she turned back to Ruth.
Tucking the shirt tightly into her skirt, her eyes flicked up to the clock.
"I've got to go, is there any chance you could -" she gestured to the discarded shirt on the desk.
"I've got it. Don't worry."
Melanie smiled warmly, and Ruth felt that damn blush again. She handed Melanie her jacket.
"I'll swing by the laundry car too, and see if we can't do something about your uniform being expedited," she offered.
"I owe you one, Ruth," Melanie said genuinely, touching her hand to Ruth's arm for just a second.
And then she was out the door, leaving Ruth with the crumpled up shirt, and the blood rushing in her ears again.
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ladyazulina · 1 month ago
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Coming Soon: ✹ My Birthday ✹
Hello.
Would you say we are friends? I guess that term is way too big, mutuals is what we use here, but what would it take for us to be friends, stranger? Would you like us to be?
I'm a weird gal. I'm planning for my birthday. Two years ago I decided to take that day into my own hands and do something nice about it for myself.
I'm part of that percentage of people who actually hate their birthdays but I can't, for the life of me, do like I couldn't care less for the day. Mind you, I also don't allow my loved ones to do the same. In fact, last month was my partner's birthday and He DoEsN't MiNd HiS bIrThDaY bullshit—I planned his whole day and filled him with gifts and gave him the best day ever because such a special day couldn't go unaddressed and he should feel it as special as it actually is. (I'm trying to do the same for friends I hold dear and close to my heart, but forgive me if it takes me some attempts, it's the hardest thing I have ever done.)
Usually, I spend my day bummed, all sad, and if I'm unfortunate enough, eating ice cream (the dessert that fuels my sadness due to past experiences).
Two years ago, it was too short of a planning time, but some online friends accepted my request and half made my day.
A year ago, I spent the day outside actually doing stuff I liked (even though I hate being outside and was awfully depressed).
I was attempting to do an advent calendar this year, but I underestimated how hard it is to fill up.
So, actually, just right now this occurred to me.
First off, this year was supposed to go absolutely different. I was planning to visit my partner and we would spend my birthday, the holidays, and our first anniversary together, but I need to get a VISA and that process hindered all wishes and expectations. So... plan B. (I can't be sadder about it, each passing day it's drilling on me and I want to attempt to break with that as well. But I'm also aware I can't do it alone, hence this long-letter request.)
I don't have the slightest idea what the next months have in store for me, but so far this is it:
The advent calendar would go through a whole month, ending on my birthday (November 20 to December 20).
I would like to do at least a small thing I can fit into my routine / schedule without much fuss, hopefully with someone's company.
Weekends are scheduled to be TTRPG days, I could play a bit alone or with someone, and I'm crafting a list to choose at random which game I will play on which day.
Some things I love are reading and writing, though I can't write in command. I adore world-building and creating characters and I can spend hours rambling (ask my partner). But also, I won't mind spending some hours just talking and meeting someone, socializing isn't my forte, but I still need to go out with it.
I want to save December 19 to receive all the well wishes people want to give me, whichever way, and receive all the gifts (if there are any) on December 20 while I'm busy starting the day reading those wishes.
I do not need gifts, I'm a simple girl, but I feel like I need people to actively seek me on the day, I dunno why. I guess receiving the wishes the day prior and reading on the day could help, so that's one. And the whole month prior to actually scheduling small moments with friends and family could help palliate the possible loneliness of the day, they would have already spent some time with me during the days I put apart precisely for that... I don't know, I believe it could make sense, but don't ask me.
Anyway, I think I used all my words already. If you have seen me someday or if you just recently did (here) and want to apart a small time with me, to talk, to meet, to hopefully be friends or get close, if you want to do me this favor and be a part of this, thank you so much 💙 We can talk and schedule, see what to do, or you can just send me wishes on December 19 and if you want I can answer you back and start going from there or something, or anything, or nothing. I have all my days empty.
Now I'm actually feeling stupid doing this, but I will post it anyway because for some reason it came to me and I never know what could come from this.
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