#esp not considering a pretty dark color is going over it

[your-fave-is-bi]

This adventure of bleaching my hair at home is dragging on so long lmao

This is the price i pay instead of the like €350 it would cost at the salon

[hero-israel]

just seen a palestinian auntie post about her niece being born w red hair and she constantly fans over it and goes on about how it’s a blessing and the comments are other palestinians and arabs fanning over the white pale skin and blue eyes and blonde/red hair of some of their relatives. even going on to call those relatives swedish/russian/white as nicknames.

but when jews esp israeli jews talk about their natural fair skin, or blue eyes/light hair (which is a minority in the jewish world, majority of jews do not have light features the same as arabs) in the slightest, they are called hitler 2.0 and it’s used as ‘proof’ that we as a whole can’t possibly be indigenous. like these features have always existed in the levant. they weren’t as prevalent in the levant as some ppl think, but they were there.

i see the same happen w black jews. despite black ppl being in the levant for a very long time, pre-enslavement and after, due to migration, pilgrimage, intermarriage etc etc etc, they are told they can’t possibly be native. while some afro-palestinians who came just a few decades before are native? and i’m not talking about those that are the descendants of enslaved people, if you are trafficked from you land and assimilated/forced into a new ethnicity due to that you have every right to consider yourself a native bc you were literally forced to be one. i’m talking about those that are the descendants of migrants and pilgrims, who set up shop in jerusalem during the ottoman empire and are now supposedly more native than black jews who in most cases are there bc their ancestors were expelled or had to flee and bc they have an actual cultural, genetic and historical link to the land even before that.

Don't be shy about citing this:

My grandfather, born on an actual shtetl in Poland, was the spitting-image lookalike for Hafez Assad. Speaking of Syrians, here's pro wrestler Sami Zayn. Hajj Amin al-Husseini famously had blue eyes and red hair, which might have helped him befriend Hitler. As bad as colorism is in any context, it is all the more infuriating from an I/P perspective when so many people just accept from the outset that people like you, people who look like you, have no right to live in certain areas (even though we always have). Read long enough in Palestinian, Syrian, and Lebanese communities to see their perspectives on Jews and Israel and you can't help but notice the fairly frequent comments about (and I swear I have seen this quote near-verbatim) "We Syrians have such beautiful white skin and beautiful blue eyes, we are not at all like those Saudis or Yemenis, who are as dark as Indians!".

Afro-Palestinians are pretty much always used unfairly and tokenistically by pro-Palestine outsiders; in their daily lives they are regularly called "abeed" (slave) and sometimes even with their neighborhoods known as that. It's not unlike how goyim only ever bring up Ethiopian Jews to spin yarns about "sterilization" while also cheering for groups who want to kill them alongside the rest of Israel.

[kouhaiofcolor]

My news consumption has gotten pretty geopolitical throughout the year and uhh. Chinese ppl been acting out fr here lately…..

Just unfortunately came across some social media coverage of a recent instance where a Black girl was literally approached out of nowhere in Mainland China by a man who, totally and completely unprovoked, confronted her to insult and humble her about her complexion 😅

Dunno if she was a polyglot or just a traveler, but she did clap back with eloquent, articulate Chinese to check him (which I can only assume shook his racist ass in the midst), and I’m really proud of her for it, but. Ion know man, non black human beings at large definitely seem to have an open preference for mistreating Black People in general — although Black Women with far more particular bias; esp when it comes to dark skinned Black Women.

I cannot for the life of me understand how this is “rationalised” or collective enough in its global perpetuation to be normal — and it really reeeeeally gets under my skin when people will justify this when it comes from members of homogenous societies as if that nullifies racist behavior towards us. Like to go out of your way to confront a perfect stranger like this is absolutely insane to me. It’s even worse when you consider how this kind of thing does not happen in any real prevalence to non black women who travel to African or Caribbean territories. It’s not even worth pouring over statistically; it just doesn’t happen in any comparison in a world sustained on sheer disregard and disrespect for Black people. Even on the basis of colorism in Asia as it applies to women ostracized for not being fair skinned, it still does not compare to stuff like this.

Like I seriously doubt this would have happened to an Asian woman of any cultural calibre travelling as a foreigner in Africa, or Jamaica, or Haiti. Yet it is a testament to how righteous or excusable non black people feel it is to subject Black Women to this exact kind of harassment, that someone could be so beside themselves to do it to one of us in China on sight. Mainland China, where the population of Black Women there for any reason at any given time is at best decimal. Just think about that.

This made me ill. Black travelers pls be safe, esp if you’re a Black Woman. People of all kinds make the world so fucking trash for us to exist in. 😂

[team5ds]

show me distraction even for just one night

Summary: every other week, a witch came into down with her band of travelers. a witch who could tell you who you were going to marry. anzu mazaki has no interest in that, however. she wants something different from the witch. something the witch is more than happy to provide.

Rating: T

Ships: Mai Kujaku/Anzu Mazaki

Author’s note: written for @sapphic-september with the prompt of "esp". both mai and anzu are about 20 something in this fic.

read on ao3 / support me on kofi (battle city & up supporters get early access) / join my discord (18+)

There were whispers of a lady who could tell you who you'd marry, and she blew into town every other week. Every time, the line to her wagon was long and winding with desperate young maidens hoping to hear that they'll marry upwards. Fathers would be waiting on the other end to hear who their daughters would marry, and argue with the psychic if she predicted someone they didn't like. Anzu, however, did not care to know who she'd marry. She didn't care to know what men were hoping to covet her hand. What she wanted to know was if she would ever leave this small town. She dreamed of dances and a chance to show off her talents. She dreamed of a small artist studio with a lofted bed, with sunshine and plants surrounding her. And yet here she was, inside the strange witch's quarters. She looked nothing like Anzu pictured - a pretty blonde with wisteria colored eyes that had a spark in them. Her eyes raked over her, and she leaned forward. Her blonde curls went everywhere - wild and free. "You're not here to learn about who you're going to marry, are you?"

Anzu sank down into the oversized chair made of dark wood, and the thick cushions made her feel more comfortable than she had any right to. A strange smell ensnared her - something she'd never smelled in this tiny town. She could picture the city shop that the fortune teller would've found it in, and Anzu longed to join her there. She'd never thought that she'd picture wanting that with anyone. She'd spent more time wanting to get out that she'd never once considered what it'd be like to want to stay somewhere. The again... it was easy to imagine that kind of future when it was utterly impossible. "No, I'm not," Anzu said, and a haze soothed over her. Something about this place felt like a dream, even if somewhere in her mind she knew it was real. "I'm not.... interested in marriage. My parents want me to but..."

"You're not interested in any of the men they show you," the witch said with a wicked grin. She'd leaned forward, and Anzu couldn't help but glance down at her bosom - the corset she wore was indecent. Wearing something like that here would certainly get someone in trouble. She wanted the freedom that the witch had. "In fact, you find yourself disinterested in all the men in this village. You want to leave here, and nothing ties you here, does it?"

"Yes, I -"

"No, don't speak, hon," she said, and her fingertips lightly grazed along Anzu's neck. Her breath hitched as she leaned into her touch, and the witch's hand now touched her cheek. She felt heat rise to her cheeks, and her lips parted. "I can see it. You find yourself staring at women for longer than is proper. You dream of a big city where you can blend into the crowd. Perhaps with some form of art to carry yourself without a man. You'd like to be run off with someone very close to you."

Anzu's eyes widened, and she wanted to deny it. Shame rolled over ever so briefly before that haze came back. Was the witch's face always this close to hers? She could see the gloss of her lips, the light flick of liner across her eyes, and it would haunt her dreams. Anzu's mind immediately drifted into imagining what it would be like if the witch actually closed the gap and gave her the very first kiss of her life. She wondered if it would be like how the books made it seem like kisses were supposed to feel like. She'd never wanted someone to kiss her so bad before. Girls weren't supposed to want this, after all. The witch smiled, and then the haze dissipated. She was standing outside the wagon, and before she knew it, the psychic had left. The smell of her perfume lingered, and Anzu was desperate to see her again. She turned to a maiden who had still been waiting and asked, "Do you know when she'll be back?"

"Didn't she already read you?"

She shook her head, and lied, "She said she needed multiple sessions with me. Said something about how it wasn't clear."

"That can happen?" The maiden's eyes widened, and Anzu knew she was thinking of the horror of not knowing who she'd marry. "Well um. She should be back in a month's time from what the rest of the travelers with her said. But sometimes she comes back sooner. I hope she'll have something for you next time!"

In the month lead up to the fortune teller's return, rumors spread quickly of Anzu's failure to be told the name of her future husband. Wives who found bliss because of the witch would whisper as she walked past, and fellow maidens would offer their condolences about her not finding a husband. None of them knew that at night, Anzu found herself dreaming of the witch's touch upon her skin. Her perfume became a memory, something she desperately clung to. She needed to see her again.

The fortune teller blew into town with the gusto of a storm's tempest, and Anzu was granted the ability to go first by the other maidens who felt sorry for her. They smiled and wished her luck on obtaining her husband, and Anzu didn't have the heart to tell them that she'd never have a husband. "You lied," the witch said, not even bothering to face her. There was no sign of a window she could have peered out of to see what had happened or who came next. The familiar haze was settling in. "You know I have a reputation to keep up, don't you?"

Her lips were a deep cherry red and slick - a tempting promise of pleasure in them. All her inhibitions were lowered, and she moved forward to kiss the witch like she'd been dreaming of - her very first kiss. The only frame of reference she had were stories that claimed this happened between a man and a woman, and how it was supposed to feel just like it felt now. Inexplicable, and perfect. The witch's hands were on her hips, and Anzu gasped as she pinned her to the wall. "I have a prediction of my own," Anzu finally gasped as her hands tangled into the fortune teller's wild curls. "You're going to take me far away from this little village, and I'm going to become your apprentice. Am I right?"

"You're going to tell your parents that I couldn't see a man in your future because you have the sight," the witch said with a light smirk as she pulled away. "You are instead going to learn to be a priestess at my behest. Tell them I entrusted you with my name, Mai Kujaku." She handed Anzu a wet rag. "Clean yourself up, and come back in an hour. We'll leave to the city then."

Anzu nodded, cleaning herself up. "I'll go pack a bag," she said with a soft smile. The perfume now lingered across her collarbone - as if she was marked even without the lipstick. "I'll be back."

[darthmarrsgf]

💢🌌🎭🎵📎💧❄️🌪💚 (anger, milky way, masks, music note, paper clip, droplet, snowflake, tornado, green heart). Okay friend, this is for any OC(s!!) your heart desires! I know went nuts with the choices so feel free to pick your favorites 💖😬

omg omg ok ty so much for the ask and sorry it took me a second to think through everything bc i loveeee to ramble!! i picked my faves for my inquisitor/darth imperius, unayah (who btw is really slaying kotfe with the color crystal you gave me! thank you again!!):

• 🌌 MILKY WAY - what was the inspiration behind your oc? what was the first thing you decided about them?

Not so much inspiration I guess, but part of why I gravitate toward the Inquisitor storyline so much is because I really like characters who’ve been betrayed or taken advantage of people they thought they could trust (esp people who were in a position of authority over them), and how they grow and assert their independence from that. So pretty much from the beginning, I knew that because of her background, Naya would be pretty skeptical and independent. I have a really hard time picking the mean options in video games lol so I also kind of knew all along she would end up mostly light side but I think that’s consistent with her character—she’s always been more motivated by freedom than power. The power is nice if it’s on offer but she’s not going to lose herself to attain it.

• 🎭 MASKS - do they act differently around certain people? what's different between the way they act around friends, family, strangers, etc.?

Definitely. It’s a survival mechanism, and one she takes pretty seriously, as she knows that any perceived weakness is dangerous when dealing with other Sith. I think she definitely shields the kind of impression she gives in the Force to hide her use/acceptance of the light side and doesn’t drop that for anyone (except Ashara, to gain her trust, and Lana, because she trusts her) until well after she’s escaped the Empire and established a life as a member of the Alliance. In terms of general demeanor, she definitely lets her cold and snarky side rule when she’s dealing with other Sith. Andronikos sees the softest and most thoughtful sides of her, though he quickly realizes the snark is 24/7 and not an act, which is one of the things that initially drew him to her.

• 🎵 MUSIC NOTE - what is their playlist like? their favourite artists? do you associate a particular song with them?

I didn’t expect to have such a hard time with this one!!! I’m not sure what kind of music she would be into, but I think the #1 song I associate with her is La Paura del Buio by Måneskin, especially the chorus (I don’t speak Italian and it also obvi sounds better not translated but you get the gist):

And so take me, bite me, strip me of everything I still won't be afraid of the dark When I'll be on the ground, shattered I still won't be afraid of the dark And so spit on me, tear my clothes off of me I still won't be afraid of the dark And so buy me, sell me, do everything to me You're the only one afraid of the dark Not us, not us, not me, me

• 📎 PAPERCLIP - a random fact.

She was very close to Darth Marr and was gutted by the death of someone she saw as a parental figure. She definitely felt his death in the Force when it happened. (Ok maybe I should’ve put this under angst headcanon lol)

• 💧 DROPLET - random angst headcanon

Omg ok I hate myself for this but I think about it a lot… Naya isn’t my canon Outlander but I did have an idea that wouldn’t leave me alone for a while so I wrote a little bit about it—she’d had a baby a few months before Arcann iced her so the reunion with Andronikos and her daughter would have been really fraught and emotional in that alternate, angsty universe.

• ❄️ SNOWFLAKE - do people consider them cold? if so, what made them this way?

People who don’t know her on a personal level definitely consider her cold, but not thoughtless—she’s always scrutinizing different angles to a problem to find an advantage. Those close to her know that the coldness is mostly a front, and if she does carry it into their interactions, it’s because she’s trying to cover for something that’s actually troubling her.

• 🌪️ TORNADO - what is the biggest change you've ever made to them? how have they changed from their original version?

Ooh this is so interesting. I can’t think of anything off the top of my head but I did actually stop playing through her class story for a bit to make a sorc (before the combat style changes lol) and I thought that new character was going to be Thee Inquisitor but once I switched back to finish things up with Naya, I ended up really getting attached to her!

[studiousbotanist]

jace 1-10. And 21

WOOHOO!!! ty naomh :) time to begin the questioning, answers under da readmore

WOW the formatting has gotten so annoying for posts . BUT

1, Do they have any crafting hobbies? Yes ! he's into whittling, it's an easy stim to do all you need is a pocket knife w a decent edge. He's thought of trying to do bigger projects than making little shapes, but has never gotten around to it. He's tried knitting with his sister but he's never gotten very far (and usually his stuff is pretty lopsided.) he loves woodworking also but since moving in with jenna there isn't enough space for it (or rather, thats his excuse . makes him think too much of their parents.)

2 Do they wear perfume/cologne? If so what scents do they prefer? sometimes! i won't lie to you, if he doesn't need to go anywhere or is just hanging out at home he usually forgets deodorant even . doesn't think about it LOL . but he likes the bath and body works sprays, goes for the fall themed scents like apple crisp . likes amber currant focused ones ! 3 Do they enjoy cooking?

not a single bit . enjoys food well enough but hates taking the time to prepare anything, so if he doesn't get food w friends or get roped into making something w his sister then he'll eat chips (EDIT: FORGOT ABOUT HIS LUST FOR GRILLED CHEESE . the only thing he likes to make or will .) 4 Do they enjoy baking?

this is definitely contradicted, but Jace is pretty contradicting but he likes making bread and cookies . in his mind, cooking and baking are very, very different . if given the opportunity he would definitely love to make something for wally and oscar !! and in the absence of hanging out with rose, he's definitely missing it 5 Do they have any tattoos? If so what are they and do they have any special meaning

(looks up his page to make sure i dont forget details) He has light grey barbed wire tattoos over his top surgery scars (anchor style) . you can still kind of see the scarring but not as much . He also has a pink hibiscus tattoo on the right side, front of his neck, if you were facing him it would be the left side of it ! also has a cluster of three green hyacinths on his left inner wrist, with dark green vines going from the bottom of his palm to the start of his inner elbow . he also has a terrible stick n poke garfield tattoo on his left outer thigh . ive waffled on whether it'd be an unnamed friend who gave it to him, or rose, but it hink its funnier if rose did it :)c theres also one i dont have on his sheet, because it wouldn't show up in the campaign and i can dm you it ... :)c 6 If they were badly injured, and for whatever reason couldn’t go to a hospital, who would they go to for help?

pre-campaign, he would go to his sister, otherwise contact rose or try to take care of it himself . during campaign he would reach out to wally first thing !! 7 Do they have any unusual fears?

going off the cuff rn cause ive BEEN considering what he would have, a fear of bugs is pretty common . but i'll certainly say he gets very nervous around bananas . one time when he was a kid he was looking thru them for his dad while going shopping and there was a bunch of bugs underneath a very neglected bunch . and well, he can't stomach them anymore and is always Very Sure one would just burst open full of bugs !!!! also open flames (campfires are ehhh . candles are okay) no good reason LOL . 8 Do they collect anything? If so what and why?

bottlecaps . likes to try a lot of different local beverages esp in glass bottles for this reason, he has a corkboard with a bunch of different ones organized by color hung in his room ! likes to see the unique designs people come up with . also novelty shot glasses , rose got him a couple touristy ones on a trip out of town, and makes it a point to get him any cool ones that catch his eye . 9 When they’re sick what do they do to feel better?

get under as many blankets as possible and play anything by simon & garfunkel . THE MORE WEIGHT THE BETTER !!!!!!!! and ghost energy drinks . 10 Do they have any regrets?

not standing up for jenna more, growing up . Its ABSOLUTELY one of those "you were a kid what could you do!" kind of deals but he still carries it on his shoulder . Wishes he paid more attention in math class, definitely skated out of there by the skin of his teeth and for some reason when he lies awake at night he thinks some things would be better if he could do algebra without a calculator . not being more honest about his feelings . 21 What is more important to them, friends or family? oooooooo . this is a doozy . its SO damn circumstantial !!! stuck on this . stuckstuckstuck . my heart says he would say friends are . don't get me wrong, his sister means the world to him . and his cousin, despite how they butt heads, is too . but there are some friends who are irreplaceable . so, friends . definitely .

THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTIONS !!!!!!!!!! i'm copying all this down and putting it in his folder so i dont forget what ive said .

[poisonouswritings]

Imagine taking Tulsi to a car wash...

If it's an automated wash then consider you guys are buckled in, the radio is playing, and you have the sunroof cover open so you can watch the brushes and stuff.

The car wash I go to is dark and has a bunch of neon lights in different colors (before anyone asks, yes it is integral because the colors make me happy) so that it makes the soap look different colors!!! So imagine you guys are listening to EDM or whatever and looking up,,, Tulsi is holding your hand and playing with her fingers, her callouses scratching pleasingly against your skin,,,,, and she asks if the lights make the soap more effective or something and you're like 'ha no but it's pretty :)' and she's trying not to laugh a little

Go to a manual car wash!! You insert the coins and Tulsi picks up the hose,,, and she wants to be funny so she sprays it at you except it's a high-powered spray!! She wasn't expecting the kickback so she drops it, and the spray manages to whack you in the face, which can fucking hurt!! And then she spends the next five minutes apologizing and making sure you don't have a bloody nose. 'Oh babe it hurts I think I need a kiss to feel better ;)' and she rolls her eyes and flicks your nose,,, and then smooches your cheek because you're a dork but you're Her dork.

The foaming brush,,, she just leaves it in one spot so it soaps up a lot and then gets a handful of it and blows it on to you. You laugh and return the favor and suddenly you guys are having a soap war.

You take the hose and spray it into the air so she can see a rainbow,,, and normally Tulsi hides her excitement over things cause she doesn't want to be seen as young or weak or whatever (a trait she picked up on the streets where naivety = weakness = danger) but her eyes are just glowing because You Can Just Make Rainbows??? Takes you a solid hour to wash the car and by the end of it you're both soaking wet and snickering.

Imagine taking Tulsi to a car show...

You might have to restrain her because otherwise she's gonna try to take the engine apart so she can see how it works.

I feel like,, Tulsi feels a little funny about showing affection in public because again, she's worried it makes her seem weak. But if you lace your fingers with hers and give her hand a little squeeze and say that Yes You Know She Could Totally Take The Engine Apart And Put It Back Together In 10 Seconds Flat Because She Really Is Just That Good, she'll snicker and squeeze your hand back and keep holding it the whole day.

I know how we always say Anisa has Big Stronk Lesbian Muscles, but Tulsi!!! Tulsi works in a forge! She carries around anvils and hammers swords and probably could beat Sage and Balsam up in a fight!! So what I'm saying is Tulsi, in her comfy overalls, with her muscles,,,, someone is going to assume she works on cars. Someone will ask her for help with their car. Tulsi, your clever, confident, hot as fuck rabbit girlfriend is gonna grab a wrench and start banging around and She Has No Idea What The Fuck She Is Doing!!!!! But She Looks Good Doing It!!!!!!!!

I just think that motor oil would be a good look on her and I think she could wear it like perfume

Tulsi manages to fix the car!!! I don't know how. Point is the owner offers to let her take a ride in it and you reluctantly agree and Tulsi fucking Mario Karts it. Afterwards you make a joke about rabbits being lucky because it's a fucking miracle she didn't crash or kill someone. She sticks her tongue out at you.

Imagine taking Tulsi to a train museum...

I went to a train museum when I was little and it was so fun!!! It was a school field trip. We got to learn about trains (aka look at them and try to figure out which one Thomas the Tank Engine was most like) and making choo-choo noises and we even got to crawl around in one!!

Obviously not a functioning one it's one they had specifically for children to crawl around in.

Point being!!! I think Tulsi would be super interested in trains, especially the older steam-powered ones. She likes getting to see the mechanisms.

I don't think she'd crawl around in one though, but if you do it she'll snicker at you and ask if you're having fun.

Imagine taking Tulsi to an axe-throwing place!!

Everyone is kinda laughing because Oh She's So Small She Probably Can't Even Lift It and then she fucking gets a bull's-eye. And she has the biggest shit-eating grin on her face.

Even when she drinks (because of course she drinks, it's a bar and she wants to have fun) she still kicks the ass of anyone and everyone who challenges her.

She ends up amassing a group of admirers because she's amazing and it's what she fucking deserves 😤

'Hey MC.' 'Hm?' 'If I get this bullseye you have to kiss me.' 'Babe you know I'd kiss you anyways.' 'No I wanna earn it.' 'You've already earned it by being the best girlfriend ever :)' '...... >\\\\<'

You fluster her so much she messes up her throw.

I just think! That!! Tulsi isn't used to sappy affection because she and Sage were just never like that, and after he 'died' she put up a million walls around her heart, so I think if you're sweet with her she completely melts. Little bit of a tsundere in that regard.

Imagine taking Tulsi to an arcade bar...

I'm talking about old-school cabinet games here.

She asks you to show her how to play Pacman and you try to be suave by holding her from behind and guiding her and you flirt a little but she's just focused on the game.

'MC?' 'Yes baby?' 'Im trying to avoid getting hit by this orange fucker-' 'Clyde' 'What?' 'Ghost's name is Clyde.' 'Alright. Clyde. Point is I can't do that when you're trying to feel me up.' 'I'm just cuddling you!' 'Well keep it to the hips I wanna get the highscore.'

Get her on a fighting game and she's destroying everyone. There's a line of competitors and she's killing them all. And before every game she kisses you for good luck

Imagine taking Tulsi to laser tag...

She's a little confused at first but once the game starts it kinda clicks for her

She is smol so she can sneak around and hide behind things. Someone tries to shoot you and she shoots them first except you have no idea where the fuck she is. She's your guardian angel and anyone who tries to hit you is getting shot

Honestly we all talk about Sage having to get into fights all the time as a child to take care of Tulsi but can we consider a smol Tulsi learning how to sneak through the shadows so she can like, pickpocket money for food or supplies or whatever. What I'm saying is she can sneak 100 and she has sneaked into my heart

Anyways it's like ten seconds until the round ends and she comes out of hiding and you're about to hug her and she shoots you in the chest.

'Tulsi!!' 'Never let your guard down >:)'

[everythingsinred]

Let's Talk About NatsuMikan: Natsume (pt.7)

Well, Natsume's really in it now! Today we'll be talking about what lengths Natsume will go to in order to protect the people he loves. He's not a normal boy with a normal first crush, after all. He has no intention of wooing her or flirting. In fact, his instinct is to distance himself, and going forward we'll see that instinct is motivated by more than just a low self-esteem.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Natsume has some major character flaws. He’s kinda a jerk in general and is rude and abrasive. He’s chronically selfless and seems to be drawn to situations where he can sacrifice himself for others, which is a very unhealthy way to be. He’s also terrible at keeping his word.

Natsume only made this decision on his own, but he’s pretty bad at carrying through with it. He’s the one who told her to stay away, but Natsume will have more and more trouble staying true to such an agreement.

At first, he makes an effort: Mikan is being bullied for her stupidity and sees Natsume. He glares at her, another discouragement from coming any closer. He doesn’t argue with her or join in on the bullying.

But in no time at all, the whole class is riled up in study mode because of Mikan’s example, and for many kids in Class B, the best person to turn to for tutoring help is Natsume, who is actually quite smart when he actually does the work--though he’d prefer not to. And he does help, though not with any kind or supportive words. He’ll leave that to Mikan. Maybe to him it feels a bit like a cheat, like he can afford to give in a little bit. He later walks alongside her after an exam, like he’s part of her circle, and although he’s not really engaging with her like the rest of the kids are, it’s enough that he’s near her.

And it’s enough for the ESP and Persona to notice.

We can see the ESP looking down on them from his headquarters room, still covered in shadows to maintain his mystery, but his figure is familiar enough for a reread. Natsume has been caught and he will have to face the consequences.

Persona subs in for Makihara-sensei (and we must wonder if Makihara was really unable to proctor his exam or if he was ordered to stay away so that a point could be made to Natsume), and despite his disguise, Natsume can tell it’s him instantly. After all, he was supposed to recognize him. Natsume looks horrified.

So far, Natsume has had to more or less balance two very different parts of his life: a more light-hearted life in Class B and his life as a spy and black ops agent. They’ve been difficult to juggle because of how different they are, but they’ve been pretty separated. Here, the lines are blurring. Was there really any divide at all or was that just an illusion? Persona can invade on his happiness any time he wants, on a whim, and nobody else will notice that anything is amiss. Only Natsume will be bothered, and that’s enough.

Natsume later catches up to Persona, asking him what the hell all that was about.

Permy and his fans aren’t the only ones to notice that Natsume has been softer lately--he and the ESP have noticed as well, and he’s been ordered to put a stop to it. He mentions a “kitten of a different color” who has been of interest to the ESP too, and Natsume plays dumb, his last-ditch attempt to protect Mikan from being drawn into this.

Persona comments on the strangeness of seeing the infamous Black Cat that he trained himself, who he’s supposedly only ever seen in action, sitting and taking a test like a normal kid. He reminds him that he’s not a normal kid. There’s no point in trying so hard. He won’t make it to ever see his family again, so why even bother?

And then Persona makes a point to discourage Natsume from getting close to that “kitten of a different color”. Natsume argues that they’re the ones who made them partners in the first place! And he might as well be giving himself away. Again, Natsume seems convinced that the partners thing was a decision from pretty high up, but I don’t think it was. Here, it seems like Persona is trying to clean up the mess Narumi made before it gets too out of hand. Natsume is a perfect tool and anything messing with that is inconvenient. They can’t unmake them partners (yet) so the most they can do is threaten Natsume.

And now we can see what kind of alice Persona has. It's a real threat, killing that plant. It's a reminder to Natsume what he's capable of, that his friends and loved ones could end up just like that plant.

And so Persona does.

Natsume is anguished here, because he’s been trying his very best to avoid this situation, but he should have known that Mikan was already in the academy spotlight and his feelings would be quickly caught. It was too late from the start and he was doomed all along to add Mikan to the list of people he will do anything to protect.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The next chapter opens with Mikan being confused and hurt by Natsume’s sudden new coldness. She has no idea what’s brought this all on, but we do. Natsume has no choice now but to completely try and cut her off. It’s for her own good, after all. If he’s not careful, she could get hurt. Protecting her is worth it, even if it means he has to be even more of a villain than usual.

We don’t see a lot of Natsume in this chapter, actually, because he’s trying really hard to stick by his word this time. We see him trip up a little, staring at her in class. When she catches him, he turns away coldly, but from this we can see that Natsume really doesn’t want to be leaving her alone like this. If he had it his way, in an ideal world, he’d be much nicer to her. Unfortunately, Natsume doesn’t waste his time thinking about his ideals, so he keeps at it, pushing her away.

The next time we see Natsume, it’s after we’ve been thoroughly introduced to the concept of the life-shortening alice. This is one hint of many that he has such an alice, several chapters before we get a real confirmation.

The scene where Natsume struggles on a bed full of pills is perhaps more dramatic in the anime, but it’s no less potent here. It’s like a sucker punch. You don’t want it to be true. He’s ten years old, for heaven’s sake! TEN YEARS OLD! And he’s suffering, hunched over, face red, gasping for air, clutching his chest, next to the biggest bag of medicine I’ve ever seen. It’s the biggest hint we’ve gotten so far, especially in the context of Kaname’s illness.

It's heart-breaking to imagine that most of the time, Natsume is simply pretending like he's not in absolute physical agony.

Kaname stays at the hospital for long stretches of time, staying for weeks and sometimes months at a time. He’s hospitalized more than he’s able to walk around free. There’s a lot to consider when that treatment is compared to Natsume’s. Natsume is the DA favorite and is sent on many missions. His trips to the hospital are never for weeks or months at a time, not because he doesn’t need the rest, but because the school can’t stand to go so long without their prize fighter. Natsume might be in even worse condition than Kaname, but there’d be no real way to tell unless we got it from him, because he has no choice but to put up with it and pretend like he’s not living in constant agony. And on top of being terribly and terminally ill, he gets physically beaten somewhat regularly… this school beats sick children and then threatens them when they find any inkling of happiness.

There is a bittersweet tone about Kaname’s story. He’s already sick anyway but he will probably die if he keeps using his alice, but he wants to, because he wants to bring people the same happiness that making Bear brought him. It’s tragic and heart-breaking, but it’s touching too. That sweetness is missing from Natsume’s appearance. His situation feels miserable and helpless in comparison, because not only does he have no way out, but nobody even knows the extent of his struggles.

He only lets himself feel this level of pain when he’s all alone in his bedroom. He’s been having a horrible past few days, having to ignore Mikan when she’s all that’s made him happy in recent memory. All that together, and we know that this night was a rough one for him.

The next day, we see everyone saying good-bye to Kaname. Once again, Natsume is completely separated from the rest of them, all alone in the classroom, sitting and looking as miserable as one can expect. It’s strange seeing him now after we’ve seen what his nights look like and just how painful they can get.

I just want him to be okay. Why is that too much to ask?

There’s some text on his panel: “I want the future I spend with the ones I love to last just a little longer.” Yet another hint that maybe his illness is more than just that. He has very little time left, and very little time to spend with his loved ones, but even worse: he can’t even spend time with Mikan because doing so would put her in danger. Even with Youichi and Ruka the amount of time he can spend with them is limited. They have their own lives and he doesn’t want to hold them back or hint in the slightest that there’s something up with him. He doesn’t want to worry or burden them. And so he sits alone in the classroom, looking despondent and lonely.

And now we know more than ever that this was never his choice: he has to be like this.

No, he’s not the asshole he makes himself out to be, somebody who doesn’t care about others and cuts others off because he thinks himself above them. All he wants is to protect people from getting too entrenched in his dark life. Natsume being this level of a jerk is a method to protect people, a method an adult would have to take.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

I’m quite relieved to have finally passed the point where the anime adapts the manga. From now on, I can focus entirely on the manga. I passed 22k words on this essay too! This whole thing will be sooooo long. I hope it’s an enjoyable read so far. It’s quite fun for me to write.

This chapter is the beginning of a long and dramatic arc. There’s been incidents of people losing their alices. The academy is withholding information about the gravity of the situation, lying that the students have not been affected so far.

But even with the little information the kids have, Class B is full of concern. Everyone is discussing these incidents, debating whether losing one’s alice would even be a bad thing. After all, they’d be able to go back home and see their families. Nonoko brings up a great point, that her alice is a part of her identity, something she loves about herself. It’s not something she’d ever willingly part with. Furthermore, she doesn’t want to leave all her friends at the academy either. Ultimately, the kids all agree that they wouldn’t want to lose their alices.

At this, Natsume stands up and leaves the room. He’s heard enough.

Natsume doesn’t just have complicated feelings about his alice--he feels hatred for it. After all, if it weren’t for his alice, he could live to a ripe old age. He could still be with his family. He could be happy, not used as a weapon by the academy to fight until he dies. He can’t relate much to the conversations about fondness for an alice. From what we can see, he’d be over the moon to be rid of it for good. This is a concept brought up now, because it will be incredibly important later on.

Not to spill about my personal life or anything, but I’m an English major (in an anglophone country so my focus is literary analysis and writing). Writing literature papers in school was a love of mine that I translated to my other interests. I’m writing what I can here about general themes and even visual parallels. I want to write as thorough an analysis as I can. Unfortunately, I can’t effectively pick apart word choices and phrases when they’re translated from another language and when so many conflicting translations may exist.

I’m saying all this as a disclaimer because I want to analyze word choice now and I am aware that this might not carry to the original Japanese or even to other versions of the English translation. (For reference, I’m using the TokyoPop versions for my analysis for the first 15 volumes and then I’ll be using whatever I get my hands on for the rest. The pics I use are from scans, but the main source I use for now is TokyoPop.)

"Nowhere!".... hmm let me read way too much into this.

Natsume leaves the room and Ruka chases after him, asking where he’s headed. Natsume responds, “Nowhere.” This might be a nothing point to make, but it stands out to me whenever I read this part. It’s a reassurance to Ruka, sure, but there seems to be more to it. On the surface, we can tell that Natsume doesn’t have a destination in mind; he just doesn’t want to be in the classroom anymore, listening to all that upsetting talk. Deeper than that, he really is heading nowhere. He’s stuck there, at the academy, unlike the rest of them who will eventually leave to go back home once they’ve graduated. Natsume will probably die at the school, trapped within its gates. He will probably never see his family again. He is, in that sense as well, going nowhere.

The rest of their conversation is just as packed with meaning. Ruka can tell something is up and he wants Natsume to talk to him, to let him in, but Natsume knows that Ruka has made a pact not to smile if he’s not smiling. So even though Ruka is asking and wants to know what’s wrong, Natsume won’t give anything away. Being miserable is one thing, but letting Ruka know that something is worse than usual would only make Ruka miserable too, and he can’t have that. The bottom of one page has him frowning, maybe steeling himself, and then at the top of the next page, he turns around with a grin to tousle Ruka’s hair.

Don't mind me. I am simply crying.

“It’s nothing,” he says with his smile, looking so gentle, and Ruka still looks concerned, but he can’t argue anymore.

In reality there’s a lot going on with Natsume. Later, when we are introduced to Tono, he mentions being concerned about Natsume’s health, having heard that he was making frequent visits to the hospital. We already know he’s sick and going on ceaseless missions, and on top of all that he has to ignore and be cruel to the girl he likes. It’s a terrible situation. But Natsume can’t tell Ruka any of this without worrying him, so instead he will keep it to himself. After all, it’s nothing that can be helped or changed. It’s something he feels he has to cope with on his own. To him, spilling his secrets would be selfish and only cause suffering.

Chapter Thirty

Iinchou has finally returned from his visit to his hometown. He’s brought gifts and anecdotes and everyone is quite happy to see him, until Iinchou attempts to use his alice and finds himself unable to.

It’s a shock to the whole class that a kid at their school has lost his alice. They had been so relieved that at least it wouldn’t affect kids like them, but now one of them is a victim too. It makes the fear much more real. If it could happen to Iinchou, it could happen to any of them.

Things get tense when Iinchou returns to class and says that this might have been the fault of a woman he encountered outside of the school, someone who was probably affiliated with Z. Everyone who was involved with saving Natsume when he was kidnapped is shocked to hear about Z again, but none more than Natsume himself. He gets up and leaves, just like he did last chapter.

He’s thinking about the proposal Reo gave, that Natsume should join Z and fight against the academy he despises. But he’s not alone with his thoughts, because Ruka followed him again, and so did Mikan this time.

She tries to ask him about Z, see if he has any more idea about what’s going on. She’s confused and he knows more than anyone what happened during that incident, but he’s refusing to acknowledge her presence, let alone answer any of her questions. He’s keeping up his charade of cruelty to keep her safe, but it’s driving Mikan crazy. She finally breaks, screaming at him that he should pay attention when people are talking to him, and further that if he has any issues with her he should just say it to her face.

Just like last chapter, we see a panel of Natsume steeling himself, ready to do the selfless thing to protect the other person. Only this time the next panel has him glaring at her, saying he doesn’t like anything about her. He hates everything about her.

Natsume has no choice but to lie all the time about how he's feeling, because everyone else must always come first.

It feels different, but in reality this is the same thing he did to Ruka last chapter. He can’t be honest about his feelings when he’s feeling upset, and he can’t be honest about his feelings when he’s actually starting to fall for a girl. He always has to hide his true feelings, repress and bury them, lie about them in order to protect everyone around him. It’s hard for him to do, but he thinks it hurts him more than it could hurt her, so he manages it.

What adds even more layers to this is that Ruka is observing the whole thing. He sees Natsume’s actions as selfless but misfires on the motive a little--but only a little.

He recalls eating strawberries with Natsume and Aoi, with Aoi cheerfully discussing her newfound love for the fruits. And so Natsume gives his to her. Aoi is surprised, because strawberries are his favorites. He responds easily, “I hate them now.”

"For you," Natsume says.

Ruka knows what kind of person Natsume is, that Natsume would reject something he loves so that his loved ones can be happy. They’re both aware that they like the same girl, and Ruka can’t help but put the math together and assume that perhaps Natsume is doing this for him, hurting himself and bringing himself pain so that Ruka can be happy and pursue a girl he has a crush on guilt-free.

He’s even more convinced of the theory with the tiny panel that reminds us of when Natsume shoved Ruka into Mikan so they could dance. Natsume loves Mikan too, but he wants Ruka to be happy, so he will give up and even ruin his own chances to help out his best friend over himself.

When I say it’s a misfire, I mean that Natsume has a lot of other things going on, including Persona and his imminent death. It’s not that he definitely isn’t doing this for Ruka, it’s just that it’s not as major a factor as other things. He’s mainly doing it because of the threats from Persona. If Ruka is involved in his thought process, it’s mainly a bonus. Ruka’s theory is definitely not unfounded; just not completely accurate.

In any case, it does add extra substance to the dynamic between the three of them, where they all walk away from the moment with completely different kinds of misery.

Before any of them can sit with their sadness, though, they receive word that an intruder from Z is at the school.

Conclusion

In this section, we explored how Natsume has no choice but to distance himself from everybody, and even how the methods he uses to distance himself look different depending on the person. Ultimately, despite the fact that he isn't the sweetest kid you'll ever meet, Natsume being cruel to this extent isn't a quirk of his personality: it's what he has to do. If he didn't have so many things being held against him, he might be much kinder to Mikan, or more honest with Ruka, but he has no choice in the matter.

In the next edition, we're getting more involved in the Z Arc and going into how come Natsume goes from telling Mikan he hates her to backing her cause and going on a dangerous mission with her.

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[palmett-hoes]

Do you have any fan casts or strong takes/feelings on the foxes’ appearances? Fandom tends to use the same Pinterest models, which feels wrong to me.

i do in fact! i've actually been meaning to make a post about how i choose to write all of the foxes' ethnicities anyway

but yes i absolutely agree that the typical pinterest model types u generally see on edits is not how i see any of them. nor is reece king or froy gutierrez or lucky blue smith one of my FCs for anyone

for a lot of them i don't necessarily have a single specific FC so much as i have like,, a general impression of features that i will see on various different people, who all may look wildly different from each other or who may not even look how i see the character as a whole but do have a specific feature i associate with them. mostly it boils down to the Energy i get tbh and that's just a Feeling i cant even explain

fun fact im a tiny bit face blind so that might account for some of why i'm so all-over about this

may as well go chronologically. some of them i definitely have more thoughts on than others

1. Dan

ethnicity: Afro Native (Sioux)

features: medium dark skin. buzzcut, killer fade. she often styles it in waves. she's very butch, wears a lot of basketball and cargo shorts, tank tops and flannels and jerseys, hiking boots. skinny but muscular, with a very rectangular body shape. defined jaw. probably like 5'4 or 5'5

FC/Energy: sometimes i get some dan energy out of janelle monae but more butch. lotta dan energy out of samira wiley. lashana lynch

2. Kevin

ethnicity: a lot of things tbd, but he's pretty multi-ethnic. i like the idea of kayleigh being half- or a quarter-japanese in addition to irish because it gives her more of a reason to go to japan for her undergrad. wymack is from d.c. which is a majority black city for its actual residents, but i also like the idea of him being Pasifika/Hawaiian. HOWEVER - and this is pretty important to my read of kevin's character - he's white passing, and has been mostly treated as a white guy who tans his whole life, like occasionally asked if he's italian maybe. learning that his father was a Distinctly Not White Man was a big shock to him.

kristin kreuk, lindsay price, phoebe cates, and marie digby are all half-asian actresses i base kayleigh on

i suppose i base his story partially on broadway actress carol channing, who revealed publically that she was a quarter black when she was like 80 years old. though maybe wentworth miller, a biracial actor who knows his father is black but also doesn't know him, is more accurate to kevin's story. then keanu reeves is a white passing actor with asian ancestry

also none of these people look anything like how i picture kevin lol. kevin is just like,, a guy. handsome ig. but kind of in a CW character kind of way

actually

kevin looks exactly like young jason momoa

3. Andrew

ethnicity: kayin/karen from myanmar

features: fat and muscular, very wide and heavy. this blog is basically all andrew body type refs. medium-olive skin, has a bit of a greyish tinge that makes him look a bit eerie or unhealthy. deep set, droopy eyes; looks so tired. flat face with a low-bridged nose. crooked teeth, especially his canines. natural hair black-ish but he bleaches it light blond. has the beginnings of martial artist punching callouses in his knuckles

FC/Energy: holy shit the characters i feel have Andrew Energy are all over the place. pedro pascal. babe ruth (yes fr). oddjob (harold sakata) from goldfinger. the jinn (mousa kraish) from american gods. gaear grimsrud (peter stormare) from fargo. takeshi kovacs (joel kinnaman) from altered carbon. and i wanna be clear, it's these characters specifically, and generally NOT the actors outside of that specific role. except pedro ❤️

4. Matt

ethnicity: cuban

appearance: matt has more of an Energy than specific features to me rn. that energy is Warm. he has that Warm bro jock dude energy. kind of a marvel hero build, hunky and muscular. very rectangular face. has this haircut:

5. Aaron

i get to cut myself some slack and not go AS in depth about aaron because he and andrew are identical twins

ethnicity: kayin/karen from myanmar

appearance: similar build to andrew, less confident and casual posture and body language. less apathetically murderous and more emotive expressions. better teeth bc his mom took him to the dentist. yes also bleaches his hair

celebrities: probably a lot like the difference between the characters and the actors. andrew is the characters and aaron is how the actors actually look. idk ive never looked at someone and thought 'hey! looks like aaron!'

6. Seth

ethnicity: have been going with half-vietnamese. considering looking into various south asian possibilities like pakistani

appearance: string bean build. that's all i have to offer

7. Allison

ethnicity: allison's very up in the air for me. she and seth are the two foxes i feel fine with being white, but im committing to having no white foxes sooo. i would say i generally see her as either half-middle eastern or chinese

appearance: plus sized and hourglass shaped. heart shaped face. taller, like 5'8 or 5'9. she has a pretty fraught history with her appearance and her parents payed for/pressured her into getting a nose job to have a 'prettier' nose. she also bleaches her hair blonde. she gets it done at a salon tho the twinyards do it in their bathroom

FC/Energy: elle king and nadia aboulhosn are my main inspos for her, esp body type but nadia esp in Vibes

8. Nicky

ethnicity: multi-ethnic. his mother is southern mexican Indigenous, possibly oaxacan. his father is mixed white/kayin

appearance: definitely takes after his mother while his father is white passing. dark brown skin, warm undertones. slightly stocky build. tall ovular head and thin aquiline nose. he's kind of just,, the opposite of the twins ig, so like their facial features look very different, which is a big part of why people don't make the connection between him and the twins alongside the difference in their skin tones, heights, and builds. nicky's build and features are very vertically-oriented, with a tall head, narrow-set eyes, thin nose with a high bridge, etc. the twins are horizontally-orienged, with broad, flat faces, wide-set eyes, wide noses with a low bridge, etc.

FC/Energy: yalitza aparicio, not a guy but one of the few Mexican Indigenous stars in the film industry and i really like her features for nicky. she's oaxacan

9. Renee

ethnicity: Black. african american

appearance: plus sized, circular/apple body shape. round face. dark skin. microlocs to a bit past her chin, bleached white and dyed at the ends. she and allison go to the salon together. femme but plain style, a lot of blouses and long skirts, practical shoes. knuckle callouses. about 5'6

FC/Energy: dominique fishback. tracie thoms, esp in RENT. gabourey sidibe. nicole byer, but not in Energy. brandy, for some reason, probably bc i think she has very serene Energy and is a little bit otherworldly. like if brandy played arwen or galadriel from lotr it would make perfect sense to me, and that's the Renee Energy™️

10. Neil

ethnicity: mixed. Black/Jewish on both sides. his father is polish ashkenazi and afro-brazilian. his mother is Black British and algerian jewish

appearance: very... sharp. like sharp all over. does that make sense? sharp features, sharp face shape, sharp angles to his body. he's got what i vaguely think of as a 'basketball build' not meaning tall but meaning very rangy and angular and lean. all limbs. seth has a similar build. lighter brown skin. he has waardenburg syndrome which is actually where he gets he gets his eye color, and his eyes are very large and widely spaced as well. freckles freckles freckles. freckles everywhere. 4a hair but at least during canon it's not very healthy and thus the curls aren't well-defined. he grows it out long enough to tie back and starts taking better care of it in post-canon. wonky, slightly crooked teeth, with a gap between the fronts

FC/Energy: now neil i actually have a ton for. mostly models which im a lil ashamed of bc i do try to draw more from athletes. alton mason is a main body type ref. mugsy bogues is good to see what i mean about the basketball build without the height. here're the boys: cykeem white, luka sabbat, désiré mia, Leo Hoyte-Egan, dylan hasselbaink, this beautiful stock photo model i've never been able to track down

i think about him every. goddamn. day.

in terms of like,, real ppl and not models: corbin bleu, especially during Jump In. figure skater elladj balde. rayan "ray ray" lopez from mindless behavior. A$AP Rocky a lil bit, maybe i just like his hairstyle idk

two more models i think are important: carissa pinkston and ralph souffrant

[be-dazzled]

GRUVIA DAY: I Kissed a Girl

Gray Fullbuster, Juvia Lockser September 10, 2020 Rating: M for sensitive language and theme

Writer's Corner: Before we start and before you light that fire to burn me, let's settle a few things: 1) I know. It's too early for Halloween. Consider it as an advance. Hahahaha; 2) I know a lot of you will hate me for this, esp with how the last FT100YRQuest chapter portrayed the FT girls. But please know that I wrote this with no intention to degrade any woman or devalue them in any way. Lastly, with that said, read at your own risk.

HAPPY GRUVIA DAY!

All rights reserve to Hiro Mashima, original creator.

Masterlist

---

It's that time of the year. The most awaited holiday of every tired out college student of Fairy Tail University was just around the corner – Halloween. Couldn't blame them. Halloween was the perfect excuse to dress up funny, drink silly and pass out on one of those green yards. But for the members of the Kappa Kappa Chi, it was the best time to wear the sexiest – sluttiest – costumes without actually being called one. And for the members of the Fairy Tail Dragons, the University's Three-peat Ice Hockey champions, to watch their fantasies come to life. Besides, it was that one day of the year when they could bang a Smurfette and not get judged for it. It was a win-win situation.

Except for Gray Fullbuster, FT Dragons' newest recruit, and this year's Halloween "Island Girl". The Dragons had a tradition, some kind of 'baptism of fire' thing. For this year's annual Kappa Halloween party, Gray Fullbuster was coming as 'Aloha' Fullbuster – the adventurous island girl of Tenroujima, looking for a good time in the City of Magnolia. So, that's a no to hooking up with any of the sexy ladies tonight. How sad.

Gray wished no one would recognize him in that totally inappropriate costume and hoped no one would hit on him. Because he was definitely going to hit on them back – with his foot.

Laxus Dreyar, the Dragons' vicious and ruthless Team Captain made sure Gray a.k.a. 'Aloha' had the complete ensemble: the lei, the fake grass skirt, the coconut bra. He was just being spiteful because his girlfriend made him wear a onesie – the 'not sexy' kind. But no one dared laugh at him, he was the Captain.

The only good thing that came out of this stupid 'Baptism of Fire' thing was Natsu getting the ballerina costume. No one would definitely want to hook up with that muscle guy in tights and leotards. At least, with his long, black wig, Gray could pass as a woman, beautiful at that. As a matter of fact, checking out 'Aloha' on the mirror, Gray would definitely hook up with her. Then, he shuddered, realizing he shouldn't because that would be weird. Dammit, and here Gray thought once he made it into the team, he'd have ladies flock around him and lock lips with the hottest girls 24/7. Guess he had to skip that this year.

"You ready, Island Girl?"

"Shut up, you dumbass ballerina."

Gray snarled at the pink-haired, cladded in a tutu with the same color as his hair, when he catcalled just to ruffle Gray's feathers. Oh, wait. Natsu was the one wearing the feathers.

"Aren't you cold?" Pink Swan genuinely asked as the two girls headed out of their dormitory. He was so serious Gray almost believed Tights and Leotards here was worried about him. At least, Pink Swan was covered all over, it was tight and every muscle in his body bulged, but all covered nonetheless.

Gray, on the other hand…

"Like I have a choice." He eyed the oddly unbothered left wing Forward, strutting down the sidewalk. Gray grimaced at his confidence and, if you look hard enough, a bit of Natsu's sass. Tights actually did look like an all muscle guy with a secret life as a ballerina. So much so that Gray reminded himself to stay away from Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in the Pink Tutu at the party as much as possible.

They stopped near a lamp post and waited for the guys to pick them up. Captain promised that he would drive them to the Kappa House. That would make the walk to the Kappa less awkward and less violent because Gray and Natsu would definitely beat up whoever tried to as much as ogle them on the way there. But Gray knew Captain Laxus just wanted to make sure the two wouldn't bail, that's why he was going to bring them to the party himself. What a vicious Pokémon. That wasn't the only thing to be worried about though, Gray soon realized, when he choked on his own saliva as he watched Pink Swan Natsu rested his hip on the side and folded his hand to study his nails while they waited. Gray sidled a few steps just to put some space between them. Actually, he'd start to stay away from the guy now.

Gray could finally breathe, or, choke some more, when the "Bolt", Captain's yellow Chevy, stopped in a skid just in front of them. True to the typical High School jock fashion, of course, Laxus drove a convertible. How else could he flaunt his perfect life and his perfect girlfriend around campus and make all other men wished they were dead?

"You girls ready?"

Yeah. Whatever, Pikachu. Gray wanted to retort but, of course, he couldn't. So, both Gray and Natsu jumped into the car and squeezed themselves at the back seat with Batman Bickslow, who draped his icky arms around the new recruits and pulled the repulsed Freshmen against him possessively, promising, "Imma make sure you girls are comfortable."

More like the opposite of it. But there was no sign the pervy Batman was going to let go anytime soon, so might as well give up to his fate. Gray settled in his seat, preparing for the most dreadful night of his freshman life.

Well, this was going to be a fun night, he thought. Sarcasm implied.

---

The Kappa House was just around the corner. Could hardly miss it with the white strobes of light spinning around the sky like it was saying 'we're here'. The familiar beat of the bass blared into the large expanse of the garden and a flock of various characters came flowing into the mansion. Wow, these Kappa girls could throw a party.

The five of them walked into the house like they owned it. No, correction – like they own the world. The other members of the hockey team greeted the Captain on their way in. Each and all wanting to see the sight that was the Great Laxus Dreyar in his pokemon costume, complete with the thunder-ear headband. The girls quickly circled around them, wanting a piece of the famous hockey team. But Gray made the mistake of meeting eyes with one of the onlookers and getting the bite-lip, followed by a very suggestive air-bite from skinny Dracula. A palpable chill ran down his spine and Gray quickly came up with the decision not to make any more eye contact with anyone – anyone at all.

"You girls wait here." The Captain ordered, as he tipped his head over the silver-haired witch cladded in a red robe. Gray easily recognized her despite the coveralls – Mirajane Strauss, head cheerleader and the Captain's girl. Very pretty and very off-limits.

Laxus made his way over there, talked to her a little was now heading to one of those rooms upstairs. Man, the Captain was gonna get lucky while Gray was stuck with clueless college idiots ogling him and Natsu like they were some kind of virgin sacrifices. Life was so unfair sometimes.

"Well, they won't be coming down for a while." Batman Bickslow opened, turning to his Robin, Freed Justine. "Or ever. So, let's spread and mingle. Wadda you say?" He slapped a hand on Gray's tushy and added, "Get ourselves one of those cheerleaders, eh?" He looked back at the new recruits and had the urge to correct, "or some of those guys from the wrestling club. Who knows? You girls might get lucky."

Another shudder and it wasn't because Gray's belly was out in the open.

"See you around, ladies!"

It wasn't like Batman and Robin promised to protect them. So, just like that, Gray and Natsu were left to fend for themselves. Gray "Aloha" Fullbuster needed to get out of their before…

"Hello there, beautiful."

And he scrammed, leaving the Pink Swan to deal with the wackos and he didn't at all feel guilty.

It was a breath of fresh air when he stumbled into the decorated backyard. He couldn't be more thankful. Natsu could deal with those perverts himself. Gray just didn't have the energy. So, tonight, he'd rather be alone and invisible. He looked for a dark, quiet spot to brood, rethink his life choices maybe, but the loud laughter coming from the pool-side bar caught his attention. A group of girls gathered around the bar, wearing costumes ranging from Bunny Girl to Firefighter, each one not sparing a chance to show a lot of skin, mind you, and who knew Strawberries could be that sexy? As much as those characters demanded his full attention – to the best curves and skin – his appreciating eyes zeroed in on the familiar long, blue waves. He watched as the bluenette, who was wearing the same costume as he was, licked salt on some Greek god's abs. That lucky bastard. She shot back her drink and basked in the cheers of her Kappa Kappa Chi sisters.

"Hey, Juvia." Gray heard the voice behind him before feeling the weight of an arm over his shoulders. When he turned his head to see the owner of the voice, 'Aloha' winced at the smell of strong alcohol. "Found your twin!" The swaying Police Girl turned to him, breathing alcohol right into his face. "Let's go get a taste of that Greek god."

Hell no!

He protested but damn the woman was determined. Gray knew her; she was in his World Lit Class. Also, she's the reason he couldn't seem to approach the bluenette. He didn't mind getting welcomed into that circle though, especially when Juvia was the one who pulled him to her side and clung to him the whole time because she said they were soul sisters, being in the same hula girl costume. It wasn't on purpose but c'est la vie!

Maybe Captain Pikachu's 'initiation' wasn't that bad. Gray had been trying for days to talk to Juvia. She was also in his class, seating right in front of him. But he never got the chance because she was always surrounded by her cheerleader squad or those stubborn ugly looking guys who wouldn't go away. They weren't necessarily ugly but who cares? They were giant eyesores; especially when they were making Juvia laugh and giggle and he couldn't even come up and talk to the woman.

Thanks to this questionable 'initiation rights', Gray was this close to her, skin brushing against skin once in a while, and could even enjoy a laugh or two with Juvia. Oh ho! Gray had no complaints. Except for that one fleeting moment they were egging him to take a body shot on that Greek god dude. That was a hard no. Not even a slightly tipsy 'Aloha' would say yes to that. No, ma'am.

---

At around dawn, when people started leaving and after Cana, the drunk and sexy police girl, took home – up to her room at the Kappa House – the Greek god, the girls decided to bring the party inside, around the fireplace at the living room, or what looked like a tamed version of it. Actually, the girls were just tired. They had their fun with the Greek god and decided the only action they would be getting was a lazy game of truth or dare. Besides, their President, and the squad's Head Cheerleader, was up there 'getting it' for the rest of them. Somehow, Aloha-Gray found himself squeezed on the couch between Juvia and Mirajane's younger sister, Lisanna. Also, none of them were sober enough to realize he didn't really belong there. All he had to do was keep quiet and don't get picked by the bottle.

Otherwise…

"Okay, your turn Juvia!" It was the sexy librarian, Levy, who was dared to send a very provocative text to his lab partner, who spun the bottle that landed on the bluenette.

"Alright, alright. Dare." Juvia giggled. "Hit me with your best shot, Levy!"

Sexy Librarian opened her mouth but was quickly interrupted when they heard a loud derisive snort coming from sexy police girl who found her own place in the circle.

"You can't trust Shrimp for a fun dare." said Cana. "She'll just make you take off the stupid coconuts."

"Hey!" Levy retorted, but she sat right back, realizing that was exactly what she was going to challenge Juvia to do. "It's daring."

"How about this," The twinkle in those sober brown eyes gave Cana away. "I dare you to kiss your fellow Island Girl."

There was an amused 'ooh' bouncing around the room. That challenge definitely got everyone's attention since all of them knew Juvia was a bit too… vanilla. Never played for the other team, not even out of plain curiosity. When Juvia didn't respond, Cana thought she wasn't up for it.

"Too chicken?"

Juvia glanced at him, at Gray, and he could see she was considering it. She smirked at him with visible interest.

"If Aloha here doesn't mind."

That was probably the alcohol talking but Gray Fullbuster didn't mind. He most definitely did not mind. Except that, it was the exact moment his cock-block of a brain reminded him he wasn't really a girl and that would definitely defeat the purpose of the dare. They bonded over the Greek god and he really felt like he belonged there now. So, Gray ought to tell the girls the truth before things got out of hand. He owed that to Aloha's Kappa Kappa Chi sisters. But as Gray was about to come clean, Juvia had already got him tongue-tied, quite literally.

Juvia Lockser was a good kisser, very experienced. Gray would go as far as say she was more experienced than he was. She got some moves and dammit, Juvia Lockser was making him lose consciousness with just the way her tongue slithered around his. But it felt good, so good that it made him forget about honesty being the best policy and fought Juvia for dominance, leaning in as close as he could get. Gray could hear their coconuts knocking against each other. Juvia probably heard it too, knocking her senses back to her. There was no other reason why Juvia would pull her tongue out of Gray's mouth and started giggling against his lips.

"I'm sorry." She erupted into another series of giggles, making Gray feel self-conscious. But they probably have put on a good show because the girls were cheering them on, probably hoping for some encore performance.

"That was some kiss, Lockser." She received the thumbs-up approval from the darer.

"Not too vanilla now, am I?"

Juvia couldn't keep the gloat in her voice, throwing each of her non-believers a smug look and returned to the flustered Island Girl.

"Look. I ruined your lipstick." She said, wiping the stain outside the line of Gray's lips. "C'mon up, I'll help you fix it." But all Gray wanted was for Juvia to ruin it some more. Still, 'Aloha' followed her like an obedient puppy.

She brought him into her room and led him directly into her walk-in closet. Gray then realized how different a girl's room was from a guy's. He was sharing with Natsu and damn, their room was a labyrinth with all the dirty clothes and other dirty things thrown all over the floor. Juvai's room was neat, tidy and pink. Juvia went into her drawers to search for a lipstick with the same shade as Aloha's.

"Found it!"

She bounced back to him, pulling out the applicator to swatch on 'Aloha's' lips. Gray quickly blocked her hand, deciding he better come clean now or him and Juvia – never gonna happen.

"I'm sorry."

"Wow, your voice is really deep." Then, with the kiss probably sobering her up, Juvia pulled a look of confusion. "For a girl?"

"Actually, that's what I was going to talk to you about."

Carefully, 'Aloha' pulled his long, black hair off his head.

"I'm not a girl."

There was silence. Gray braced for the beating that was about to come but there was nothing. He peeked with one eye to see that Juvia wasn't pulling an angry expression.

"Oh, wow."

On the contrary, she looked a bit…

"That's good."

Relieved.

"For a second there, you got me doubting my own sexuality." She wasn't looking at him now. Juvia sat next to him and stared amusingly at the pink wall. "I really thought a girl was turning me on."

Okay, since she wasn't mad about the, it wasn't technically a lie… just a 'withholding of truth'. Fine, the lie. Since she wasn't angry at him and she was talking about being turned on, Gray carpe diem-ed. He sneaked beside Juvia and, with a smirk that both ghosted his lips and his voice, flirted.

"I turn you on?"

Juvia glanced at him, returning his playfulness. "Well…" but her smile of amusement started to waver as Juvia stared him up and down. "Not right now. No."

"Right." He understood, casting his eyes on the floor. All hope abandoned.

There was that uncomfortable silence again with Gray not knowing the social cues on situations like this. It wasn't everyday that he got Frenched by a hot girl thinking he was a girl and finding out that he actually wasn't. Gray didn't really know the best time to say goodbye and scram. He made attempts but they easily popped like a bubble. Besides, there was nothing he could come up with now that would be of any help. With the way Juvia was avoiding his eyes, hope was flying farther and farther away.

"Maybe," Juvia broke the ice, worrying her bottom lip with her crazy idea. "Maybe, if you lose the coconuts?"

Halleluiah! There was hope.

Gray quickly lost the coconuts and tossed them somewhere behind him.

"Top off." Gray watched Juvia eye him with interest. Then, her pleased blue eyes landed on his bottom and her lips twitched.

"And the skirt too."

He slid out of the grassy skirt in one quick move, tossing it along with his boxers, and waited as hot island girl Juvia checked him out in all his fine glory. She bit her lower lip, obviously loving what she saw.

"Not too shabby, Island Girl."

"Well," Gray gained his confidence, "it's Gray actually." and grabbed the woman by the waist, wincing at the pain of the coconuts which Juvia quickly got rid of, as they both tried to recapture that wanton passion they shared downstairs, when Gray was still 'Aloha' and Juvia was enjoying the thrill of her experiment. Then, the searing passion found its way to Juvia's bed where Gray made sure that, after that night, hot cheerleader Juvia would never think of him as a girl. Ever.

[baodurs]

i want someone besides me and the 2 friends who know all the lore to meet my detective, but i’m too impatient to let you get to know her via fic so i filled out this questionnaire instead. she is veronica and she is so important, here is some stuff about her if you are interested :’)

QUICK READ OF YOUR DETECTIVE

Name: veronica langford

Pronouns: she/her

Sexuality: bi

Love interest: adam

Best friend: morgan

Main skill: science/technology

Secondary skill: combat/physical

Main personality trait: impulsive

Secondary personality trait: sarcastic

Why did they join the Wayhaven PD?: best use of her science skills

Relationship with Rebecca: not great

Relationship with Bobby: ex, finds it hard to be around him

Verda or Tina?: both! but she’s on verda’s branch

Murphy bite?: wrist

Murphy's fate?: captured

Rescue LI or Rescue Sanja?: sanja

GENERAL

Name: veronica “it’s been 3 years and i never gave her a middle name” langford

Nickname: just veronica. people around wayhaven called her ronny growing up, and a few still do despite her trying to grow out of it. maybe a few people from college and sometimes tina call her v or vee or something.

Birthday: please you all know i am so scared of concrete dates

Age: 26

Pronouns: she/her

Sexuality: bi

Hair color: brown

Eye color: dark brown

Height: 5′10 (178 cm)

Piercings: just one in each ear

Tattoos: something retro sci-fi on her shoulder. not a reference to anything specific, but like a little planetary landscape with a UFO in the background or something.

Clothing Style: casual. lots of tank tops and muscle tees (weather- and occasion-permitting), concert t-shirts, warm colors. flannels and leather jackets. jeans, sneakers, combat boots. think like rocker chick vibes, but cozier and more colorful.

Apartment Style: basic. she really did not plan on living there long and kept putting off decorating because it’d be a waste if she was just going to move out. this rationalization went on so long but since the end of book 1 she has slowly bought a few things to push it towards “cozy,” still pretty sparse though.

STATS

Personality:

Charming | Intimidating

Impulsive | Cautious

Sarcastic | Genuine

Friendly | Stoic

Easygoing | Stubborn

Traits:

Heart | Mind

Optimist | Pessimist

Team Player | Independent

Skills:

Main Skill: science/technology (but mostly science)

Second Skill: combat/physical

By the Book | Bend the Rules

KEY DECISIONS

Reason for joining the Wayhaven PD: best use of her science skills

Murphy bite:  Wrist | Neck | None

Murphy’s Fate: Captured | Escaped

Rescued: Love Interest | Sanja

ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP

Love Interest: adam

Why them?: for veronica it’s kind of retroactive. the way i imagine their True Canon, they don’t have any real romantic moments in book 1, so she doesn’t seriously consider that adam might have feelings for her until well into book 2. (the training scene is when she’s like “oh. ok. i get it now.”) even then it takes a few more chapters for her to really process that, figure out how she feels, and recontextualize everything. like realizing that he loves her and then thinking back on their relationship, knowing that, makes her feel so held (sorry i have no better way to say it) in a way that just makes her want to cry.

to give some actual specific reasons, it’s his dedication and his constancy and hidden care/softness. and his very specific brand of... selflessness might be just left of the word i’m looking for, but hopefully you get me.

Bold, shy, or mixed?: neither! in theory it’s closer to bold, but it’s more just earnest.

What were their first impressions of each other?: disastrous. on top of finding him condescending and unpleasant, there are also a few moments where veronica genuinely wonders whether he’s even a good person. or, like, cares about people. but once she learns the truth of things, a lot of her initial anger gets transferred to rebecca.

adam, with the benefit of knowing what’s actually happening, has a slightly more favorable impression of veronica. yes he thinks she’s difficult and reckless and too emotionally driven, yes she’s making his job absolutely miserable, but he does begrudgingly respect that her accusations are always on the right track and she’s good at her job.

What do they find attractive about each other, mentally or physically?:

for veronica: she loooves his sense of humor. and how much faith he has in the people he cares about. physically, dimples <3. but everything about his smile really. and his nose!

for adam: veronica has a very blunt, unadorned sense of kindness to her that he really loves. the way she is kind before she is nice and values directness. physically, her eyes, they’re deep brown and so expressive.

What do they do to spend time together?: they’re both competitive so anything where they can compete on the same team is fun. (competing against each other is fun too, but also like. exhausting. for them and everyone.) maybe puzzles or other things where it feels like they’re “winning” or solving something together. i have spent an embarrassing amount of thought on veronica and overw*tch esp*rts and she would absolutely make adam learn how to play main tank so they could queue as a tank duo. but most of the time i think they don’t Do specific things together; they just hang out. just talk with each other. perhaps snuggle.

What is their favorite memory together?: in current canon... lol. veronica really just treasures any time adam relaxes around her but those moments always get Ruined. even once they’re well into a relationship, i think veronica’s favorite memory would still be something small like a random time he said something funny and they both laughed together and they were outside and the sky was pretty.

What are their love languages?: acts of service for both of them, but especially adam. veronica... probably lots of words of affirmation and physical touch. they’re both bad at blocking out time for themselves in the first place, so quality time can get neglected especially at first.

How do they handle being apart from one another?: pretty well i think! once they’re in an established relationship at least, before that it’s probably harder. but adam can distract himself with work, and veronica is good at focusing on whatever’s in front of her (whether that’s work or she’s away on vacation or something). if neither of them is too busy, veronica calls every night and they stay on a while, half talking and half just keeping each other company.

Do they argue? How do they handle arguments and disagreements? How do they make up?: i think arguments are fairly rare! yes they’re both insanely stubborn, but they also understand each other pretty well (especially once in a relationship) and are very sympathetic to where the other is coming from. unless both of them are extremely stressed, one of them crumbles when they start genuinely arguing like "i don't want to fight ok, let's take a second."

What does their future look like?: who knows! i haven’t decided whether veronica will turn. i think she probably will, just because i do not want my main pairing for this IF to make me very sad all the time, but like. i’m not fully committing until i see a reason pop up in canon. as of book 3′s final demo, it’s not on her radar at all; she knows she loves adam and wishes they could Talk, but ultimately doesn’t expect or even want a relationship right now (because she doesn’t want to deal with dating one of rebecca’s agents OR with the logistics of being in a committed relationship with an immortal being). it’s just all so foreign to her current state of mind that it’s really hard to say!

Anything else you'd like to share: do you know how hard it was to answer some of these considering veronica wasn’t sure they were even, like, on decent terms for such a large portion of the canon content

BEST FRIEND RELATIONSHIP

Best friend: morgan and farah are essentially joint besties but i’ll go with M

Why them?: i think they appreciate each other’s no bullshit attitude. morgan likes that veronica doesn’t take herself too seriously and respects/relates to the way she tackles problems (quickly, head-on, and without complaint but also without pretending that it doesn’t suck?). veronica appreciates morgan’s bluntness, likes bantering with her, and in general just likes being around people that have quiet/steady presences.

What were their first impressions of each other?: neither of them had much of a first impression honestly. morgan barely thought of veronica at all beyond “she’s annoying,” and kept to herself so much that any dislike veronica had of morgan took a backseat to her dealing with the rest of unit bravo.

What do they do to spend time together?: lots of just sitting in the same room and listening to (low volume) music, veronica spends a lot of time hunting for songs morgan might like. morgan is also her go-to sparring/training buddy. and there are semi-frequent movie nights where veronica shows farah her favorite old shitty B movies, and sometimes morgan will tag along just to sit in the room with them or affectionately talk shit.

Anything else you'd like to share: i’ll talk a little about N! obviously veronica and nate respect, trust, and like each other, but she finds him the hardest of UB to connect with. they’re both people who wear their compassion on their sleeves but keep a lot of their hearts/themselves held back, so they just kind of circle each other, especially since like... nate values politeness and is very sweet in how he relates to people, while veronica values directness and is more jokey/lighthearted to put people at ease. idk how well i’m communicating this; as of the book 3 demo it’s getting easier, but their friendship is still newer/more... nebulous? than the others.

OTHER RELATIONSHIPS (Feel free to go in depth!)

Relationship with Rebecca: so strained. veronica has come to terms with rebecca’s absences throughout her childhood, but there’s newer resentment over... a lot of things, but how she handled the murphy case especially. veronica hates being kept in the dark, and even more than that she hates being rebecca’s priority. it’s difficult to reconcile her childhood and present images of rebecca, and she’s angry that rebecca is so freely and recklessly choosing her, now, to the point of endangering others if she has to, especially when she never felt like rebecca’s choice before. and incredibly frustrated/confused by how often the lines between their professional and familial relationships are blurred and what rebecca actually wants from her.

Relationship with Rook: veronica takes after rook a lot. in stat terms, the only trait they don’t share is stoic, and even then that’s veronica’s least extreme stat. people always told her how like her father she was growing up, and it’s a comparison she took/takes a lot of pride in! she looks up to him based on the stories, but more recently is uncomfortable with the comparisons. veronica would never have even come back to wayhaven if her life panned out as planned, let alone become a detective or joined the agency. that makes her doubt herself, and she feels like that doubt is letting rook down somehow.

rook is also part of the reason her relationship with rebecca isn’t as bad as it could be. she knows that rook loved her, and that he would want his family to be there for each other, so she feels obligated to at least try to make things better. but it’s really hard for her to move past everything to connect with rebecca (which also makes her feel like she’s disappointing rook).

Relationship with Bobby: they were together for a long time and veronica thought she loved him a lot! it was her first relationship, so she wasn’t sure a) what a “bad partner” looked like, or b) how to even be in a relationship or rely on someone in that way. so they spent a lot of time together and had great superficial chemistry, but veronica didn’t have enough experience with not feeling neglected to realize how shallow it was, or notice the red flags when she did occasionally open up. the plagiarism fiasco was a slap in the face, especially because it cost her internships/grad school apps/whatever, i don’t have the details, and forced her to move back to wayhaven after school. she’s still very hurt by it and finds it hard to be around bobby.

Relationship with Verda: due to the above plagiarism fiasco, veronica was pretty depressed when she moved back home, and disliking her job didn’t help. she was extremely jealous when verda was hired and wanted to hate him. but it did not take long for that to crumble into respect/admiration, and eventually into close friendship! verda is a role model for her; they bond over science; they joke easily and have good chill fun. she was really excited to see him piecing together the truth about the supernatural and then devastated to see how he reacted. she feels insanely guilty and thinks it was selfish of her to let him figure it out, but is also cautiously optimistic about making it up to him as of the book 3 demo.

Relationship with Tina: very close! veronica isolated herself when she came back to wayhaven after school, and she is so grateful to tina for being her closest friend and link to the rest of the world during that time. hates keeping the supernatural from her, though. she didn’t like lying to tina to begin with, but she feels even worse about it now that verda knows, and now that tina has clearly picked up on something being wrong but she still can’t say anything.

Relationship with the Mayor: cannot stand him. hates the way he talks about rook, hates the way he talks to rebecca. she cooperates as necessary but doesn’t bother hiding her lack of patience/respect for him.

Relationship with Capt. Sung: basically fine. i think veronica might be a little too casual for him in the way she works, but she always gets the job done so he’s not too bothered by it. (she is ‘bend the rules,’ but more ‘strict rules aren’t important as long as you’re still doing good work’ than the ‘boooo fuck paperwork’ variety. so it’s mostly fine.) she also appreciates him as a minor link to rook.

Relationship with Haley: very friendly, but not super close. they get along great and could make pleasant conversation for hours, but ultimately don’t know each other super well despite the familiarity of growing up together.

Relationship with Elidor: such a comforting presence for veronica during her recovery! she is so grateful, so fond.

Relationship with Tapeesa/Vieno: veronica loves vieno’s cranky-yet-friendly vibe and they get along well! not close, but will stop to chat whenever they pass each other.

Relationship with Unit Alpha: loves their energy. always looks forward to the next opportunity to chat with them, and fully supports any harmless dunking on UB even if she rarely joins in.

Relationship with the Maa-alused: going through the house of mirrors and then coming home for them to appear in her apartment and infect bobby was one of thee worst experiences of her life, and it’s hard for her to get past that + the illness in general. sympathizes with them, and got them to sign the treaty, but is still kind of unsettled by everything that happened and by falk.

Do they have any other important relationships, past or present? (Relatives, friends, etc.?): some vague figures i have in mind but no one i’ve really developed. a couple friends from college, and maybe an elderly couple that lives on her childhood street and used to check in her.

PERSONAL BIO

Describe their personality: her usual demeanor is very warm and casual. sincere but private--she’s pretty blunt and likes to be direct with people, but steers conversations away from personal topics. likes to joke around and doesn’t take herself that seriously. but behind all this, she’s extremely stubborn and won’t shy away from conflict if she thinks you’re in the wrong (which is why she seems like a different person in the first half of book 1. UB is surprised by how like... chill and nice she is once they clear the air). a workaholic, self-reliant and secure but still pretty hard on herself, takes a lot of responsibility for the people around her.

Strengths: so dedicated. honest and trustworthy, has a strong moral compass and can always be counted on to do her absolute best. flexible and intuitive, her brain works really fast.

Weaknesses: cannot compartmentalize or separate herself from a case, throws herself so recklessly into everything (in terms of both physical danger and emotional burnout). doesn’t necessarily hold grudges but has a hard time letting go of hurt, still can’t think objectively about bobby or rebecca.

Where in the world is their Wayhaven?: somewhere on the US east coast idk what to tell you. perhaps a carolina or a virginia.

What is their personal history?: veronica was pretty social and well-liked around wayhaven growing up. she was known as just a really good kid; she was an overachiever and got along with almost anyone. in college, she felt like she was free of something and took a very work hard/play hard approach to life. always doing or going, whether it was for school or work or fun. she really enjoyed life during this time but crashed and burned pretty hard when she and bobby broke up; a lot of her plans were delayed until the plagiarism incident was resolved and she didn’t really have the heart to pursue them afterwards.

a year or so after graduating, she returned to wayhaven with the intention of taking one more year to regroup, and she has been stuck there longer than she meant to be and has kind of hit a wall when book 1 starts.

If they weren't a detective, what would their dream job be?: she was on track to become a biochemist and it was her dream job but then the main plot happened to her.

Anything else you'd like to share: i don’t really know enough to fully explain this, but no OC i love is a cop so like. i think maybe the job she took when she got back to wayhaven was a douglas-esque receptionist role for detective reele’s private office. then reele retired and small town politics + veronica’s history of useful contributions to cases in her downtime at work led to her being pressured to take up the mantle. it’s hard to explain why she’s a detective when she so deeply does not want to be one but i am Trying (or maybe she would have jumped at the chance to do something marginally closer to forensics?? who knows)

RANDOM FACTS

Zodiac sign: aries is what i assigned her when i first made her and i think it suits her! plus it’d be fun for her and M to be twins. this goes hand-in-hand with my birthday commitment issues though

Hobbies: music (she plays guitar and bass and sings a little), running, gaming unfortunately. i could also see her having been into boxing or some martial art but idk what exactly!

Likes: early morning stillness, DIY projects, t-shirts with inexplicable slogans and other weird thrift store finds

Dislikes: overly sweet food or drink, when cold weather lasts too long, being lied to or “protected” from the truth

Drink of choice: something with gin maybe. also feels a great fondness and gratitude for cheap wine.

Starbucks order: i truly know nothing about coffee. is it weird to order black coffee at starbucks

Favorite food: variations on spicy chicken soup! she eats a lot of crockpot meals for convenience and they’ve grown on her, and she has a few different recipes based on whatever she has on hand.

Favorite color: maybe like a rusty orange

Favorite music: she will listen to anything, but her favorite is probably folk rock, or sometimes stuff with soul or old school country vibes. big thief is a good example of an artist she’d be into i think! also was very into the indie music scene in her college town and still follows some of those bands.

Favorite genre (and favorite movie/book/etc): loves old, campy, unselfconsciously optimistic sci-fi. loves star trek tos. also a fan of documentaries of all kinds.

Favorite season: summer

Anything else you'd like to share: a kiss for you reading this mwah

[elysicndrcvm]

━♡ guess the 23 YEAR OLD FEBRUARY baby just arrived to dallyeog! it makes sense, because CHU EUNHA is just as BEDAZZLING as the month of FEBRUARY. wait, why do they remind me of JACOB BAE? beyond that, they seemed JOYOUS and SAVVY upon first glance. i heard someone say they’re sort of DELICATE and QUIXOTIC though. i hope they get acquainted here in COMPLEX 1 / APARTMENT 0215 / FLOOR 3 ; HE seem(s) to have a lot going on with HIS job as a PATISSERIE OWNER/NUTRITIONAL SCIENCE STUDENT. ( ez, 21, she/they, gmt. )

     well hey there !! im ez but you fellow dallyeogers can call me ezzy, i have been in dallyeog before so some may remember me as having someone v different to my new bb i bring u now, i joined before with miss tam carmen !! anygays i return with this lil angel who i am all ‘ i say that’s my baby and i’m proud ’ over already even tho i literally came up with him like two days ago. you can find his pinboard here ( which btw i fuckeN love like he’s so aesthetic to me u go king ) and i made him a lil playlist which u can vibe to here. you can learn more about him under the cut but he’s a super soft-hearted gentle dove of a muse and quite...simple for me ?? sdhdh that’s not the right wording but U GET IT djjflg he isn’t super full of angst or trauma he’s just kinda viBIN livin his best life so that’s fun !! but ye without further ado: 

so as u kno from his app he owns a patisserie, it’s his lil babey and he is very dedicated to his craft and makin sure all his ideas for the place and the baked goods he sells are like rlly quirky and avant-garde. like he is so passionate about it u dont even KNOW, he tries to make sure most of the stuff on his menu is something like fun and new u wouldn’t get at just any old patisserie or cafe and that it’s super varied and also kinda aesthetic af? the place is very like trendy. it’s called patisserie d’elysian cause ya know he’s an extra biTCHH and proud.

he has three pupperino’s. all as adorable as each other, snickerdoodle is his golden lab and often ppl shorten it down to snickers, butterscotch is his dapple daschund pup, shortens the name to scotchie often. toulouse is his fancy toy poodle boi, shortens the name down as toto. if u are on the shortened name basis with his pups then u can consider urself one of his close pals. 

he’s actually adopted by his aunt but she raised him like she was his mother so that is what he considers her, she’s on his mother’s side but they are half-siblings. in terms of first name reasoning as well she just liked eunha as a name and didn’t even think about how it is traditionally for a female, she liked that it meant gift from heaven so it stuck. his father is still around, he’s just quite elderly so it felt like a better living situation for him to be raised primarily by his auntie. unfortunately his mother has passed on but no tragic story, she just went peacefully in old age. 

he dyes his hair quite often, it’s currently like a really pastel blue with black streaks consistently throughout like lil ones so it looks super cool. but he’s also had it be a more electric blue, lilac, and a duck egg kinda faded silvery blue. it’s naturally dark brunette. has brown eyes kind of a hazel hue. 

his style is kinda androgynous ig?? he just lives for soft retro fashion, lots of color in his wardrobe but also lots of tapered short and t-shirt fits frequented, sweater vests, rolled up jeans, high skater boi socks, soft jumpers with shirts, shirts in bright colours or satiny texture worn over plain white t-shirts, cardigans, pastel denim jackets, jeans with printed patterns on like clouds, flowers etc, favors yellow and blues. sometimes does eye makeup, occasionally wears heels bc he’s a baddie or super heeled boots/chunky shoes. 

obsessed with music, can play violin and guitar. he’s a big mitski and rina sawayama fanatic, likes anything that sounds peaceful or calming or has like a good fun vibe to it. also likes the trademark gay icons like carly rae jepsen, lorde, etc. he’s not ashamed. obsessed with mamma mia movies. but also likes rap which is rlly funny cause its like the bad bitch female rappers only and like he’ll listen to it while arranging his sock drawer or making his bed or something ajdjdj it’s like hype anthems for being a baddie and a hoe and he’s just doing his night sleepy routine adkfkf. 

showers, blankets, music, baked goods especially bagels are his happy places. 

very much a sensitive lil romanticist, falls in ‘love’ like five times a day, he just likes to giggle and smile around pretty people and admire the artwork hnghdh, he’s like yeARNS though ya know?? like he’s all i will flirt by making prolonged eye contact, i made you a playlist, this song makes me think of you etc. it’s either memes as flirting with him or elaborate love letters u never know what ur gonna get akdkd. 

awful sense of humour, loves his friends more than anything on earth except his pups, would fully live in a huge house of just like his pups and all his closest buds for all eternity. likes fruits way too much, enjoys puns about fruits way too much. milkshakes, sushi, orange hues and bus rides are some of his absolute favorite simple pleasures of life. clouds, flowers, salt lamps, the sunrise over the sea, skateboarding, fresh soda, teddy bears, busy street markets, parasols, fish tanks with exotic fish, sorbet, bike riding, polaroids, record players, rain at night against floor to ceiling windows with a fresh steaming pot of tea on the desk beside it and warm fresh sheets from the laundry on his bed, ponds, skateboarding. all little joys in life that give him like the biggest pleasure dopamine hit in the world. 

his cousin actually owns a florists so he has flowers just littering his apartment like a lot and it just looks like he has ten million suitors from the late eighteenth century attempting to court him but no all these flowers are from him to him or worse from his aunt djfjg she sends him some for valentines every valentines, pls help him, pls send him flowers. 

studies nutritional science and he fucken hates it. do not ask him shit cause he doesn’t KNOW OKAY? he doesn’t understand it either. he took it because he needed something to go alongside the passion for baking that was a real ‘qualification’/job so that is the only reason he’s doing it. no point doing a baking degree after all when he’s already a baker with a business, he’s super young still he gotta keep his prospects open. so YAH. he’d rather be doing culinary arts but eh. nutritional science sounded better and more logic based. the real miracle is he still gets top grades all the time even tho he spends his life like wtf am i even doing is this even legit akdkdk. school is the worst thing in the world for him watch his mood instantly deflate the second its brought up. 

despite being a quixotic, he’s a lil afraid of intimacy. like oh god does he love it, those small touches and acts of affection u kno? the subtle things that normally go unnoticed, eye contact, brushing of hands, linking of little fingers, rubbing a thumb, kissing eyelids or foreheads or palms or shoulders in little gentle pecks, back massages and rubs or finger tracing patterns absent-minded, shoulder massages, laying your head on someone’s shoulder or on their lap, knocking knees together, exchanging a small glance only the two of you get before bursting into laughter, smiling into kisses, napping together, having blankets placed over you warm and fresh, or towels put ready like it, someone making you something they know you like a lot. that’s his sHIT. but like he’s terrified still, someone skimming their fingers on his skin makes his breath hitch like he’s a scandalized and alarmingly aroused victorian woman sjdjd. he’s literally still a virgin, he hasn’t even had his first kiss okay my baby is delicate be gentle with him akdkd but he still LIKES PASSION AIGHT kfkf. 

real soft spoken, honey tinted voice like i shit u not this boy talks like he’s an angel sent from heavens above to guide you to the paradisaical garden of eden or some shit akdkd. ur gonna fall in love with eunha’s voice before u even fall in love with any other part of him like his adorable beaming smile or stunning eyes akdkf. 

has dance parties around his room when getting ready in the morning, listens to bella’s lullaby unironically yes from twilight yes u heard right, bit of a himbo streak sometimes in his obliviousness djfjf. quite silently subtly funny actually much like jacob himself. 

he is gay, afraid of driving, cannot do math, blanks out often and he is valid for all of those things. has a collection of cartoon and disney animal movie dvds. has a dream notebook. always has blue painted nails in some kinda shade. 

does not enjoy turning in assignments bc he is scared he’ll fail, avoids looking at his grades for weeks after they’re released and hates knowing that they’re out. 

cannot dance, dances often. collects vintage stuff esp clothes and mostly sweaters. likes midnight trips to corner stores and fields where he can just lay and look at the stars. makes friends rlly easily but has super bad performance anxiety. cannot ever have a messy room like even the tiniest bit messy. even like clothes being stacked on a chair instead of away. 

bakes peanut butter, banana and choc chip muffins (they r called monkey bites normally) whenever he’s super stressed. if u want to cheer him up when he’s anxious or stressed then u should give him french lavender honey, chia seeds and caramelized pear on toast/bagel. it is his comfort food. he fancii when he needs a pick me up. treat urself and all that. 

[tirednotflirting]

darling, you're the one i want

hi i wrote merrikat. based on paper rings. it’s pretty cute i’m pretty happy w it. esp bc it’s the first thing i’ve managed to start and complete in uhhhh over a month : ) sooooo yeah

here it is on ao3 if that’s more ur jam

Jack didn’t know love could feel like this. So loud and quiet all at the same time. So careful and turbulent and everything in between. He considers how something like that can be as he takes a sip from the wine he had found waiting for him on the kitchen island (accompanied by a sticky note with Zack’s messy handwriting telling him for you :) sorry about the long day xx). He lets his head rest against his palm as he leans against the counter, a small tired smile pulling across his cheeks as he catches the cologne on the sleeve of the hoodie he’d found waiting for him on the bed after changing into something comfier. (Another sticky note with a lopsided smiley face had been sitting on top of the soft, worn hoodie.)

There had been a third sticky note (this one with just a heart drawn in the center of it) on the box of takeout waiting for Jack in the fridge after he had come downstairs from the office after a long afternoon of livestream interviews with Alex. He always felt a lot of something in the direction of guilt when there was work to be done on his visits out to see Zack despite the teasing remarks he would receive reminding him that we are literally coworkers, Jack.

But now it doesn’t matter because the day is done. Any kind of negative feeling Jack had felt prior to coming down to the kitchen dissipated the second he saw the glass of wine and Zack’s patient face looking down at whatever book he had picked up to read next. From Jack’s spot at the island he can see his boy settled into the couch on the back deck that sits just in front of the big window in the kitchen.

Another paradox from the seemingly endless list of them comes to mind then as he watches the sun slip toward the horizon, the sky a swirling mix of oranges and pinks. He feels like he’s loved the man sitting on the other side of the window for both 20 minutes and 20 years and again, he wonders how that can be.

He’d loved Zack since they were teenagers and yet the relationship they had now had somehow still snuck up on them both. Drunken cuddles at parties turned into sober cuddles before soundcheck. Giggling kisses against cheeks while they ran around on stage in the middle of a show turned into Jack in Zack’s lap while making out on the tour bus couch. (Jack laughs to himself at the memory of Alex rolling his eyes while Rian was cracking up as he accepted a $20 bill after they’d wandered into the back lounge that night. Jack and Zack had only blinked in confusion at each other as they heard Alex grumbling that you guys just had to figure your shit out on a Tuesday, huh? as he went off in the direction of his bunk.)

It wasn’t how Jack was used to a relationship happening. It had felt so easy. He didn’t know it could be this easy. When he tried questioning it early on, Alex had only laughed. You’re best friends, what did you expect? Nothing ever felt complicated with Zack. Jack found himself thinking it was something he could get used to, something he wanted to get used to.

Three years in and they’re something in the realm of settled down despite the nature of their career never really leaving them in one place for too long. It had been Zack’s idea for them to spend the couple of weeks off on this tour at his place before catching a flight back to LA for more rehearsals. Time felt like it moved slower on the island (though if Jack’s being honest, anywhere moves slower than LA) and it was something he was thankful for. Every moment with Zack was something to be savored.

He picks up his glass and heads in the direction of the back door. After shutting the door behind him, he turns back to see Zack marking his place in his book with a receipt before dropping it against the coffee table sitting in front of him. Jack takes the spot beside him and smiles into the kiss he’s pulled into before settling against the cushions. With his free hand, he traces along the tattoos around Zack’s shoulder in the fading sunlight. “How was your afternoon?” Jack asks, finally breaking the comfortable silence, as his fingers trail down Zack’s arm to tangle their fingers together.

Zack smiles down at their joined hands before lifting them to press his lips against Jack’s knuckles. “Productive,” he hums with a smile. “Rearranged some stuff in the garage, went to the store. Found this plant while I was there that looked like it needed some love. I’ll show you in the morning, the flowers are a pretty color.”

Jack smiles brightly. Regardless of how long he comes out to visit, they settle so quickly into domesticity. It’s overwhelming, he thinks, but not in a way that scares him. It’s always felt easy to fall into a routine with Zack.

“Looking forward to it.”

Zack asks him about his day and Jack recalls on the afternoon of answering the same four questions over and over again for different radio stations all across the country and the way he basically had Alex’s answers to them memorized by the end of the day. He tells him about the story one of the interviewers told them about their first All Time Low show (Zack had thrown them a pick in 2010 and they apparently still had it inside a box of concert memories from over the years) and the cat that had wandered into the frame on one of the calls.

Eventually they settle back into another comfortable, lazy quiet. Their joined hands sit against Zack’s thigh, his thumb tracing circles in Jack’s palm, as they watch the sun take its time saying its daily goodbye to the world. A light breeze picks up, just enough to keep them cool. Jack takes a deep breath and despite the fact that his entire adult life has been spent quite literally living out his wildest dreams every damn day, if he was asked to stay stuck in one moment forever, it would be this one.

“I wish everyday could end like this,” Jack sighs as his head falls to rest against Zack’s shoulder after taking another sip from his glass. “This is really nice.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I would mind if forever had this view,” Zack answers. Jack assumes he’s referring to the last bit of sunset playing out before them over the mountains but then he feels a pair of lips press against his hair and he looks up to meet Zack’s tired eyes looking down fondly.

“Forever is a big word, mister,” Jack jokes with a blush, his eyes blinking up at Zack’s. Though he hopes it doesn’t come out as though he’s disagreeing.

“You’re right,” Zack laughs while tossing an arm around Jack’s shoulders to pull him closer to his side. His eyes pull away from Jack’s to look back out at the sky and they’re both silent, their breathing and the buzz of the approaching dusk becoming their evening soundtrack.

Jack lets his eyes fall shut, the calmness surrounding them making him sleepier than he felt before coming out to join his boy. He’s seconds away from the short sleep that Zack will allow him before dragging them both back inside to watch one of those documentaries they’ve been watching after dinner for the last few weeks.

“Marry me?”

Jack’s eyes shoot open as he turns his head up to face Zack whose eyes are still trained on the pink-purple sky rapidly shifting to a dark blue. “What?”

He shifts to sit up and Zack turns to face him then while the last bit of light adds a sparkle to his eyes. He smiles lazily as he lifts a hand to cup Jack’s cheek. Jack barely notices the way he instinctively leans into his gentle touch. “I want every sunset with you,” Zack whispers into the space between them. “I want every sunrise with you, even if it’s just you whining over how early it is.” Jack softly laughs as his mind briefly drifts to thoughts of clingy, early mornings before speeding back to the present.

“I want forever with you. Longer than forever, really. But I’m not sure that’s real.”

Jack laughs again while his vision blurs and lets Zack wipe away the single tear he feels starting to fall down his cheek. “Who cares if it’s real? That was so fucking romantic, you sap.”

“Are you going to give me an answer or do I have to wait until I get a ring for that?”

“Zack, babe, you could propose with one of your sticky notes and I’d say yes every damn time. Of course I’ll marry you.”

Zack pulls him in by the waist to press their lips together. As his eyes flutter shut, Jack feels another tear roll down cheek and when he pulls away several moments later, he can’t help but laugh at the watery eyes looking back at him as well.

“That could be arranged, though,” Zack says suddenly before quickly leaning across to kiss Jack’s forehead before pushing up from the couch and slipping inside. Jack is left with a confused smile pulling at his lips as he’s not entirely sure what Zack could mean by that.

Only a couple minutes pass before Zack returns, a folded sticky note and a roll of tape in his hands. He takes his spot back on the couch and looks up to meet Jack’s eyes, his blush just barely visible in the twilight.

“Okay, give me your hand,” Zack instructs. Jack starts catching on then what he’s doing and laughs as he lifts his left hand up in between them. Zack’s bottom lip gets caught between his teeth as he delicately wraps the bright pink paper around Jack’s ring finger and secures the loop with a small piece of tape.

“There,” Zack smiles, admiring his work before looking up to meet Jack’s eyes. “Perfect.”

“You really are,” Jack mumbles as he gently shakes his head at the man in front of him.

Zack laughs, the blush still painting his cheeks as he rolls his eyes. “Okay, Mr Cheesy. This will work until we can get you something shiny.”

“I don’t need shiny, Zack. I promise.” Jack replies.

“If we show up back in Baltimore to celebrate with everyone about this and you have a sticky note wrapped around your finger, both of our mothers and Alex will kill me,” Zack counters.

“Alright, you’re probably right,” Jack shrugs. “But just for the record, this is fucking adorable regardless.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Zack smiles as he moves to link their fingers together again before standing. “Should we go Facetime the boys and the fam to tell them?”

“Of course,” Jack nods as he lets himself get led back into the house. “Do you think they bet on this too?”

“Oh, I’m sure they did,” Zack replies as he reaches for Jack’s glass and a second one from the shelf for himself before opening the fridge to find the bottle of wine. “I’m sure Alex is going to lose again, too. Rian is too good at this kind of thing. Let me go grab my phone.”

Jack takes a seat at the counter and watches Zack jog up the stairs. He smiles down at the paper wrapped around his finger and sighs. His mind wanders around what forever will look like, what it’ll feel like with a big party and vows and an added weight on his left hand. As Zack reenters the room, the brightest smile pulling at his lips as Jack hears a shy voice excitedly stumbling through an introduction to their best friends followed by so we have some news, all he can think about is how he can’t wait to get used to this too.

*

[dilfbatman]

Do you have any headcanons for Achilles?

OMGGGGGGG I AM IN LOVE W THIS QUESTION BC ACHILLES IS MY LIFELINE!!!! THANK YOU TO WHOEVER SENT THIS IN I LOVE YOU OMFG (can you tell i’m excited and that i love tsoa)

—

- it’s clear and blatantly obvious to everyone who’s ever laid eyes on achilles that he’s the most beautiful person on the planet, he looks like a painting & greek statue brought to life, he knows his beauty but honestly doesn’t always give that much thought to it - it’s very natural to him

- i think he has a melodic, deep voice that literally is one of the best sounds you’d hear in your life

- achilles eyes look like the softest green grass, looks like a light shade of mint, looks like sea green! his hair is like a halo of golden strands - his skin is pretty soft and a golden tan color, has the most lovely smile and laugh and no one can resist this beautiful bastard

- multi-talented obviously, he’s an ace at everything he does and never comes in last, is a winner in all aspects and while he has pride in this, he cares more about how he himself is emotionally after meeting patroclus, he takes more pride in his love, compassion, and humanity due to his adoration of patroclus

- he took up art & sculpting because he wanted to paint patroclus and put it on his wall and wanted to sculpt patroclus’ body because that would require very deep research if you catch my drift

- achilles smells like honey & almonds, pomegranates, and the sea and it’s intoxicating

- one time he ran over to see patroclus to go talk to him and that’s one of the only times in his life that he lost his footing and fell on his face kdksks patroclus was like “OMG ARE YOU OKAY???” and achilles like the smooth dude he is gave a thumbs up, groaned, and said “looks like i fell for you” and patroclus just thought “bro why am i love w him”

- achilles is a fellow bastard clown! he’s a bad bitch and that’s that on THAT

- idk why i think achilles is a scorpio kdjdnd he has that Energy

- achilles is a master strategizer and also runs on his impulses, the most important thing in the universe to him is patroclus and his goal was/is/always will be to keep him safe & protected

- i’ve seen fanart of them as modern characters and i’m........ i’m in LOVE w that.

- achilles would be the most popular guy in school bc he’s beautiful, nice, honest, trustworthy, and intelligent (he’s the captain of the varsity track team, lead his team to GOLD!) but while he is considered popular he literally doesn’t notice and only hangs out w patroclus, and patroclus is a sweet, soft, beautiful boy whomst everyone is in love with bc he’s just so damn sweet and helpful and he is the president of the poetry club and achilles joins and just fawns over him the entire time

- ok modern au over (it will never be over for me let it be known i will make as many headcanons for modern!patrochilles as possible you just gotta let me know if you want it <3)

- i think that achilles is most drawn and comfortable at the sea, not so much because his mother is thetis but because in the sea all he has to do is let the current take him and the color of the sea which is a beautiful turquoise brings him happiness (because one time patroclus wore a tunic that same color, and that day he was so happy, so now that’s achilles favorite color)

- achilles is known to be very honest and simple? but i just think that he has no room for fallacies and just wants to lay it all out on the table, he believes in action and esp when it comes to love, he wants to experience it fully bc he knows gods, demigods, anyone and everyone doesn’t always get to experience true love & he has that with patroclus

- achilles is taller than patroclus & likes to hold stuff above his head bc it makes patroclus pout and he has to climb and give achilles a kiss (except one time patroclus just kicked achilles in the shin and had a shit eating grin bc hehe that’s funny and he deserved it)

- when achilles laughs, birds start chirping + sun starts shining brighter + world looks more beautiful / when he’s angry, the world has a dark tinge to it, the currents are hazardous, and there’s a sense of dread in the air (but don’t worry, achilles is often happy w patroclus bc i said so)

- yes it’s known that achilles has rage in him and honestly can i blame him for that? to be told from a young age you’d be a god, to be trained separately from everyone and have your life not even be your own, to have it be a means to an end for the other gods - he only reallly realizes that when he meets patroclus - bc patroclus is HIS own sweet, precious person that he has in his life that wants the best for achilles - that there’s more to his life and that there’s more to achilles as person. patroclus doesn’t care about glory & pride and just wants to love and grow old w achilles and vice versa - philtatos - most beloved.

- achilles has such top energy djjdjdjd the way he made patroclus blush so much and did the “have i spoken of this?” shit bro i done Lost My Mind

- and pivoting to a whole 180 do you remember when......... THAT scene happened and achilles fell to the ground ripping his hair out, crying his eyes out, raging at the gods and screaming so painfully it broke chords in my heart? how he defied FATE and the gods were scared bc oh my god he loved patroclus so much, he was both numb and sorrowful without him? how he said “there’s no bargains between lions & men, i will kill you and eat you raw” basically noting how he would commit an act only reserved for the gods bc he was so like !!!!!!! HE JUST FUCKING LOVES PATROCLUS SO MUCH AND THEY DESERVED BETTER I KNOW IT’S THE EPITOME OF A GREEK TRAGEDY BUT THEY DESERVED LOVE

- BASICALLY I LOVE ACHILLES!!!! and they are alive and in the modern day and are in LOVE

hope you enjoyed friend!!!! i never really honestly thought about achilles headcanons bc madeline miller did THAT and ahhh bro i want there to be another TSOA i need my boys BACK <3 i love you for sending this in

[mingi-bubu]

A Subpar Guide To Unine

I was inspired by this video, their new album coming out on May 6, 2020, and also yanjuniverse saying something about not knowing them and wondering if there was a guide or something so yeah!

anyway please enjoy my nonsense it’s fun and there are a lot of songs and performances that I recommend looking at!

if anything is unclear, send me a message or something!  i just want everyone to love Unine

Unine is the second nine member group to be created by Idol Producer/Youth With You/QCYN/whatever you want to call the competition show.  The group is made up of Li Wenhan, Li Zhenning, Yao Mingming, Guanyue or Guan Yue, Jiayi, Hu Chunyang, Xia Hanyu, Chen Youwei, and He Changxi.

The official fandom name is Nano.  Unine debuted with their EP 《UNLOCK》 on May 6, 2019.  Their album 《U-Night Flight》 will be coming out on their one year anniversary May 6, 2020.

As someone commented on YouTube under one of their videos, I can’t remember which one please don’t ask, they are a more vocal line leaning group whereas Nine Percent was more rap line leaning.  I think it’s neat to see the contrast between what people want to see in any given year and how different their music styles are.

Some members have been in or are currently in other groups as well, so you may see some familiar names if you don’t know Unine (yet ;})

Members:

Li Wenhan

Final Rank: 1

Leader, Center, Main Vocalist, Lead Dancer, Sub Rapper, Face of the Group

‘94 Liner

A Cancer with his birthday being July 22

Yuehua Entertainment boy

Representative Animal: Shiba Inu

A member of the Sino-Korean boygroup Uniq

There his position is Vocalist

He is fluent in Chinese, Korean, and English

His nickname is Hanhan

He is also an actor and owns 2 cats and a corgi

He says that every time he’s working on a new project he adopts another cat or dog

He is very caring towards his younger trainees and is always looking out for them

Neighboring Tarzan was a good performance of his and it also contains 5/9 Unine members so that’s pretty frickin cool tbh

His audition stage was Uniq’s “Monster” and it was a great performance like Minghao and Jolin were jamming along to it

also the flower petals at the end that they then had to clean up killed me it was a beautiful effect but ill planned with the consequences

“gui-ze” meme stemmed from this performance

please let this tired man rest

He studied in the US but then left to focus on his music career

He has a great singing voice and is always ready to help his members and he is just a good leader wow

Li Zhenning

Final Rank: 2

Lead Dancer, Lead Vocalist, Lead Rapper, Face of the Group

‘95 Liner

He is a Scorpio (like me!!) with his birthday being November 5

BG Project boy

Representative Animal: Koala

Nicknames include Shenshen and Black Pearl due to his tanned skin

He has a cat named Aoao who is a little over a year old now I think maybe?

He didn’t get noticed until his Retreat performance where he pulls his tie

He used to be one of those people who was like “this person is actually quite good; nothing’s wrong with him, but I can’t remember him” and like he considered himself like that and him debuting at the no. 2 spot was really well deserved and i am so proud

This is also the performance where he rapped and he spent so much time practicing for it and it was successful and I am just really proud of him bc he leans more as a vocal and was really struggling and wanted to make sure he did it right and i’m jsut really proud i love himso mcuh

His dancing in this stage was unmatched by anyone else there (and this sounds biased because i am)

Li Zhenning vs Li Shenshen

on stage mans is focused and completely undaunted and carries sexier concepts well

off stage mans is baby boy. baby.  he’s goofy and adorable and i love hiim so much

compares himself to a koala because “especially [his] nose shape is similar…and [his] eyes look blurred…[and he’s] sleepy all the time”

we stan a short king (he’s 5′9 which yeah, is taller than me, but still)

He dances so well and just owns any stage he is on

Rebuild is one of my favorite stages hes done and coincidentally has 5/9 members of Unine in it, though they didn’t know at the time of course

He was incredible during this stage like ugh i didn’t have a bias bc he was there, Mingming was there, Changxi was there, i had no way of surviving

Hair Color King

He had a blue-lavender color during Rebuilt, in Unine’s Set It Off mv he had blue, he’s had black and blond and he’s rocked all of them

Yao Mingming

Final Rank: 3

Main Dancer, Lead Vocalist, Sub Rapper

‘97 Liner

He is a Capricorn with his birthday being January 5

One Cool Jasco Entertainment boy

Representative Animal: Cat

He had been a trainee for six, almost 7 years, when he debuted with Unine

He had several near debuts including with Seventeen

Speaks Chinese and Korean

Because of this, he was very closed off at first with the other trainees and eventually had to have a talk with Zhang Yixing PD

The gist of the conversation was that Mingming was sort of…doubting, I guess you could say, his talents and Yixing told him to treat the show as if he were a new trainee

This led to Mingming becoming more open with the other trainees and more confident in his talents and skills and it really showed and I was really happy he was able to debut bc he deffo deserved it

Mingming’s gray and floral suit in the Rebuild stage is something i think about on a weekly basis at least it’s a really good look for him guys

also just the confidence and cockiness he has during this stage i love to see it

He also has an opportunity to really show off his dancing skills and i loved it for him

He can do imitations really well and likes to imitate Hanyu a lot

think Yesungie and Eunhyuk except accurate

He has very feline features

this has nothing to do with anything he’s just really really pretty

is it because i am biased?  perhaps

Guan Yue

Final Rank: 4

Lead Dancer, Lead Vocalist, Sub Rapper

‘94 Liner

He’s a Capricorn with his birthday being January 16

Cast Planet Entertainment boy

Representative Animal: Rabbit

The leader of XII Constellations as a whole and the subunit The Wind

12C is a CPE group with a concept of having four 3-member units, each focusing on a different music style

The Wind focuses on bright and upbeat music and was the first to debut in 2017

Currently there are only six members of 12C

He knows sign language as both of his parents are deaf and when the trainees are allowed to call home, we see him talking with his mother

He has a lot of love and respect for his mother and it shows

His goal in life is to make enough money to support his family so they don’t have to work

I love Guan Yue’s “Turn Up” stage like the cockyness and confidence he has is fantastic i love to see it

his costume is also pretty good esp considering what the trainees sometimes have to wear

also Shenshen and Mingming are in it as well

His performance in Ugly Beauty was incredible also

I loved his Neighboring Tarzan performance bc he was able to include his dialect in his rap part and I love when trainees are able to bring more of themselves into a performance

I want him and Chen Linong to collab bc he was essentially idp2′s Nongnong with the infectious smile and incredible stage presence

the cutie, sweetie, angel, sweetheart, etc. of the group and of the show’s run

Jiayi

Final Rank: 5

Lead Dancer, Lead Rapper, Lead Vocalist, Visual

‘98 Liner

He’s a Cancer with his birthday being July 14

Star Master Entertainment boy

Representative Animal: Bear

Is a member of Mr. Tyger

There he held the roles of Visual, Lead Vocalist, Sub Rapper, and Youngest

One of his nicknames is Little Star

He can play the saxophone

His favorite part of his body are his eyebrows, which, valid

Jolin Tsai’s Xukun

So like y’kno how Yixing was a fan of Xukun the moment he saw him?  Jolin was a fan of Jiayi the minute she saw him

The “Ugly Beauty” performance was certainly something to witness

Jiayi as a blond was a fantastic look and i miss it.  a lot.

like Neighboring Tarzan was very good look for him even tho the stage costumes were a little a lot extra

his dance was great and bitch got them body rolls on lock

Jiayi vs Huang Jiaxin

on stage focused, determined, owns it

off stage he’s a giant goofball and i love him so much

hes like unfairly handsome but thankfully likes to make dumb faces

somehow he still stays pretty its upsetting at times

Hu Chunyang

Final Rank: 6

Main Raper, Sub Vocalist, Youngest

‘99 Liner (like me!!)

He’s an Aquarius with his birthday being February 5

Yuehua boy

Representative Animal: Golden Retriever

Nickname is Yangyang

Was one of those nerds who would rather stay behind in class and finish their work than go and eat or whatever

Mad respect tho bc i am too when i am at campus dkfja;lsdk

At his audition stage, he covered Wang Yibo’s rap in Uniq’s “Monster” and honestly who is doing it better than him?

I want to see him and Justin interact so bad they had to have they’re both YH boys

@ YueHua let me please have this

Yangyang in the Neighboring Tarzan performance really emphasized how great he is at rapping

he seems at first like a shy and introverted guy but is a mean and grouchy little man when you get to know him

i love to see it

older trainees were always looking out for him

he has a really stable rap voice

Xia Hanyu

Final Rank: 7

Main Vocalist, Sub Rapper

‘97 Liner

Gemini as his birthday is June 11

Show City Times boy

Representative Animal: Wolf

He can play the piano incredibly well and also plays the guitar

His first impression was that of “the big bad wolf

However when he gets more comfortable with the group, he becomes a big softie and his smile compels me to smile

Still uses his dark looks to his advantage thoooo

he was being dramatic and mean once and then like after saying his ‘insult’ immediately cracked and started laughing and hiding his face

HIGH NOTE KING

shenshen in response to a performance said he immediately got goosebumps

Neighboring Tarzan was a great way for him to show off his high notes imo

He had red hair one time and I miss it a lot bc it looked good

Chen Youwei

Final Rank: 8

Lead Rapper, Visual, Sub Vocalist

‘98 Liner

He is a Cancer with his birthday being July 7

Ciwen Media boy

Representative Animal: Pig

Attended Zhejiang Sci-Tech University and majored in fashion

He can play the guitar

He modeled and is also an actor, having been in several cdramas

The most notable of these is “Story of Yanxi Palace” where he played 5th Prince

He was greeted as such by the other trainees when he walked into the room

He’s also a scholar and this was shown in a rap he had created during the show

mans is the donghae of unine

in that they’re teased for how they speak

his mandarin is bad and donghae’s korean is bad

his rapping is good and he seems like a real sweetheart

mans also likes to munch, saying he can eat 5 meals a day

He Changxi

Final Rank: 9

Main Dancer, Lead Vocalist

‘97 Liner

He is a Sagittarius with his birthday being November 24

OACA Entertainment boy

Representative Animal: Lesser, or Red, Panda

His English name is Jerry and I deeply hate how much it fits him

His nicknames include Xixi and Yong Ri Didi

He loves a good ginger foot bath

Like it was such a well known fact that Yixing even asked him about it once

He wasn’t really noticed until his performance in Fire which is especially impressive considering that his performance wasn’t filmed in front of an audience but instead one of the practice rooms

there was a competition between two teams for each song and the winning team would get to perform on stage in front of the youth producers

Xixi really looked so fierce and confident in the Rebuild stage I was so proud

He also did a dance cover of EXO’s “Love Shot” and if you’ve been following me for a minute you know that i love EXO’s music and it was great to see

his killing part was also a reoccuring meme

Mingming loves teasing him and it’s so funny

Suggested Videos of their IDP Days: (flashing lights warning)

Wenhan and Chunyang’s Audition Stage

Wenhan + Mingming React to “gui-ze” Trainee Compilation

《后退 Retreat》  – Zhenning Focus

《后退 Retreat》  – Stage Performance  

《重塑 Rebuild》  – Zhenning Focus

《重塑 Rebuild》  – Concept Evaluation

《重塑 Rebuild》 – Mingming Focus

Mingming + Yixing’s Talk

Mingming + Impressions

《 青春有你 Turn Up》 – Guan Yue Focus

《 青春有你 Turn Up》 – Stage Performance

Jolin Tsai + Her Favorite Trainee

《怪美的 Ugly Beauty》 – Mentor Stage

《隔壁泰山 Neighboring Tarzan》 – Stage Performance

Hanyu’s Audition Stage

Hanyu’s Introduction Video

Hanyu Playing Guitar + Singing

《一笑倾城 One Alluring Smile》 – Stage Performance

EXO “Love Shot” Dance Cover – Changxi

《 骑士精神 Chivalry》 – Changxi Focus

《火 Fire》 – Changxi Focus

UNINE Videos: (flashing lights warning)

《春日記憶 Memories of Spring》 – My favorite song by them, this is the lyrics video in Chi/Pinyin/Eng

《春日記憶 Memories of Spring》 – This is the performance from their fan meeting I believe.  The choreo is so beautiful and I want an MV like last week.

《春日記憶 Memories of Spring》 – This is their performance from the Reedit Stage.

《SET IT OFF》 – official MV.  There’s a lot of jumping out of windows, Guan Yue has purple hair, Shenshen has blue hair, and Jiayi and Xixi look great.  The song is a bop, there’s a nautical theme, what more could you ask for?  A coherent plot for an MV???  Overrated.  It’s essentially Unine’s 《RULE BREAKER》.  It’s from their second mini album “Unusual”.

《SET IT OFF》 – This is a live performance at the Mnet Asian Music Awards.  I have a bone or two to pick with the sound editor of the video  but they deliver a fantastic performance.  I like their choreo a lot and it’s more clearly able to be seen on the live stage.

《BOMBA》 – official MV.  Their first single I believe.  Very colorful and fun, the song matches the vibe of the MV.  Mingming’s iconic holding a geometric hanging light like a pear is from this MV.  Hanyu also spends half the MV wrecking my bias.  If I had more braincells I would do an analysis of the MV but alas.

《BOMBA》 – From the Reedit Stage.

《官方直拍 Like A Gentleman》  – Live performance from their fan meeting.  I really like this song and the costumes for stage are stripey and I love stripes.  The lights and screen in the background are in neons and it kind of gives the performance a nostalgic feeling and it’s just a really cute song.

《官方直拍 Like A Gentleman》 – The lyrics video in Chi/Pinyin/English.  The song is really cute you guys and Changxi and Mingming are great in it.

Videos From the Other Groups the Members Are In:

《 爱的就是你 Love Is You》 – XII Constellations: The Wind ft. Liu Jia

《 燃烧吧，拳头 Burn, Fists》 – XII Constellations: The Fire [flashing lights warning]

Note: this doesn’t have Guan Yue but I decided to put it in here to really exemplify the concept that 12C is about.  Also the song lowkey pops off and reminds me of my emo phase

《Monster》 – Uniq (Chinese version)

《EOEO》 – Uniq (Chinese version) [flashing lights warning]

《 钛戈 》 – Mr. Tyger [flashing lights warning]

《夜空悬浮》 – Mr. Tyger [flashing lights warning]

Sources: KProfiles, [Eng Sub] Intro to UNINE Members, various performances, and the show itself.  If I have given any incorrect information, please let me know and I will rectify it immediately.

[moonstruckbucky]

Snowed In [one shot]

Summary: Based off the prompt: “we just had a one-night stand but a massive storm hit so now we’re snowed in, hello awkward” from this prompt list.

Pairing: Modern!Steve Rogers x fem!Reader

Word Count: 2741

Warnings: Illusions to sex, language, awkward situations

Notes: To help get myself into the holiday spirit, I found some fun winter prompts that I’m hoping will do the trick. I’m literally writing these as I sit bored at work so.

New York nightlife reached new heights the night before an incoming snowstorm. You weren’t sure what the appeal was, since your idea of a good snow-in involved fuzzy socks, a book, sleeping until noon, and Netflix, but you let your friends drag you out into the frigid New York air anyways. At least you won the argument to wear jeans and heeled boots over a skimpy cocktail dress.

Light snowflakes were already falling as you and your friends caught an Uber to a nightclub in Manhattan. It was cramped in the backseat between the four of you, and the traffic was terrible, but despite all that you felt a small bubble of excitement. Small talk buzzed around the car, the driver chiming in every so often much to your enjoyment, and then before you knew it the Uber pulled up in front of the building.

The line out front looked daunting, stretching far down the block, and you frowned. “Are you sure we’re going to be able to get in?”

“Nat’s got hookups,” Wanda supplied with a wink and a toss of her long brown hair. You laughed a little as you slid out of the car, hugging your coat tighter to your body.

The music from the club pulsed a rapid beat as your quartet strode up to the door. Natasha, in her stunning emerald green pant suit that set off her red hair, smiled sweetly at the bouncer, a big hulking man named Dave, and gave her name. Dave grinned and leaned forward to peck her cheek in greeting, and with an amused smile you wondered how deep her connections went.

Dave allowed you to enter the building, the indignant cries of the people in line falling on deaf ears. You winced a little at the volume of the fast-paced dance music, a remix of some modern pop song, but your ears quickly adapted as Natasha led you all to the bar. It was tradition to start off every girls’ night with a hefty shot of tequila, and it was a tradition that often set you up for a terrible hangover the next day.

But considering your boss had already told you not to bother coming in, you decided you could live a little.

The shot went down smooth despite the bite of the liquor, and it settled warmly in your stomach. You grinned as Wanda held up another. Clinking your glasses together, the second one went down even smoother than the first.

“Let’s dance!” you said into Wanda’s ear. No need to ask her twice. She grabbed your hand and tugged you out onto the crowded floor, leaving Natasha and Gamora to follow behind you.

You began moving to the beat of the song, your hand still in Wanda’s as you danced around one another. In spite of your initial reluctance to go out tonight, you were glad you did. The night had only just begun and already you were having a blast.

You danced through five songs before you needed an actual drink in your hand, and Natasha followed you back to the bar. Dropping into two stools, you panted to catch your breath and exchanged a broad smile with the redhead.

“Thanks for twisting my arm in coming out,” you said, leaning closer to her to talk without yelling over the music. Her spicy floral perfume wafted into your nose, and you laid your head on her shoulder.

“Sometimes we worry about you,” she said honestly. She leaned forward over the bar to give the bartender your drink orders, settling on some kind of tequila mixture. Then she wrapped an arm around your shoulder, returning her full attention back to you. “How much of a homebody you are. Sometimes we think something else is going on.”

“No, nothing’s going on,” you said earnestly, lifting your head to give her a soft smile. “You know me, I like my space and solitude.”

“I know,” she groused, a teasing lilt to her voice. “But I’m really glad you came out tonight. We could all use a night to let loose.”

“I’ll drink to that.” The bartender set your drinks down and immediately you and Natasha clinked them together, taking hefty sips and wincing. “Wow, he was feeling generous with the tequila.”

“No kidding.” Her eyes scanned further down the bar, a slow smirk appearing on her face. “Hey, out of curiosity, when’s the last time you got laid?”

You spluttered. “Beg pardon?”

“Y’know, when was the last time someone knocked you into your headboard until you saw God?”

“Jesus, Nat! Have you always been so crass or is this something new?” you retorted, face flaming (though you’re not sure if it’s from her blunt question or the answer you’re reluctant to give).

“I’m gonna say it’s been a while then. Wanna break that streak? Because there’s a total hottie checking you out down the bar. Really muscly, navy button-down. Don’t be obvious about it, for the love of Pete.”

As subtly as you could master, as grace wasn’t really your forte, it was Nat’s, you turned your head, eyes flitting across the bartop to meet a pair of vivid blue eyes, brought out by the obscenely tight shirt stretched across the planes of his chest. Dear god, you feared for those buttons, but the smirk he sent your way quickly had you rethinking how much you’d love to rip those buttons free.

Knowing you were caught, you straightened on your stool, playing it off that you weren’t totally checking out a stranger. Your finger traced the rim of your glass as Nat’s dark eyebrow rose.

“What the fuck do I do?” you squeaked. “Do I go over there? Buy him a drink? Send him a fucking letter with a carrier pigeon? Nat!”

“I think you’re covered, sweetcheeks. He’s coming over here. I’ll catch you later. Or maybe I won’t.” She smirked, picked up her drink, and abandoned you at the bar just as the muscled torso of aforementioned hottie down the bar took her place.

Dear god, he was even better looking up close. Did the universe really spit out people who looked that good? His blonde hair looked soft as silk, the dim lighting of the club reflecting off the highlights. And up close, those buttons looked to be in real danger of popping off at any point.

He cleared his throat, which you’d just barely heard over the music, and your eyes snapped to his. He was smirking, and your face colored at being caught so obviously ogling him. You played it off, gracefully crossing one leg over the other and leaning on the bar.

“Hi.” Oh sweet Jesus, even his voice was smooth as silk. You were done for.

“Hello.” You thanked the heavens your voice didn’t waver or crack. No good showing all your cards at once.

“I’m Steve,” he introduced, jutting out a large hand, tipped with long fingers, out towards you. Smoothly you took it, reveling in its warmth and the way it dwarfed yours. Instinctively you suppressed a shiver when his thumb ran gently over your knuckles before he let go.

“Y/N. Pleasure to meet you, Steve.” You batted your lashes once, thanking Natasha for seemingly sending you some pointers on sultriness via ESP.

“Oh believe me, the pleasure is all mine,” Steve responded smoothly. He leaned his elbow on the bar, effectively lowering his face closer to yours. His cologne, a delectable aroma of something musky, invaded your nose, inhibiting your senses and making you feel drunk. “Could I interest you in a dance?”

Playing coy, you blushed. “You could.”

The dance floor was where you remained for most of the night. You’d caught a glimpse of your friends, who encouraged you to stay with Steve despite it being girls’ night. You weren’t sure they could pull you away with a herd of wild horses. He was intoxicating, Steve, and an excellent dancer. His large hands splayed across your back as you danced chest to chest, eyes locked on one another.

When he spun you around, pressing your back to his front and pressed a slow, languid kiss to the spot behind your ear, you knew there was no way in hell you weren’t leaving here without him.

Which is how you found yourself crowded against the window in the back of an Uber, Steve’s mouth assaulting yours, as the snow fell more heavily. A layer of white coated every surface, a fleeting thought that left as quickly as it came when Steve’s warm hand slid up under your shirt, luring gooseflesh to the surface despite the blasting heat in the car, the fire in your blood.

He barely pulled away from your mouth to pay the driver when the car stopped, and the two of you fumbled out of the backseat. It was a trek across the slippery sidewalk to his apartment building and breathlessly he told you the elevator was out of service. To the stairs it was, and that was an adventure in itself seeing as neither of you was keen on letting the other go just yet.

Finally, finally, you reached his floor and his apartment door, and your mouth teased the skin of his throat as he dug into his pockets for his keys. His throat vibrated as he groaned when your teeth nipped at the skin, bruising his pale skin a pretty purple.

Once inside the apartment, it was a heated flurry of discarded clothing, loud, carefree moans, and breathy sighs until you fell asleep cradled against that glorious, expansive chest.

You were the first to wake the next morning, having rolled away from Steve’s godlike form sometime during the night. Eyelids heavy, you scanned his room for your fallen clothing, finding only your jeans and underwear. Your blouse and bra must have been left in the living room. You rubbed your eyes, urging yourself to wake up faster so you could get the hell out.

You slipped out of the bed, a small part of you wishing you could stay just because of the furnace of a man still dead to the world, and began picking up your clothes. Like you thought, you found your bra strung over the arm of the couch, your shirt under the entryway table. Once dressed, you pulled your phone out of your jacket and brought up the Uber app.

You frowned when a notification popped up in the app that all Uber services for the Manhattan area were shut down due to the snow.

Shit. The snow.

Venturing to the massive living room window, you pulled back the curtain and frowned at the fact that you could not see a foot in front of the window. Snow flurries were being whipped around by a strong wind and a layer of frost coated the windows. Steve’s apartment looked to be on an upper floor, though you couldn’t tell how high from the low visibility. Plus, you hadn’t exactly been counting the floors as you climbed the stairs the night before.

Sighing, you browsed the internet for subway times, cursing quietly when a bright orange banner at the top of the page notified you that, like Uber, the subway was shut down due to both maintenance and the storm.

“Everything’s locked up.”

You jumped, nearly dropping your phone, at the sudden sound of Steve’s voice. He was leaning against his bedroom doorway, dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt. Jesus, did this guy own a shirt that fit him properly?

“Yeah, I, uh, found that out the hard way,” you muttered, waving your phone by way of explanation. You suddenly felt very awkward; your previous one night stands didn’t usually extend this long, and you had no idea what to say.

Fortunately, it seemed Steve did. “Do you want some coffee?”

The way he asked it was so unusually casual that you couldn’t do anything but nod and follow him to the kitchen. He slapped the countertop twice, a nonverbal cue for you to park it, and he began to bustle around his coffee maker.

“So, what do you do for work?” he asked as he filled the basin with water. He glanced over his shoulder at you, eyebrows raised in curiosity. The whole ordeal threw you for a loop, really.

“Um, I’m in marketing,” you stammered, awkwardness coating every word. Sighing, you dragged a hand through your hair. “Sorry, I’m not usually this awkward. It’s just….”

“This doesn’t happen a lot for you,” he finished with an understanding smile. The beauty of it set your mind back a couple steps.

“Uh, right. Usually, I’m out before he wakes up or….he’s out. There’s none of….this.” You gestured between the two of you. Steve nodded, lips pursing a bit. He had a twinkle in his blue eyes when he turned to lean his backside against the counter, the coffee percolating behind him.

“Well, it doesn’t hurt to mix it up a bit every so often, right?” His grin was wry and teasing, and you felt yourself smiling back. “You hungry?”

“Starving.”

Steve’s smile turned softer. “Pancakes it is.”

Conversation flowed easily between the two of you once you set aside your awkwardness. If Steve didn’t feel uncomfortable with his one night stand staying through the snowstorm, then who were you to complain?

Turns out, Steve was a hell of a cook and whipped up the fluffiest batch of pancakes you’d ever had. He even had strawberries, whipped cream, and homemade maple syrup from his parents in Vermont. The coffee was nice and strong, and the company and conversation couldn’t have been better.

The two of you moved into the living room after Steve insisted he’d clean up the dishes later. You frowned, but he flashed that thousand-watt grin at you and you forgot what you were frowning about. Steve held out his arm next to the couch, and you flopped onto it, groaning at its plushness.

“Oh my god,” you sighed, stretching your neck back as you curled your feet up underneath you. “I could die happy on this couch.”

Steve chuckled and sat down, closer to you than you’d been expecting. With all the casualness of a good friend, or even a boyfriend, he reached for your legs and dropped your feet into his lap. The gesture made butterflies take to your belly, and you hid a smile behind your coffee mug.

“I’ve admittedly fallen asleep quite a bit out here. Dunno why I even bothered with an actual bed.”

You shifted so your back was against the armrest. Steve’s thigh was firm under your legs and his hands warm as they drifted up and down the tops of your feet.

“It is a comfortable bed though.” You smiled cheekily, pulling your lip between your teeth when Steve’s pupils dilated just a bit.

“Glad you slept well then.” Was it you or did his voice drop?

“Like the dead. I had a pretty good furnace keeping me warm.”

“Happy to be of service. Let me know if I can do it again sometime,” he said softly, voice turning away from teasing and playful to serious. Your smile dropped, but only a bit, before it turned shy as his cheeks flushed pink.

“Are you saying you…want to see me again?”

Damn your galloping heart for actually wanting him to say yes.

Steve’s face turned a darker shade of crimson, the blush spreading down his neck and to the tips of his ears.

“I mean, I know it’s not very….conventional to want to see your one night stand again but I’m having a nice time with you. So, yeah, I’d really like to see you again. Maybe we can go get dinner somewhere or lunch in the park.”

You smiled giddily. “I’d love to. Give me your phone.”

He tossed it to you, and you plugged your number in, adding a little wine emoji next to your name. You handed it back, letting your fingers brush his for a lengthy moment before dropping your arm, your eyes locked on his. You watched his breathing hitch, watched his Adam’s apple bob.

Boldly, you licked your lower lip, lower regions clenching when his eyes followed the movement, and asked, “So, just how comfy is this couch?”

Steve’s hand drifted up your leg to your thigh as you sat up. “Come over here and we’ll find out.”