#everything about this segment BANGED

[usomads]

Pin Me // Roman Reigns x Reader

Author's Note -> Hiii I’m back! Had a dream about this recently and figured I’d write it out for y’all. 🤭 Also, tysm for the feedback on the first one shot I did! I wasn’t expecting that big of a response lmao, but I figured I’d write another one to feed y’all. Happy reading! 🖤 Link to Part 2

Plot -> You’re an up and coming wrestler on the main roster, working mid card matches to make your way through the ranks and into the main event scene until you find yourself teaming up with the main event.

Pairings -> Roman Reigns x Fem!Reader (Y/N)

Warnings -> Cursing, Daddy Kink, Spit Play, Oral Sex (M!Receiving, F!Receiving), Hickies, Spanking, Unprotected P in V, Creampie, Not Proofread, MDNI

Word Count -> 3.6k

“Miss Y/N, I know you took some bad bumps out there but please try to sit still so we can examine you,” the trainer pleaded. You just had a dark match against Piper Niven before the show opened and you were hurting badly, taking some brutal spots in the process. In the end you had pulled out the win, but you didn’t feel like a winner at that moment. You felt like your ribs had shattered into a million pieces, and it didn’t feel good. “So there’s no breaks or anything like that, you’re just understandably banged up. Keep icing it like you’re doing now and take a Tylenol every now and again, and you should be good to go. Just, don’t go jumping off of things for the next couple days and you’ll be good,” the trainer chuckled. You weakly smiled at him and attempted to get up from the table, but the TV broadcasting Smackdown caught your attention. Roman Reigns caught your attention.

The Bloodline story always captivated you, and it’s part of the reason you started seriously working on your in-ring character. They were the top of the food chain, the blockbuster event, the money ticket, and you hoped one day to grow to their level of popularity and success. Roman and Solo were both cutting a promo, and at first it seemed like the typical stuff. Both claiming to be the Head of the Table, both wanting the crowd to acknowledge them, but it was something Solo said that immediately piqued your interest. “Nobody in the locker room likes you, Roman. The men hate you, the women fear you… you know what-,” he paused for dramatic effect, “I challenge you to find any woman back there that’s dumb enough to team up with you and go against me and my partner next Saturday at Main Event. You win, and I’ll let you have a shot at my ula fala” Roman scoffed, clearly unamused that Solo was doing everything but facing him one-on-one, but agreed to his challenge.

“Wiseman,” he turned to Paul, his longtime advisor as he spoke, “You know what to do.”

Paul wasted no time, making sure to acknowledge his Tribal Chief before he hurried backstage to find the general manager. Now that the segment was over you had no excuse to sit in the trainer’s room, so you walked out and made your way back to the women’s locker room. Still clutching the ice pack to your ribs, you walked gingerly but not before being stopped. “Excuse me, miss Y/N, could I borrow a minute of your time?” There before you was the Wiseman himself, looking more stressed than usual. You were stunned, why would Paul want to talk to me of all people? “Of course, Mr. Heyman. I was just heading back to the locker room. Is everything okay?” “Oh please, call me Paul,” he paused, carefully choosing his next words, “I saw your match with Piper tonight, you looked like a star out there. The splash from the top rope to the announce table was incredible. I-” he stopped his ramblings as his eyes drifted to your ice pack on your ribs, a look of (fear? worry?) evident across his face.

“Oh don’t worry, Mr. Hey- I mean Paul, nothing’s broken. Just a little banged up is all, I’ll be good to go in a couple days,” you smiled as relief washed over his face. “Good, good! I mean- not good that you’re banged up, good that you-” “I know what you mean, Paul,” you chuckled at him, trying to calm him as best you could. “But you wanted to talk to me about something?”

“Yes, right! Well-” he clears his throat, “As the Wiseman to our esteemed Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, I have been tasked with finding a suitable partner to join him in taking down Solo Sikoa and… whoever his partner is… so I was wondering-”

“Hold on a second, Paul, you want me to be Roman’s tag team partner? I mean forgive me for saying this but isn’t there someone… I don’t know… more worthy of a main event spot than me? Does he even know you’re asking me?”

“Well, not exactly,” he hesitated, “the Tribal Chief has… how do I say this… never been one to make friends. So I’ve so far been unsuccessful in finding him a suitable partner, but you’re here and the match you just put on was phenomenal! Even the Tribal Chief himself said you had a lot of promise, which is more than he says about anyone else…” he continued, “but no, I have not told him I was going to speak with you.” “Then let’s go talk to him, I want him to be okay with me being his partner before I agree to anything.”

“You can’t be serious, Paul.” Roman sighed in clear frustration with the whole thing, “I mean she’s basically a rookie. And you think it’s a good idea for her to partner with me?” “Well yes, my Tribal Chief. I would never lead you astray.” You squirmed where you stood across the room, uncomfortable with the tension in the air surrounding your presence. Paul continued, “I asked everyone else in the locker room, and all of them declined. If you want to reclaim your ula fala, she’s your only option.” It was then that Roman finally glanced in your direction, eyeing you up and down as he pondered on his decision. His stare alone was enough to make you feel weak in the knees, but you hid that as best as you could. Or tried to, anyway. The silence in the air was thick, and before you could stop yourself you were already speaking. “Ro- I mean, my Tribal Chief-” “Please, Joe is fine.”

“O-okay, Joe-,” you stammered. No man has ever made you act like this; you were always so confident, but here you were fumbling your words and stuttering through your sentences like you were a little girl all over again. It was almost pathetic how much of an effect he had on you, but you continued, “I- think Paul is right. I know I-I’m not a b-big name in this business yet but- you need to win back your ula fala, and you need someone willing to team with you to do it. I’m willing. I’ll help you.” Joe studied your body language as you spoke, watching the way you stood nervously across the room from him and how you were slightly shaking due to the pressure you were under. He watched your breathing, noticing you were breathing heavier with each word that came out of your mouth. He also noticed your lack of eye contact with him, your eyes glued to the floor afraid to look at his reaction to your sudden outburst. Joe had been wronged so many times before by people he loved dearly. Being forced to trust a complete stranger in his quest to regain what was rightfully his seemed unfair, but Paul and Y/N were right- it was the only way he was going to be able to do it. “Come here, Y/N.” Your eyes shot up from the floor at his response, looking at Paul for assurance. Paul gave you a small smile in return, letting you know it was okay to approach him. You made your way to him slowly, still looking anywhere but at him as you did so. When you finally reached him your eyes were still down, not daring to make contact, but a jolt of energy made you do so. With a singular calloused finger he lifted your chin until you were staring back at him. He towered over you and his dark brown eyes stared into your own with a burning intensity you couldn’t quite place. 

“You both are sure this is going to work?” He asked you and Paul, still maintaining his gaze with you. “Yes, my Tribal Chief,” Paul replied, a little more confident in his decision than he was about 10 minutes ago. “What about you, Y/N, you’re sure it’ll work?” You swallowed hard, feeling more pressure than ever before. This has to work, you thought, there’s no other option. Letting out a heavy breath you didn’t know you were holding, you breathed out just loud enough for him to hear, “Yes, my Tribal Chief.” “Wiseman, go let Aldis know I found my partner. Oh, and make sure it says between us; I don’t want Solo to see this coming.”

The day of Saturday Night’s Main Event was finally here, and neither Solo nor the WWE Universe knew you were the ‘mystery partner’. That wasn’t for a lack of trying though, Solo tried every trick in the book to figure it out. Harassing Nick Aldis, sending his lackeys to break into Joe’s dressing room for clues, none of them worked. You both had kept tight-lipped about your partnership, having secret training sessions together in the week leading to the match and keeping creative meetings to ‘need to know personnel’ only. Their plan was executing flawlessly but just had one more step to go: the true element of surprise.

Solo and his partner, Nia Jax, made their entrances into the ring and stood in wait for Roman and his ‘mystery partner’, but were shocked to find that Roman was making his entrance alone. That’s because you were lying under the ring, waiting for your cue to strike. Roman finally entered the ring prompting Solo to start antagonizing him and Nia getting in on the action. Her and Solo’s backs were turned and that’s when you made your appearance, striking Nia from behind and throwing them both off guard.

The match itself was pretty standard, Solo and Roman starting things off. Roman had the upper hand very quickly, but over time that changed. Near fall after near fall from both men ensued, with Superman Punches, Samoan Spikes, Spears, and everything in between. It was apparent that Roman was trying to use most of the time in the ring, he was trying to win this all by himself. But eventually that came back to bite him in the ass, as now he was beaten badly and needed help. His body nearly on the brink of exhaustion as he desperately tried to win in every way possible, to no avail. He knew in the back of his mind you were going to have to finish this match, and that his fate was ultimately in your hands. You knew it too, so while he laid limply in the ring after kicking out of two Samoan Spikes you were screaming for his attention. He dragged himself across the ring to you, finally relenting and giving you the chance to win this, and tagged you in right as Solo was tagging Nia. You entered the ring and suddenly every doubt you had and every insecurity of yours quadrupled as you stood across the ring from the Smackdown Women’s Champion. She came in with a fury you had never encountered before, or seen, and was countering every piece of offense you could get in. But after her initial rush of offense she slowed down, and that was when you struck. You start throwing heavy strikes, tackles, drops, you were unloading the clip of your entire move set on her, and it was working. You had her down on the mat, and were climbing the top rope to hit your finisher on her and nailed it. You immediately crawled on top of Nia to use your signature pin, by straddling her head and using your knees to keep her shoulders down. It was at this moment you locked eyes with Roman who had a different look in his eyes than you’ve ever seen before, eyes darker than ever as they trailed down your body and stared at your suggestive pin position. 1… 2… 3… 

You won. You pinned Nia, and you just secured Roman’s opportunity at the ula fala. Both of your names were being announced but you couldn’t hear it, stuck in this trance of Roman’s stare. He entered the ring and stood over you as you were still straddling Nia, looking down at you as you were practically on your knees in front of him. He guides you to your feet by lightly grabbing your chin, making sure he keeps his eyes on your facial features. 

“Be at my locker room in 10 minutes,” he says loud enough for only you to hear, “we’ve got some celebrating to do.”

You had only given one soft knock on the door before it flung open and were dragged inside, now roughly pressed against it as bites and bruises were being scattered across your neck.

“You did so good for me out there, baby, winning for me all by yourself,” Joe growled against you, “So daddy’s gonna reward you, all you gotta do it be a good girl f’me and you’ll get want you want. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, f-fuck, yes sir.” Joe groaned in response and ripped off your ring gear, as you now stood completely bare before him. He drank in your naked body, how it was curved in all the right places with your beautiful breasts and ass perfectly on display for him. It was then that he noticed the artwork decorating your hip and thigh, a true masterpiece that would make Botticelli’s portrait of Venus look like a kid’s drawing. One that he would have no shame in hanging above his fireplace and admiring it for as long as he lives. 

He attached his lips to yours in an instant and you felt as though you were putty in his hands. This kiss was needy, desperate, and your hands felt the same as your hands wandered up and down his torso and his gripping your ass and breasts like his life depended on it. Joe removed the shirt he was wearing to reveal his god-like body to you, and you felt your wetness begin to drip just from the sight of him alone. His hands continued to wander, reaching your aching core as he let a singular calloused finger drag itself through your wetness. You bucked your hips in response, wanting more of him, but instead felt another large hand grab your waist. “Uh-uh princess, none of that. You’re gonna take what I give you, when I give it to you. Understand?”

“Yes daddy, I just-,” your sentence was halted in its tracks by a rough smack to your ass, making you cry out in pleasure with a hint of pain.

“Don’t talk back to me baby, Daddy doesn’t wanna have to punish you before you get your reward,” he leans into your ear, lips brushing your earlobe as he whispers, “and you don’t want that, do you baby?”

“N-no, no sir. I’ll be good.”

“Good girl, now show Daddy how good your mouth looks full of his cock.” You drop to your knees, hands fumbling with the belt around his hips. Finally you unbuckle it, removing it and releasing him from the confines of his pants and boxers. His cock is as god-like as the rest of him, perfect length, thickness, and the right amount of veins that you know will have your head spinning the moment it enters you.

“Look at me baby,” he tilts your head towards him with his finger, “open your mouth for me.” Reluctantly, you obeyed as he leaned down and spit in your mouth, giving you more to coat his dick with. Still looking up at him, you wrap your hand around the base and spit on the tip, bringing your hand up to pump his cock and fully coat it. You stroke him a few more times before dragging your tongue along one of the veins, making him shudder and let out a low groan, bringing his fingers to your hair and tugging lightly.

“Mmm baby don’t tease Daddy, go ahead pretty girl.”

You wrap your lips around the tip, giving kitten licks and sucking the sensitive head. He hisses and tugs harder on your hair, encouraging you to take more of him. You relax your jaw as you slowly bob your head up and down on his cock, using your tongue and hollowing your cheeks with your movements. Looking up at Joe you see he is a mess above you, eyes squeezed shut, head thrown back, and moaning your name. To you he always looked like a god among men, but seeing him in this state and being the one to get him there made you want him more than anything in your life. “F-fuck Y/N, you take me so well sweetheart, but I wanna cum in that pretty pussy of yours.” He helps you to your feet and guides you to the couch. He lays down, and as you move to straddle his waist, he stops you. “No, baby. I want you to pin me.” You look at him confused for a moment, unsure of what he’s saying. “Your pin tonight,” he adds, “pin me like you did Nia.” You hesitate before climbing on top of him, straddling his shoulders and resting your calves on them. “Like this, daddy?” You ask nervously.

“No baby, like this.” He lifts your hips from their seated position and brings your pussy directly to his face, where he latches his lips to your aching core. The feeling of his lips and tongue eating you with such desperation makes you jolt forward, grabbing onto his hair for support. He chuckles against you briefly before going back to work on you, licking your folds and wrapping his lips around your clit. His tongue is working wonders on you as he plays with your entrance before slipping it inside. The feeling is overwhelming, both tender and rough at once. You feel yourself getting closer, your walls fluttering around his tongue with every movement it makes. All of a sudden though, he stops, and you whine in response. “As much as I’d love to eat you for every meal and then some, I think the winner here deserves to cum around my cock. Would you like that, baby?”

“Fuck yes, Daddy please, please fuck me.”

“You’ve been such a good girl tonight, I think you deserve it baby. Come on.” You both get up as he bends you over the couch, teasing your entrance with his cock before roughly slamming into you from behind. You scream out in response, which makes him cover your mouth and bring you close.

“Now baby, as much as I’d love to hear you scream my name over and over, I gotta keep you quiet. You wouldn't want someone barging in, would you?” Your pussy tightens around him in response and you moan into his hand. “Oh, you dirty girl… I gotta keep you around, don’t I princess?” He removes his hand from your mouth and brings it to your hair, wrapping it around his wrist for leverage and tugging it as he pounds you from behind. His free hand is roughly smacking your ass as he roughly fucks you, making your pussy squeeze his cock. Your mind is completely blank, the only thing you can think about is him and how good he’s fucking you as you become a moaning mess beneath him. 

“Fuck Y/N,” he groans in your ear, “your Tribal Chief wants to fill your pretty pussy full of his cum, can I baby?” “Mmm, y-yes m-my T-tribal chief. Want y-you to f-fill me up.” He moans at your response, speeding up his thrusts. The sounds of your skin slapping and moans have completely filled the room. You knew if some poor soul walked by they’d know exactly what was happening in here, but neither of you cared. Right now, the only thing on both of your minds was how incredible you felt. It didn’t take long for him to figure out where your spot was, feeling your pussy react to him with every snap of his hips. Both of you were close now, you could feel it, but your orgasm was the first to hit. And it was intense. Your knees buckled under you as you spasmed under him and pushed back further into him, driving him deeper than before. The feeling of you cumming around him was what did him in, releasing himself into you in waves that had him coating your walls completely, marking your pussy as his. He admires his work in front of him; you completely fucked out before him, neck covered in marks he left on you, pussy swollen and red from the beating he just gave it, and best of all, leaking his cum. He takes a moment to come back down to Earth and takes in his surroundings, eyes landing on the ripped up garments on the floor that was your ring gear. Chuckling, he picks up his phone and dials a number. “Hey, Paul. I- yes, we’re fine. Listen, I need you to bring an extra set of clothes with you. There was, um,” he pauses, watching your glossy eyes close and your breathing soften, “an incident.” Paul begins to tease him through the phone, but Joe isn’t listening; he’s admiring the woman sleeping soundly before him and realizing that maybe the match wasn’t the only thing she won tonight, but she had won his heart too.

[nerdyjournals]

Incognito

(request)

Idea 1/? from @sooniedoongiedori25

Hi love! It's taken me a hot minute to make something with your ideas. I won't be doing all of them, but a select few have been chosen

Prompt: OT8 REACTION - Being their SKZOO on stage, them realizing in the middle of the fanmeet by something small. Cute silly fluff.

Bang Chan

It's no secret that he loves interacting with WolfChan any time he's around, but something was different this time. Wolfie was more energetic and stuck around a lot closer than before. Their hand never left Chan's as they waddled around the stage with him. It wasn't until Chan felt their hands slam down on his shoulders, clinging to him tighter than any of the kids. Only one person did that outside of his kids...lightbulb. His only other spider monkey was you. From there, everyone could tell his smile was wider, brighter, and all around happier. Many were impressed at how easily he could carry WolfChan that day, never wanting to let go.

Lee Know

If he was a menace, Leebit was worse but somehow, Minho was the sole target of the day. He joked about how his own son could turn on him, making everyone laugh at how HanQuokka defended him. Then came the little tell. That small little kick and tilt you did when you played around, wanting him to chase you like a game of cat and mouse. His words caught in his throat as he began to recognize your little games, how you cutely butchered his choreography and how you'd abandon him for Jisung or Felix when you didn't get your way. He knew you when in there, and he was about to make it everybody's problem.

Changbin

Somehow, having Dwaekki ignore him hurt more than when you did it. You always did it to rile him up, to get the optimal quality time when his schedule took up most of his time. So when it took him halfway into the SKZOO segment to realize that it was you, you felt (almost) insulted. As soon as you hit him with the booty bump-walk away combo, he knew but you kept escaping his reach somehow. You stuck close to the others, dancing with the other mascots, running away with the members, or even causing chaos with the Jiniret performer. You did everything you could to be as annoying as possible until he held you hostage during the final stage. His grip was tight but his smile was wide.

Hyunjin

Hyunjin loves his little ferret son with his whole heart, feeling the same amount of cute aggression he does with you and Jeongin. So when Jiniret came out clinging to FoxI.ny, he knew you were in the suit. It was no secret that you loved Jeongin's little mascot as much as you loved his, but only Hyunjin knew how bad the extent was. Sometimes it felt like he was competing with a cartoon character, but when he could picture your silly smile as Jeongin took you instead of FoxI.Ny, he let his amusement show as he chased you down with Jeongin's abandoned child.

Han

Jisung knew the past wearers of the costume were funny and completely unhinged, but this was a different kind of energy. From the little dances to the bursts of energy, he knew something was special about tonight. When his hand grabbed yours, he felt the thumb dig into the top of his hand. Everyone could see how his eyes widened with surprise and glee as he realized you were inside. This little secret code always brought him back down to earth in a spiral, a small code you two created back when you were just friends. Knowing that you were there, his head felt clearer and his heart fuller.

Felix

Bbokari was everyone's baby, especially to Felix. He was so protective over him and all the threats of "frying." Seungmin and PuppyM had been playfully causing chaos against Bbokari when Felix noticed that same playful but very awful attempt at karate you did, down to the little fall and bounce when you lost balance. He almost didn't believe it, but then they crossed their arms and kicked their little feet in annoyance before reaching out for him. It took everything in him to not reach under the helmet and squish your cheeks as he went to help you up, realization strong in his eyes. He was so happy you were here, even holding you hostage from the others when it came time for you to leave.

Seungmin

What do you mean PuppyM is making problems for him and only him? That's not how Seungmin raised them. Sure, they still bullied the other mascots but whoever was in the suit was not the dancer he talked with. Then came time to come back from the catwalk. That's when it all clicked. The way PuppyM collapsed on the floor, playing dead for everyone to laugh at, had Seungmin realizing it was you. Anytime you didn't wanna agree but disagree, you'd go boneless and make him hold you until the two of you started laughing. So, as he stood there looking confused on what to do, he was actually trying to figure out how to show his appreciation after the show without the guys making fun of him.

I.N

Oh he knew you were in there. No ifs, ands, or butts. You're short and he makes you know it. When all the mascots came out and suddenly FoxI.Ny was a whole foot shorter, he knew. It was endearing how the stylist did their best to pin the pants and sleeves to accommodate you. Though he did worry because he knew how heavy the costumes could be and with no rehearsal time, it was only a matter of time before you'd take a tumble. So he was by your side any chance you got, hand gripping tight to yours as he shared the stage with you for the first time

You 🫵

You never thought this plan would work. You thought the staff would say no. So, when they snuck you into the rehearsals to watch what you'd be doing, you were pleasantly surprised. They had to sneak you time with the dancers to practice with the large helmet and minimized vision. You had so many bruises from falls and sore muscles from keeping the head on, but it was so worth it to see that smile on your love's face when he took off the headpiece backstage.

[felassan]

Edge – The Future of Interactive Entertainment magazine, issue #401 (October 2024 issue) – Dragon Age: The Veilguard story

The rest of this post is under a cut for length.

Update: this issue of this magazine is now available to buy from UK retailers today. it can be purchased online at [this link]. [Tweet from Edge Online] also, Kala found that a digital version of the magazine can be read at [this link].

This post is a word-for-word transcription of the full article on DA:TV in this issue of this magazine. DA:TV is the cover story of this issue. When transcribing, I tried to preserve as much of the formatting from the magazine as possible. Edge talked to BioWare devs for the creation of this article, so the article contains new quotes from the devs. the article is written by Jeremy Peel. There were no new screenshots or images from the game in the article. I also think that it contains a few lil bits of information that are new, like the bits on companions' availability and stumbling across the companions out and about on their own in the world e.g. finding Neve investigating an abduction case in Docktown.

tysm to @simpforsolas and their friend for kindly telling me about the article!!

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[image source]

Article introduction segment:

"[anecdote about Edge] We were reminded of this minuscule episode in Edge's history during the creation of this issue's cover story, in which we discuss the inspiration behind Dragon Age: The Veilguard with its creators at BioWare. Notably, director John Epler remembers the studio experimenting with a number of approaches during the early phase of development before eventually locking in to what the game was supposed to be all along, above all else: 'a single-player, story-focused RPG'. As you'd expect from BioWare, though, that was really just a starting point, as we discovered on p54." BioWare draws back the Veil and ushers us into a new Dragon Age

"BEHIND THE CURTAIN BioWare's first true RPG in age age is as streamlined and pacey as a dragon in flight. By Jeremy Peel Game Dragon Age: The Veilguard Developer BioWare Publisher EA Format PC, PS5, Xbox Series Origin Canada Release Autumn

The Dragon Age universe wasn't born from a big bang or the palm of an ancient god. Instead, it was created to solve a problem. BioWare was tired of battling Hasbro during the making of Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights, and wanted a Dungeons & Dragons-like setting of its own. A small team was instructed to invent a new fantasy world in which the studio could continue its groundbreaking work in the field of western RPGs, free of constraints.

Well, almost free. BioWare's leaders mandated that the makers of this new world stick to Eurocentric fantasy, and include a fireball spell - since studio co-founder Ray Muzyka had a weakness for offensive magic.

Beyond that, BioWare’s storytellers were empowered to infuse Dragon Age with their own voices and influences, leaning away from D&D’s alignment chart and towards a moral grayness that left fans of A Song Of Ice And Fire feeling warm and cozy.

In the two decades since, the world of Thedas – rather infamously and amusingly, a shortening of ‘the Dragon Age setting’ that stuck – has taken on a distinct flavor. It’s something director John Epler believes is rooted in characters.

“There’s definitely some standard fantasy stuff in Dragon Age, but everything in the world, every force, is because of someone,” he says. “The idea is that every group and faction needs to be represented by a person – someone you can relate to. Big political forces are fine as background, but they don’t provide you with those interesting story moments.”

Dragon Age: The Veilguard bears out that philosophy. The long-awaited sequel was first announced with the subtitle Dreadwolf, in reference to its antagonist, Solas – an ancient elf who once stripped his people of immortality as punishment for betraying one of their own. In doing so, Solas created the Veil, the thin barrier through which wizards pull spirits and demons invade the waking world. In other words, many of Dragon Age’s defining features, from its downtrodden elves to the uneasy relationship between mages and a fearful church, can be traced right back to one character’s decision.

“The world exists as it does because of Solas,” Epler says. “He shaped the world because of the kind of character he was. That’s, to me, what makes Dragon Age so interesting. Everything can tie back to a person who to some degree thought they were doing the right thing.”

Perhaps BioWare’s greatest achievement in slowburn character development, Solas is a former companion, an unexploded bomb who sat in the starting party of Dragon Age: Inquisition, introverted and useful enough to get by without suspicion. Yet by the time credits rolled around on the Trespasser DLC, players were left in no doubt as to the threat he presented.

Determined to reverse the damage he once caused, the Dreadwolf intends to pull down the Veil, destroying Thedas as we know it in the process. The next Dragon Age game was always intended to be his story.

“We set that up at the end of Trespasser,” Epler says. “There was no world where we were ever going to say, ‘And now let’s go to something completely different.’ We wanted to pay off that promise.”

Yet almost everything else about the fourth Dragon Age appears to have been in flux at one time. In 2019, reporter Jason Schreier revealed that an early version, starring a group of spies pulling off heists in the Tevinter Imperium, had been cancelled two years prior. Most of its staff were apparently moved onto BioWare’s struggling Anthem, while a tiny team rebooted Dragon Age from scratch. That new game was said to experiment with live-service components.

“We tried a bunch of different ideas early on,” Epler says. “But the form The Veilguard has taken is, in a lot of ways, the form that we were always pushing towards. We were just trying different ways to get there. There was that moment where we really settled on, ‘This is a singleplayer, story-focused RPG – and that’s all it needs to be’”.

Epler imagines a block of marble, from which BioWare was attempting to carve an elephant – a character- and story-driven game. “We were chipping away, and sometimes it looked more like an elephant and sometimes it didn’t”, he says. “And then we eventually realized: ‘Just make an elephant’. When we got to that, it almost just took shape by itself.”

2014’s Dragon Age: Inquisition was an open-world game commonly criticized for a slow-paced starting area which distracted players from the thrust of the plot. The Veilguard, in contrast, is mission-based, constructed with tighter, bespoke environments designed around its main story and cast. “We wanted to build a crafted, curated experience for the player,” Epler says. “Pacing is important to us, and making sure that the story stays front and center.”

Epler is very proud of Inquisition, the game on which he graduated from cinematic designer to a lead role (for its DLC). “But one of the things that we ran into on that project was an absentee antagonist,” he says. “Corypheus showed up and then disappeared. You spent ten hours in the Hinterland doing sidequests, and there wasn’t that sense of urgency.”

This time, The Veilguard team wants you to constantly feel the sword of Damocles dangling above your head as you play – a sense that the end of the world is coming if you don’t act. “There’s still exploration – there’s still the ability to go into some of these larger spaces and go off the beaten path to do sidequests,” Epler says. “But there’s always something in the story propelling you and the action forward, and allowing you to make decisions with these characters where the stakes feel a lot more immediate and present. And also, honestly, more real.”

No sooner have you finished character creation than Dragon Age: The Veilguard thrusts you into a choice. As your protagonist, Rook, steps into focus on the doorstep of the seediest bar in town, you decide whether to threaten the owner for information or make a deal. Brawl or no, you’ll walk out minutes later with a lead: the location of a private investigator named Neve Gallus, who can help you track down Solas.

You proceed into Minrathous, the largest city in Thedas and capital of the Tevinter Imperium – a region only alluded to in other Dragon Age games. It’s a place built on the backs of slaves and great mages, resulting in tiered palaces and floating spires – a kind of architecture unimaginable to those in the southern nations.

“When your Dragon Age: Inquisition companion Dorian joins you in Orlais, in one of the biggest cities in Thedas, he mentions that it’s quaint and cute compared to Minrathous,” Corinne Busche, game director on The Veilguard, says. “That one bit of dialogue was our guiding principle on how to realize this city. It is sprawling. It is lived-in. Sometimes it’s grimy, sometimes it’s bougie. But it is expansive.”

Immediately, you can see the impact of BioWare’s decision to tighten its focus. Around every other corner in Minrathous is an exquisitely framed view, a level of spectacle you would never see in Inquisition, where resources were spread much more thinly. “When you know that you’re gonna be heading down a canyon or into this plaza where the buildings open up, you have those perfect spots to put a nice big temple of Andraste or a mage tower,” art director Matthew Rhodes says. “You get those opportunities to really hit that hard.”

BioWare’s intention is to make strong visual statements that deliver on decades of worldbuilding. “People who have a history with Dragon Age have thought about what Minrathous might be like,” Rhodes says. “We can never compete with their imagination, but we can aim for it like we’re shooting for the Moon.”

The people of Tevinter use magic as it if were electricity, as evidenced by the glowing sigils that adorn the dark buildings – street signs evoking Osaka’s riverfront or the LA of Blade Runner. They’re just one of the tricks BioWare’s art team uses to invite you to stop and take in the scene. “A lot of what you start to notice when you’re the artist who’s been working on these big, beautiful vistas and neat murals on the walls is how few players look up,” Rhodes says. “We design props and architecture that help lead the eyes.”

For the really dedicated shoegazers, BioWare has invested in ray-traced reflections, so that the neon signage can be appreciated in the puddles. There are also metal grates through which you can see the storm drains below. “The idea behind that is purely just to remind the player often of how stacked the city is,” Rhodes says. “Wherever you’re standing, there’s guaranteed to be more below you and above you.”

One of BioWare’s core creative principles for The Veilguard is to create a world that’s actually worth saving – somewhere you can imagine wanting to stick around in, once the crises of the main quest are over. To that end, the team has looked to ground its outlandish environments with elements of mundanity.

“A guy’s normal everyday life walking down the streets of this city is more spectacular than what the queen of Orlais is seeing, at least in terms of sheer scale," Rhodes says. “One of the things we’ve tried to strike a balance with is that this is actually still a place where people have to go to the market and buy bread, raise their kids, and try to make it. It’s a grand and magical city, but how do you get your horses from one place to the next? Where do you load the barrels for the tavern? It’s really fun to think of those things simultaneously.”

Normal life in Minrathous is not yours to behold for long, however. Within a couple of minutes of your arrival, the very air is ripped open like cheap drapes, and flaming demons clatter through the merchant carts that line the city streets. A terrible magical ritual, through which Solas intends to stitch together a new reality, has begun.

“We wanted the prologue to feel like the finale of any other game we’ve done,” Busche explains. “Where it puts you right into this media-res attack on a city and gets you really invested in the action and the story right away. When I think back to Inquisition, how the sky was literally tearing open – the impact of this ritual really makes that look like a minor inconvenience.”

Our hero is confronted by a Pride demon, imposing and armored as in previous games, yet accented by exposed, bright lines that seem to burst from its ribcage. “They are a creature of raw negative emotion,” Busche says. “So we wanted to actually incorporate that into their visual design with this glowing nervous system.”

When a pack of smaller demons blocks Rook’s route to the plaza where Neve was last seen, battle breaks out, and The Veilguard’s greatest divergence from previous Dragon Age games becomes apparent. Our rogue protagonist flits between targets up close and evades individual sword swings with precision. In the chaos, he swaps back and forth between blades and a bow. He blends light and heavy attacks, and takes advantage of any gap in the melee to charge up even bigger blows.

“Responsiveness was our first-and-foremost goal with this baseline layer of the combat system,” Busche says. Unless you’re activating a high-risk, high-reward ability such as a charged attack, any action can be animation-cancelled, allowing you to abort a sword swing and dive away if an enemy lunges too close. “We very much wanted you to feel like you exist in this space, as you’re going through these really crafted, hand-touched worlds,” Busche says. “That you’re on the ground in control of every action, every block, every dodge.” Anyone who’s ever bounced off a Soulslike needn’t worry: The Veilguard’s highly customizable difficulty settings enable you to loosen up parry windows if they prove too demanding.

Gone is the overhead tactical camera which, for some players, was a crucial point of connection between Dragon Age and the Baldur’s Gate games that came before, tapping into a lineage of thoughtful, tabletop-inspired combat. Epler points out that the camera’s prior inclusion had an enormous impact on where the game’s battles took place. “We actually had a mandate on Inquisition, which was, ‘Don’t fight inside,’” he says. “The amount of extra work on getting that tactical camera to work in a lot of those internal environments, it was very challenging.”

Gone, too, is the ability to steer your comrades directly. “On the experiential side, we wanted you to feel like you are Rook – you’re in this world, you’re really focused on your actions,” Busche says. “We very much wanted the companions to feel like they, as fully realized characters, are in control of their own actions. They make their own decisions. You, as the leader of this crew, can influence and direct and command them, but they are their own people.”

It's an idea with merit, albeit one that could be read as spin. “It’s not lost on me,” Busche says. “I will admit that, on paper, if you just read that you have no ability to control your companions, it might feel like something was taken away. But in our testing and validating with players, what we find is they’re more engaged than ever.”

There may be a couple of reasons for that. One is that Dragon Age’s newly dynamic action leaves little room for seconds spent swapping between perspectives. “This is a much higher actions-per-minute game,” Busche says. “It is more technically demanding on the player. So when we tried allowing you full control of your companions as well, what we’ve found is it wasn’t actually adding to the experience. In fact, in some ways it was detrimental, given the demanding nature of just controlling your own character.”

Then there’s The Veilguard’s own tactical layer, as described by BioWare. Though the fighting might be faster and lower, like a mana-fuelled sports scar, the studio is keen to stress that the pause button remains as important to the action as ever. This is, according to Busche, where the RPG depth shines through, as you evaluate the targets you’re facing and take their buffs into account: “Matching elemental types against weaknesses and resistances is a big key to success in this game.”

You pick between rogue, warrior and mage – each role later splitting again into deeper specialisms – and draw from a class-specific resource during fights. A rogue relies on Momentum, which is built up by avoiding damage and being highly aggressive, whereas a warrior is rewarded for blocking, parrying, and mitigating damage.

Those resources are then used on the ability wheel, which pauses the game and allows you to consider your options. The bottom quadrant of the wheel belongs to your character, and is where three primary abilities will be housed. “Rook will also have access to runes, which function as an ability, and a special ultimate ability,” Busche says. “So you’re bringing five distinct abilities with you into combat.”

The sections to the left and right of the wheel, meanwhile, are dedicated to your companions. Busche points to Lace Harding, the returning rogue from Inquisition, who is currently frozen mid-jump. “She is her own realized individual in this game. She’s got her own behaviors: how she prioritizes targets, whether she gets up close and draws aggro or stays farther back at range. But you’ll be able to direct her in combat by activating her abilities from the wheel.”

These abilities are complemented by positional options at the top of the wheel, where you can instruct your companions to focus their efforts on specific targets, either together or individually. Doing so will activate the various buffs, debuffs and damage enhancements inherent in their weapons and gear. “So,” Busche explains, “as you progress through the first two hours of the game, this full ability wheel is completely populated with a variety of options and different tactics that you can then string together.”

BioWare has leaned into combos. You might tell one companion to unleash a gravity-well effect that gathers enemies together, then have another slow time. Finally, you could drop an AOE attack on your clustered and slowed opponents, dealing maximum damage. The interface will let you know when an opportunity to blend two companion abilities emerges – moments BioWare has dubbed ‘combo detonations’.

“I like to think about this strategic layer to combat as a huddle,” Busche says, “where you’re figuring out how you want to handle the situation, based on the information you have on the encounter, and how you and your companions synergize together.”

Deeper into the game, as encounters get more challenging, Epler says we’ll be spending a lot of time making “very specific and very focused tactical decisions”. The proof will be in eating the Fereldan fluffy mackerel pudding, of course, but Busche insists this shift to fast action isn’t a simplification. “What really makes the combat system and indeed the extension into the progression system work is that pause-and-play tactical element that we know our players expect.”

The autonomy of The Veilguard’s companions doesn’t end with combat. BioWare’s data shows that in previous games players tended to stick with the same two or three beloved comrades during a playthrough. This time, however, you’ll be forced to mix your squad up at regular intervals.

“We do expect that players will have favorites they typically want to adventure with,” Busche says, “but sometimes certain companions will be mandatory.” Others may not always be available – part of the studio’s effort to convince with three-dimensional characters. “They do have a life outside of Rook, the main character,” Busche says.

"They'll fall in love with people in this world. They’ve had past experiences they’ll share with you if you allow them in and get close to them.”

Being separated from your companions, rather than collecting them all in a kind of stasis at camp, allows you to stumble across them unexpectedly. Busche describes an instance in which, while exploring the Docktown section of Minrathous, you might bump into Neve as she investigates an abduction case. “If I go and interact with her, I can actually stop what I’m doing, pick up her arc and adventure with her throughout her part of the story,” Busche says. “What’s interesting is that all of the companion arcs do ultimately tie back to the themes of the main critical path, but they also have their own unique challenges and villains, and take place over the course of many different intimate moments.”

Some parts of a companion’s quest arc involve combat, while others don’t. Some are made up of large and meaningful missions – as lavish and involved as those along the critical path. “While they are optional, I would be hesitant to call them side content in this game,” Busche says. If you choose not to engage with some of these companion-centered events, they’ll resolve on their own. “And it might have interesting implications.”

The Veilguard promises plenty of change, then, even as it picks up the threads of fan-favorite characters and deepens them, honoring the decades of worldbuilding that came before it. This is perhaps the enduring and alluring paradox of Dragon Age: a beloved series which has never had a direct and immediate sequel, nor a recurring protagonist. Instead, it’s been reinvented with each new entry.

“It’s a mixed blessing to some degree,” Epler says. “The upside is always that it gives us more room to experiment and to try new things. There are parts of the series that are common to every game: it’s always an RPG, it’s always about characters, and we always want to have that strategic tactical combat where you’re forced to make challenging decisions. But at the end of the day, I think what makes Dragon Age Dragon Age is that each one feels a little bit different.”"

Q&A Matthew Rhodes Art director

Q. Early BioWare RPGs were literary, with the emotions and detail mostly happening in dialogue boxes. How have you seen the studio's approach to visual storytelling evolve? A. This has been my entire career. When I first showed up at BioWare, it was at the tail end of Jade Empire, and then I was working on Dragon Age: Origins and early Mass Effect. The games had taken that next step out of sprites and 2D models, and it was like: 'How do we say more? How do we communicate more clearly?' During those early days, a lot of games depended on words to fix everything for you. As long as your character was talking bombastically, you could lend them everything that they needed. But as time went on it also became a visual medium, and it's been this long journey of trying to establish art's seat at the table. I've worked with some great writers over the years, and art is also an essential part of the storytelling. From Dragon Age: Inquisition on, I've been trying to stress with my teams that we are a story department.

Q. Is part of that also letting writers know that your storytelling assistance is available, to help them show rather than tell? A. On The Veilguard, that principle has been operating the best I've seen it. Where you would need a paragraph of dialogue in one of those exposition moments where a character just talks to you, we could sell that with a broken statue or a skeleton overgrown with vines. We've had more opportunities to do that on The Veilguard than most of the projects I've ever worked on combined.

To a hammer, every problem looks like a nail, and so in every department, writing will try to solve it with more words, and art will try to solve it with more art. I've bumped up against moments where it's like, 'As much as we could keep hammering on this design, I think this is actually an audio solution.' And then you take it to audio, and you don't get that overcooked feeling where each team is just trying to solve it in their silo. It's a really creatively charged kind of environment.

[main body of article ends here]

Additional from throughout the article --

Image caption: “Spotlights shine down from the city guards’ base as they pursue you through the streets of Minrathous.”

Image caption: “While most of your companions can be sorted into comfortingly familiar RPG classes, The Veilguard introduces two new varieties: a Veil Jumper and a private investigator.”"

Image caption [on this Solas ritual concept art specifically]: “The name previously given to the game – Dreadwolf – was a direct reference to Solas. Your former companion, now on his own destructive mission, still features, despite the name change.”

Text in a side box:

"RATIONAL ANTHEM The hard lesson BioWare drew from Anthem was to play to its strengths. “We’re a studio that has always been built around digging deep on storytelling and roleplaying,” Epler says. “I’m proud of a lot of things on Anthem – I was on that project for a year and a half. But at the end of the day we were building a game focused on something we were not necessarily as proficient at. For me and for the team, the biggest lesson was to know what you’re good at and then double down on it. Don’t spread yourselves too thin. Don’t try to do a bunch of different things you don’t have the expertise to do. A lot of the people on this team came here to build a story-focused, singleplayer RPG."

Image caption: “In combat you no longer control your companions directly – this is a faster-paced form of fighting – but you are able to direct them in combat, and can even blend their abilities in ‘combo detonations’.”

Image caption: “You’ll be exploring new regions across Tevinter and beyond – Rivain is a certainty, and that’s only accessible via Antiva travelling overland.”

Image caption: “There are three specializations per character class; on the way to unlocking them you’ll acquire a range of abilities.”

Text in a side box:

"MEET YOUR MAKER “Full disclosure: Dragon Age has traditionally not done skin tones well, especially for people of color,” Busche says. “We wanted to do a make-good here.” In The Veilguard’s character creator, you can adjust the amount of melanin that comes through in the skin, as well as test various lighting scenarios to ensure your protagonist looks exactly as you intend in cutscenes. “Speaking of our first creative principle – be who you want to be – we really feel these are the kinds of features that unlock that for our players,” Busche says. “We want everyone to be able to see themselves in this game.” For the first time in the series, your body type is fully customizable too, with animations, armor and even romantic scenes reflecting your choices."

Image caption: “Your companions are a mix of old and new – Lace Harding is a familiar face. Veil Jumper Bellara is new, with a new occupation, while Davrin is a new face with a familiar profession – he’s a Warden.”

Image caption: "Arlathan Forest is home to the ruined city of the elves, now a place of wild magic, Veil Jumpers and (allegedly) spirits".

Image caption: "Bellara is driven by a desire to learn more about the elves, rediscovering the shattered history and magic of her people."

[source: Edge – The Future of Interactive Entertainment magazine, issue #401 (October 2024 issue) - it can be purchased online at [this link].]

[this-is-most-definitely-mia]

Blue Lock but it’s a dating show

What?:- The Blue Lock boys come onto a dating show called ‘Goal to Your Heart’ where they try to outshine each other to win the heart of Y/n L/n. In this segment, our host will ask them why they think they should be the one to date her!

Warnings:- slursagi, suggestive themes for Shidou, fluff, crack

(jjk ver.)

Isagi Yoichi

“Our first contestant is blue lock’s ace himself! Everybody, please welcome Isagi Yoichi!” introduces the host.

Isagi smiles as the audience gives him a round of applause.

He sits on a leather chair next to the host seat, clad in a dark blue suit with his bangs neatly styled. “Thank you for having me here.”

“Haha,” the host gives a media-worthy laugh, “let’s get into it right away, we have a lot of contestants, after all. Mr.Isagi, what kind of guy would you say you are and what makes you stand out that would compel Ms.L/n to choose you?”

He thinks about if for a moment. “Honestly, I’ve been told by many people that I’m a polite, gentle and soft spoken guy, so that is the type of man I consider myself to be. And as for the second questi”—

Isagi is cut off by a German voice coming from the backstage. “As if!”

He abruptly turns around to the direction of the voice, his once kind expression replaced with a dark look. “Was that Kaiser?!”

A series of ear-splitting ‘beep!’s are inputted to censor the series of slurs that leave his mouth.

The host worriedly addresses the viewers. “After a short segment on the wonderful Glasses™️ recommended by no other than Chris Prince himself, let’s continue onto the next contestant!”

Rin Itoshi

“Next up is the star of Blue Lock, Rin Itoshi!”

The crowd hoots for him.

The boy himself is seated on the chair left with the previous contestant’s ass prints, with a bored expression. He wears a suit that complements his hair, which is falling on his face like usual.

The host turns to him now. “Well, Mr.Itoshi”—

“Call me Rin,” says, or well orders, a monotone voice.

The host clears his throat. “Ahem, Rin, then. Tell us Rin, why is a man like you on a dating show? You’re quite infamous for having a razor sharp focus on football, and football only. Do you think your nonchalance might sway Ms.L/n your way?”

“No, I don’t care about that girl. I’m here because I need ‘more exposure to the public for a better PR image’, or so my team says.” His face is as void of expression as before.

The host presses on. “Are you sure that’s the only reason? And totally not because Ms.L/n has intrigued you?”

His eyes slightly narrow. “How many times do I have to tell you?”

The host chuckles, “Who knows, Rin, maybe she might be the one to capture your heart after all.”

Bachira Meguru

“Here we have Bachira Meguru, the Dancing Bee!”

Bachira grins at the audience, giving a small wave. “Hello, everybody!”

“Alright, Bachira. Do you have any particular hobbies or interest?” asks the host.

Bachira scratched his chin. “Hmm, I can paint and play football…other than that I don’t really have much, sorry.”

The host shakes his head. “Don’t be sorry! That’s okay, you must be very good at those things, I’m sure. Anyways, why do you believe Ms.L/n is the one for you?”

Bachira smiles so widely it’s endearing. “She’s really really pretty! And she seems super nice too! Also my monster says she’s the one for me!”

The host’s professional smile falters. “Your…monster?”

Bachira nods. “Yes, my monster is my best friend! I’ve been playing with it for years! I do everything that my monster says! One time, it told me to switch my neighbors petrol with diesel, it was hilarious!”

“Alright, onto the the next one, heh…”

Nagi Seishiro

“Welcome the Genius, Nagi!”

“Hello,” says Nagi, who is slopped onto the chair. His posture is horrible, which wrinkles his suit. His messy hair matches it.

After a second of silently judging, the host continues. “So, Nagi, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?”

“Uh,” he starts, still lazily lounging, “I play football. Video games too. I don’t like to do chores, it’s a hassle. Oh, and, uh, Reo. That’s my best friend.”

“Wow, Nagi, that explains a lot,” the host eyes hum up and down. “Anyways, you said Reo was your best friend?”

“Yeah, he’s pretty cool. Everyone else is a bit boring.”

“Even Ms.L/n?” asks the host.

“She’s pretty cool too, I guess.”

“That’s all?”

…

“Moving on!”

Reo Mikage

“The chameleon, Mr.Reo!”

He smiles a charming smile at the audience, which earns him some hollers.

“I’m very glad to be here.”

“Haha, you’re one of the few! So tell us, what makes the heir of the Mikage Corporations stand out from the rest, other than your money, of course?”

He chuckles. “I’m a lot more than just a heir, I think many people forget. I’m very hardworking, as well as a jack of all trades, and a master of one, which is football. I can do many things, like cooking, cleaning, laundry and more, I have experience from taking care of my best friend, Nagi, you see.”

“That’s incredibly admirable, Mr.Reo! If there’s one message you could give to Ms.L/n right now, what would it be?”

He locks eyes with the camera. “Y/n, I assure you, I’m the best option ever! I would love you so much! So please, please, please”—

Shidou Ryusei

“Everybody, give a round of applause for Mr.Shidou, the devil of Blue Lock!” The host says with a smile, which hides the pain in his eyes. This was going to be a hard one.

Shidou smirks almost manically at the audience. His pink suit can almost distract the audience from his antennae. The keyword is almost.

“So, Mr.Shidou, if you were to take Ms.L/n on a date, how would that go about?” The host reads from the cards in his hands.

“Well, firstly, I’d take her skydiving, then maybe we’d go watch the chainsaw man movie (a/n:- keep your eyes out for that movie y’all) and then I take her back home and give her some insane back shots. It’d be so good, she’d be”—

The host’s eyes are wide. “Y-You can’t say that on live!”

The man still doesn’t stop.

Viewers aren’t surprised when an ad break comes on.

Micheal Kaiser

The host wipes the sweat on his brow with a handkerchief before continuing with a deep breath.

“Micheal Kaiser, the German prodigy!”

Micheal smirks slyly when his fangirls scream at the top of their lungs.

“Nice to meet you, everybody,” he says, which earns another round of screaming.

“So, Mr.Kaiser, what makes you stand out from the rest?”

He doesn’t waste a second. “What separates me from the rest is that I’m the Emperor and they are the peasants. It’s as simple as that. They couldn’t beat me if they tried.”

The host grins. Now this is good for the media, gosh, this show is gonna get so many viewers.

“Oh, really? Can you explain what is happening in this photo, then, Mr.Kaiser?”

A photo of Kaiser is displayed on the screen. In it, he looks devastated, on his knees, a complete opposite of the confident persona on the show.

His eyes widen. “Where did you get that photo?! It’s not real! It’s AI!”

He frantically looks into the camera lens. “Y/n, I swear this is fake! It’s government propaganda!”

Bonus! (everybody say thank you jazz!)

Sae Itoshi

The crowd cheers for a whole minute.

“Do I even need to introduce this guy?” jokes the host. “A round of applause for the Jewel of Japan, please!”

Even more cheers.

“I’m grateful for this opportunity,” say a PR trained voice.

“Mr.Itoshi! Let’s dive right into it! What about Ms.L/n caught your eyes? It’s a running joke in the tabloids that you never date and never will!”

Sae gives a professional smile, as tight as it is. “She is an incredibly talented person. She is the perfect girl, so who wouldn’t want a chance to date her?”

Sorry to all the fangirls, but this was recited from the pages his PR team gave him.

The host continues. “Tell us more about your relationship with your brother, we’re all dying to know!”

Oh Lord.

Authors note :- longest fic ever, how we doing chat? Also, let me know in the replies whether you want more parts of this, what characters i should add if i do, and whether i should do this for jjk too!

[m1d-45]

look, don't touch

summary: a minor mishap in the lab leads to a chain of.. interesting events with the second harbinger

word count: 4.8k

-> warnings: reader is badly burned + mentioned blood + somewhat graphic description of injury, dottore + his reputation, you think you're going to die at one point (not serious, in passing, you don't)

-> gn reader (you/yours) and non-canonical segments

taglist: @samarill || @thenyxsky || @valeriele3 || @shizunxie || @boba-is-a-soup || @yuus3n || @esthelily || @turningfrogsgay || @cupandtea24 || @genshin-impacts-me || @chaoticfivesworld || @raaawwwr || @ryuryuryuyurboat || @undrxtxd || @rainswept || @wanderersqt || @rozz-eokkk

< masterlist >

you weren’t an earnest follower in celestia by any means, but if they could get you out of this then you would happily spend the rest of your life devoted to being a pastor.

mostly because that’s the only way you’d live to see the light of day again, but that was besides the point.

on a good day, working for any harbinger came with a lot of challenges, but you had ended up with the most ruthless and least rational. every time you walked into the doctor’s lab, there was a healthy amount of fear that it would be your last. at least one fight was going on at any given point, trying to read their horrendous handwriting gave you a headache, the constant mood swings and volatile behavior just the tip of the iceberg. on top of that, you also had to deal with being dragged into every idea and whim they had; your technical job title was merely ‘assistant,’ but that was far too narrow a band to cover everything you did that wasn’t in the fine print.

like this. standing with your hands shoved deep into the chest of a skywatcher ruin drake, fumbling for a casing supposedly “just a little further,” if beta’s continued pressuring was anything to go by. he was standing somewhere behind you, theta on the other side of the drake trying to figure out how to pry off the thick bolts sticking out of its spine. theta you could understand. he was mostly machine himself, so it made sense he’d be the one to pull apart the touchier components, but beta? beta, fussing with the wings of the drake, doing a whole lot of nothing while you shoved your very human and non-replaceable arms into a tangled mess of gears and wiring. you’d already gotten burned once, a thick droplet of oil falling onto your wrist from above that theta apologized profusely for, and you weren’t eager to do so again.

sure, if your arms did get ripped from their sockets you’re fairly certain you’d receive prosthetics in return, but that didn’t excuse anything. just because they were capable of amazing feats of science didn’t mean you wanted to be another test subject.

“you can do it,” beta ‘encouraged,’ leaning on your shoulder and not at all making it more difficult to strain for the part he wanted. “you saw the plans.”

of course you did, you were the one that had insisted he look them over again before ripping into the machine. behind the chest plate, behind the core, straight to the back was a wide bundle of wires. in the very center was a segmented strip of chained together casings shaped vaguely like dumbbells, supposedly easy enough to pull out. what was inside? who knew. probably beta. you’d found the wiring just fine—not just fine, you’d scraped yourself along far too many gears and raw edges to be entirely intact—but there was nothing inside it. you picked out the thinner wires one by one, and while you’d succeeded in finding the structure they were supposed to be in, it was empty. yanking it up had rewarded you with a bruise on your forearm and nothing in the slot below it, so you fed it back down and prepared to pull.

“please behave yourself, beta.” theta’s voice comes from higher than it was last time, a loud bang from above you reverberating through the entire machine. you try not to think about it.

“i’m supervising-”

“i’m supposed to be supervising,” you interrupt, gripping two bars of the structure and preparing yourself. “i don’t get paid enough for this.”

you breathe, your grip tightens, and you pull with everything you have. above you, something pops, and the frame in your hands is suddenly very slack. you don’t even have a chance to feel for the capsules before something hot and burning poured on your arms, a thick oil that clung to your skin and refused to leave. beta moved quicker than you could think, grabbing your sides and practically carrying you away from the machine. the sludge was forming a wide pool on the floor now, a dark lumpy black that stretched all the way up to your elbows and made you painfully aware of that fact. beta had grabbed a roll of mechanic’s towels and roughly wiped off the excess, the drag of the napkin on raw skin making you hiss. it left a reddish residue behind, though the sight of your hands quickly blurred with tears.

“theta, we’re leaving.” beta puts one hand between your shoulders and quickly pushes you out of the project room, a sliding door opening into the upper lab. you blink out your tears as best you can, mostly relying on beta to guide you past the maze of tables and machinery. this section of the lab didn’t have a medbay since the segments allowed up here never needed one, so it meant you had to walk all the way down to the lower lab for first aid. how fun. you weren’t keen on letting this stuff stay on you for any longer than it had to, but since when was any dottore known for his safety measures?

even in your limited vision, you see more heads turn toward you than usual as the door hisses open. beta don’t stop to pay them any attention, walking you straight through to the door marked with a red cross, hand tightening in your shirt when you stumble on the slight step.

“careful,” he says, like you’d ever be in this situation of your own accord.

the faucet hisses and so do you, gritting your teeth at the pressure on your hands. you blink rapidly, struggling to find the soap before he puts it right in front of you, pressing down the top and letting it fall into your hands. your skin is bubbled and angry, shaking hands and blurred vision making it impossible to figure out where anything was. instead of doing anything remotely helpful, beta just stands at your side like the world’s worst lightpost, providing no insight and only unnerving you further with his presence. the only indication he’s not lost in some manic daydream is occasional mumbling, though that may actually be evidence the more you think about it. you’re not sure how much time passes, just running water over your skin to stave off the pain. eventually, he sighs, “fine, i’ll go,” a nonsensical statement you almost don’t notice wasn’t meant for you before he speaks a little louder.

“i need to go, but i’ll get kappa for you.”

like he wasn’t already there to see you walk in. “sure.”

he lingers, then leaves. you continue washing cold water over your skin to keep the burning at bay, knowing full well its a superficial solution. best case, you’re burned severely and are either fired for incompetence or made to work through it. worst case, whatever chemical that was made its way into your bloodstream through one of the many scrapes you got and you were about to drop dead from a heart attack any moment now. neither option was rather thrilling.

your palm can’t take much more of the water pressure, but the thought of trying to twist the valve off is equally unappealing. pain, or slightly adjacent pain: a typical day in dottore’s lab. you never thought you’d be on the receiving end.

the door doesn’t creak as it’s pushed open, but the sound of boots on the floor gives it away. who you can only assume is kappa turns off the water, blotting up the excess on your arms with a soft towel that still felt too harsh.

“i know, i know…”

you watch through blurred vision—was that the cause of your headache, or was it the stress?—as he reaches into his pocket, pulling out a small tin. he moves delicately, barely a whisper across your skin as he spreads the salve over your arms. soft gel pads his fingers, a cushion of translucent silicone over everything sharp edge or hard plate. you could barely pick out the seams between the layers of his hand, each of them slipping and melding together in one fluid movement. the salve leaves a cool numbness wherever it touches, your pain swiftly becoming a faint memory. you’re somewhat surprised by how quickly it works, though you probably shouldn’t be. if they could figure out delusions, they could figure out an effective topical pain reliever. he gently twists your arm just enough to see if he’s missed anywhere, not pulling any of the irritated skin. once satisfied, he makes quick work of wrapping it, white bandage spiraling up your arm faster than you can blink. he tapes it shut just below your elbow, and the process begins anew.

there’s not much else to do but watch him work. your tears are finally starting to recede enough that you can see clearer, gauging the damage on your arms. it’s… well, terrible, if you’re being frank, skin peeling and blood smearing into the pale beige salve. you're definitely going to blister, and there’s no way you’ll be able to so much as pick up a pen in this condition. hopefully prime accounts for that when he decides your next shifts, though anything you do is realistically going to hurt. you’re pretty useless like this, even as a proper supervisor you couldn’t exactly take notes. you don’t have an ancient supercomputer in your brain like kappa or theta, and even the most basic of tasks involved your hands. no matter how good kappa’s medicine, there’s no way you’ll be in well enough shape by tomorrow.

“you’re worried,” kappa says, neither a question or a statement. an explanation, maybe, but to who?

“pardon?”

he ‘looks’ up (you’re fairly certain he only does that for your benefit) though his hands don’t pause, the red diamond on his face plate pulsing faintly. like his hands, the seam between black metal and bluish silicone is so small it might as well not be there. the silence stretches for longer than you know what to do with, long enough that he finishes with your arm, wiping off his hands on the towel from before. “your shirt has holes in it,” he says like it explains anything, ‘looking’ back down to wrap your hand. you’re able to watch this time, the roll weaving around your fingers and hand before being quickly spun along your arm, perfectly taut. he cuts it with his nail and tape dispenses out of his thumb to seal the end. he lingers there for a moment, thumb pressed on your inner elbow, before finally backing away. “you should change. there’s a closet behind you that should contain a spare shirt if you’d like."

you look down, noticing that he’s right. some of the goop splashed onto your shirt, leaving a smattering of holes. the skin beneath was fine, thankfully, but he was right. definitely not lab-safe, though not many of the actual substances you worked with were safe either. you were surely under-qualified to be handling khaenri’ahn machinery.

that’s beside the point. you turn around, finding the cabinet he’s talking about easily. shirts, pants, even a spare set of shoes. they seem to be mostly for the younger segments, but you pick out a shirt your size easily enough. you check behind you, seeing kappa turned away politely, and carefully pull off your shirt. you put it aside, silently thanking whoever decided to leave the shirts unbuttoned in the cabinet. probably kappa. it’s softer than you expect it to be, smooth blue that you’d almost mistake for some sort of fine silk if you didn’t know how resilient it was. every one of the segments wore them, fire, acids, and even beta’s occasional scalpel all deflected as if they were never there. it probably would have survived the corrosive from earlier, really, which makes you a bit bitter. the buttons close easily even with your limited dexterity, leaving neither bumps nor gaps down the front because prime was too good to be caught with a straight shot to his heart. if he was worse at his job it might be easier to be upset, but you couldn’t feel anything but begrudging respect about the man that hid a tie in the cuff to keep the sleeves secure around your elbow.

not for the first time, you wish you were given your own designated set. that would mean acknowledging you as more than an assistant, though, and prime seemed to be allergic to calling you even that. it was always either your name or ‘help’ with such a specific lilt that you couldn’t even describe it, something unique to whatever thoughts bounced between the precious few marbles still left in his head.

you liked to think you were more than just a standard helper. if nothing else, then the fact that you’d been working with him for as long as you had with your sanity intact had to mean something. according to rumors of payroll records from the ninth’s workers, the longest a previous assistant had lasted was barely a week over six months, and you had survived in this lab for more than a few years without getting fired, killed, or worse.

that could always end today, though. ruin drakes were endemic to sumeru and had to be carried across half of teyvat to make it to prime’s door, let alone the time spent finding and disabling them. failing a simple task on the first day was likely a perfectly fine reason to have your head on a pike. never mind that it wasn’t your fault, that it wasn’t your idea, or that you were grossly underqualified to supervise disassembly of khaenri’ahn machinery in the first place. since when was any segment known for his rational thinking and level-headed nature? fun joke.

you pick up your discarded shirt and thumb one of the many holes with a sigh. the edges were coarse and likely would only worsen in the wash, so there goes your uniform. the least of your worries, really.

“prime wants to talk to you,” kappa starts, drawing your attention towards him. his hands are folded neatly in front of him, mechanical voice slow and almost hesitant. you never knew a segment to be unsure of himself before, though you suppose prime is as good a reason as any. “but i can tell him you need rest. i understand today has been stressful for you.”

that was one way to put it. putting off talking with prime and going back to your quarters to avoid the problem for twelve hours sounded ideal, but you weren’t a fool. if prime was asking you to see him immediately after the incident, he had something to say, and denying a harbinger was a surefire route to whatever afterlife awaited you.

“thank you, but i’ll go see him now.”

his shoulders visibly fell, but he nodded. you dropped your shirt in the trash can as you followed him out, again ignoring the various other segments scattered throughout the lab. none stopped whatever they were doing, but you could feel their eyes on you, see their blue hair twist in your periphery. they’ve probably seen injuries far worse, and yours were already covered up… it was probably kappa, really. he rarely left phi’s side for any longer than he had to.

kappa input his access code without looking. or, you could only assume he wasn’t looking; even though his head was turned toward you, it didn’t mean anything. which was worse, that he could act without looking like he was, or that he acted like he needed to look?

his finger hesitates over the enter key. “you’re nervous,” he says again, this time actually feeling like it was directed at you. you never asked about before and probably never will. “he doesn’t seem upset at you.”

you bite your tongue to keep from being mean. you know he means the best—he was literally coded to be an empathetic caretaker—but prime wasn’t known for broadcasting his heart on his bloodstained sleeves. he could seem anything he wanted and it never had to reflect what he was actually feeling.

“thanks,” you reply instead, and he nods, the door sliding upward with a hiss.

the upper lab is empty. all the equipment is still there, of course, glassware and sealed jars littering the countertops, but all of the chairs are pushed in and vacant. nobody besides you walks along the tile, and the hallways beyond this section are empty too. stretches of white floor and steel doors your only company, the fluorescent lights buzzing above you.

it’s unnerving. have you written a will yet?

you turn to the right, towards prime’s office. it looks like all the rest, with a clear plastic bin hanging next to it and a keypad below that. you knock with your entire fist, two bangs that are a little too loud on your end but likely barely audible on his. his doorway is a foot thick, a well-defined border between the harsh lighting of the hall and his deceptively welcoming office.

whoever the fatui hired as interior designer deserved a raise. a nearly black wood bookshelf covers the entire left wall, volumes packed together with remarkable efficiency. on the right, a large map takes up most of the space, notes and string marking plans you don’t try to read. shelves of files and pinned up diagrams surround it in equally dense displays. the floor is a well-buffed dark wood that clicks under his heels as he rounds his desk, silent. the pristine white papers spread across his desk are the brightest thing in the room, interrupted only by the backs of the two chairs in front of his desk. he doesn’t pull one out, nor tell you to sit, only approaching you quietly. you can’t remember the last time someone dressed business casual was intimidating, but there’s a first time for everything. his gloves are a thick mystery fabric that barely a suggest a touch on your arm, blue palms carefully following the bumps and valleys of the bandage. you raise it, letting him inspect kappa’s work wordlessly. he doesn’t comment on the shake to your hand you’re certain he can feel, and in fact doesn’t give much of any indication at all. his face is unreadable behind the mask, a detail you’ve yet to determine as a good thing or not.

“theta analyzed the substance that fell on you.” his voice is quieter than you’ve ever heard before, like he’s uncertain about breaking the silence. he doesn’t let go of your hand. “it was mostly oil, yes, but it also included a mixture of slime condensate and some sort of elemental anchor. his working theory is that when the core collapsed, the slime mixture first spilled into the oil line, then that burst. the anchor dissolved into the oil, releasing its energy, and the slime helped it stick.”

dottore has a reputation well known across the entirety of teyvat and beyond. he was irrational, heretical, setting up seemingly nonsensical lines of dominoes that led up to a crushing wave of death. he did not care, he did not feel, he held no mercy. his office was more mystifying than the abyss, and a non-zero amount of his subjects had chosen the latter rather than stay. within the fatui, within his very lab, this fog did not lift. even theta and his khaenri’ahn brain couldn’t reliably track the thoughts behind prime’s actions. that thought at least made you feel a little better, because there was no way in a thousand years that you could ever rationalize prime explaining himself to you.

“you have experienced, in essence, a severe chemical burn.” finally, he lets go, stepping back and turning away to dig through the files on his desk, the rustling sounding too loud after he spoke so.. did you dare say softly? your skin prickles where he touched and you don’t know what to feel.

he comes back with an inch-thick stack of stapled papers and a pen, holding out both. you don’t dare flip up the blank cover page yet. “you will stay with kappa and phi until you are better, and follow whatever treatment plan he prescribes. you will fill one of these out three times a day: at morning, at noon, and at night. am i understood?”

paperwork? was that all? a lot of it, certainly—was there even enough time in the day to complete three of these stacks?—but far less than you were hoping for, let alone expecting. regardless, you nod, “when would you like me to start disassembling the ruin drake?”

the silence stretches. you can feel his eyes on you and you’re certain the weight isn’t phantom, even despite the mask. you run over your words again, searching for fault and finding none. you’d hoped by presuming you’d be working again you might save some of his anger, but did he not want you to? was that something he expected you to know already? did he not want the drake disassembled at all? the delicate wiring was certainly ruined by the waterfall of whatever anchor he said fell on you, and even if theta had somehow managed to salvage it there was no way it could be up to par.

“what?”

ever a man of few words. his fangs catch the light and you regret talking more with every second that goes by. “i assume you can no longer run any of your tests on it, so-”

“when did i mention the drake?” he shakes his head and crosses his arms with a surprisingly neutral sigh. “i give you explicit instructions to stay with kappa, yet barely a moment later you’re talking like you’re going to do something else. here i thought you showed promise…”

his words hold no bite. his arms, though crossed, are not taut with anger. you liked to think you’d gotten pretty good at being able to read the various segments’ moods, but that meant you’d either severely miscalculated or prime was teasing you, and you couldn’t decide which was worse.

you were lost, and the silence was continuing for uncomfortably long. “i’ll.. go see him right away, then?”

you can’t keep your voice from tilting into a question, having wandered neck-deep into unfamiliar territory, but he blessedly doesn’t comment on it. he waves you away with a stiff nod and you half-bow before turning around, not stopping until you’re safely down the hall and in the main lab with two doors between you. you leaning against the cool wall and stare at the packet in your hands. paperwork in exchange for an indefinite time off proper work sounded more than uncharacteristic to you, especially when a prized machine was damaged in the process. you turn over the pen kept beneath your thumb, seeing the ink inside slosh around within the glass chamber. it was one of his pens, not the standard practically indestructible ones kept around the labs. maybe that was why you were thrown off, he just really lost it this time. was this the calm before the storm?

you don’t stick around to find out.

the upper lab is still empty, an eerie feeling following you as you walk past the lines of tables and equipment. all of the actual chemicals are put away, which is a little reassuring, but it’s still wrong. even if the others are out, at least theta is normally sat at his desk. you walk a little quicker.

kappa is obviously awaiting your arrival, only idly watching phi mesh together gears on the floor—isn’t that a safety hazard for someone so young?—and perking up the moment you walk in. he waves you over to him, sitting on a large couch in phi’s play area. you cross the striped tape and enter the protected space, feeling only slightly like a criminal seeking sanctuary. kappa is sitting with feet propped a small coffee table in front of him, one you set down papers and pen on before joining him.

he notices the different pen. you can tell by the way his glance turns into a stare, ‘eye’ locked onto it with a slightly brighter glow. he sits dead still, transfixed… then his chest rises in another faux breath, his attention shifting to you instead. “see? not too bad.”

“i have to complete three of those a day.”

his head tilts, smile growing. “i’m glad to see he’s finally acting in accordance in his thoughts.”

before you can even begin to dissect whatever that meant, phi calls his attention from the floor. kappa’s eye flashes as he takes his feet from the table, standing.

“forgive me, i have to go. why don’t you get started on your paperwork?”

there it is. you almost forgot he was an identical copy of the guy who made you dig through a ruin machine because ‘it’ll be good work experience.’

you settle the stack of paper on your lap, uncapping the pen and flipping away the cover page to reveal the dense form beneath. your name, easy enough, then the date below that. next was the… approximate time of injury? why had he given you an incident report? he probably slipped it in on top of the other stuff for filing purposes, though you don’t know why when he would have gotten all of that information from theta. maybe he wanted to see if you’d lie? you may have willingly signed up to work under him, but you weren’t so stupid as to lie to a harbinger.

you described what you saw as best you could while not having any sort of medical training beyond ‘blood should stay inside the body,’ then treatment from kappa. your hand was already beginning to ache a bit from having to hold the pen, but it was tolerable enough when the page was finished in less than a minute. you let it relax a bit as you flipped the page, skimming the questions. your name, of course, then the date…

you flip the first page back to double-check what you already knew. they were the same. did he think you’d run out of space? it couldn’t be a fluke, surely—was one for kappa? questions fill your head, ones you ultimately decide to shake away. whatever the case, you didn’t need to touch this page, so you moved onto the next.

the next was the same. so was the next. you used your thumb to flip through the entire stack rapidly, confirming that yes, the entire packet are one-page incident reports, what’s going on? prime’s not careless enough to make a mistake like this. maybe beta, trying to one-up his past brilliant idea by sabotaging your work, or perhaps the goop had sprayed up to theta and fried his circuits.

“uh, kappa…”

he looks up from the elaborate string of gears phi has set up, smiling. “are you done? if you are, you should come over here and see what phi’s made.”

the younger boy visibly perks up, red eyes shining. his hands tap against the floor eagerly, “would you? please?”

you pointedly look at the stack, peeling up half of it so kappa can see your dilemma, but he only laughs in response. “come, dear. let’s leave that for later.”

you hesitate, unsure. there’s no reason kappa would have to lie to you. he has a direct line to prime in his head and was probably told to make sure you stayed on task, so… if he doesn’t see a problem with it, then that must mean this is how it’s meant to be, right? carefully, you set down the stack on the coffee table, capping prime’s pen and leaving it on top. prime had, for whatever reason, given you an unexpected out.

so you take it.

[imagineweasley]

Into the Basement for You

fred weasley x reader

summary: you, fred, george, and lee have been on the road running potterwatch for the past few months, managing to stay in hiding. unfortunately, death eaters track you down and rip you away from them. fred plunges straight into the darkness with you - he'll never let them take you from his side.

warnings: mentions of violence and injury

y/n: your name

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author's note: my writer's block made me want to jump off a cliff but here it is finally done!

--

the door was thrown open with a loud creak and a bang as it hit the wall and made the basement shake. you could see two faint silhouettes, one of which was fenrir greyback; the werewolf was one of voldemort's top henchmen, and the reason you had ended up here. fenrir's growling laughter echoed through the dank basement as he threw the figure onto the ground. the newcomer grunted as he hit the floor but managed to throw an obscene hand gesture at the werewolf before the door slammed shut.

darkness engulfed you again. it had been days - or maybe weeks - since you had met the poor newcomer's same fate. you had been ripped away from your boys: george and lee, but most devastatingly, your boyfriend fred. for the first few days, you pounded on the door and screamed until your fists were black and blue, but even the strongest can be weakened. ever since that night, you had barely been able to eat or drink; the anxiety over your friends was debilitating, and you spent all your waking hours wondering if they were alive or dead. thankfully (but quite unfortunately), luna and ollivander had been able to coax some food into you, just enough for you to survive.

--

the four of you had been on the road for months now, ever since the trio disappeared on their mysterious mission. at least once a week, you, fred, george, and lee ran a secret broadcast called potterwatch, a radio show you had come up with to keep the wizarding world informed and aware to the best of your abilities. fred and george had worked out the kinks while you and lee used your vast connections to recruit trusted informants.

one night, after bill's guest segment on goblin sentiments, you leaned against the wall of your latest safespot - a shed behind an abandoned warehouse - and chatted with him as he packed up his things to return home.

"y'know, the news isn't the only thing people like about the show."

you tore your gaze away from fred, who had just pelted himself in the face with a ball he had bounced against the wall, and turned your attention to bill.

"really? what else is there to enjoy?"

"the fun of it."

you were taken aback. "the... the fun? of the war?"

"yeah," bill smirked, "even when you're reporting on a war, you lot have a very difficult time keeping it doom and gloom. they like the jokes and shenanigans - makes things feel kind of normal."

you couldn't help but chuckle. he wasn't wrong about the lack of ability to be serious in the group. from then on, potterwatch turned into a part-time comedy show, with the four of you hopping on once a week to simply chat about everything and nothing and hopefully make people laugh.

the night you were attacked had been the first warm night in months. you had just finished a broadcast - "... the next password will be 'marauders.' keep each other safe. keep faith. and goodnight" - and were hanging out in the front yard of your latest hideout, which was a small cottage in the middle of an abandoned town.

you sat on the front steps with fred, watching as george and fred pelted snowballs at each other and giggled like little boys. you leaned fred's head against his shoulder and he held you close to his side, rubbing your arms to keep you warm even though you already were.

you were the first to break the silence, humming, "fred, when all of this is over, what's going to happen?" the two of you played this game everyday; it was an excuse to be able to fantasize about a future, something that was never guaranteed these days.

fred's face split into a smile as he replied with his line, "hm, i think we could have a little cottage like this one."

"yeah?"

"yeah. and we could have a nice garden -"

"neither one of us know how to garden."

"- that we would kill every year, and george would probably be there because he's an annoying git."

george stopped mid-throw to point at his twin and yell, "save me a room!" lee took this opportunity to hit him in the face with a large snowball. fred rolled with laughter and you shook your head, giggling at george's stunned expression.

when fred was done laughing at his brother, he wiped tears from his eyes and pointed at you, "now your turn."

you tapped your chin with your finger, feigning deep thought even though you knew exactly what you were picturing. "i think i'd like a flat in london too. our cottage would be where we can get away to when london gets to be too much. d'you think we could do that?"

fred chuckled and pecked you on your lips, "anything you want, baby."

he opened his mouth to continue when there was a CRACK and suddenly, you were engulfed in robes. a scream escaped your lips as rough hands grabbed your arms and started dragging you before you could even reach for your wand.

the boys roared with anger and through the robes, you saw red lights flashing back and forth as they fired curses at your captors.

"you'll have to try harder than that!" it was fenrir. you had heard whispers that voldemort himself had put him in charge of hunting down wanted wizards. he cackled as he easily dodged the curses and continued to drag you away from the group.

you heard another familiar laugh. "gotcha now, weasleys! he's going to be so happy with us!" yaxley swerved back and forth, effortlessly avoiding the flashing light.

you kicked and screamed as hard as you could, twisting to try to reach your wand, which was tucked in your pocket, mere inches away from your fingertips, but fenrir's grip was too strong.

"YAXLEY!" he boomed, "this bitch is too squirmy, we need to come back for the rest of them!"

"you stupid werewolf, there is no way we are returning without them!" yaxley's turned slightly to fenrir with annoyance in his eyes, and george took the split second to hit him in the chest and knock him off his feet.

"GIVE HER BACK!" through the grunts and yells, you heard fred's yell in a way you had never heard before.

"FRED!"

"Y/N!" his voice gave you the strength to twist around and kick fenrir in the shins. he growled in pain and slammed you on the ground. the wind was knocked out of you and you couldn't respond to fred, who was trying to fight his way through to you.

yaxley managed to catch his breath and pushed himself ofof the ground. "FINE. let's go. but you're going to have to explain to the dark lord why we've only come back with this girl." panic bubbled in your throat, but all you could do was lay limp on the ground, struggling to breathe. you started fading into black and the last thing you heard was fred screaming your name in agony.

--

the newcomer groaned again as he dragged himself upright.

"dickhead."

your focus on the wall wavered as you registered his voice. something in your hazy mind blinked awake.

"bloody fucking hell."

the brain fog lifted and your heart dropped. you were fully upright now and squinted at the figure in the dim light, trying to make out the familiar voice. you'd know this voice anywhere, from the countless moonlight nights in his arms and kisses in the rain. but it couldn't be. you pushed the hope that was rising in your chest.

his name escaped your lips, dry and crackly from having not spoken for days. "fred?"

he froze. you could cut the tension in the air with a knife.

"y/n?" fred's shaky voice called back. yes. it was him.

a sudden burst of energy surged through your body, and this time, you called out for him with all the strength you had. "fred! fred, i'm here!"

a flash of red hair in the dim light as he scrambled to his feet and ran to you. he was wrapped around you in a second, calling your name with the desperation built up over days of anguish.

your arms wrapped around his neck, and tears mingled as you pressed together as if trying to meld into one.

"fred, my love, is it really you?" you gasped through sobs.

"it's me, y/n, it's me baby. i'm here. oh merlin, you're alive. you're alive!" and then his lips were pressed against yours. you kissed him back as a weight lifted off your chest. you finally felt alive. he kissed you everywhere he could reach, your forehead, your cheeks, your nose, your lips, and you couldn't help but laugh, partly in relief, partly in disbelief. it felt good to laugh again.

george. lee. their names suddenly flashed through your mind, and you pulled back. panicked, you gasped, "the rest of them? the boys, are they -"

fred nodded furiously, "they're alright, they're with mom and dad right now. don't you worry your pretty head about them." you sighed in relief and sank into his chest. he pressed you again his body and in typical fred fashion, chuckled, "should i be worried you're thinking about them while you're kissing me?"

you laughed and gently hit his arm, which elicitted a sharp gasp of pain from fred. you pulled back in concern, and finally were able to really inspect his face. blood flowed from a gash on his forehead, only just beginning to stem and coating his cheek with sticky red. his left eye was turning a sickly shade of purple and cuts covered his arm. the arm you had hit was slightly bent at an unnatural angle.

you couldn't help but gasp as you ran your fingers over his wounds.

"merlin... what did they do to you? you look terrible!"

"thank you for that, baby." he grinned before stroking your face and running his eyes over your own relics of torture, his smile fading just slightly, "you look gorgeous yourself." he did mean that. of course you looked beautiful even with cuts and bruises all over your face.

he sighed when you didn't reply, and begrudgingly answered, "they did exactly what they do to people who turn up on their doorstep. they were very happy to see me, it was quite welcoming, actually." you sank down on your heels, lost for words.

"you... what?" tears brimmed in your eyes, and the joking glint in fred's eye disappeared.

"y/n-"

you covered your face with your hands and a muffled cry came out, "how could you, fred? how could you do that?" you were angry that he had risked his life to save you, that he had risked a world in which you would never see him again. "i could have figured it out, you shouldn't have done that."

fred gently took your hands in his, uncovering your face, but you refused to look him in the eyes. he gently replied, "i know you could, but you shouldn't have to. there is no world in which i wouldn't come after you, y/n. i'd cross every ocean, fight any death eater, go into any dark, gross, mouldy basement, just to find you." he kissed the top of your head and stroked your hair, and your anger melted away, just like that. your eyes slid shut as you leaned into the his chest and felt his heartbeat against your cheek.

every beat of his heart was confirmation that he really was with you now, and for the first time in days, you felt hope again. as long as you were together, you'd figure it out day by day, take each step together.

[sepublic]

The Owl House Ending Anniversary Livestream

            These are the notes I’ve taken from The Owl House anniversary stream, just the stuff related to the show (though there was a hilarious anecdote from Sarah about having a theater light shine on her bald spot while attending an acting school);

For the finale, the VAs (and Dana and Eden) got to record voice work together for the first time since the covid lockdown. Sarah scream-cried and sobbed right after finishing the final lines for Luz. The recording occurred a few months before the finale aired.

            Zeno revealed that anime dub voice directors usually want a different direction for voice acting than with western animation, but when Zeno did a take for Hunter that he thought might’ve sounded too anime, everyone else was in full approval. From there, Zeno approached Hunter as the “anime emo boy” or “Sasuke” of the show, going for an “eastern anime edgy feel.” Sarah thought this fit given how much Hunter is trying; Zeno feels Hunter wears his emotions on his sleeves no matter how cool he tries to be.

Hunter would 100% be an anime fan and be obsessed with anime conventions in the human realm. Eden mentioned that Dana took a lot of anime inspiration when doing segments such as fight scenes or character power-ups, with Luz’s Titan form being based on Pokemon evolution.

            When voicing Lilith, Cissy would pull from her memories of her aunt Kim in translating the “fun, goofy” energy, and she normally does this for other fun aunt/maternal roles. Elizabeth Grullon brought in parts of her culture and ancestry when doing Camila, as per the advice of her late mentor Ken Washington.

            If the VAs could hang out with their characters for one day: Eden would take Boscha to therapy, and all of the VAs agreed, with Zeno ready to pay for Hunter’s (“The credit card will NOT decline”). Cissy would have a ride on Mike Socks. Elizabeth would visit the Demon Realm with Camila, get some drinks in her, make some arroz con pollo and tostones, put on some salsa music, and just vibe out. Sarah would also visit the Demon Realm with Luz, and wherever Luz likes to hang out; Maybe a beach day.

            Cissy thinks Lilith would go full-nerd when visiting the human realm, having a notebook and pen and going mad as she’s scribbling everything down. She’d stop people on the street to ask if they’ve had apple blood, and be an absolute menace, people would be freaking out.

            Pulling from themselves, Avi thinks Raine would meet things with a little bit of caution, having lots of disinfectant wipes, and eventually get comfortable, freely exploring without inhibition.

            Eden imagines Boscha would thrive in the human world, since there’s so many gullible people she could trick into being her followers. She’d either use the third eye for attention, or grow bangs/wear a beanie to hide it. Cissy joked that Boscha would run for president and win in a landslide, which is a bad idea because she’d have too much power at her fingertips.

            When it comes to Camila exploring the demon realm once everything’s cooled down, Elizabeth thinks she’d be a bit skeptical, but eventually relax, have some apple blood, kick back and make some friends… And then be ready to go back. Not an overnight stay, just a brief visit.

            Cissy was proudest of her performance as Lilith was “Why were you so easy to curse?!” in Agony of a Witch. For Zeno it was Thanks to Them, he felt it was a closed circle for Hunter; He enjoyed balancing various Hunter elements like the Golden Guard role, and the catharsis with Luz right afterwards. He���s glad it was vulnerable and open, wanting his performance to be honest and realistic. For Elizabeth it was Camila reacting to various Demon Realm segments such as Belos, or preparing to fight Kikimora.

Eden liked Boscha’s arc in For the Future, how it came full-circle when she helped the resistance because she didn’t mean real harm and just wanted things to go back to normal. For Sarah it was the ending of Yesterday’s Lie where Luz promises to stay in the human realm, she found it heartbreaking how it was Luz’s two worlds colliding; Sarah couldn’t wait to see the episode in its entirety. Raine was Avi’s first voice-acting role for animation, and they summoned the ‘guttural response’ to free themselves when doing the possession scene with Belos in the finale.

Luz’s favorite human realm drink is coffee or matcha due to her ADHD, the caffeine can help her focus, “turn Demon Realm,” but is also helpful for a nap. Sarah often brings large drinks into the studio, and described her performance as Luz as a cold brew, plus a giant gallon of water, plus some tea with honey after she’s done screaming.

            Hunter would like Red Bulls and go crazy with the energy. He’d apply Demon Realm mentality by believing Red Bull’s “gives you wings” advertisements, and write a letter to management demanding a refund when this doesn’t literally happen.

            Camila would love café bustelo, it’s a big Latina drink and was introduced to Elizabeth by her mom. The 4pm kind brings you to life and it’s the time for tias to gossip.

            Boscha is either a giant slurpee girl, or popping boba, because her third eye gives Boscha an inclination towards eye aesthetics. Plus Boscha could spit boba at people through her straw, which led to Sarah joking about Luz and Hunter walking in bespeckled with boba (“No Hunter, they do not give you wings”).

            Lilith would like pina colada, she’d think it’s the cool thing that everyone drinks, what with there being a whole song about it. Then she’d drink it and go on a tangent about how her mom never loved her, and Luz would ask her in concern how many she’s had. Lilith would collect several of the parachutes in her hair.

            Raine has a sensitive stomach, so they’re into kombucha and brew their own.

            (Fun fact; The group realized the eclipse was happening during the livestream and had a discussion over how to protect your eyes when watching it!)

            Rebecca Rose herself sent a question, asking what they think a palisman would taste like. They joked that Matthew Rhys was NOT here, and Dana apparently headcanons that palismen essence tastes like gushers. Zeno and Sarah joked that Belos has a sweet tooth and he’s obsessed because he left the human realm before they invented gushers. It never even occurred to Eden that palisman essence would have a flavor, it’d just be an energy boost, like pipe tobacco (and Sarah added this was appropriate because palismen are made of wood). Yesterday was Rebecca’s birthday and the VAs wished her a happy one.

            Zeno’s favorite quality about Hunter is his loyalty and dedication; When he sets his sights on something, he’s pretty relentless. He has a really deep well of complexity in him, half is angst but the other half is real heart.

            Elizabeth loves how Camila loves her kid so much that she’s willing to step past herself and her own limitations, her own fears and comfort zone, to connect with and support Luz. Sarah noted it’s like Camila is learning to be a kid again with her arc.

            Boscha doesn’t have a ton of great character traits, but she’s a strong athlete, doesn’t give up, and is powerful; Eden admires that about her, she’s badass. Everything else about her though…

            Sarah likes how Luz doesn’t have an ego; Yes she’s unapologetically herself and doesn’t know any other way, but when she messes up, she has no problem taking the blame and apologizing. She’ll own up to things and fix them. Though it was misguided, Luz was even willing to let go of everything she loved to make up for letting down the Demon Realm and protect everyone. It’s not easy to put aside your own wants and needs sometimes and apologize, accepting that you’re wrong.

            Lilith had a lot of faults, but her willingness to admit her own wrongdoing and go into the depths of her soul to figure out how to be better; Such as being a better auntie/sister, forgiving her parents, etc. She had a lot of growing up to do, and Cissy felt Dana gave Lilith such a beautiful way to go about that.

            Avi was glad to see Raine have stage fright and awkwardness/shyness in public and with social settings, but they can transform by stepping into this fierce protector/hero role, and find that confidence. It’s a multi-faceted character, a full human experience, and felt genuine to Avi.

            When asked if Boscha ever said sorry to Willow and Luz, Eden joked that love means never having to say sorry; Boscha probably skipped over that. Assumed she already said it at some point, the others just have bad memory. I’m sure they know, I helped them. I didn’t kill them and they’re still alive, so clearly…!

            The hardest episode to record was Thanks to Them for Zeno, the VAs had to take a break. It was already cathartic and then Hunter didn’t even get a break afterwards, plus Zeno had the knowledge of the show ending. For Elizabeth it was the finale due to the sadness of the show being over, but otherwise there was nothing hard for her because the experience was a dream come true; She was in pure joy when in the booth. Even when Camila was crying or saying goodbye, it was still fun for Elizabeth. But when she herself is saying goodbye, that’s when it’s hard for her.

            Eden also agreed on the finale due to how long it was (and she accounted for her role as voice director as well), mentioning how the episode was the culmination of so much, there was a lot of ground to cover, etc. It was so emotional how everyone brought so much, saying goodbye together as a cast. Not to mention the catharsis/closure of stamping Belos to death together.

            Sarah concurred, it was meta saying goodbye to the show and each other. But she also found Reaching Out hard, due to Luz’s complex emotions, her coming in and out a lot. She’s dealing with a great loss, and Sarah wanted to honor that grief, but also had Luz masking it, popping up, acting out, and needed to choose how/when to let that emotion come out. The grief wasn’t super-fresh, it comes in waves, and it was in that state where some are in shock or others cry; You never know when it’ll strike, when it’ll put you on edge. So Reaching Out was hard to map out for Sarah, especially with Luz just popping up to do one weird thing and then going away. It was a lot of fun, and workwise it was a lot of pressure to get it right.

            Cissy also had the finale, with the switch from Lilith making amends to being terrible again in the dream sequence being jarring. There was also Agony of a Witch, as the landing needed to be stuck to make the episode work; But Eden and Dana were there for the recording session to help.

            Avi had Follies at the Coven Day Parade, when Eda and Raine had their duel. Avi really had to tap into being angry and mad at someone they care so much about.

            If Elizabeth could give advice to any character, it’s for Boscha to go to therapy. Sarah tells Lilith to stand still and feel her feelings, you poor beautiful witch. Avi tells everyone to not be so hard on yourself. Cissy, to all (especially teenagers): It gets better, you think you know everything and you think you have the weight of your world on your hands (and tbf that was the case), but it gets better. Eden would tell Hunter to take a day off, take a nap. Zeno would tell everyone to do the same, it’s okay to let go. Eden would also advise Eda to lay off the law-breaking, Sarah said not to start her day with apple blood (save it for happy hour).

            Sarah’s favorite Hooty moment was the tea party, and how he would be haunted by his actions forever in Adventures in the Elements. Cissy loved Hooty and Lilith’s friendship, “No witch is an island!” Eden loves the first appearance of Port-a-Hooty, it had her in stitches the first time she saw it; There was sheer terror knowing he could travel. Sarah loved Hooty’s off-screen attack by Amity. For Zeno, it was two guards struggling to describe Hooty. Elizabeth concurred with everyone, and Avi liked it when Hooty just ate things and sometimes ruined a situation because of it. Cissy brought up Hooty’s skeleton bathing.

[artbyremi]

I started writing a little sickfic when I was dying with allergies the other day and I wrote this really stupid scene but its just not what I'm going for so imma just post it here. Pls. don't take this too seriously haha

Now enjoy Leo trying to film with April whilst high on flu meds

The next morning, Leo stared at himself in the bathroom mirror. He thought a flu shot was supposed to prevent you from catching it but the way his body felt said otherwise.

His skin was clammy and several shades lighter than usual. His body was struck with uncontrollable chills and a prominent headache was pounding in his temples. Then there was his poor stomach, which he really didn’t want to think about because the more he thought about it the more he wanted to hurl.

This sucked. 

This is what he got for trying to keep Donnie company. He should have attempted to isolate like Mikey and Raph. He really didn’t have time to be sick, right now. During study hall he was supposed to be helping April film a segment for the morning announcements. This was going to be her big comeback after the whole Puke Girl fiasco and he really wanted to be there to support her. 

He opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out one of the unopened bottles of flu medicine. It was times like these that he was grateful Splinter shopped like they were preparing for the end of the world. He read over the back of the bottle, well more like skimmed. All his major symptoms had been name-dropped so he figured it would do the trick. It had been helping Donnie after all. 

Leo unsealed the lid then took a big swig. He grimaced as soon as the medicine touched his taste buds. He then set the bottle on the counter and doubled over into a coughing fit. 

How was Donnie drinking that stuff?

Leo stood back up and wiped at his mouth. He set a hand on his stomach and let out a pathetic little whimper. Having taken the medicine, he was only feeling more nauseated than he had been previously. 

Maybe he should have at least tried to eat something for breakfast?

Leo leaned against the counter then stared at himself in the mirror. “Pull yourself together!” He told himself in his head. Then splashed some water on his face and shook it off but then he shivered. 

He couldn't stay home from school. 

He had a math test, a spanish quiz, and also the filming with April. She was counting on him. He couldn’t stay home. Leo brought the medicine bottle back to his lips, scrunching up his features as he took a sip, forcing it all down this time. Then he wiped at his mouth and dropped the bottle into his school bag just as Raph began banging on the bathroom door. 

“Leo!” Raph shouted on the other end. “April’ll think you smell beautiful! Now get out!” 

Leo rolled his eyes. Raph was gonna be jealous one day when he got his first crush, then he would want to know Leo’s twenty step routine. At least he wasn’t the one drowning himself in axe body spray. 

______

Leo didn’t know how he was going to make it through the day. How had Donnie done this when he was feeling so bad? He had taken another dose of flu medication after second period but he still hadn’t felt any different. He had the same pounding headache, the same sore throat, and the same unsettled stomach. 

After fifth period, it seemed like the medicine had finally kicked in. He really wished the bottle had said something about needing five doses before it worked but maybe that was just because of his wacky mutant turtle biology.

Something the bottle also didn’t say was that it made you feel like you were floating on a cloud and everything a thousand times funnier. Leo for the life of him just couldn’t stop giggling. He was sure his biology partner thought he had lost his mind when he started laughing at a picture of the stages of mitosis. 

He couldn’t explain it but it was just so funny. 

Leo was still in a giggly mood by the time study hall came. “Hiii, April!” Leo greeted as he met up with her in the dark room. 

April looked up from the greenscreen she was setting up to wave back at him. “Hey.” She stood up, brushing some dirt off her jeans. “Are you sure you’re up for doing this? You seemed really out of it at lunch.” 

“Whaaat?” Leo laughed, “I’m totally fine, don't worry. I was just a bit tired at lunch.” 

April looked him over, seemingly thinking to herself, but then she clasped her hands together, “Alright then, ready to start?” 

Leo gave a quick salute, “Yes, Ma’am!” 

April handed Leo her phone and then stood in front of the greenscreen. Leo held up the phone switching it between portrait and landscape then pressed record. “How do I look?” April asked as she held out her thumb, switching it between thumbs up and down.  

Any other day Leo would have been able to interpret this as her asking “Am I center frame?” or “Does the shot look good?” But that day he took her literally. “Are you kidding, April!? You're seriously giving me the hots right now.” 

April stared back at him dumbfounded, “I’m sorry, what!?” 

Before Leo could respond his mind went fuzzy and he dropped the phone on the ground. He let out a soft little moan, then wrapped both his arms around his stomach. “I’m not feeling so good, April,” he slurred. He stumbled forward, then attempted to cover a cough turned gag with his hands. 

April jumped in front of him holding a trash bin just in time for him to be sick. Once he was finished vomiting, he turned to April and smiled. “Wow, thanks.” He wearily rubbed at one of his eyes. “I think I need to take some more medicine.” 

“More medicine?” 

Leo nodded, “yeah, ‘s in my bag,” he slurred.  April walked over to his bag and then dug around until she found the bottle. She gave it a shake then looked back over at Leo. “Leo this is only like half full. Don’t tell me.” She looked back over at Leo, who was giggling to himself and answered her own question. “Holy shit, you’re high.”

[neptunemooon]

Stray Kids On Weekly Idol

It was another exciting day at Weekly Idol, and today’s guests were none other than Stray Kids. Kwanghee was already bouncing on his feet, mic in hand, grinning from ear to ear. Beside him stood the other co-host of the day—Ruby, the beloved soloist known for her killer vocals and rock-inspired K-pop style. With her natural variety flair and warm charm, Ruby had quickly become a fan favorite on the show.

“Annyeonghaseyo!” Kwanghee chirped. “Today’s guests are none other than the powerhouses of performance—Stray Kids!”

The eight members walked onto the set with cheers, waving at the camera and striking poses. Ruby clapped along with the staff, bowing politely as the boys lined up beside her and Kwanghee.

“Wah, look at their energy!” Ruby laughed, flashing a grin. “No wonder they’re dominating the charts.”

After the usual introductions and banter, they moved on to a special segment inspired by a fan's wish.

“Alright, Stray Kids, we’ve received some fan requests for today’s show!” Kwanghee announced, holding up a cue card. “And one of the fans specifically requested a staring contest with Ruby! How about it?”

The studio lit up with excitement.

Ruby blinked, then laughed. “A staring contest with all of them?”

“Yes! Let’s test who has the strongest eyes!” Kwanghee grinned mischievously. “Face-to-face. Eye contact. First one to move or flinch—loses!”

The boys got hyped right away, cheering and playfully calling dibs on going first.

ROUND 1: BANG CHAN vs. RUBY

Bang Chan stepped up with his charming grin.

“Ruby, no hard feelings if I win, yeah?” he joked in English.

“I was born ready,” Ruby teased back.

They stared intensely, both holding their laughter until Bang Chan broke first with a wink and a chuckle.

ROUND 2: LEE KNOW vs. RUBY

Lee Know smirked confidently. “I’ve never lost this game.”

Ruby leaned forward playfully. “There’s a first time for everything.”

Ten seconds in, Lee Know sneezed. Game over.

ROUND 3: HYUNJIN vs. RUBY

Hyunjin and Ruby took their positions, staring at each other intensely. However, Hyunjin’s signature goofy smile cracked through within seconds, causing Ruby to burst out laughing as well.

“Oh, come on! I wasn’t even trying that hard!” Hyunjin protested, laughing along with her.

Kwanghee dramatically shook his head. “Hyunjin, that was too easy! Ruby wins this round!”

Hyunjin sighed in defeat. “I just can’t keep a straight face when she smiles.”

Ruby clapped her hands in delight. “Thank you for going easy on me, sunbaenim!”

Round 4: CHANGBIN vs. Ruby

Changbin, ever the competitive one, sat down with a determined look. “I won’t lose.”

“Neither will I,” Ruby shot back playfully.

The round started, and both locked eyes. The room fell silent as they stared each other down, neither blinking. But then, Changbin’s lips twitched in amusement.

“You’re trying too hard not to blink,” he teased, making Ruby instinctively react—blink!

“Ahh! No!” she groaned, covering her face as Changbinthrew his arms up in victory.

“I knew it! Mind games always work,” he said proudly.

Kwanghee laughed. “Okay, Changbin wins this one! Next up, Han!”

Round 5: HAN vs. Ruby

HAN leaned forward, his gaze intense as if he were in a soccer final.

“Whoa, Han is serious!” Kwanghee exclaimed.

Ruby gulped. “I feel like I’m about to get tackled…”

The round started, and Han’s fierce concentration sent chills down Ruby’s spine. She tried to hold her own, but the sheer power of his stare made her crack.

“Okay, okay! You win!” she waved her hands in surrender.

Han grinned. “I don’t lose competitions.”

Kwanghee laughed. “That was scary! Poor Ruby looked like she was about to run away.”

Round 6: SEUNGMIN vs. Ruby

Seungmin pretended to fall asleep mid-game.

The set was filled with nonstop laughter.

Round 7: I.N vs. Ruby

I.N, ever the playful one, took his seat and grinned. “Ruby, are you ready?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Always.”

The round began, but instead of a serious stare, I.N started making funny faces. Ruby tried to hold it in, but within seconds, she burst out laughing.

“Yah! That’s cheating!” she accused.

I.N winked. “You never said we had to play fair.”

Kwanghee wiped a tear from laughing. “I.N wins! Alright, that leaves us with the final round…”

Final Round: FELIX vs. Ruby

As soon as Felix stepped forward, the air changed.

There was an audible shift—subtle, but present. Ruby inhaled subtly. Felix adjusted his sleeves like it wasn’t a big deal, but his ears were already turning a bit red. The two stood just a little closer than needed. Their shoulders almost brushed as they faced each other.

“Ohoho” Kwanghee gasped. “Do you feel that, viewers? Is it just me, or did the temperature rise a little?”

Some of the members chuckled. Hyunjin wiggled his eyebrows. Bang Chan nudged Han.

Ruby pressed her lips together to hide a smile. Felix looked down, then back up—eyes locking with hers for a second too long.

Kwanghee, ever the mischief-maker, smirked. “Alright, but let’s make this more interesting. Instead of staring immediately, I’ll hold up a card between you two. When I remove it, that’s when the staring begins.”

Felix nodded, clearing his throat. “Sounds good.”

Ruby, however, felt her heart racing. Why was this suddenly feeling like a scene from a drama?

Kwanghee held up the card between them. “Get ready…” He paused for dramatic effect. “Three… two… one—go!” He swiftly pulled the card away.

As soon as their eyes met, time seemed to slow down. The room faded.

A beat of silence. Then another. Ruby and Felix locked eyes, and suddenly, the world felt quieter. His gaze was soft and calm, hers curious and bright. Neither of them moved. It wasn’t intense—it was gentle, almost like they were quietly reading each other.

The studio collectively sighed.

“Aww… why does this feel like a drama?” Han whispered.

“They look like the main couple,” Bang Chan added, watching the scene unfold.

“Wait,” Kwanghee whispered dramatically. “Why does this look like a confession scene from a romcom?”

At his words, Ruby’s composure broke. Her cheeks turned an even deeper shade of pink as she quickly looked down, bowing slightly. “Annyeonghaseyo…” she mumbled shyly in Korean.

A beat of stunned silence.

Then Felix chuckled—a soft, bright laugh that melted the room.

Then the entire room burst into laughter.

Kwanghee spun toward Ruby, eyes wide. “YAH! What do you mean ‘Annyeonghaseyo’? We’ve been filming for an hour! You’re only now greeting him?!”

The Stray Kids members laughed along, clapping their hands at the unexpectedly sweet moment.

Ruby covered her face in embarrassment, hiding behind Kwanghee’s arm as he laughed hysterically. Felix stood there laughing along, his dimple showing, his eyes never quite leaving Ruby’s face.

Ruby, still unable to meet Felixs gaze, covered her face. “I lost, okay?! Felix sunbaenim wins!”

Kwanghee wiped away a fake tear. “Ah… what a beautiful moment. Someone needs to make a drama out of this.”

After a round of more games and performances, Kwanghee clapped his hands together, signaling a new segment.

"Alright, it's time for a fun challenge!" Kwanghee grinned at the camera before turning toward the Stray Kids members. "We are going to play a game called Raise Ruby’s Heartbeat!"

Ruby blinked in surprise. "Wait, what?!" she asked, pointing at herself.

Kwanghee nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! The goal is to increase Ruby’s heart rate using just the tone of your voice. Each of you will say something to her, and the staff will measure her heartbeat! The winner gets a premium beef set!"

The Stray Kids members erupted in cheers, hyped at the prize. Ruby groaned playfully. “This is so embarrassing,” she muttered, laughing.

“Okay, let’s start! Ruby, take a seat,” Kwanghee instructed.

Ruby sat down in a chair with her back facing the members. She couldn’t see them, which made everything more unpredictable. She could only hear their voices.

“Alright! First up… Han!” Kwanghee announced.

Han confidently took the mic, smirking at Ruby. "Ruby, I have a question for you," he said, his voice laced with playful mischief.

Ruby tilted her head. "Go ahead," she replied, curious.

Han leaned in, his voice playful yet serious. “How old were you when you had your first kiss?”

The studio fell silent for a split second before bursting into laughter. Ruby chuckled, shaking her head at his boldness.

Kwanghee dramatically pointed at Han. “OUT! OUT!” he shouted, making everyone laugh harder.

Han put his hands up in surrender. “Wait, maybe I should’ve asked…” He paused for effect. “When was the last time she got kissed?”

Ruby burst into laughter, clapping her hands together. The rest of the members cracked up, cheering Han on.

"OUT! OUT! Get him out of here!" Kwanghee waved his hand dramatically, pretending to shoo Han away.

Still chuckling, Ruby took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Next!" Kwanghee called, looking around. "Changbin, you’re up!"

Changbin smirked, stepping forward. He cleared his throat and asked with a completely serious expression, "What profession does your father specialize in?"

Ruby immediately burst into uncontrollable laughter, bending forward in her seat. Even Kwanghee had to clutch his stomach, laughing at the sheer randomness of the question.

"Why is that funny?!" Changbin asked, laughing himself.

"OUT! OUT!" Kwanghee wiped his tears. "That’s not how you raise her heartbeat! That’s how you make her lose her breath from laughing!"

"Okay, next up, Bang Chan!" Kwanghee called.

Bang Chan stepped forward, taking a deep breath before speaking in a soft, warm tone. “Hello,” he greeted.

Ruby instinctively raised her head slightly. “Hi,” she responded.

Bang Chan’s voice was warm and caring as he continued. "How are you doing? How’s your day been?"

Ruby tilted her head slightly, a small smile playing on her lips. "It’s been good, a little tiring, but fun."

Bang Chan nodded, his tone still soothing. "Filming all day must be tiring. Don’t forget to eat well, okay?"

At this, Ruby gasped softly, touched by his words. Her heartbeat rose slightly.

Seeing her reaction, Bang Chan smiled and added, "Once you're done filming, I'll drive you home."

Ruby’s eyebrows shot up, and her expression changed completely. Instead of her heartbeat increasing, it dropped almost instantly.

The studio erupted in laughter.

Seungmin was the first to point it out. "She didn’t want you to pick her up!" he exclaimed, making everyone laugh harder.

Kwanghee dramatically shook his head. "Too sudden! Too sudden! Her heartbeat was going up, but then you ruined it!"

Bang Chan laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I thought it would be romantic..."

“Next caller!” Kwanghee pointed at Felix. "Let’s see if he can do better!"

Felix took the mic, stepping forward. The moment he said, “Hello,” in his deep voice, Ruby’s heartbeat skyrocketed.

The staff gasped. The members cheered.

Felix grinned. "Ruby, it’s me."

Ruby blinked before responding naturally, “Oh, hi, sunbae.”

The studio erupted in gasps and chaos.

"Whoa!" Han clutched his chest. "She called him sunbae so effortlessly!"

Felix chuckled and smoothly asked, "What are you doing?"

Ruby tilted her head slightly, smirking. "What do you think?" she responded in a flirty tone.

The studio exploded in chaos. Kwanghee practically jumped out of his seat. "Woah!!" he shouted. "What does she think she is doing right now?! Someone tell me!"

Ruby giggled. "We should hang out soon," she added.

Felix leaned in slightly. "Oh? When?"

Ruby thought for a moment before replying, "In an hour."

Felix smirked. "Alright, I’ll wait in front of your house then."

The moment he said that, Ruby’s heartbeat immediately dropped, and she let out a chuckle.

Kwanghee dramatically pointed at Felix. "Nope! She doesn’t like people going in front of her house!"

Seungmin seized the moment. “Then where do you go for a date, then? Where?!”

Ruby burst into laughter, doubling over as the entire studio went wild. The Stray Kids members were clapping and laughing, enjoying Seungmin’s perfectly timed attack.

Kwanghee nodded, playing along. “Ah, Ruby is reluctant to let people in front of her house. Her pulse immediately drops when you bring it up!”

Felix laughed, shaking his head. "My bad, I shouldn’t have mentioned it."

In the end, Felix was declared the winner, having raised Ruby’s heartbeat the most with just his voice.

As the staff brought out the beef set, Kwanghee patted Ruby’s shoulder. “Next time, we should have a date location guessing game!”

Everyone laughed as Ruby playfully pushed Kwanghee away. "No thanks!"

The episode ended with everyone still laughing, and with that, another hilarious Weekly Idol episode was born—one that fans wouldn’t forget anytime soon.

And as for Ruby and Felix?

Well… let’s just say the teasing didn’t end when the cameras stopped rolling.

My works are not allowed for translation or reposting as your own without my permission.

[phanfictioncatalogue]

2024 Era (2) Masterlist

part one

Blonde (ao3) - philforscale

Summary: Phil went blonde. Dan loves it.

cornetto and a hot chocolate (ao3) - blossomsphan

Summary: a cute little stolen moment shared on a tour break 💙

Dan & Phil 2024 (ao3) - VPofPanic

Summary: This is a ficlet written for the prompt "Dan & Phil 2024" from the Phinktober 2024 challenge.

It covers the first three months of 2024 with a focus on one video/event per month:

1) January: Viewers Pick My Birthday Presents 2024

2) February: Reacting to My TERRIBLE Acting

3) March: Keeping or Yeeting My Entire Closet with Dan!

Date Night (ao3) - achromatic__sky

Summary: Playing a game made for couples on the channel is not really a big deal is it ?

And yet as they wrap up filming like any other night, with the tour coming up in only a few days, Dan finds himself doubting everything once again.

Date night, or Dan is having a mild freak out about Terrible Influence and Phil is there to comfort him.

Duneussy (and other ways to say I love you) (ao3) - Lesbianphan

Summary: A companion piece to Gentle. Dan's thoughts after his 33rd birthday livestream on DanandPhilGAMES, featuring the Dune bucket

dreaming of you (ao3) - blossomsphan

Summary: “and now I’m dreaming, dreaming, dreaming, dreaming, dreaming of you” - cigarettes after sex

Fall in love again and again (ao3) - Anonymous

Summary: An evening, right before tour. Phil thinks about feeling lucky and different ways to take care of someone.

Float (ao3) - Aliquis

Summary: Dan's a professional, after all, and this is his job. Just another day at the office in front of hundreds of their grown-up fans whose expectations exited the stratosphere somewhere between his last two posts on socials. Fuck.

french toast, again (ao3) - buskingalbatross

Summary: Dan's ice cream shop dream, sort of. Not really.

Go out with a bang as it were (ao3) - natigail

Summary: The cursor was mocking Dan as he was trying to work on his Terrible Influence Tour script and he kept getting distracted thinking about his life with Phil and the relationship with their audience. Until Phil showed up with water, stole his laptop, made him faint and promised to love him for 100 years.

heart skipped a beat (ao3) - starryfaced

Summary: Dan and Phil have a day to spare in Stockholm - cue the seals and the meese, it's time to go to the zoo!

I have to tell you something (ao3) - solarpower21

Summary: Dan confesses he was the one behind the PhilsLion account.

In our garden (ao3) - trashcanfromgallifrey

Summary: The boys spend a warm summer afternoon in their garden together<3

liquorice ice cream (ao3) - possumdnp

Summary: Dan and Phil go on a date to the zoo.

(Snapshots of their Swedish zoo date, September 2024. This fic is free from TIT show spoilers!)

not a lot, just forever (ao3) - blossomsphan

Summary: working through the feels post-hospital incident ❤️‍🩹

One and Only (ao3) - clcprint

Summary: dan meets a new phil and his phil gets jealous.

or

phil loses the idgaf war

Phome is where the heart is (ao3) - blossomsphan

Summary: dan and phil go shopping at target while in Seattle for tit. they’re feeling festive for the season and a little sappy bc, well, duh 🧡

Phouse Chores (ao3) - SpiritsDJH

Summary: Very loosely based off of the chore segment of the preshow at TIT.

pizza & packing (ao3) - blossomsphan

Summary: dan and phil eat pizza and pack for their trip. they might love each other a little bit

Precious baby angel (ao3) - blossomsphan

Summary: Dan and Phil buy matching precious baby angel shirts because they’re gay and in love. Dan shows Phil how much he likes the shirt on his angel 💖

Precious Baby Angel (ao3) - toadsappho

Summary: Phil shows Dan his new t-shirt, but that's not the only surprise he has for him.

Proxy Requests (ao3) - philsmeatylegss

Summary: A story about poop and fear (unrelated)

Sheets and sharpies (ao3) - wwoodles

Summary: “Are you going to be good for me?”

He hovered above Dan’s face, awaiting his response. Dan was always taken aback that Phil had this power in him. The ability to completely disarm him.

“Yes, Father.”

Or, in the moments after the end of Dan’s birthday stream, Dan is not only incredibly grateful for Phil, but also incredibly horny.

Side By Side (ao3) - SpiritsDJH

Summary: Dan and Phil, reeling in all the feelings of tour, and finally being able tour the world together again.

silent and sure, keeping watch in the night (ao3) - gaydreaming

Summary: Phil has always loved being on tour. The adventure, the sounds of the tour bus, the way his quality time with Dan takes on a different shape. On the road between Oslo and Helsinki, he sees some beautiful stars through the bus window and wakes Dan up in the middle of the night to enjoy them with him.

Spa night (ao3) - philsbignaturals

Summary: In which Phil gives Dan a nice pampering set for his birthday that's big enough for two.

Spearmint & Espresso (ao3) - blossomsphan

Summary: Scents (and cuddles) can be healing ☕️🫧

Stolen Sweets (ao3) - e_5456, Frog910

Summary: Phil's sweet tooth strikes again

sunkissed (ao3) - ivylakes

Summary: Maybe Phil was made to pour warmth into this man and leave little marks all over his body the way the sun does when it covers his skin with freckles. Maybe everything they’ve ever done and every little way they’ve loved each other has culminated in this very moment, where they can hardly see each other in the low light but are still brighter than the yellow light that breaks through the sky and glitters on the ocean.

Or, Dan and Phil go on holiday, and every photo they take tells a story.

Sweet Haribo (ao3) - dprkives

Summary: Phil says corny shit to Dan while he’s high on fentanyl at the hospital

switch it up (don’t stop) (ao3) - blossomsphan

Summary: post workout activities wink wink

Through Sickness and In Health (ao3) - Mysticallykai

Summary: After Phil's hospital stay and their vacation, Dan and Phil try to fall back into their routine. Though it's hard to go back to normal when your normal has changed so suddenly. How will the significant health scare affect Dan and Phil even weeks after it's over?

tweet and retweet (ao3) - gesticulationbubble

Summary: Dan wakes up to a 'surprise on twitter' discovered by Phil. Knowing the Phandom, he guesses he's in for a treat.

Or the August 1st/2nd 2024 Incident, retold.

wear no disguise for me (ao3) - lesbaurinkos (pluginbaby)

Summary: It’s not exactly jealousy, Phil doesn’t think. Not– exactly. But he’s feeling petulant and selfish and maybe like he wants to be a little mean about this… not-Phil. This Phil who doesn’t know the half of what it means to be half of Dan.

(or: dan made a new friend called phil. am i a joke to you)

When you're in the mirror, you're just looking at me (ao3) - Anonymous

Summary: A morning, in a hotel during the tour. Dan thinks about tours past and present.

Where it began (ao3) - Frog910

Summary: Dan and Phil are thinking back to how things started

you will be (the death of me) (ao3) - blossomsphan

Summary: “I wanna play the game, I want the friction

You will be the death of me”

- Muse (Time is Running Out)

[the-broken-truth]

Blot-Mates: Yuu & The Overblots [Part 4]

SEGMENT: JAMI

Summary: Jami is struggling with his innate programming of servitude, but he has no one to serve. Consequently, he is finding it difficult to relax and function properly. What would happen if Yuu decides to teach Jami how to live a life where he is no longer a servant but rather spoiled?

[Note: The Yuu Variant is Male with Enma Yuuken's Body Build, Yuuka Hirasaki's Fighting Skills, and Yuuta Mito's Cooking Skills.]

[Note: This Storyline will be written in Script Format.]

Parts: [Prologue] - [Ri] - [Leo] - [Azu] - [Jami] (Here) - [Vi] - [Idi] - [Mal] - [All] - [Epilogue]

[Coal-colored eyes were fixed on the ceiling while serpents made of dark locks of hair hissed in irritation or struck at each other, showing their displeasure. Jami placed his hand on his forehead and ran his inked hand through his bangs before sitting up from his bed and perching on the ledge with his head hanging. He lifted his head and looked at the digital clock on the wall of his room: it was 6:45 in the morning. This was usually the time The Prefect would get up to make breakfast for the Overblots. The thought of the Prefect making breakfast for all of them, just as he and his Original Body would make breakfast for Scarabia Dorm and Kalim, was overwhelming. Jami wasn't sure how to cope with it..]

Jami (Hearing something coming downstairs): Prefect... (Stands up and leaves his room)

[Jami walked down the hall and down the stairs as silently as he could to make sure he didn't give away his location. He crept to the opening of the kitchen and hid around the corner while listening to Yuu speak to himself.]

Yuu (On the phone with Sam): Hey, Sam. I know you're getting the shop ready, but do you have cookbooks or teas from the Land of Scalding Sands?

Jami (Thinking): 'The Land of Scalding Sands? Surely, he is not thinking about...'

Yuu (On the phone): Did Ace and Deuce tell you about what happened in Potion's class? Yeah, The Overblots got separated front their original bodies and I offered them to stay at Ramshackle; I wasn't going to make them uncomfortable with dealing with their hosts in their dorms.

Jami (Thinking): 'He cares for our comfort? After we attempted to kill him? (Looks at the ground in shame) After I used him for my personal vendetta?'

Yuu (On the phone): I noticed that Jami seems uneasy and I want to do something to make him more at ease here. I thought of making him some food and tea from the Land of Scalding Sands, as he's not much of a coffee drinker. Also, I noticed a Mancala Board and I'm interested in buying it. Can you tell me how much it is? (Sam Talking) Great, I'll also take the Cookbook, Tea Canister Bundle, and Silk Bundle. I think I can make Jami some new robes with the silk. When can I pick up the items? (Sam Talking) Yes, I'm willing to do all of that for Jami, just like I would for the others. He deserves just as much as the others do. Can I come get the items now? (Sam Talking) Perfect, I'm on my way. (Hangs up phone)

[Jami silently moved away from the kitchen opening and around another corner just as Yuu left the kitchen, grabbed his wallet off the table, and walked out of the first door. Jami looked around the corner and stared at the door for a while before the same question began to haunt his mind.]

Jami: Prefect... Why are you willing to do so much for me...after everything I have done to you? All the pain I caused you? Why are you doing so much for me - A Servant?

[The front door of Ramshackle opened, and Yuu walked in with his arms filled with stuff; he walked over to the sofa and placed everything down before reaching into a bag and pulling out the Cookbook from the Land of Scalding Sands before he walked around the corner, only to see Jami sitting at the table with his hair snakes constantly hissing.]

Yuu: Jami?

Jami:...

Yuu (Placing the book on the table as he walked over to Jami): Jami, are you okay? I've never seen you up so early.

Jami: I had a hard time sleeping - the snakes are very...aggravated at the moment and their hissing is making it hard to sleep.

Yuu (Looks at the hair snakes with a thinking expression on his face before snapping his fingers with a knowing smile on his face): I know - They are dry.

Jami (Raises an eyebrow at Yuu): Dry?

Yuu: When was the last time you oiled your hair since coming here?

Jami: I... I hadn't.

Yuu: Give me a moment. (Walks over to the bags on the sofa, reaches into one, and pulls out a bottle of Hair Oil that came from the Land of Scalding Sands - Sam gave it to him for free) Found it. (Walks back over to Jami) I'll give you a hand.

[Yuu whistles, gaining the hair snakes' attention as he pours some hair oil into his hand and holds his hand out to the snakes, showing them what is in his hand. Once the first snake came close enough, he rubbed his hands together and rubbed the oil on the hair snake, making it hiss in pleasure. Yuu continues this process with all the hair snakes until he reached the top of Jami's Head and massaged the hair oil into Jami's dry scalp, making the Overblot hiss in pleasure.]

Jami: This... This feels nice...

Yuu (Smiles): I'm glad you like it, Jami. I'll make you some tea after this.

Jami: I have been meaning to ask you about that, Prefect: Why are you doing so much for me after everything I have done to you? Used you for a personal vendetta I had against Kalim? Why do all of this for me, a mere servant?

Yuu: You are not a servant here, Jami. Ramshackle Dorm has no servants and I will not allow you to speak about yourself in such a matter.

Jami: But... My entire life, I have served...

Yuu: And that was a crime done to you. It's no wonder you and Jamil overblotted; who would want to live like that? Forced to hold themselves back for the betterment of someone who doesn't deserve their staion?

Jami: You don't think Kalim deserves to be Housewarden of Scarabia?

Yuu: In all honesty: No, he doesn't. Listen, I have nothings agsint Kalim personally, but he is too immature to hold the position of power he does; constantly throwing parties at the slightest whim and leaving the aftereffect up to you and the other members of Scarabia; it's pitiful, really. The only reason he is in his position of power is because he was from the Asim Family. You are clearly a better choice of Housewarden, considering all the work you do.

Jami: You... You really think so?

Yuu: Of course, you are. Jami, you are skilled in both magic and cooking, your memory is sharper than a blade, you are skilled in multiple languages...

[4 Minutes Later]

Yuu (Making cups of tea and breakfast for Jami from the cookbook): You are able to craft an antidote from plants within a matter of mintues before the poison can actually kill someone, and don't even get me started on your Mancala Tips...

[5 Minutes Later]

Yuu (Placing the food in front of Jami with the tea): All and All, you are a amazing person, Jami.

Jami (Staring at Yuu): Prefect... You just spent 9 minutes praising me...

Yuu: Of course I did. I would say more but we would be here all day and I have to make breakfast for the others. Jami, you deserve every bit of praise I can give you and I shall give you as much as you wish. (Pets the top of Jami's Head) You are brilliant and loved, Jami. (Goes into the kitchen)

Jami:...

[Later that day]

Leo (Pounding on Jami's Door): OI, SERPENT! GIVE ME BACK MY LITTLE BROTHER! WE'RE GOING TO PLAY CHESS!!

Ri: No, Rose and I are going to tend to the Roses!

Azu (Shouting downstairs since his pot can't go upstairs): PEARL AND I ARE GOING SWIMMING!

[Inside The Room]

Jami (Moving his stones on the Mancala Board): Your turn, Little Flower.

Yuu (Thinking of his move while Jami's Hair Snakes are wrapped around his waist - preventing him from leaving): Jami, when can I leave? I need to make lunch.

Jami: They can order-in.

Yuu: But...

Jami: You are not leaving me until you beat me in Mancala, Desert Flower. Listen to your brother.

Yuu: Jami, you've beaten me over 20 times. I'm not gonna beat you anytime soon.

Jami: Then, you won't be leaving anytime soon.

Yuu: Okay. (Makes a move on the Mancala Board)

[END - TO BE CONTINUED]

[aeroburning]

Hi there! :)

Is there any theme song or piece of music that you like in particular from the X Series?

I was waiting for someone to ask something music related. I have a list.

But let's pick a few of my favorites. Keep in mind, I don't know anything about music theory, so this is all vibes and presentation based. There's also no real order that I'm going with on this, so bear with it. Opening Stage (X) - Mega Man X4

We're starting off strong here. One of the definitive X themes in the series. It does such a great job of framing X's character and the humble determination that he always expresses. The song is hopeful but grounded-- with high synth tones and a banging bassline. I think it does an excellent job of showing the vulnerability of X but also a rising confidence that assures the player that this is the guy who has saved the world-- he just has to always prove it himself each time he does it. It's so X, and I love it. Morph Moth - Mega Man X2

Underrated Mega Man X theme in my opinion, Morph Moth's stage hits you hard with a crash, alongside a grungy synth with an industrial vibe. It's a perfect mix that sets the tone of the stage super well. The low bass line alongside the drums almost kinda syncs with the scrapped Reploids that kinda sputter along towards you. Everything here moves slow and with a tick, and the song feels like a metronome for the whole stage. Super cool song that does an excellent job of selling the fact you're walking through the equivalent of a body pit for Reploids, but the tempo keeps you moving so you don't dwell on it. Armored Armadillo - Mega Man X

This is one of the most fun tracks in the entire series. It's so good. The drums are literally pushing you forward, everything about this stage is going fast. The tones and melody keep you having a blast even though you're running for your life from a death machine or barreling through the mines on a runaway cart. There's no point in this stage that the action stops, with the breaks between the mine cart only acting as briges for even more chaos. The music encourages you to run fast and use your reflexes, allowing it to be one of the best gimmick stages in the entire series. So good. Crash Site Ruins (International) - Mega Man X6

Now for something a little slower. Crash Site Ruins is BLEAK, and it should be. Such a great way to sell the fact that the world has literally come to an end. The horns in between the chorus does a great job of selling the scope of the damage, it feels like a widespread tragedy-- and that's because it is. The International version in particular does a great job adding a little flavor between segments from the guitar riffs. To me, it adds a little bit of action to the vibe of the song because at the end of the day, it is an action game. However, the riff doesn't overstay its welcome or overpower, it's just there to remind you. X is alone at the start of X6, and this theme reflects that. However, the synth, while bleak, also sounds a little bit hopeful? Like even though things have gotten this bad, because you have X here-- maybe things will be okay. It's one of my favorites. Gravity Beetle (PS1 - Arranged) - Mega Man X3

I'm a little surprised myself, here. I normally DO NOT vibe with the PS1 OST of Mega Man X3, but this one snuck up on me. I don't really know what it is, but the SNES version of this song feels like its missing something. I found myself always listening to remixes of this song because it's got a the fixings of a great Mega Man X song, but the original just falls flat for me. The PS1 version, while sounding a little more upbeat, fixes it for me. The song feels more complete, and it's a song that doesn't really overstay its welcome on repeat listens. It's rising action is so fun, everything is building up to the climax that we all know. And the slight deviations this version adds to the mix just feel so fun and inspired compared to a song that felt half finished for the SNES version. That's it for now though! Sorry if I can't get into the nitty gritty, but I did my best with what my heart told me. I'd love to do this again and delve outside of the SNES and PS1 era of songs.

[ecargmura]

Wind Breaker Episode 9 Review - Dr. Umemiya's Physical Therapy Session

I thought this was a delinquent anime. Why am I watching Dr. Hajime Umemiya performing physical therapy on Choji? I hope Shishitoren pays Umemiya a hefty amount for this therapy session because Choji made his problems everyone else’s.

There might be people disappointed about the outcome of this long awaited fight, but remember that fighting is about communication. Like how Umemiya told Sakura to use his fists to talk to Togame, he used his own fists and head to talk to Choji and it worked. Thanks to Umemiya, the viewers finally understand why Choji behaves the way he does. His idea of freedom is fickle. While being the top means free, it’s not the one he idealized, hence why he took the dark path because he was so distraught with the disappointment that came with its discovery. What Choji needed to realize was that the freedom he sought after had been with him the entire time: Shishitoren before he changed. He realized that Togame had been piecing back what had been broken the entire time and hence why he caressed his cheek and thanked him for protecting Shishitoren and not letting the group crumble even further.

The fight before Choji goes deep into this thoughts was still pretty good. The beginning part without any music was smooth. It’s crazy how well they’re animating this fight despite the huge height difference between Umemiya and Choji. Choji still pulls his weight and Umemiya does too. I think the craziest part of the fight was the neck biting scene. Given that Choji is themed around rabbits, the neck biting scene reminded me of a vampire rabbit, which then reminded me of the book series Bunnicula. I quite liked that series when I was younger. I still think it’s crazy how Choji gave Umemiya the nastiest hickey ever. Once this is all over and done, Ume needs to go to a doctor to check if Choji had rabies. I also liked the headbutt he gave to him. It reminded me a lot of Tanjiro and how he’d give headbutts to people.

As a manga reader, I do think the scenes with Choji’s thoughts are done a lot better in the anime. There were several scenes from those segments that I really liked. The first was the part where the floor underneath Choji cracked and he fell into it like he was in Kingdom Hearts. The second was showing Togame piecing together the fragmented memories. It symbolizes that Togame was holding everything together for Choji. The bloodied hands in some shots weren’t Choji but Togame’s. His hands became bloody from trying to collect all the glass shards and putting them back together instead of throwing them out, reminiscent of how he chose to cull the weak members for Choji so that everyone else wouldn’t hate him and make the group crumble. That was how much he cared for him. Gosh, it was done visually well. My last favorite part was the face touching scene. They improved so much from the manga. The manga had it to where Choji was thanking Togame for protecting them by touching his face while he was lying down and battered. The anime amps it up with the visuals, giving it a more sensual vibe. I was feeling so moved and even was holding back some tears with the scene.

I feel like I’m talking about Choji a bit too much, so I’m going to talk about Umemiya. Umemiya was great. He never showed any signs of weakness or having a disadvantage. I felt like he was just letting Choji hit him because he could tell he was faltering. I think Umemiya shined most towards the end where he rejected Choji’s jacket and wanted Bofurin and Shishitoren to be friends. Umemiya’s laid-back personality is his charm, after all. Also, Umemiya with some of his bangs made him look really nice and it made me wonder if he has his hair brushed back because having his hair down is an instant KO for his opponents.

Given how often Shishitoren was seen with cloudy skies and rainy weather, the last shot where the clouds lifted and showing off the blue sky was a nice way to show that Choji has returned to his normal self. It does feel like a nice conclusion for the Shishitoren arc and it makes me wonder how the rest of the episodes will be played out. I hope that there’s a second season. This show is way too good to not get a season two. What are your thoughts on this episode?

[fatuismooches]

fabulam diu oblitus - postlude.

synopsis: The tale of the raven and the sparrow has long been forgotten by most, but some will always remember.

includes: dottore w/ gn! reader

notes: This is the fourth part of this fic, please read the other parts first! It seems that the fairy tale of you and Dottore comes to an end. Follows some of Sumeru's storyline. Warning for death. Angst. Thank you to my mootie @kaixserzz and my all of my dear anons (🎐, 🐓 <3) who kept me inspired to keep writing this fic :3

prelude. first interlude. second interlude. postlude. sequel.

“The raven and butterfly’s happiness continued for much longer. But of course, every creature is aware that nothing lasts forever, and even the lightning in the sky would agree with that statement. All fairytales must come to an end. That was no different for the raven and the butterfly.”

There had been a buzz around the lab lately. Some of the segments had been ordered to leave for a Fatui mission. Which, would have been a normal occurrence, were it not for the place they were headed to this time.

“Sumeru? You’re going to Sumeru?” Your home country had instantly gotten your attention, not only because you haven’t been back in centuries, but also because the segments were never usually dispatched there, instead causing their usual chaos in other nations.

“Indeed. We will see if the Balladeer is able to become the God he so desires to be,” Omega hummed, moving a hand underneath your shirt to record your heartbeat. Ah, that was right. The puppet had stolen the Electro Gnosis to use as his ascension into godhood… and Dottore would be there to see how his experiment plays out. Well, you already had a feeling about how that would turn out. 

Moving on to a different subject, although Sumeru was the home you and Zandik were chased out of, you still held fond memories of it. Many happy things happened there for you, so the thought of it made you smile.

“You have to bring back lots of stories for me! And souvenirs! Oh, I would love to see how much Sumeru has changed from all those years ago,” you dreamily smiled. Yeah, your favorite cafe was probably gone by now… but you’d love to see what replaced it!

“Of course. I expect there will be much to say with the God of Wisdom and the Traveler intervening as well,” Omega chuckled, scribbling down something on his clipboard after glancing at the monitor, before fixing your shirt back.

“Your vitals have been better lately,” the segment commented and patted your head, which you happily indulged in. It wasn’t too noticeable, but it seemed like your body was getting even a little bit better. Not much, a little. But that was good anyway. “But run along now. There is much preparation to be done regarding the trip to Sumeru.”

“Okayyyy,” you stretched your words a bit disappointedly, not wanting to leave the segment, but you knew he had a lot of work to do. So instead you settled with pecking him on the cheek which he of course returned tenfold before you went off on your way. You had quite a few segments to say goodbye to, after all! You’d miss them a lot, but, you still had the other segments here with you. And your lover of course.

Surely, they would be back in the blink of an eye. Yes, surely, they’d return just as they always did. You had no reason to think otherwise. And so for the next few days, everything was normal. Time passed regularly. You got through the days as you did with any other.

But one day was different.

You were in your room by yourself, enjoying your alone time. Because as much as you loved being around the segments, you still liked being by yourself too. But all of a sudden, your tranquility was interrupted by literally a bang on your door, which made you jump.

The knock on your door was frantic and loud. Immediately you hopped out of bed to see what could possibly be so important that your door was getting pounded, but when you opened the door there was no one there. You were very confused… how was that possible? This was a pretty long hallway. Even with the segments’ abilities, there was no way they could just disappear into thin air like that. 

A bad feeling began to creep up on you, your stomach twisting and turning. You don’t know why, but it just did. But surely you were overreacting. Perhaps… perhaps… actually, you didn’t have any valid reasoning you could think of right now. Maybe though, maybe you should go and check on them. Just in case. You know that they’ll be there, in the lab doing their experiments or perhaps bickering with each other as usual, but there was nothing wrong with double-checking. And then you’ll calm yourself with a nice hug from one of them. It would all be okay. 

But you found that your steps were quicker and longer than usual, your breathing heavier than usual. As you got closer to the main lab’s doors, you strained your ears for their voices, anything, something, but heard nothing. You licked and bit your lip that had gone dry, weak legs walking even faster if that was possible, before you swung open the doors, hoping to see those blue mops of hair you so desired to see.

Nothing. The room was empty.

Your footsteps slowed, walking into the room cautiously. It was strange because it looked as if there were people in here just a few minutes ago. Notes that were left unfinished halfway. Beakers that had broken on the floor, with some mysterious liquids soaking the floor. Strange, very strange. And yet no trace of any segments remained.

The bad feeling had grown into something much worse now. Where else? Where else could they be? 

Their rooms. You should check their rooms. They were usually there if they weren’t in the lab, doing their own respective work (because their office and rooms doubled as one since they didn’t need to sleep.) So despite how your chest burned, and your legs ached, it didn’t matter if it meant your heart would be soothed and relieved.

You ran as fast as you could, more like you tried to because your illness had really kicked in since your mind was stressing out a great amount. As you clung to the walls, catching your breath, you paid no mind to the random agents who were looking at you funny, nor did you manage to catch their words of “Omega” or “erased” or “gone.”

It took longer than it should have taken you, but at last, you made it to the corridor with the segments’ rooms. You didn’t bother to knock, swinging open the door to Alpha’s room.

Empty.

Beta’s room.

Empty.

Every single room was empty. Fuck, even Zandy’s room was empty. And he was always in there if he wasn’t with you. Your head was throbbing with unease now, your heavy, troubled breathing sounding throughout the whole hallway. Where? Where? Where did they go…?!

“[Name].” A voice sounded from behind you. Spinning around, it was Dottore. Your Dottore! Okay, at least he was still here!

“Dottore,” you breathed a sigh of relief. He would have an explanation for this. “Dottore, where are all the segments? I-I can’t find them anywhere. I mean, I know the lab is really big, but it’s strange for them not to be in these areas,” you placed a hand on your rapidly beating heart, trying to calm it, not noticing your husband’s expression.

“...” The scientist was unsure of how to break the news to you because he knew of the bond you shared with the segments.

“Dottore? Why aren’t you answering me?” He opened his mouth to respond, but paused, seemingly trying to determine the best way to phrase his words. That only worried you more, because he was never one to sugarcoat his words. Your nervousness had returned once more, burning heat from fear creeping up your shoulders. “Zandik, answer me.”

“They’re gone, [Name].” The words took a few moments to settle in, silence overtaking the area for a little bit. But only for a little bit, as your nervous laughter rang out interrupting it.

“Gone?” You repeated. “What do you mean gone? They just can’t be gone. Right? Right, Dottore?” The nervous smile that had etched its way onto your face hurt badly, the laughter mixed with wheezing was painful, but it was all you could do to convince yourself this was a lie.

“Omega has… deleted them in exchange for the Electro Gnosis.” You looked at him blankly, the former emotion on your face gone.

“Deleted? Deleted from this world? From existence?” Your tone got higher and higher as you continued speaking. You didn’t even know Omega had the ability to do that. Or that the segments could be erased in the first place. Dottore just nodded in response. 

“But- but why? Surely t-there was another way?” Your voice was on the verge of breaking into tears.

“He wanted to show respect to the God of-”

“Respect? To a God, of all people?” You hissed, bubbles of anger surfacing now through your agony. “He’s a Harbinger, is he not? And he’s stronger than that God! He- he could have easily found another way! He didn’t have to DELETE the segments! Another method HAD to have been possible! Did he even try to negotiate?!” Hot tears ran down your cheeks as you raised your voice at him. It took everything it had in you not to fully scream. You began to pace back and forth, hand covering your already tear-streaked face, whole body shaking. Your husband could only watch.

Dottore wasn’t thrilled with Omega deleting all his segments either, with the endless resources that went into creating them, but what’s done was done. And both the Electro and Dendro Gnoses were acquired. But you? You were on the verge of hysterics. He had never, not once, seen you like this. 

You had come to a stop, head buried into your arm as you braced against the wall. Oh, the segments were gone forever. They were never coming back. You could only imagine how they must have been in their last moments. That they only had a few more moments to live. You couldn’t bring yourself to think about what Zandy must have thought in his last few seconds.

And what’s more, the segments had disappeared into… nothingness. There was no trace, no remains of their bodies whatsoever. And although seeing their bodies on the floor would have certainly destroyed you, perhaps this was even a worse fate. Because it was as if they never existed at all. You couldn’t even hold their bodies one last time, or give them a proper farewell. They were just… gone. Oh, how you wished you could have at least been there in their last moments, to provide some comfort, some love, some sense of peace. The more you thought about it, the countless memories with them flowing through your mind, the weaker your violently shaking body became as you struggled to hold yourself up. Dottore instantly noticed and, worrying about your frail condition, walked up to you before you spat out at him.

“Do not come near me.” Out of all the centuries Zandik has spent with you, he has never been on the receiving end of much anger from you. Rather, it was you who dealt with that from him. But this wasn’t just anger. It felt like venom.

“Why…” You pulled yourself up once again before glaring at him with teary eyes. “Why didn’t you stop him, Zandik? You could have, couldn’t you? They didn’t have to die…!”

There was only one answer the Harbinger could provide, even though he knew you would not like it. “It was necessary to obtain the Electro and Dendro Gnoses for the Fatui.” To this, you could only laugh again once more before digging your nails into your palms so hard it hurt.

“I see. I see…” You mumbled brokenly before stepping off to the side, your steps still unsteady and wobbly as you nearly tripped. Dottore once again tensed up, body wanting to move to support you, but the look on your face made him decide against it. You then walked past him, not sparing another look at him before exiting the corridor, tears still silently running down your face. He could only watch you as you left him standing, wondering about many things yet nothing at all.

—

“From that day, there was a drastic shift in the butterfly and raven’s relationship. The butterfly was indescribably hurt by the loss of the other ravens, and could not bear the pain. It was the first time the raven had ever been subjected to such cold treatment by his lover. Usually, it was the other way around. And it seemed like fixing this would not be easy.”

Dottore thought that if he gave you some space, you’d cool off soon enough.

He thought wrong.

You had flat-out been ignoring Dottore since the day the segments were erased. And not just refusing to talk to him. You didn’t even want to be in the same space as him. If he came into your room, you would just leave. As soon as he opened his mouth, you were gone. In order to give you your meds, he had to wait until you were sleeping to slip in, because of the way you were acting. When it was time to eat, he had to leave the meal outside your door, otherwise, you wouldn’t eat. That is if you even took it. The grief made it hard for you to do a lot of things, which made it imperative for him to help, but you didn’t want it. You were distraught, but you were angry too. Why? 

Because you truly loved the segments.

Dottore did not. He did not feel the same connection as you did. So he was at a loss. He didn’t know what to do to resolve this. Apologize? No, he suspected even if he did, it wouldn’t mean anything, because you’d know he didn’t fully mean it, and it wouldn’t bring the segments back anyway. Comfort you? You wouldn’t allow him to hold you or talk to you. Il Dottore did not know what should be done.

Omega received similar treatment when finally returned from Sumeru, the Gnoses in hand. Normally, you would be waiting at the entrance whenever he returned from expeditions. This time, however, you were not, which he supposed he should have expected. You didn’t want his stories. His gifts. No, all you needed to know was that he deleted the segments. They were gone because of him, and you didn’t want to see him right now.

Omega was not a human. He was a segment. Though, that didn’t mean that he couldn’t feel emotions. He did - when it came to you. But Omega was a selfish segment. Selfish when it came to a lot of things, you included. And selfishness and emotions do not bode very well, as it becomes… a convoluted mixture.

The segment thinks of himself as a patient man. He knows how to wait, and wait, and wait until it pays off. He can do that for you, too. Wait for you to come back to your senses. After all, they were just segments, right? And the superior one, the best one of them all was still here - him. So surely you won’t be like this for too long.

Just like his creator, he was proven wrong. He learned the depth of your anger a day he tried reaching out to you, wanting to put this whole situation behind. But you certainly didn’t share the same sentiment. It was like any other day, him talking to you and you walking away, but this time he reached out for you. The segment unconsciously longed for your touch, your affection, that was once so commonplace.

But as soon as you felt his fingers brush yours, you slapped Omega’s hand away with a scowl. You didn’t need to say anything. That one action spoke everything you wanted to.

You would never view him the same ever again.

—

“And so the butterfly found themselves drowning and suffocating in grief. Their whole life had been changed, the creatures who helped them through so much were now gone. But that would not be the last of the butterfly’s sorrow.”

You had been giving the cold shoulder to Zandik and Omega for a long time. Considering how clingy and affectionate you were before, they didn’t even know you had it in you. But now, it was as different as night and day. However, it wasn’t as much as it was before, because you still had to rely on them in order to live. Despite how much you didn’t want to, without them, you’d be dead. They were the ones who had to administer your medicine and give you check-ups so your condition wouldn’t get worse (although it already happened after the segments were deleted.) It was funny how easily progress could be reversed. How one thing, one random day, could change everything.

So eventually you had to let them in a bit. Most of the time you just ignored them and rarely spoke. Even during the checkups and shots, you had your head turned the other way the whole time. They would still attempt to talk to you, in hopes you would even grace them with a “yes” or “no” rather than the rare nod of your head. But it wasn’t very fruitful. 

Another habit of yours now was that if you weren’t in your room, you were most likely in a segment’s room crying. Especially Zandy’s. Clutching his plushies. Or maybe Alpha’s. Trying to fix up the parts he left lying on his desk. Or Beta’s. Going into his closet to wear his coat. Dottore knew better than to clean out their rooms because you would most likely snap at him again.

You didn’t have much energy to do anything else but lay in your room, blankly staring at the ceiling all day, your head a foggy, grief-filled mess. It did not feel good… you hated the feeling… but what else should you do…? You just wished you could feel the warmth of your segments… the seemingly annoyed but secretly delighted posture of Alpha as you held him from behind. The bitey nature of Beta that didn’t let you go once you were in his clutches. The small, clingy body of Zandy as he cuddled into your body, sweet dreams blessing him instead of the nightmares. But you could only dream about those things now.

Even the regular Fatui agents had noticed this development. The lovey-dovey nature of Il Dottore’s spouse was now reduced to this. You heard them speak about it.

“Have you noticed? Lord Dottore has been far more irritable lately.”

“Oh yeah, both Omega and Prime! I feel bad for those who have to work directly with them…. At least my job is just standing at this door all day.”

“I know. They always were terrifying, but it seems even worse now. Ugh, and now there’s even more work for us since all the segments are gone.”

“Do you know why? Has Lord Pantalone decreased his budget again?”

“Yeah, it’s kind of obvious…” The agent lowered his voice to a whisper. “His spouse, [Name], has been giving them the silent treatment for ages now. Don’t tell anyone this but, I believe that our great Harbinger, Lord Il Dottore… is feeling the effects of this. I’ve never seen them act like this!”

“Is that so? Speaking of, I don’t think I’ve seen them around here very much.”

“Well yes… if you were here for as long as I have been, you’d normally see them all over the lab but, they tend to stay locked up in their room nowadays. And Lord Dottore as well, he doesn’t leave his office much either. Omega seems to take care of much of the outward responsibilities.”

So that was what it was like. You got your answer to if Dottore missed you. You wondered how many people accidentally became his test subjects due to his rising temper because of you. But though it may not have looked like it, not speaking to your husband was hurting you tremendously as well. Because at the end of the day… he was your love, your life. He was your Zandik, the one who meant everything to you. The one who went through everything and anything with you. He was the only one you had… you still loved him, terribly so. Maybe that was a bigger weakness than your illness.

But that didn’t mean you were any less mad at him.

Omega, on the other hand… ah, you didn’t even know what to think anymore… you were so conflicted, it was so hard to even think… when you said you loved all the segments, that included him too. But he deleted all of them… you hated him… but did you love him too? No, you should continue to hate him, he was the selfish one… Zandy was gone because of him… you couldn’t forgive him! So you didn’t forgive him. The days continued the same as always. 

Until one fateful day.

Omega was set to head out on a mission. Which was quite unusual nowadays, because ever since the clones were deleted, he couldn’t afford to leave Snezhnaya with all the work that had to be done. All you had heard was that the blonde-haired traveler would be there too, from all the whispering around the lab.

But what did it matter to you? Whether the segment was here or not, it was the same to you. His whereabouts were surely not of concern to you, so you had no feelings on this. Though the night before he was set to leave, he knocked on your door anyway. You immediately pulled the blankets over your face and curled to the side of the bed so you wouldn’t see Omega. The door shut with a click and his boots sounded against the floor.

“Hello, [Name]. I’m sure you’ve heard by now that I am leaving soon. It is another critical mission for the Fatui, and I suspect the Traveler will be there once again.” He didn’t receive a response from you, which he expected. “But I’m sure this is of no interest to you, anyway.” He guessed right, you thought, you didn’t care. However, even after saying what he had to say, he did not leave. A silence overtook the room as neither of you moved or spoke. But then Omega called your name, with another short silence coming after it before he spoke once more.

“I will not ask for your forgiveness, because I know I will not receive it, nor will I apologize, because I believe I took the right course of action. But…” Omega paused, “I still hold you fondly. I still…” He reached his hand out to your covered body but drew it back before his fingertips could brush you.

“I hope we will be able to talk more once I return.” He seemed to wait a few more seconds, perhaps hoping you would stay something, hoping he could at least see your face before he left, but to no avail. All you heard was the retreating footsteps and the click of your door shutting once more. You pulled the blankets off so you could breathe properly again, as you thought about his words.

What should you do? You didn’t know. The segments had passed quite a while ago, and the pain was still fresh in your heart, but Omega… ugh… perhaps, maybe, just maybe, you could try talking to him once more. Only an attempt. If you didn’t like how it felt, you’d stop. And he wasn’t returning from the mission for a few months, so you had ample time to make your decision anyway.

But Omega never returned.

The next few months flew by quickly, and though Omega had not returned yet, you thought nothing of it. Something must have come up that delayed his return. It’s happened before, it probably happened again. That was until you noticed groups of Fatui huddled together murmuring in the lab. As soon as they saw you, they went back to work and shut up their little gossip quickly, which was very strange. Now you really needed to know what was going on, so you decided to silently eavesdrop on the next pair you found. But you would have never thought of the words you heard next.

Omega had been killed by the Traveler. 

Omega was dead.

Omega wasn’t coming back.

You would never see him ever again. The realization made your body weak as you stumbled back, having to cling to the wall for support. He was gone… the tears immediately sprang to your eyes, as you covered your mouth to keep your sobs down. Omega killed the other segments. Maybe a part of you should feel glad. But no, all you felt was red-hot grief and pain, as you crashed into the nearest random room, and cried, and cried, and cried.

If you knew that was the last time you would see him, you wouldn’t have acted like that…

You wonder why things had to turn out like this.

—

“The butterfly never truly recovered from their loss, but as they say, time heals all wounds.”

After Omega died, you didn’t have the energy to be mad anymore. You were just tired. Tired of everything. Everything felt like a chore. Though you saw your husband more often now. Since there were no more segments, and Dottore obviously wouldn’t trust even the best Fatui doctors with you, he was the one who did all the usual medical stuff for you now.

Admittedly, his touch felt nice. It felt good. It felt like exactly what you needed right now. Comfort. So you gave in. When he had finished the usual procedure, as he turned his back on you, you reached out and wouldn’t let go of his hand. Dottore stiffened from the contact - it had been a while since you’d touched him so intimately - but you didn’t let go, and only weakly tugged him closer, which he complied to. You couldn’t bring your eyes to meet his, instead blankly staring at his shoes, but he seemed to get the message anyway. Tentatively, he wrapped his arms around you to gauge your reaction, and when he saw no resistance, he pulled you into his chest and held you. You missed this feeling. You missed Zandik.

And maybe you were scared he would leave you too.

Things continued like that for a while. You’d seek your husband out for his touch. His presence. His voice. Anything that would bring you some peace. Though you still remained mostly silent during these times. You just didn’t know what to say. Sometimes you wondered if he was mad at you. Annoyed. Disappointed. You didn’t want to know though. You were content with the fact that Zandik would hold you in his lap even at the wildest hours of the night.

But now, it had been some time since Omega’s death and even longer since the other segments were erased.

You weren’t quite ready to move on, no, not yet, but it was inevitable. Or perhaps you would never truly move on, instead, they would always be a part of you. You’d always carry them with you. But regardless, you needed to try, at least for Zandy. You think he’d want you to try and smile more often. You were speaking a bit more to your Harbinger friends again, and finding some enjoyment in your hobbies. Not to mention your relationship with Zandik was becoming better again. He had still been there, even when your illness and grief had you at your worst, with no complaints. Even though he had nothing to gain from this relationship. Even though you had become someone different. He had always loved you.

But there was still a rift caused by everything that had happened, that you wanted to fix. Because at the end of the day, in this world, you two only had each other. So you decided to talk to him about it. You had a habit of this, just waltzing into his office without knocking, and came upon Dottore who had a small box in his hand, appearing to gaze at whatever was in it, before he quickly snapped it shut at your sudden arrival. You recognized that box. It was the one where he kept his wedding ring in. So he still had it like that after all these years. You pretended like you didn’t see it as he swiftly put it away.

“[Name].”

“Zandik. Are you busy right now?”

“No.” Both of you knew that was a lie. The Second Harbinger was always busy. You knew for a fact he was stretched thin, especially since he wasted so much time taking care of you along with his Fatui duties, which piled up quickly with no more segments.

“Alright… can we talk?”

“Of course.” Zandik had been especially attentive to your words lately. Perhaps because he missed the times you would talk his ear off.

“I want to make something clear.” Zandik looked at you curiously as you took a deep breath. Many possibilities raced through his head.

“I still love you, Zandik.”

Well, he certainly wasn’t expecting that, and you could tell, even though his expression did not betray his thoughts.

“You already know the reason I’m…” Your voice trailed off, not wanting to say the words aloud, but you continued. “But I… appreciate you for staying by me. For all these centuries, through everything. It’s been a… very long time. And although things are different now, I want us to be… happy again. It might not be immediately but… it’s because I love you, Zandik.” You swallowed, at the end, your voice growing a bit softer. Ah, you hoped that wasn’t too sentimental. Zandik’s expression was blank so you couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

“So yeah, that’s all… I guess.” All of a sudden, the silence that followed made you embarrassed, and you wanted to leave there as quickly as possible. “Okay, I-I’ll let you do your work now.” And then you hastily made your exit and left the Harbinger alone, before he started chuckling to himself. He’d expect nothing less from you, his dear, darling spouse.

Though he wonders if you realize time is irrelevant for him. He’ll wait for you as long as it takes.

—

“One thing about the raven and the butterfly that would never change was that they were wholly intertwined with each other. Their fates were one. So even if they happened to go their separate ways, they would inevitably return to one another again.”

It was actually quite scary how fast time flew. From the time you woke up, to marrying Dottore, to the segments passing, to right now… it felt like a blur. You guess, now that your life span was no longer that of a regular human’s, time was starting to skew a bit for you. Well, you were just excited to spend decades more, even centuries with him.

Throughout all the years that had passed since that day, you found yourself falling more and more in love with Zandik again. You suppose that should be normal for a married couple but, it never ceased to amaze you how one man could make you feel like this.

Something that had become somewhat of a habit for the two of you was dancing. Yes, dancing. It had come up during one of your wedding anniversaries. To be honest, neither of you really did or planned anything special for the day. Perhaps there was a bit more kissing along with other affectionate activities, but you two didn’t look at it as something that big. First, because you didn’t want to waste his already precious time, but also because you knew from the beginning the wedding anniversaries would be countless. So every anniversary was more of something you expected, so it was nothing too big to celebrate, especially as people who lived this long… if that made sense. And Dottore… was Dottore after all. Never one to care much for dates.

But on one anniversary you were reminded of how you two danced during the wedding. Your clumsy steps as Dottore guided you through it all, and you wanted to relive that, so he indulged you. And funnily enough, you were a lot better! Your steps weren’t as unsteady and your body didn’t ache as much. Dottore’s feet didn’t get assaulted by yours too much. Even Dottore was pleasantly surprised. It probably had to do with the fact that although you weren’t cured yet, your health had been up on an upward curve. Of course, never the best but, much better than you first were. You were proud of yourself for making it this far.

So now, when you had time, you found yourself rehearsing your steps with him and your husband twirling you around. Perhaps one day you could reach his level.

You found that there were days that reminded you of the Akademiya. Where you could help him with his notes and research like a real assistant would. Obviously, it still wasn’t the best but it was something, and you could see that Dottore liked it. These days often came with you teasing him with embarrassing memories from the Akademiya.

“I still remember when you got motion sickness from piloting that ruin golem, Zandik.”

“For the last time, I did not get motion sickness, [Name].”

“Mhm, sure. If I didn’t drag you out, you would have-”

“That is enough from you.”

You found that there were more days he would take you out into the Snezhnayan winters (you were bundled up to the max) so you could finally see the snow. You found yourself attending your first balls at the Tsaritsa’s palace, as Dottore was now forced to attend himself rather than his segments. He didn’t want to leave you by yourself in the dreary lab so… you were often his plus one, where you spent the evening poking fun at him with Columbina. (You also were the one who publicly took sweets to-go from the parties for him so he wouldn’t get judged.)

And perhaps your favorite memory was when he took you back to Sumeru - yes, to another country - so you could witness the Akademiya Extravaganza festival. He, of course, had no interest in it, but you being you and loving fun things absolutely did. Many things happened, including meeting the Traveler… but that story was for another day.

All in all, you always knew this but, you found that no matter how many years passed, no matter what Il Dottore has done, no matter the amount of sins and wrongfulness he has committed… you were hopelessly in love with him. From the time he was that perpetually irritated but in love student from the Akademiya to his current self, the Harbinger that was a stark contrast to his former self but still possessed you for himself.

Sure, it was a bit lonely at times compared to before, but all the tender moments throughout the years made you happy to have Zandik in your life. Which is why you foolishly thought these times would last forever.

When Dottore told you he was leaving Snezhnaya, and therefore the lab, and therefore you, it jolted you right up from your sleepy daze on his lap.

“What?!” The word came out as a half yell, half-whisper. “What do you mean you’re leaving Snezhnaya?”

“It means I’m leaving Snezhnaya, dear,” he continued on his paperwork (which never seemed to end) as if this was common knowledge. “The mission needs a Harbinger to oversee it, and the task falls to me this time.” 

You were devastated. There were times when Dottore only had to leave the lab for a few days to attend to matters in different parts of Snezhnaya. (You spent the time at Columbina’s mansion because oddly enough, she always seemed to be there… how did she manage to shirk her duties so often?) But this was completely different. He would be so far out of reach, for a long time probably too. Foreign missions always took a while. You remember how long you had to wait for the segments to return from them.

“Okay, then I’ll come with you!”

“No, you’re not,” he immediately shut down your proposition. “Missions are still far too dangerous with your current state. You will stay in Snezhnaya, and wait for me to come back.” You knew when he used that tone, things were final, and you hung your head low, all sleepiness gone at the fact you wouldn’t be seeing him for months. Sure, you would be staying with Bina as usual but, you had a feeling it’d be hard to replace the rush of emotions Dottore gave you on a daily basis. 

Dottore noticed your dour expression, which he obviously expected, and sighed, setting down his pen. At this point, it was a sort of routine that he had memorized, comforting you and all. Although comfort would never be something he was adept in, years of doing it had let him become somewhat proficient. 

“[Name],” he moved his hand to guide your chin up so you could look at him. You were pouting. “These few months, or even less, depending on how quickly the work gets done, will only be a blink of an eye in the grand scheme of things. I’ll be back before you know it,” he hummed. Although he certainly was not pleased about leaving you by yourself for so long, such was the life of a Fatui Harbinger. It was at times like these he missed his segments. (Did that sound selfish? Well, he was a selfish man when it came to you.)

A drop in eternity, huh? Well, when he puts it like that, then maybe it would be just a bit bearable. And, when you think about it, he’s waited over four hundred years for you, all alone. So this little challenge couldn’t be too hard, right?

“Alright… I’ll wait for you, Zandik.”

“Good,” he chuckled at how easy it was to win you over sometimes and stroked your cheek. “In the meantime, you can work on the recipe you’ve been vehemently hiding from me and show me when I’m back.” You immediately brightened at that.

“Oh yeah! I promise you’re going to like these sweets better than the ones at the bakery!” You proudly declared.

“Oh? Now that’s a high standard you’ve set yourself to, dear. Are you sure you’re going to be able to live up to it?”

“Hmph, don’t underestimate me. My baking skills have improved over the years!”

The banter always made you two feel like regular humans, despite what you two really were.

—

“The days went by peacefully for the lonely butterfly, but soon that feeling was shattered when they learned of a golden comet’s presence near their raven.”

The days in Columbina’s mansion went by rather uneventfully. Surprisingly enough, she wasn’t home as often as usual. It seemed like the Fatui were really stepping up their business now. You’d have to ask Dottore about that. Maybe the day Celestia is defeated was closer than you thought. But today was a day Bina had some time to indulge in cakes and conversation with you. The chit-chat was mundane but brought a sense of comfort until the conversation somehow ended up with Dottore as the topic. Your friend always liked teasing you about him. Everything was lighthearted and sweet until she idly mentioned his mission.

“I wonder how your Doctor is doing on the mission~”

“Well, I’m sure he’ll be fine. He’s Dottore after all.”

“Mhm, that’s right. I do wonder how he plans to deal with the Traveler though.” The mention of the blonde’s name nearly made you drop your teacup.

“W-What?” Your voice cracked as you implored your friend to tell you more. You were now realizing that you neglected to ask Dottore what the mission exactly was, and he did not reveal the contents as well, probably because he knew you’d freak even more if you knew he was most likely going to confront the Traveler. Columbina looked confused.

“Dear, did he not tell you?”

“No! I- ah, he only told me he has a mission in another nation, I guess it slipped my mind to ask him the details!” You now had your hand clutched to your head and another one trying to soothe your now rapidly beating heart. A naive and very stupid part of you thought it wouldn’t have to come to this, but it already did, so quickly too. 

Why were you so particularly scared? It was because all you could think of was Omega’s death by the Traveler’s hand, as well as your fellow colleagues. You knew that Dottore was far stronger than any of them but… you were in a panic. All the worst possible scenarios began invading your mind relentlessly.

“[Name], calm down. Dottore is strong. We do not even know if it will end in a battle or not, but regardless of the outcome, he is smart enough to-” Bina attempted to comfort you before you interrupted her and abruptly stood up.

“I need to go.”

“Go? Go to Dottore, dear?”

“Yes. Yes, I need to see him. I need-” Your words were becoming a jumbled mess from the anxiety this piece of news caused. “I need to see him in person if he’s okay.”

“You do not think you should think about this some more? I suspect the Doctor will not be happy if he sees you there, even if it’s you of all people.”

“It doesn’t matter. If I stay here, all I’ll be able to think about is him.” You could already see yourself losing sleep and appetite over this. “But as long as I can see him okay… even if he’s angry, I can deal with it. Anything is better than being over here helpless!” Columbina watched you silently.

“Alright. Be ready in a few days.” You looked at her in surprise.

“Bina? You’re helping me? You’re not going to… stop me?”

“Dear [Name], I will not get in the way of a decision you’ve made for yourself. If this is what you’ve decided, then it is my duty as your friend to assist you as I’ve done in the past. And perhaps this will teach the Doctor a lesson to stop withholding information from you,” the Harbinger sighed.

“…Thank you, Columbina.” You’d have to repay her sometime later.

—

“The raven and the butterfly found themselves reunited again at long last, and would stay together like that forever.”

It was funny you found yourself back here, your home country. It seems like you two were always drawn back here, despite no longer being welcomed. But that didn’t really matter too much, because as soon as the boat you were on pulled into the port, it was clear that today was not a normal day in Sumeru City.

You were too late. 

The fight had clearly already begun, probably only recently too, by the chaotic state of Sumeru. Obviously, it’d be out of order if there were two immensely powerful beings in battle with each other. Maybe, if you were just a bit sooner… but you already had your mind set. Although the Fatui agent entrusted with your safety was ready to head back already, his orders to not let you come to any danger, you just tranquilized him. (It was a courtesy device from Dottore in case he wasn’t near.)

And you ran. Was that a good idea considering your illness? Absolutely not, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Was it a good idea to walk into the middle of a battle? Also no, but you couldn’t shake the bad feeling you had this whole time. 

Although it was far away, it was easy to spot the place, as for one there were Fatui swarming the area and also regular citizens running in the opposite direction. Though your lungs were absolutely burning, your knees weak and scraped from tripping, tired from bumping into others, illness flaring up even worse from the added stress and exertion, you continued ahead with only one goal. To see your husband.

Throughout your haggard walking, you thought of the future. You thought of how great it would be to see Teyvat change in the next four hundred years just as he did. And this time, Dottore would not have to witness it by himself. He would have you. It would be amazing, just thinking of all the variety of new inventions and such that would be created! You two would surely dissect them and put them back together for fun. You two would do a lot of things, you think, as you finally made it to the door of the grand building the fight was in. It was already rather damaged, but the door managed to remain mostly intact, so you pushed it open.

Just in time to see the Traveler land the final fatal hit to Zandik, his body landing on the floor with a painful thud.

Your worst nightmare had become reality. But… Zandik told you he’d return to you in no time…

Suddenly, all the will you had before was gone in an instant. You didn’t have the energy or focus to call out his name. All you could do was blankly stare at his defeated body while taking some hesitant steps forward, all while mumbling something incoherent under your breath. The Traveler, despite their exhaustion, noticed you and immediately readied their sword again. But, they soon realized that there was no need for that from the exceedingly dull look in your eyes and the way you tripped over yourself again, landing on the floor, reaching out your hand towards the Doctor. You had to make it to him.

You pathetically dragged your body closer to Zandik, every part of it screaming out in part for you to stop. But you didn’t care. You could take it. After all, you knew the pain would soon be over. The Traveler merely watched you, still a bit on edge for what you could do, but you didn’t care. You didn’t care about anything besides Zandik, so you continued inching your body to your husband before you finally reached him. His body was practically motionless, his face revealed as his mask was destroyed to the side somewhere. When you came into view, a flicker of surprise came across his face but it quickly morphed into one of acceptance.

“You’re not supposed to be here.” You half-laughed at that.

“I could say the same to you…” Your voice had dropped to a soft, defeated one. Huffing and panting, you used your last remaining strength to pull yourself up and kneel, tenderly bringing your husband’s head onto your lap. He did not resist. It wasn’t like he had the strength to anyway. “You didn’t tell me you were going to be here, either.”

“It was not necessary… at the time,” Zandik said, looking right at you the whole time with those red eyes of his. “But I suppose I should have expected this. You never do as you are told, do you?”

“Of course not. But you should remember that whenever I break the rules, things turn out fine for us.” You smiled, and you had a feeling both of you were thinking of the same memories. That time you helped him break into the Akademiya’s library when it was closed, or the time you threw a book at someone for him, or the time you two helped each other on what was supposed to be solo assignments. Or the times you ran away from his needles and medicine, or the times you went behind his back and befriended the others. Those times ended out okay, so this time would be okay too.

Then, the building began to rumble, most likely about to collapse. The battle must have been quite fierce. Although the Traveler felt no remorse for the two of you, their kind heart still couldn’t help but feel the slightest twinge of pity. After all, the blonde had read the notes the two of you left scattered around Sumeru. To think that a relationship could last so long, especially one with the mad Doctor… You noticed their expression before you rasped out a mixture of a plea and demand.

“Why are you still here? Leave us now. I want to be alone with him.” Your words were empty of emotion towards them. There was no point in any hostility anymore, not when you had to treasure the last moments with your beloved. The Traveler didn’t seem surprised by your words, as they nodded and threw the bloodied Harbinger one last glance, before running away with the little fairy. It seemed they knew… you’d rather die here along with him than live without him.

You looked back at Zandik’s face, his once brightly colored red eyes now a darkened hue.

“I’ve failed you, [Name].” Since it was the end of the line now, even a genius scholar such as him had to admit defeat. Dottore thought back to all the times he swore to cure you. He swore he would do it so that you could be who you used to be once more. But he failed. He let you lose centuries of your life and left you in pain for your conscious ones. But you didn’t seem to share the sentiment.

“Failed me?” You couldn’t help but laugh at that, despite the tears that began to run down your cheeks. “Oh darling, you have never failed me. Not once in over four hundred years.” Zandik continued to stare at you because that was all the strength he had to do, so you reached for his hand and brought it to your cheek.

“You’ve loved me continuously for so many centuries, haven’t you? How could that ever be a failure?” You nuzzled into his hand, his own blood beginning to smear on your face, but you didn’t care. 

“Your love has changed so much over time. From your prickly and thorny yet beautiful love from the Akademiya. To your smooth and unabashed love now. But your love was unfaltering, to me at least. Perhaps I may be delusional, and I overthink how much you love me. But I think it was real, even though you may never admit it, that is what matters to me. So if you’re thinking about the cure, forget it.” Your hands were shaking and struggling to hold his to your cheek for this long, energy spent, but you continued anyway, even as a piece of the infrastructure suddenly caved in and collapsed on the opposite side of the room with a loud crash. “The cure isn’t what mattered. It was you.”

Zandik thinks you are the only person who has forgiven him. Not even he has. He knows he does not deserve it, but he shouldn’t say that to you now. But he thinks, even at this moment, perhaps it may seem sick or morbid, your beauty still manages to surpass that of any other being in Teyvat.

You thought about the Tsaritsa, who had shown you much love and kindness. You hoped she would finally achieve her goals. You thought about the other Harbingers, the ones who were still alive at least. You would miss them. You looked at your wedding ring. It was still intact. How lovely. Lastly, you thought about Zandik as you looked at him, and he seemed to realize something.

“[Name], reach into my pocket.” You were confused but you complied, wincing in pain a bit but successfully reached it and pulled out a box. It was the box he kept his wedding wing in. Popping it open, you were correct, and still couldn’t help but be a bit incredulous.

“You brought it with you?” You were surprised because a part of you still believed he thought the whole thing was a bit dumb.

“I normally do not but, with the length of the mission, I believed it would be a simple and easy way to be reminded of you.” That was cute.

“Sorry. I guess the good luck charm didn’t work,” you smiled apologetically as you slipped the band onto his finger, to which Zandik scoffed.

“You know very well I do not believe in luck.” You only laughed, though it was mostly drowned out by multiple crashes and rocks falling all around you. Being buried was a fitting end, to be honest. No one else needed to know about the two of you. No one else needed to know your stories. It would be best if the two of you ended up forgotten, lost to time. Then, no one would be able to misunderstand or twist your relationship.

Despite all of the pains that had befallen you, the suffering and hardships, you could happily say you lived a good life. You were happy, so happy, thanks to Zandik. Zandik was what made this life worth living… so this was okay. You would have loved to have been cured and lived out many more happy memories with him but… this was alright. But the time was limited, so this conversation needed to be wrapped up in a way that would satisfy you.

“I love you, Zandik.” You don’t expect any response back because of your husband’s poor track record with saying those words. 

The times Zandik has said the words ‘I love you’ have admittedly been scarce and in-between despite the centuries he’s spent with you. It was a grand total of… two times. And both had been said when he thought you were sleeping. 

The first time had been in the Akademiya. It had been a while since you two were a couple, and he had yet to say it. You expected that obviously. But one random night, when you two were cuddling and drifting off into dreamland, you heard the three words mumbled into the crook of your neck. It took everything in you not to react.

The second time had been when you had recently woken up from your coma. Dottore was around you constantly, taking so many tests that it made your head spin, and you had to take naps more often than not. And once again, as you were just about to slip off into slumber, you heard the three words whispered as he gently bit your ear.

Surprisingly enough, the third time would be now. Perhaps because he had nothing to lose anymore, as it was the end.

“I love you as well, [Name].” Your eyes go wide for a few seconds before you grin widely one last time, and you give him a look that says ‘I know.’ Zandik watched your eyes flutter shut as you leaned down to his face, and he let himself be enveloped in your final kiss, neither of you paying attention to the shadows cast by the multitude of broken architecture about to fall on top of you.

Let the fairy tale come to a close.

—

“In his last moments, the raven was taken back to a memory from centuries ago. It was a memory where he was truly happy with his lovely sparrow.”

Zandik awoke to a blue sky and a gentle breeze. He blinked, immediately trying to gauge where he was. But then the sound of a familiar voice flooded his senses.

“And you know what this professor had the audacity to say to me, Zandik? ‘Figure it out!’ Like, you’re supposed to be helping me, not writing me off! You’re getting paid for this!” You were lying down on the grass next to him, hands folded as you huffed. “At least I have you, Zandik. Way better than any damn professor.” He blinks at you. 

Zandik remembers this moment. It was the day when exams and classes were finally over, and you wanted to relax before helping him with his experiments. And you also thought it was the perfect time to rant about all the professors you had to deal with over the last few months. But soon, you just started bringing up random things that occurred over the term. Zandik couldn’t remember the last time he saw you like this. Donning the Akademiya uniform, so happy and carefree… healthy, strong, like nothing in the world bothered you.

He found himself slightly smiling at how stupidly happy you looked, before reaching out to you. But as soon as merely his fingernails came into contact with you, you began to dissolve right in front of his eyes. Immediately, he stiffened and sat up, again trying to take hold of you but you were no longer there. Zandik’s hands began to shake, and that’s when he realized his surroundings were changing.

The blue sky was now fading away, becoming pitch black along with everything else that was chipping away, ready to swallow him whole into the darkness.

Ah, he understood now.

This was the end.

—

“Finally, the twisted raven met his fate.”

Or so he thought. Zandik woke up once more. Everything seemed normal at first, the blue sky was once again there and the Sumerian breeze caressed his hair. Until he realized there was a sticky substance coated all over his hands.

Blood.

This wasn’t an unfamiliar occurrence for him, after all, he would usually get hands-on with his experiments, but he had an… odd feeling about this. Zandik blinked and all of a sudden, there you were lying on the ground in front of him.

Dead. Coated with blood.

Did he… kill you?

All too quickly, before he could reach out to hold your body or begin to process what happened, he was suddenly somewhere else. The desert.

Zandik laid eyes upon you. What he would usually see was you complaining about the heat while you dug through the ruins. What he saw instead was an Eremite plunging a sword through you.

And again. This time he awoke to you being completely cold and limp in his arms. And again. It didn’t take his brain long for him to understand what was happening.

His victims and test subjects could torture him for eternity, yet Dottore would not feel bothered or a shred of remorse. It would be a useless endeavor. But this? This was the perfect punishment. 

His beloved being killed in front of him, by the world, by other people, by natural forces, by his own hands. And for all of the power and knowledge he once had, he was powerless to do anything yet again.

… How ironic, Zandik thought.

—

At last, the tiny Archon closed the storybook.

It had been ages since the events in this tale had taken place. The Fatui were no more, Celestia was gone, the Traveler had long left this world, and Teyvat was at peace. So much time, that the Outcast’s name no longer floated around the Akademiya, now long forgotten. The God of Wisdom herself had gained a tremendous amount of knowledge from all the years that had flown by. And even still, she has not forgotten this story.

Yet, in all of her wisdom, she still cannot hope to fully understand the raven and the sparrow. The Dendro Archon found herself coming back to this tale, trying to comprehend their actions and thoughts. She reads it aloud to herself, draws pictures, and crafts the tale with her own words, yet it only leaves her more lost. Perhaps one day she will understand. But perhaps she won’t. Perhaps no one ever will.

After all, there were only two people who would ever truly understand the bond between the raven and the sparrow. 

Zandik and [Name]. 

An unfriendly and cold scholar and a sweet and caring one.

An immoral villain and an accomplice.

A violator of this world’s laws and a supporter.

A Harbinger and an assistant.

Regardless of those titles, perhaps at the end of the day, they only saw themselves as one thing to each other.

Two people who loved each other as if nothing else mattered.

[bangtanhoneys]

Bangtan Baby: Tangerine Partners

He was known as the third parent of BTS. The second father of an unruly bunch of five men. 

The third eldest and the quietest, even if he did add his own chaotic energy to everything when he wanted to. And right now, he was Uncle Sug. 

Bora hadn’t quite managed to pronounce Suga just yet and Yoongi was even more difficult. Agust D was going to be a nightmare though she could pronounce the D quite well. So for now, he was Uncle Sug. However, whenever Bora’s eyes landed on him, she always yelled “Sug!”

Though the rest of BTS hadn’t fared any better other than Namjoon.

J-Hope became Hop, Namjoon was Joon, Jimin was JM, Taehyung was Ta and Jungkook got Kook or sometimes Kookie if she got her words out. 

There was never any uncle before their names. 

But it was cute, especially when she was toddling around on little legs, the princess of Big Hit and yelling names when she saw the right person. There had been many heart attacks when she stumbled on Bang PD and she had toddled very quickly, all the while yelling “Bang!”

So Uncle Sug was on babysitting duty. 

The little one was content to sit on his lap as he played around with his sounds, seeing what worked for the next song that took his fancy. She wasn’t expected to stay for long as her parents were around, doing various bits of recordings as was the rest of the group. He only got away with babysitting duties as he had plucked her up before anyone else. 

While the mix was playing around in the background, Yoongi slowly began to peel one of his many tangerines. There was a constant supply of them now as another fan had made an appearance if the excited jumping and squeals on his knee were any indication. 

“Thank god you take after me with your appreciation for fruit,” Yoongi chuckled as he peeled away one segment, checked it for pips and then handed it over to his niece. 

She stared at it for a moment, as if her tiny mind was trying to figure out what she had just been given. Yoongi was about to question further when she jammed the fruit into her mouth, leaving a trail of saliva and tangerine juice over her fingers and chin. 

“Now you look like your Dad,” grinned Yoongi as he grabbed some tissues. 

The two of them shared the tangerine between them as he played around with his mixing station, adding sounds here and there when Bora kicked with joy over. With the warmth of the room and the smell of his vanilla candle and tangerines, Bora soon fell asleep against his chest. 

“See, this is why I’m the best uncle. You just fall asleep with me so easily,” he slowly got out of his chair and over to the popup crib that he had secreted away. “I’m sure the herd will be coming soon so enjoy your nap, Bora.”

[ciceroisaware]

yapping abt her

All of the below thought then wrote down within moments to minutes of eachother.. because why not 😭

Omg she's the perfect huggable shape??? I wish I had like.. strawberry something to spray her with.. her head is the perfect shape for me to hug her??? I was upset about something unrelated (also wasnt about the BroilerArctic angst, i rather have to deal with 1 bar 4 gigs of internet past 10 oclock,) and hugged her because why not and her big ass head is the perfect shape to hug???

OMG WAIT WAIT WAITOMGSO HER BANGS ARE KINDA LIKE A POCKET RIGHT CUZ THEY AREN'T ATTACHED IN THE FRONT OMG SCENT PACKET IS GONNA BECOME IRL CANON???

Omg she's gonna change colors so bad 😭 Foxy was red and you can see the color change… but he's also from like 2016 or something so…

I think she smells like polyester..

@aceinacloset how long have you had yours??

Wait wait waitI have some little things of essential oilsI have lavender and something else but I don't Really want to use lavender and the other thing smells tangy(?) Actually that was NOT lavender that was something else.. everything else I have either smells like it's gonna clean out my sinuses or it's not calming :/ one of them smelled minty but I'm not going for minty…

Ugh… I might have something downstairs. Or.. I have scentsy wax I could put on paper or something… but that's not good.. do I have fabric? How will I get it off to apply more? Will it even work? Actually nevermind I don't have scentsy wax. Thanks brain… I prolly wouldn't have anything I'd like to smell but minty 😂😂 uhhh…

Thanks adhd tangent. Thanks. There might be something downstairs... tho I still need a lil bit of fabric cuz I'm not going to apply it to her directly that'd be crazy she just got out of the box like... a couple hours ago

Im built the right way so that hugging her head = top of her head is in my face and I think I just need physical affection or something 😭😭😭😭 bitch what the fuck 😭

Perhaps I just distracted myself with her big ass head 😭

Big head full of evil thoughts

Uh...

I look at her arms and think segmented insect/pos

Shes purple in blue places/neutral

Silly lil mouth/pos

Bangs pockets/neutral+

Shes got fucking big ass calves/I'm crying/pos

I took a picture to compare how dirty Foxy is 😭 I don't think he's ever been washed before, perhaps once?? 😭

Wait actually that's polyester and a lil bit of cardboard/neutral

she is a good size

Carry her like a football

I have coconut dry shampoo.. but am I gonna coconut dry shampoo her?? 🤣

I dunno how long any of the smells will last tho.. I might go check downstairs if it hasn't been cleaned out of scentsy wax.

Omg I found the flavor

Air of adventure if ur curious

I COULD PUT IT IN A SCRAP OF A MASK 🫢 YES

Becuase I do t use masks anymore cuz it's not covid

If I don't like it I can change it.

I forgot about the science experiment in the corner of my room 😭

I can't find the specific mask I'm looking for So uh...

I cannot use paper because paper is crackly and not the right texture :|

this will do.

all of this for what? A thought? Adhd go brr.

Scentsy bar is sweating cuz it's old so yeah just rub the fabric on the wax so a lil bit will go on the fabric and then I can shove it in her hairline... (😭)

Still smells like polyester mostly bit I can smell the wax so that's good uhmm.. it worked 👍

:) thanks for reading me yapping 😭

Edit : I'll post pictures in the morning cuz tumblrs being weird (I have 1 bar 4g)

I wonder what she's listening to (I thought it would've been funny to put my headphones on her)

MY MOM THINKS SHES CREEPY 😭 LMFAOO