#guess who is playing the demo........ again....

[bread--hood]

Clive || Final Fantasy XVI

[unproduciblesmackdown]

what in the. see this is why it's a good thing that multiplayer videogames especially are about having fun & being yourself like what do you mean disguised spies automatically had the speed of the disguise's class & everyone's like yea if i wasn't always going for the scout disguise i'd kill myself right now. i'd be like haha can't catch Me out supposedly the extra slow or extra fast class >:) i am a harmless engineer

[beanmaster-pika]

A sizeable chunk of the fanbase (especially those who read the webtoon) seeing Collei in 3.0: aw thank goodness she’s doing well and even has two dads who are in love :)

Hoyoverse half a year later, writing Cyno and Tighnari into an event that in-game half of Mondstadt considers a lovers’ festival: shit shit shit shit shit we have to no-homo this

[tumpadumpling]

gosh just.. kirby offering to help magolor the *exact* same way he offered to help ribbon, the last poor alien who landed on his planet and desperately needed help. it makes. me feel emotions. like the little pat he does. the PARALLELS

[the-offside-rule]

Lando Norris (McLaren) - Sports Car

The sequel to Two Hands

Two Hands Part I, Part II

Y/n sat in the dimly lit studio, headphones snug over her ears, as the beat played for what felt like the hundredth time. She leaned back in her chair, mouthing along to the lyrics she'd scribbled down a few hours earlier, occasionally tweaking a word or two in her notebook. The explicit undertones of the song didn’t faze her; it was raw, honest, and unapologetic, just like she wanted it to be. She hit replay again and again, trying to perfect every detail.

The door to the studio creaked open, and Y/n barely looked up as her best friend, Tate, strolled in holding two iced coffees. "Still working on that song, huh?" Tate teased, plopping down on the couch and pulling her phone out. "Yup." Y/n replied without missing a beat, scribbling something down and playing the demo back for the umpteenth time.

Tate listened in silence for a moment, her thumbs flying across her phone screen. But the more she absorbed the lyrics, the more her jaw slowly dropped. By the time Y/n got to the second chorus, Tate was staring at her like she’d grown another head.

"Are we gonna just ignore the elephant in the room right now?" Tate finally said, setting her phone down. Y/n arched a brow, leaning back in her chair. "What?" Y/n asked. "What?" Tate echoed in the same tone, letting out a disbelieving laugh. "This song! Who is this about, and why are you suddenly… so worked up?" Y/n rolled her eyes, spinning her chair lazily to face her friend. "It’s nothing. Just… a song."

Tate snorted, crossing her arms. "Right. A song that happens to be very… explicit about what you want to do to someone. Come on, Y/n. We both know it's about Papaya." Y/n rolled her eyes at the code name they gave Lando. It wasn't practical or secretive in any way possible. It was so dumb. And yet, the mention of his code name, Y/n’s cheeks warmed, but she shrugged it off. "It’s not about anyone in particular. It's...I don't know. It's just setting the tone for the album, I guess." She said, avoiding Tate’s knowing gaze. "Besides, it’s not like I’m going to see him anytime soon. We only ever run into each other at races."

Tate narrowed her eyes, sliding the iced coffee across the table to her. "Uh-huh. Sure. But, girl, you need to stop lying to yourself. If this song is even half as honest as your feelings, you’re clearly still thinking about him. Just tell him what you want, he’s not a mind reader." Y/n sighed, taking a long sip of her drink. "I’m not telling him anything, Tate. It’s never going to go anywhere. We’re both too busy, and I’m not about to complicate things."

Tate groaned, throwing her head back. "Fine, fine. But let me see what you’ve got so far." She grabbed the notebook from the desk before Y/n could protest. Her eyes widened as she read the first line aloud. "Hey, cute jeans, take mine off me?" She burst out laughing, nearly dropping the notebook. "Are you kidding me?" Y/n shrugged, smirking. "You told me to be honest, so… that’s the energy I’m bringing to this song."

Tate kept flipping through the pages, her laughter growing louder. "Pretty blue streetlights and my hazel eyes, and if it feels right, we could go again like 3 or 4 more times? Y/n, who are you?" Y/n winked, leaning back in her chair. "My favourite part is the next bit. "On the corner of my bed, or maybe on the beach, you could do it on your own, while you're looking at- oh my god!" Tate squealed, chuking the notebook onto the table. "Think he’ll pick up on the hints?" Tate stared at her, utterly dumbfounded, before bursting into another fit of laughter. "This is not a hint, this is an open invitation. But honestly? If this doesn’t get his attention, nothing will."

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Max Fewtrell’s stream was buzzing with activity. Thousands of viewers flooded the chat, firing off questions for him and his guest, none other than Lando Norris. The two were sitting in Max’s gaming setup, laughing about something dumb when a specific question caught Max’s eye. "Oi, Lando." Max said, grinning mischievously as he leaned closer to his monitor. "Chat wants to know what you think about Tate and Y/n’s new song."

Lando blinked, tilting his head in confusion. "They has a new song?" Max turned to him, his brows shooting up. "Mate, where have you been? It’s everywhere. There’s a music video too." Lando leaned back in his chair, his interest piqued. "Oh, I didn’t know. I mean, I like their stuff so… yeah, put it on I guess." He said ruffling his curls. "Alright, chat." Max said, smirking as he pulled up the song. "Let’s see what all the hype is about."

The track began, the sultry beat filling the room. On the screen, the music video played, showing Y/n moving effortlessly to the rhythm. Lando’s eyes were glued to the screen, his focus narrowing in on every word she sang and every move she made. "Hey, cute jeans, take mine off me." Y/n’s voice purred, her tone teasing yet commanding. Max burst out laughing, glancing at Lando. "This is… uh, quite forward, huh?" Lando, however, was silent, his gaze locked on the screen.

In the alley in the back

In the centre of this room,

With the windows rolled down,

Boy, don't make me choose

As the video continued, the lyrics grew bolder, the visuals more suggestive, and Lando couldn’t help the slight flush that crept up his neck.

Pretty blue streetlights and my hazel eyes,

And if it feels right, we could go again like 3 or 4 times.

Max snorted, trying to hold back his laughter. "Well, I mean, they know what they want." Lando let's out a soft chuckle at his remark.

On the corner of my bed,

Oh and maybe on the beach,

You can do it on your own,

While you're looking at me

Lando finally tore his gaze from the screen, a small, almost shy smile on his face. "Its a good song, actually." He smiles as the music seems to fade away for the time being. "You’ve met that one, right?" Max asked casually, still watching the video. Lando nodded. "Yeah, briefly. In Vegas."

"Vegas, huh? Sounds like a story there." Max wiggled his eyebrows knowing exactly what happened, but Lando just laughed it off, shaking his head. "Nah, nothing like that. She’s cool, though."

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Y/n and Tate were watching the stream from her apartment, Tate’s laptop propped up on the coffee table. At first, they’d been laughing at Max’s antics, but as Lando’s voice filled the room, the mood shifted. Tate frowned, glancing at Y/n. "Briefly? That’s all he’s going to say? What about everything else? The flirting, the sneaking ro his hotel room, the…" Y/n waved her off, her expression unreadable. "Doesn’t matter."

"It does, though." Tate pressed. "You’ve got to say something. You can’t just let this keep happening." Y/n sighed, running a hand through her hair. "You’re right. It’s time I did something about this." Tate’s eyes widened, a mix of excitement and disbelief on her face. "Wait, are you saying you’re finally going to tell him how you feel?" Y/n scoffed, looking almost repulsed by the idea. "God, no." Tate frowned. "Then what are you going to do?"

Y/n’s lips curled into a sly smile, a spark of mischief lighting up her eyes. "I have a better idea."

[elleandstufff]

Let's Play a Game -`✮´- Part 1

Young and in the club scene due to the family business, you meet an up-and-coming rapper who calls himself Thanos. As the two of you become deeply embedded in the dark world of fame, money, and drugs, you begin to wonder if you can make it out alive. Pre-games, during the games, and post-games Thanos/Choi Su-bong x fem!reader

Series Note: This story contains explicit descriptions of substance abuse (party drugs and alcohol) by both Thanos/Su-bong and reader. This story is emotional!!! Like seriously, they are going through it! I wanted to experiment with what Thanos was like before the drugs/fame. This series is going to be a long one so buckle up!

Chapter Warnings: Small age gap (6 years), mostly fluff, club setting, moderate alcohol consumption, sweet but persistent!Thanos, brief discussion of anxiety and depression, grinding/dancing, pet names (my princess, good girl, baby, etc), dialogue spoken in English is written in bold italics, 3k words

ˑ . 𖥔 . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ˑ . 𖥔 . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ˑ . 𖥔 . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ˑ . 𖥔 . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ˑ . 𖥔 . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ˑ . 𖥔 . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ˑ . 𖥔 . ݁₊

The club always looks weird with the lights on, but you’re used to it. Most days you come here before open to do inventory, mingle with that night’s entertainers, or supervise in general. You like the atmosphere of the club–lights on or off–and you feel that helping out is the least you can do to thank your father for allowing you to live a lavish party lifestyle. As far as you know, you’re the only person in all of Seoul that owns the title of only daughter of Korea’s biggest club mogul. 

“Hi, Princess!” Your father descends the nearest staircase and meets you by the bar. “Do you think you can hold things down tonight?”

“Of course, Appa, but what’s wrong?” Despite still being young, you had managed the club many times before when your father was unable to. 

“Baek-hyeon is not feeling well. I am going to head to the Incheon club to manage it tonight. You know I much prefer trusting myself or one of my children to be in charge.”

You bid him safe travels and sent a get well soon text to your eldest brother before getting to work. You had planned on partying the night away, not managing a 5,000 square feet nightclub, but trying to make your father proud is one of the only things you have left. After checking in with all the bartenders, security, and main entertainers, you finally allow yourself to sit down for a quick drink. 

You sit at the empty bar and sip on your drink until you feel a presence sit in the seat beside you. There are two dozen open seats, yet the man chooses to sit directly next to you. As he orders his drink you try to subtly inspect him. He’s here before opening so you assume he is a stage crew member for one of the performers. He has typical dark hair and dark eyes, but there’s something that stands out about him. Maybe it’s how soft his hair looks or that sparkle in his eye-

“Man, this place is nice!” The man swivels the seat to face you, a bright smile on his face. “I’m so lucky to get this gig.”

You look at him oddly. He’s a performer? You already knew all the main performers as they had been playing here for years. 

He sees your confusion and speaks up again. “I’m Choi Su-bong, but everybody is soon going to know me as Thanos. I’m an up-and-coming rapper. I sent an audio demo into this place not expecting anything, but I guess the owner was so impressed by my talents that he gave me a fifteen minute spot at opening time. Those fifteen minutes are going to make Thanos a star.”

His smile is so infectious that you can’t help but smile back. This was the guy whose audio had blown you away. You introduce yourself using only your first name. You like to coax people into realizing that you are the owner's daughter without outright telling them. 

“You know, the owner doesn’t review and select performers. His daughter does.”

“Could you pass along my thanks to her?”

“Why not thank her yourself?” You ask, gesturing to yourself with a bemused expression. 

Su-bong’s eyes widen. He gives you a once over, but he doesn’t change his tone or straighten himself up like everyone else does when they find out who your father is. For once, it seems that someone sees you for you, rather than as your father’s daughter. 

“Well, in that case…” Su-bong drops to his knees and takes hold of your left hand. He peppers several kisses across your skin while he professes his gratitude. “Thank you, my dear, for giving Thanos a chance.”

You have to look away to hide your blush and smile. “I’m not calling you Thanos, though.”

He gets back to his feet and throws you a wink. “You can call me whatever you want as long as you call me.”

The bartender finally hands over his drink. It’s one of the bar’s specialty drinks–one of the most complex and priciest items on the menu. But you can’t blame him; getting the fanciest drink the only time you’ll visit somewhere is a smart choice. 

He reaches to hand his card to the bartender, but you quickly force him to lower his hand. “On the house,” you tell the bartender, who nods and walks away. 

“Thank you again, my princess.” He takes a big sip from the straw, then leans forward and offers you the straw. Neither of you breaking intense eye contact, you take the straw between your lips and suck down a mouthful of the liquid. It burns as it glides down your throat and into your chest. The Social has always been well known for its strong drinks. 

“You should get ready,” you tell him as you turn away. “We open soon.”

You can still feel his eyes on you as you walk away.

ˑ . 𖥔 . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ˑ . 𖥔 . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ˑ . 𖥔 . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ˑ . 𖥔 . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ˑ . 𖥔 . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ˑ . 𖥔 . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ˑ . 𖥔 . ݁₊

Thanos the Great–as he calls himself–exits the stage after his fifteen minutes. Shortly after opening, the place is not nearly as packed as it will be in a couple of hours. Most of the people that are here at this time are more concerned with getting plastered than listening to some underground rapper, but a decent crowd did gather. The crowd that was present was very lively and seemed to enjoy the short performance. 

Su-bong makes his way toward you, and you turn in the opposite direction. You had already been distracted enough tonight, and you need to focus. He manages to jump directly in your path. 

“Do you usually watch performances from the front row?” He asks, a giant grin on his face. 

“Yes,” you lie. You usually focus on something else or watch from toward the back. You tried to convince yourself that your interest in his performance was because he was a new entertainer, but really you just wanted to see more of him. Something about him is eating you alive–his deep voice, his talent, his smile–but you could never let him know that. 

“I think that’s a lie,” he says, hastily walking to keep up with you. “I think you like Thanos the Great-”

“I told you I wasn’t going to call you that.” You stop to pick up a few menus left abandoned at a table. 

“And I told you I don’t care what you call me.” 

One of the menus slips from your hands and falls to the ground. You both drop to the ground to pick it up, and his large hands end up over yours. You pull away quickly, turning on your heel to drop the menus off at the bar. 

“I got seven new followers from my performance. You could follow me, too.”

“Maybe later,” you say. Your mind is distracted right now as you stand on your tiptoes to try and monitor the crowd as the space fills up more. “Sorry, I just have to work right now. This is a very busy time.”

“I’ll just wait until you aren’t busy then.” With a shit-eating grin he plops himself down on one of the black leather couches in the corner. 

“I’m not coming back,” you say, unsure if you are trying to convince him or yourself. 

“Yes, you will, good girl.”

You roll your eyes and walk away from him. You’ve played these games before. Every other week some guy shows up and tries to woo you for free drinks or guaranteed admittance to the club. You know that in an hour he’ll give up on you and have some other girl on his lap. 

Nearly two hours later you finally decide to take a break. Your feet are killing you and the black go-go boots you decided to wear tonight feel as if they weigh twenty pounds. You know this Su-bong guy isn’t waiting for you anymore, but for some reason you decide to stop at the bar and get a drink for yourself and a drink for him just in case. It would be rude to show up empty handed. Worst case scenario, you can end up giving a free drink to some unsuspecting patron. 

The club is at full capacity now, making your visibility extremely low. As you squeeze past numerous dancing bodies, you find yourself shocked to see Su-bong sitting in the same spot scrolling on his phone. Nearby, several groups angrily eye him, annoyed that he is taking up an entire table for just himself. 

As you approach, he notices you and slams his phone down. “I knew you’d be back, good girl!”

“You seriously waited two hours on me?” You slide into the both, leaving about a foot of space between you two. 

“I said I would, didn’t I?” He slides himself closer to you, knocking your knees together. 

“What have you been doing this whole time?” 

He shrugs and drinks from the new drink you brought him. “Waiting on you, thinking about you, scrolling on my phone, telling people this table is taken… What about you? What did you do?”

“I made sure everything is going okay all over the club. It’s very tiring. My feet are killing me.”

He surprises you by pulling your legs out from underneath the table and draping them across his lap. His hands firmly grasp your calves, keeping them in place and subtly massaging them. 

“What the fuck you are you doing?”

He looks innocently at you with his big brown eyes. “Letting you stretch your legs, of course.”

You relax into the couch. Stretching your legs does help, and his fingers are working magic on your calves. “Okay, but remember I’m on a break. I can’t sit here with you all night.”

“Of course, busy girl.”

For a few minutes you relax your anxious mind, listening to the loud bass beats reverberating throughout the club. You even let your eyes close for a minute, only to open them and find Su-bong’s eyes mere inches away from yours. You nearly jump backward, but he still has a grip on your legs. 

“Are you sleepy?”

“No.” You sip from your drink. “Just anxious.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, I just am.”

“And you’re sad, too?”

“And why do you say that?” What is this guy’s deal?

“Real eyes, realize,” he quotes the cheesy American saying to you. 

“Are you saying you’re sad too?” 

“Yellow is such a unique color,” he states, completely ignoring your question to instead take your hands in his again. He admires your yellow painted nails. 

“Yellow is my mom’s favorite color.” Yellow was your mom’s favorite color–you should say–but you don’t bother to correct yourself. You don’t find yourself pulling your hands away, either. Instead, your finger absentmindedly traces his line tattoo from his middle finger until it becomes hidden underneath his jacket sleeve. You suddenly realize what you’re doing and stop, shaking your head as Su-bong smiles. 

“You like my tattoos, baby? I got them when I got done with my military service a couple months ago.”

“They’re nice line work,” you lie. He doesn't need to know that his choice of tattoos were an amazing addition to his already insanely hot hands, nor does he need to know that you secretly wish you could see what other tattoos are lurking under his jacket. What the hell are you thinking? You need to finish your drink and get back to work. 

“Do you have any tattoos?”

“No, my dad would kill me.”

“Do you usually work every night for your father?” he asks at the mention of your dad. 

“No, I usually party every night,” you say, then backtrack when you realize how spoiled you sound. “I mean, I always try to help out as much as I can.”

“So you’re a spoiled girl?”

“Yes.” You can’t lie to yourself. “I’m the only girl in my family with my father and four older brothers. I was a bit of an accident.”

“I bet they are protective of you,” he says with a smirk, knowing fully well that the current positioning of you two would anger your father and brothers. With your legs still splayed across his lap, his fingers inch upward, until they rest lazily on your lower thigh. 

“When they pay attention to me, yes.” You regret the words the second they leave your mouth. 

“Who wouldn’t want to pay attention to you, pretty girl?” 

“My father is just busy, and my brothers are so much older that they have their own lives. This was nice, but I should get going…”

You attempt to reclaim your legs and scoot yourself out of the booth, but Su-bong’s arm blocks you from exiting. “Dance with me,” he says, somewhere between a question and a demand. 

You worriedly glance around the packed club. You hardly ever take up dance offers from guys, partially because of your father’s disapproval and partially because you don’t trust the guys who come through here. “I don’t really dance with guys. Everyone would stare.” 

He scoots himself closer to you so that you’re both sitting at the edge of the booth. “Good, let them stare.” 

You look at his pleading, big brown eyes and instantly know that you have to accept. “Fine. One dance.”

His huge grin calms your nerves slightly, so you take his outstretched hand. He leads you to the closest dance floor and the two of you find a spot near the wall. You can barely move your body before the people around you start staring at the uncommon sight. You start to get cold feet, but Su-bong pulls you close to him. “Don’t focus on them, focus on me.” 

Shakily, you began to dance with him. Within minutes, your nerves calm, and you feel like you and him are the only ones here tonight. Once the song finishes you tell yourself just one more. Then two songs, turns to three, and three to four. Before long, your night turns into a sweaty blur of his hands on your waist, your back against his torso, your ass against his crotch, his face buried in the crook of your neck. 

“Miss? Miss Social?!” 

Someone yelling the nickname you got when you started coming to the club three years ago snaps you back to reality. Your eyes snap open and you try to distance yourself, but Su-bong’s grip on your waist stays firm so your back remains pressed against him. 

The person in front of you is one of the security guards. You panic, unsure of what is going on and how long you’ve been distracted. 

“We have a couple of tourists that were being disruptive at the bar. I tried to explain that they need to leave tonight, but they’re not in trouble. They can’t understand me.” 

“O-of course,” you say. “Take me to them.” 

The guard leads you through the club and up the stairs to a waiting area. Halfway up the stairs you notice that Su-bong is following closely behind you, but you don’t have the energy to say anything to him. Before you talk to the first tourist, you turn to Su-bong. “Hey, sometimes these things take a while… You don’t have to wait for me.”

You take the first tourist into a room and explain to him the situation in English. You spoke English the most fluently out of any of the staff members, so you had been translating for tourists since your dad started letting you come here at sixteen. Luckily, this guy isn’t too combative, but he is pretty drunk. After a while, you finally get through to him that he’s not in trouble but he has to leave for the night. 

Out in the hallway, you realize that you need to pee really bad after the few drinks you had tonight. “I need the bathroom, I’ll be back for the other one in a minute.” 

You rush to the bathroom and rush back only to find the other tourist gone and a smiling Su-bong in his place. 

“Where the hell did he go?” 

“I let him know the deal. He left.” 

“You speak English?” 

“Yeah, baby,” he says proudly. “My dad made me start learning when I was little. He wanted me to be a fancy business man, but then- but then that didn’t happen.” 

Clearly something happened either between him and his father or to Su-bong himself, but you don’t pry. Instead, you shrug. “Fancy business men are not that fun–like my dad–they just work all the time.”

He gives you a little smile, but this one seems sad. 

“It’s almost close…” You are bummed that the night has to end, but you have a feeling that you will be seeing him again. 

“I need your phone number, Princess.” He puts his phone in the palm of your hand, softly patting your skin. 

You type your name into the contact information but leave the phone number blank. If this guy is serious about you, he’ll be able to wait for you. “You can get the rest of it next time.” 

“So hard to get, I love it!” 

His goofy grin is the last thing you see as you disappear into the dwindling crowd. 

Part 2 Masterlist

[slytherinshua]

ıllı　TABLOIDS GONNA LOVE THIS　( 휴닝카이 )

genre fluff , friends to lovers , popstar au , hueningkai x fem!reader   cw paparazzi here to ruin everything (be a helpful plot device) once again , not proofread   wc 1365   request @hyperdramas   note ik this idea was originally supposed to be indie band kai but the popstar fame idea was stronger than me skdjksd kai is so hot i love him, and hope you like it lyr !! tagging @soobchwe <3   net @kstrucknet @moadiarynet

Kai couldn’t write a single song that wasn’t about you. Although he always denied the fact, he knew that you were his inspiration. He poured his feelings out into pages and pages of lyrics, strumming patterns on his guitar in his studio for hours on end. The result was another smash hit, dominating the charts worldwide for weeks. Kai was known as a sensation, the best of his generation. No one knew who was the real reason for his success, though. Not even you.

You were back in Kai’s studio, legs sprawled over the back of his couch, staring at the ceiling as he played demos from his speakers. The beat was nice, and Kai’s vocals, although rough, still sounded heavenly. On rare occasions, you hated being the best friend to the world’s biggest artist. Wishing Kai was still a nobody like he was a few years ago, so you both could spend time together in the normal way. But most of the time, you loved every second of his popstar life. 

From hearing songs before their release, to free tickets wherever he was touring, you got benefits no one else did just from being Kai’s best friend. But you would never take it for granted. He would always be your friend before an international star. 99% of the time, you just saw him as your Kai, the same boy you had practically grown up with attached by the hips.

“So, what do you think?” Kai asked, pausing the song after the second verse. 

“It’s good. But you already knew that,” you said, smiling. “How do you manage to do it every time? The lyrics are always straight from the heart.”

Kai smiled. “I’ve just got good inspiration, I guess.” 

“And who would that be? Who are you singing your heart out for?” You crossed your arms, curious to hear his answer. If there was ever a chance to tease Kai about something, you would take it. Whether it was the fact that he had no friends or still slept with his childhood plushies, you never let him hear the end of it. A chance to tease him about a possible crush was an opportunity you wouldn’t pass up.

“No one in particular,” Kai shrugged, eyes darting up to the ceiling. You could tell he was lying immediately, and a grin spread on your face. 

“Come on, I know there must be someone! Every great artist has to have their muse.”

“Just someone I know,” he said simply, huffing at your stubborn resolve to get the answer out of him. He was really bad at lying, especially to you. But his stomach twisted at the thought of you finding out you were the inspiration for… every single song he ever wrote. If you found out, he’d either have a full album of relationship songs within the year, or a heartbreak album so depressing the entire world would be brought to tears. He wasn’t too keen on the latter.

“You know like… 3 people total. Me, Taehyun, and Lily. Oh my god— is it Lily!? Seriously?” you exclaimed, sitting up like a spring. Kai groaned.

“It’s not Lily. Stop wondering and help me think of a bass line,” he grabbed the bass from its stand and sat down next to you, thumbing at the strings to produce deep low notes from the instrument. 

You sighed, turning your attention to the notes he played. Your mind still lingered back to who his songs were about. You didn’t think Lily was a bad guess— she had even featured on one of his biggest hits. She had an insane voice that complemented Kai’s beautifully. It could be her.

But you also knew Kai was nearly incapable of lying to you. If he said it wasn’t her, then it probably wasn’t. That left the possibility of a mystery woman that he had met and you didn’t know about. Unlikely. Or… you. Very likely.

“Come on, let’s go out for dinner! It’s Valentine’s day. Neither of us have a date, so let’s just be each other’s!” Kai pleaded, pulling on your arm. He had shown up to your apartment with a small bouquet of roses, claiming he got it for you for a “friend date”. You had originally planned to stay in bed all night, watching rom-coms that would make you feel hopelessly single, but you couldn’t refuse a dinner offer from Kai. You put on the fanciest dress you could find and met Kai by the door twenty minutes later, taking the flowers from his hand. 

“You look pretty. Let’s go,” he said, smiling widely. He was out the door before you had a chance to process why your cheeks flushed from his comment. 

The restaurant he took you to was fancy, unsurprisingly. You didn’t even want to know how much the food cost. You could easily say it was the best food you had ever tasted, and it wasn’t like your best friend was struggling in the financial department. Valentines, which you always used to dread as it was spent single and depressed, was turning out to be quite pleasant instead thanks to Kai. Until you heard the unmistakable sound of a camera click from behind you.

“Kai,” you whispered, grabbing his attention. “Is someone taking pictures of us?” 

He looked around, alarmed, eyes scanning the other tables like a hawk. Once he located the camera, and the paparazzi it belonged to, his face twisted in irritation. He was used to his outings getting ruined by flashing cameras and crowds of people asking for autographs, but he hated that you had been accidentally dragged into it. He could already imagine the headlines tomorrow if those photos reached the public. He was at a romantic restaurant, dressed up, on Valentine’s day, with a date. 

“Go to the bathrooms. I’ll meet you there. Try to keep your face covered, okay?” he instructed, tone softening although he still looked pissed. You nodded and stood up, weaving your way through the tables of people until you found the bathrooms. 

The wait for Kai to join you felt like hours, and you were hyper alert for any sign of cameras or flashes. Even running into other people walking past the bathrooms had you tense. You knew the power paparazzi had, especially if their pictures reached tabloids. Huening Kai was the hottest star in the industry, and millions of people were desperate to get a glimpse into his personal life. A leak of this size could cause headaches for weeks. You hoped he could handle the situation well enough. 

When Kai finally arrived, he ushered you into one of the unisex bathrooms and closed the door, locking it for privacy. 

“So, bad news. The entire world may think that you’re my girlfriend tomorrow,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair and pulling on the strands in frustration. 

“What?” 

“There were multiple people and they all got pictures. I think they already got leaked by now. Even if I sue them and get the pictures taken down, millions will have already seen them. I’m so so sorry,” Kai told you.

Your face fell, knowing there was nothing you could do to prevent it. You really should have stayed home and watched those romcoms instead of going to dinner. 

“I can say that you’re just my friend. I don’t know how believable it will seem, though. We both dressed up for this, and it’s freaking Valentine’s day.” 

You sighed.

“It’s okay. What if… I just pretended to be your girlfriend? Then you won’t have to try to do damage control,” you offered, mulling over the options and outcomes. 

“What if you didn’t have to pretend?” Kai asked, taking a brave step for once. 

“What do you mean? We’re not dating.” 

“We could be.” 

“Are you seriously asking me out in the bathroom of a restaurant?” you teased, making Kai smile.

“And if I am?” You knew that look in his eyes, a soft glimmer. He really was in love with you.

“Then, I guess I’d say yes,” you smiled. He was lucky you were just as in love with him. 

“Tabloids are gonna love this story.”

txt taglist (bolded could not be tagged): @kangtaehyunzzz,, @eternalgyu,, @90steele,, @ddeonudepressions,, @cham3li,,

@wolfmoonmusic,, @98-0603,, @weird-bookworm,, @candewlsy,, @blossominghunnie,,

@amara-mars,, @wccycc,, @seunghancore,, @ujisworld,, @sobun1est,,

@bananabubble,, @talkingsaxy,, @sxmmerberries,, @talking-saxy,, @nicholasluvbot,,

@cupidslovearrows,, @50-husbands,, @hursheys,, @stannwjnss,, @gong-fourz,,

@nonononranghaee,, @forever-atiny,, @stantxtforabetterlife,, @loserlvrss

[lovecla]

IF YOU LOVE ME, LET ME KNOW | jack hughes.

chapter two:

<last chapter> <next chapter>

➴ warnings: none <3

➴ word count: 2.5k

➴ author’s note: this is pure fluffiness, the calm before the storm, the hughes being the best family in the world and jack making my heart MELT (i literally wrote him). i hope u guys enjoy this too. let me know what u think of this one:))

“AND that, my loves, it’s a wrap on ‘rip to my feelings’!” Grace yelled, and everyone yelled too.

You were in your studio with all of your producers and song-writers, plus Grace, and you had just finished recording the last song on your album.

You were beyond happy. Finishing this meant getting over everything Harris did to you. It was like closure. It was like restarting again.

“Guys, I’m so fucking happy, I love you all so much I could kiss you on the mouth right now,” you said, hugging John— the main producer.

“Don’t think Jack would appreciate that,” Grace mumbled when you hugged her, and you smacked her butt.

Jack.

You had sent him the demo of the album as soon as it was sent to your phone, not really sure why. You just wanted his opinion, that’s all.

Not much fuck buddy of you but whatever!

“Fuck off, Grace Morgan,” you fake whispered, laughing.

You all celebrated and laughed for hours, the time passing quickly whenever you spent it with the people you loved. You were grateful for having so many amazing people in your life, helping you to make your dreams come true.

Your phone rang, and you picked it up, unlocking it and smiling when you saw who had texted: Jack.

It was funny seeing how he complimented you in his own little, weird way. It made your heart beat in the wrong— right— way all over again.

“Did he just ask you on a date?” Grace whispered, probably reading your texts over your shoulder. Everyone else had already left— it was late, after all— and only Grace was left. You were sure she was probably going to sleep at your place anyway.

“I guess? We never just ‘hanged out’ before.” You sighed, replying to Jack’s texts.

“Woah,” she whistled, sitting back on the couch, looking at you funny. “Are you in love?”

“What?” You laughed, locking your phone. “What do you mean, we’ve been fucking for six months only. Chill.”

“Girl, like time matters to you!” She raised her arms. “You fell in love with that piece of shit in like three weeks, imagine with Jack, who fucks you every other week and treats you like you’re the most precious thing ever.”

“Excuse me? Are we talking about the same Jack?” You scoffed, crossing your arms. “Jack doesn’t treat anyone differently. Besides his family, that is.”

“Like the shit he does for you isn’t anything special, right? Like knowing your Five Guys order, or your favorite movies, or how you eat apple pie before your concerts,” she started listing those things on her fingers.

“He doesn’t know those things!” You raised your voice, trying to convince both you and her.

“Girl, I love you but stop playing dumb. He knows and you know he does! Why are you pretending that he doesn’t care about you? He just asked you on a date, for fuck’s sake.” She rolled her eyes.

“First of all,” you started, mentally listing your reasons. “We don’t know if it’s a date. He just said: dinner. He didn’t say ‘I wanna take you out on a date’. Second of all, I’m not denying anything, but I think I would know if I was in love with him, wouldn’t I?”

Actually. The answer was probably no. Harris fucked up your perception of love, and even though it’s been more than a year that you broke up with him, you still feel like you can’t really trust anyone anymore.

So you wouldn’t exactly be able to tell if you are in love or not. At least, you don’t think so.

But talking about love with your fuck buddy? Hell. No.

“You piss me off.” Grace bickered, turning the TV on. “Go change to your little date. I’ll be here, all alone and sad.”

“Pff, shut up. You’re just alone because you and Nico are dumbasses.” You said like it was a matter of fact and left the leaving room, leaving a very pink Grace behind.

Changing didn’t take long, and applying a light makeup didn’t either. You weren’t going to do anything special because, let’s be real, if you and Jack decided to be reckless and fuck somewhere, that makeup wouldn’t last long. So, why bother?

You left your house, saying goodbye to Grace and kissing her cheek. Jack’s fancy ass car was in front of your garage and you smiled, entering it.

“Hi, Jackie boy,” you greeted him, noticing how fucking good he looked, wearing his burgundy suit. Thank god to whoever created the suit rule in hockey. You’ll forever be grateful.

“Hey.” He greeted back, and did something surprising. He kissed you. Softly, and not like any other kiss you’ve shared in the past.

And that didn’t do anything to help the little cardiac arrest you had every time you were around him.

“Are we ready to rock our lasagna?” You asked, half embarrassed and half confused with what you were feeling. Food always made it better though.

“We sure are.” He smiled before starting the car again.

The silence was comfortable but your thoughts were too loud so you took the liberty of turning the radio on, scaring yourself with how loud the music playing was. And, shockingly, your music. Already Over was blasting through the speakers.

You looked at him, and he just shrugged, cheeks red.

“Were you listening to my music on the way to my place?”

“Yeah, why not? It’s good,” he blushes so cutely you find yourself wanting to chomp a piece of his cheek.

“You’re so cute, Jackie. Thanks, means a lot,” you had a feeling you were blushing too, and you thanked God he wasn’t looking at you. “I’m excited to release it.”

“When are you doing it?” He asked, making a U turn.

“Beginning of the next month. Now I have to take pictures and set up the concept for it. It’s my favourite part.”

“Are you doing any music videos with a guy dying?” He asked and you stared at him, once again surprised. Had he been watching your music videos? All of them? “What?”

“Are you a fan?” You giggled, genuinely happy. Harris hated to talk about your work, and he never listened to your songs for more than ten minutes.

“Nico forces us to listen to your songs and watch your music videos,” he answered, nonchalantly. You smiled, nodding your head. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?” You played dumb.

“Like that. You have this little minx stare that you do whenever you’re plotting something.” He smiled this time, and God if the sight didn’t make you feel full.

“You’re no fun,” you sighed, looking at the view. “Also, where is this restaurant? We’ve been driving for at least twenty minutes and nothing in Jersey takes more than that.”

“The restaurant is actually my parents’ house.” He says, like it’s nothing.

“What?!” You yelled, turning your head in his direction. “What do you mean you’re taking me to your fucking parents’?”

“Yeah. Ma’s making lasagna for you.”

Your cheeks were burning hot and you had this bubbly feeling inside of you. You were feeling something really weird and you started to wonder if Grace was right and—

“Soph?” You heard his voice, gentle and soft. You looked at him, noticing that he wasn’t driving anymore, and that the car was now parked in front of a big, beautiful, colonial house. His parents’ house. “We can go back if you want to, baby. Ma won’t be angry or anything like that.”

Stop making me want to trust you, Jack.

He caressed your cheek, and you snapped out of it. “No, it’s fine. I just… you could’ve said something, y’know? I’m wearing sweatpants.” You tried to make a joke, smiling. He smiled too.

“I’ll put on some sweatpants too, so we’re matching,”

“Right.”

You left the car, taking a deep breath. It was just his parents. You weren’t even dating so it would be fine.

Wait.

“What did you tell them? That you’re bringing one of the girls you’re fucking home?” You asked just before you walked in their property.

He raised an eyebrow at you, scowling. “First of all, I’m not fucking anyone else. It’s just you. Second of all, I told them I’m bringing a friend.”

You nodded, not trusting yourself to do anything else.

He’s not fucking anyone else? Jack Hughes? The man whore of the NJ Devils?

Yikes, sure.

You both walked into the house, Jack not bothering knocking before entering it. A delicious smell of fresh tomato sauce and herbs reached your nose and you could swear your mouth was watering.

“Ma, we’re here!” Jack yelled, making you jump a little bit. You eyed him before facing the woman in front of you, who was absolutely gorgeous. She looked so fucking young and pretty, and you were biting your tongue, trying not to say something stupid. “Hi, Ma, this is Soph. Soph, that’s Ellen, Ma Hughes,”

“Hi, Mrs. Hughes. Nice to meet you.” You said, certain that your cheeks were on flame.

Ellen took a step closer, smiling. “Hi, darlin’. No need for formalities, dear, it’s just Ellen. I would hug you but,” she pointed at her apron and shrugged. “A bit dirty.”

“Thank you for having me.”

“No, thank you for making this guy over here visit me,” she slapped Jack’s shoulder, both of them smiling together. “He only called because he said you wanted to eat lasagna and he loves mine so that’s why he’s here.”

If your face wasn’t going to melt before, it definitely was now. You were going to kill Jack. For real this time.

“Come on, Ma, I can’t be worse than Luke and Quinn. They don’t even remember your address anymore,” was Jack actually pouting? Jesus. Your heart was not ready to see that.

“Stop throwing us under the bus, dickhead.” Luke’s voice was heard and you and Jack both watched as both Quinn and Luke entered the room. “‘Sup, Soph.”

“Hi, Luke. Hi, Quinn,” you greeted them with cheek kisses, not even wanting to acknowledge that you had actually missed them. “Long time no see.”

“Hey, Soph,” Quinn quietly answered, not a single thought behind those eyes. “Great to see you.”

“I hope you’re all hungry because your mom outdid herself tonight,” Jim, the dad, said, smiling when he noticed you. “Hello there. I’m Jim.”

“Hi,” you whispered, mortified with all the attention you were getting. Some would think that performing for big crowds would make you less anxious to meet people. Nope. “I’m Sophia. Thank you for having me.”

“It’s fine, as my baby was saying, we do need our son to visit more.”

As they discussed why Jack didn’t visit them more frequently, you felt Jack’s arms around your waist and his mouth on the tip of your ear. You froze. “Yeah, they call each other baby and honey. Sorry about that.”

You managed to smile, trying not to get his family’s attention. They certainly wouldn’t understand why he was this close to a friend.

“I think it’s cute.”

The dinner went awesomely well. The lasagna was amazing and Ellen and Jim were the cutest couple ever, you could see how they’ve raised three amazing men.

They asked questions about what being a postar meant nowadays, and what was it like during your tours, and how could someone sing and dance at the same time, and have you ever met Adele?

They’re great people. Even Quinn and Luke, who had talked to you before on different occasions, made sure you were included in every topic, and Luke even asked for a signed cap so he could wear it at UMich.

“Do you guys know what we should definitely do?” Ellen started, after forcing all of the boys to organize the kitchen and do the dishes, while you sat with her drinking wine. Yeah, you loved her. “Karaoke. Let Soph here show us how good she is.”

“Maa,” you could hear Luke whining, while running his hands through his beautiful curls. “You do this every time.”

“You’ll make her work on her day off? That’s wild, Ma.” Jack joked, putting his arms around your shoulder. You froze again, looking at the expressions of his family, trying to picture anything out of place.

No one was looking at you weirdly, besides Ellen who plastered the most gorgeous smile you’ve ever seen, which made you smile too.

“I don’t mind singing…” you said, softly.

“Perfect!” Ellen stood up from her seat, pouring more wine on her glass. “Jim, set the karaoke thing on.”

“It’s called YouTube, Ma.” Jack rolled his eyes.

“Leave your mom alone, ugly face,” Jim called him out, on his way to do exactly what Ellen asked. “Sophia, can you sing some Elvis?”

“Yes, ‘course.” You also got up, discussing with Jim which song he wanted you to sing.

“Tell her to sing our song, honey!” Ellen yelled from the dinner table.

“Ah, yes, yes.”

Turns out that their song is Can’t Help Falling in Love, which was so freaking sweet. You sang the romantic lyrics while Jim and Ellen danced with each other, swinging slowly and delicately.

Quinn and Luke were recording themselves with you singing in the background, while you waved happily to the camera.

Jack was sitting on the couch, watching you sing. You could feel his eyes on you, observing your every move, smiling whenever you’d hit a high note or change the song’s rhythm.

It was nice. So, so nice. The Hughes were such nice people and you felt so safe and adored around them. They asked you to sing more songs and when you noticed, you were singing an upbeat song with Jim and dancing between Quinn and Luke while Ellen filmed everything. Until Jack grabbed you again and made you sing in front of him, for him. And boy, how you wanted to kiss him. His blue eyes were shining brightly and he looked just as happy as you felt.

You ended the singing when it was around midnight, everyone exhausted and sweaty— even if it was winter.

You started saying your goodbyes and thanking Ellen and Jim for the best lasagna you’ve ever eaten and for the hospitality too.

“I hope you come back soon.” Ellen whispered in your ear when you were hugging her, and you held her slightly tighter.

When you left the house with Jack, you couldn’t contain your happiness inside you. Grabbing his arm, you pulled him until you were near his car, and standing on your tiptoes, you kissed him.

He wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you impossibly closer, both of you moaning inside each other’s mouth. His tongue made its way inside your mouth, pillowy and so soft. You were finally melting into Jack’s arms and nothing could be better.

Until you realized what was going on.

You had just had dinner with Jack’s family, sang and danced with them, and now you were in the middle of the street of a fancy neighborhood, with Jack Hughes holding you close to his chest, while devouring your mouth.

And instead of not feeling anything, instead of keeping things casual, you were feeling everything. Each tiny part of every emotion there is in this world were making their way into your heart and, unfortunately, you didn’t want to take them out.

Because for the first time in more than one year, you wanted to feel.

[solid-white]

Engineer's theme song is one of the few songs WITHOUT any backup. Obviously right? Because Engineer is the one playing the song.

Out of all the 33 tracks, just Engineer's theme has no backup. Only his, and when there is backup, it's an bass guitar.

But, here's the thing, all the songs are jazz, with the added instruments to go with the characters (Scout has bongos, Demo's bagpipes, Soldier's trumpet, etc)

But Sniper's? His is only saxophone. The saxophone is present in EVERY single song, in EVERY single one of the tracks. Including Engineer's.

MEANING, THIS MOTHERFUCKER MADE ALL THE SONGS:

I actually lied about everything I just said.

But now that you're here, lemme tell you about what all the instruments each merc plays (FYI, I won't be mentioning taunts used twice, like the guitar, cymbals and drums. I'm only using ones unique to their characters):

Obviously Sniper and Engineer play the guitar and saxophone, as you can see. I think Sniper was also playing the saxophone in Expiration Date? But don't quote me on that.

Soldier plays the trombone, which is funny considering his theme songs are usually accompanies by trumpets. But the more you know.

Pyro has a taunt where they use their axe like a guitar, so we can assume they can play the guitar too.

Scout plays the bongos. Since almost everyone on the TF2 team can play an instrument, he for sure was playing the bongos in his own theme song:

Medic has a taunt where he plays his bonesaw like a violin, so we can assume he plays the violin.

Heavy doesn't play any instruments. I'm somewhat disappointed he doesn't have a taunt where he plays Sasha like a cello, since he would've matched with Medic's taunt. But it also makes sense with his backstory and personality, he's more of a listener then anything else.

Spy doesn't play an instrument either, but something I heard was that Spy's voice actor copies Scout's voice to make Meet The Spy more authentic, since Spy's disguise (nudge nudge wink wink to anyone who gets that reference) doesn't mimic the mercs voices. Though I'm not too sure if that's true, so don't quote me. I'm guessing Spy has a sickass singing voice considering he can voice act really well.

And finally, Demo. He plays the piano and bagpipes as seen in his taunts and probably Expiration Date. Again, for the third time, don't quote me because I couldn't find the original scene this was in.

[ice-creamforbreakfast]

My 𝐓𝐨𝐩 24 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬 from 2024🎉

Thank you to @surely-sims and @lostinsixam for tagging me 🥰

This was a bit of a wild year, so there were gaps in my simming activities, but I still got up to the usual chaos!

Tagging @obigem, @simmingnate, @eljeebee, @gilded-ghosts, @melbrewer367 and anyone else who wants to take part!

January

Starting off with Aria and Ryozo's wedding. It wasn't meant to happen, but every time I had plans to throw a spanner in the works, his little face stopped me. Of course Aria wore a pink, sequin jumpsuit.

When Elio met Allan. Aria, ever the social climber, invited Allan and his mum over to be neighbourly/nosey and Allan's first impression of Elio was less than enthusiastic. They later bonded over being scouts weirdos.

February

I started a BACC challenge and absolutely loved it, then my ADHD brain kicked in and I got very confused and it became too stressful to follow the rules 🤣 I may revisit it at some point.

As a direct result of my BACC confusion, I started playing my very old, and very loved Enekjaer rotational save in TS3. There's something lovely about time just standing still, even as the years hurtle past.

March

The Crumplebottoms celebrate Gaia's birthday. I love this save. There's no set story, only chaos.

The penny drops for Elio, who was oblivious in his scouting weirdness. I love his vacant little face.

April

The wig snatching motherplant makes itself known to Elio, and unknown to him, sets him on a path that will shape the rest of his life.

Not a screenshot as such, but one of the CC sets I'm most proud of. I was so honoured that my bestie @obigem trusted me to work with her on this collection and very happy with how it turned out.

May

I had jaw surgery and the drugs were good. I don't remember doing this, but I guess this is when I downloaded Re-Light.

My bebe Caleb in the TS3verse. He was one of the first sims I created (if not the first) when I got the TS4 CAS demo, so it felt right that he got to be in other versions of the game.

June

Elio fucked around and found out. Sure it all worked out in the end, but I did enjoy the mess.

Trashleen coming in hot with the good advice. "Let them chat shit behind your back. Rent is expensive." She's correct. Live rent-free in the heads of your enemies.

July

I spent way too much time building Evil Pappy's Glue factory for a few photos of Alan's post-school fate and subsequent rescue. It made sense in my head for an evil cowboy to have a glue factory.

August

Trashleen and Mitzipuff lead the pack when it comes to style, but they just had to jump on the 'demure and mindful' trend for this shot.

The Motherplant battle always gives amazing shots. Elio and his friends beat the Motherplant and managed to rescue Miguel.

September

I update my models subtly every so often, but this time, quite a few of them visited the CAS surgeon for some minor adjustments.

I love the entire Poppy Collection I made with @surely-sims, but this dress is my standout and I'm so pleased with what I was able to achieve with it! Izumi serves as an 80s goddess.

October

October brought us Life and Death, and of course the big face mountain deserved a Cabbagepatch photoshop edit!

And then we have three! Elio, Allan and Miguel sorted their drama and decided to try being a throuple...it just so happened that the game allowed it now.

November

I was inspired by Ravenwood, and decided to do a little elven edit. No storyline, only elves and fireflies.

November marked the return of the Smyths, and a huge change in Cabbagepatch's relationship with her arch enemy Figgyduff. The sisters joined forces to conquer the Clucking Cosa Nostra once and for all.

December

Cabbagepatch formally invites you to attend a beautiful Easter concert with some definitely Easter themed CC that will be released most generously and totally on time for the Easter season in which they are meant to be used.

@joliebean and I were on our Christmas bullshit again with our latest Christmas collab! Esther got added back into the model rotation for this Marilyn moment.

[northern-passage]

I really don't get how Lea could ever think they and the Hunter were a team, when apparently they knew about the collar thing while the hunter didn't even know??? They are the literal embodiment of the Hunter's alienation and dehumanization. Will Lea (and the narrative) ever acknowledge how fucking despicable the order actually is??? They're a bunch of child abusers who prey on poor families and practice human trafficking. On that note I actually deeply despise the Hunter's mentor. That fight scene with him forcing us to stand up again and again? I don't care that the same was done to him and he did it to make the Hunter stronger or whatever. That was the same logic my grandmother had when she hit my mother, and she would have done the same to us if my mother hadn't cut ties with her and broke the cycle of generational violence. I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't play this game right now as it very clearly trigger some things within me that I should address elsewhere than in your ask box, but I guess I needed to express how helpless the Hunter made me feel. Especially with Lea. My character (and myself I guess) couldn't sit down and have a normal conversation with them given how blind they were to the Hunter's situation, and that was even before I understood what the collar thing truly meant after replaying the demo and reading the last snippet you published. Lea comes from a powerful family with ties everywhere, they are literally called our 'handler', and they know what the ladder does to someone (both short term and long term, mentally and physically)... And they truly think them and the Hunter are the same??? Equals??? The only explanation I can find is that they grew up their entire life within the order and never knew anything else, and so this is a case of great ignorance and deep denial. They need a good wake up call and a lot of character development, but when I see Noel's reaction and Lea's behavior during their rival route, I'm kinda worried.

well... i mean most of what you've mentioned here is The Point. Lea is a hypocrite, and the hunter can argue with them and refuse their partnership because of it. Jorah is an asshole and treated the hunter poorly at times, to the point that him and Rodrick argued about it frequently, and is why Rodrick attempts to intervene when they spar. the Order does cause harm and coerces people into their ranks, usually children or those that are more vulnerable and lack other options; and this is always true no matter how the hunter tries to justify it and convince themselves otherwise. all of the people and institutions in this game are complex, none of them are righteous, and they exist as they do because i have something i want to say-- all of these are choices i've intentionally made when writing this story.

and we're only on chapter 1 right now (and even before the rerelease, only on chapter 2), all of the characters need character development, none of their arcs have even started yet.

this story is supposed to make you Feel, big feelings and little feelings, my goal is for people to connect with the characters or at the very least just empathize with them and have a desire to see their stories through. i'm not out to trigger people but this game is intended to be a dark fantasy that explores heavier topics. i'm always open to discussing my thoughts behind certain characters/narrative choices and i will always welcome suggestions if you feel i need to add something to the content warning list, but i really don't like asks like this, and i'm not really sure how to respond as a stranger on the internet. you can either trust me and my intent as the author, or maybe it would be better to not continue with the story if that's what is best and safest for you. only you can know and make that choice, not me.

[evertidings]

I'm always surprised when you say people didn't like Blane or K at first because of their personalities considering characters like them - antagonistic towards the MC at first and who warm up with time - are usually pretty popular in IF.

I guess your playerbase is a bit less into it than others I've seen?

Regardless, anything that has to do with one-sided rivalry / enmity or "hurt and forgiveness" or stuff like that is something I will always love, so Blane is so perfect for me. I don't know if I ever mentionned it, but I'm extremely grateful that you allowed players to have a MC who doesn't hate Blane and don't consider them a rival. I really hate it when a game forces players to have a MC who hates someone or considers them a rival - in some cases, it's a deal breaker for me, even! As in, something that bothers me too much to even play the game, let alone romance that character.

And on that note, I'm very excited for the next update as I miss the little gang so much - not only Blane!

i remember when i first released the demo (ages ago!!) i had many many complaints about how Blane was harassing the hunter. someone even asked why the hunter doesn’t go to HR. not a completely invalid point, but also, they never take it that far.

i was also a bit surprised though, because i personally love colder characters that eventually warm up to the mc. the development is so satisfying to me (and rewarding!).

but i’m happy that you’re pleased with the options!! i try my best to allow players to have a variety of personality options and relationships with the ros, and while, of course, it’s not possible to do everything and please everyone, i’ve mostly gotten positive feedback which is a huge relief.

i’m excited for you all to see the gang again!

[panlight]

Never cared for her, But i kinda feel sorry for Renesmee because her life kinda a mess! Her parents are teenagers who spend most of their time obsessing over eachother, her father can hear everything she thinks, her boyfriend used to be in love with her mother, she lives with her "aunts and uncles" and "grandparents" who are barely older than her but still interfere in her life. She is a different from everybody else: Vampire or human. Do you think Renesmee will be happy with her life?

I do feel bad for Renesmee growing up with literally no privacy because her dad can read her mind (and her 'uncle' knows what she's feeling) and everyone else has heightened senses so there's really no sneaking around either. But -- it's all she's ever known so maybe it will seem 'normal' to her? IDK.

My best guess for how Renesmee's story will play out will be her feeling like she's "caught between two worlds" as a half-vampire, half-human hybrid, and she'll have a complex about being weaker and slower than her full vampire family even though every single one of them lavish attention and love and praise on her all the time. It's going to be "no one understands me!" Charlie and Jacob (still don't like the imprint) help her connect with her human side because even though Bella's not been a vampire that long, she never really valued humanity as a concept. Charlie and Jacob take her to do normal human things like, get ice cream, go to the movies, play mini-golf.

As she reaches maturity her feelings for "my Jacob" start to shift, and it freaks her out, and it makes her wonder if she has any choices in life at all, and one way or another she meets Nahuel again and they bond. It's love triangle 2.0. But she comes back to the same question: if he's literally the only male of her species, is she really making a "choice" in picking him? Eventually she realizes it's Jacob, it's always been Jacob, and stops trying to separate the two parts of herself or see herself as separate from her loving if too-close-for-comfort vampire family and blah de blah blah blah.

They eventually get married and have twins. Twins run in Jacob's family and I'm guessing SM did that for a reason. The twins in Jacob's family are girl twins, perhaps identical, but I feel like Renesmee will have boy-girl twins and they will have Cool Powers and will be important in taking down the Volturi in Renesmee Saga Book 2 or 3.

I can just tell you right now that this kind of character is not for me; I would find her sighing and complaining about no one understanding her and feeling left out really annoying when she's surrounded by love and support and every material luxury. But I'm not the target demo anymore and this might appeal to teenagers who are experiencing similar feelings minus the supernatural context.

[i-gwarth]

My thoughts on the aftermath of the [SPOILER] Quest

So earlier today, having gotten to a "Liked" level with all members of the Hex, I played through the Finale quest. It was very nice, and kind of what I expected. Spoilers follow

They now trust you enough to let you in via Transference, and you can help them to survive. Aoi's "you have the power" scene was the weakest of the bunch but I like her too much for that to be a real issue for me. I also genuinely loved the ending diorama, with the Drifter smiling, pizza party and fucking Amir being in two places at once.

The Hex are by far the most loveable set of NPCs this game has gotten since the Solaris people. They are all *delightful* and genuine and I cannot praise the performances enough. I also loved that Albrecht came across as a complete piece of shit in the main campaign, but ended on a more positive note in the Finale. The guy is at his best when he is 80% a scumbag and 20% a genuinely traumatized old man burning himself up trying to atone for his sins in a way that will cause a lot of casualties. The Deimos wall fragments were a good setup, but IMO he really shines through in the Albrecht's Journal codex entries. He reckons with the impossibility of doing good when his whole skillset and all of his experience (being immortal, an Orokin scientist, and dealing with the Indifference) stems from evil. It's good

But I have 2 negative pieces of feedback regarding post-finale content:

1. Rusalka. Where the FUCK is the Major? Guys you simply cannot make a character who looks and acts LIKE THAT and then put her in a demo and two cutscenes and nothing else. It is morally and ethically wrong, it is homophobic, it is the downfall of Western civilization as we know it, the sack of Rome and it makes me, specifically, sad. DE please consider bringing her back. Maybe she's the new face of the Indifference going forward

2. Arthur's message. "We made things right but now we have to keep them right"? "I guess you have to keep the loop going"? This is so bad it nearly undermines the otherwise excellent writing of the whole update. The Hex are a group trying to make a difference in a specific time and place. I get that Warframe relies on cyclical open-ended gameplay and there HAS to be a way for them to stay in the 1999 setting. But how is it "keeping things right" to re-do the same year, over and over again, ad infinidum? How is it helping the city if it's still infested on January 1sth, 2000, but the Hex are in a time loop? It is a meaningless cycle and the Hex "accepting" it is a horrible decision. Lettie is *distraught* at the idea of being stuck in the loop. She doesn't even think she's alive anymore.

I can't imagine there are no better ways to handle this. Maybe the Drifter offers them the OPTION to leave the loop (like the drifter themself has the option to leave Duviri and return whenever), but they choose to stay in it for a few more cycles to "understand" themselves? Maybe the Drifter loops back but the Hex themselves don't, and only partially remember previous cycles enough to retain standing/chemistry levels with them?

The hex are not like the people of Duviri, built out of whole cloth, aware of and at peace with an inherently cyclical (yet decaying) existence. They're people in a very gritty, realistic context, international aid workers trying to help in a crisis. It's isn't HELPING if the crisis continues in perpetuity like a carnival fair ride. They deserve better than to be made willing playthings

[bubblyshortie]

while playing the demo i experienced lots of dialogues like this 🥹 i guess it's because i chose crushes during step 1

i love child crushes, so innocent and clumsy, it's fun to play as a kid who gets flustered easily because the kid can't process those feelings very well kakskdkskf makes me giggle every time, reminds me of my childhood so bad

isn't she the best friend a kid can ever have?? love the "i saw a cool rock so i brought it for you" love language uwuwuwuwuwuwuwu

and i knew choosing him as a crush would be right on point... like, my younger-self would've FALLEN for qiu SO bad irl —I'm one of those who have self-insert MC, what about it

omg, i wish parents were real

qiu when he founds out about my pronouns 🥹🥹🥹

i love how the lil details really make you feel like youre 10 again and chatting with your 10 yo pals

[danishphoner]

Alex Turner talks ditching the 'naiveté' of the previous Last Shadow Puppets album

Alex Turner has made a name for himself in recent years as the slick frontman of British alt-rockers Arctic Monkeys. Though he looks the part when he strides in to meet with EW — perfectly coiffed hair, a bright turquoise suit, and a pristine white linen shirt unbuttoned to the chest — Turner isn’t promoting new music from his most popular project.

Instead, he’s joined by Miles Kane, the former frontman of the Rascals, who created the Last Shadow Puppets with Turner back in 2007, well before the Arctic Monkeys were rocking stadiums and Olympic stages. Kane and Turner have reconvened the group — which also includes super producer James Ford (Florence + the Machine, Haim) and string mastermind Owen Pallett (Arcade Fire, Beirut) — for the follow-up to 2008’s The Age of Understatement.

Where Understatement was a syrupy homage to the likes of Scott Walker, Kane and Turner introduce a more worldly sensibility on Everything You’ve Come to Expect, which includes raucous jams (“Bad Habits”), sly Brit-pop (“Dracula Teeth”), and serene ballads (the title track). Turner attributes the shift on the new album, which dropped earlier this month, to newfound maturity: “That naiveté we shared has long since gone the way of old flesh.”

Kane and Turner sat down with EW to discuss why they chose to resurrect the Last Shadow Puppets, recording at Rick Rubin’s studio, and whether they’ll release a third album.

Written by Eric Renner Brown Photography by Zackery Michael

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: The Last Shadow Puppets haven’t released a record for nearly a decade. Why now? How’d you get the band back together? ALEX TURNER: In the last eight years, Miles and I have seen each other a lot, James and I have seen each other, those two probably bumped into each other now and again, but the three of us being together was quite rare. We talked occasionally, like, “Maybe we’ll do another [record]” but it started to seem like it wasn’t going to happen. Then there was this one night and we were all back in Miles’s flat. Some other people got talking about it and we were like, “Oh f–k, yeah, we could give it another roll of the dice.” We woke up the next day and were like “Oh god, we’re going to have to follow this through now.”

And so then, was it just immediately writing and recording demos? AT: Me and Miles had already been writing a little bit for what was possibly going to be next. We always thought “Aviation,” which ended up being the first track on the album, had the properties of a Shadow Puppets song, if there is such a thing. Then it became, “Alright, but it’s not enough to stay there. We’ve gotta try and explore other things.” I guess that’s what the next ten songs do. [Laughs]

Are there themes on the album that you’re exploring? Or did you guys just want to play together again? AT: The lyrical side of things was not discussed that much. But the musical side of it was like, yeah, we should definitely explore.

How did working with James Ford contribute to that? AT: Having him agree to do it again was integral. The moment you start discussing the reference material for too long, it becomes stifling to the creative process. One thing that working with [Ford] allows you is you don’t get stuck in that. He says, “OK, we’re going to push you in this direction as far as we can” but [knows] when to stop. That’s what you want.

What did Owen Pallett bring to the table? AT: Last time, we brought [Pallett] in after we [finished recording]. We met up with him once in a hotel room in Manchester — just the fact that we had anything [from him] on [the album] was blowing our minds. When we recorded that, it blossomed into something that we could never envisage before. This time we thought, “Let’s get Owen to do the strings again, but this time let’s get him to come down to the studio. If he’s there, we’ll be able to communicate better.” There was a piano in the other room and he’d kind of — MILES KANE: Whisk in. AT: Yeah, float in and out and then have an idea and shoot off there. Every time we’d be in the control room and the song would end you’d just hear [Pallett] shredding the grand [piano]. It was wicked.

How do you guys plan to take these songs on the road? AT: Last time, we had the orchestra every time. It’s difficult to do that and it’s f–king really expensive. And some rooms you play in, you stick an orchestra in there and it’s not even built for it. This time we’ll have a smaller [group] and adapt the arrangements accordingly. I won’t be doing that, but…

How have you guys changed since the last album? MK: My singing has changed — [becoming] not afraid to sing stuff, which is something Alex would help. Before doing this record, [I’d be] singing in a certain style thinking “Oh, it sounds too weak” or “It sounds too thin.” That door opened up for me [on this record]. AT: This, in the first place, was a chance to try something else. The first Shadow Puppets record was the first time that either of us had tried to really sing like that. The fact that we didn’t quite make the mark is almost one of the things that’s good about it. This time we’re more equipped to sing like that.

I saw that you guys recorded at Rick Rubin’s studio. Did he stop by to provide his wisdom from the couch? AT: He didn’t, no. There’s a machine in the control room where you can bring him up like a hologram, if you’re really stuck. But we resisted turning that knob. It would’ve been embarrassing for James, more than anything else.

It would hurt his cred. AT: How’s he going to take that?

You’ve said this is like the second in a trilogy of Last Shadow Puppets records: How do you see it fitting in with the context of your last one? Do you think you’ll do another? AT: That’s the dream: We’ve got this third one and we’ll tie up all the loose ends. This one, maybe there’s a few loose ends left and next time, sonically, we need resolution. And, you know, so does the world. [Laughs] Some Shadow Puppets resolution.