#i have so many OTPs how painful

[niuxita21]

I don’t want to go through two breakups. I know. I... I don’t like this at all, either. The thing about the medicine was a misunderstanding, a lack of communication. We have to talk to each other. Hey, you started with your tantrums! Yes, I know! I’m here to apologize and see how we can fix this, so that things can work out. I think we could start by telling each other everything about our babies. Yes. [beat] How are you? I miss talking to you, but I know... that this is for the best. I’m not ready. Regina’s tummy is doing much better. Aw, that’s good. Well, I’m off. 

[blasphemousclaw]

Idk if you plan on doing the "questions-about-character-x" list yet, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on Marika (maybe with a side of Radagon but mostly the golden strumpet).

• favorite thing about them

nothing hits me harder than characters who lash out because of the injustice or suffering they’ve endured… there’s something so cathartic about characters who make their pain and anger felt in the world in a tangible and consequential way. Marika is this character to me!! I think it’s so powerful to introduce her as an all-powerful goddess, keeping her at a distance as this enigmatic figure who shaped the world as it is today and then shattered it, and then to humanize her by showing us where she comes from and what she went through… she was never just a cold, distant, uncaring deity, but a person, with very human motivations and flaws. learning her backstory gives us so much context for why she did the things that she did and gives us the opportunity to feel close to her and empathize with her… I think she was always sympathetic in the base game, but she still felt so distant, so I really love how the dlc fleshed her out and made her character so accessible

• least favorite thing about them

this isn’t even about her, but about how the fanbase has responded to her writing in the dlc because like dear god

it almost makes me want to avoid content of her which sucks because I really like her LOL

• favorite line

“Hear me, Demigods. My children beloved. Make of thyselves that which ye desire. Be it a Lord. Be it a God. But should ye fail to become aught at all, ye will be forsaken. Amounting only to sacrifices...”

absolutely fascinating quote… we don’t really know the context, so there’s many different ways to interpret it… Marika urging her children to become a lord or a god is interesting, because when she deposed the Gloam-Eyed Queen and removed Destined Death from the Elden Ring, it seemed like she was fighting hard to stay in power and to become “Eternal,” but her children succeeding her would necessarily end her reign? This also almost seems like she’s encouraging conflict between her children… there can only be one god and one lord, after all. we don’t know when the quote was spoken, but it almost seems to reference Ranni’s sacrifice of Godwyn on her path to godhood on her own terms? is this a warning? is it a challenge? is it just the words of an extremely jaded and cynical goddess?

• brOTP, ОТР

ok I’m gonna do away with this format here because I just want to list some of her relationships that I really like without having to categorize them:

Marika and Messmer: the dynamic of Marika being a god-queen whose grace is blinding, and her son being born cursed with a serpent of the lightless abyss is so good… him taking up the crusade on her behalf, of his own volition, because he hates how he was born so deeply and will do anything to try to atone for something that isn’t even his fault, committing horrors in her name, is SOOOO

Marika and Radagon: I love pondering where one of them starts and the other begins, how they have opposite goals and worldviews but exist in the same being. really good

Marika and Rennala: I wouldn’t call it an otp but I like it as a ship. Marika being the one to steal away Rennala’s husband, but she actually IS her husband. unparalleled dynamic

• nОТР

there arent any Marika ships I’ve seen that I dislike

• random headcanon

I think she was horrified and disgusted by Morgott and Mohg AND she loved them still. omen babies would have their horns cut off, usually causing them to die, but omen babies born of royalty did not have their horns cut off, so they were allowed to live… I love the idea that Marika couldn’t bear to sentence her children to death, but she also couldn’t bear to look at them because of her past, so they were confined to the Shunning Grounds

• unpopular opinion

*cracks knuckles*

SO MANY people have the wrong idea about her. you’ve got people saying everything she did was justified, she didn’t go far enough, “total hornsent death” etc etc. and on the other hand you’ve got people saying the dlc writing is terrible because it’s excusing Marika for her crimes, it’s baiting you to feel bad for the hornsent and then pulling a plot twist that actually, they were evil and Marika was good the whole time!

both of these interpretations are flawed because the story is not arguing that the hornsent are fundamentally evil people, and it is not arguing that Marika is now blameless because of what she suffered. the story is rife with moments of sympathy for the hornsent’s suffering and examples of the crusade’s inexcusable cruelty, and so much of what’s in the base game showcases the cruelty that Marika’s Order has inflicted. just because the story is giving Marika a sympathetic reason for why she is the way she is does not mean that these facts cease to exist! sympathy for Marika, sympathy for the hornsent, and condemnation for the Golden Order’s and the crusade’s crimes can all exist in the story at the same time!!!!!

• song i associate with them

…how about this: if anyone has a song in mind, leave it in the replies or tags!

• favorite picture of them

Ranni holding her head u_u

[alwayswriting101]

Can you recommend some Florelia fanfics please?

So this is actually a terrible question to ask me because I think all Florelia fics are amazing just by the nature of having my OTP 😅.

But here are my general recommendations:

Literally anything and everything by @florelia12. All of her work is fantastic x1000, But Moonlight & Monsters has literally changed my life. I love this fic (and all her fics) soooo much. She is also a (obviously) a massive Florelia stan. AO3 page

The Florelia chapters in Winx Club One Shots by SeaEmerald (chapters 2, 5, and 6). Oh my God is their writing incredible. Very highly recommend all of their fics, if you're interested in other couples/fandoms.

A Natural Fit: Soulmates AU. Also anything by QueenofHufflepuff. I love their writing style to the point where it's inspired my own fics!) They also go under Matrices and Vectors on ffn.

All the Petals Fall by @lynpheas. I swear to God this fic made me quit writing because like what point is there in writing when a fic this good exists 😭😭😭. Also recommend all of @lynpheas works but not all of them are Florelia. AO3 page

Black Sky by SilverSongstress. I cannot emphasize how epic this story is. There's lots of Florelia conflict (that doesn't really get resolved by the end (at least to my memory)) and I was okay with that! There are some issues re: formatting but it's truly a very strong story.

Lunar Rainbow and Under the Cherry Blossoms by Roxy Fan 4 Ever. Literally love these fics so much. So romantic!

The Neighbor by libra986. Now I actually don't remember shit from fuck from this fic, but I remember being OBESSED with it...do with that what you will...

High Temperatures . I like this one.

Six Years, This one is just so nostalgic for me, I think it was one of the OG Florelia fics 😭. I can't tell you how much it PAINS me the sequel is unfinished.

I Promise, Courage from the Heart, Save Me, My Turn to Save You, and Remember Me by Lill2350. Again very nostalgic fics! I think they have a few more Florelia fics as well.

Living a Dream. Very Cute fic.

Chastity Slightly NSFW so don't open if you're at work or underage. But I thought this was a really cute/romantic fic.

Style by KinkyWings. I think this fic is really, really cute. The author has other fics based on more...untraditional pairings (and fics that are definitely NSFW), but I really like this one.

Waned Worries. Why did this person orphan this account 😭? Really good oneshot.

Kamilia has written a bunch of Florelia stories, too many to list and many of them NSFW in one way or another, but check them out if you'd like!

Flora's Christmas. Just a cute Christmas Time Oneshot

As an aside: here are some fics that I tend to really enjoy that focus on Flora or (mostly) Helia as individuals and not as a couple.

Retired, Falling, and The Moonlight Project by @redemptionarcsucker. Their characterizations of Helia are unmatched. And their writing is impeccable! AO3 page

Also @floralovebot has really great Flora/Helia/Florelia headcanons/characterizations on their page.

A Conversation Between... Literally, love this fic with every beat of my heart since I read it years ago. This fic actually focuses mostly on Stormy but Flora has a lot of characterization through her.

The Meaning of the Color Black and Inspired by Kikurukina Bal Des'cagel. Fantastic Helia centric stories by a fantastic author. They have also written on other pairings.

Names. A random, unromantic one shot but I really like the concept.

Never Have I Ever and A Specialist's Journey by QueenofHufflepuff. I've already raved about them in the rec above. Really amazing work. The former is Flora based and the latter mostly Helia based (from what I can remember).

The Shimmering Sunflowers. I am a big fan of fics where Flora is a big sister to Miele.

And finally, I always recommend The Great Witch Rebellion, Brothers at Arms, Band of Brothers, and Bonds of Brotherhood by tearsinrain These fics are focused on the group as a whole and are basically rewrites of the main storyline, but these fics are fantastic. I would bind them into a book if I could. The characterization of Helia (who unfortunately is not really featured in Brothers at Arms), is amazing. And the Florelia scenes that are available are really amazing.

I am a big, big fan of Florelia. If I could fit every fic featuring them onto this ask, I would, but unfortunately, I can't! But if anyone has any additional recommendations please feel free to add! I'm sure there are some stories/authors whom I loved but might have missed, but this is a very general list.

[writing-for-life]

Lupē

Finally, finally I manage a Calliope/Morpheus fic (the Sandman Rarepair Fest had to come along to kick me into gear). It’s just a short vignette, but I hope I did them justice because they will always be the OTP to me. The prompt is Hurt/Comfort.

You can read on Ao3 or here. And no matter where you read, your kudos, comments, shares and reblogs are so appreciated and help writers to get their stuff discovered 🖤

Lupē (616 words) by Writing-for-Life Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Calliope/Dream of the Endless | Morpheus, Calliope/Dream of the Endless, Calliope & Dream of the Endless | Morpheus Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Reconciliation, Past Relationship(s), Rare Pairings, Canon Compliant, During Canon, Canon Related, Canon Rewrite Summary:

Calliope had wept for him so many times, and she felt the tight grip of grief resurfacing. She had mourned the laughter that would never echo through these halls again, the stories of his father he would never pass on to children of his own, the promise of a future shattered. […] And she was tired of mourning, of a grief that felt like it was hers alone to bear.

Lupē

The moon hung low in the sky, casting a silvery glow upon the twisted spires of the castle. She had not returned here since that fateful day.

The Gatekeepers stood before her, eyes like onyx reflecting the aeons they had witnessed. Last time, they had been impassive, their voices cold as they denied her entry.

But tonight, something had changed: They recognised her.

"Calliope," the wyvern’s voice echoed through the mist. "You seek the Lord of Dreams."

She nodded, and her throat felt so tight she could barely swallow. "I come to speak to him."

Calliope's fingers trembled. She remembered the bitter words they had exchanged—the accusations, the tears. Later, Oneiros had been unyielding, her attempts to speak to him ignored. She was not even sure what would have happened had he acted differently then; the thought of bringing forth an apology entered her mind and was as quickly dismissed. She felt her hands ball into fists, bitterness resurfacing.

No, this is not the time.

The guardians exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable. "Why are you here, muse?" the hippogriff asked.

She hesitated. "Our son's absence binds us, even in sorrow."

There was no more talk, no further interrogation. The gates just creaked open.

Calliope stepped across the threshold, and her footsteps echoed on the stairs and the marble corridors. With every step, her heart picked up pace until it was racing so fast she could hardly catch a breath.

The door was as she remembered—unchanged, the wood dark and polished, etched with symbols whose meaning she understood and yet didn’t.

Just like him.

But that wasn’t true. He had been changed when last they met. Familiar yet different, faint echoes of what once she loved—and hated.

Calliope pushed the door open, and the air itself seemed to hold its breath. For a moment, she wondered what she had expected to find. How she had expected him to greet her. And then she knew that this was exactly it:

His back turned on her, no sign of movement, frozen in space.

She crossed the room, her breath catching in her throat, unable to speak.

She didn’t have to.

"Calliope," he whispered, still not turning. There was a rawness to his voice, even in that whisper, that caught her unaware.

She reached for him, without any hesitation, and while it surprised her, it felt right. As her hand touched his shoulder, he flinched subtly, but he didn't pull away.

When he finally turned, his eyes held galaxies, and their shared history was etched on his face—the pain, the longing—it was all there, laid bare.

And it was hard not to see Orpheus in him. Hard not to remember how he had told him stories, his voice like a melody spun from darkness and light, stardust and moonbeams, while the boy’s laughter would echo through the halls of the castle, and his cries for more brought a moment of happiness to everyone who heard it.

And then it was gone.

Calliope had wept for him so many times, and she felt the tight grip of grief resurfacing. She had mourned the laughter that would never echo through these halls again, the stories of his father he would never pass on to children of his own, the promise of a future shattered.

She had sung dirges and sought solace in memories, but they only deepened the pain.

And she was tired of mourning, of a grief that felt like it was hers alone to bear.

In that moment, his eyes searched hers. “You came.” And perhaps, they were seeking answers and forgiveness.

“You called.”

And perhaps, they were also holding the faint glimmer of hope…

[gothamite-rambler]

Selina and Bruce being my OTP

Cheetah (british accent, on a phone call with Selina): So, you're with a rich man?

Selina: Yeah, we've been together for... um, years.

Cheetah: Color me intrigued, is he hot?

Selina (with a brief pause, then eagerly): …Super hot!

Cheetah: Yas queen! Wait, is he daddy?

Selina (giddy): Oh, yeah, he is.

Cheetah: Good for you! As long as he matches your freakiness in a healthy, consenting way, I totally support it.

Selina: He is all of those things. Thanks, girl.

Cheetah: Girl, us cat girls have to stick together.

____________________________

Damian (coloring in his book): Selina, we need to work on your thieving. You’re dating a rich man; why keep stealing gems?

Selina turned to Bruce with a raised eyebrow.

Bruce: He's read your case file because he knows I'm not dumping you anytime soon.

Selina: And he's worried I'll be crazier than Talia?

Bruce and Damian: Yes.

Selina: Right, well I'm working on it, but gemstones and jewels are perfect to keep and collect at times.

Bruce (deadpan): And you get distracted by shiny objects.

Selina: No, I don’t—

Bruce slid an open jewelry box in front of her, filled with assorted necklaces, rings, and earrings sparkling with gemstones.

Selina (mesmerized): It sparkles, shimmers, and shines! I want it!

Bruce closed the jewelry box and took it away.

Selina (sheepish): Okay, fine, it may be linked to my attraction to pretty, shiny things, but the money comes first.

Bruce: Give me my great aunt's ring back.

Selina giggled as she handed the ring back to him. She blushed covering her face slightly embarrassed.

Bruce: At least you stopped stealing my parents jewelry.

Selina: In the past... Sorry about that, by the way.

Damian chuckled while still coloring.

Damian: You apologized, which is a step up from my mom at times.

____________________________

Ivy (spiteful): You ever worry you're making a colossal mistake with who you’re dating?

Selina (eating her salad): I have many issues, but I have standards, thank you very much.

Ivy (raised voice): You're dating Batman!

Selina (smirking): You haven't brought up my mistakes yet.

Cheetah: Her jealousy is showing, girl. Ignore her.

Ivy: Cheetah, shut up! Why are you supporting this insanity?

Cheetah: Because from what she's told me, he's a perfect man for her. Now, I'm not sure why you're unhappy about that when you have Harley, but leave her alone, or I’ll say something that really hurts your feelings.

Selina (chewing): What she said.

____________________________

Bruce and Selina were in her apartment in the middle of foreplay. Selina saw the scratch marks on his neck and touched them gently, making Bruce moan as he rested on her chest.

Selina: Okay, I'm just gonna say it. I love you, and I like that you enjoy BDSM, but I'm slightly concerned you get aroused by certain pains.

Bruce (composing himself): Hm... does it help that I only enjoy them when they're directed at me?

Selina (not sure how to react): Oh… Wow… That's something to talk about later, but that is slightly reassuring considering your side business. All right, ready?

Selina cracked her whip in the air, and Bruce perked up, nodding enthusiastically. Smiling, Selina took his hand and led him to her bedroom.

____________________________

Selina: Hot Girl Summer is over. It's time for Haunted Hoe Halloween.

Selina walked out in a sexy witch costume.

Selina: What do you think?

Bruce (flustered): I think I’m a very lucky man.

Selina (waving her hand with a smile): Aww, stop.

____________________________

Selina: So, it was when he took off his shirt, and I thought, 'Yas daddy!' He smiled—such a cute smile. I couldn't resist him anymore. I… my whole body—

Ivy (interrupting): That's something you should share with a therapist, not me.

Selina: You've never had that moment?

Ivy (visibly disgusted): Not with Batman!

Selina: Hmm, you're really missing out. And I'm not telling you who he is.

Ivy (angrily): Come on! I treated you to drinks!

Selina (taking a sip from her martini): That's thoughtful of you. Now, for the next part—his big, circumcised—

Ivy groaned in disgust, covering her eyes as Selina dove into that section of the story. On the other hand, Cheetah was enthralled; she didn’t fight Batman that much and felt no hatred towards him, especially with how Selina described their intimate moments.

____________________________

Bruce and Selina on a trip to Italy get ready for a relaxing night together, but there's one thing on Bruce's mind.

Bruce: Can you stop calling me that?

Selina (resting on his bed in sexy lingerie): Pookie?

Bruce: No.

Selina: Batsy?

Bruce: No.

Selina: Brucie?

Bruce: No, you're the only one who can call me that.

Selina: Oh, is it eggplant?

Bruce: No… I actually admire the appreciation there. You're getting close. It has to do with the fact that I'm a parent.

Selina: Hmm, you mean daddy?

Bruce sighed, covering his eyes.

Bruce: Why do you say it like that?

Selina: To distinguish it from an actual dad or father. I’m not calling you that because you're a dad and it turns me on. It’s just cute slang.

Bruce: I still don’t understand slang, but this one in particular bothers me. Please pick something else, especially before my kids find out. I can’t… I just can’t.

Selina smiled at the sight of her man blushing, then rolled onto her stomach, kicking her legs back and forth while thinking.

Selina: What about zaddy? It’s basically an older, sexy man who's fashionable and charismatic.

Bruce (not realizing it’s a similar term): That’s better, but I want to keep this between us. I enjoy our pet names, but—

Selina (winking): I gotcha.

____________________________

Ivy: How can I convince you to stop fucking my friend before you fuck her life up?

Batman quickly covered his son's ears, making the young hero grumble in annoyance.

Batman: She was a cat burglar before I got involved with her. She's someone I genuinely care about, and I've done everything to show her that I love her. I am not messing up her life because you're jealous.

Ivy (stammering): I am… not jealous of you!

Batman: Lying is unbecoming of you.

Ivy (dryly): At least I don't wear a stupid bat suit.

Ivy turned and walked off. Robin blinked, growing angry at the plant woman.

Robin: Father, I can handle her.

Batman: She’s not worth it.

____________________________

Cheetah (on the phone with Selina): So, how was your trip with the rich man?

Selina: He found out about the word daddy, but I recovered. Now it’s zaddy, which he fits perfectly.

Cheetah: Nice compromise! I imagine he hasn’t realized it sounds similar to daddy?

Selina and Cheetah laughed without Selina having to answer.

Cheetah: What happened after that? How was the sex? I’m super bored and love your stories.

Selina: Aww, thanks! Well, he took the lead last night and said, 'Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle.' But like—

Cheetah (eagerly): Oh my God, don’t be!

Selina: I know, right? He forgets I have the same level of pain tolerance he does.

Cheetah: Yeah, but you know how rich people can be. I grew up rich too so I have seen some skeevy and freaky ones. He's not into… "cheese pizza" is he?

Selina (laughing): Oh no, thankfully not! When I first met his kid, I was concerned, but he's just an oddly good dad.

Cheetah: Get out! He’s a daddy and also a father?

Selina: Yeah, and a pretty good one.

Cheetah (snapping her fingers supportively): Yes, queen! You found a potential good man.

Selina (lovingly): I’m grateful every day.

____________________________

Wonder Woman: Catwoman, my enemy Cheetah, for saving my people, we shall celebrate this in the ancient tradition of the Amazons!

Cheetah (leaning towards her sworn enemy, but smiling): Are we going to have a fucking rager?

Wonder Woman: We’re going to have a fucking rager!

Cheetah: Finally! We're on good terms for the night Wonder Woman!

Catwoman (Selina): I should probably tell my boyfriend I'm going to be here for a while.

Cheetah (whispering to Catwoman): She’s dating a rich man who matches her freak.

Wonder Woman (pretending not to know): Oh my Zeus… I did not see that coming.

-----------------------------------

A henchman of the Joker held Catwoman with a knife to her head. She wasn't terrified; her expression was more annoyed than anything. Batman, however, showed worry, but it was mostly concern for the goon.

Goon: I will gut her like a… cat. A stupid cat! Give up, or she dies!

Catwoman (annoyed): How am I giving off damsel in distress vibes that you think this is smart to do?

Batman (agreeing): I was about to ask the same question.

Goon: I mean, look at how you're dressed.

Batman took a step back, surprised when he saw his girlfriend's face turn red with anger.

Catwoman: Okay, fine. We really doing this? Cool.

With a swift motion, Catwoman forcibly twisted the man's knife hand, flipping him to the ground. She kicked him in the crotch three times as the goon begged her to stop. She swiped the knife lying next to him as well.

Catwoman (walking towards Bruce): Okay, what were you asking about the party at Diana's place?

Batman: Did she ask you anything about our sex life?

Catwoman: Yes, I kept it vague.

Batman: Thank you for that. And did you ever find out if she was the one who stole my wallet?

Catwoman: I swiped it back for you. When we get back to my place, you can take it with you when you leave in the morning.

Batman: Thank you… you know I'm lucky to have you?

Batman kissed her on the cheek making her smile.

Catwoman: I feel the same about you.

[mothercetrion]

I got bored and decided to do this OTP ask meme with Johnshi. enjoy!

1) Who rocks the Ferris Wheel seat and who flips out and begs them to stop? Johnny. he is a bit immature and childish sometimes, and being on a Ferris wheel just brings it out. Kenshi is likely irritated at first, but it grows on him quickly.

2) Who is always horny and will have sex at any time, at any place? Johnny. he has a big house, and he loves to experiment. Kenshi is open to trying, but he loves having sex in Johnny's bed the most.

3) Who is more into taking showers/baths together? Who tries to make it relaxing and who tries to make it sexy time? before they get together, Kenshi typically showers, and Johnny mostly showers with the occasional bath (self-care!). after they get together, Johnny is the one to suggest a bath together, and Kenshi agrees after some consideration. it's honestly kind of nice! they're more likely to shower together though; it takes less time to prepare and they can be physically closer together. regardless, they like doing either together, though Johnny likes it more.

4) Who likes to walk around the house naked and who tells the other to go put some clothes on? Johnny loves not wearing clothes, and he's more likely to have a shirt off than to a shirt on. we've seen him shirtless in damn near every game, after all. Kenshi doesn't mind it, however.

5) Who sleeps on the couch when they get into a fight? Kenshi. he is more likely to storm out in a fight, so he'll just go to the couch. sometimes, Johnny will go after him immediately, but other times, he knows that Kenshi needs some space and leaves him there for the night.

6) Who takes photos of the other while they sleep? Johnny. he is convinced that Kenshi is the sexiest man on the planet, plus he needs pictures to prove to social media that his boyfriend is super hot! Kenshi doesn't like making too many social media appearances, but he's on there a few times. regardless, photos of Kenshi sleeping are in abundance on Johnny's phone.

7) Who said “I love you” first? and who ends their arguments in a fight with “Because I love you”? Johnny has said "I love you" first in every relationship he's been in…except his relationship with Kenshi. after a difficult night for Kenshi (nightmares are not fun), he and Johnny are lying together in bed, and Kenshi suddenly gets the courage to tell him how he truly feels. Johnny is stunned, but he reciprocates immediately and admits that he's known for a while. Kenshi will also end arguments with "because I love you" when his protectiveness or his worries over Johnny's safety kick in. the argument will start loud, as arguments tend to do, but Kenshi's voice gets softer and quieter when he tells Johnny that he wants him to be safe because he wants him to come home and he loves him. Johnny is touched.

8) Who likes to wear the other's sweatshirts? Kenshi loves wearing Johnny's clothes, mostly his T-shirts. Johhny goes absolutely nuts seeing Kenshi wear anything that he owns.

9) Who wakes the other up in the middle of the night to tell them a cool dream they had? Who has the most nightmares, and who sings them back to sleep after? neither wakes the other, but if Johnny has a cool dream, he'll tell Kenshi about it in the morning. Kenshi definitely has more nightmares than Johnny. dreams of his Yakuza days or his blinding can appear out of nowhere, and they always leave him terribly shaken (or in pain, depending on the extent of the dream). Johnny will hold him close and tell him stories from throughout his career until he calms down and/or falls asleep. the sound of Johnny's voice is shockingly comforting.

10) Who is more likely to cheat at games? Johnny. he likes winning, and he will pull all the punches to make it happen. Kenshi doesn't catch him at first, but when he does, he's pissed. Johnny always swears that he'll stop, but it's only temporary.

11) Who makes fun of the other for having a crush on them, and who has to remind them that they are in a relationship? Johnny is a teasing bastard, but Kenshi secretly loves it. Johnny will catch Kenshi looking just a little too happy around him, and he'll ask if he has a crush on him. Kenshi counters that they're dating, but he loves the conversations when they happen.

12) Who starts a food fight in the kitchen? Johnny. again, he's immature and childish. however, he does more of the cooking between them, so any fights are pretty rare. if he makes a mess, he'll make it worse if he's in a teasing mood.

13) Who initiates duets? and who is the better singer? most of the time, Johnny will initiate a duet if they're in a car together. Kenshi is less likely to sing along unless they're at home, singing quietly to one another in Johnny's bedroom or their kitchen late at night. they both can sing, but Kenshi is a shockingly good singer, though he denies it.

14) Who starts the hand-holding? Who grabs the other's butt? Who slides their arm around their waist? Who likes to put their fingers in the belt loops? Johnny initially started the hand-holding, but Kenshi gets a lot more confident in initiating it later in their relationship. they only grab butts in absolute privacy, but Johnny is more likely. both of them will wrap an arm around the other's waist and put their fingers in the belt loops of their pants. it's usually to pull them closer when they're hugging and/or kissing.

15) Who likes to write the other's name on their wrist? neither. they keep mementos/reminders of one another in different ways when they're not together.

16) Who is more seductive when they are drunk? and who is louder in bed? Kenshi is much more seductive after he's gotten drunk. Johnny is too, but Kenshi's seductiveness increases a lot more than Johnny's, so it's more noticeable. Johnny is so damn loud when he's in bed, and he cannot help it. however, Kenshi loves that and can't get enough, and he will do anything to keep Johnny happy, even at the cost of another one of his senses.

17) Who is more protective? Kenshi. he will do whatever he needs to do to keep Johnny safe from the Yakuza, even if it means tapping back into his gangster/criminal side. Johnny thinks that Kenshi's protectiveness is incredibly sexy, but he assures him that he will be safe.

18) Who talks to the other while they are sleeping? Johnny (and secretly Kenshi). if Johnny's awake and he's bored, he'll talk to Kenshi until he gets tired. sometimes though, he'll tell Kenshi how proud of him he is and how grateful he is to have him as a boyfriend. Kenshi will whisper how much he loves Johnny when he knows the actor can't hear him.

19) Who drives and who has the window seat? (ignoring how obvious this one is for the sake of the game LMAO) Kenshi had a license before he was blinded, and every now and then, Johnny can convince him to drive with Sento strapped to his back and sunglasses on his face. most of the time, though, Johnny drives. he likes it a lot, and Kenshi likes being in the passenger seat.

20) Who falls asleep in the other's lap and who carries them to bed? both of them! they're both super busy, and they're both tired after a long day. Johnny is more likely to fall asleep on Kenshi's lap, in the middle of telling Kenshi about his day, but Kenshi is thankfully very strong. if Kenshi falls asleep, he usually wakes up in the middle of Johnny carrying him, and he will stumble up the stairs and fall asleep within seconds of hitting the bed.

21) Who cuts the other's hair? neither. Johnny does not trust anyone but his hairdresser with his hair, and Kenshi feels the same way. however, they'll brush the other's hair (or run their fingers through it) all day.

22) Who is super bad at sexting? and who sends them encouraging messages throughout the day? both? Kenshi is bad at sexting because it's unfamiliar, and Johnny is bad at sexting because some of the things he will send Kenshi are not things you send over text. Johnny is more likely to send an encouraging text, especially if he knows Kenshi will be busy and/or stressed. they always help cheer Kenshi up.

23) Who thinks they are not good enough for the other's love? and who’s more afraid of losing the other? Who thinks they keep messing up, only for the other to tell them they don’t need to worry? Johnny is a recently divorced, faltering celebrity. he's not getting the gigs he needs to keep up the image that he wants to. sometimes he feels like Kenshi deserves a lot better than that. Kenshi assures him that being with Johnny is what he wants, regardless of if he's super famous. Kenshi is terrified of the Yakuza somehow getting a hold of Johnny to get back at him for leaving, hence his protective side. Johnny always assures him that he can protect himself and will let him know if something is going on that could be because of the Yakuza. I feel like Johnny would be a little more concerned about messing up considering his track record, but "messing up" in a relationship comes with the territory. both of them can be pretty different, and neither of them has had a partner quite like the other before. but they're willing to learn!

24) Who starts random slow dancing with the other in the kitchen? Who holds the other just above the ground and kisses them? Johnny. he loves dancing, but he loves dancing with Kenshi more. they'll hold one another close and sway as long as they can, listening to soft music from one of their phones. they're so close to the same height that lifting one another just off the ground is difficult, but they both love kissing when they're alone like this.

25) Who says shitty puns and sex jokes just to see the other giggle and blush? Johnny. he's much more pun-savvy than Kenshi. many puns will land and make Kenshi laugh, but others, like sex jokes, will not make him laugh…until they're in the bedroom, and then Johnny's jokes hit much differently (in the best way) and leave him flustered as hell.

26) Who kissed first? Johnny. he's more likely to make a physical move than Kenshi is, and he's the one to initiate that first kiss after a romantic evening at Johnny's house. Kenshi was surprised, but he was quick to reciprocate.

27) Who orders takeout at two in the morning? and who wakes the other up at three in the morning to go downstairs with them to get a glass of water because it’s too dark? Johnny gets bored if he can't sleep. the smell and/or sound of Johnny eating at his desk or in the damn bed will wake Kenshi, but Johnny always gets a serving for him (just in case he wakes up). neither will wake the other to go downstairs for water, but if they're both awake, they'll go together.

28) Who writes poems/stories and love songs about the other? Do they sing the songs they write for them? Johnny is the more creative type, and he can be poetic if he really wants to be. he's not likely to share it with Kenshi unless it's perfect in his eyes, and that's rare since it's a less familiar medium to him.

29) Who does some crazy stunt to try and impress the other and who ends up driving them to the emergency room after it backfires? they're both pretty reckless, but Johnny has gotten hurt more since their relationship began. Kenshi isn't impressed when he pulls off something, but he will help him if he gets hurt, all while chastising him for his stupidity. however, Kenshi is a lot more worried if Johnny gets hurt on set, which has happened before since he does his own stunts. it usually doesn't require a hospital visit by the time Kenshi sees him, but he'll dote on him and force him to rest all the same.

30) Who is embarrassed when they have to wear their glasses and who thinks they look super cute? Kenshi obviously doesn't need glasses, and Johnny doesn't either, buuuuut Johnny does wear sunglasses! and sometimes when they're in public, Johnny will lend Kenshi a pair so he can blend in. Johnny thinks he looks great.

[maranigai]

Do you still accept characters for that ask meme? I saw you only answered an ask about Messmer so far! How about Morgott for that ask meme? (not sure if asking DS characters counts since like 80% of info about them has to be manually hallucinated by the fan themselves, but I can if that's okay with you!)

Yep, I'm still doing character ask meme, Messmer simply was the only ask for me by now lol Also DS characters are fine too, of course they would be like 95% headcanon based, but that's why we love DS, isn't it?

But anyway, Morgott. My absolutely favourite of favourites of all ER characters...

favorite thing about them

First of all, Morgott is such a beautifully contradictory character. He's a demigod shardbearer and a cursed being, a proud monarch and a monster in his own eyes, a defender of all that is holy and a warlock shrouded in illusions. And all these things are actually logical and completely understandable given his story. Because, above everything else, Morgott is a broken creature, not as a result of his own deeds or guilts, but because of the things beyond his control, some ancient sins and crimes he's not aware of, some old vengeance that existed even before he was born. And this break, this pain, is a spiral, you know? Morgott hates his nature because he was convinced he's a monster, he supports the system that oppresses him because he believes that he's oppressed rightfully and this system is the best remaining option for the world as a whole, even if he and people like him have to suffer for it, and in doing so he causes even more harm, more oppression and misery for himself and everyone around. I love how he's a loyal, determined, faithful person, and this is exactly what makes him a villain in the story. He's an extremely tragic character, but completely consistent in his tragedy, his brokenness, and I have a deep weakness for broken things.

least favorite thing about them

I don't think there's anything I don't like about him as a character, I mean, he's certainly not flawless, but his flaws are what make him so interesting in the first place. So I say that my least favourite thing is his bossfight. Don't get me wrong, Morgott is one of my favourite FromSoft bosses in general, but I have a feeling that they made his moveset (super-complex and interesting) first, then remembered he's a mandatory mid-game boss and panicked to balance him to this level by drastically reducing his damage and hp.

favorite line

May the curse seep to thy very soul.

I just love his spiteful tone in this one, sorry.

brOTP

I could write Mohg or Godwyn here and it would be legit, but allow me to be more exotic this time and mention Malenia. They have many things in common, if you think about it: two cursed, yet somewhat noble beings, bitterly determined and endlessly loyal to their masters of choice. I can absolutely see how they can respect and understand each other, even if not sharing each other's cause. I also love the idea of a young, sick, not-yet-swordmaster Malenia and her Cool Big Brother Morgott, the only person around who takes her seriously.

OTP

Banished knight Oleg. Literally the mix of my favourite tropes of "liege and their a bit too loyal knight" and "my majestic, scheming wife and me, committing whatever crimes she wants me to commit today". Also Oleg dies before Morgott, so my inner angst enjoyer appreciates this as well.

nOTP

Mohg! I just can't see them as a pairing, their sibling relationships is everything to me. I'm also not a fan of Tarnished/Morgott, mainly because most of such arts/fics imply some level of self-indulgence and this just doesn't work for me (though I've seen several very cool works with this pairing too).

random headcanon

Three for the price of one: Morgott's hobby is creating clockwork automatons (a more detailed post about this hc); his favourite half-sibling is Malenia and this is mutual; he also shares Mohg's sense of fashion, but refuses to admit it.

unpopular opinion

While most people hc Morgott to be the elder twin, in my hcs he's the younger one (and the youngest of Godfrey's sons). Ironically enough, this isn't an important headcanon for Morgott himself, but it's an essential part of my perception of Godwyn and (especially) Mohg.

song i associate with them

Мельница - Что ты знаешь

My personal theme song for Morgott as the Veiled Monarch.

favorite picture of them

There're so many cool arts of Morgott that it's really hard to choose the most favourite one lol

So for now I pick this one by Cruentum_Noctis

[yennas-stuff]

Sjm has already written about a Romeo and Juliet paring in acotar, and it's not E/riel.

I saw some of e/riel shippers claim that their otp would follow the trope of forbidden love like Romeo and Juliet, but... it's such a misguided take.

We've already discussed in detail how their ship has no real obstacles. All it would take to make it not forbidden is... a simple, honest conversation. Their family would support them, and there would be no political or personal backlash if their feelings were true.

Romeo and Juliet, in the most basic understanding of the play, is a tragedy about two lovers from two opposing families. Their love is doomed from the start. It's also a story about a young love.

Juliet was much younger and naive. Elain is also very young compared to Azriel, duh, but she's not a clueless girl when it comes to love. She's been in love, she's lost it, and she was disappointed by her feelings again.

The only similarity between Romeo and Azriel is that Azriel also suffered from an unrequited love before his attention turned to another girl.

Other than these potential similarities, there is nothing else about E/riel that says Romeo and Juliet. (Also, they forget that this story ended tragically, but that's beside the point).

However, there is one couple that can be compared to these tragic two, and it's Lucien and Jesminda.

Lucien's family was very much against this pairing, which ultimately led to Jesminda's death. The stakes of their romance were high, but they deemed it worth the struggle. It was a young, innocent, and probably quite naive first love. The type of love that gets idealized as you look back and reflect on it.

In Romeo and Juliet, the couple got secretly married. I wonder if Jesminda and Lucien also eloped before her tragic end.

With that said, I can imagine the struggle and pain that Lucien might still feel. Unlike Romeo, who died with his Juliet, he survived. He had to go through life feeling immense guilt and loss for so many years. He probably felt like she was his only chance at love. All in all, how many epic love stories that defy fate can one person experience?

That's what takes me to Elucien, and why I believe that their love story might be the best one yet. Lucien will have to accept that he can't live in the past and has to let go of the guilt. Elain will have to deal with the idea of choice and fate and how they intertwine in this new fae life. It has all the potential to be very dramatic, full of tension, growth, and healing. They both need to deal with their feelings regarding their past loves. They need closure. And they both need to open their hearts and give themselves a chance to love again.

[frumfrumfroo]

The Acolyte ship is an evil/evil dynamic, so I would argue it's not meaningfully the same thing as Reylo. But I think they are trying to pander to it a little bit, yes, completely missing the point of what made the ship attractive. He's very violent with her in a way Kylo Ren never was with Rey which I just find really sad. That was never the draw for me personally (and strangulation is a hard line for me, which is why I don't really like Anidala, even if I ship it cosmically).

But the fact that they cast someone very conventionally attractive as the bad guy is really funny. Like we're all shallow airheads who only liked Kylo Ren because he was hot.

Really?? So is it pure visuals or do people think the characters will actually push each other in a positive direction?

I do get a little disgruntled at people's 'that's all reylo is' shitposts about finding the villain hot or finding threatening/strangulation hot or whatever. I realise these are jokes mocking antis for getting so up in arms about very standard bodice ripper tropes which have been hugely popular forever and it's fine, but that's not at all what reylo is to me.

I talked a long time ago about how I'm not really a villain fucker and don't generally like that many etl pairings. Pretty much for the same reasons I don't like rival-shipping and because, like you, I'm not into the violence. It's not a deal breaker for me if there's violence between the ship before they develop a connection, obviously, but I don't find it titillating and don't want to see the violence itself portrayed as sexual. I can't stand hate as sexual tension and etl ships are very prone to that.

I'm here for the B&tB of it all, personally. To me reylo is about hope, healing, and compassion. About two lost and lonely souls truly seeing and recognising each other when no one else did and helping one another become their best, most authentic selves. They free each other from bondage and pain.

If Ben were actually a Sexy Bad Boy or DFP, I wouldn't ship it. Him not being that is the entire reason it appeals to me. If he'd seen her as a rival or resented her in the way people often write in fics, I wouldn't ship it. He never hated her and she stops hating him as soon as she realises he's not a monster, their attraction comes from a place of sympathy and curiosity on both sides not from jealousy or covetousness--that's why they're OTP. This is among the many things tros fucked up.

[booksandpaperss]

stormbringer takeaways as of finishing chapter 3:

a good alternate title for this book would be "chuuya nakahara has the worst fucking couple of days of his entire 16 year long life"

dazai's nullification not only nulls chuuya's ability but also instantly relieves his pain

16 yr old port mafia dazai is so deeply unwell and I mean deeply DEEPLY unwell

chuuya is literally the dog motif character of all time. there is no other dog motif character only him

you cannot bring up dazai in a conversation with chuuya without getting a completely unasked for earful about how annoying and terrible and twisted and shitty and smart he is

albatross deserved betterrrrrr. all the flags did but him in particular I love(d) him :(

chuuya's motorcycle used to be albatross's :((

the bsd theme of finding humanity in oneself and in others is literally never more heavy handed than in this book

IM WRAPPING CHUUYA IN SO MANY BLANKETS. CRADLING HIM GENTLY MAKING SURE HES LOVED AND CARED FOR AND KNOWS HE NEVER HAS TO GO BACK TO THAT FUCKASS LAB OR TO HIS FUCKASS TORTURE HAPPY “FATHER”. WHAT THE HELL

chuuya bsd lore is insane.

gOrE

JESUS CHRISTTT and I mean that literally. christ figure chuuya

I’ve developed a new hatred for the letter N

*heavy breathing*… chuuya nakahara…. *collapses to the ground to tears*

otp: chuuya x his horrific yet completely understandable identity crisis

in his lowest moment it’s dazai chuuya pictures by his side first

whatever souls are made of, yours and mine are the same…

dazai is truly the only person that chuuya doesn’t feel othered by at all and he hates it bc dazai reminds him of who he is, the wolf, and not his fantasy of being just another sheep. yet at the same time it soothes him

dazai actively protects chuuya’s sense of humanity and goes out of his way to do so

this book is more heavy handed and effective than most philosophical debates. ancient philosophers have nothing on this anime light novel abt author mafia rpf

being human isn’t about anything intrinsic, it’s about the choice to care for other people. it’s about the choice to be human with them

[harrowharkwife]

for the character meme: dulcie or cam or pal or a character of ur choosing!!! hehe

!!!!! ty lem!! im gonna do my girl dulcie...

favorite thing about them: honestly just the way she's written- it never fails to make me emotional that she *is* explicitly written as being brave and strong, but tamsyn neatly sidesteps the "inspiration porn" ableist stereotype of writing a character as being brave/strong *because* they are sick. dulcie isn't brave or strong because of her illness. her strength and bravery are explicitly positioned, IMO, as being in response to surviving *ableism* and other people's condescension towards her and mistreatment of her, rather than surviving her illness itself, if that makes sense. her health is just a fact of her life, it's not moralized. which i really, really appreciate. it's a small shift, but it's very meaningful to me.

ALSO deeply special to me: her intentional and careful commitment to boundaries re: The Palamedes Of It All. a refreshing change of pace, as far as these books go vgjtjxdjt

least favorite thing about them: i mean. houser. :/

favorite line: three way tie between "truly, wonderful news for my haters," "i am sick of roses and horny for revenge," and "oops, there i go again, never doing what i'm told"

brOTP: gideon!!!!! i think it's a crying shame they've never met. i think they'd get along tremendously. the whole cytherea gideon thing was Horrid and Awful in so many ways, but it always Extra stings (in an adding-insult-to-injury sort of way) when i think about what it would have been like if gideon had REALLY met dulcinea, and not cyth. dulcie would've been a great friend for her, i think. they'd have been so good at making each other laugh

OTP: honestly these days it's cam? @ palamedes ily but get outta here gayboy it's yuri time now. plus i just love chewing on the concept of cam + comphet, and cam + subconscious internalized misogyny, and cam + gender, and cam + her relationships and interactions with other women. i think there's lots to explore there. camdulcie has a certain "when i was eight i didn't realize i had a crush on the new girl in my grade so i just wrote her a note that said 'get out of my school'" energy about it, To Me

nOTP: idk if i really have one for her, specifically? idk. ianthe or something, fuck it.

random headcanon: stoner. on all levels except physical she is taking fuckall huge bong rips. on the physical level though her lungs suck so i think she'd be a tincture girlie. she's got chronic pain she deserves it. am i projecting? you tell me

unpopular opinion: idk if this is an unpopular opinion exactly, but i always see people referring to thee rejected proposal as being something born primarily out of love/out of romantic intent? and i don't know if that's necessarily how i see it. it was CERTAINLY, and obviously, a factor. but at least from my interpretation of pal's monologue to cytherea at the end there, i get the sense that he had already accepted her boundaries in that regard, because he says he "understood that he was a child." and we also get camilla saying that his motivations in proposing were primarily a means-to-an-end way of getting her off the seventh and letting her die with dignity. iirc her exact words were like "so she could spend what time she had left with people who cared about her." like, don't get me wrong, i think pal is lying to himself if he says that being in love with dulcie wasn't PART of the motivation there. but i find it a lot more interesting in a worldbuilding and social commentary way to interpret the circumstances there as him offering, essentially, to be a hospice doctor at age 19, and marriage being the 'easiest' way to get her off the seventh/planet medical malpractice. there's an imperial misogyny ownership-through-marriage throughline there that's nauseating, as well as the implications re: disability and agency and autonomy, and i think that's all very interesting to explore. i think this view is supported in part by the paldulcie interaction in TUG, where she alludes to the idea that she was cognizant about the impact that bearing witness to death and loss up-close and personal like that changes a person, and that she didn't want to do that to pal and cam, especially given their age. i think it informa dulcie's character and grants her additional narrative agency to look at things from that angle, of her "no" being in reference to *both* the age gap AND her intentional choice to continue suffering on the seventh, rather than put two kids through being hospice caregivers and/or widowers at nineteen– no matter how many times and how sincerely they kept offering, no matter that she would've absolutely had a more peaceful and comfortable end-of-life HAD she accepted his proposal and gone to the sixth to die. i think it says a lot about her as a person, that choice. there's a quiet and meaningful responsibility to her as a person that i find fascinating. and her character is just sooooo firmly rooted in and informed by disability politics, on every level, and i feel like people don't engage with that aspect of her characterization enough!

song i associate with them: ooooh SO many, i have a whole playlist. but i think the biggest ones are

-the drama by kesha ("friday night, get too high, keep checking my pulse, am i dead yet?" / "in the next life i wanna come back, as a housecat as a housecat! i'd sleep and play in the sun, i'd be a fuckin' cute son of a gun!")

-avant gardener by courtney barnett (the whole song really, but especially the lines "the paramedic thinks i'm clever cause i play guitar, i think she's clever cause she stops people dyin'," and "i take a hit off an asthma puffer, i do it wrong, i was never good at smokin' bongs." i just think she'd love this song.)

-honorable mentions include stoned at the nail salon by lorde, life according to raechel by madison cunningham, rose-colored boy by paramore (@ palamedes, lmfao), picture me better by weyes blood, extraordinary machine by fiona apple, rubberband girl by kate bush, last words of a shooting star by mitski.

favorite picture of them: oh man well it obviously has to be my icon... art made for me by the lovely @franzias-cave !!!! based on the concept of "the woman is dying, please do her the decency of allowing her to look the part in fanart." my girl... she's a malign fairy, she's a hot-eyed wraith <3

ty lem this was so fun! i love my gworl :')

[birdmitosis]

Voice of the Cold for the ask game, i hope I got here first D:

[ask game here]

OMG, you did! :D And I am so happy to answer about Cold.

First impression

Pretty sure my first impression was of him in the Spectre route, and I was curious, a bit positively inclined, mostly on the strengths of how well he fit how we got him and also how hot his voice was. 😔 Yeah, I'll admit it. I looked forward to seeing more from him and was intrigued by the seeming discrepancy between his "emotionless" claims and his blatant grudge against the Narrator.

Impression now

I LOVE COLD SO MUCH. Ohhh, he is as much of a trauma response as the rest of them and is both driven to keep himself safe and also experience something new (which is itself not safe) and also not care about safety... He is dismissive and deeply caring and he can't stand stagnancy and yet he feels at home when everything unravels into the Long Quiet. One of my Top 3 faves I think.

Favorite moment

There are a lot of moments I could choose here but I think I still have to give it to my bias: Cold in the Wraith chapter alongside Paranoid. Especially this sequence:

This has lived rent-free in my head since I first saw it, it just hits me so hard in a "none of them are fully wrong but none are fully right either" way and says so much about Cold in the context of other things... Especially the absolutely wild "If you can tolerate joy, you can tolerate pain" line, like UM EXCUSE ME?

(But the whole chapter is great, with Cheated as well as with Paranoid, but I have a bias for so many moments with the Paranoid version, like the "you think you are brave" line from Wraith and the fact that Cold must have helped with the efforts to toss the body into the void... Wraith is a severely underrated chapter, I feel!)

Idea for a story

Look, because of the way I fandom, all my ideas are for shipfic and ParaCold is 1000% my OTP, soooo...

That said, a specific idea I've actually had that I still kinda want to use with something, that I may have mentioned before, is Hunted making a point that they need each other (as a group) and at their best they cover each others' blind spots and shore up each others' weak points.

When Cold pulls something along the lines of his "I'm special" thing, Hunted ends up challenging him to a "play" fight (no actual wounds being left, "wounds" marked with something like chalk or berry juice or something, fake blade, etc.). And by the time Cold calls that he's "killed" Hunted (and so obviously he's right that he doesn't need help/he has no weak spots that actually matter), Hunted can point out that he's managed to land enough "minor" blows that Cold would be bleeding out by now too, because he doesn't guard himself at all.

(I also kinda want to look more into a super queer TTRPG called Moonlight on Roseville Beach because I wanna play around a bit with an AU for it where the six possible player character "origin stories" are filled by Hero, Contrarian, Cold, Paranoid, the Princess, and the Narrator... "[In] Moonlight on Roseville Beach, it's the summer of 1979 and you work in the village by day while protecting yourself, your housemates, and your neighbors from supernatural monstrosities and occult horrors by night," and it's in a queernorm setting where LGBTQIA+ characters are considered the norm, with a "focus on queer people succeeding at keeping themselves and their communities safe (at least for a time).")

Unpopular opinion

TBH I also agree that Cold isn't all that edgy. I think he's quite straightforward most of the time and definitely has some issues -- I think he likes prodding at some of the other characters more than some people realize but also less than some people act like, he really does jump to "we could stab" very quickly as a response, he seems happy to encourage potential violence against himself if he finds it interesting in some way, he has a surprisingly big ego -- but also blatantly cares despite how he often talks, is curious and wants new things, and seems to like connecting with the other voices and even, sometimes, the vessels.

I also think he isn't as hard to get along with as some people think, in the sense of, I think he has like three different "modes" when it comes to interacting with people:

He vibes with how you do things, in which case he goes along quite well, is agreeable and calm, and seems to like you. (Skeptic in the Drowned Grey chapter is a clear example, but so is Cheated in the Wraith I think; IMO Hero and Hunted would go here as well.)

There's enough push-and-pull there that he finds you interesting, in which case he can get a bit intense, prod you some just to see the push back, might sometimes go along just to see what you'll do, and it's a bit harder to tell if he likes you (but honestly he does). (IMO Paranoid would go here, and I do actually think Smitten goes here as well.)

Neither of the above apply, in which case he's just bored of you, and if forced into constant proximity with you, annoyed. (Stubborn in MOC is the most blatant example; IMO Broken would go here as well, ironically outside of if you somehow managed to get Cold alongside him in the Tower route.)

(The first two can be true simultaneously for some people; I feel like Contrarian would be in both. Weirdly, I feel like Opportunist is somehow in both #2 and #3? Stubborn could eventually go into #2, under better circumstances. And the Narrator fits a special category of "fuck you" where He doesn't quite fit #2 but there are some similarities, Cold just doesn't like Him.)

...This got a bit weird and long and out of Unpopular Opinion territory, huh. WELL, TL;DR Cold isn't edgy and actually likes a good number of the other voices.

Favorite relationship

I mean, y'all can guess this one, right? >_>

No, but honestly, as a ship it's definitely ParaCold. But in a totally platonic way, I also really love his dynamic with Hero in the Spectre route, especially if you free Her, and with Skeptic in the Drowned Grey chapter (okay, okay, I can see that one as either platonic or shippy). And his dynamic with the Narrator fascinates me but I can't ever see them getting along.

Favorite headcanon

I love the idea that Cold picks up new things all the time, and whether he sticks with them or not he gets surprisingly good at them first. Skills, hobbies, other languages. I can imagine his handwriting getting better more quickly than a lot of the other voices because of this, and him also managing to bond with the others over doing their hobbies with them.

[silviakundera]

Dramas I watched in 2023

[Chinese Dramas]

My Journey to You - Wuxia. Spy games, badass ladies, subtextually homoerotic cousins. Gentle & sweet ML who melts the cold & calculated heart of FL assassin. Gorgeous setting and cinematography. Left me with a burning desire to see Zhang Ling He play more gentle babygirl MLs and Esther Yu to play more anti-heroes. Absolutely perfect to me.., if we just pretend the director didn't add a pointless cliffhanger in the last 5 min. Which is how I choose to live my life.

Story of Kunning Palace - 'rebirth' costume drama that I waited to air for like 2 years or something and then it... actually didn't disappoint? And was almost everything I wanted? 😳😲 This is THE couple for that post about the pair that need to be stuck in a neverending monogamous relationship with each other as a quarantine measure to protect everyone else.

A Journey to Love - wuxia perfection. The stand-out drama that I wasn't expecting. Murder mommy & murder daddy became an otp for the ages and all of the supporting characters were interesting and dynamic. I cared about so many more characters than I expected and never fast fowarded. Just immensely satisfying.

The Ingenious One - wuxia with a weak, scheming scholar protagonist on a revenge quest (yes, we've all heard that before!) who puts together a group to execute his cons, Leverage style. I love me a martial artist x weak scholar couple 👌. Some exciting twists & turns in this one. Both A Journey to Love and The Ingenious One are best enjoyed coming in with little to no information. Hell, skip the trailers and simply dive in!

Hidden Love - Modern drama. Top tier romance-novel-on-screen writing and acting. It felt honest and real. The coming of age arc for the FL was well done. Great brother & sister relationship that feels authentic. The ML's backstory was so heart breaking because it was never overplayed for melodramatics. Just a quiet pain, a distance and a burden he carried with him.

Road Home - Modern. "Do you remember who I am?" / "Yes. If I were to turn to ashes, I would still remember you." I am very weak for the "reunited exes", "second time around" trope when the actors are capable and the breakup wasn't a narratively convenient 'misunderstanding'. As a career woman who works very long hours, I also tend to appreciate modern drama relationships where the couple manages to stay functional & supportive while not having a lot of free time for each other. That's my version of wish fulfillment 😂. I felt like this narrative made me fully understand why they couldn't make a long distance relationship work as young adults but now they're ready and have experienced enough of the world to know that they are happier with their lives joined together than apart.

Love You Seven Times - xanxia. I wrote a whole review post (love letter) on this one, since it seems rather underrated. I feel like this one may actually end up one of my fav examples of the genre. I just sincerely bought into the couple and their mutual devotion.

The Last Immortal - xanxia. Terrible trailer but turns out to be a decent show. I'm a fan of the genre, so I'm enjoying it. (I think you do need to be, to enjoy it - it doesn't transcend or really subvert..just a solid representation of xanxia) I like both lead actors and they do a good job with the material. It's working better for me than Ancient Love Poetry and Ashes of Love. After being eager for Song of the Moon in 2022 but then being let down (I dropped that one quick), I'm very happy 2023 brought me 2 xanxia I liked.

Three Body - modern sci-fi. Book 1 of my fav sci-fi trilogy of recent years. As a novel fan first, I was pleased to see it on screen with talented actors. Eager for book 2.

Love Me, Love My Voice - modern drama with an unusual couple (2 introverts) and dubbing fandom hyper fixation. A laid back relaxation drama, to de-stress with. Minimal plot, no conflict. Just sweet slow burn relationship building, singing & audio performances. Supportive friendships.

Here We Meet Again - modern drama that suffered from sloppy editing. I mean almost incoherent editing in a couple places, like when they are counting down the days until getting married and then.. It's not mentioned again? 🙃 But I very much enjoyed the couple's chemistry. I can't say it was objectively good but it sure was compulsively watchable for some reason.

Royal Rumors - Costume drama that was so aggressively mediocre that I don't have any real explanation for not dropping it. Except I find the lead actress unspeakably alluring. Blame my hormones.

Dropped

Back to the Brink - xanxia. Great concepts but the execution didn't work for me. I'm not a fan of slapstick and wacky humor within serious subject matter. (It's the reason kdramas can be very hit or miss with me.) The amount of humor layered into AJourney to Love is basically my limit for tragicomedies. (Note: I did go read the book and it was very entertaining - the tone was much more to my taste.)

My Lethal Man - modern. Embarassing english name, but they had me in the first half, not gonna lie. Then after her identity was exposed, I wasn't feeling it idk. Sometimes it's just not that complicated.

Destined/Chang Feng Du - costume drama. idk really why I dropped. I watched about a 3rd of it and then was distracted by other shiny objects. I plan to come back to this one in 2024 and finish.

Romance of the Twin Flower - costume drama; unholy abomination of a great novel. I hope somehow, someday, the culprits pay for their crime. Need I say more?

[Korean Dramas]

Perfect Revenge Marriage - a modern rebirth tale. For the 90% of it, I was high on the love of a drama that is just what you didn't know you wanted. The camp, the dedication, the scenery chewing, the glorious evil step mother. It was magical. And then the last 2 episodes I found underwhelming. I can't really explain it, the climax just didn't hit for me. But that's very much a personal taste issue and I'd definitely recommend to all drama lovers who enjoy the genre. Seriously, the performance of evil step mommy was a master class.

King the Land - modern workplace romance. I've heard complaints that there wasn't much of plot. But tbh that was fine with me, because some dramas are simply character pieces. This was all about the personal growth of the FL and ML. I ended up invested and rooting for the ML to become a decent guy who isn't a gross classist like his dad.

Destined with You - modern reincarnation drama. I blame my lingering kdrama good feelings about King the Land for convincing me to keep powering thru this one. Such a strong start but then half-way in I began to realize it simply wasn't going to go into the direction I wanted it to. I still have no idea what they intended to communicate with that love potion subplot.

Vincenzo - modern crime drama. I was late to the party on this one. But after I got around to watching the delightful Kinnporsche, this was rec'd to me as another drama that embraced the bigger than life unreality of Fantasy Mafia™ and provides a rollicking good time. Absolutely ridiculous and compulsively watchable. 10/10.

[American]

House of the Dragon - Awful people doing awful things to each other, as a 1st act before everything goes straight to hell. Plus freaky dragon-riding fantasy incest. What's there not to like?

Fall of the House of Usher (YES i DO watch every horror drama by Mike Flanagan thx) - Was it as good as the first 3..? No. Did I still breathlessly binge it in 2 days? Yes. Awful things happening to awful people, poetically. 👌 👌

[jerzwriter]

BOOPED!

Carolina's phone would not stop "bleeping"! But when a friend helps her get to the bottom of it, she and Trystan are in for some startling discoveries about each other.

Book Boop: Crimes of Passion (post Book 2) Pairing: Trystan Thorne x Carolina Rose (F!MC) Characters: Luke Watanabe Summary: See above Rating: Teen Words: 2.150 A/N: All right, so I may have been a total party-pooper with the "boops," but that got me thinking how my OTPs would have handled them... and that led me here! I hope you enjoy it! Participating in @choicesaprilchallenge24 - prompt - "You're not going to believe what I just found."

*Bleep*

*Bleep*

*Bleep*

The utter silence of the Ginovesi Detective Agency’s offices was rattled each time Carolina’s phone “bleeped.” Trystan eyed the phone warily, glancing between it and Carolina every time it went off. For a woman who demanded complete silence when they were focusing on a case, she was doing her best to ignore it, but Trystan knew it was only a matter of time...

“¡Ay, Dios mío!” she cried out... and there it was. “¿Qué carajo es esto?”

Taking the phone in hand, she frantically tapped away at it, but the bleeps kept pouring in, and with each new arrival, Trystan watched as his girlfriend became more unhinged. “¿Qué es esta mierda?”

That’s when Luke entered the mix. Slinking into the office with his hands nonchalantly stuffed in his pockets, he slouched into a chair with a half smile.  

“Oh no. I heard nothing but Spanish coming out of you from way down the hall. This can’t be good.”

“It’s not!” Carolina spat as Trystan debated whether her frustration was utterly adorable or good cause for him to evacuate the office as quickly as possible. “I can’t get this fucking thing to stop bleeping!”

There were many things Trystan could have said or done, but as was often the case for the former prince, he reclined in his chair and chose chaos.

“It seems one of her former suitors isn’t taking the hint and won’t let go easily,” he smirked. “While I may no longer be a monarch, I still have some pull. One phone call to Lydea, my love, and I will have that man relieved of his testicles. Give me a name and number,” he winked. “I assure you, the bleeps will stop within the hour.”

Carolina glared at him with anger in her eyes, but despite her desire to remain cross, his stupid grin managed to do her in.

“Bold of you to assume it’s a he, your highness,” she derided. “There is a far greater likelihood that it would be a she. So, someone will be deprived the pleasure of performing an orchiectomy today.”

“An orchiectomy...” Luke queried, pulling up Google on his phone, but Trystan pushed it aside.

“Spare yourself the pain, man. It’s the art of relieving someone of their balls.”

“Ouch!” Luke shuddered. “Of course, I can see how the inability to do that would cause some Drakovian guard to fall into a deep depression, but still... ouch."

Trystan turned back to Carolina with a shrug. “It’s OK, love. They can remove body parts from women as well.”

“That’s so good to know,” she laughed. “But I’m afraid this isn’t as salacious as a spurned lover trying to get me to bend to their will.”

“Then what is it?” Trystan asked. “Your phone’s been going off all day, and I’ve never heard that notification tone before.”

“It’s,” she began, stopping herself as four curious eyes stared at her, eager for a response. “It’s... nothing. I’ll just turn the sound off my phone.”

“GASP!” Luke mocked. “During work hours! When you could potentially miss... something?”

It would have ended there for Luke, but Trystan wasn't done. Realizing something was amiss, he closely watched his love, not about to let her off the hook.

“Why don’t you just turn notifications off? What’s so embarrassing? Is it... Facebook?” he chuckled.

Carolina was an animal entrapped in a corner, desperate for an escape, but when it became clear that none existed, she surrendered. Burying her face into her hands with a languid groan... she confessed.

“I freaking wish! It’s .... worse!”

“Worse than Facebook?” Luke said with feigned horror. “What is it? Your old OKCupid app?”

“No!” Carolina said, throwing a pencil his way.

“Your old FarmersOnly account!!!”

“What?” Trystan snickered.

“I didn’t have a FarmersOnly account! Well, I did... but it was just a joke to frighten Uncle Tommy! Besides, I deleted that long ago!”

Trystan turned to Luke in confusion. “What... what’s FarmersOnly?”

“That’s unimportant, “Carolina interrupted. “It’s... it’s my Tumblr. I haven’t used it for longer than I can remember; I didn't even know it was still on my phone. But I’ve gotten like seven hundred notifications today, and I have no idea why!”

“So,” Luke shrugged. “Turn the notifications off.”

“I can’t! I forgot my password... and before you say it, I don’t remember what e-mail I created the account with. So I can’t reset it.”

“So,” Luke shrugged again. “Just delete the app! Problem solved.”

“But the detective in me needs to figure this out," she sighed. "Who knows why this is happening? When I go home tonight, I’ll try to remember what e-mail accounts I had circa 2016. Maybe I can figure it out.”

“It was probably something like myglitteringlittlenyyankeepony@ yahoo.com or something like that,” Luke laughed.

“More like LinaJeterClubPengin@hotmail.com,” she tittered.

“Dear Lord,” Trystan groused. "Both sound dreadful, but can we circle back to something potentially even more embarrassing? You had a Tumblr account?”

“Oh, shut up!” Carolina defended. “It was 2016! All the cool kids had a Tumblr account!”

“I didn’t,” Luke announced.

“I said cool,” Carolina retorted. Still, Trystan was undeterred.

“What on earth did you use your Tumblr account for? Were you in a fandom?”

He had intended to let it go, but when Carolina’s cheeks turned brighter than any apple he ever witnessed in a Cordonian orchard, he knew the quest was just beginning. Raising a brow in wicked delight, he teased. “Yesssss....”

“I was into Divergent,” she said, raising her hands. “Big fan... The Hunger Games, too.”

“All right,” Trystan nodded with a smile. “I can see that....”

But now it was Luke’s turn to incite, “Really? Because I could have sworn you once told me you used to write fanfiction for Princess Di.....”

“Obviously, you’re mistaken!” Carolina shouted. “Katniss! Katniss x Peeta, my OTP! That’s why I was on Tumblr!”

“Wait,” Trystan interrupted. “Princess Di? Were you into Princess Diana?”

“No,” Carolina spat. “Luke is just losing his mind, that’s all!”

“Oh, come now, princess,” Luke chided. “Is this the foundation you want to build your relationship on? A throne of lies?”  

“No,” Trystan smiled gleefully. “Thrones of lies are bad. Very bad."

“I believe they are,” Luke chuckled. "I'm sorry, Carolina. It’s confession time.”

Trystan slunk over to Carolina’s side, playfully nudging her with his shoulder. “Time’s up, dear. Tell me the truth, or I’ll have to employ ancient Drakovian torture measures to get you to speak!"

“Yeah! And not the kinky ones you’re into!” Luke grinned.

“Fine,” Carolina exhaled with disgust, her voice barely a whisper. “I was very into... The Princess Diaries."

Trystan’s lips began to curl, the dimple in his cheek becoming more pronounced. “I’m sorry... what?”

“The Princess Diaries! OK!! I used to love The Princess Diaries!”

“In 2016!” Luke scoffed. “Weren’t those movies popular in like... 2004?”  

"So?! I was a little behind the times. I was a nerd... so sue me! My Tumblr was all about The Princess Diaries... are you satisfied now?” She asked, hiding her face in shame.

Trystan rubbed his chin in delight as he allowed Carolina to sweat it out, thinking of the best way to torture his prey.  

“The Princess Diaries! This all makes so much sense now!”

“What?” Luke wondered aloud. “That she always had a soft spot for monarchy scum?”

“Well, yes,” Trystan responded. “ But, seriously... how long did you have these fantasies about being a long-lost princess, my dear?”

“What! Never! I’m a Boricua from the Bronx! A freaking badass, bisexual Boricua from the Bronx! Being a princess was nothing I aspired to!”

“Yet you were writing Princess Diaries fanfic?” Trystan tsked. “Then... you relentlessly pursued me.”

Horrified, she slammed her hand on the desk. “I DID NOT!!! You know I didn’t!”

“I’m not sure what to believe anymore, Carolina. Right now, I’m feeling sort of cheap and used.”

Luke howled with laughter. “In fairness, there’s nothing cheap about you, Trystan. Used? Sure, I can see that. But cheap? No way.”

“Thank you, Luke,”  Trystan acknowledged.

“Don’t mention it.”

But Carolina wasn't smiling. “I never had some monarchy fetish! I just liked the stupid movie! It was escapism for me, OK? But you know damn well you being a royal was a detriment to me, not a bonus! I wasn’t all, ‘Oh, now I need to land this guy!’ you know that!”

“I can't be sure anymore. I think I have to have this investigated to make sure your intentions with me are pure!”

“You know that’s not a bad idea,” Luke nodded as he typed away on his laptop. “I do know of a good agency that could help you.”

“LUKE!” Carolina yelled, so flustered that she hadn’t noticed her phone stopped bleeping several minutes before.

“Relax... princess...” Luke teased. “I just hacked into your Tumblr. The bleeping should stop now.

“But... how?” She asked, immediately catching his sarcastic stare. “Yeah, don’t bother answering that.”

Trystan stood over her shoulder as she opened the app. “700 notifications? Seriously, why the hell did I get all these notifications today?”

“It looks like they were having some kind of a “boop” thing for April Fools? I guess it’s like the old Facebook poke? Everyone seems to be sending boops.”  

“But why?” Carolina asked, dumbfounded. "Don't people have better things to do with their time?"

“Look,” Luke chirped. “I'm capable of doing a great many things, but making sense out of anything that happens on Tumblr.... that’s asking too much...even of me.”

“True,” Carolina mumbled. 

“He makes sense,” Trystan nodded in agreement. “Now, let’s read some of your old fanfic.”

“Oh, hell no!” Carolina insisted. “There’s no way!”

“Please?” Trystan begged, with puppy-dog eyes in full effect.

“All right, fine! But only on one condition!”

“Name it!”

“You show me your old Tumblr... and don’t lie and tell me you didn’t have one. We both know you did.”

“Sorry, my love,” Trystan shrugged. “But I didn’t.”

The couple turned to Luke when he sighed again. “Do you really want to start this relationship sitting on a throne of lies, Trystan? Or should I call you PlayfulPrince315.  Dude! Using your actual birthday? I know you were a tween then, but still, you should have known better!”  

“Playful... Prince?” Carolina beamed. “OK, Mr. Playful, what were you doing on Tumblr?”

“Oh, that’s easy,” he winked. “I was searching for beautiful want-to-be princesses from the Bronx.”  

“Nah,” Luke laughed. “Minecraft. He was into Minecraft.”

“Really?” Trystan asked, dragging a hand down his face.

“Hey, I outed Carolina, and she’s my best friend. You knew you weren’t safe.”

“Minecraft?” Carolina said with mock disgust. “Tell me it wasn’t Minecraft porn... please?”

“WHAT?" Trystan asked in shock. "Was that even a thing?”

“Sadly, it was,” Carolina laughed. “I’m sorry, but I need to know if you were into that. I don’t care how long ago it was; I am not marrying any man who once got off to Minecraft porn.”

A devilish grin slowly spread on Trystan’s face as he stepped confidently toward Carolina.

“Marry... you say?” His grin miraculously grew wider. “Have you been thinking about marrying me, Carolina?”

“I... uh, I...” she couldn't have been more grateful for Luke jumping out of his seat.

“Well, I think I’ll leave you two alone. You can handle this conversation without me.”

He headed toward the door, but not before handing Trystan a scrap of paper. “Here, this is your Tumblr password, Playful Prince. You two can figure out your weird pasts alone.”

“Oh, like you didn’t have weird things in your past!” Carolina yelled after him.

“At least they aren't archived for prosperity on Tumblr,” Luke grinned. “And I’m relieved to say it doesn’t look like Ruby has to deal with that, either. But I can’t wait to tell her about the two of yours.”

Luke whistled as he exited, turning one more time before shutting the door. “Oh, and Playful one? You got 200 fewer boops than Carolina... and you’re royalty, man? Embarrassing! Just... embarrassing! I don't think she should consider marrying you!"

Trystan turned to his blushing girlfriend. "So, back to that marrying thing.... how often does that cross your mind?"

"Uh, you know what," she said, reaching up for a soft but passionate kiss. "Why don't I tell you all about FarmersOnly instead."

"Uninterested," he beamed.

"All right," she said, pulling out her phone. "Then let's say I allow you to read 3,500 words of angst I wrote about Princess Mia and Prince Harry circa 2016?"

Trystan's eyes lit up. "Seriously?"

"Here," she said, handing him her phone. "Go through my whole masterlist. By the time you're done... you'll forget anything else."

Trystan slunk back into the chair, tossing his feet on the desk for comfort. "Don't count on it," he winked. "Don't count on that... at all."

@choicesficwriterscreations

Tagging others separately.

[rocicrew]

clarissa mao !!

send me a character and i’ll list

favorite thing about them

she's the definition of poor little meow meow. i love her complexities and flaws. she's a rich spoiled heiress, she has enormous family issues. she tried to kill the family she would die for. redemption arcs in my opinion are not always well written but clarissa's does it for me.

she doesn't shy away from the fact that she has done terrible things for selfish reasons (when you look at it in the grand scheme of things). and while the way her father treated her explains her motivations, they are not excused by it. it is her who decides the person she was is gone, and she's going to spend her second chance making up for the things she'd done. it's honest and raw, and her arc shows that people do improve and change when they receive external support and build meaningful relations. while at the same time it says, some things cannot be amended. you can never bring someone back, but you can try to be good.

she is the subversion of the redemption achieved by one last good Deed or Sacrifice. by the time that happens, she's made peace with herself, with the consequences of her actions and it is a choice for the people she loves while she stops delaying the unavoidable.

least favorite thing about them

i find the lack of not revisiting her complicated relationship with julie a Crime. what do you mean after fighting alongside and joining the crew that found her sister, she would not understand her sister's motivation or want some closure re her death?

(tv wise: girl you Have the worst timing in s6. holden is falling asleep on the railing and you think ah a great time to revisit the horrible acts i did to kill him)

(additional sidenote: nothing more meaningful comes to mind at the moment, at least not something i can articulate well so...)

favorite line

Which meant Naomi had misunderstood. Clarissa had meant, I'm not afraid.

10000000/10 on the pain scale this line continues to haunt me. what an epilogue for her im-

(also her exchange with erich on the shuttle about letting people in their tribes without demanding that they prove they need them, and ending it with her prison sentence,,,,,,,,,, i'm rolling on the floor each time)

brOTP

is there any other answer between clarissa and amos ? i personally cannot see their relations as anything other than platonic with deep devotion. they saw each other's worst parts and decided there's good in there even if they can't quite see it in their own selves at times.

they're mirrors but also kind of foils at the same time ?? amos is never afraid while clarissa is all the time,,, let's not be monsters together,, i want to be there in your last moments,,, ah yeahh

OTP

i do not truly ship her with anyone. i can speculate about romantic dynamics, but it's not super far in the Shipping category. i do think she and bobbie would make out in the roci tho

nOTP

is kind of answered in the previous two ? i do not see her and amos' relationship being romantic (except maybe in the roci polycule kind of thing, which i'm still more drawn to the idea of her and bobbie or a complicated relationship with naomi)

random headcanon

i'm not sure how random it is, because it is a nickname she has in canon. but i personally hc that the roci crew over time begins to call her claire after babylon's ashes. peaches is primarily amos' nickname for her and it feels a step too far to use it. so claire is still a way to signal her new path.

i also believe she's a lesbian tbh

unpopular opinion

i have not seen too many opinions on her. i know a lot of people were put off of her in s3, (i have to say she grew on me later as well) but i can now say that she was Unhinged (in a compliment way)

also i think that there's a tendency for her to be portrayed a bit meek in the time after she's joined the roci crew which is the last way i'd personally describe her. she's quiet and reserved, yes, insecure about her place in that family, but she's also blunt and takes risks and has been shown to be incredibly intelligent and capable. and i think it takes away from her character with all her flaws.

song i associate with them

nothing comes to mind rn, i am also terrible at this kind of associations. always one or two lyrics throw me off.

favorite picture of them

the scene she's introduced, first up close and then the shot of her from behind with the navigation map of the maintenance shutte does thinks to the gifmaker side of me (if only the lighting wasn't so yellow)

[uh-niran-really]

Lifeweaver x Symmetra - Dancing in the Rain

Content: Fluff, Romance

Word Count: 1,100+

A/N: My sweet OTP! I’m craving a dance emote for lifeweaver so badly, but until then, there is this. Ahhh I sobbed writing this one.

The sound of the helicraft buzzing was enough to have him up from his seat instantly. It was her. She was here. Soon he was sprinting to the hanger door, the helicraft touching down as he got there.

“Satya!”

The rain was heavy but he didn’t care. He watched as the woman stepped off the helicraft before it took off again. She was nervous. Leaving Vishkar in favour of Overwatch was a big move, a big change. Niran had told her all about it, and tension at the company had reached unbearable levels.

All the worry melted away when she saw Niran running towards her. She started running too, desperate to hug him as much as he wanted to hug her. It had been a few months since they last saw one another. Long enough. They reached eachother with such force that he had to scoop her up and spin her around to dispel the kinetic energy, otherwise one of them would fall.

“You made it!!”

“I did.”

“Oh I’m so happy!”

He slowed the spin to a stop and put her down where they remained still, hugging each other. It was warm and desperate. They needed this. Eventually they pulled away and Satya was eager to get inside, although nervous. Niran made it sound so wonderful, and yet she worried she would be judged. She started walking but Niran took ahold of her hand and tugged her back softly. She looked up at him, a slight smile forming on his lips.

“Will you dance with me?”

“We’re in public and it’s raining.”

“How romantic, hmm?” He teased.

He offered the woman his hand and she accepted, taking it graciously. The pair loved to dance together in the past, yet it had been a while since then. Her heart thumped when his hand went to her waist. She leaned against his chest slightly, body trembling from either the cold, or the emotions he made her feel. Her hand nervously went to his shoulder.

“Niran…”

“Satya.”

The pair remembered the dance after so long, though it wasn’t a shock. She taught him many Indian inspired dances and he taught her the waltz, a Pruksamanee family classic. After so long they never missed a step, eyes locked on each other. The rain disguised her tears as she looked into her best friend’s eyes, feeling all the emotions flooding back to her. All the pain. All the good times. All the hurt of him leaving.

“You’re just as beautiful as the day we met.”

He spun around, gently lifting her up as he did. Her hair whipped around, falling out of its loose bun, making her a little self-conscious. He smiled and lifted her higher, still spinning around, her hands reaching to cup his cheeks, framing his face delicately.

“Ever the smooth talker Bua.”

“Naturally.”

He lowered her again, and they effortlessly went back to dancing. They would catch a cold for sure, but if this wasn’t the most romantic thing they could do, he didn’t know what was. A few other Overwatch members gathered at the hanger door, watching as they danced, some even shedding tears.

“I’ve missed you, you know?”

“You left me.” She quipped.

“I know.. but I never forgot you, Satya.”

He grasped her hand just a bit tighter, his own tears mixing with the rain, lip parting slightly. His heart pounded in his chest, if he wasn’t careful he would pass out. Their bodies perfectly remembered the steps like on auto-pilot. All the spins and twirls, the intricate footwork, the hand placement. All of it.

“I.. never forgot you, Bua.”

“I’m glad you joined Overwatch.. leaving Vishkar must have been hard for you.”

“Not hard, you’re here.”

He smiled at her again, a look of pure love on his face, tears streaming harder. She looked up at him and smiled too. His jaw trembled, though that was probably from the cold, or so he told himself.

“People are watching us you know?”

“Of course, I told you as much.”

“Ahh so you did.”

They slowed to a stop and just held each other for a while, bodies swaying left and right, arms moving to hug each other. Her heart pounded too. It was an odd feeling.

“Satya.. I’m falling for-“

“I love you too..”

His eyes closed and he rested his chin on her head, needing time to process what she just said. Love was a strong word, especially for her. He was overwhelmed by her confession, after so long it felt good to hear those words from her. She wiggled her head, tilting it up, making him look down at her again.

“That’s what you were going to say right?”

“Of course.”

She rested her hand on his chest, holding him just a bit closer to her. The rain never let up, soaking them through, and yet it was a wonderfully romantic moment. She peered up at him again, watching his small smoulder grace his lips.

“We’re going to catch a cold.”

“Allow me to warm you up then.”

His eyes closed once more lips slowly touching hers. She melted into the soft kiss hands cupping his cheeks, his hands wrapping around the small of her back. The rain poured harder, but all they could feel was each other. All the pain melted away with the rain, all the years of torment and corporate abuse, a fever dream. He deepened the kiss and she allowed him to do so, fireworks exploding in her mind. Her lips tasted of her coconut flavoured lipgloss, mixing with this own cherry gloss.

‘How romantic’ was the consensus of the other Overwatch members. Childhood love in its rawest form. Niran spoke of her so often, it was easy to see why he loved her so much. They were the perfect pair. Their kiss looked so beautiful to all who witnessed it. He pulled away from her lips, eyes slowly opening to look into her golden ones.

“I wasn’t done Niran.”

She pulled his face towards hers again, another warming kiss heating up their souls. For Satya this was healing. His lips made her feel like his healing blossom did, when he healed her back at the Arcology. Warm, tingly and loved. She pulled away from him, placing her organic hand on his chest feeling his heart thump, him doing the same with hers.

“Warm enough?”

“Yes.”

“I’m never leaving you again Satya.”

“I should hope not. Can we go inside now?”

He took her hand in his and started walking back to the hanger door of the base. She was nervous to meet everyone, but with her Bua by her side, she could do anything. Niran was nervous for her, but knew Satya was more than capable. With her, he could do anything.

“Together?”

“Together.”