#i have to say it was. so funny taking a picture with them and then making a drawing based on it because like

[telephoniii]

SUMMER LOVIN’ HAD ME A BLAST

☆彡 in which you spend your summer with the NRC boys in different ways

NRC boys x reader

word counter: 6K

tags: established relationship, reader is prefect, tooth rotting fluff, possible ooc

a/n: it's been a while! i hope my writing isn't too rusty. i tried to make each one unique to their character! i hope you enjoy :>

ace trappola

Water balloon fight!… Except he’s the most unfair person on the planet. He’ll take you to the beach and bring a cooler, claiming he knew you’d start whining about the heat. Well, that was part of the reason. One half of the cooler had waters and soda. The other? Filled to the brim with water balloons. He makes sure you’re completely unaware when he strikes (EVIL). You’ll probably be peacefully walking along the shore when BOOM. You feel a smack on your head. Turning, you see your oh-so-lovely boyfriend standing a good distance behind you with his arms full of water balloons. You’re funny if you think he’s holding back. He’s funny if he thinks you’re not gonna chase him. It’s a relief the beach was empty that day because you two start running around like chickens. It gets worse once you find out where he’s keeping the water balloons. By the end of it, you both are soaked without even going into the ocean.

deuce spade

Blastcycle ride! He takes you on the back his blastcycle around a nice little secluded area. Honestly, it doesn’t matter how long you two have been together, Deuce is going to be internally panicking before you guys go. He wants it to be the upmost romantic! Sunsets are romantic, right?! Spends an ungodly amount of time brainstorming ways to make the mood more romantic. Gives you a bouquet of roses when he first picks you up. He wasn’t prepared for you to pluck two of the roses, attaching one to his shirt and the other to your hair. Deuce’s face flushed a bright red, nearly matching the rose. Then he feels insanely bad once you guys start driving on the blastcycle because the wind blows both your roses away. You laugh, saying you already knew it was going to happen but he’s internally cursing himself for not going slower. He slowly but surely starts to relax as you two drive. He’s always loved driving blastcycles and it’s quite the endearing sight to have you holding onto him, laying your head against him as you watch the sunset. He observes the way the wind blows your hair and thinks you’ve never looked better. You chat a bit, and soon enough he’s not overthinking at all. He’s just enjoying the amazing view with you. You have that effect on him— one that eases all his worries.

cater diamond

Shopping spree! Takes you to the mall, looking for cute bathing suits for both of you. Of course, you two get distracted and start making outfits for the other to try. He records it as you walk out of the changing room, strutting in some absurd outfit with full confidence. You record him as he walks out and absolutely owns whatever outfit you picked for him. At another store, he buys matching keychains and bracelets for both of you! Probably buys one of those corny bracelets that says ‘his’ and ‘hers’, but he loves it. With your keychains, he’d want to do a photo booth with them to show them off. On the last photo, he’ll turn to kiss you for the camera. His lips are soft, gentle, and passionate against yours as he holds your jaw, tilting your head. Except he doesn’t stop after the picture is taken. You two may or may not make out in the photo booth. A knock on the side of the photo booth takes both of you out of la la land. You walk out red in the face; he walks out with the fattest grin on his face. Shameless. His Magicam stories is filled with pictures of you two together. Once he’s home, he’ll stare at the pictures you took together. There’s a small, genuine smile on his face as he already plans the next hangout in his head. He can’t get enough of you.

trey clover

Homemade ice cream! Trey feels as though he doesn’t handle the heat the best. His solution? Ice cream, obviously! Originally, he invited you over to just try the ice cream, but then it turned into you wanting to help him make it. Watching his favorite person participate in his favorite hobby? Yeah, he has no objections. You’ll probably have him churn both of yours since it starts to hurt your wrists and he’s already used to it. He’s got those baker wrists so he’s immune. The first batch you two make would probably be a simple vanilla. His turns out better than yours and he offers to give you his. However, instead of caving, you propose just making more ice cream. Again, no objections from this man. He’s down bad, he’ll go along with practically everything you want. (Malewife fr) The second round you guys are making different flavors. He’ll give you all the ingredients you need to make your favorite flavor while he makes strawberry ice cream for Riddle. Yours turns out better this time around! With pride, you get a spoonful and feed it to Trey who gives you his hum of approval. He fondly watches as you eat another scoop, some excess ice cream on your lips. When he asks for another taste, you’re happy to oblige. You just don’t expect him to grab your waist and pull you in for a hungry kiss.

riddle rosehearts

Zoo date! He wanted to go for educational purposes, just in case he had future classes on different animal species. You insisted on tagging along. Riddle was surprised how much he enjoyed having you there with him. The zoo felt less like learning trip and more… fun. He’ll still read every fact about the animals, but there’s a heartfelt smile that appears on his lips as he watches you point at an animal beside him. You bring out his childlike wonder as you drag him around the zoo, fawning over all the animals. After spotting a decent amount of people in line, you quickly find out there was an animal feeding going on. Turning towards Riddle, you asked if he wanted to do it with you. He doubts he would’ve agreed to it if anyone else asked, but the way your eyes shined as you looked at him compelled him to say yes. For the record… he was totally NOT intimidated by the giraffe’s height when he was feeding it. The giraffe simply startled him is all. Yeah. However, the way Riddle lit up at the sight of flamingos was adorable. He was nervous to feed them, but with your encouragement, he held out the bowl to the creature. The pink birds seemed to flock towards Riddle as more and more came to surround him. You couldn’t help but laugh as your boyfriend panicked a bit. When Riddle glanced over at you laughing, he couldn’t look away. He was so glad you came along.

jack howl

Swimming! Savanaclaw has their own dorm pool and Jack uses it to his advantage. Whether it’s during the school year or the middle of break, Jack is always determined to improve his strength. You’ll likely sit at the edge of the pool, dipping your toes in as you watch your boyfriend doing laps in the water. It’s adorable watching him swim as you rarely get to see his ears and tail get wet. At some point, he’ll swim up to you, asking you to time how fast he could swim from one end to the other. He got 42 seconds. You joked that you could beat that time. Big mistake. Now you guys have to race. Whether you’re a good or bad swimmer doesn’t really matter much as Jack is stupidly determined to win. Friendly competition gets him fired up. He looks way too proud of himself as he wins for the umpteenth time. You can’t help yourself when you splash at him. Another big mistake. Now you guys are splashing back and forth, giggling like kids. He’d never say it to your face, but he was definitely going easy on you. You just looked too cute when you’d start to get the upper hand. There’s a point where you get too close to him and Jack ducks under water. It’s like he disappeared. You can’t find him anywhere until he appears from under you, hoisting you onto his shoulders as he abruptly stands up. He’d do it a thousand times over if it meant seeing that expression on your face again.

ruggie bucchi

Fishing! It’s a secret talent of his that he takes pride in. He takes you to fishing pond where the two of you sit together and try to catch something. The first fish he catches freaks you out a bit with how much it flailed around. Being the cheeky hyena he is, naturally he chased you around with it. After that, he offers to help you catch something. Please say yes because it’s totally worth it the way he puts his hands over yours and murmurs instructions into your ear. His usual attitude makes it easy to forget how focused he can get when he wants to be. Ruggie is in Spelldrive and works countless part time jobs. That boy knows how to lock in. He doesn’t see the effect his voice and touch has on you until after you catch the first fish. And once he does it goes STRAIGHT to his head. Lots of smug grins and teasing. Once he knows you got it, he’ll let you fish on your own. Don’t underestimate how good he is at fishing because after you’ve caught your second one he’s got like four new ones in the bucket. Yeah. ‘Just a hobby’ my ass. By the end, you’ve got more than enough fish to feed the whole dorm of Savanaclaw. And Ruggie has no intention of sharing it with anyone besides you. They can catch their own food! He just wants to feast with you tonight. You cook it together. The way he practically drools at the sight of the fish is so pure. He splits the food 50/50 with you. If it were anyone else, he’d try to pull a one over on them with a 30/70 or something. But he doesn’t have the heart to do it to you. The fish tastes better eating it with you anyways.

leona kingscholar

Henna tattoos! He went back to his hometown during the summer since he got annoyed by Falena and Neji’s nagging. You wanted to tag along and he reluctantly agreed. Leona didn’t really want you to meet his family, but the thought of you wearing clothes from his culture had his head spinning. You mainly stayed in the guest bedroom of the palace, which in itself was huge. Leona was, unfortunately, real busy. Cheka was more than happy to keep you company though! You walked around the outside of the palace with Cheka, asking if he was even allowed out there. He cut you off as he yanked your arm towards a small stand. The lady at the stand seemed to recognize Cheka, giggling at his antics. She soon explained to you that she does Henna. Once Cheka comes of age, she’s going to be the one to give him a traditional Kingscholar tattoo. Kind as ever, she also offers to give you one, free of charge. Any guest of the royal family is a guest of hers. It’s hard to decline when Cheka happily shoves one of the paper design examples in your face, saying it would look good on you. The lady at the stand assures you the Henna isn’t permanent. You cave and send a picture of it to Leona. To your surprise, he sends a picture back of a matching tattoo on his back. Once he sees you in person, he immediately kisses your tattoo and smudges it a bit. He laughs if you get annoyed. Leona can’t stop kissing you; look so beautiful with a tattoo that matches his.

floyd leech

Boogie boarding! He’s tried surfing and the rush of standing on water is so much fun!! Floyd initially plans to surf with you and you agree. Neither of you owned surfboards though so you had to go out and buy new ones. As you were looking at the designs, there was one that reminded you of the Monstro Lounge. Except it wasn’t a surf board. It was a boogie board. “What’s that?” Floyd asked, draping himself over your shoulders as he stared at the board in your hands curiously. “Oh, it’s a boogie board. It’s basically a surf board but instead of standing on it you lay on your stomach and ride the waves—“ The leech immediately snatched that board from your hands and bought it. It was like love at first sight for this mad lad. He immediately ran into the water directly into a wave, plopping his stomach down on the board. Floyd was a natural. It was hard not to admire him; shirtless and wet with the biggest grin on his face. He caught onto your ogling and assumed you wanted a spin on the boogie board. Definitely forces you to try it. If you fall off the board he’s laughing and saying, “Wow! You’re almost as bad as Azul!” If you don’t fall, he’s making fun of you. “You look drenched, Shrimpy! I’m surprised you didn’t drown!” Yeah, this guy is the worst. He does love you though. It shows when he gives you his towel and helps you dry off.

jade leech

Hiking! You already knew it was coming. Let’s hope you can keep up because the way he hikes up so fast is insane. And he’s rarely shooting you a glance, way too focused on the beauty of the mountains. It isn’t until he starts rambling on about how you should join the Mountain Lover Club when he realizes you’ve fallen behind. He blinks in surprise as he turns around, looking for you. Soon enough, he finds you sitting down on a rock trying to catch your breath. You apologize for the slow down and he shakes his head, saying he should’ve been more aware of your stamina. His eyes widened as you moved to pull out a small mushroom from your pocket, saying that you picked it since you knew he’d like it. That toothy grin of his makes its way onto his face as he leans forward to give you a kiss. The thought of you doing that specifically for him makes his heart swell. In fact, it swells so much that he bends down in front of you and tells you to get on his back. Now he’s insistent on carrying you the whole way through the hike. No objections. Jade is slower this time around. It’s partly due to the added weight on his back, but also because he told you to look out for any more of those mushrooms so you two could pick them together. Once you’re at the top of the mountain, the two of you have a bag full of mushrooms. It’s getting late and Jade lays down beside you on a patch grass. He goes through the different mushrooms in the bag, explaining the origin and purpose of each one. You ask which is his favorite. Jade takes a moment to think it over. Eventually picks the first one you gave to him— the one you pulled out of your pocket. That one is especially special to him from now on.

azul ashengrotto

Leomade stand! Summer is prime time for lemonade sales and Azul fully intends on seizing the opportunity. As he sets up a lemonade menu for the Monstro Lounge, you playfully suggest he makes a lemonade stand while he was at it. You had no idea that he’d actually take you seriously. Now, there you were, sitting next to your boyfriend outside of NRC as you sold lemonade. It brought back a certain nostalgia. Azul lightly scolded you as you drank some of the lemonade the two of you were selling. You shrugged, claiming you didn't want to get dehydrated before handing him the cup and told him he should drink some as well. Azul lightly tapped the cup, considering it before caving and taking a small sip. He furrowed his brows as he looked up and was met with your smug grin. “… Why are you looking at me like that?” “You drank from the same exact spot as me. Indirect kiss!” Azul’s face lit a bright red. He stuttered before telling you that your antics were bad for business. You rolled your eyes. He went silent for a few moments before speaking up, his voice quieter than before. “What if I gave you a direct kiss?” Your lit up at his comment. He was too endearing, shyly asking if he could kiss you despite that fact you were already dating. With your permission, he leaned forward and closed the distance between you two. Once he pulled away, you murmured, “You taste like lemonade.” Azul let out a tiny scoff. “Wow. What a surprise.”

kalim al asim

Summer party! He’d arranged a huge party at Scarabia and invited everyone from NRC. How could he not celebrate the season nearly everyone looks forward to! It was as lavished as it could get with crazy amounts of food, pretty lights, a big pool, and, of course, amazing music! Out of everyone he invited, he was most excited to celebrate with you! He almost bought you your own separate cake before Jamil talked him out of it! Once you arrived, he was glued to your hip. He just wanted to be around you the whole time! How could he want to do anything else when the fairy lights bring out a certain sparkle in your eyes that made him want to stare at you forever? Although he’s always friendly with everyone, it's obvious that his energy shifts when your around. His eyes are just drawn to you during every party game. Every chance he gets, he partners with you! Chicken fight in the pool? Get on his shoulders, you two are sure to win together! Cup pong? Join his team and lets see who can score more! Once the night comes, he holds his hand out to you and asks for a dance. One dance turns into the rest of the night as you two enjoy one another company. Whether it's an upbeat song he could break dance or a slow song to sway to, he’ll dance the night away with you next to him! It doesn't even matter if you’re good or bad at dancing, as long as your having fun then he is too! As you watches you move your hips to the beat, he wishes for this night to last forever.

jamil viper

Festival! Kalim and his family were hosting this fancy festival to celebrate the arrival of summer. Jamil assumed he’d be busy the entire night protecting Kalim. Despite this, he encouraged you to go to the festival with friends. He knew it’d be something you’d enjoy, and Jamil wanted nothing more than for you to be happy, even if he couldn't be there with you. You agreed but promised to stop by and spend some time with him as he watched over Kalim. Jamil stood by the young Al Asim, watching as he mingled with other high-class families. To his surprise, he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. He recognized the man as a knight to the Al Asim family. The knight not-so-kindly told Jamil that he was not needed and that his presence— the presence of a Viper— was ruining the image of the Al Asims. Jamil furrowed his brows, about to argue back before he heard a familiar laugh in the distance. Yours. You stood at one of the festival games, laughing as you missed another hoop… Maybe being away from Kalim wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. He hugged you from behind, a sly smile as he met your surprised gaze. “Mind if I steal you away for the rest of the night?” “I’d love that, Jamil.” He intertwined his hand in yours as he whisked you away from the crowds. Jamil took you to a cozy spot where the two of you could sit and watch the firework show together. You rested your head on his shoulder as he wrapped a hand around your waist. Although the way the fireworks lit up the sky was pretty, nothing matched the way the light illuminated against you perfectly. For a few moments, you were the only thing that existed in Jamil’s world. Although he bound to Kalim by law, Jamil’s devotion towards you was completely his choice. And he loved it.

epel felmier

Apple picking! He’s more than eager to take you to meet his family. So when they tell him its prime apple picking time, he grabs you by the arm and takes you through the magic mirror with little explanation. His family absolutely adores you. They show you all the best spots in their farm to pick apples, teaching you techniques that you’d never even think of. You and Epel are outside, with you holding the basket of apples as he grabs the harder to reach ones. It starts turning into a game where he throws you an apple and you catch it with the basket. You’re out of breath and he’s laughing watching you run around trying to catch these apples. His meemaw shouts from inside to knock it off before someone gets hit in the head with an apple. Epel reluctantly stops but throws you one more apple for good measure. He teaches you how to carve the apples! The bruised ones needed to be carved anyways, might as well teach you in the meantime! Epel watches you carefully, making sure you don't accidentally get cut when carving. No, he totally does NOT get sappy when he watches you carve your initials together in an apple. So what if he carved a heart around it? It's just because he thought it’d look nice! No other reason… His meemaw passes by and gives him a knowing look. Epel almost explodes on the spot when Marja says, “This one’s a keeper, boy! I expect grandchildren!”

rook hunt

Camping! He’s a hunter and a sucker for the woods. Rook sets up most of the camp. It's not that he doesn't allow you to help, rather that he’s super speedy and efficient at what he does. In the blink of an eye, he’s got a fire going and everything. Definitely bought you your own separate tent to sleep in, but when you tell him you’d like to sleep beside him he swiftly takes it down with the biggest grin you’ve ever seen. Brings a camera to observe all the woodland creatures. Unfortunately for him, the woodland creatures are definitely afraid but his presence. You sigh as you watch your boyfriend climb a tree to take a picture of an unsuspecting animal. This guy is lucky you love him. Coincidentally, the animals actually seem to like you. They come to the little spot you and Rook have set up as a camp and chill around the fire. Rook feels his heart melt at the sight of a few squirrels sitting next to you while you made smores. Beautiful creatures all sitting together in harmony? He thanks the heavens for this sight and snaps a picture with his camera. Rook approaches slowly and calmly. The animals are almost scared away but with small encouragements from you, they stay. Rook is over the moon at this, happy to be so close to the critters. It's an adorable sight to see as he holds a tiny chipmunk in his hands, the fire illuminating the sparkle in his eyes. You scoot towards him, offering him a taste of your smore. Rook nods before catching you off guard with a kiss. “It tastes truly delightful. Especially on your lips, Trickster~”

vil schoenheit

Spa day! He has an image to maintain, but being able to relax while being taken care of with you beside him? Sounds like paradise. Vil doesn't exactly trust you to massage and take care of his scalp— he’s got enough money to hire actual professionals— but he’ll happily do it for you! He finds it quite endearing the way you relax under his touch as he shampoos and conditions your hair. What he does allow you to do is put face masks on him. It's easy to fix if you mess up and he quite likes the proximity. Vil has to hold himself back from kissing you as you sit in his lap, pressing the mask against his skin. Instead, he settles for lightly squeezing your hip as he does the same for you. He’ll happily get full body massages, pedicures, and manicures for the both of you— all on his wallet of course. Except he asks that they don't paint yours or his nails. He wants to do that with you. Another easy fix in his book if you mess up the polish. Vil absolutely adores that determined little look on your face as you carefully paint his nails. Once you pull back with a satisfied grin, he gives you a hum of approval no matter how good or bad of a job you did. He’ll match nails with you, delighted to see a part of himself on you. Once his face mask is off he’s definitely smashing his lips against yours. Just to see if your lips need a lip mask of course. No other reason. Vil’s kisses always leave you breathless. The sight of you panting because of him with your hair and nails all pretty has him the most relaxed he’s been in years. How could he not enjoy himself when you're around? Your beauty is matched only by his own in his eyes.

ortho shroud

Sand castles! Since his older brother is such a recluse, Ortho by association hasn't been out much. Hearing that he’s never built a sand castle, you felt the need to fix that! You took him to small beach with a bunch of plastic toy shovels, molds, and buckets. Ortho was more than enthusiastic to try! He had a waterproof activation system and felt that he was finally putting it to use. At first it was… rough. He scooped two buckets filled with water and dumped them ontop of the castle. He had the spirit! Just not the knowledge. Well— at first. With a quick searches on the web, suddenly he went from noob to mob boss in an instant. You’ve never seen a sand castle that huge before. It had a whole opening system and everything! Made out of sand! The gate to the castle was moveable and the designs were so intricate you’d think Ortho was an actual architect. Other people at the beach came to ogle at the masterpiece. Craziest part? Ortho continued to add on to it to make it even bigger. Bigger is an understatement. The robot built an ACTUAL castle that you could walk inside of. On the beach. What the fuck. Once it got late out, the beach manager walked up to you and Ortho before asking if he could turn it into a preserve. An actual sand castle is sure to attract some visitors and curious eyes. Ortho was more than happy to agree. He was even more happy to claim that YOU built it instead of him! Probably because they asked for the builders first and last name. Considering that he’s a Shroud, he didn't want to garner his parents unnecessary attention and said your name. When you return to the dorms, Idia runs to interrogate both of you about the ‘Real Life Sand Castle Built By NRC Students!’ headline that was on his screen.

idia shroud

Movie marathon! No matter what season it is, Idia isn't fond of going outside. The solution? Watch animes of fictional people going outside with you! He writes down a list of anime summer movies that he’s been wanting to watch. The main reason he hasn't is because watching them makes him feel even more alone. But, if you’re watching them with him? How could he feel alone when he’s got the most OP person in the universe as his partner? Once all the movies come in, you both are pulling all nighters! He’s got your favorite snacks and grabs all his comfy blankets. Much to Idia’s embarrassment, you asked if you could wear matching hoodies of this one power couple in one of the movies you were going to watch. How could he say no when you looked at him like that?! Needless to say, the whole time you guys were watching that movie, Idia was saying, “Literally us.” and tugging on your hoodies. You dug threw some of the snacks he got for the movie marathon, finding a box of popsicles. He took the blue one, you took the red one. By the end of it, you both had purple tongues though. As you start to drift to sleep at the ripe time of 5AM, Idia can’t help but admire your sleepy state. He wonders what he did to get protagonist levels of lucky to have you by his side.

sebek zigvolt

Collecting sea shells! When Malleus mentioned admiring the unique patterns each sea shell had, Sebek got the bright idea to collect the prettiest sea shell so he could to bring it to his master! You, happy to see your boyfriend so motivated, agreed to help. Every shell on that beach was heavily scrutinized under Sebek’s eyes. It was hard to find one he was happy with. Too big. Too small. Too round. Too sharp. Too zigzag-y. Like, okay Goldie Locks. You were starting to think there wasn't a single shell that he’d be happy with. Sitting down on the sand, you let out a small sigh while watching the waves. Sebek was next to you, digging in the sand for any hidden shells. Watching the ocean, you couldn't help but notice a pretty, little shell wash up on shore. You abruptly stood up, walking towards it. “Sebek! Sebek! Look at this one!” In his eyes, it really wasn't all that different from the rest. But he couldn't help but notice the way you looked at it like it was the most treasured jewel you’ve ever seen. The way you smiled as you held it out to him made his heart flutter. Something in him hoped that you looked at him like that during the times he wasn't paying attention. The thought flustered him, his cheeks turning pink as he looked at the shell. “… I-It’ll work.” He mumbled. Your smile widened as you held his arm. “Really?! I’m so glad! I was starting to think I wasn't gonna be much help!” Sebek glanced towards you, still a bit red in the face. To him, you were always a help. Whether it be a mood booster, another pair of hands, or a discovery of so many emotions he’s never felt before. You were always helping him learn more about himself, something he’d be eternally grateful for.

silver

Hammock naps! Silver wanted to make the most of his summer, causing him to go out a lot during it. He didn't want to sleep the season away. However, he’s been falling asleep in dangerous places. It’s starting to wear down on him to the point where you suggested he take a break. He sighed, confiding in you that he really wanted to make memories of the summer but struggled with his condition. An idea appeared in your mind. “Have you ever slept on a hammock?” Silver raised his brow, shooting you a curious look. “… I don’t believe I know what that is.” You were more than happy to buy one for the two of you to try. He helped attach it to the trees, making sure it was stable enough for both of you. Once inside, you immediately started to swing in it, catching him off guard. “What’re you—?” “C’mon’ it’s part of the fun!” Silver couldn't help the soft laughs that escaped his throat at your antics. To you, it was a heavenly sound. He wrapped his arm around you, pulling you closer as he rested his head on top of yours. “Thank you for this…” He murmured. You pressed a small kiss to his shoulder. “I’ll be dreaming of you.” Silver hummed before dozing off. And he wasn't lying. His dreams were always full of you. This time, it was you and him just laying there till the end of time. With you snuggled against him. Together.

lilia vanrouge

Pottery! The old bat has done a lot in his lifetime. Pottery isn't one of them. It’s been on his bucket list for a while, but he just hadn't found a good time to try it. You, knowing this, bought him an at home pottery set. Which might've been the worst decision ever. He was over the moon about it, smothering you with kisses before quickly unboxing the set and trying it out. You both stood in the Diasomnia kitchen with aprons as you read over the instructions. They sounded confusing. So, Lili just shrugged and decided to go for it. Turns out it’s not as easy as it looked. Clay splattered everywhere— on the table, on the counters, and on your faces. Lilia let out a hearty laugh seeing you covered with clay because of him. He wiped some of it off your cheek with a grin. “Looks amazing on you, dear.” Lilia murmured before giving you a try. After what Lilia did, there was no way you could do any worse. You ended up making a flimsy little vase. It was far from pretty, but it had Lilia awestruck. “Let’s put it in the oven! Quick!” He held it like it was his newest son. You tilted your head to the side, amused by his behavior. “Are you sure you don't wanna try and make a better one? That was my first attempt and it definitely shows.” You chuckle, causing him to shake his head. “Shh! You’ll hurt its feelings!” Nothing you make could ever be ugly in Lilia’s eyes. And this vase was one of them. To him, it solidified the fact that you bought and did all this for him. And that meant a lot. He’d love and cherish anything else you made. As long as you’d keep making them for him.

malleus draconia

Lanterns! You and Malleus usually take midnight strolls no matter the season. However, he got curious when he saw pretty colors illuminating the night sky. After a bit of research, you told him how some workshop planned on releasing lanterns every Friday of summer. He was more than eager to participate in this human ritual. The next Friday rolls around and he drags you to the spot. His presence demands attention of course, so the two of you are quickly provided with the materials you need. Malleus gets stumped when it comes to decorating his lantern. So many ideas… he struggles to settle on one. Just as he turns to you for advice, his eyes widened and his heart starts beating a little faster as he sees yours. On your lantern, you had him painted on there. It was a chibi version, but it was clearly him by the horns. “How creative.” He hummed in amusement, pressing a kiss to his forehead. Motivated by the sight, he takes great caution as he begins to paint on his. Each stroke is careful and calculated. In the end, he painted you on his lantern in return. It was a much more detailed version compared to yours, but that made it all the more charming. Your heart swelled at the sight before another idea popped in your mind. You painted half of heart on your lantern before glancing towards him. “You should paint the other half on yours! That way when they’re in the sky, all the other lanterns know they’re connected.” Malleus grinned at the idea, swiftly agreeing and painting the other half of the heart. Once it was time to light them, he sat beside you and you two lit it at the same time, watching them drift off into the sky. Malleus couldn't help but think over your words again. His mind wandered to the heart halves you both painted. “Even as lanterns, we find our way back to each other.” He mused, intertwining his hand in yours. “I’ll love you in every universe.”

[formulafanfics13]

so reader is charles’ gf but she’s also a close friend of lando. one day charles accidentally reads a notification on reader’s phone, it’s from lando and it’s something like “hot”, so he ends up opening the text and sees that she had sent a picture visible just 1x. he ends up reading the whole chat and sees that it’s full of pictures sent from both sides with the 1x option, and all the answers are always suggestive stuff like “i want them in my mouth”, “i think that’d be better raw”, “that’s a huge cake, give me a piece”. he thinks reader is cheating on him and sends nudes to lando. they argue about it, little did he know, reader and lando just loved sending each other pictures of the foods they ate.

That’s Not a Sext, That’s Carbonara - CL16 (LN4)

Masterlist

Summary: Charles thinks you’re cheating on him with Lando after seeing a string of filthy-sounding one-time-view messages — only to find out you and Lando have an unhinged, long-running bit of sending food photos with sexual captions. Cue chaos, relief, and a very embarrassed boyfriend.

Warning: Jealousy, suspicion, accidental phone snooping, fake-sexting panic, food-related innuendo, Charles being a dramatic little bitch, and the phrase “moist cake” used inappropriately.

It starts with a vibration. Just one. You’re in the shower. Charles is still in bed, scrolling through TikTok with one hand and sleepily scratching his stomach with the other. The morning is slow. Monaco is quiet. Everything is fine.

Until your phone lights up on the bedside table. And a banner flashes across the screen:

Lando: hot.

Charles squints. Then frowns. It’s probably nothing. He knows you and Lando are friends. Close, even. You’ve known each other since before you started dating Charles. But still...hot? Why would Lando text you that first thing in the morning?

He tries not to overthink it. But then it lights up again.

Lando: you’re cruel for not letting me taste it.

Charles blinks. His stomach turns cold. That can’t mean what he thinks it means. Right? Right? You’re still singing in the shower. Charles stares at your phone. He knows it’s wrong. But his thumb is already moving.

The phone unlocks, no passcode between you two, and opens straight to the Messages app. The last chat open is Lando Norris.

Charles scrolls. Then stops breathing. Because the entire chat is chaos. Just one-time view pictures, over and over. Sent. Received. Sent. Received. No visible content, just timestamps and the little message: Photo. Tap to view once.

And the captions.

“I want them in my mouth.”

“That’s a huge cake, give me a piece.”

“I think that’d be better raw.”

“i can’t stop thinking about last night.”

“moist.”

“dripping.”

“creamy.”

Charles feels sick.

He scrolls faster. There are hundreds of them. All like this. Every photo invisible, every reply suggestive. Always one-word filth. Always instant responses. You and Lando, texting like porn stars in a private thread.

His chest tightens. He doesn’t realize you’ve stepped out of the shower until your towel hits the floor. “Hey, babe-”

“What the fuck is this?”

You blink. He’s holding your phone. Eyes wide. Veins bulging.

“I-what?”

“This!” He holds it up. “You’ve been sexting Lando?”

You pause. Stare at him. Then burst out laughing.

Charles does not find it funny. “I’m fucking serious,” he snaps. “Don’t lie to me.”

You take one step forward, still dripping. “You opened my messages?”

He waves the phone. “You’ve been sending him one-time-view pictures with captions like moist and raw-”

You’re wheezing. You lean on the dresser. “Oh my god.”

Charles glares. “Are you cheating on me?”

You look up at him. Eyes wide. Face soft. Then say, “Baby. They’re food pics.”

Silence. He blinks. “What?”

You grin. “Me and Lando send each other pictures of what we eat. Always one-time view. Always with the dirtiest captions possible. It’s been our thing for years.”

He stares at you.

“I sent him a photo of my cinnamon roll. That’s the huge cake he wanted a piece of.”

Charles is pale. 

“I said moist because it was a lemon drizzle,” you add.

He opens his mouth. Closes it. Then collapses onto the bed like a deflated balloon. “Holy shit,” he whispers.

You laugh. Harder. “Baby. Oh my god. Did you think I was sexting Lando with sandwich pics?”

Charles covers his face. You crawl into his lap. “You thought I was sending him nudes. And it was just croissants.”

He groans. “Please stop.”

You kiss his temple. “You’re so dramatic.”

“You wrote I want it in my mouth.”

“It was churros.”

He whimpers. You wrap your arms around him. Press your naked body against his hoodie. Kiss the tip of his nose.

“Don’t ever doubt me again,” you whisper. “But if you want, I’ll send you my moist cake next time.”

Charles groans. Then tackles you onto the bed.

[imsodishy]

They kept his fucking rolodex.

It hardly seems like it should rank very high on the list of the indignities that have been heaped on Steve's head over the last 24 hours, but, for some reason, it’s the one that sticks in his craw as security frog-marches him out of the building.

They called fucking security! Like he's some kind or dangerous threat.

Had things gotten a little heated in Gary's office? Maybe. But, call him crazy, Steve thinks if the man who's been sleeping with your wife for the past eight months unceremoniously fires you without cause, you should be allowed to call him a gutless shit-dick at whatever volume you damn well please!

Security pushes him through the lobby while people stare and then shove him out the door, tossing a sad (rolodex-less) cardboard box of his effects after him.

He grabs it up and lobs the box at their retreating backs, but it’s already banged up from rough treatment, and the handle rips clean through on his wind-up. When he releases it it swings wide, arcing sharply downward, barely connecting with the lower third of the glass door before it disintegrates, vomiting out the sad collections of belongings they bothered to pack up for him across the paving stones.

A completely unsatisfying, pathetic showing. Which is consistent at least.

"Assholes!" he shouts at no one, everyone, himself, and that's a little more satisfying.

He straightens his rumpled-beyond-fixing suit, and goes to collect his things, even though he hasn't got a box to carry them in now. The very first item that he grabs happens to be a picture of him and Jill at last year's Christmas party, and it takes very little math to realize that she was already fucking Gary at that point in time. Steve looks for some kind of sign in her glossy, 8x10 smile, but it looks totally normal to him. She looks happy.

He really is fucking moron, isn't he?

He drops the frame, and it was already broken, but the further crunch of glass still feels kind of satisfying in his gut.

Steve had been aware of the sound of a machinery somewhere behind him, in the way you're vaguely aware of city noises around you. It's not until he turns around to see his car that the sound resolves into the whir of a tow truck's hoist.

"No. Nonono, hey! No, That's my car!" he shouts as he jogs over.

The truck operator throws Steve an unconcerned glance over his shoulder, "And now you car is on my truck," he shrugs and turns back to their vehicles, "Life's a funny thing, ain't it."

"Right, but I'm here now, so can we get my car off your truck?"

"No can do, amigo," he doesn't even turn to face Steve this time, "Once the wheels go up it's a done deal."

"Oh come on, man, I'm already having a truly terrible day. I just got fired-"

"And your wife left you," Steve freezes, how the fuck? "Your kid has pneumonia, your grandma died, your house burned down, your dog ran away, and anyway, you were only gonna be parked for a minute, honest."

Now the guy turns fully to face Steve. He's like a parody of an all American, blue-collar, man's man; thick arms folded across his chest, grey coveralls zipped down to the waist to reveal a white tank top stained with the marks of hard work, curly blonde mullet, shadow of a mustache plus faint 5 o'clock shadow, he's even chewing on a goddamn toothpick. "Does that about cover it, Doll?" he asks sarcastically.

Steve flushes hot with anger, where does this guy (Billy, according to the embroidered breast pocket on his coveralls) get off. "Look, pal, I'm not trying to pull something here. I actually just lost my actual job," he gestures at the glass and chrome high-rise he was just ejected from, "So stop screwing around and put my car down so I can go-" Steve cuts himself off before saying 'home' because he can't go home can he? He frowns at the thought, then shakes it off, "I am not in the mood for whatever little power trip you've got going on here. So just," Steve makes a grab for the weird remote thing the guy is holding that Steve's pretty sure controls the tow functions.

The guy takes a half step back and firmly smacks Steve's hand away with a snort, "Hey now, don't get handsy, Sweetheart."

God, what is with the pet-names.

"Were you dropped on you head as a child?" Steve snaps, "I'm saying put. My car. Down," Steve jabs him in the chest with two fingers.

"And I'm saying no," the guy shoves him back, hard enough that Steve almost stumbles, "Are you that used to getting always your way, Princess?"

Steve laughs, he can't help it. "My way? My way? You think any of this is going my way? Getting fired, from a job I never fucking wanted? The job my dad got for me because my wife thought it would be good for us? Maybe just so she could fuck my boss, and take the house, which i didn't pick anyway!" Somewhere in his head Steve is aware that he's ranting like a lunatic, "Her and my mother picked the house together. Didn't ask me anything except to sign on the dotted goddamn line! And they decorated it together too! Picked every single thing in it without consulting me, including the stuff in my fucking study! And hey, that's fine. 'Cuz I maybe I only married her in the first place because my mother thought she was a good match! And you know what else? I hate that fucking car! I hate BMWs I'd rather drive a fucking pinto! So take it!" Steve digs the keys out of his pocket and lobs them at the tow truck driver's face, "Take the fucking car you stupid, blonde, asshole!" Then he takes a wild, haymaker swing at the poor guy, to really put a cherry on top of his meltdown.

The guy dodges the keys and Steve's fist in quick succession, then he calmly cocks a fist back, and pops him one. Right in the nose.

Steve’s on his ass on the sidewalk, almost before he knows what's happened. He claps a hand over his face, hissing through his teeth at the sting.

A shadow looms over him. Steve looks up, somewhat reluctantly, at the tow truck driver. He's got his arms crossed over his solid chest, and he's looking down at Steve, wholly unimpressed with his shit. "You done?" he asks, exactly like you would ask a toddler if they're done throwing a tantrum.

"Yeah," Steve answers, nasal because he's pinching his nose, "Yeah, I'm done."

The guy uncrosses his arms, "You bleeding?"

Steve pulls the hand of his face with a wince, but there's no blood to be seen. "Doesn't look like it," he says, "God, I haven't actually been punched since, like, high school I think... hurts more than I remember. "

Billy sniffs, "Yeah, it always does." There's a long beat where he just looks down at Steve silently, before he sighs and sticks a hand out to help him up, "Tell you what, you can ride with me to the depot. That way you'll get there before they close, and you can get your car back right away."

Steve stares at his rough, grease stained hand, "You're still going to tow me? I really did get fired, look," Steve points at his crushed box of crap.

Billy looks at it dispassionately, then looks back at Steve, hand still outstretched, he smiles, "No point in both of us getting fired."

Yeah, that's probably fair. Steve reaches out to take the proffered hand, but instead of helping him up, first Billy leans down into his space and says, "But, tell you what, afterwards, I'll buy you a beer. Okay, Bambi?"

"My name is Steve," he says as he's hauled upright, feeling a little dizzy, from standing too fast or from the knock to the head maybe.

Billy's grin widens, "Whatever you say, Pretty Boy."

High-powered businessman Steve, who is having the worst day of his life, his wife kicked him out, she left him, for his boss, who just fired him, and the absolute last thing he needs is his car getting towed...

and tow truck driver Billy.

[glitter-stained]

Honestly DC fandom, as much as I love you, I am disappointed in our ship names. Take a look at what the marvel fandom has going on! Winterfalcon, Winterwidow, Ironstrange, Spiderpool, Winterhawk, (i am noticing bucky barnes doing a lot of heavy lifting here)...

Idk maybe it's because I don't know enough about the marvel fandom and am missing out on some good dc names but I think in general we need to aim higher! Big energy you guys, go big or go home but there's a housing crisis!!!

So anyway here are some humble alternative ship name proposals and why i like them, feel free to add your own!

Donnakory -> Troyan Star : i personally think it's pretty

Dinahbabs -> Augury: an oracle who uses birds. Is it a little vague? Yeah but I think we could make it work also it sounds cool.

Stephcass -> Batgirl²: they share batgirl like a hoodie

Jason Todd/SuperBoyPrime -> Primehood: the suffix -hood added to a noun, if i understand english correctly, seems to suggest a state of being here? Like "days of primehood", the state of being in your prime. It makes up a cool new word and that's neat.

Diana/Artemis -> Wondermoon : something something two women who have been wonder woman and wear the name of different versions of the same moon goddess, the many faces of the moon two sides of the same coin idk it feels romantic

Wondercheetah-> Wonderkitty : self-explanatory

Rena/Jason Todd -> Reason: I think it'd be funny to have a ship of two vividly unreasonable people named reason (ofc you can hc adult rena as reasonable it's just. In my heart I know she matches his freak as an adult as well.)

Grace Choi/Anissa Pierce -> Thundergrace: idk i think the idea of graceful thunder sounds pretty cool

Honorable mentions:

Dickkory -> Nightstar: I've seen it used as a shipname a couple of times and it is beautiful! I understand the potential confusion with their daughter, whose superhero name is Nightstar and how unpractical it would be for tagging, but also I think naming your persona after your parents' ship name is kinda cute.

Dickwally -> Birdflash : widely used by the fandom already. It's not extremely specific and yet due to the popularity of the ship it is understood perfectly, the reason I think Augury could work, I keep picturing a bird sprinting super quick into my window and smashing against it and falling but like getting that vision in the corner of my eye, love when a ship name gives me visual energy

Selina/Bruce -> Batcat: again, already used in fandom, this is the energy we like to see the phrasing is so fun I want to try and say it fast a bunch of times

Helena Bertellini/Helena Wayne -> Helena²: already mentioned it in a previous post about math ship names and it has been adopted, hell yeah!!! Sans if you see this ily

[valeelavvale]

Drive - Chapter 2

chapters: Chapter 1

featuring: Fernando Alonso / ofc

requested: by @sunnytkm23

"Hi. Could you do a Fernando Alonso one where practically is Right person at the wrong time, in which reader and Fernando dated during his first years at Renault and his first WDC title and during his second title, she wanted bigger things like getting married and starting a family with him, but he didn't want to at that time and they separated and each one moved on with their lives, even though they had friends in common and they commented on how one was going for the other and so Fernando finds out that she got married years after their breakup and her rise to fame as a model and she knows about his single life and the reputation he had with women and years later she is a renowned model but divorced and with 2-year-old girl which the father doesn't care and in not in the picture and they meet again after unknowingly, Fernando sees her in Monaco with her child going to market and discovers that she separated and moved there with her child and little by little the two reconnect and he invites her to dinner and admits that he regrets not having fought for both of them and that he still loves her and gives her what she wanted most and she decides to give him a second chance and he practically adopts her daughter as his own."

notes: Second chapter of this fanfic, we move a bit forward in time to see how Fernando's life and Ana's life have changed.

genre: romance, angst

word count: 1905

October 2018

Fernando parked the car in front of the venue. It was late, but he had landed less than a couple of hours earlier, gone home to change, and then picked up Lisa, who was now getting out of the car with him.

It was Adam’s birthday, the guy from the communications agency who handled his socials. Smart and funny, they’d hit it off right away, and he had invited Fernando to celebrate with his partner.

“You said it would be a small party, but it looks like there are at least a hundred people here,” Lisa laughed, linking her arm through his. They had been together for almost a year, and things were genuinely going great, better than he had expected in the beginning.

She was a journalist for a major French sports outlet, always in the paddock, always around him and honestly, he didn’t mind it at all.

They walked in and greeted the birthday boy, who immediately handed them each a drink. Then they got lost in small talk, mingling with different people.

He had just grabbed a second drink when Fernando turned his head and saw someone he knew all too well in the back: Ana.

Those impossibly long legs, dark hair, tanned as always. She was talking animatedly while someone next to her hugged her, kissing her shoulder. She leaned into him as she smiled.

He’d seen her on TV, in magazines, on dozens of billboards, but in person? Not since the night she left.

She had come by to collect her things three days later while he was away, and just like that, she had vanished from his life without a sound.

“Babe, come on? Chris is over there,” Lisa said, taking his hand and pulling him straight in Ana’s direction. It didn’t take him long to recognize Chris, Lisa’s best friend, who was clearly one of the people talking to Ana.

They arrived and greeted the group, and for a moment, Fernando felt awkward.

“Fer,” Ana exclaimed, surprised to see him. She wasn’t sure whether to hug him, keep staring, or say something to the man holding her who clearly had no idea he was standing in front of someone who had once meant so much. Maybe too much.

“Hi,” Fernando smiled. It had been so many years.

“It’s been forever. How are you?” she asked politely.

“Good,” he replied. “Always in a rush,” he added, making her laugh.

“I could’ve bet on that,” she said, shaking her head as she picked up a drink from a nearby tray, revealing a huge engagement ring on her finger that was impossible to miss.

“Let me introduce you to Matteo,” she said, presenting the man beside her, who shook Fernando’s hand with a smile.

“I’m a fan. A huge one,” he said with a laugh, and Fernando smiled back.

“This is Lisa,” he added, introducing his partner before they all got pulled into different conversations again.

It was past two when Fernando felt a hand on his arm. He turned around.

“I wanted to say goodbye, Matteo and I are heading out,” Ana said with a smile. “It was nice seeing you again,” she added sincerely.

“Yeah…” he said, leaning in for a quick hug.

She still smelled like vanilla.

“You seem happy,” he told her, looking at her the way you look at someone you never really managed to find a place for in your life.

“I am. Are you?” she asked, tilting her head.

He just nodded.

“Still racing, huh?” she added.

“Always,” the driver laughed. “Hope to see you again sometime,” he said.

“We will,” she replied, waving as she walked away.

For a moment, Fernando couldn’t take his eyes off her as she left.

-

Ana climbed into the car and shut the door.

“Tired?” Matteo asked with a smile.

“My shoes are killing me,” she laughed, kicking them off and putting on a song.

It had been so strange seeing Fernando again. She had thought about him so many times over the years, any time Formula 1 came up, and then just like that, there he was. On an ordinary evening.

With that dark look in his eyes, like he’s always hiding something, like he always knows more than he says.

For a moment, just one, she had thought she missed him. For most of the evening, she had thought he looked amazing.

“You leaving tomorrow?” Matteo’s voice snapped her back to reality.

“Yes, I have to be in NY by tomorrow night for fashion week,” she answered as he stroked her leg.

“The last fashion week as a single woman,” he teased.

“Ready to become Mrs. Corelli,” she laughed, kissing him on the cheek.

-

September 2022

Fernando and Amelia had organized a dinner on the terrace, just a few friends, a good chef, and plenty of laughter.

It was late, almost midnight. The waiters were clearing away the empty wine bottles and serving another round of dessert.

“You know I saw Ana last week?” Michael said, nudging Fernando’s arm. “Pregnant. Beautiful as always,” he added, taking a sip of wine.

“Well, they’ve been together for forever…” Lucia chimed in, and Michael nodded.

“I ran into her at a party years ago,” Fernando commented.

“He’s an asshole,” Lucia laughed, and they both looked at her. “I know him, have for years. I’ve seen them often lately, and he really rubs me the wrong way. A manager with a stick up his ass. I don’t get what she sees in him, she’s not like that… But oh well, she does seem happy,” she went on, shrugging.

“Oh come on, why an asshole? He didn’t seem that bad to me,” Michael chuckled.

“Rumor was he cheated on her. Just gossip, of course. But they’re still together, so maybe not,” Lucia replied, sipping her wine.

Fernando said nothing. Fifteen years had passed, and he hadn’t seen Ana since that night at the party. It felt strange hearing people talk about that parallel life she had built.

“Babe?” Amelia came over to him. “Can you take more wine from the kitchen?” she asked with a smile.

Amelia was stunning, and he nodded with a smile.

And him?

What had he built, really?

-

November 2024

Fernando had picked up everything on his list: the watch, the suit, he was proud of how fast he’d managed to get it all done. He figured he could treat himself to a coffee.

He turned the corner and walked into his usual café, the one where the staff never let people take pictures or ask for autographs and placed his order.

Then he heard a laugh, caught something out of the corner of his eye: Ana. 

Sitting at a nearby table. Standing on a chair in front of her was a little girl in a blue checkered dress, with long pigtails and her hands behind her back.

She was humming something, and Ana was laughing, apologizing to the nearby tables, though everyone seemed amused.

Ana looked up for a second and saw him.

She smiled.

She couldn’t help herself, then she waved.

Fernando picked up his coffee and walked over.

“Hey…” he said as he approached.

“Hi,” she smiled. “It’s been so long,” she laughed before turning to the little girl. “Reb, sit down, show’s over,” she said. Then to Fernando: “Want to sit?”

“Gladly,” he replied, taking a seat and looking at the little girl who was staring at him curiously. “Hi,” he greeted her.

“Who are you?” she asked, pretending to be suspicious.

“Rebecca,” Ana said sternly. “Sorry, we’re going through a very blunt, very rude phase,” she added, shaking her head.

“She’s your daughter?” he asked, and Ana nodded.

“She looks a lot like you,” Fernando said with a smile, looking at the girl. “I’m an old, old friend of your mom’s,” he added, turning to Rebecca.

“You’re not that old,” she commented, tilting her head, making them both laugh.

“Thank God,” he replied, shaking his head as Ana pulled out some markers and paper and laid them on the table.

“What are you doing in Monte Carlo?” he asked.

“I moved here,” she replied, sipping her drink. “I… got divorced last year and… left London,” she continued, not meeting his eyes.

Fernando was caught off guard, unsure of what to say. “I’m sorry,” he offered, more out of politeness than anything else.

She waved a hand dismissively. “And you? Aston Martin, right?” she asked. She’d always kept up with Formula 1, her passion for it had started with him and never really faded.

“Yeah, I came back to F1 a few years ago after a break,” he replied.

“It’s still your magnet,” Ana joked, and he laughed too.

“Apparently, yes…” he said. “And you?”

“Still modeling, a few shows, some ad campaigns. I’m starting a fashion brand, and Monte Carlo seemed like a good place to launch it,” she said simply.

“Clothing?” he asked, and she nodded.

“After twenty years of walking runways, you pick up a thing or two,” she joked.

“Mom makes my clothes, you know?” Rebecca chimed in, holding up a very abstract drawing.

“Oh yeah? Are they nice?” Fernando asked with a grin.

“She made this one!” she said, climbing back up on the chair. “This is pretty!” she declared, showing it to him.

“I love it,” he said warmly.

“Want one?” she asked, making him laugh out loud.

“I can see you in a checkered dress,” Ana teased.

“Maybe you can make me a race suit,” he replied with a laugh.

And he was surprised.

Surprised by how they were sitting there laughing in a café after fifteen years, with a little girl standing on a chair and a cold coffee on the table.

“Mama, I’m hungry,” Rebecca said a moment later.

“Let’s go, it’s lunchtime,” Ana said with a smile, gathering her things. “We…”

“I should go too, it’s getting late,” Fernando said, looking at her. “Can we see each other again?” he asked, not even sure why he said it, or whether he should have.

She paused, staring at him for a second.

“Just a coffee, now that you live here,” he added quickly, as if to justify himself. But she smiled.

“I’d like that,” she said simply, giving him her number.

They said goodbye, and Ana walked out hand-in-hand with Rebecca, with a strange feeling in her stomach, and a lightness in her shoulders she hadn’t felt in a long time.

Fernando Alonso.

The Fernando she had left behind, not by choice, but because he had more important things to focus on, had become a man. Different. More attractive. With a smile that, maybe deep down, hadn’t changed one bit.

And neither had that shiver down her spine she always got when she looked him in the eyes. It had been like that when she was twenty, and now it felt like the same electricity.

She shook her head and laughed.

She was a divorced ex with a daughter. He was a Formula 1 champion who had racked up more girlfriends than trophies over the years.

She felt naïve and a little foolish.

But that smile… That smile had felt really good.

She felt her phone vibrate in her bag and pulled it out just after buckling Rebecca into her car seat.

“It was nice. This is my number. Fer.”

A simple text.

She saved the number.

And couldn’t stop smiling.

[hatsuyuki00]

Is this life… real

Chap 2

SUMMARY: In a world ravaged by disease and chaos, you stumble upon Jackson — one of the few remaining safe havens, offering warmth and shelter to those who survived. But even in its quiet peace, the questions inside you won’t go away.

And a dream begins to haunt you — of a father who lost his daughter. It’s only a dream… so why does it feel so real?

Warning: No Y/N, amnesia, grumpy Joel, grumpy x sunshine, love triangle, character death, blood, injury.

A/N: I hope you’ll enjoy this chap! Things have been a bit busy for me lately, so the next update might take a little longer — but I promise I’ll do my best to get it out as soon as I can!

Let me know if you wanna be on the tag list! 💕

📌 Taglist: @aphroditesblunt @mashnka

W/C: 3.6K

Series Masterlist I Previous Chapter

Thanks to the bits of small talk along the way with Tommy, you start to get a clearer picture of the world you now live in — a world ravaged by a pandemic, where humans are no longer the only threat. Creatures known as the infected — people who were once human but are now reduced to violent instincts and deadly danger — have brought society to its knees. You hear Tommy mention FEDRA and the Fireflies, two factions that once tried to reclaim order… or at least what they believed was order. Strange names — yet somehow, oddly familiar. As if they once existed in your mind, buried deep beneath the dust of untouched memories.

When you arrive in Jackson, you can’t hide your surprise. This town is nothing like what you imagine a post-apocalyptic world would look like. Warm — strangely so — is the first feeling that passes through you. Children run through the streets, their laughter echoing between wooden houses. Adults stand in small groups, chatting, someone holding a plate of freshly baked bread. A dog lies basking in the sunlight on a porch step, completely unbothered by any looming danger. It is a moment so peaceful that… you almost feel like the world isn’t as terrifying as you once believed.

At the stables, Tommy dismounts first and offers you a hand. You take it — a little hesitant, but not refusing.

“I’ll take you two for a checkup first,” he says, his voice still gentle as it has been the whole ride, “then we’ll get some food, and I’ll show you both around a bit.”

He leads you to a building that looks like an old storage barn — simple, but clean. Inside, it’s clearly divided into two sections: one marked “Male,” the other “Female.” The atmosphere here feels more serious than before.

Matt stops right at the entrance, a deep frown on his face. His voice is low, edged with suspicion.

“Enough games. You think this is funny? Why the hell did you bring us here?”

Tommy doesn’t flinch. Calmly, he raises both hands in a placating gesture.

“It’s something we have to do. Standard procedure for new arrivals. Just a quick check — We just need to check for any bites or weapons. Nothing serious.”

He glances at you, as if catching the hesitation in your eyes. His voice softens.  

“Women handle the women’s area, so you don’t need to worry.”

You nod slightly. You don’t fully trust them — not yet — but something in Tommy’s tone eases your nerves. And you believe he isn’t a bad person. More than that, you understand: this is what you need to do if you want to stay — here, in the first place that’s felt even remotely safe since you opened your eyes in this unfamiliar world.

The checkup is quick and uneventful. When the two of you step back out, Tommy is already waiting. He leads you to get food. The meal is simple, but unexpectedly delicious.

As you eat, Tommy shares more about the Jackson community: some people farm, some teach school. There’s a clinic, and even a small library. Everything here has been built by the people who live in it — a real community, not just a shelter.

You listen, almost unable to believe what you’re seeing and hearing. Everything here feels so different from the world outside — the one Tommy described to you.

After the meal, Tommy gives you a short tour of the town, finally stopping in front of a small house set slightly apart from the town center. Dried flowers hang by the door, and inside, it’s fully furnished: a dining table, a kitchen, a bathroom, and two separate bedrooms. Everything is neat, warm, and cozy.

“I’ll meet you both at the dining hall at seven,” Tommy says before leaving. “If you need anything, come find me. Or if it’s urgent, Joel’s right across the street.”

You give a small nod of appreciation. As the door closes behind Tommy, you let out a quiet breath.

Matt stands nearby, his eyes still on the door. Then he turns to you, hesitating a little before asking,

“Back there… was anything wrong? During the check?” He scratches the back of his neck, avoiding your eyes. “I mean… did anything make you uncomfortable?”

You understand what Matt means. And you know it’s his way of caring — awkward, maybe, but sincere.

“Everything was fine.” You give him a soft smile.

A quiet moment passes between you.

“Well… I’ll head to my room then,” you say, turning toward the hallway. “See you at dinner.”

After a quick shower, you sink into the bed, letting the weight of the day dissolve into the mattress. The mattress isn’t exactly soft, but after such a long journey, it brings a strange kind of comfort — almost like... safety.

Still, you don’t fall asleep right away. You lie there instead, letting your mind drift through the events of the day — small fragments, scattered and fragile, yet each carrying an emotion you can’t quite name.

Along the way, you try to piece everything together, try to understand why you are here, why everything feels so familiar and yet so distant.

And then, the name “Joel” keeps slipping into your thoughts.

You’ve barely spoken to him since you met — haven’t even asked Tommy much about him. But his image stays with you: the quiet eyes, the slow, heavy steps, the guarded silence. Joel isn’t warm like Tommy. He’s distant, reserved, always seeming to frown.

Or maybe that’s exactly why you can’t stop thinking about him.

There is something… familiar. A feeling you can’t explain. As if you have known Joel before — have once stood close to him in some place you can’t remember. Logic tells you it is impossible. But your heart keeps insisting otherwise.

You lie awake a little longer — or maybe much longer — before sleep finally creeps in, gently pulling you under without you even realizing.

You wake to a steady knock at the door. Blinking your eyes open, it takes a few seconds to remember where you are. Then Matt’s voice comes from outside — soft, just loud enough for you to hear:

“Hey… you up? It’s dinner time. You ready?”

You rub your eyes, let out a small yawn, then slowly push yourself up.

“Coming… Just give me a sec.”

After changing, you step out to find Matt waiting by the front door. He’s leaning against the frame, arms crossed, and turns to you with a faint smile as you appear.

“Sleep well?”

“Sort of,” you reply, offering a gentle smile, then walk with him to the dining hall.

When you arrive at the dining hall, you pause for a moment. It’s busier than it was earlier that afternoon. A long line of people waits for food, the smell of hot stew drifting warmly through the air. Wooden tables are neatly arranged, most already filled. Children run around laughing, and in a far corner, someone is playing music.

Tommy waves when he sees you both. “Over here!”

After grabbing your food, you and Matt make your way over and sit across from him. Sitting beside Tommy is a woman with short blonde hair and eyes that are steady and kind.

“This is Maria, my wife,” Tommy says, gesturing to her. “Maria, these are the two I was telling you about earlier.”

“Nice to meet you both,” Maria says. “Make yourselves at home.”

You nod in thanks, your gaze drifting around the room before you find yourself asking, almost without thinking,

“Is Joel not eating with you?”

“He’ll be here later,” Tommy replies, not looking the least bit surprised. “He’s always like that.”

The mood at the table gradually grows lighter and more cheerful. There’s nothing fancy about the meal, but it warms you —the stew earthy and rich, the bread toasted to golden perfection. Tommy shares a few more stories about life in Jackson, with Maria occasionally adding a witty comment that makes the whole table laugh.

After the meal, Tommy pours apple cider for the group and proudly claims it’s homemade and won’t get anyone drunk.

You give a sheepish smile. “I don’t really drink alcohol,” you say.

Tommy raises an eyebrow and turns to Matt, as if to check if he drinks instead.

Matt grins. “I’ll drink hers for her.”

You excuse yourself for a moment, wanting to get some fresh air. Outside, the evening air is cool and carries the scent of wild grass. You walk slowly around the dining hall, taking in the rare quiet. Streetlamps cast soft golden light, stretching the shadows of trees across the ground. In the distance, a few houses still have their lights on, faint voices drifting out from behind closed doors.

As your thoughts wander, you suddenly catch sight of a figure walking toward the dining hall. Joel.

He moves quietly, as always — heavy but steady steps. When his eyes meet yours, you instinctively give a small nod. Joel returns the gesture with a slight nod of his own, saying nothing, then continues inside as if it’s the most ordinary thing in the world.

You stop beside a bench under the dining hall’s awning and sit down. From there, you watch the scene before you: the warm glow of lamplight spilling across the dirt road, the occasional passerby moving through it. Inside the dining hall, the hum of conversation and laughter carries on — a stark contrast to the stillness surrounding you now.

You exhale quietly, hands resting on your lap, eyes gazing into the distance.

And for some reason, in that moment, you feel… at peace.

You don’t know how long you’ve been sitting there. Only when a light breeze drifts by, carrying the gentle chill of evening, do you shiver slightly and rise to your feet, deciding it’s time to head back inside.

When you return to the table, the first thing you notice is Matt — cheeks flushed, eyes glassy, mumbling something incoherent to Tommy. You pause for a moment, then let out a quiet breath and chuckle. Just as you thought: you’re going to have to drag him home like this.

Maybe — just maybe — you catch the corner of Joel’s mouth twitch as your eyes meet his. A faint smile, barely there, but still enough for you to notice.

“How are you feeling about being here?” Maria asks, turning to you as you sit down beside Matt. Her voice is warm, genuine.

You pause for a few seconds before answering. “Pretty good… better than what I’ve known before.”

Part of you knows that answer is only half-true. Because honestly, you don’t remember your past well enough to compare. But you do know this: something about this place makes you feel safe.

“I feel lucky to have ended up in Jackson.”

Maria smiles. “Well then, would you be open to helping out? We’re always looking for people —kitchen hands, child care, teachers…”

She lists off jobs one by one, your mind flickering through vague, colorless images — until she says “teacher.”

You almost nod on instinct.

“A teacher?” you echo. You think for a moment, then nod. “Yeah. I think I could do that.”

Maria looks pleased. “Perfect. I’ll set that up for you. As for Matt… he strikes me as the patrolling or gate-watching type.”

You laugh. “Yeah, that’s exactly him.”

Dinner wraps up, and — just as you predicted — you find yourself struggling to get Matt on his feet. Luckily, Tommy notices and calls Joel over to help.

“No, it’s okay, I’ve got it,” you say quickly, a little flustered.

But right then, Matt lurches forward and throws up beside the table. You sigh and glance at Joel. He doesn’t say a word — his expression calm as always — then steps in without hesitation and helps lift Matt up.

The walk back is quiet, the two of you carrying Matt between you. When you reach the house, you open the door and begin to say you’ll manage from here — but Joel doesn’t respond.

He just steps inside, waiting for you to lead. You walk ahead in silence, and he follows, both of you guiding Matt into his room.

Joel drops Matt onto the bed — not exactly gently, more like letting him fall in a controlled way. You can’t help but laugh softly.

“Thanks,” you say, walking Joel to the door.

Before he leaves, he speaks — low and gravelly, like the words have been sitting at the back of his throat all evening.

“You two… are you together?”

You freeze. You’re not sure what surprises you more: the question, or the fact that he spoke to you at all. It’s the first time he’s really said anything directly to you.

You open your mouth — and thud. A loud crash sounds behind you. Both of you turn on instinct.

You laugh — you don’t need to look to know Matt just rolled off the bed.

“No,” you say with a small laugh. “We’re just friends. Anyway… thanks for not killing us earlier. And for helping me get him back.”

Joel gives a small nod. He says nothing else, just turns and walks away, quiet and steady as ever.

You head back into Matt’s room. He’s still on the floor, snoring softly, the sour smell of alcohol hanging in the air. You manage to pull him back into bed — not easily, but you get there.

���You’re gonna regret this tomorrow,” you mutter, tucking the blanket over him and shaking your head.

Finally, you return to your own room. After a quick rinse, you collapse onto your bed. Darkness has settled over Jackson. The wind whispers through the trees, creating a faint, distant rustle that feels like it’s coming from somewhere far away.

You close your eyes — and then open them again.

You still don’t know what exactly Matt is to you. He’s always there, always looking out for you — the person you trust most.

But to you right now, he’s only a companion. Nothing more, nothing less..

When you drifted off to sleep, the darkness took you quickly — no warning, no signs. And then, in that moment, you found yourself standing in the corner of a strange room. Right next to you was an old TV, turned off, its screen reflecting the dim glow of a nearby lamp that cast a soft circle of light on the floor. On the sofa, a blonde-haired girl was curled up, fast asleep.

Just a few seconds later, the door opened. A man stepped in, his footsteps light but steady. The girl woke, rubbed her eyes, then smiled when she saw him. They started talking — her voice bright and clear, his low and warm, full of quiet affection. You couldn’t see his face clearly, but every gentle pat on her head, every glance, every soft joke he made was enough to show you: this was a happy family. The mother wasn’t there, but nothing about the house felt lacking in love.

You tried to move closer, but the sensation was strange — you were there, yet no one saw you. You couldn’t touch anything either. You could only watch.

The scene began to shift. As if something was yanking you forward, images slid out of view and were instantly replaced. Now you were somewhere else — darker, more tense. The man was holding the girl tightly in his arms, running down a street filled with rubble and destruction. Behind them, someone screamed. Fires flickered from burning houses. A helicopter rumbled overhead. They were fleeing — from what, you couldn’t tell, but the look in the girl’s terrified eyes said enough: something terrible was happening.

A soldier appeared. For a moment, it seemed like they were saved. But then the soldier spoke into his radio, and something in his face changed. No one had time to react. Gunfire erupted — sharp, violent, tearing through the air. The girl’s small body crumpled.

You watched as the man dropped to his knees, clutching her close, unable to believe what he was seeing. He called her name again and again, his voice unraveling, desperate. His scream hit you like a storm — raw, broken, soul-deep. It wasn’t just the scream of a man in pain. It was the scream of someone completely powerless — someone who couldn’t do anything more. He held the girl like he was trying to keep something from slipping away — shaking like someone who’d just lost his very heart.

Then a younger, frantic man appeared and, without hesitation, pulled out a gun and shot the soldier. You remained there, trapped in the middle of it all. You couldn’t move forward, couldn’t turn away, couldn’t speak. It was like someone had programmed you to do nothing but witness. To feel — the pain, the loss, the unbearable scream, and the warmth that slowly faded from that father's arms.

You wake to the sound of your alarm. Your eyes are wet, though you don’t know when they started to blur. Something about that dream feels too real. It’s like a memory — one that your mind insists isn’t yours, and yet it lingers all the same. And then, without meaning to, a name slips from your lips — quiet, almost a whisper: “Sarah.”

You freeze. That name… you’ve never heard it before. But saying it brings a dull ache to your chest — not sharp, but deep, solid, real. As if that name is tied to something your heart isn’t ready to remember.

You wonder: who were those two? Why did you dream about them? And that father — after everything, what kind of person does he become? Can he ever move on from that loss? Or does it consume him forever?

Since yesterday, your mind has been full of questions — about yourself, about this strange sense of comfort and unfamiliarity in Jackson, and now… the dream. But still, you have no answers.

You sit up, trying to shake the thoughts away. You know if you let yourself keep thinking, you’ll be swept away. So instead, you get up and head to the kitchen, hoping you can prepare something for the morning.

As you pass by Matt’s room, you notice the door is open. He’s not there. The sheets are still tucked in neat folds, meaning he left early.

You walk into the kitchen, just as you’re about to make something to eat, a sudden knock at the door catches you off guard. You pause, glancing toward the front of the house. Who would be visiting at this hour?

You open the door. A girl stands there — light brown hair, sharp eyes.

“Hey, I’m Ellie. Maria told me to bring this over.”

You take the basket she hands you. “Thanks… and tell Maria I said thank you. Do you want to come in?”

“Nah, I’ve got things to do. See you around,” Ellie says quickly before turning to leave.

You close the door and look down at the basket: bread, a few eggs, some vegetables. A simple breakfast, but enough to warm you a little. In this place, people really do care about each other.

You stand still in the kitchen for a while, your hand brushing lightly over the crust of the bread as if trying to hold onto that warmth just a bit longer. Then you wonder: is life out there — beyond Jackson’s walls — really as bad as they say? You’ve never seen it with your own eyes, only heard stories.

Is it truly that terrifying?

As you prepare breakfast with the ingredients Maria brought, the faint scent of slightly burnt bread drifts through the air. You hear the door open — a familiar sound that tells you without needing to turn that it’s Matt. You’re about to scold him for last night — at least say something — but right then, you see Tommy walking in with him. You let out a quiet breath and offer a faint smile. Maybe… now isn’t the right time

Tommy and Matt are talking, their voices low and steady, interspersed with nods and fleeting smiles. They’re discussing patrols, shifts, the everyday rhythm of life in Jackson. Looking at Matt today, you realize he seems more relaxed than he did yesterday. It feels like he’s starting to open up… at least to Tommy.

Once Tommy says goodbye and leaves the house, you finally turn to Matt, your voice soft, tinged with curiosity “So… you’re going on patrol?”

Matt nods as he rolls up his sleeves. “Yeah. Kinda suits me, I think. And… you feel safe being here on your own, right? Besides… I heard you picked teaching? Sounds like something that fits you.”

You give a small smile and nod. “Yeah. I think so. Probably won’t be too hard.”

There’s a brief pause before you add, “By the way… you were really drunk last night. I had to ask Joel to help bring you home.”

Matt stops for a second, a flicker of surprise passing through his expression, but it’s quickly followed by something else — a clear trace of annoyance. “Joel? That grumpy guy? Didn’t think he was the helpful type.”

You look at him, tilting your head slightly. “You don’t seem to like him much. Something happened between you two?”

Matt shakes his head and shrugs like it’s nothing worth mentioning, but his voice lowers, colder than usual. “No. I just don’t like him. There’s something about him that gets under my skin. And it’s not just me — no one around here really talks to him. I haven’t seen anyone act friendly toward him. Best if… you don’t get too close to that guy.”

You don’t respond. You simply nod, then turn back to finish plating breakfast for the two of you. Matt sits down at the table in silence, and you quietly take your seat across from him, picking up your fork, moving slowly.

As you eat, you can’t stop the quiet stream of thoughts slipping into your mind. Why does Matt hold such a grudge against Joel? Sure, Joel is quiet, a bit withdrawn, but he’s never done anything to make you feel uneasy. If anything… there’s something about him that draws your attention — as if behind that distant shell lies a whole world you haven’t yet reached.

[yourlocalbadgerscales]

Thinking so many thoughts rn. I’m rewatching s1 ep5, “The Flee and the Acrobat”, and I’m realising things. This post is about only a few of them, I’m gonna keep rewatching and maybe make a post about the rest another time.

Anyways.

First of all, when the Party are out looking for the gate and Dustin reveals that something is off with the compasses, Lucas goes “You’re realising this just now?” and Dustin replies with “Why is this on me?” (These are not the exact quotes word for word btw)

That last part? Isn’t it oddly familiar? It reminds me of what Mike said in the Rink-o-Mania fight with Will. “Why is this on me? Why am I the bad guy?“

I’m not sure what this could mean tho. Not yet.

Anyhow, Lucas starts accusing El of messing with the compasses, and Mike is quick to defend her. At first this gave me some serious Byler doubt (been having a lot of that lately, for some reason), but only for a moment.

Go watch the scene, guys. In my opinion, it seems like the fight between Mike and Lucas somehow symbolises the fighting between the part of Mike who wants to believe that Will is alive and that they’re going to find him in time, and the part of Mike that’s starting to dread that Will’s dead and that El isn’t planning on helping them find him. Lucas is the pessimistic part of Mike, and Mike himself is starting to doubt himself but still tries his best to convince himself that he’s right. At least at first. Then things get more interesting

Idk tho. Maybe it’s just me who thinks this… but hear me out thoughhh

Then ofc we have Mike and Lucas fighting, physically now, and El using her powers to send Lucas flying through the air, away from Mike. And Mike saying “What is wrong with you? What is wrong with you?”… just for us to immediately shift to El’s memory of Dr Brenner. This isn’t news to us Bylers. Mike has been parallelled to Brenner multiple times throughout the show.

However… the sudden shift in his behaviour towards El suggests that he’s finally been convinced. Lucas/the pessimistic part of Mike won the argument the second El sent Lucas flying.

The protectiveness… gone. Mike now believes that El is, in fact, using him for a roof over her head and food. Just like Lucas was trying to tell him before. She isn’t planning on helping them find Will. And just like that, Mike is furious with her.

Then Lucas regains consciousness after both Mike and Dustin urge him to wake up with panic in their voices, and here’s where it gets really interesting.

Now that El’s (momentarily) out of the picture for Mike, he needs someone else to be protective of. He needs somebody to protect, because that’s just who he is as a person, and he doesn’t know who he is without that part of himself. And of course, that part of him vanished with Will Byers. That’s the reason he is so protective of El in s1, we know this. Alongside the fact that he thinks she’ll be able to help him find Will.

But after the fight with Lucas, Mike isn’t so sure. And since he can no longer be protective of El… what does he have to do?

Find someone else to be protective of.

Well, lucky for him, Lucas was just thrown through the air and injured his head in the fall, and he just woke up and groaned in pain as he sat up. The opportunity to be protective of somebody new is quite literally right in front of Mike. So he takes it.

”Lucas. Lucas, you okay? Let me see your head.” Said in a soft voice, by the way, eerily similar to the Will voice. Followed by a gently outstretched hand towards Lucas’s head.

I literally gaped while watching this. Like, hello? What is going on?

Then I saw the rainbow looking stripe on Lucas’s t-shirt.

At first I just thought it was funny, because the rainbow imagery in Stranger Things is always fun to explore. But then I realised that Mike’s t-shirt was very similar to Lucas’s. And lo and behold, there was something strangely similar to a rainbow on his shirt as well.

I’m not sure what to think of this part, either, but I think it might be significant. Idk thooo ughhh I suck at analysing stuff leave me alone.

Moving on.

Lucas doesn’t accept Mike’s help. He stands up, urging both Mike and Dustin to get off of him. But Mike doesn’t stop.

“Lucas… Lucas, just let me see.”

The elephant is still in the room, by the way. The soft voice is still there. It’s so strange to hear actually, since Will isn’t even present… please go watch the scene to know what I’m talking about guys

Lucas stands up and leaves. And then…

Idk. I haven’t watched that far yet, because I ran straight to Tumblr the moment the puzzle pieces fell into place in my mind. The rainbows imagery, the Will voice…

Anyways I’ll just leave this here… as an example of the insanity the average Byler experiences when the tag is dry 😛

[svt-mizuki]

RELATIONSHIP WITH VOCAL UNIT ∘* ೃ ⋆｡˚.

⋆°࿔ jeonghan \ mizuki ... mizuhan 𝜗𝜚°⋆

you could say that they are close.

contrasting from mizuki's love-hate relationship with seungcheol, she only had love-love relationship with jeonghan. he was relentless when it comes to pranking and being a menace to the rest of the members but mizuki knew that he had her under his wings.

whenever someone would come to annoy her, she would go to jeonghan and stick her tongue out.

they love to go hand-in-hand whenever wherever. that's their love language.

jeonghan wouldnt call it 'overprotective' or 'obsessive', but he always had his eyes on her at all times. always watching and observing.

⋆°࿔ joshua \ mizuki ... misoo 𝜗𝜚°⋆

"jisoo-yah!" "WHO IS JISOO?"

joshua would always cry on the inside whenever she calls him 'jisoo' out of nowhere. he was so used to being called joshua that sometimes he would hear her say 'jisoo' and he wouldnt know that it was him.

mizuki is an avid fan of his 'sunday morning' cover. when it first started, she would always ask him to sing it for her so she could fall asleep. but as time goes by, it turned into a funny thing for them both.

close but not that close. thats it.

"sunday morning rain is falling.." "another one please" "ive been singing the same line for about 40 times now"

⋆°࿔ woozi \ mizuki ... hoonmi 𝜗𝜚°⋆

they are both interesting. a rare funny duo. the two people who would highfive and bump into each other while laughing uncontrollably.

the two people that the members would consider as one of the most scary people with seungcheol and hoshi. but deep inside, these two are the cutest and softest.

in the recording studio, they always had an intense relationship that radiated beyond talent and passion. but whenever something humoric happens, mizuki would burst into laughing first and he would follow afterwards.

woozi respected and admired her musical abilities while she admired him for his creativity and determination.

would take lots of pictures of each other in the recording studio and keep it to themselves to post 'someday'

"jihoon hyung, do you think this beat is nice?" "i think it could be better" "are you deaf or something?"

⋆°࿔ dk \ mizuki ... zukimin 𝜗𝜚°⋆

first love vibes. if chan had a crush on her but didnt have the chance, dk has a crush on her and has a 50% chance.

starting as her first ever friend that spoke broke japanese to her on her first day, dk was the first one to make her laugh despite how anxious and terrified she was.

if mizuki was having a hard time, she knew she could always count on him to be there always. if dk was having a tough time himself, making mizuki laugh could cure him from the blues.

he admitted to having a crush on her but mizuki turned him down because she thought it was a 'joke'

definitely have a compilation of dokyeom staring at her lovingly every chance he gets. from vlives, concerts, filmings, and even just recording— dk would always stare at her. (sometimes even singing some of his lines and pointing at her; mizuki would respond by rolling her eyes with a smile)

⋆°࿔ seungkwan \ mizuki ... mikwan 𝜗𝜚°⋆

enemies. always in their enemies' territory.

seungkwan is sassy while mizuki just has attitude.

he would always flaunt to her, flex on her, push her around, and annoy her every chance he gets. in return, mizuki would post embarassing photos of him on social media, share her anger about him, laugh at him whenever he gets scolded, and torment him whenever she gets the upperhand in certain situations.

but they are bestfriends. soulmates even.

even if they joke around and act like they cant stand each other, they know that they cant live without seeing each other.

they are two things: brawl fights and meaningful connection. they are open about their emotions to one another, not afraid to shed a few tears here and there. seungkwan is open to her about his problems without having to worry that mizuki will use it against him.

despite their chaotic energy, they can always be there for each other. (may or may not the first people to see each other cry).

"are you okay? was i too far?" "no, its okay" "okay. you're ugly by the way"

[wmiescieinazumy]

u don't understand, they're so fucking funny to me

shindou: i'm so stressed. i slept horribly. this is the semi-final, we HAVE to win this or else everything we accomplished will be in vain. i can't control the shaking of my body. oh god

kirino: GOOD MORNINGGGGG RISE AND SHINE TEAM!!! i'm feeling AMAZING, we're so winning today! let's fucking go!!

the dichotomy between those two entries made me laugh so hard when i read them-

[kitkatsgalore]

say cheese! 📸

[starpros-sunshine]

Eichi gives away the mask so easily because it was never meant to be an "engagement ring" like you delulu wataeis imagined it to be lmao. It was wataru saying that he will continue playing tsumugi clown role in fine and won't leave it for hokuto's mother troupe after graduation. Do you dumb fucks even read the stories? Eichi didn't even understand tf that mask meant when wataru gave it to him and wataru referenced fucking tsumugi in his "proporsal". I dunno why the f you think it's ok to lie about "! EnDiNG wItH wAtAeI EnGaGeMEnT" when the chapter it happened wasn't even close to the end of ep:link. Cope

PS: how do you live with the fact that Eichi clearly admitted to never being in love in his life and Wataru said that even though Eichi likes him, he still can easily discard him for the sake of his objectives?

I love you anon thank you for giving me a nice reason to ramble again beautiful ask 10/10 I'm sorry this is probably not how you hoped this would go but this is such a funny block of text delightful really thank you for the enrichment please marry me

But okay yes now to get down to the actual ask just to disclaim I am solely relying on translations seeing as I do not speak japanese well enough to understant the original text so if anyone has anything to add to this or to correct me on please feel free to do so.

Now to get started I'm not sure if one could say Eichi gave away the mask "So easily" seeing as he claimed that it was "a hard choice to make"? Which, as one might know, implies unease with an idea and pondering and debating and a general amount of thinking behind a decision so? I know this isn't really the main focus of this ask but I'm just a tad miffed with the semantics of it is all. And in either case giving the mask back to Wataru while expecting it back still shows a certain degree of trust in their relationship it wouldn't have been such a big deal for him (as it apparently was) if the mask didn't have a lot of sentimental value to him (the both of them really if we look at the whole exchange).

Now to the claim that the mask was "only" Watarus promise to stay with fine and "continue playing Tsumugis clown role". This is not entirely incorrect. Regarding the acting troupe and staying with fine bit at least.

I'm assuming this bit in EP:Link Deadend/7 is what you are referencing, and I see where you're coming from. But the bluebird line

from literally three dialogue lines further down, which references this line of dialogue (notorious Eichi line everyone should be familiar with)

kind of somewhat really recontextualises that? Because you see this is a reference to a fairytale about a pair of siblings and they get sent out by a nice fairy to find the bluebird of happiness for her sad daughter to make her happy again so they both go on an adventure and travel far and search and search but they can not find the bluebird of happiness and then when they return home again, disappointed because they couldn't find the blue bird, they realise only one night has actually passed and the journey was probably just a dream. But then their eyes fall upon their pet dove in it's cage which appears blue all of a sudden and so they gift it to the fairies sad daughter which becomes happy again and sets the bird free. The real bluebird of happiness is a dove. At least in the version of the story I'm familiar with but I mean everyone sees the symbolism right? It's. very hard to miss.

And then dropping this?

I'm not sure how to say this properly but in the overall context this makes it pretty clear that Tsumugi has nothing to do with this anymore this is Fully between Wataru and Eichi. And I am the last person to dismiss Tsumugis significance in the course of Wataeis relationship as characters I will be among the first to protest when someone dismisses the importance of Tsumugis and Eichis relationship in favour of some image they have of Wataei but he has nothing to do with this one.

Yes Tsumugi gets namedropped but - again - I don't really see how that would lessen the sentiment Wataru is triying to convey here? Because. Yes. Why wouldn't he mention Tsumugi?

The entire conversation pretty much boils down to "Yes I was initially only in this because I thought I could replace Tsumugis role in your life and then I wanted to leave but we have spent so much time together that I realised that that is definitely not working out because I really do love you. I love you as a teammate; I love you as a friend; I love you as a person and I am very angry at myself for not managing to get that into your head. So please allow me to stay with you for as long as you'll have me." And then also Eichi not understanding because he has the emotional self awareness of a very emotionally unaware loaf of bread and also because he hates himself that is a very big thing about his character huge part of his character arc actually that he. you know? Hates himself? And feels guitly for his actions during the war? And doesn't think he deserves love and companionship? Which is why Wataru wanting to stay with him for him and not for some twisted form of revenge is such an alien concept to him? Because he is projecting his insecurities onto Wataru? As one is wont to do when they hate themself? "EiChi Didn'T eVen UnDErStanD WhAt tf ThAT Mask MEAnt" Yeah. That's. That's the point? So he can think about it and come to that conclusion himself which works as a keymoment in his characters journey from hating life and himself to enjoying being alive and wanting to live on because of the people he's surrounded with? He literally explains why he didn't immediately understand the mask during the EP:Link Epilogue/4

And to get back to the "I dunno why the f you think it's ok to lie about "! EnDiNG wItH wAtAeI EnGaGeMEnT" about which I have two things to say:

"Lying" implies further intent and an effort. Neither of which exist in this case.

He literally went down on one knee while making a big proclamation of offering himself to Eichi with a very personal item that works as a symbol for their commitment to each other on a starlit rooftop. The comparison writes itself.

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joke

And then I expected there to be a proper reason given and instead you proceed to follow that up with "when the chapter it happened wasn't even close to the end of ep:link". I know the shame is on me for expecting something sensical from an ask which has been near constant in it's lack of correct statements but such is human nature I suppose. And you are not wrong. Deadend/7 isn't very close to the end of EP:Link. That is true.

But do you know what Is very close to the end of EP:Link? The Epilogue Chapters 3-5.

Do you know what the content of those chapters is? I do. Very well actually :)

(Eichi literally explains why he didn't get it)

So if this answers your "Do you dumb fucks even read the stories?" questions, Yes. And I think I'm a lot better at it than you. So I'd say I'm coping quite well over here :p

PS: Regarding your PS, I take the "I've never been in love before so I wouldn't know" comment with a lot of humour actually as an aroace person who's emotional self awareness also ends at "good" and "Not good" I think it's very funny all things considered especially because he mentioned the loving Wataru thing several times before that and I'm generally of the belief that actions speak louder than words and also am in a happy long term relationship with the concept of "Reading Subtext". So please excuse me for not breaking down in tears everytime someone reminds me of that one singuar line of text in one of my favourite all time enstars stories that came out three years ago which also brought us the single best card set in the entire game

as well as absolute banger dialogue such as

Among others <33

And there are soooooo many other examples of wataei dialogue that simply make me swoon but I have already had to take out so many of the one's I wish I could put here so this wouldn't get "Do you love the colour of the sky" long

And also, regarding your "Wataru said that even though Eichi likes him, he still can easily discard him for the sake of his objectives" I'll just say that no he absolutely could not. I mean he'd say that and if pull comes to shove and he has no other option then he might seriously consider it but may I mention that Wataru was gone for a few days at most but really not that long of a time during Sanctuary and Eichi stopped considering being a normal rational person that doesn't leave helpless 17 year olds in the midst of a construction site. Very different situation but I feel like it's worth mentioninh here. Another example is Eichis almost not being able to go through with the war because of Wataru. Wataru had to actively come and tell Eichi to go through with it. Wataru isn't the reason Eichi started the war, that is wrong, but he is the reason Eichi almost didn't finish it. and during the war era that was his Main objective. Again I'm part of the fraction "actions speak louder than words" Show don't tell and all that, but even the words are pushing it.

And that concludes my essay :)

[bunnyboy-juice]

my best friend just told me she's gonna show me her regular ass grocery order when she gets home and i seriously cheered as if she said she was coming over Right Now

[doodlingwren]

It's 2024 can we please stop saying it's normal to trace or copying an entire drawing and pretending it's 100% your work? Just bc you changed the character or added clothes on a base you found on pinterest it doesn't mean you created original art

Edit: I need to specifying some things, or somebody might misinterpret this post in the future.

Tracing and copying are more than okay to use if you need to exercise or study stuff! Copying might be a bit better because you're actually training your eye and hand on how to make shapes and volumes. My best advice is, if you trace something, keep it for yourself and don't post it online (if you do, ask the original artist if they're okay with it)

Always use references, especially for anatomy stuff! It's not a cheat! Poses are complicated, and there are a lot of photographers posting pose packs FOR FREE TO USE! Or even artists drawing them :)

Remember to read the TERMS OF SERVICE when using a photo/ base you've found online: some people want credits, others are fine without them! But you have to check to know, and please be respectful

YCH (your character here) are NOT free to use bases; please know that. They are artwork from other artist showcasing a type of commission they are doing. And neither are WIPs

do NOT trust stuff you find on Pinterest. A great part of the artworks over there have been uploaded 1) without the artist consent and often 2) with a misleading use. Already happened to find other artist artworks or sketches being given out as "bases".

This post came from the fact some of the images used and traced were actually anatomy studies made by a very famous artist who requested for them not to be traced over (or if used like that, to give credits were it's due).

For the actual bases, they can be found on Twitter, and credits are required as well.

For that one traced artwork. It's actually a work in progress made by an artist, and I suppose it was uploaded on Pinterest, so some people might think of it as a base? Although it has on it "WIP" and the original artist name (if you've been drawing. You know exactly what those 2 things mean). The other things that bothered me it's while for the other there has been an attempt, this one it's traced 1 to 1. Didn't bother to change the character face at all. That's what makes me mad. Taking all the credits for something that you didn't do. That's just being lazy and not giving a fuck about art. Also they traced other artist's illustrations as well with their OCs so. I guess it's not just fandom art 😂

On a side note, this is something that I've seen happen quite a lot. And especially if you're doing commissions for a living, a trace accusation can destoy your carreer. Therefore, I won't tell this person a name or make a callout post. I did block them and moved on, and this was a vent post I had to do for myself.

[majoringinsarcasm]

People hating on a literal child because she doesn’t physically look like a character in a book who we only ever saw in concept art and fanart vs me who was kinda sad when I realized book Percy wasn’t black because the description of a young boy living in New York who’s close with his single mother parent who is constantly seen as stupid troublemaker by both peers and teachers and his moms awful boyfriend and who’s only friend is the only other Outcast (non white) classmate who’s only ally is the literature teacher who then he finds also has doubts about him felt very if not fully black then at least mixed coded.

But then I moved on and enjoyed the story for what it gave me, can some of these people say the same 🤔

[kuiinncedes]

???

[lovevalley45]

so i draw my dnd character a lot but i don't share that art much just cuz. i'm not an artist i just like to draw. but in one of my english classes my professor was handing out notecards for us to doodle on so i ended up doing a drawing of my rogue bc it was the only thing i could think of to draw

n when he made us turn them back in i realized that my professor knows how i imagine my rogue more than my party does