#i haven't sweated so much for a game in so long but here we are.

[hakusins]

My PC is having twins, just took on Robin's debt, the suspicion bar at the cafe is too high, Remy just declared war on the farm, Kylar is in prison and I'm just. 🙈

[maxlarens]

pairing(s): lando norris x driver!reader

okay haven't teased this anywhere but i needed a little warm up to get back into writing as i basically haven't written a full sentence in a week. it has felt like so much longer tbh😭 (hmm also this is a driver!reader AU? like rb driver!reader)

Lucky. Lucky.

You’re supposed to feel lucky that you’ve been accepted into this apparently exclusive boys club. That’s what people tell you (unprompted) at least. You’re supposed to be glad that Mad Max Verstappen has accepted you as one of his own. Hasn’t shunted you to the side in favour of a more experienced teammate.

You’re supposed to be glad that he’s also accepted you into his social circle. This place you were never supposed to be, that no one ever expected you to be.

And you are. You are.

Max is a good friend. Charles, Alex, George too. You’re a fairly fresh rookie, you’re a girl, and it’s nice to be accepted so readily into this space. It’s not all smooth sailing, but they’re kind, supportive, always ready to offer advice, for the most part.

It’s just—

well, Lando.

You’d not quite realised the depth of his friendship with Max. The amount of stuff he’d also be invited to. Nights out, dinners, Discord calls, late night iRacing sessions, pádel—

Always pádel,

and here’s the thing. You have to go.

It’s competitive, you’re keeping score. You’ve never ever been any good at backing down from a fight. It’s simply not an option to flake or give up entirely just because you hate Lando Norris’ guts. That would be showing weakness, that would basically be rolling over and showing your fucking belly.

You’re not weak. You’re not a coward.

So you’re here.

Knees bent, chest heaving as you try to catch your breath. Padel racket discarded on the court next to you. Lando and his Max have won. You’re tired and you’re sweaty and you’re pissed. Honestly, you’d rather not have your Max as a teammate. He sucks. Plain and simple. He’s four lanky limbs bouncing around the court with utterly no coordination. He’s too focused on the ball, so much that he forgets about the walls and the net and you. You’d taken at least two tumbles after he’d knocked into you today. No harm no foul, but you’re too competitive to be happy with him currently.

If you had to pick anyone as a teammate it would honestly have to be

Lando.

You can see his sneakers, somehow McLaren branded, in your peripheral vision. You sigh, tip your head back to look up at him, trying to stymie the scowl on your lips.

“Good game,” he holds a hand out to help you up, a tight little smirk on his face because he knows how you feel about losing.

You roll your eyes, take the hand anyway. Not bothering to wipe your hand free of sweat and letting him heave as much of your weight as possible.

“Yeah,” you bite, “Might’ve won if playing with Verstappen wasn’t like dragging dead weight.”

He lets out a laugh, rare from him when he’s around you. Looks at you, almost through his dark eyelashes, green eyes bright, reflective in the light, like he’s—

You stifle that thought before it can bloom into anything that might get away from you.

His particularly long canine pokes out from his upper lip, you watch him suppress a smile. Think for a moment about how you might not mind if one of his smiles were directed at you. You bite down on your tongue, curl a hand into a fist, your fingernails digging into your palm.

“Y’know,” he says, shoulders rolling with a kind of nervous energy, his face betraying nothing of it, “I reckon we’d be a good team. Especially against the Maxes’. We’d thrash ‘em I bet.”

You raise an eyebrow, stare at him a little dumbfounded for a little too long. So long that he opens his mouth to backtrack, to make a snide remark, something.

You shake your head, shrug, “Yeah. I guess. Might work if we didn’t hate each other.”

“Dunno,” he answers, rubbing his chin, “Might work anyway. Wouldn’t hate you so much if you made me a winner.”

You feel like something sharp hits you in the chest, leaves you a little winded. You try to let it roll off your back, hum evenly in response, “Mm, touché, Norris.”

He sends you another smirk, a punchy thing that makes you feel like your insides are on fire. Leaves you burning.

short i know! but it was just a warm up😭 hope u guys enjoyed anyway, i’ll def write more of them one day!!! rivals to lovers is delish🥰 also ugh it felt so good to write something ive been missing it

[dark-night-hero]

Imagine being Yoichi Isagi's older sibling.

"Who's that?" In the middle of their gathering as this happened to be their first week off at blue lock, Chigiri was the first to notice the presence of other from afar. "Yeah, who's that? They've been looking at us ever since we got here." This time it was Bachira whom have been long aware of the other person presence ever since they have gathered in the cafe. "And they're good looking too." Eita spoke that causes everyone to look at the person they were talking about. It was a person wearing shades and a mask, so how could Eita tell they were good looking? "Who- ah. That's my older sibling." This time it was Isagi who spoke. "Who-?! What?!"

Imagine, as far as you are aware of. Your younger brother Isagi was supposed to be on that so called project, blue lock? Was it? So now that you have seen him in the midst of the crowd in the middle of your agenda. You cannot helo but to observe him in the far distance, was that really your younger brother? Come to think of it, your mother has been urging you to attend some game just a couple of days ago as well as making you come home last time. But you cannot, you are busy nowadays.

Imagine, just a couple of seconds ago you are pretty sure they were all looking at you. And now, they are all in front of you with Isagi at front leading them in tow. "It's really you kiddo." You spoke in awe once he was in front of you. "Are these your friends? That quite... a lot." With all sorts of hair color variety too causing you to sweat drop. "Well... things happened. But! These are my friends from blue lock, and this is my older sibling, Isagi (First name)." "It's a pleasure to meet my younger brother's friend." You chuckle, removing your mask as you throw your arm around Yoichi's shoulder and making a two finger salute towards his friend that have their jaw dropped. "You bastard! You never told us you have an older sibling let alone a them being a model!"

Imagine tagging along with them. Sure you were in the middle of your agenda butttt that could wait, you haven't hangout with your brother for a while now. Besides, it was fun to have them around, youths have their own ways of enjoying and it's really fun. So you tag along, paying things on their behalf as the oldest among them despite those punks being loaded as fuck. Damn, they even have the Mikage heir among them and that young model you have seen before. Still, the point is that you are the oldest, and you have taken a liking on these punks so it was your treat. Not that you played with them though, you just watch them from the side. Looking at your brother fondly with a smile on your lips.

Imagine having a smoke break, a piece of cigarette yet to be lit up on your lips as you lean against the wall on an alley when you heard a footsteps coming towards you. "You smoke?" You shake your head, finger reaching out for the cigarette on your lips before signing your brother to come closer. "Why are you outside? Aren't there more time left at the karaoke?" "Oh, I just went outside for a breather." You nod once again and silence take over the place. Suddenly you really want to smoke but held it in as you open your mouth. "So.. How's blue lock?" It was an unexpected question coming from you, at least for Isagi. You have never taken interest when it comes to such things after all. But now that you asked, his eyes sparkle unknowingly. You on the other hand listened as your brother rant about his life inside the blue lock.

Imagine in the middle of their bowling match, in the midst of fun, you receive a text message from your manager causing you to bid your goodbye to them. "Oh." You look back at them that was watching your departure. "It might be too much to ask but please take a good care of my brother." You bow before standing up straight again. "And Yoichi." Before he knew it, a card was thrown in his face. "Feel free to treat your friend and buy whatever you want, you're at home till the end of the week right? I'll come home tomorrow." You spoke looking at him. "Well then, goodbye." With a silly as salute and a wink, you turn your back at them.

Imagine, Isagi always found you intimidating. Maybe it was the age gap between the two of you or the difference in your personality but you were quite hard to get along with to be honest. But now that he think about it. "Woah, you have such cool sibling, Isagi." His friends- his team mates exclaimed, even Aiku and his team could only agree. And with a laugh, "Yeah, so cool, right?" Isagi said smiling.

[ⓒdark-night-hero] 2024°

[ryescapades]

dandelions | kaiju no. 8

"maybe it’s the way you say my name, maybe it’s the way you play your game,"

genre/warning: narumi gen x gn platoon leader!reader, fluff, mutual pining, confession, reader is kinda oblivious and in denial, ooc? idk

a/n: back at it again with my 'narumi but he's not always the loser everyone thinks he is' agenda... also this is very much self indulgent 1.8k wc

"you're blind as fuck."

your body recoils, genuinely hurt from the insult. "excuse me? what the heck is that supposed to mean?" you pout, brows furrowed in offense and confusion.

shinonome rolls her eyes. "i stand by what i said. you're blind, y/n. if your vision is as good as ours here, you would've seen the way captain narumi looks at you."

you let out a groan. "not this again! i told you guys he doesn't like me that way. this is the captain we're talking about. he's not even the type to be into that romance stuff anyway," you say, suddenly finding more interest in pushing around the food in your tray.

at the table where you're sitting with your fellow platoon leaders, tachibana throws a calculating glance from beside you. "she's right, you know? i think everyone in our division already noticed how fond he is of you. why do you think he's been coming to our training sessions lately?" he questions.

"because it's his job...?" you say with a deadpan, and it makes shinonome let out a sympathetic laugh. "it is but that didn't stop him from skipping group trainings ever since he became the captain. look, you got injured during our last operation. captain narumi started overseeing our trainings right after the day you were discharged, even though you haven't fully recovered yet. can you see what we're seeing here?"

you can. but that still doesn't mean anything right?

wanting to put an end to the conversation, you shake your head in refusal. "you guys are overthinking this. besides, can we stop already? we shouldn't be talking about our superior behind his back in the first place." you say before making a move to leave, your comrades shaking their heads exasperatedly at how oblivious you are.

on the way back to your quarters, you manage to dispel all that you had just talked about lest you start getting your sad little hopes up.

there's no way that narumi gen, of all people, would be into someone like you. no way in hell that he would return the feelings you've long harbored for him... right?

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

you hold in the curse from spilling out when your clumsy self nearly dropped the ceramic bottle. sighing in relief, you push the medicine further back into the shelf, not wanting another mishap to occur.

the infirmary is quiet at these late hours, save for the few patients resting behind their respective ward doors. here in the poorly lit backroom where most of the medicines are stored, you just finished rewrapping your wound when a soft click of the door catches your attention.

you freeze when your eyes connect with a pair of sharp, rosy ones.

"s-sir," you make a move to salute, but the low "at ease, y/n," muttered into the air has you relaxing in your position, though the way he says your name tugs at your heartstrings in a certain way.

you don't say anything next, back straightening as you watch your captain walks further into the room, his hands buried in the pockets of his pants.

once in a blue moon do you ever get the same off-duty hours as him, so it's rare to see him out of his uniform as he's clad in a white worn out t-shirt and a pair of comfy-looking sweats. your traitorous mind wanders to how oversized the shirt would look on you, given how big it is draped over his figure.

narumi casts a briefing look down at the bandage around your forearm. surprisingly, he's the one to break the silence. "how's it faring?" he asks, nodding towards your injury. you send him a small, polite smile. "it's healing well. just a few more days of redressing and it'll be as good as new,"

an uncomfortable silence then fills the room.

"you've been avoiding me these days,"

the sudden and curt statement makes you wince slightly. but of course, he'd straight away aim for the weakest point...

you softly exhale in defeat and avoid his gaze. being the realist that you are, you quietly admit, "i have." as if you could deny his claim anyway. it'd only make you look more stupid if you do.

your not-so-subtle efforts at steering clear of him were too obvious, even those around you have been questioning why you haven't been talking to the captain recently.

in your defense, what other explanation could you have given? that you were avoiding him because you like him? because his silent but attentive gestures have been getting to your head these days? because your own heart was overzealous, wanting to keep him for itself? because you were so overwhelmed almost to the point of confessing this pitifully unrequited sentiment? because you were afraid of rejection?

his forehead creases, alarm bells ringing in your mind when he steps closer to you. he hums lowly, "care to elaborate?"

shivers run down your back as you fidget with your newly wrapped arm. shrinking under his gaze, you feel like a tiny bug being observed under a microscope. "it's really nothing. you don't have to worry about it, captain." you try to convince but who were you kidding, really? he's too smart for something like that.

once again, a moment of silence blankets the atmosphere. and then his next set of words sends your head reeling into the abysmal depth of shame.

"you like me, don't you?"

your body tenses, hands clenching into fists as you feel the mild trepidation rolls off you in waves. you squeeze your eyes shut to gather your bearings first before reopening them.

"i... did rin tell you?" you try to swerve his attention away from the obvious answer. narumi shrugs his shoulders, "no. i found out myself. you should've done better at hiding it if you didn't want me to find out."

oh, at that point you wish a sinkhole could just open up and swallow you whole. this is beyond embarrassing, it's downright humiliating.

in the end you just silently curse under your breath. "it's whatever, i guess. can we just get it over with already?" you grumble, not bothering with formalities anymore. you'll deal with the punishments for that later, right now you just want this conversation to end already.

"huh? get over what?" narumi lifts an eyebrow, and you throw him a flat look. "you're going to turn me down, right?"

his expression turns to that of a bafflement, and then incredulous. he starts to approach even closer, causing you to panic and sputter nervously, your hands coming up in a weak attempt at fending yourself. "did i say something wrong? my bad, i— captain, w-wait, why are you coming closer—"

"i'm not gonna reject you, y/n," he claims, crossing his arms.

the statement stops you short, your face contorting into an incomprehensible look, "wait, what?" the man is nothing if not persistent, invading into your proximity even further.

your heartrate surges up, your head beginning to spin when there's less than a meter separating you. your arms swiftly shoot out to his shoulders to distance yourselves, ignoring the feeling of his lean, broad muscles beneath your touch. "sir, please—"

narumi grabs your wrists while clicking his tongue in the process. "hey, i just said i'm not rejecting you," he grunts as he feels your strength straining under his hold.

when his words fully register in your head, you falter for a moment. "what, does that mean you like me then?" you ask skeptically. with his face slightly twisted, he answers, "yes."

you blink, and your next response comes almost instantly. "no, you don't." narumi jerks back, surprised and a tiny bit offended. "why do you get a say in who i like?"

you shift uncomfortably on your feet. "well, you're you. and i'm... me," you vaguely says, your arms flop a little bit but still acting as a boundary separating the two of you.

"hah? the hell with that— oi, stop pushing me already!" somehow, someway, the two of you engage in a push-and-pull situation, with narumi trying to get closer and you scrambling to stop his advance with an arm shoved against his chest.

it would've been hilarious if someone were to walk in right now, for the situation you're in is way too comical to not laugh at. like two cats angrily pawing at each other, probably.

narumi has had enough of your bullshit eventually, so he snatches your wrists again, pinning them firmly to your front. the action leads to you being forced to retreat a step or two, your back pressing to the cabinet wall behind you.

the hitch in your breath is audible as narumi unknowingly leans in, the space between you decreasing to less than a span now. "agh, you're so stubborn! how many times do i have confess for you to believe me?" he groans, a free hand ruffling his two-toned hair in frustration as he glares at nothing in particular.

there is barely any light in the room, but it still doesn't hide the pinkish hues tinting your captain's cheeks. the endearing sight causes your own cheeks to redden as well, feeling your body heats up as you realize how affected he seems, how real everything is.

you give him no reply, but that only drives him to do more. he glances down to your lips, pupils dilating in the dark as you come to realize his intention.

the space between you shrinks. narumi loosens his hold so that he can trail a finger gently down the side of your jaw, his other hand setting itself on the surface beside your head to cage you in, just as your ribs are caging in your wildly thundering heart.

not knowing what to do with your hands, you end up tugging at the front of his shirt. with only a hairs breadth away between you two, his lips lightly brush against yours in a whisper.

he's about to finally close the distance when a faint crashing noise from outside of the door snaps you out of your lovesick haze. sucking in a sharp breath, you immediately push him away as he does the same, stepping back to separate yourselves again. both of you are suddenly reminded that you're not alone in the infirmary.

the air turns awkward, but you can't help the small smile from growing on your face when you notice narumi's irritated face, his gaze turning softer when it locks on to yours.

you never asked what he’s doing in the infirmary to begin with. though even if you did, narumi would never tell you that he has been secretly frequenting the place, occasionally asking the medical staffs to keep up with your condition and in hopes that he would run into you.

well, at least now you know your feelings are not one-sided anymore. or perhaps they never have been...

©🅁🅈🄴🅂🄲🄰🄿🄰🄳🄴🅂. do not steal, translate or repost my work anywhere else !

[disneyprincemuke]

the second seat * fem!driver

the question of who gets the second seat in the new season has been unaddressed for months

pairings: logan sargeant x femreader, oscar piastri x femdriver, liam lawson x femdriver, mick schumacher x femdriver

notes: guys omg i always thought liam n rocky being in the same time would mean marketing chaos and absolute borderline insane team antics,, if only i hadn't been too lazy to write nonlogan fics when it comes to vr LMFAOOO

(series masterlist) | (📂 the sophomore year)

"it has to be me, right?" mick grins, turning to the small girl as she dances around the living room with her cat in her arms. "you said you'd get me the second seat."

"doubt it, mate," oscar mutters, fingers slamming down on the buttons of his controller as their game of mario kart plays out on the tv screen. "don't trust a word she says. she's a serial liar."

"am not!" she shrieks, turning around to glare at oscar. "he's the serial liar!" she looks at mick. "i tried to get you the seat, mate, but apparently i don't have that much of a say after all."

logan shrugs, eyes stuck on the screen as he bites down on his lip. "i know who got the second seat."

"what? that's insane!" oscar scoffs, shoving logan quickly before returning his hands on his controller. "and you haven't told me? are you crazy?"

"it's not my fault i live with her! you know she can't keep a secret to save her life," logan snorts, rolling his eyes. "you're just gonna have to wait for andretti's statement like everybody else."

"that's stupid. we're already here," mick points out. he looks at the girl and scowls. "who is your teammate for the new season? no way you keep your mouth shut long enough for them to make the announcement in the next 10 minutes."

she shrugs, disappearing into the kitchen. "what can i say? i turned 21 and suddenly i'm a new person."

"she'll tell us before they can post about it. don't sweat it," oscar laughs, putting his controller down. he pumps his fist in the air as he beats logan at yet another mario kart race, giggling when logan punches his arm.

"well, my teammate should be here any second," she hums, walking back in with a pint of ice cream in her hands. she holds out the pint to the group. "ice cream?"

mick looks at the pint. "you have an ice cream problem, rocky."

"perhaps." she takes a seat next to mick on the couch as oscar takes the pint from her hands. "but they signed him before telling me about it. so i, too, was blindsided."

"sad."

"truly," she shakes her head as kidnapper finally releases his claws from her shirt, padding over to mick's lap. she takes the ice cream pint back in her hands. "but it's a pretty good catch. i think we'll be good together on the track."

the front door swings open. "i'm here!"

"your teammate's lily?"

"are you fucking stupid?" she kicks logan lightly, rolling her eyes as she throws her head back. "obviously it's not lily."

"oh, you haven't told them yet?" lily giggles, skipping over to where oscar is sitting on the ground. she presses a quick kiss to his cheek, making the other 3 people in the room groan as they throw their head backs.

"gross!"

"get a room!"

"trigger warning next time."

"wait. what does she mean by that? you mean my girlfriend knows and we don't?" oscar frowns, pointing at the redhead who has her arms strung around his shoulders. "what's with the secrecy?"

logan laughs. "yeah, i told her."

"unfair! that's blatant favouritism!" mick scoffs, throwing a pillow at logan. "why'd you tell her before us?"

"i had to tell someone. i knew lily would never speak if i told her not to tell anyone," logan grins, clearly proud of his decision. "what time is he getting here, rocky? can't believe he's late for lunch."

"ah, cut him some slack. he's just flown in from home," she giggles. "any moment now, actually."

"he'll arrive soon?"

she feels her phone buzz in her pocket. "check your instagram."

there's a moment of silence, the two clueless men fishing hurriedly for their phones to check their social media.

it's followed by loud gasps and bewildered screams. mick jumps up, startling the cat sitting peacefully on his lap. kidnapper quickly settles on her lap again. "you kept this a secret for this long – how, exactly?"

she shrugs just as oscar screams. "you're mentally unsound! you hid a secret this large from me?"

"that's right," the door swings open, slamming against their shoe rack as a familiar face walks by the entryway of their small apartment. he throws his arms up into the air and puckers his lips. "meet the fine lad who's managed to scam andretti into giving him the second seat to start in the new season."

oscar holds a hand on his chest. "lily, call an ambulance."

"good lord," mick slowly sits down, scratching his head. "you crazy son of a bitch. how did you manage to pull this off?"

she giggles, moving over to the other end of the couch to make space. he drops himself between mick and the younger driver, slinging his arms around their shoulders and resting his leg over the other. "that's right. it is i, liam lawson, driving for andretti this season."

"oh, we're gonna be insane this year, mate," she laughs, holding her hand out for a high-5. "i got you an ice cream pint to celebrate."

"oh, lit. what flavour did you get me?" liam hops up and runs over to the kitchen. "chocolate too?"

"mint."

liam's head pops out of the kitchen, an unimpressed stare boring holes at her. "you know i hate that."

"welcome to the team."

taglist: @wcnorris @treehouse-mouse @laura-naruto-fan1998 @mindless-rock @vellicora @leilanixx @ironmaiden1313 @angsthology @cherry-piee @christianpulisic10 @elliegrey2803 @cashtons-wife @darleneslane @nikfigueiredo @happy-nico @namgification @sadg3 @a10vely-yutazen @mellowarcadefun @glitterf1 @megatrilss1885 @peqch-pie @gentlyweeps-world @woozarts @meadhbhcavanagh @2bormaybenot @inejismywife @love4lando

[spacebarbarianweird]

Fever

Summary: During your post-game adventures, you get sick and Astarion takes care of you.

Pairing: Astarion x f!Tav

Tags: hurt/comfort, f!tav, established relationship, post-game

Read on AO3

Masterlist

Headcanons

Thanks @tragedybunny for being an amazing beta!

It's bone-chilling cold. So close to the Spine of the World, the snow and winds prove as merciless as demons from the Abyss. Tears freeze on your cheeks. Even Astarion, wrapped in his fur cape, shivers; the cold seeping into his undead body. He starves. The dark forest is silent, with no animals around to prey on.

"Astarion," you muffle through the thick scarf, "take a small sip, I beg you."

"No," he refuses yet again, unwilling to risk your life. Hunger and cold torment him, but he stands on his feet. Meanwhile, you, a fragile mortal, teeter on the verge of death in this frozen forest. Your back aches despite Astarion carrying most of the load. Your feet are numb as if submerged in icy water, and your throat burns with pain.

Astarion grabs your hand and lets you lean back on him. The nearest village is still miles away, and there's no chance you'll make it till sunrise. Nights are long, dark, and unforgiving. You need to set up the camp; it might be warmer in daylight.

But Astarion desperately holds on to his sanity, which he might lose if he doesn't feed soon.

"Astarion, please. We need to put up the tent. Sunrise is soon. I will just lay by the fire, and you can eat."

"We still have time, darling, and save your energy," he grits his teeth. The starving monster within him looks at you through Astarion's kind crimson eyes.

"Astarion, take my blood!"

He doesn't reply, leading the way through dark woods. If only there was an animal, even a rat. Looking up, you see the dark skies filled with prickly stars.

"What is it, my sweet?"

Suddenly, you realize you haven't been cold because of the snow and winds. You are cold from within. Your heart, lungs, and bones are freezing, much like what Astarion feels every moment since he died. "Oh, fuck!"

You realize you now lie in the snow, unable to move, as the air in your throat burns with ice.

"Wake up, gods damn you!" Astarion's voice is desperate, betraying that he' is scared to death.

You hear the loud thump when his travel sack drops in the snow. Then he works on your belts, releasing your burden. A moment later, and you rest in his hands.

"Love, I need you to stay awake. You hear me?"

But you can't say anything. The cold rips through your muscles, turning into ice, and you lose consciousness, drowning in cold, dark waters.

So cold, so cold. It's a freezing grip of death on your heart, killing you. You think of Astarion, imagining him beside your lifeless body.

… You hear muffled talking and open your eyes. You aren't dead, that's for sure, but there is complete darkness around you.

And you lie under something weighty.

You try to move but can't, your. whole body shivers. You are almost naked, tucked in animal fur like some barbarian child.

The smell wood and herbs comes to you. And fire.

Then you remember the sun. And how Astarion carried you in his hands. Horror pierces your mind along with cold.

He is dead. He didn't make it till sunrise. It burnt him; he is gone. And the village people probably found you alone in the snow and brought you here.

While you think, you realize there are people in the room. Two people, to be precise.

"It's a freezing fever," the female voice says. "You two would have been complete idiots if you'd decided to put up a camp. She would have been dead by now."

"But now—is she ok?"

Astarion.

You have never felt so much joy in your life. He is alive and here, beside you. You can't comprehend how much strength he had to pull to make it with you in his hands by sunrise.

"She needs to take the potion. And then sleep in warmth."

You feel the familiar weight beside you. Then, two hands get you out of the blankets and make you sit up. Your head is spinning, and you shiver, though you notice sweat on the healer's face.

Astarion smiles at you and brings the bottle with the potion to your lips.

"Drink, love," he says.

"The taste is nasty," the healer shrugs. "Make her drink every last drop."

The potion is genuinely awful, burning your mouth. You start slipping away again, and Astarion tucks you in thick blankets.

"And people say vampires are soulless creatures. They should meet you two.”

When the healer leaves, Astarion lies beside you over the blanket. You wish to hug him but are afraid of his cold skin.

"Are you hungry?" you ask.

You hear a chuckle. "You are at death's door, and you ask about me? "Take mine," you insist.

"Tav, darling, I ain't taking a tiny drop from you until you fully recover. There is prey in the woods. I will find it."

You want to say something else, but the freezing hand of the sickness grips your throat. You feel like you’re naked on ice, in the howling wind.

"Love?"

"It's still… cold…"

Astarion sighs and stands up. You want to cry, to beg him to stay, but you can't say anything as he leaves the room, closing the thick wooden door.

You feel like crying, alone, and freezing. The healer curses, "You, idiot, stay inside!"

You hide under the blanket in the fetal position, trying to save warmth. However, it's difficult since the core of your suffering is still within. What if you are dying? And you are dying all alone in this village without a name in the middle of nowhere.

It's been years since you left Baldur's Gate together, and you can't fall asleep without him by your side. Astarion is safety. Astarion is protection. Whatever enemy is out there to threaten your life and freedom, Astarion is always there with his fangs and daggers. He doesn't sleep—only meditates a bit—and he is your guardian when you are most vulnerable.

But now you are alone. Your mind grasps consciousness with the last bits of strength you have. The thick blankets don't let you move, and you lie like you’re in your very own coffin of ice. It's been a long time since you were left alone, but you know it's still dark outside. And then you realize you aren't alone anymore.

Astarion crawls under the blankets and covers your body with himself, placing his head on your chest. He smells like blood, the hunt, and forest. He has already pulled off all his clothes, and you feel his skin against yours, unexpectedly flaming hot.

You can only wonder how much blood he has drunk. Sure, his body gets warm after feeding, and the more living blood he takes, the more alive he seems. But this is different. You can't see him, but you are somehow sure his skin has temporarily returned to its natural living color.

You wrap your hands around him and stroke the scars. Astarion groans and adjusts himself a bit.

"I've been hunting," he says, sounding drunk. "The healer told me there is a bear attacking villagers, starved and angry. I found and drained it."

"You shouldn't have risked it."

"I wanted you to be warm. I know how it feels to have a freezing grip on the heart. It hurts. All the time."

You press him tighter and kiss his forehead.

With him in your hands, you finally fall asleep. You have a strange dream—a summer day in the beautiful mountains.

And there is Astarion beside you. He smiles, exposing his face to the sunshine. You want to tell him to hide, to run away. But he opens his eyes, and you stare at him in disbelief.

They are green, not red.

… When you wake up, you feel hot. Sweat runs down your back, and the blankets suffocate you. You get out of them like a kitten squeezed by its mother.

"Hello, my sweet. You are so adorable with this bed hair," Astarion sits on the floor with a needle and a thread. You recognize his own shirt in his hands.

"How awful do I look?"

"You look like someone who finally got better. But I suppose you could scare away some kids in that village. Maybe I should tell them you are also a vampire. Food or bath?" he asks.

"Food. I am dying of hunger."

"My sweet, don't tell me about hunger." He mockingly kisses you. He returns soon with a soup bowl. You try to take the plate in your trembling hands, but Astarion forces you to sit still like a baby and starts spoon-feeding you.

"Good girl," he chuckles. "The healer said it would take you weeks to recover, and you made it in three days."

"And you have been here?"

"Don't offend me with such questions."

"Oh, don't be angry."

With a full stomach, you feel much better and lie back on the bed, letting your body fully recover. Astarion studies your face as if seeing it for the first time. Then he lies beside you, allowing you to place your head on his chest. His skin is cold again, but it feels more like him.

"What is on your mind, Astarion?" you ask.

"I want to stay," he says. "Not exactly here, but I can't live like that anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Living on the road. I can't do that anymore. You obviously can't either. I... listen… I've never had a home. Never had a place to call my own. I want one. I want one with you."

"Didn't you tell me it would be tediously boring?" you inquire. "I wanted to see what life has to offer beyond the city walls." "Astarion, it will be dangerous. No one would want a—"

You bite your tongue. "Sorry."

"Dealing with a nosey neighbor doesn't sound more dangerous than getting some weird sickness in the middle of nowhere. Besides, we can prove to people it's better to have a vampire of their own rather than be threatened by some unhinged vampire lord.”

"Astarion, I am afraid for you. People hate vampires!"

"And I am afraid for you."

You are both silent. You turn to him and nuzzle his collarbone. He wraps his hands around you. Vague memories return, and you suddenly realize you heard the voices while in fever.

"Don't die. Please, don't die. I need you."

A scared voice of a healer. "You are a vampire!"

"Please help her. I won't come inside. I will stay in the woods. Please, please, help her! She is mortal; she is dying!"

You remember being carried to the bed and a strong smell of herbs. "How did you two end up together?", asked the healer.

"She saved me. From myself. Showed me I have a chance to be something different from what I was turned into. Tell me what I can do. Do you need herbs? Ingredients? I will bring you anything."

And then the face of the healer standing above you. She came to check on you in Astarion's absence, and the feverish mind remembered that.

"You are a lucky to have him, girl."

You caress Astarion's cheek. "Would staying in one place make you happy?"

He nods.

"Then, me too." --

Tag list

@tragedybunny @caitlincat-95 @tallymonster @astarionsbeloved @lumienyx @fayeriess @aoirohi @elora-the-slutty-songstress @veillsar @astarion-imagine-archive @micropoe10 @starlight-ipomoea @herstxrgirl @theearthsfinalconfession @ashrio20 @not-so-lost-after-all @vixstarria @wintersire

[noyaspeach]

first light

Summary: Could this be how every day begins?

After a long and restless night with no sleep, you go looking for something to while away the hours. As it turns out, Astarion is just as much of an insomniac as you are, and the two of you spend the early morning together.

Pairing: Astarion x Gender Neutral! Reader

Word Count: 4,334

Tags: Fluff and Light Angst, Pining, Feelings Realization (Kinda?), Second Person POV, Soft Astarion, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Insomnia, Watching the Sunrise

Author's Note:

not me returning to fic-writing over 3 years later with an astarion fic of all things. i can't even guarantee i'll write another one considering i'm about to start college again, but i would sure like to!

i was heavily inspired to write this because of the release of hozier's album. it perfectly aligned with me becoming obsessed with baldur's gate 3, and astarion is just so hozier-coded, how could i not? as the title suggests, i was inspired by the song "first light" which is the last song on the album, based on dante's ascent out of hell and his first taste of light and freedom. i imagine it's how astarion must have felt when he was no longer forced to do cazador's bidding and when he could finally experience sunlight again.

obligatory disclaimers: i haven't actually played the game yet, so this fic is informed by clips i've seen online, gif sets, the baldur's gate wiki, and other fics. if any details in this aren't chronologically sound or if anything seems a little non-compliant with the canon of the game... now you know why lol.

still, i hope you enjoy it! this is also posted to ao3! read here!

///

You stare up at the ceiling of your tent, frustration rolling in your chest as you struggle to rest. Your eyes are beginning to sting with the lack of sleep, but simply closing them does nothing to help. You’ve gone through all of your belongings twice already, looking for something to ease you into slumber, but no amount of reading or alcohol seems to do the trick. It certainly doesn’t help that the weather has been oppressively humid all night, leaving you coated in a thin, sticky layer of sweat that doesn’t seem to leave you no matter how many layers you shed.

You can’t bear to lay around in the thick air of your tent, so you decide to sit out by the extinguished campfire in the hopes that it will do more to relax you.

You quietly open your tent flap and emerge into the mild morning air. It’s much cooler outside, and a light breeze tickles your arm, already doing wonders to dry your sweat. It’s still too early for daylight, so the camp is only dimly illuminated by the moonlight. With the lack of light, you listen out for the sounds of the forest around you: the chirps of insects beneath you, hooting owls in the distance, and a trickling stream not too far away. Focusing on these scarce sounds, you already feel much calmer.

After a moment of peace, you hear a rustle to your right. You whip your head toward the sound, hands ready at your weapon, when you see a familiar face emerge from the trees. You let your hands drop to your side again. It’s just Astarion. He appears to be returning to his tent, noticeably empty-handed. You wonder what he’s up to this early in the morning, and he seems to be wondering the same thing, eyeing you with an inquisitive raise of the eyebrow.

“Restless sleeper, are we?” He remarks.

“Something like that,” you reply. “Just needed some fresh air.”

You notice that Astarion is still in his sleepwear, the sleeves of his white undershirt pushed up above his elbows. “And what are you doing out?”

“Oh, you know. Searching for a midnight snack, so to speak.” He gestures to the woods behind him. “Unfortunately, there isn’t a very fine selection tonight.”

You grimace at the thought of Astarion catching an innocent woodland creature between his teeth. It’s a less-than-flattering image, one that’s informed by the memory of the boar he drained a while back, and one that you’re eager to dismiss.

“Is that all you’ve been up to?” You ask.

“Why? Were you getting lonely without me?” He teases. You can only roll your eyes in response. When he doesn’t receive a retort, Astarion sighs and continues. “Right, if you want an honest answer, I was going for a stroll to pass the time.”

You tilt your head to the side. “Wandering about on your own while everyone’s asleep isn’t a very good idea. If something happens out there, none of us will be able to save you”

“Trust me, darling, I can hold my own just fine. But I appreciate you worrying about my safety. It’s almost touching.” He smirks. “I would appreciate it even more if you would refrain from telling the others about my… routine here. I don’t exactly want the company.”

“Routine? How long have you been taking these walks?”

“Since the day I joined you all, I would say.” Astarion’s eyes move to the entrance of his own tent. “I haven’t been able to get much sleep myself, and I figure there isn’t much use laying on my bedroll if I’m not resting or satisfying… other needs. So, I walk. And occasionally feed.”

You search Astarion’s face for any sign of deception, but he’s being surprisingly truthful, if a little bashful. You resonate with his sleeplessness, being something of an insomniac yourself. Despite the immense toll your travels have taken on your body, you can’t seem to rest very easily at all, especially when you need it the most. Whether it’s the vivid memories of past battles replaying in your dreams, the smothering climate of whatever campsite you’ve picked out that night, or the relentless wriggling of the tadpole in your head, there’s always something keeping you up.

“I’m surprised I haven’t caught you earlier, then,” you say. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

“Thank you,” says Astarion. He smiles, and it seems he means it too. “Well, seeing as neither one of us will be getting to bed anytime soon, would you care to join me?”

You cross your arms. “I thought you would have preferred to be alone.”

“Misery loves company and all. I think I can make an exception for a fellow night owl,” he drawls.

You agree to walk with him then and quietly head in the opposite direction of both tents. You’re sure to bring your weapon with you in the off chance that something—or someone—attacks the two of you. A very small part of you still garners some suspicion for Astarion himself, especially considering that night in which he tried to feed from you while you slept. Perhaps that’s another factor in your insomnia; although you let Astarion drink his fill that night, you can’t be entirely sure he won’t try it again. That he won’t succeed in creeping up on you and draining you completely.

You shiver at the thought, but pass it off as a cold chill from the wind. As the two of you slowly move from the campsite, your surroundings become even quieter. The chirping insects from before are silent now, and the nearby stream is barely a whisper. You can hardly hear either of your footsteps. It’s at once peaceful and unsettling.

After a few short minutes, you’re the first to break the silence. “What do you usually do when you’re out here?”

Astarion thinks for a moment, and hums. “Hmm. Aside from hunting, I suppose I just sit with my thoughts. There isn’t much else to do, is there?”

You nod, but somehow you don’t think being left with one’s own thoughts is particularly relaxing for anyone in your party. You can’t imagine it’s any good for Astarion, especially.

“And what do you think about?”

“So much,” he says. “Plans, mostly. Where our next destination is, where I’ll find my next meal, what I’ll do when we reach Baldur’s Gate, how to get rid of this wretched parasite…”

“Do you ever think about your past?”

Astarion’s gaze is a bit distant until you ask that. He slows his pace and turns to you, looking unusually serious. “I prefer not to.”

He leaves it at that, so you decide not to push further. You only know a little about Astarion’s life before the tadpole entered his mind. You know he’s the spawn of an even more powerful vampire, a master to whom he was a slave for nearly 200 years, and you know he’s lived in the shadows up until now. It isn’t lost on you that this entire adventure is his first taste of freedom in centuries. You understand why he would rather focus on the future. Still, your nagging curiosity makes you desperate for more information about him.

“What about you, my dear?” He returns to his more amused attitude. “What do you do in that tent of yours to pass the time until the morning comes? Don’t tell me if it’s anything naughty… Actually, do.”

You shake your head and suppress a smile as he actually almost earns a laugh from you. “Nothing like that. I normally just try to distract myself until I can hopefully fall back asleep. Read something, sort my wares, hum a tune. Anything to relax.”

“I take it that hasn’t been working for you?”

“No. Not one bit. I’m actually kind of worried it might start affecting my performance from now on. Unlike some of the elves in this team, I actually need quite a lot of rest.”

“A true shame,” he tuts. “Although it is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, I don’t need to sleep for very long. On the other, I can’t sleep for very long. Sometimes I do wish I could simply let the whole day pass while I doze off. That would be much easier than just waiting it out.”

You hadn’t considered this. While the rest of your traveling companions are able to sleep through the night, Astarion has no choice but to wait for everyone to wake up around sunrise. All he can do is hope to get a few hours of rest before sitting through the unnerving silence of the night, the only unique sounds being the faint snores and mumbles that float from the other tents. You and he are alike in this struggle, but you at least are lucky enough to have a few nights when your exhaustion is bad enough to force you to bed.

“Well, taking a stroll like this is a good idea,” you finally say. “Thank you for inviting me along.”

A small smile tugs at the corner of Astarion’s lips. “Thank you for joining me. I will admit, it’s easier to pass the time with a… friend… by my side.”

Your heart swells at that word: “friend.” It’s a welcome upgrade from whatever you two might have been considered before.

A few minutes pass with the both of you chatting politely. As you walk, you make note of your surroundings to ensure that you don’t stray too far from camp or encounter any traps. This occupies your mind for a while, but Astarion seems to be running out of topics to discuss. Not wanting him to abandon your little trip just yet, you try to think of something to entertain him. Looking out at the forest and the sky in front of you, you notice that the moon has begun its descent into the trees, meaning morning is almost upon you two. This gives you an idea.

You stop and pivot to face Astarion. He stops too, surprised at your sudden pause.

“What is it?” He asks.

"Would you like to watch the sunrise with me?”

He’s taken aback only momentarily before he adopts his familiar flirtatious demeanor. “Trying to turn this into a romantic tryst, are you? If you want something more, you’ll have to be a little more direct than that.”

You shake your head. “No, I don’t mean anything by it. I want to know if you’ll sit and watch the sun come up with me. That’s all. It should be rising soon enough. It’s almost morning.”

He seems puzzled, his brows tightening and eyes scanning your face for any indication that you may be holding something back. When he doesn’t find anything, he settles back into an easy expression. “I seem to have misjudged. My apologies… Yes, I wouldn’t mind sitting with you.”

“Great.” You smile and begin to walk again. “I heard some water earlier, so I think there may be a stream near here. Maybe it’ll make for a nice spot.”

Astarion follows as you lead him closer to the sound of running water, and the two of you shortly come upon the stream. It’s a small, shallow brook that separates the woods from which you emerge and another expanse of trees on the other side. Right along the edge of the water is a line of smooth rocks big enough to sit on. It’s the perfect place to set up, you think.

The two of you find purchase on the edge of the rocks, feet just barely dangling off the side, hovering above the calmly flowing water. The rocks aren’t terribly big, so the two of you sit side-by-side, your knees close enough to touch. Across the brook, the trees begin to thin out, leaving a clear view of the horizon. You estimate that the sun will start its ascent in the next few minutes, but for now, the scene in front of you remains thinly bathed in moonlight.

In the quiet of the dawn, the moon casts its silvery glow on the world beneath it. Every blade of grass, every dewy flower, every mossy stone radiates with a hazy blue hue. The stream beneath you reflects this onto both of your faces, and you give a sideways glance to your companion next to you. You watch as the light dances across his cheeks, admiring how it shines in his curls, how it glistens in his deep red eyes, and how it collects in the space just above his lips. You inhale and the earthy scent of the forest mixes with the smell of Astarion’s perfume in your nose. As you do so, you realize now just how close in proximity you are to him. You’re close enough to trace his silhouette from the slope of his nose to his slender neck with your fingers if you so choose. You glimpse at the puncture marks just below his jaw and remember once more the night you let him drink from you. You remember the moment you awoke in terror before you realized who was crouched above you. You remember the uncertainty you felt as you gave him permission to continue, not sure whether it was a wise decision or not. You remember the sharp sting of his teeth entering your skin and the almost exhilarating dizziness that followed as he coaxed your blood out with his tongue. The rest of that moment is a blur to you, but you can still distinctly recall how he cradled your head with one hand, the other gently ghosting down your spine. For almost a full day after that night, the smell of bergamot and rosemary lingered on your neck.

“You do know staring is rude, don’t you, darling?” Astarion says. “Not that I particularly mind.” He leans back on his arms and turns to face you. “Not when it’s you.”

Your cheeks flush in spite of the cool temperature. You wonder when it was you became so vulnerable to Astarion’s flirting. Even though you have, you try not to entertain it. After all, you suspect his charming behavior is at least partly a ruse.

“Sorry,” you mutter and look back at the horizon. “It’s very pretty out. It’ll be even prettier in just a few more minutes, too. We’re in the perfect spot to watch the sun come up.”

“Is that so?” Astarion tilts his head as he continues to behold you. “You know, I’ve never watched the sunrise like this.”

You twist to look at him again, utterly shocked. “Seriously? Not once?”

He shakes his head.

“How come?”

He sighs. “I’m sure I must have before… everything. But I can’t seem to remember anything from back then. I lost most of my memories when I was brought back, save for a few of the important details. I suppose sunrises weren’t important enough to stick.” He frowns and stares out at a canopy of trees in the distance. “Then, as you know, it would have been incredibly stupid for me to be out in the light with this condition of mine. So, I never tried. I didn’t have very many opportunities to do so, in any case.”

Your brow furrows, but you don’t say anything. Instead, you let Astarion continue at his own pace.

“...I spent decades in my master’s lair, a- a dungeon, really. I was trapped in the darkness. The only time I was allowed out was when he needed fresh, new bodies, and even then it was always under the cover of night. For the longest time, that was all that I knew. In a way, it’s what I’m still used to…”

Suddenly his sleeplessness makes all the more sense to you.

“I know I’m free from that now, what with the tadpole and all, but…” He trails off. You understand.

After several beats of silence, you clear your throat.

“Once, when I was a child, I went playing in the woods with some of the other children in the village. There were maybe six of us in total? I don’t exactly remember. But we marched all the way from the market to the forest pretending we were a band of heroes. I was at the back of the line, right behind this boy that I really liked. I put myself there on purpose so that I could smile and blush as much as I wanted without him seeing me.”

“How cute,” Astarion comments with a quirked eyebrow.

“Yeah. I mean, I thought I was being clever, but it was pretty silly, wasn’t it? Anyways, when we entered the woods, we decided to split off into teams to see who could find the most ‘treasure.’ We just plucked up sticks, flowers, beetles, pinecones, that kind of stuff. I was paired with the boy I liked, and I was so giddy about it. I wanted to show him just how cool I was, so I climbed up every tree and jumped off every rock. Just hearing him laugh and clap for me was enough for me to keep going. So, I did. Before we knew it, we realized we had strayed too far from the rest of the group. We tried to call out to them but heard nothing in return. We were lost.”

You pause your story to get a brief look at Astarion. You half-expect him to be bored by this point, but you’re surprised to see that he’s giving you his full attention. He waves his hand, signaling for you to continue.

“We started playing late into the evening, so by the time we realized that we had no clue where we were, the sun had already begun to set. I remember cursing myself for wishing I could have some alone time with this boy because that wasn’t at all what I had had in mind. But, alas, that was the situation I was stuck in. When it reached midnight and we still hadn’t made our way back to the village, I started panicking. You should know that I used to be deathly afraid of the forest at night. I was terrified of what kind of creatures could be hiding, waiting to snatch me up and eat me alive.”

“Hmm, like vampires?” Astarion teases.

You smirk. “Precisely. You’ll remember, though, that I was stuck with the boy I liked. So, there was no way I could show that I was scared. I couldn’t display any sign of weakness or else he might not think I was as cool as I let off. Knowing this, I put on a brave face and silently begged the gods for some protection before I assembled a makeshift camp for the two of us. It was, admittedly, very shitty, but it did its job of giving us some shelter for the night. I told him he could sleep and that I would keep watch, and so I did. I didn’t sleep very much back then, either, now that I think about it. I guess not a lot has changed about me… But I digress. I stayed up the whole night, sitting outside our little fort, listening to him snore and talk in his sleep. I don’t think I could have left his side if I wanted to, considering how petrified I was. But I powered through the fear, for his sake. I was so young, but I cared about this boy so much that I felt I owed it to him to make sure he was safe.”

“You were quite the hero, even back then,” Astarion says gently. “Is this little story your way of telling me to be more selfless?”

“Not at all. I’m getting to the point, I promise. I sat there for hours as I waited for it to become day again. Eventually, I was able to focus on the more beautiful parts of the night: the moon, the stars, the lightning bugs, the sweet whisper of the wind through the leaves. The more I searched for the good in my situation, the less scared I became, until I was no longer scared at all. By the time dawn rolled around, I was at peace, actually. I was so proud of myself for making it through the night, I immediately woke the boy up to share the moment with him. Then, we sat together, kind of like this,” You gesture to your and Astarion’s seating position, “and just watched the sunrise in perfect silence. I had never watched the sunrise before. It was so nice, getting to quietly enjoy such a wonderful view with someone I loved.”

As you finish your story, you face Astarion once more. His gaze is soft as he listens to you speak, and the tender curl of his lips betrays a sincere gratitude for having shared this with him.

“Did anything ever happen between you and that boy?” He asks.

“Sadly, no. He eventually fell for some other girl in town. Last I heard, they had three kids together.”

“Hmm.” Astarion angles his chin away from you. “Well, that’s his loss.”

You look away, too, and smile to yourself.

Suddenly, the sky begins to transform before your eyes. The first gleams of sunlight begin to caress the horizon as the moon takes its final bow behind you. The forest, still coated with all the glimmering remnants of morning dew, stirs from its slumber under the streams of the emerging sun. As the sun slowly rises, its warm embrace spreads like honey between the trees, flooding the forest floor with rays of pink and amber. Shafts of light pierce through the lush foliage, creating scintillating patterns on the surface of the water that seem to dance at the promise of a new day. Finally, when the sun peers at you from above the treetops, it’s as if the sky erupts. A burst of brilliance envelopes the world below it in its welcoming embrace, casting everything in a blazing golden light.

You begin to say something to Astarion but stop when you see his face. He looks positively radiant. His face glows in the daylight, appearing even more magnificent than he did in the moon’s silver beams. His face and his hair are colored by the sun, making him look more alive than he ever has before. Every detail from the strands in his eyebrows to the smallest of moles is illuminated before you. You watch as his eyes glisten before softly fluttering closed. He breathes deeply, his chest slowly rising and falling, and he basks in the sunlight. He relaxes completely, letting the sun’s rays melt away any and all tension he may have been holding on to.

You want nothing more than to cup his face in your hands, then, and feel the newly imbued warmth of his skin as you press your lips to his. Instead, however, you carefully place your hand on top of his. His eyes blink open and he turns to look at you once more. You hesitate for a moment, ready to move away, but he doesn’t reject you. His eyes crinkle with appreciation and he laces your fingers together before gently stroking his thumb against the side of your hand. His skin is still a bit cold, but thanks to you, it quickly warms up.

The two of you sit there in tranquility, taking in all of the sights, sounds, and feelings of the early morning. Time seems to slow, then, as if the universe itself also wishes to savor this serene moment for just a little while longer.

Soon, you hear the distant sound of casual conversation as the others awaken for yet another day of arduous traveling. You sigh, knowing that the two of you will have to return to camp shortly and leave all of this behind. You don’t want to let go just yet.

“We should probably get back,” Astarion says first. “I wouldn’t want the others to think that I killed you and scurried off or something like that.”

“Yeah, that wouldn’t be very good for morale,” you joke. After a moment, you reluctantly untwine your fingers and push yourself up off the rocks. You extend a hand to Astarion to help him up, which he graciously accepts.

Neither of you moves at first until Astarion takes a step toward you. Standing so close to you, you wonder if he’s about to kiss you when he gingerly takes hold of your hands. He gives you that sincere smile again.

“Thank you again for this. It was… nice.” You almost can’t believe how vulnerable he seems right now, eyes staring into yours with no hint of false pretenses. “I’d like to do this again with you, if you’ll join me.”

“I would love to.”

“Wonderful,” he says. He lets go of you. “Shall we then?”

The two of you take your time walking back to the campsite, talking idly about what the next few days have in store. When you arrive, Karlach is the first to notice you.

“There you two are! We were beginning to worry.” She looks between you both and crosses her arms, narrowing her eyes mischievously. “Anything we should know about your disappearance?”

You chuckle. “Nothing that would excite you, Karlach.”

You walk past her and approach your tent. The rest of your team is already getting to work cleaning their weapons, armor, and other equipment, preparing to hunt, or strategizing together. Before you duck inside to retrieve your clothes for washing, you turn back and lock eyes with Astarion. He’s entered a conversation between Shadowheart and Gale, but he isn’t all that engaged. He shoots you a knowing look and another small smile which you return in kind.

As you wash your clothes in the river just south of the camp, you think fondly of the promise you’ve now made with Astarion and the many sunrises to come. Suddenly, insomnia doesn’t seem so bad.

[sturniolodreamz]

video games - chris sturniolo

based on this request: Pls pls PLS do one where the reader is Chris’s girlfriend and their just hanging out in the living room home alone while Chris is okay Mario kart and Chris says “ma come sit on my lap and cockwarm me while I play Mario cart” and that quickly turns when he keeps moving when playing (Chris being dom pls)

summary - chris gets a little carried away while reader cockwarms him

warnings - smut (obv), light choking, cockwarming

a/n - sorry this took so long, but here is the highly anticipated fic! I had a couple other things i wanted to get done first. hopefully you like it!

tags - @sturniol0z @ethereal-lovers @its-jennarose @angelic-sturniolos111 (lmk to be added)

Nick and Matt had left earlier in the day to go hang out with friends, but Chris decided he wasn't feeling it. So that left my boyfriend and I home alone for the rest of the day. We were just chilling, watching shows and cuddling. I noticed that Chris was more clingy than he normally is, but I didn't think much of it. Eventually we decided to play mario kart together on the nintendo switch. We played a few rounds, with Chris growing increasingly restless. Finally he spoke up, calling me over.

"Ma, come cockwarm me while we play?" He said, half asking and half telling me.

My cheeks went red. "Uhm, Chris, I don't know..." I said, unsure of it. We had never done that before, so I wasn't sure where this was coming from.

"Please babe? I just wanna be close to you." He pleaded.

I thought for a moment before giving in.

"Fine, but nothing crazy, okay?"

He nodded, patting his lap for me to come over. When I reached him, I could already see the bulge in his pants.

"Chris, you're already hard?" I laughed.

"C'mon, it's hard not to be around you."

"Shut up!" I said, playfully hitting him.

My hands found their way to his waistband, gently pulling down his sweats and boxers just enough for his cock to spring out. He let out a soft groan as the tension from his pants were released. I could see how red his tip was, already leaking precum. Not wanting to get too carried away, I turn around and position him at my entrance.

"Ready?" I ask him.

"Please."

I lower myself onto him, sighing at the feeling of him stretching me out, a feeling that I still haven't gotten used to. My back was now against his chest as I relaxed, and he wrapped his arms around me loosely as we started another round.

"Fuck, I love you so much y/n." He says, leaving a kiss on my neck.

"I love you too, Chris."

The round started, with Chris's chin resting on my shoulder as we played. We played mostly in silence, with Chris yelling out every once in a while if he got hit by a shell or fell behind. Chris ever so slightly moved his hips, causing his dick to twitch inside me. He gave me a genuine apologetic look.

"Shit, sorry y/n."

It wasn't long before he began slightly bucking up. I knew him well enough to understand what he was doing. As much as I tried to deny it to myself, I was actually getting turned on.

"Chris, I told you nothing more than cockwarming! What are you trying to do?"

"I know baby, but I can't help it! Can I please fuck you?" He begged.

At this point my pussy was practically throbbing, and Chris knew it.

"C'mon, I know you want it..." He trailed off.

I stood up, both of us gasping at the loss of sensation.

"I guess we better take this to your room then, yeah?" I said, teasingly.

Within a second he was grabbing my hands and walking us to his room downstairs. He shut the door, locking it behind us. He wasted no time pulling me to the bed, kissing me hungrily. My hands went up his shirt, scraping my nails down his back and stomach, knowing it drives him crazy. He groaned into my mouth before grabbing my wrist and guiding it down to his crotch, making me feel how hard he was. I wrapped my hand around his clothed shaft, slowly jerking him through his pants.

"Suck my dick?" he said, more telling than asking.

I hummed in agreement. I hooked my fingers into his waistband, swiftly pulling them down and letting his cock spring out. I wasted no time taking him in my mouth after licking a stripe up the shaft. Soft groans spilled out of his mouth, finally getting the relief that he needed. He gathered my hair into a makeshift ponytail and held my head, encouraging me to take more of him. I paid special attention to his tip, kitten licking it just to tease him. His hips bucked involuntarily before pulling out of my mouth.

"Sorry, but I don't wanna cum yet baby." he said, pulling his shirt over his head leaving him naked. I did the same, quickly removing my clothes while he watched my every movement. Once we were both bare, I crawled back onto the bed, attempting to straddle him.

"Nope. I love you, but I'm on top tonight." he said, flipping us over so he was now hovering over me.

His hand reached down, running through my folds.

"Damn, so wet for me already y/n."

"Mmm, Chris please just fuck me!"

He kissed me as he began teasing his tip at my entrance. My hips moved with his, yearning for friction. Finally, he pushed in slowly, giving me a few moments to warm up to his size. That didn't last long, as he quickly sped up his movements, hooking one of my legs around his waist for a better angle. A string of curses left my mouth as I was overwhelmed with pleasure. My hands roamed his body, lightly scratching down his back and shoulders.

"Choke me." I surprised even myself by saying this, but I was dying to feel his hands around my neck.

He did as I asked, making sure to not hurt me, but applying just the right amount of pressure. He smirked down at me, loving the effect he had on me. He knew he was driving me crazy.

His thrusts gradually got faster and harder, until I felt myself getting close. I couldn't hold on much longer.

"Chris, I'm close!" I whined.

"I know baby, just a little longer. Hold on."

I was sent over the edge when his thumb came down, rubbing circles on my clit. I came forcefully as he felt me clench around him. His thrusts became erratic and I could tell he was close. With a loud grunt, he pulled out of me, aiming his hips toward my tits. I watched his stomach muscles contract as he jerked himself, his warm cum shooting out onto my chest. We were both a moaning mess, trying to catch our breath and still feeling the effects of our orgasms.

"Damn, we should play mario kart more often if this is how its going to turn out!" he joked

I giggled. "Yes, yes we should."

[davenporttf]

MLB Secrets: Alex

I'm going to let you in on two secrets I've been holding close my entire life: I'm gay, and I have a superpower. One of those is not that big of a deal except in a sports environment, and the other makes me sounds like I'm crazy. I don't know how to describe it, but I noticed growing up I was able to manipulate others to be a different version of themselves. All it took was wishing for it to happen in my mind and it would become their reality.

Now, I'm the first baseman for the local AAA team, the Blue Pirates. I've never used my superpower to get ahead in sports. That would be crossing a line. But I have been feeling pretty sexually repressed these days, and I think I'm overdue for some fun.

Today was a long day for the team. We lost the game in a landslide, and everyone was feeling like crap. The whole team left the locker room except for my buddy, Dylan, and I. Dylan is our center outfielder and we hang occasionally. I haven't told anyone on my team that I'm gay, and consequently I don't date really for fear of being seen. Today I could use a mood booster though.

Dylan was talking to me about his recent fishing trip when I started to wish for him to be a horny power bottom. He stopped talking suddenly as if his brain was recalculating. When he snapped out of it, he looked at me with a hunger in his eyes.

"You thinking what I'm thinking big boy?" I said with a smirk.

"I'm thinking you need to pitch me your best game, sexy" he said as he turned around and brushed his ass against my throbbing 8 inch cock. I wrapped my bat against his chest and pushed him into me as I brought my lips to his.

Fuck, he tasted so good. His stubble brushed against mine and I could feel him move his ass up and down around my cock. I could spend all day teasing him but the thought of being caught was becoming too much.

"Let's take this back to my place." I suggested. His face was telling me he wanted me to fuck him here and now, but he quickly threw on his shirt and grabbed his bag. "I'll drive sexy" he said smiling.

We made our way to his truck and I jumped in to the passenger side. It was a 10 minute drive to my place from the fields but I couldn't wait to get the party started. I looked at him and wished for him to be flooded with overactive balls and a large cock. He squirmed in pleasure as his balls dropped and his legs spread out to allow them room. I then ducked down to unbutton his baseball pants and let his now 9 inch cock out. It was go time! I took his giant cock into my mouth as he tried to maintain control of the road.

I sucked and twirled my head around his head and tasted the salty precum from his dick. His balls were working overtime and he had a constant flow of pre coming out. I bobbed up and down and sucked with the energy of a DL gay in need of a dick. Dylan moaned as he felt himself getting close. I went for the finisher and took his whole cock into my throat. "OH FUCKKKK" he screamed as his jizz erupted into my throat. I felt his cock pulsate as shot after shot of what had to be the biggest load I've ever taken shot into my mouth. I brought my head up as Dylan regained control of the truck smiling at me. "Fuck, bro. We need to get to your house quick."

We pulled into my driveway and rushed inside. Dylan walked into my room and plopped onto my bed. "Let's see what you got"

He smelled rank from the game and I took no time to dive into worshiping his body. I pressed his socks against my face and licked his feet from heel to toes. I could taste all the hours of sweat from the game we just played. I gripped the bottom of his stirrup socks with my teeth, and snapped them back against his sole. The snap made him wiggle in pleasure and anticipation. "Stop teasing me, big boy!"

I crawled forward to start kissing his inner thighs. I looked at him and met his eyes. "You have an extremely sensitive hole and cheeks." I thought, and watched as he squirmed side to side.

"Fuck, dude. I need you inside me!" Dylan said breathlessly. I unbuckled and brought his pants down to his ankles. Flipping him over, I pulled him up on all fours.

"Anything for the team" I said as I pushed my throbbing cock into his hungry hole. Dylan bursted out in a loud moan, "Oooooh Fuckk!" He was precumming in his jock as I thrusted into him. My thighs clapping against his sensitive ass was heaven for me but ecstasy for Dylan. His hole gripped on my cock bringing me to the edge. I grabbed his hips and did one last deep thrust into him. I exploded into his ass, breeding him like the bottom bitch his life had become. He could resume his normal life tomorrow, but tonight he was my boytoy.

[user2772636]

So American

Oh God, it's just not fair of him

•○●$☆$●○•

•○●$☆$●○•

When your french boyfriend loves to tease you about how "american" you are, you just think you should write a song about it.

---

Actor!Joseph Descamps x Singer!Reader

Warnings: none but flufffff

---

---

Joseph Descamps wasn't fond of the fact that "the americans" drove on the right side of the road or that the wheel was on the left side of the car. But you grew up here, and he trusts you.

It helped him relax, knowing what you were wearing. His famous brown leather jacket with an "I ♡ Paris" shirt on the inside. You looked like a tourist in his country, but he guesses you look "trendy" here.

He places his hand on your thigh, and it's warm enough to make you shiver in relaxation.

To you, Joseph Descamps was the dream boyfriend. He's pretty, tall, smart, funny, fashionable, and even more. What you liked most was his accent and the way he speaks his mother tongue. He's almost too perfect, like a man you'd only find in poems.

Every time you cracked a joke, he'd laugh uncontrollably. He understood every one of them, clinging on the words like a ladder.

When he saw an american flag in the back of your car that you hadn't taken out since the fourth of july, he teased you about being so american. You could only roll your eyes, planning on kissing those teasing lips later.

Every time you kissed, it felt like so many emotions filled you up, but you absorbed it in every type of way. It felt so nice, it felt so good. He made you feel like this and only him.

Being honest to yourself, you'd marry the man. Sure, you're young, and sure you've only been together for a year, but you love him, and he loves you.

•○●$☆$●○•

You get a call from your producer and long-time best friend, asking if you were free over the week, having come up with an idea for a single.

"Well, I think I do. You know how I've been with Joseph these past few months since my break? Well, he's just so perfect. I mean his fluffy hair, his pretty eyes, his pretty pink lips, and his accent, God, his accent. He's so well read and so well dressed and he-"

"Hun, you're rambling again." Fuck. This is the 5th time.

"Sorry."

Plus, every time you lie on your bed, planning on taking a nap, it's so hard to do when he's literally right beside you, available for kissing and cuddling and loving. You're so in love with the boy you sacrificed your beauty sleep. Imagine that.

Okay, so this might be a bit much a bit too soon. But if love ever came up, he'd be the first in my mind. I haven't said I love you yet, and he hasn't either, but I know deep inside me I do. I really fucking do.

•○●$☆$●○•

"Joseph?" He tilts his head up from his paperback, raising his brows.

"Yes, mon ange?" He scoots a bit closer, bringing his arm around my shoulder.

I smile to myself, thinking of a game. "Think of a number."

He smiles back, this game all too familiar for him. "Okay." He pauses. "1, 2, 3..."

"6."

"I love you." I whisper, looking into his eyes from below.

He only stares, lips slowly turning up into a smile.

"I love you, too." He pauses again.

"Je t'aime, mon ange. Je ne peux pas respirer sans toi. Chaque fois que nous sommes séparés, tu es toujours dans mon esprit. Je t'aime, je t'aime, je t'aime." He kisses my lips after every I love you, and my breath stumbles at his confession.

"I don't understand what you're saying!" I laugh, kissing him back on occasion.

"Good." Another kiss. "It's too much for now. Just know I love you." The next kiss lasted longer. It was gentle, it was hungry, it was love.

•○●$☆$●○•

When "So American" came out, it hit the charts. Everyone loved it, and everyone supported it.

That's when they started to get the idea you, famous pop singer Y/N L/N, was dating famous french actor, Joseph Descamps.

Well, we'll see how long we can keep it from them.

•○●$☆$●○•

2 in a row?!?!??! So crazy rn. Its literally 2 am here and im sweating balls over the summer heat. This is hella short sorry but i wanted this so bad.

[bowandcurtsey]

Hwllo I love your pregnancy simulator headcanons you did for zora and nozel

Could you please do one for fuegoleon too?

Hiya sweetie! Thank you for requesting this! I foresee I have a mutual that would love this too hehe. I'll add in Yami for this too, cause I'm missing him a little. Haven't done his request in quite in awhile. („• ᴗ •„)

Here's the link to the request for Nozel, Patri and Zora There's another one for Finral

Fuegoleon | Yami x f! reader

Fuegoleon Vermillion

Being the righteous gentleman he is, he agreed to it immediately. Salamander shook its head. He felt that he should know exactly what kind of pain you were going through, since you had your third child on the way.

You paste the stimulator on, for him. You started at level 3.

"I don't feel much honey. Feels a little ticklish."

You pressed level 5. "This is where the dilation starts, how is it?"

"okay. bearable." He walked around with the stimulator.

You pressed on 7. "we're now waiting for the right time to push~"

"Mhmm." he grunted a little, starting to feel the pain, "I think I need to sit down a little.."

He sat down with a huff and took deep breaths in and out.

You pressed 8.

"are we pushing yet, honey?" he said in between his breaths.

"nope. we're only at level 8, Fue. The dilation is not enough yet."

"Level 8?!"

You pressed 10. Fue had to sit forward and clench his fist and clutch the arm rest of the chair.

"Now you push!" you exclaimed

"honey.." he groaned, his breathing becoming laboured. "how do.. you-"

His hands reached to grab on the stimulator.

"how long-.." his sentence was more incoherent now, but you understood what he was asking

"er. usually the contractions come every 10 minutes or so and it stops after awhile..."

He was huffing and puffing, meaning that the contractions were off for now.

"And it childbirth could last like this for hours~" you reminded him.

You told him to lay down on the bed. As the contractions came, he curled his body a little.

"That wouldn't do, honey. You have to open your legs to push!" you teased him.

He tried to roll back on his back, his face muscles squirmed and tensed up. You could even see his forehead covered in sweat.

You turned the stimulator off when the contraction subsided again.

"Honey. I'm sorry you're going through this for the third time..." his face was so guilt stricken, "You're amazing for giving me 3 beautiful kids. I promise to never let them misbehave or bully you. They have to be nice to you at all times."

You laughed. Well, it gets easier one after the other, love." You grabbed a handkerchief to wipe off his sweat.

"I love you wifey." He caressed your face.

Yami Sukehiro

"no. I ain't doing that baby." he gave you the look.

"yes. you're doing it." you insisted.

Of course Yami Sukehiro could never say no to anything you wanted. He was wrapped around your pinky.

He gave a sigh as you paste the stimulator on him.

"baby. How about you press 10 right away?" Yami challenged. "Just get it over and done with."

"no?" you raised an eyebrow at him, "you have to experience the slow and gradual pain"

"you sound sick in the mind when you say that out loud, baby" he gave you a dead panned face.

"Excuse me, we woman experience this for hours. Some take 12 or more hours! I'll just let you feel the pain for a few minutes."

"okay, okay..." he was defeated, once again.

You pressed 4.

"You feel anything?"

"nope."

You pressed 6. "Dilation starts about now."

"So we're going push now?"

"no? Just a waiting game."

"I feel like might punch someone in the face if they made din right now"

You gave a little laugh, but you were impressed by your man's tolerance.

You pressed on 8.

Yami took a deep breath in and let it out slowly.

"Painful, huh." you cocked your brow and tilted your head to the side.

"I could understand why you women get upset randomly feeling this. I feel like yeeting Asta Luck and Magna right now just to let off some steam."

"Yami!" you rolled your eyes at him, "anyway, you can lie down if it's uncomfortable."

He lay down on your bed making himself comfortable. You were really impressed. This man had high tolerance to pain.

"ready for 10?"

"You mean it's not level 10 yet?"

"no?"

"what the fuck." he cursed, "okay just go."

You pressed on 10. Yami spewed a chain of curse words as the contractions came on. He scratched his head roughly.

"I don't get it, baby." he grunted.

"Get what?"

"You cry and yell at all the fuckin roaches and you go through this?"

"Hey!" you smacked his biceps

"Yeah, you can hit me now, cause I ain't feeling anything except this fucking shit."

You laughed. He must be really feeling the pain now, seeing the amount of vulgarities he was spewing.

Whenever the contractions went off, he relaxed awhile and when it came again, he was grabbing at the pillows and cursing.

"Get this damn baby out already." his face looked like he was having a bad constipation.

"Baby, remember when we had our first child, I took 8 hours?"

He eyes darted to look at you, realising all the pain you were in for that long back then.

"Yeah." you nodded your head at him, seeing that he understood what you were getting at.

"I'm sorry princess. From now onwards I'll yeet them if they misbehave, god damn it."

"You'll yeet your precious d/n?" you gave him a smirk, knowing that his little princess was his weak spot.

He paused to think for awhile, "okay you can yeet that little monkey and me out together."

[brights-place]

Reader and barb having babies 👀 (or eggs whatever)

Barb X F! S/O having Eggs

Pairings: Barb X Reader

Warnings: Fluff

A/N: OMG IM SO HAPPY WITH THIS REQUEST! OKAY OKAY! I'VE BEEN WANTING SOMEONE TO REQUEST ABOUT THIS OML!

- OHHH! OKAY LETS GO WITH THIS HEADCANNON! - Barb and you have been wanting kids for awhile due to the fact that you both knew that king thrash might not be here much longer and barb wanted her father to see her children or child - You two have been trying but haven't been successful for so long... - Though after the night you two gave up you woke up and raised your hand to touch your hair when feeling something inside as your hand pulled out an egg as you froze - You couldn't help but tear up before speaking "Barb! BARB!" you shouted excitedly as barb lifted her head up groggily and flopped it back down "Whatdoyouwantbaby" Barb muttered words all together into her pillow as you shook her arm as she lifted her head up slightly annoyed "you know damn well that when you wake me up to early in the morning I will-" Barb paused when seeing the egg in your hands - An Red, grey, and black egg with flames from the bottom up with spikes like an mohawk on the egg made Barb stare before looking up to you and back to the egg and back to you "were having an baby..." barb whispered as you nodded quickly as barb looked back to you again "We! are having a baby!" You nodded again an huge grin as barb tackled you into an hug as you made sure to put the egg back in your hair as she hugged you as you two laughed as she peppered your face with kisses - She is so happy when you two finally have an kid - Tears up and holds you close to her chest as she sobs - You take turns on who holds and take cares of the egg mainly you taking care of it since she has an Mohawk its harder for her to maintain it but she sometimes holds it whenever you can't - She makes sure to talk to the egg whenever she was tired or finished her queen duties aka just jamming out with other rock trolls - She would tell her dad first then Riff and Carole who both did the rock n roll symbol congratulating you two - Rock trolls were super hyped for the next rock troll to take the throne - Poppy was excited and asked to host the baby shower… you two sweat dropped and said it was gonna be rock n roll themed but you both wouldn’t mind if she could come along with the others - Everybody got diffrent things for your kid as Barb was mainly the one who celebrated the fact that you were having an daughter - King thrash was so happy he hugged you both

- You two would celebrate with everybody as your child’s first gift was some ragged rock n roll clothes which you enjoyed

- when your daughter was born you two teared up

- You were watching one of barbs small performances as you felt your hair shake abit as you held your stomach gagging abit before looking up to barb as she noticed your face.

- Carole made you sit down near an table as you panted as barb rushed off towards you to check if you were alright as her slender fingers cupped your face - Your eyes both widened looking up to see an small rock troll with frizzy f/c hair and ashy gray skin like barbs with large doe eyes and an dark grey nose doing the rock n roll sign as the sound of someone shredding was heard before the baby landed in Barbs hands as she paused

- you two stared at eachother back to the baby that was doing the rock n roll sign giggling kicking her small feet as you both cried harder and hug your daughter together as others celebrated the birth of the next ruler of the rock trolls

- Barb looked up to you and smiled “What should we call her?” You whispered as Barb smiled looking down towards the small baby troll in her hands “Let’s call her Ozzy” you paused “You mean Ozzy the Prince of darkness?” Barb chuckled nodding as you snorted “King thrash is gonna enjoy this” you giggled as Barb kissed your cheek

- King thrash loved your daughter and was glad to have a grand daughter as he played games either her and felt proud at what you and barb created.

- Barb and you were at the side seeing Riff holding your daughter Ozzy up in the air running away from king thrash who was laughing speeding up his wheelchair is pace to catch up which he did

- You spoke softly “We did this…” Barb kissed your cheek “We did…” Barb paused before speaking again “You know Ozzy might be abit lonely we should-”“Barb!” You hit her arm playfully as she chuckled

reblogs + comments are appreciated ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

©brights-place 2023 — do not repost on another platform, copy, translate or edit my works! if you fit my DNI list please don't interact

[spaceorphan18]

The Rogue and Gambit Project: The Basketball Game (X-Men #4)

Alright! Here we are! That pivotal moment we've all been waiting for! The introduction of Omega Red.... Wait, no, that's not why you guys are here? You don't want me to dissect another Wolverine story that digs into the seemingly never ending well of his past? You aren't really interested in the creepy twins that make up Fenris? And you don't really care all that much about what's going on with Moira?

I mean, fine, if you'd rather I get into all the other boring stuff going on in the issue... ;)

Today we're going to test the limits of how much of an issue Marvel will let me repost without getting in some kind of trouble....

X-Men #4 Ladies and Gentlemen....

I believe I said this previously, but one of the best parts of X-Men comics is really the soap opera shenanigans that go on in-between all the big villains. The inner personal relationships that happen among the X-Men are really the best, and often the most delicious part of the comics. I honestly think fans would be entirely happy if we got full issues of them just playing basketball, or baseball, or hanging out at Harry's Hideaway, or getting therapy.... Because these personalities are so much fun and play off each other so well that sometimes they are far better than the endless 'save the world' story lines we often get because - apparently - all published fiction needs a plot to hang on.

But I digress. It's a post-Claremont world now, and all bets are off. It's kind of interesting that - despite Gambit and Storm's initial friendship, the two X-Men Gambit has been spending the most time with lately are Wolverine and Jubilee. There's no surprise, really, that Wolverine and Gambit have an antagonistic relationship. Jubilee, however, due to her relationship with Wolverine, has been somewhat of a sass master towards Gambit as well. Except now we have Jubilee on the same team as Gambit, which, turns the dynamic a little on its head. And it's a delight.

And then we throw Rogue into the mix. How did this game even get started anyway? My guess - Jubilee wanted to play and taunting and teasing of some sort got the four of them paired off as they are. I kind of love that not only is Gambit goading Wolverine about relaxing, but Jubilee is, too.

Remember when I said Gambit spends most of his non-uniform time half naked? Continuity! ;)

Wolverine is not the only one who needs to relax. Rogue is wound tight - and I really doubt it's about wanting to adhere to a non-powered game of basketball.

All that skin and sweat? The girl's got some pent up needs that haven't been met during the entire previous decade. Probably time to rectify that.

I love Jubilee's commentary, she is so obnoxiously sassy, and I love it. Also, I kind of love that they are taking the time to set up Gambit's athletic skill.

Btw, I love the kind of smirk he gives Rogue as he easily tosses the ball over her head. He's having fun. Is she having fun? Hard to say - mostly she just wants to win. And Gambit is most definitely getting under her skin. The hilarity coming from Jubilee isn't helping.

Is this a good time to bring up the whole -- he's playing games and messing around with her and she takes things seriously part of their whole story? Is this entire game just a metaphor for the early part of their relationship?

I mean - you can read into it as deeply as you like! I have a feeling the writers didn't think think that hard about it - and this is merely just a way to show off all of their skills. But it definitely can be interpreted that way. I mean, what are we even doing here if we can't extrapolate intended and non-intended things from the text?

Of course, this is an X-Men story, so we can't go too long without the usage of powers. Everything is going to get thrown up a notch. Is Gambit using his powers of agility? Well, idk how he couldn't be using them since it's a natural thing.

But man, does Rogue hate losing or what? The escalation of this whole thing goes from 0 to 100 like that.

Jubilee lowering her glasses kills me every time.

I do think Gambit was just taking it easy and playing around at the beginning of this. I think he liked getting Jubilee on his side and cheering him on. He liked driving Wolverine crazy. And more than anything, getting under Rogue's skin is a challenge he really seems to take pleasure in.

But Rogue did take it up a notch, so Gambit does what he always does - and ups the ante.

It's interesting - I think if we hadn't had the little bit of flirting in X-Men #3, this whole thing may read a little differently (up until this point). But I think we're at the point where it's clear that they physical one-upmanship is masking the sexual tension.

I mean, their screwing around literally blows a hole through the mansion wall. Idk why, but this always has me dying, too. There's some very serious stuff going on with Moira - meanwhile Rogue and Gambit are at the playground throwing dirt at each other because they like each other.

No, but here's one of the things I like about them. It was all fun and games, and then Rogue did throw the first punch. And then Gambit pushed back. There's going to be a lot of shifts in power dynamics as we go through this, but the thing is, they don't really back down from each other. For better or for worse.

Ah, the infamous panel!

You saw how angry Rogue was just a second before, and then Gambit scoops her up in his arms and starts spouting all this romantic stuff she's longed to hear and for a moment, she's just kind of gone.

Btw, I love the details of this panel. The mansion is in ruins. Cyclops is like, uh, dude, you may want to throw some cold water on yourself. Jubilee, child that she still is, is like - ew bleck, they're gonna kiss now.

I love it!

I love that Gambit does not care that there is an audience (in fact - he may thrive on it), he's getting under Rogue's skin and it's worth all the fooling around. Meanwhile, Rogue maybe not really realize it yet - but she's getting someone who is not running the other direction due to her powers.

Plus, look, they're both just attracted to each other. And sometimes that fact is just fact.

I realize the above panel is the more famous one, but these ones. Man, they get me every time.

The first panel - Rogue just lets herself go with it. The second panel, though. That's a smirk. Rogue is 100% smirking because in that moment she is happy she is in the exact position she's in. And for that half second, she's enjoying it.

Which leads to an interesting thought experiment -- what if Rogue didn't have the powers she has. Would this whole thing end in a real kiss? (The answer is yes - some fucking around would have surely been had!) Would their relationship be as deep and real if they could act on their physical attraction? Would they have developed the good friendship they get over the years if there wasn't that initial barrier there?

Hard to say, but I think the story becomes richer having to work around her powers.

And.... we're back to the status quo as Rogue does have a skin condition that sucks the life out of everyone she touches. It's no longer a game, but the reality she has to face every day.

Also - I do kind of love she knocks him sideways. He does deserve being knocked down a peg every once and a while. Good for his humility.

The basketball game is now over, but I do think this is the real beginning of Gambit trying to win over Rogue's heart -- and yes, I think at first, it's merely for the sake of the challenge of it. I don't think he takes in account that he's going to change his own heart as we go along.

Just for completion's sake -- here's the last little bit of this part of the subplot. I do roll my eyes at the fact that Wolverine always has to come out looking the coolest. But it works for a nice tag to this particular scene.

So.... later...

Now, how did we get from the basketball game to what looks like a date? Especially since when last we saw Rogue was knocking him sideways? SHAMELESS PLUG TIME - I WROTE A FIC ABOUT IT. Or, you know, come up with your own headcanons. ;)

Of course Gambit rides a motorcycle - because this is the 90s, and this is the height of cool, lol.

I love Rogue in this moment. I love that she's owning him here. She knows she looks good. She knows she wants to go out and have a good time. She may even know she wants to have a good time with /him/ but won't think too much about that -- and instead enjoy the possibility of her own happiness first. Having an attractive man at her side is just a bonus. Go get it, girl!

This is why I love X-Men. Because they are such a family dynamic. Everyone is getting into everyone else's business. Jubilee is the younger sister just wanting to hang out with her ridiculous, cool older brother. Wolverine is that watchful, old uncle. Beast is the next door neighbor who doesn't care that he's butting in, he's just there for a good time. I love all of it! And I do love that there is a tad bit of protectiveness for Rogue. Gambit is still new to this dynamic (not that Rogue and Beast have spent any time together, lol).

The point is that they all love each other like family, and I adore that.

I love that Gambit just is not here for that family dynamic. This is almost a sitcommy moment, and it's delicious. I also love that Rogue is completely on board with this whole date aspect. Sure, her friends will be there, too. But she's not opposed to Gambit whisking her away for who knows what. Maybe she'll get that candlelight dinner and champagne and a little lite romance he's promised her.

I love Jubilee pouting! It also makes me wonder if he's already taken Jubilee out for a spin for the fun of it. He would.

So, her line is fascinating because there are different ways you can read it. Skeptical that he could actually out maneuver Beast. Or hopeful that he will. Read it any way you like! But the smile on her face says she won't be unhappy to lose her friends.

And BAM! Hit by the plot!

Stupid plot.

It's funny, because his first thought is to see if she's okay. Of course she is, she's invulnerable and she can take the hit. But I honestly think that in that moment, he is concerned for her. There is a bit of genuine care there -- even if she is quick to dismiss it.

And... as Omega Red inserts himself into our fun loving drama, the issue ends, with Rogue and Gambit tied up (and eventually in chains) which is going to become the norm for them, so get used to it. ;)

Honestly, I love this issue - and it's such a fun way to start their story. And I had forgotten that at least half of the issue is comprised of Rogue and Gambit development.

Shame we have to stop the development to get into the Omega Red arc that will take up the next few issues...

[echoesofwisdomcountup]

25 Days until Tears of the Kingdom Release. Is it really? Haha the smaller the number gets the more I doubt reality. I've just been waiting for this game for so long that even with all the marketing and the trailer analysis it's hard to believe its actually happening.

Spoilers under the cut for the last batch of screenshot trailer analysis.

So this tear has the recall chicken symbol on it. I checked. Zelda also has the Master Sword with her. Either she's fixing the sword and that's something only she can do or Zelda is in the past so the sword isn't broken yet and she is leaving something there for Link.

Ganondorf, mummy version I'm assuming, spewing red malice stuff but much brighter red this time. I wonder if Malice is just Ganondorf's version of fuse. Link gets green glue and Ganondorf red. After this there is a shot where the red stuff hits the sky and starts summoning monsters. The trailer transitions it to make it look continuous but once we get into the game we'll most likely find that it's separate cut scenes or different parts of the same cut scene but not continuous. Honestly, I think this might be where Link and the Master Sword get attacked but I'm still not giving up on the possibility that the malice emerges from the Master Sword outwards as Fi looses control on Demise.

I'm pretty sure I mentioned the lack of lynels in the other analysis I did. Welp here they are with their massive antlers (oof on the damage those things will probably cause) and the sword looking thing sticking out of one of their heads. I wonder what fusing Lynel horns to shields, swords, or arrows will do. I think I'll fight some just for that.

What else do I have to say? It's the main man, Ganondorf. I can't wait to kick his ass again.

Never seen this enemy in any of the Zelda games I've played. However, I will look forward to this boss fight/mini boss fight and whatever skill or item we need to defeat it. Maybe ascend or some ice weapon? I heard that ascend works on certain enemies and I'm very curious about which ones. It'd be interesting if this enemy tries to swallow Link and Link just ascends through the roof of its mouth.

This is Hylia or some version of Zelda from the past (yeah I'm aware that Hylia is technically a version of Zelda but whatever.) I think she's very pretty, super amazing, and very strong considering she laser beams a bunch of Molduga with no sweat.

RIJU!!! Look at my girl double wielding swords (Can we do it too as Link? Nintendo?? I wanna duel wield.) Riju appears to have grown into her own and mastered her lightning powers without needing the Helm. I'm so proud of her and I can't wait to fight along side her.

I can't tell you how cool it is to see that Link will be working and fighting alongside other citizens of Hyrule. The resistance in Twilight Princess walked so that TOTK NPCS can run. At least that's my hope. Also neat looking sword Link.

Now this part of the trailer nearly gave me a heart attack. I was like no freaking way will the new champions literally fight besides Link and not just in a cut scene. How sick is this? Of course, I heard some people say co-op but I don't think that's what's happening. You see the blue glowy stuff on Sidon? Yeah it was on Tulin too. I think the new champions might be like summons, automated companions. I think Nintendo took the wolf link amiibo and the Yunobu follow quest and beefed it up. I'm very excited about it.

So Riju doesn't have a tear that we can see and they haven't shown Yunobu but Tulin and Sidon have different tears. I'm very curious about what these things do. I'm also amused that Sidon got blue and Tulin green considering the colors of Mipha's Grace and Revali's Gale. I'm not sure about the symbols on them since I don't think they correspond to any of the abilities icons unlike recall. Anyway, it's just another thing that can't be answered until the game is out.

Giant fire gleeok or three headed evil dragon or whatever it's called, it's a sick looking boss that I can't wait to fight. Also the weapon that Link is using looks so other worldly. It's got the shape of a wing and its probably ice related. I wonder what enemy Link got it from but it does remind me of Naydra so maybe it's a dragon part? Nintendo really popped off with the Fuse ability.

So Ganondorf is most likely what this mural figure represent but look at the Hylian (i think it's a hylian, could be a Zonai) beneath him. I think the figure with its hand raised represents either Link or the person who owned the ancient hand and sealed Ganondorf.

It's a bit hard to see but see these four warriors? I think they might represent the four champions since these guys are the only warrior figures in the middle of the horde of monsters. The warriors that aren't yet in the midst of monsters must represent the other NPCs, the citizens of Hyrule that are also fighting back. I think the mural is neat and I wonder where we might see it in the game.

Lastly, Zelda holding the Master Sword and saying "You must find me Link." The first time I watched the trailer I went "Zelda?? If Link has to find you then where the heck are you??" And that's where time travel to the past is looking like a more and more likely theory. The only other theory I have involves realms/alternate worlds since A Link Between worlds exists and so do the Twilight and Silent Realms. But again, I think we'll just have to wait and see what the game has in store.

Thank you for coming to the end of this analysis with me. I'm ecstatic to have my questions answered on May 12, 2023.

Edit: It has been brought to my attention that Riju does in fact have a visible tear and I even posted a picture where it is visible. Guess my brain was so focused on how badass she looked while duel wielding swords that I missed it. Welp that's three for three tears so I'm expecting Yunobu to have one.

[hypahfixations]

Things To Do Today

(in no particular order but using numbers for visual purposes)

However much water you normally drink in a day, try to increase that by 50-100%. Crying, sweating, stress in general is going to increase how much water your body is consuming, so give it a lil extra than usual.

Do something creative with your hands. It doesn't have to be good, good isn't the goal - the act of making something tangible is what's important here.

Eat. Set reminders if you're unable to feel queues naturally, or exceptionally light if you're nauseated, but eat all the same. If you can manage it, however, eat something comforting and heavy calorically to carry you.

Keep your feet on the ground. I know it's less comfy than curling up in bed/on the couch. Do it anyway. The ground in this scenario can even be the bed/couch so long as they are flat against a surface.

Get a little treat today. I know finances are tight, and that feels selfish, but even something from the dollar store counts if it brings you the tiniest spark of joy.

Set timers when interacting with media that you know is going to spin you up and close it when it goes off. You can check election news, social media, etc, but the timers are there to help give you a sense of the passage of time so you're not stuck there.

Massage your face. There's a ton of tension stored in those thin, tiny muscles, and right now more than ever they're gonna need manual loosening.

Go outside for at least five minutes and find a small peice of it to bring with you. A rock, a leaf, a fallen chunk of bark...something of the Earth to tether yourself to.

Lean on your chosen and trusted community. Really. Outstretch your arms and grasp them in your fist so they know you have them and they have you. We need each other and you're not a burden for acknowledging that.

Wiggle your body. Rigidity is the body killer, gotta wiggle it out when you consciously notice you haven't moved in a while.

Comfort media. A show, a video game, a movie - watch something that is to you a mental and emotional blanket.

This is for everyone who needs a ladder to cling to. I suggest doing as many of these as you can, especially if you dont want to, because despair is sticky... it is so much easier to get sucked into that pit instead of clinging by bloody, blistered fingers to hope.

Today is about surviving. We can figure out the next steps tomorrow.

I love you, all of you

[bunnakit]

last twilight ep 5 thoughts feelings etc.

eyy actually watched this earlier and rewatching it, so things should be a little less feral and unhinged. actually took notes my first watch through as well (wtf am i doing)

once again i love how stories are our constant companions in this show. i love how they keep playing with the parallels between worlds, it's one of my absolute favorite things in storytelling.

i love the fact that day is now 'invisible' in the world of badminton but he can still experience all of the joy of the game by supporting his friends. badminton was such a big part of his life and he doesn't have to leave it all behind, he just experiences it a little differently now.

film is so fucking pretty even covered in 'sweat.' i do love the show let her be 'sweaty' and disheveled instead of having perfect hair and make up after what was clearly a hard game. GIVE ME SWEATY WOMEN. (god im so gay)

so i said it last week but the only time we've ever seen mhok be violent is when he's been protecting the people close to him. (his garage bro, porjai x 2, etc) and we see him ready to do it again when august confronts day. there is no doubt in my mind that mhok was fully prepared to bury that bitch for even daring to make day the slightest bit afraid.

and god how scary does that have to be? you can't see, you're already nervous to be here, and suddenly someone is shouting at you - and maybe you don't recognize them at first because you haven't heard their voice in over a year but all you know is they're coming closer and they're so angry. i can't imagine anything scarier than that.

ahh, a broken picture frame representing a broken bond, an absolute classic metaphor. an oldie but a goodie.

once again i love that we see day's rage. anger really is such a big part of coming to terms with being disabled. i got some bad news a few weeks ago about my own disease and i've spent the last few weeks so angry and frustrated and then just sad. it's such a complex journey and the show is doing an absolutely brilliant job of showing that.

i do owe day's family a small smidgen of an apology since day is the one that asked it to be kept a secret, HOWEVER, i do think that conversation should have been revisited after a fucking year. how long were they just going to let him live in isolation? like cool for respecting his agency, not cool for letting him waste away in a tomb of his own making.

FINALLY WE GET MHOK OPENING UP.

so here's the thing with mhok. i love him. no - the real thing is i see so much of myself in him. my friends and family constantly get frustrated with me because i will never tell them when something is wrong or when i'm shouldering a lot of emotions about something. when i got the bad news about my disease i hid in my office and cried at my desk and then cleaned myself up and pretended nothing happened. fuck, i feel like i understand mhok on such a deep level.

not to get too into it but my own habits stem from neglect in my formative years, and i have to wonder if mhok's behavior maybe stems from his isolation in prison? oftentimes people with these behavior patterns will self isolate, either deal with or bury their emotions, and then emerge back into their friend group as if nothing happened. (am i talking about myself again? shhh.) mhok didn't really have a choice - sure you can write letters, have visitors, but a large part of his day was probably handling his grief in solitude. he's probably gotten so good at "handling it" and pushing everything down and dealing with everything in silence that he doesn't know how to handle it any other way now.

to make things worse, it happened over a year ago. he probably feels like he should be "over it" and not make it a big deal. maybe i'm projecting just a smidge (just a lot) but i do think it's something interesting to keep in mind. either way, him finally talking about rung to day is fucking MASSIVE, both for their relationship and mhok's emotional wellbeing.

august is fucking king of mixed signals and i don't super like that he looked for mhok's permission to lead day through the court. why the fuck are you looking at mhok when you could just ask day? if you look closely, as mhok is letting go day curls his fingers around the hand that mhok uses to remove his hand from his arm.

i do love we see mhok pushing day a little more out of his comfort zone as he did in earlier episodes.

porjai is so fucking pretty. is there anything more attractive than a woman in shorts and an oversized band tee? no. no there is not.

and again we see how much time and effort mhok has put into being day's caretaker - and his friend. he did research and learned methods that would make dining out easier for day. i love him so much! i don't know how day could still be thinking about august after that adorable little date.

UGH OKAY SO. HERE'S WHERE WE GET INTO MY BIG FEELINGS.

in my opinion, the theme of this episode has been "being late." here's why.

the boys were very nearly, or were, late to gee's badminton game

you could consider mhok 'late' to tell day about rung

day thinks he's too late to confess to august

mhok realizes he's come into day's life too late to receive his affection

and then we have august's literal late arrival (i still dont know what fucking game this jackass is playing)

this also ties in to a little trend i've been noticing in regards to mhok that oftentimes he's too late in life.

he was too late to save rung, and learned of her death late

he was too late to receive the mechanic job as it had 'already been given to someone else'

he was a late arrival to the interview to become day's caretaker

and again, he's entered day's life too late to receive his affection (or so he thinks)

i genuinely don't know if this is intentional, but i think it's something interesting to draw connections to.

anyway, again, i dont know what the fuck august's deal is but i can tell you if i was day i'd be getting over my feelings for him real fucking quick. i don't super like that august shows up, hears about day's feelings, and asks mhok to keep his being there a secret - but i do understand it and i do understand mhok's side of things. i don't think he does it out of his own selfishness, i think rather he realizes august likely doesn't return day's affection and letting him think august didn't show up is possibly the kinder of the two scenarios. (my only hope is we don't see august return and try to woo day or something later with this knowledge)

i do love that mhok stayed. he was concerned and it might seem a little overbearing but day was clearly nervous for this outing and all in all it's good that he stayed. and then he made sure to salvage the evening for day and take him out on a proper date. maybe it's not the date day wanted but it looks like he had a great time (perhaps even a better time) spending a day with someone he could relax and be himself around.

flowers have so many different meanings across cultures and tbh i'm far to tired to dig into the thai meaning of hydrangeas (if there are any) but i do think hydrangeas are neat. this is prob common knowledge but the color of hydrangea petals is determined by the ph balance in the soil they're grown in. (blue hydrangeas grow in soil with a ph balance of 5.2-5.5, far more in the base range than red hydrangeas that grow in a ph balance of 6.0-6.2, and once the soil reaches acidic levels it tends to produce pink flowers) i guess maybe if you wanted you could draw a connection to how malleable mhok is becoming and how his environment is changing him.

scientifically, sunflowers are also an interesting flower because they are often used to heal damaged and irradiated soil. they're so fucking resilient and help heal the world around them. i think there's a lot of connections we can make there with both mhok and day, regardless of flower symbolism and going purely on science.

anyway sorry to be a science nerd.

that's all ive really got for this episode, i say, as if i have not written you all a novel. this show continues to make me feel so much and tickle my brain in such a delightful way. between this and moonlight chicken p'aof has definitely made me a fan for life.

tag loves: @benkaaoi | @callipigio | @lookwhatihave (once again pls always feel free to lmk if you want to be added or removed)