#i like that my longtime followers have seen me go from not even talking about him to……….this

[pitohuimaki]

Don't know about naming 5 opinions, but the worst one has definitely got to be your opnion on the fuckability of Nobuyuki Sugou.

I mean, god damn.

i was a theatre kid and i was in a glee club for five years i don’t know what else to tell you

also i unfortunately have a very big crush on todd haberkorn. also also look at him in the manga (nobody is hearing me out)

absolutely nobody is hearing me out. me reki abec and kazuto are the only people who think this man is handsome i fear

oh you’re a fan of my blog? name five of my worst opinions

[nathaslosthershit]

The Main Event (Multiple Pairings) Part 2

Part 2 to The Main Event. Also Part 8 in the Blind Items AU, but can be read as a standalone Summary: A wedding between Logan Sargeant and the youngest Leclerc child means a very interesting guest list, in which all previous victims of the F1 Blind Items account are included. A/N: This is part 2 to this fic! Because I only wanted it to be one fic, I am adding this section to the first part. Each pairing has a Blind Items backstory which is linked at the start of their section (You don't have to read the backstory, though) Multiple (separate) Pairings: Part 2 - Logan Sargeant x Leclerc!reader, Alexander Albon Part 1 - Logan Sargeant x Leclerc!reader Oscar Piastri x reader, Charles Leclerc x reader, Lando Norris x reader, Lance Stroll x reader, Lewis Hamilton x reader

Alexander Albon

Things had been… awkward for Alex and his girlfriend the past few days. After what started off as an innocent inquiry from a friend about the couple's plans for marriage in conjunction with Alex’s attending the wedding of his teammate, it seemed like there were some conversations the two needed to be having.

They had been together for years, longer than the current bride and groom had known each other. Longer than a lot of couples either engaged, married, or with kids had been dating. 

But there was still no ring. 

It hadn’t been a problem before. They had talked about getting married, casually talked and joked about “when they had kids”. But those topics hadn’t been seriously considered for a while now. Like a hangnail that hurt every time it brushed against something, even though it would be so much better to just rip it off quickly and let it heal, neither Alex nor his girlfriend seemed to be able to broach the subject. 

They sat silently in the car, driving to the venue, painfully aware of what the other was thinking about. 

Did Alex not want to marry her? After so many years, maybe he just has never seen marriage as something he needed, plenty of couples decide not to get married. But wouldn’t he tell her if he didn’t want to ever be married, instead of letting her wait and wait and wait? Especially when he knew she wanted to get married- did he even know she wanted to get married? Did she even know if she wanted to get married? They lived together, their lives intertwined with one another, maybe they could just have a civil partnership. But that didn’t sound right in her mind. What if-

Her spiralling was interrupted when Alex turned on the radio, at full volume. Both wincing at the noise, he turned it down a little, letting the song fill the crisis filled air between the two. 

It helped a little, at least they could pretend they were both listening to the music instead of what they were actually doing, questioning their relationship. 

As the song ended, a radio talk show came on, one about elderly folks giving life advice. “Aw I love this, it always has sweet stories.” Alex said, trying to break the tension. 

“Here we have Violet with us! Now everyone, Violet got married for the first time about a year ago to her longtime partner, Vance. Both were 83 years old and had put it off for a long time, thinking they had been too old, but following a terminal diagnosis Vance was given, the two decided to go for it. Now a year later, Violet is here with her update. Violet, how are you doing today?” The host asked. The couple in the car stiffened, of course this is the topic. 

“I am doing well, thank you. Today is a special day, it would have been Vance’s 84th birthday, and I can say that while it is hard not to be with him, I have all my love for him and the love I knew he had for me to keep me going.”

“I am sorry to hear about his passing, Violet.” The host somberly said.

“Oh that is alright, I actually arranged to call back in because I recently received our wedding pictures, and looking at them reminded me I wanted to update the good folks that listen. While we knew Vance would pass soon after the wedding, I am so happy to have these photos to keep with me now that he is gone. We had written off marriage because we had both been ‘too old’ in our opinions. Neither of us had gotten married to our past partners before, so we didn’t feel the need now. While I don’t believe marriage is best for everyone, some folks just don’t need it, I can say for certain that being surrounded with family and loved ones as Vance and I celebrated our love, especially when we knew death would soon part us, I believe it was the greatest decision of my life. Vance knew I would be with him no matter how long he gave me, and that I would take on the grief if it meant I knew I truly loved and was loved. I really believed that comforted him in the end, and that alone comforts me. We were only married for about three months before he passed, but he will remain my husband till I eventually join him. And I couldn’t be happier for that.” Violet said, a mix of emotions filling her voice.

She turned off the radio before they could hear any more. 

Silence again filled the car- well apart from Alex’s sniffles. 

She turned to her boyfriend, who was driving while trying to wipe his tears without her seeing he was crying.

“Are- Alex are you okay?” she asked, concerned. 

“Yeah, no it's- yeah I'm good.” He unconvincingly replied. Suddenly, he slammed on the breaks, almost missing a stop sign, distracted by his tears. “Shit- I’m sorry I didn’t see-” 

She couldn't make out his words over the sobs. Fortunitally, he had enough of a sound mind to pull over before he could danger them more. 

Alex turned to his girlfriend abruptly, “I want to marry you. I want to marry you so badly and I know marriage has always been jokingly discussed between us, but I need to know you also want to marry me. I don’t want to wait till we are 83 and I am dying. I don’t want to wait another year, to be honest. So please just tell me if you aren’t-” She cut him off with a kiss, her own tears mixing with his. “Are you proposing?” She half-joke- half-sobbed. 

“Yes, fuck yes I am.” Instead of answering him, she just kissed him, again, just as passionately as the first. 

“We can’t tell Logan we got engaged the day of his wedding.”

Logan Sargeant

Bridesmaids on one side, Groomsmen on the other, the officiant and Logan in the middle.

Logan had memorized the order in which everything would go. He stood anxiously in front of a crowd of people, full of friends and family, as well as some of his idols since he was a child. People he still felt had no reason to even know his name, much less attend his wedding. 

Next came the Piastri twins with petals in their baskets. They took a few confident steps till they realized just how many people were looking at them. Then in an instant, the weeks of preparation for their big moment went out the window as they both stood there, frowns on their faces. Logan’s heart broke a little at how shy they had suddenly gotten.

Maybe he really should have had Dalton take their place. 

After a few moments the twins still didn’t move. Logan was about to make his way down the aisle to them, but his brother-in-law-to-be, Charles, stepped through the entrance to get to them, holding his newborn, who was acting as the ring-bearer despite being a month old and currently asleep. Charles crouched down between the two toddlers, whispering something no one else but the two of them heard, causing shocked but excited looks to replace the shy pouts. 

The toddlers each stood on the side of Charles and his sleeping child, throwing petals with renewed excitement. By the time they reached the end, Logan crouched down to give them each a hug, getting a kiss on the cheek and ‘good luck, Lo Lo’. Charles passed the rings to Dalton, the best man, and answered Logan’s questioning look with a quick explanation, “I told them my son was very nervous about walking down the aisle and I hoped they would walk with him. I also said you’d give them candy after.” 

Logan rolled his eyes, happy Charles had looked out for his honorary niece and nephew, but annoyed he now had to find candy for the toddlers unless he wanted a tantrum to end all tantrums at his reception dinner. 

The second the bride stepped down the aisle, her mom by her side, Logan forgot what he was worried about before. Suddenly, seeing his fiancé in her dress, glowing in a way that could only be explained by magic, Logan knew nothing in his life had ever felt so right. 

He had to stop himself from kissing her as she stood in front of him, only half listening to the officiant. He didn’t care about all the famous people in the crowd, didn’t care about how miserable he was at Williams, didn’t care about all the shit he got from fans, didn’t care about anything but the woman who was in front of him. 

In a flash, vows were exchanged, ‘I do’s were said, and he was kissing his wife and then running down the aisle. 

Everything was so good.

[acealistair]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard GameInformer Article Transcribed SPOILER-FREE

I've gone ahead and transcribed the GameInformer article about DA:TV for those who can't read it from screenshots/on GameInformer for whatever reason. This version specifically is the PLOT-SPOILER-FREE version! I've removed all references to the main storyline of the game (even those revealed in the gameplay footage already released, just to be sure) to mostly focus on mechanics and the author's general impressions of the game. It does still include some references to companions and their personalities/mechanic abilities, as well as a couple locations that we're already confirmed to be visiting. However, further details on specific locations are hidden.

As mentioned in my full version of the article, I've transcribed it as accurately as I could, which means including typos, grammar mistakes, improper capitalization, etc.

Throughout my research and preparation for a trip to BioWare’s Edmonton, Canada, office for this cover story, I kept returning to the idea that its next game, Dragon Age: The Veilguard (formerly subtitled Dreadwolf) is releasing at a critical moment for the storied developer. The previous installment, Dragon Age: Inquisition, hit PlayStation, Xbox, and PC a decade ago. It was the win BioWare needed, following the 2012 release of Mass Effect 3 with its highly controversial and (for many) disappointing ending. Inquisition launched two years later, in 2014, to rave reviews and, eventually, various Game of the Year awards, almost as if a reminder of what the studio was capable of.

Now, in 2024, coincidentally, the next Dragon Age finds itself in a similar position. BioWare attempted a soft reboot of Mass Effect with Andromeda in 2017, largely seen as a letdown among the community, and saw its first live-service multiplayer attempt in 2019’s Anthem flounder in the tricky waters of the genre; it aimed for a No Man’s Sky-like turnaround with Anthem Next, but that rework was canceled in 2021. Like its predecessor, BioWare’s next Dragon Age installment is not only a new release in a beloved franchise, but is another launch with the pressure of BioWare’s prior misses; a game fans hope will remind them the old BioWare is still alive today.

“Having been in this industry for 25 years, you see hits and misses, and it’s all about building off of those hits and learning from those misses,” BioWare general manager Gary McKay, who’s been with the studio since January 2020, tells me.

As McKay gives me a tour of the office, I can’t help but notice how much Anthem is scattered around it. More than Mass Effect, more than Dragon Age, there’s a lot of Anthem - posters, real-life replicas of its various Javelins, wallpaper, and more. Recent BioWare news stories tell of leads and longtime studio veterans laid off and others departing voluntarily. Veilguard’s development practically began with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. When I ask McKay about the tumultuousness of BioWare and how he, as the studio manager, makes the team feel safe in the product it’s developing, he says it’s about centering on the creative vision. “[When] we have that relentless pursuit for quality, and we have passion and people in the right roles, a lot of the other stuff you’re talking about just fades into the background.”

That’s a sentiment echoed throughout the team I speak to: Focus on what makes a BioWare game great and let Veilguard speak for itself. Though I had no expectations going in - it’s been 10 years since the last Drag Age, after all, and BioWare has been cagey about showing this game publicly - my expectations have been surpassed. This return to Thedas, the singular continent of the franchise, feels like both a warm welcome for returning fans and an impressive entry point for first-time players.

New Age, New Name

At the start of each interview, I address a dragon-sized elephant in the room with the game’s leads. What was Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is now Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Why?

“These games are reflections of the teams that make them, and as part of that, it means we learn a lot about what the heart and soul of the game really is as we’re developing it,” Veilguard game director Corinne Busche tells me. “We quickly learned and realized that the absolute beating heart of this game is these authentic, diverse companions. And when we took a step back, as we always do, we always check our decisions and make sure they still represent the game we’re trying to build.”

Dreadwolf no longer did that, but each member of BioWare I speak to tells me The Veilguard does. And while I was initially abrasive to the change - lore aside, Dreadwolf is simply a cool name - I warmed up to The Veilguard.

Solas, a Loki-esque trickster member of the Elven pantheon of gods known as the Dread Wolf, created the Veil long ago while attempting to free the elves from their slave-like status in Thedas. This Veil is a barrier between the magical Fade and Thedas, banishing Elven gods and removing Elven immortality from the world. But players didn’t know that in Inquisition, where he is introduced as a mage ally and companion. However, at the end of Inquisition’s Trespasser DLC, which sets the stage for Veilguard, we learn in a shocking twist that Solas wants to destroy the Veil and restore Elves to their former glory. However, doing so would bring chaos to Thedas, and those who call it home, the people who eventually become The Veilguard, want to stop him.

“There’s an analogy I like to use, which is, ‘If you want to carve an elephant out of marble, you just take a piece of marble and remove everything that doesn’t look like an elephant,’” Veilguard creative director John Epler says. “As we were building this game, it became really clear that it was less that we were trying to make The Veilguard and more like The Veilguard was taking shape as we built the game. Solas is still a central figure in it. He’s still a significant character. But really, the focus shifts to the team.

“[We] realized Dreadwolf suggests a title focused on a specific individual, whereas The Veilguard, much like Inquisition, focuses more on the team.”

Creating Your Rook

Veilguard’s character creator is staggeringly rich, with a dizzying number of customizable options. Busche tells me that inclusivity is at the heart of it, noting that she believes everyone can create someone who represents them on-screen.

There are four races to choose from when customizing Rook, the new playable lead - Elves, Qunari, Humans, and Dwarves - and hundreds of options to customize your character beyond that. You can select pronouns separately from gender and adjust physical characteristics like height, shoulder width, chest size, glute and bulge size, hip width, how bloodshot your eyes are, how crooked your nose is, and so much more. There must be hundreds of sliders to customize these body proportions and features like skin hue, tone, melanin, and just about anything else you might adjust on a character. Oh, and there’s nudity in Veilguard, too, which I learn firsthand while customizing my Rook.

“The technology has finally caught up to our ambition,” Dragon Age series art director Matt Rhodes tells me as we decide on my warrior-class Qunari’s backstory, which affects faction allegiance, in-game dialogue, and reputation standing - we choose the pirate-themed Lords of Fortune.

Notably, instead of a warrior class, we could have chosen mage or rogue. All three classes have unique specializations, bespoke skill trees, and special armors, too. And though our Rook is aligned with the Lords of Fortune faction, there are others to choose from including the Grey Wardens, Shadow Dragons, The Mourn Watch, and more. There is some flexibility in playstyle thanks to specializations, but your class largely determines the kind of actions you can perform in combat.

[SPOILER]

Beyond the on-paper greatness of this character creator, its customizability speaks to something repeated throughout my BioWare visit: Veilguard is a single-player, story-driven RPG. Or in other words, the type of game that made BioWare as storied as it is. McKay tells me the team explored a multiplayer concept early in development before scratching it to get back to BioWare basics. The final game will feature zero multiplayer and no microtransactions.

Happy to hear that, I pick our first and last name, then one of four voices, with a pitch shifter for each, too, and we’re off to Minrathous.

Exploring Tevinter For The First Time

Throughout the Dragon Age series, parts of Thedas are discussed by characters and referenced by lore material but left to the imagination of players as they can’t visit them. Veilguard immediately eschews this, setting its opening prologue mission in Minrathous, the capital of the Tevinter Empire. Frankly, I’m blown away by how good it looks. It’s my first time seeing Veilguard in action and my first look at a Dragon Age game in nearly a decade. Time has treated this series well, and so has technology.

Epler, who’s coming up on 17 years at BioWare, acknowledges that the franchise has always been at the will of its engine. Dragon Age: Origins and II’s Eclipse Engine worked well for the time, but today, they show their age. Inquisition was BioWare’s first go at EA’s proprietary Frostbite engine - mind you, an engine designed for first-person shooters and decidedly not multi-character RPGs - and the team struggled there, too. Epler and Busche agree Veilguard is the first RPG where BioWare feels fully in command of Frostbite and, more generally, its vision for this world.

[SPOILER] The first thing players will do once Veilguard begins is select a dialogue option, something the team says speaks to their vision of a story-forward, choice-driven adventure. After [SPOILER], there’s another dialogue choice, and different symbols here indicate the type of tone you can roll with. There’s a friendly, snarky, and rough-and-tough direct choice, and I later learn of a more romantically inclined “emotional” response. These are the replies that will build relationships with characters, romantic and platonic alike, but you’re welcome to ignore this option. However, your companions can romance each other, so giving someone the cold shoulder might nudge them into the warm embrace of another. [SPOILER]

Rhodes explains BioWare’s philosophy for designing this city harkens back to a quick dialogue from Inquisition’s Dorian Pavus. Upon entering Halamshiral’s Winter Palace, the largest venue in Dragon Age history at that point, Dorian notes that it’s cute, adorable even, alluding to his Tevinter heritage. If Dorian thinks the largest venue in Dragon Age history is cute and adorable, what must the place he’s from be like? “It’s like this,” Rhodes says as we enter Minrathous proper in-game.

Minrathous is huge, painted in magical insignia that looks like cyberpunk-inspired neon city signs and brimming with detail. Knowing it’s a city run by mages and built entirely upon magic, Rhodes says the team let its imagination run wild. The result is the most stunning and unique city in the series. [SPOILER] Busche says BioWare used Veilguard’s character creator to make each in-world NPC except for specific characters like recruitable companions. [The level utilizes] a smart use of verticality, scaling, and wayfinding to push us toward the main attraction: [SPOILER].

[SPOILER] Something I appreciate throughout our short journey through Minrathous is the cinematography at play. As a Qunari, my character stands tall, and Rhodes says the camera adjusts to ensure larger characters loom over those below. On the flip side, the camera adjusts for dwarves to demonstrate their smaller stature compared to those around them.

This, coupled with movie-liked movement through the city [SPOILER] creates a cinematic start that excited me, and I’m not even hands-on with the game.

[SPOILER]

Here, we encounter a dozen or so demons, which BioWare has fully redesigned on the original premise of these monstrous creatures. Rhodes says they’re creatures of feeling and live and die off the emotions around them. As such, they are just a floating nervous system, pushed into this world from the Fade, rapidly assembled into bodies out of whatever scraps they find.

[SPOILER]

The Veilguard Who’s Who

While we learned a lot about returning character but first-time companion Lace Harding, ice mage private detective Neve Gallus, and veil jumper Bellara Lutara, BioWare shared some additional details about other companions Rook will meet later in the game. Davrin is a charming Grey Warden who is also an excellent monster hunter; Emmrich is a member of Nevarra’s Mourn Watch and a necromancer with a skeleton assistant named Manfred; Lucanis is a pragmatic assassin whose bloodline descends from the criminal House of Crows organization; And Taash is a dragon hunter allied with the piratic Lords of Fortune. All seven of these characters adorn this Game Informer issue, with Bellara up front and center in the spotlight.

The Lighthouse

[SPOILER] Epler says, much like Skyhold in Inquisition, the Lighthouse is where your team bonds, grows, and prepares for its adventures throughout the campaign. It also becomes more functional and homier as you do. Already, though, it’s a beautifully distraught headquarters for the Veilguard.

[SPOILER] I see a clock symbol over a dialogue icon in the distance, which signals an optional dialogue option. We head there, talk to Neve, select a response to try our hand at flirting, and then head to the dining hall.

[SPOILER] From the dining hall, we gather the not-quite-Veilguard in the library, which Busche says in the central area of the Lighthouse and where your party will often regroup and prepare for what’s next. [SPOILERS] Busche says I’m missing unique dialogue options here because I’m Qunari; an Elf would have more to say about [SPOILER]. The same goes for my backstory earlier in Minrathous. [SPOILER]

[SPOILER] The ensuing cutscene, where we learn [SPOILER], is long, with multiple dialogue options. That’s something I’m noticing with Veilguard, too - there’s a heavy emphasis on storytelling and dialogue, and it feels deep and meaty, like a good fantasy novel. BioWare doesn’t shy away from minutes-long cutscenes.

Busche says that’s intentional, too. [SPOILER] “You’re defining [Rook's] leadership style with your choices.” Knowing that Rook is the leader of the Veilguard, I’m excited to see how far this goes. From the sound of it, my team will react to my chosen leadership style in how my relationships play out. That’s demonstrated within the game’s dialogue and a special relationship meter on each companion’s character screen.

Redefining Combat Once More

[SPOILER] After loading up a new save, we’re in control of a human mage.

Following the trend of prior Dragon Age games, Veilguard has completed the series’ shift from tactical strategy to real-time action, but fret not: a tactical pause-and-play mechanic returns to satiate fans who remember the series’ origins (pun intended). Though I got a taste of combat in the prologue, Veilguard’s drastic departure from all that came before it is even more apparent here.

Busche says player complete every swing in real-time, with special care taken to animation swing-through and canceling. There's a dash, a parry, the ability to charge moves, and a completely revamped healing system that allows you to use potions at your discretion by hitting right on the d-pad. You can combo attacks and even “bookmark” combos with a quick dash, which means you can pause a combo’s status with a dash to safety and continue the rest of the combo afterward. It looks even cooler than it sounds.

Like any good action game, there is a handful of abilities to customize your kit. And, if you want to maintain that real-time action feel, you can use them on the fly, so long as you take cooldowns into effect. But Veilguard’s pause-and-play gameplay mechanic, similar to Inquisition’s without the floating camera view, lets you bring things to halt for a healthy but optional dose of strategy.

In this screen, which essentially pauses the camera and pulls up a flashy combat wheel that highlights you and your companions’ skills, you can choose abilities, queue them up, and strategize with synergies and combos, all while targeting specific enemies. Do what you need to here, let go of the combat wheel, and watch your selections play out. Busche says she uses the combat wheel to dole out her companions’ attacks and abilities while sticking to the real-time action for her player-controlled Rook. On the other hand, Epler says he almost exclusively uses the combat wheel to dish out every ability and combo.

Busche says each character will play the same, in that you execute light and heavy attacks with hte same buttons, use abilities with the same buttons, and interact with the combo wheel in the same way, regardless of which class you select. But a sword-and-shield warrior, like we used in the prolgoue, can hip-fire or aim their shield to throw it like Captain America, whereas our human mage uses that same button to throw out magical ranged attacks. The warrior can parry incoming attacks, which can stagger enemies. The rogue gets a larger parry window. Our mage, however, can’t parry at all. Instead, they throw up a shield that blocks incoming attacks automatically so long as you have the mana to sustain it.

“What I see from Veilguard is a game that finally bridges the gap,” former Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah, who left BioWare in 2021 before joining the Veilguard team last year as a consultant, tells me. “Uncharitably, previous Dragon Age games got to the realm of ‘combat wasn’t too bad.’ In this game, the combat’s actually fun, but it does keep that thread that’s always been there. You have the focus on Rook, on your character, but still have that control and character coming into the combat experience from the other people in the party.”

“This is really the best Dragon Age game that I’ve ever played,” he adds, noting his bias. “This is the one where we get back to our roots of character-driven storytelling, have really fun combat, and aren’t making compromises.”

Watching Busche take down [SPOILER], I can already sense Veilguard’s combat will likely end up my favorite in the series, although admittedly, as a fan of action games, I’m an easy sell here. It’s flashy, quick, and thanks to different types of health bars, like a greenish-blue one that represents barrier and is taken down most effectively with ranged attacks, a decent amount of strategy, even if you don’t use the pause-and-play combo wheel. Like the rest of the game, too, it’s gorgeous, with sprinkles, droplets, and splashes of magic in each attack our mage unleashes. Though I’m seeing the game run on a powerful PC, which is sure to be the best showcase of Veilguard, Epler tells me the game looks amazing on consoles - he’s been playing it on PlayStation 5 and enjoying it in both its fidelity and performance modes, but I’ll have to take his word for it.

Pressing Start

The start or pause screen is as important to a good RPG as the game outside the menus. Veilguard’s contains your map, journal, character sheets, skill tree, and a library for lore information. You can cross-compare equipment and equip new gear here for Rook and your companions, build weapon loadouts for quick change-ups mid-combat, and customize you and your party’s abilities and builds via an easy-to-understand skill tree. You won’t find minutiae here, “just real numbers,” Busche says. That means a new unlocked trait might increase damage by 25 percent against armor, but that’s as in-depth as the numbers get. Passive abilities unlock jump attacks and guarantee critical hit opportunities, while abilities add moves like a Wall of Fire to your arsenal (if you’re a mage). As you spec out this skill tree, which is 100 percent bespoke to each class, you’ll work closer to unlocking a specialization, of which there are three for each class, complete with a unique ultimate ability. Busche says BioWare’s philosophy here is “about changing the way you play, not statistical minutiae.”

Companion Customization

You can advance your bonds by helping companions on their own personal quests and by including them in your party for main quests. Every Relationship Level you rank up, shown on their character sheet, nets you a skill point to spend on them. Busche says the choices you make, what you say to companions, how you help them, and more all matter to their development as characters and party members. And with seven companions, there’s plenty to customize, from bespoke gear to abilities and more. Though each companion has access to five abilities, you can only take three into combat, so it’s important to strategize different combos and synergies within your party. Rhodes says beyond  this kind of customizable characterization, each companion has issues, problems, and personal quests to complete. “Bellara has her own story arc that runs parallel to and informs the story path you’re on,” Rhodes says.

In Entropy’s Grasp

[SPOILER]

“When designing companions, they’re the load-bearing pillars for everything,” Rhodes says. “They’re the face of their faction, and in this case [with Bellara], their entire area of the world. [SPOILER]” Rhodes describes her as a sweetheart and nerd for ancient elven artifacts. As such, she’s dressed more like an academic than a combat expert, although her special arm gauntlet is useful both for tinkering with her environment and taking down enemies.

Unlike Neve, who uses ice magic like our Rook and can slow down time with a special ability, Bellara specializes in electricity, and she can also use magic to heal you, something Busche says Dragon Age fans have been desperate to have in a game. Busche says if you don’t direct Neve and Bellara, they’re fully independent and will attack on their own. But synergizing your team will add to the fun and strategy of combat. Bellara’s electric magic is effective against [enemy], which is great because we currently only have access to ice. However, without Bellara, we could also equip a rune that converts my ice magic, for a brief duration, into electricity to counter the Sentinels.

[SPOILER]

I continue to soak in the visuals of Veilguard [SPOILER]; it’s perhaps the most impressive aspect of my time seeing the game, although everything else is making a strong impression, too. I am frustrated about having to watch the game rather than play it, to be honest. I’m in love with the art style, which is more high fantasy than anything in the series thus far and almost reminiscent of the whimsy of Fable, a welcome reprieve from the recent gritty Game of Thrones trend in fantasy games. Rhodes says that’s the result of the game’s newfound dose of magic.

“The use of magic has been an evolution as the series has gone on,” he says. “It’s something we’ve been planning for a while because Solas has been planning all this for a while. In the past, you could hint at cooler magical things in the corner because you couldn’t actually go there, but now we actually can, and it’s fun to showcase that.”

Busche, Epler, and Rhodes warn me that [location] will starkly contrast to other areas. They promise some grim locations and even grimmer story moments because, without that contrast, everything falls flat. Busche likens it to a “thread of optimism” pulled through otherworldly chaos ravaging Thedas. [SPOILER]

[SPOILER]

Busche [performs combat] with ease, showcasing high-level gameplay by adding three stacks of arcane build-up to create an Arcane Bomb on an enemy, which does devastating damage after being hit by a heavy attack. Now, she begins charging a heavy attack on her magical staff, then switches to magical daggers in a second loadout accessed with a quick tap of down on the d-pad to unleash some quick attacks, then back to the staff to charge it some more and unleash a heavy attack.

After a few more combat encounters, including one against a [enemy] that’s “Frenzied,” which means it hits harder, moves faster, and has more health, we finally [SPOILER]. [Boss enemy] hits hard, has plenty of unblockable, red-coded attacks, and a massive shield we must take down first. However, it’s weak to fire, and our new fire staff is perfect for the situation.

[SPOILER] It’s clear that even after a few hours with the game’s opening, I’ve seen a nigh negligible amount of game; frustrating but equally as exciting.

Don’t Call It An Open World

Veilguard is not an open world, even if some of its explorable areas might fee like one. Gamble describes Veilguard’s Thedas as a hub-and-spoke design where “the needs of the story are served by the level design.” [SPOILER] Some of these areas are larger and full of secrets and treasures. Others are smaller and more focused on linear storytelling. [Location] is an example of this, but there are still optional paths and offshoots to explore for loot, healing potion refreshes, and other things. There’s a minimap in each location, though linear levels like [SPOILER] won’t have the fog of war that disappears as you explore like some of Veilguard’s bigger locations. Regardless, BioWare says Veilguard has the largest number of diverse biomes in series history.

Dragon’s Delight

With a 10-hour day at BioWare behind me after hours of demo gameplay and interviews with the leads, I’m acutely aware of my favorite part of video games: the surprises. I dabbled with Origins and II and put nearly 50 hours into Inquisition, but any familiarity with the series the latter gave me had long since subsided over the past decade. I wanted to be excited about the next Dragon Age as I viewed each teaser and trailer, but other than seeing the words “Dragon Age,” I felt little. Without gameplay, without a proper look at the actual game we’ll all be playing this fall, I struggled to remember why Inquisition sucked me in 10 years ago.

This trip reminded me.

Dragon Age, much like the Thedas of Veilguard, lives in the uncertainty: The turbulence of BioWare’s recent release history and the lessons learned from it, the drastic changes to each Dragon Age’s combat, the mystery of its narrative, and the implications of its lore. It’s all a part of the wider Dragon Age story and why this studio keeps returning to this world. It’s been a fertile franchise for experimentation. While Veilguard is attempting to branch out in unique ways, it feels less like new soil and more like the harvest BioWare has been trying to cultivate since 2009, and I’m surprised by that.

I’m additionally surprised, in retrospect, how numb I’ve been to the game before this. I’m surprised by BioWare’s command over EA’s notoriously difficult Frostbite engine to create its prettiest game yet. I’m surprised by this series’ 15-year transition from tactical strategy to action-forward combat. I’m surprised by how much narrative thought the team has poured into these characters, even for BioWare. Perhaps having no expectations will do that to you. But most of all, with proper acknowledgement that I reserve additional judgment until I actually play the game, I’m surprised that Veilguard might just be the RPG I’m looking forward to most this year.

[utilitycaster]

anyway this is obviously a wild shift in the topic of conversation, but I was talking about it in the group chat last night as a distraction and would like to continue the distraction if I am being honest, so, with the caveat that this is based off of Fandom Osmosis Observations and a few reads of reviews and I have at this time played neither of these games, some thoughts about BG3 vs. Veilguard and what I've seen. many thanks to @captainofthetidesbreath for actually knowing things about video games and answering my many questions.

also just putting this up front with all said caveats: if you disagree that is great, I am very open that this is an outside observation and I could be very wrong but I am going to block people who get hostile without warning, and make this nonrebloggable if too many people get hostile. You are always permitted to disagree but like, I don't really care about your opinion if you're not someone with whom I have a pre-existing rapport unless idk you're like, actually a BG3 or Veilguard official story writer who happens to be on Tumblr. If you're a player? You have all of your own biases and they are not mine. Save it for someone who wants to get in a fight about this; I am not that person.

Essentially, what I've seen in terms of criticism from Veilguard that isn't just rampant transphobia comes down to the following:

why am I not playing my previous character from Inquisition again

why am I limited to a fairly consistent through line for the story

But first, I'm going to talk about BG3. What's funny is I seem like a much more obvious candidate for playing BG3, as a longtime D&D player who has come around on Forgotten Realms as a setting. However, while I looked at it for a while, I eventually lost interest for a couple of reasons. One is that apparently all the characters are WAY too eager to romance you which is like, a fun fantasy for 10 minutes but would probably annoy me in the long run. Another is that everyone who watched early reviews and kept abreast with the game told me that there was a clear favorite companion (Astarion) and that many of the characters had most of their interesting flaws sanded down (eg: Wyll was apparently much cockier originally; Shadowheart even more petulant; and as these are perhaps the two characters I was most intrigued by, reducing them to something blander destroyed much of the appeal). But perhaps the most interesting one is that as a boring goodie two shoes sort of person, my thought back when I was like "yeah, perhaps I will play this" was "oh, I do not want to have a murderous urge within me."

It became very apparent, through watching people play through and post on my dash, that if you didn't specifically play as the Dark Urge, and didn't specifically resist that urge, the story didn't really cohere. I have to admit, I know the premise of BG3 very well (tadpoles), and I know a lot of shipping trends (put a pin in that), and I know some of the more obvious points within it (Astarion is a vampire, Gale and Karlach both have bombs in their chests somehow, Shadowheart bleaches her hair) but I don't really have a great sense of the ending, and I did not avoid spoilers.

It feels like BG3 is designed for people who have one of those massive spreadsheets of D&D characters they haven't had a chance to play that are meticulously kept and thoroughly realized...and don't really leave room for modifying to fit the campaign you will actually be playing in. It feels like an OC sandbox simulator unless you do actually pick the choice the writers actually wrote for (Durge), and while it's not technically playersexual...it kinda is. I mean, I am a big fan of the trend in video games towards making it possible to romance anyone because it conjures up the idea of a world of high-powered bisexuals running around, which is very enjoyable for me, but the criticism of the Mary Sue archetype originally was never "how dare you fantasize about being cool." It was "wow, the characterizations are all warped beyond recognition solely so that everyone is in love with this character, and that makes for a dull and unsatisfying story." If you're everyone's type, and it's for romance and not just sheer lust, then either everyone around you is boring and wants the same thing, or you are sort of bland and inoffensive, or else the story is bashing characters together without a good basis for a compelling romance. This is also compounded by the fact that the companions can't get together with each other if you're playing your own character and not an Origins character.

None of this is to say it's bad to like BG3 and again, I didn't play it; but it is why I ultimately said "you know, given the effort involved to play it for me, a person without a gaming system, it's not worth it."

Veilguard has specifically intrigued me for going against a lot of this. You have a lot of choices in your character build, but they're all fairly thematically consistent: you did something within your faction that was well-intentioned but upset higher-ups and so you need to step away for a while. This establishes a personality for you! We know why you're part of a faction but also something of a free agent at the moment. We know why you're here and why you might be a good candidate for the current mission.

I'm not going to go into detail for the choices because while I'm not avoiding spoilers I don't want to spoil a relatively new game for others, but a lot of choices are fairly parallel, not in an "illusion of choice" way - they have consequences - but in terms of hitting similar themes. You can only save one city and both are places you have seen and places your companions have connections to; while the exact details may differ you are telling a consistent story.

I also think the fact that the companions can romance each other in your absence is important too! They exist even when you're not there. They are not just here to woo you, and indeed, they might be a better match for each other. I've been informed this is true in Inquisition as well, and I think it's a much more rich world if you, as the player, as the person who can ultimately decide the fates of your companions, aren't the center of their personal life. I also think it prevents the ability to sand down companions to be more agreeable to you as a player if you have to make an NPC/NPC romance compelling (and I will freely admit that, in a move that is not at all like me, I was pretty well sold by a potential in-game NPC/NPC romance, which is usually not the thing that gets me into works of fiction).

I'm not the right person to speak to the Inquisitor not being a significant character because I did not play DA:I, and I get that 'well, this is a new game with a new protagonist, as there has been for every Dragon Age game' is still not necessarily an adequate explanation. Nor is "hey, maybe it's good to attract new players" even though as someone who is highly attracted as a new player that is my opinion. However, I want to go back to the point about Resist Durge being the strongest option in BG3 in terms of story by a long shot. When I was trying to learn more, I said "ok, so just like how you're Tav in BG3 and Rook in Veilguard, you're Lavellan in Inquisition, right?" and was told that you are not - that's just the elvish Inquisitor option. Obviously this is anecdotal, but the fact that one option was far and away the most popular and thematically resonant is an indication that perhaps bringing forth the Inquisitor is carrying over some of the limitations of that game, whatever they may be. The true argument is "they are trying to tell a specific story here, and it is about a different POV than the one you previously had."

And that's really my point. I know I'm not an expert here - in fact I'm usually quite hesitant to write meta about things in which I'm not highly steeped, and very critical of those people who do - but I think an outsider perspective is useful here. The thing that is drawing me to video games is a new way to experience a fictional narrative (the other game I have been meaning to play - and even own on Steam- is Disco Elysium). That's not what everyone wants! But it is what I want. And so I want to be put into a developed, thoughtful narrative, and I don't mind if my choices are restricted in order to support it, and if I am playing a person I did not entirely choose. In tech, there is a saying of "make it easy to make the right choice (and hard to make the wrong one)" and so if you need your protagonist to hit certain beats, you should make that the required protagonist.

I think a story is stronger if your choices matter but if there is something of a foregone conclusion because it gives the writers thematic throughlines. This might sound a little silly given that this blog is largely dedicated to Actual Play but the thing is, most actual play does have, if not a foregone conclusion, at least a strongly intended conclusion of "work towards uncovering this mystery and achieving this goal", though the success of said goal is not guaranteed. I would argue that when a campaign lacks that, it tends to suffer in all aspects. RPG video games almost always have a foregone conclusion, but that's its own liability. In actual play, lacking a forgone conclusion means you spin off in any direction and it's anyone's guess if it's coherent. In an RPG, having this conclusion but not supporting it through the rest of the game will make it feel contrived. I feel a lot of Veilguard criticism is focusing on small contrivances early on that really mostly matter to a highly specific subset of potential players that prevent much larger and less forgiveable contrivances later on.

Anyway. Again, I am an outsider here, and I'm not here to say that it's bad to have a more open-world, sandboxy game with a self-insert-y OC type; but I have to be honest, I'd rather explore that in a true sandbox of fanfiction or original fiction, which is significantly cheaper and in which I can actually tell the entire story I want to tell. I don't want to be given more choices if a lot of them will be profoundly unsatisfying as a narrative. I don't want to cut through the world like a hot knife through butter. I want to be affected by it, and that's very hard to do with a character whose only trait is "self-insert whom everyone wants to fuck" or "guy that already carries the baggage of years of personal headcanons and highly variable choices that are hard to account for for every single person who ever played the previous game."

[ingravinoveritas]

Heheh

Grouping these all together because a whole bunch of things happened today and there is a lot to talk about. For those who haven't seen, Georgia posted an Insta story of the sunset, which was followed by an extremely similar picture/Insta story from AL about an hour later. Shortly after that, Anna posted another story of Lyra and Birdie baking side by side, which Georgia also reshared:

Right off the bat, one thing in particular stood out about AL's story: Her using the hashtag #bakingwithsheenant, which differs from the tags she and Georgia normally use (#Sheenbergnants or something to that effect). It especially caught my attention because "Sheenant" is one of the ship names used in the fandom for Michael/David (though it is not a term I normally use). AL could have easily been referring to Lyra and Birdie in the photo, of course, but...of all the portmanteaus and hashtags AL could have chosen, she went with that one, and all I can say is that if it was nothing more than a fluke, then it was one hell of a fluke for her to make.

As if all this weren't enough, however, we then have what @phantomstars24 has mentioned, which is another story that Georgia shared just a little while ago:

To what was said in the Asks above, if this is true, it would absolutely mean that Michael and David are also neighbors, and that my head feels like it's slightly melting. Because there is no way in hell Michael bought a house in London next to David by accident. A meteorite has a better chance of hitting the Earth and bringing back the dinosaurs as our reptilian overlords than that does of being an accident.

Also if Michael and David are together as part of some poly arrangement, I can't think of a better way for them to ensure that they can see each other all the time. The number of possibilities are limitless: Random sleepovers, snuggling on the couch for movie date night, unwinding with a glass of red wine after they've had a long day doing their respective plays. Thinking as well of how we saw Michael and David looking at each other at opening night of Macbeth, now the chances of them going home together afterward have shot up by about a million, and I can hardly get my mind around it. I mean...dear God...

As for Georgia's "So linked!" sounding sarcastic, I could definitely see that as sarcasm. The sunset pictures from earlier seemed very planned, and even more so once we saw the baking picture. I saw some reactions from fans calling AL and Georgia "besties" once the Insta stories were posted, but I'm not exactly sure how those posts make them besties. The way Georgia posts about Anna is entirely different from how she posts about Jennie Fava, whom we know actually is one of Georgia's longtime best friends, so that difference makes it difficult for me to see why people see Georgia/AL in that light.

And if they are frequently getting together because of that proximity/because it is easier for Michael and David to have one house to themselves while AL, Georgia, and the kids are in another, I could see some degree of resentment existing on Georgia's end, especially if she feels like more of a babysitter than anything else. It's difficult to say for certain, of course, but we also have so many instances now of Anna copying Georgia on social media that I would imagine it has started to feel like a bit of a "me and my shadow" routine.

In any case, we have a lot of little pieces here that only give us a small glimpse at the whole, but boy, are they some very interesting pieces indeed. I think what strikes me most about all of this is that these stories also allude to Michael and David spending time together, yet we never actually see any pictures of them. (I have an Ask related to this waiting in my inbox, so I will expand more on that in a bit.) But we are being given room to think that, and to draw certain conclusions as a result, and I think both Georgia and AL know that and seemingly do not have a problem with it.

So yes, those are my thoughts on all the developments from today. Glad as always to hear from my followers and what your thoughts are on all this...

[by-ethan-fox]

So I saw Gundam Seed FREEDOM...

... and honestly it defies analysis.

I will avoid spoilers for major plot elements in this write-up.

I'm a huge Gundam fan. This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has followed my work for a long time, as I frequently bring it up, even in entirely inapplicable situations.

But even though I've been a fan since the late 90s, I'd never had a chance to see any of it in the cinema - so when AllTheAnime organised a special short run of the movie for UK theatres, I jumped at the chance.

What I saw surprised me.

To clarify, I'm not one of those Gundam fans who hates SEED. Sure, I love the UC, but I'm not gonna lie, Wing was my genesis within the fandom so I'm as likely to watch G-Gundam as 08th MS Team, though I do lean towards the grittier side of the franchise, with War in the Pocket being my favourite entry.

But most relevant to this is that while I enjoyed SEED, I've always been critical of Destiny for some really bizarre plotting that, frankly, kinda left the CE timeline in a mess. Like many fans, with the show having been off the air for nearly two decades, I gave up on the idea the movie might exist literally years ago.

With all that out of the way...

The movie does exist. Finally. And is it good? Bad?

The weird thing is I don't know what to say, and that's weird for a writer.

It's awesome. It's terrible. It's goofy. It's clever. It's idiotic. It's bizarre.

But it's over 2 hours long and, honestly, I was never bored, which I guess is a success?

Perhaps most surprisingly, the movie expends ZERO ENERGY on helping you if you haven't seen the near-100-episodes of CE anime which came before this. Like, if you haven't seen SEED and or Destiny, you are just utterly fucked. The show wheels characters and plot-beats from the prior material in-and-out in a manner I could best call aggressive. I last watched Destiny about ~7 years ago, and I'm a self-admitted Gundam nerd; but even I had to look up a few things on my phone afterwards.

Then, fan-service. Of both kinds. All sorts of things get pulled out of cold storage for the movie... But it works. Though that also stands as a testament to how this is, in the truest sense, a 2004 anime throwback. I actually heard some people in the cinema groaning at some of the Gainax Bouncing going on; but then given the jiggly silhouette in EVERY OPENING TO SEED, frankly it would've been stranger if it had been absent.

I think the movie has loads of problems. Even by CE standards, some of the storytelling was really goofy and dare-I-say-it, "cringe". It recycles probably too much and certainly doesn't stand on its own as a piece of media (though that's not so much a failing as a clear, conscious choice).

Also... It has that "anime movie" thing where the plot feels a bit filler. The first time you have this new guy on the scene with shock-white hair, being all edgelord as he talks about war and destiny and fencing or some other weird metaphor you kinda see the entire movie unfurl before you. If you're a longtime anime fan this isn't so much your first rodeo as your daily commute.

From there, the story takes numerous predictable turns, dips liberally into melodrama, sets up some great Mobile Suit fights, with relatively few surprises (note, however, I'm not saying "no surprises", as there are some, and also, I'm not suggesting it's tedious).

And yet...

It's fun.

It's really, really fun.

That's the crux of all this. That's what really matters. And honestly, when that new theme comes out of the speakers, sounding in perfect key with the types of music that ran through SEED's run, and Kira's onscreen, and he's locking onto a dozen targets and beams are spamming everywhere and everything's exploding in that weird pink way that things in SEED explode...

Have you ever tried to play a videogame from the 90s that you haven't played in years? And do you know how touch-and-go that is?

Gundam Seed FREEDOM is, if I'm to compare it to anything, like that.

But thankfully, it's one of the times when your memories might have been optimistic, but they're not wrong. That game may be a bit crude, a bit rough around the edges, and have more boob and ass jiggle than you recall... But it's good. So good that you find yourself sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of your console, grinning like an absolute loon, until it's 2am and you can no longer feel your feet.

If you have fond memories of the SEED era of the Gundam franchise, don't miss it.

[jewish-vents]

i’m so, so tired. i’ve deleted almost all of my social media apps, barring tumblr. i am definitely a very political person, and have been invested in developed a deeper understanding of world history and geopolitics since i was ~12 (i’m 18 now). but i feel so drained. i’ve muted tags on here relating to palestine and the conflict in general, and i feel horrible about it bc i see people around me constantly posting about it, but i just can’t. i’ve given up. i ideologically leaned far more against the state of israel before oct 7th than i do now, and i’ve seen this amongst many of my jewish friends too. my online friends have always tended to be pro-palestine, but i never saw this much dehumanization coming from them until now. to see how hated jewish people are, to see how many people i loved thought oct 7th was justified resistance… it hurt beyond words… even my longtime irl best friend tried to explain the conflict (and was whining about me getting ben and jerry’s at a store) to me despite not knowing anything about i/p before this war. i hate being talked to like im an idiot. but if i vocalize that, im speaking over others.

i don’t like seeing images of dead children. i don’t like reading about rising death tolls. i don’t like being bombarded with brutal details about humans’ suffering. and that is all everyone online is ever talking about. and all i see people say is that i need to suck it up because there are people suffering way more than me right now, which obviously is true. but i don’t want people to think im a bad, ignorant person. and sometimes i start to believe i actually am. i was very actively posting about the war when it first started, but now as i have seen more and more how cruel people are towards jews i just don’t post much at all on anything besides tumblr. i worry my online friends think i don’t care, and especially that i somehow don’t care about palestinians, when i do, and i always have! but do i have to subject myself to such upsetting information everyday to care? why can i not be afforded a break? why aren’t jewish people allowed to mourn for the loss of life in israel and the hostages without being accused immediately of hating palestinians and wanting them dead? how come non-palestinian muslims are widely allowed to center themselves in this conversation (obviously, muslims are hurting too, though) and talk about their feelings but jews aren’t allowed to? why are jewish people not allowed to feel anything? why must we ignore one group’s suffering and insist that another’s is more important to acknowledge? why?

and i’m just scared, because i don’t know what to believe. maybe israel is somehow doing all these terrible things and im actually evil for doubting it? idk if that makes sense, but it’s how i feel. i’ve witness very disturbing behavior from both zionists and antizionists, and it’s tiring. i have seen members of the former camp saying “there are no innocents in gaza” and members of the latter saying “there are no innocents in israel”. it’s why i can’t really identify with either party, so i feel alone. by its simplest definition i am a zionist, but people have turned that word to mean a million different things that at times it just feels like its lost its meaning. and when i see someone say “zionists dni” on their acc its like… what do you even mean?

i think there are a lot of well-meaning people in the pro palestine crowd, and i don’t think that’s wishful thinking either. though obviously, there are a lot of truly vindictive people out there who have nothing but hatred in their hearts. but i now get anxious to see an account i follow post something pro-palestine. and i feel so horrible about it. i know many of these people have good intentions, but i automatically assume there is something more sinister going on, whether it’s someone i know personally or not posting about it. and i don’t want to! i want to believe most people are good! or at least decent! but i can’t.

i just wish i didn’t have to be bombarded with so much information whenever i log on to interact with fandom posts. but i worry that means i don’t care. but i really think i do… i can’t not care. but sometimes i feel like im not caring enough

.

[dragondemoness]

Sabotage - THH Cast x Ultimate Cuteness Reader Part 3

It had been a week since the incident.

You went back to your day-to-day life like nothing happened, and here you were, back at school.

You walked through the Hope’s Peak hallway alone, with your bunny plush clutched tightly in your arms.

Normally you held your head up high, showing off that adorable smile of yours.

But today, something was really getting you down.

Maybe it was the distress of your bunny attacking your partner?

Or how they reacted to it?

Perhaps that particularly upsetting phone call you had gotten a couple days ago?

Or maybe it was all three of those things. Either way, you were so distracted, you could barely focus on what was ahead of you.

So it was a perfect invitation for you to suddenly trip on something and fall hard onto the floor.

You sat up in a daze and looked up to find your longtime rival standing over you.

It was none other than the Ultimate Bully themselves.

They gave you a smirk, that same smirk that showed that they were in power.

“Well, well. Long time no see, Ultimate Crybaby. I know you’re still trying to figure out the world around you, but anyone could’ve seen my leg from a mile away. What’s the matter, mommy didn’t give you your bottle early enough?”

You tried so hard not to cry, but that remark about your mom made your vision blurry with tears.

The sight of it made the bully’s expression change to irritation.

“Ugh, can’t you go a single second without bawling your damn eyes out? Honestly, how pathetic can you be? But don’t worry, I’ll help you grow up.”

They picked up your plush rabbit, which had landed near their feet after you fell. 

You stood up and ran to them, attempting to get the bunny back, but they kicked you in the stomach, forcing you back on the ground.

As you recoiled from the pain, the bully ripped the bunny’s arm, and the stuffing poked out from the stitching.

Just then, your partner arrived on the scene.

Makoto Naegi 

“H-Hey! Stop it! They didn’t do anything to you!”

He knows he probably doesn’t stand a chance against the bully, so he helps you up and asks for the bunny back

The bully just throws it at his chest before walking away with a grumble

Then he starts fretting over you and making sure you’re okay

He gives you a big ol hug before bringing you to his dorm

He’ll watch you as you repair your rabbit, feeling bad that he couldn’t do more to protect you 

But he’s glad you’re alright now

You’ll spend the rest of the day cuddling, and if you want, he’ll rub your stomach to help with the pain

Byakuya Togami 

“And just who gave you the right to put your filthy hands on my significant other? I suggest you get out of my sight immediately before your chances of a bright future become even more slim than they already are.”

The bully runs away and Byakuya carefully picks the bunny up off the floor

Then he walks over and kneels down in front of you before handing the bunny back to you

You take it and look away, unsure of what to say to him

He can see that you’re still upset from the other day, so he’ll ask you to follow him to his dorm so you can talk there

You begrudgingly agree and you go to his dorm together

You sit on his bed in awkward silence while he finds the words to say

He wasn’t used to apologizing when he hurt people’s feelings, but you were different

So he clears his throat before speaking

"(Name), I would like to apologize for my earlier actions. I realize that your rabbit was only trying to protect you, and it was wrong of me to get angry. So... I'm sorry."

That caused you to look up from your lap and over to him

He paused before continuing 

“And I’m sorry for calling you childish, as well. I know that rabbit was a gift to you, and it is an incredibly important possession of yours. I shouldn’t have made fun of it, and-“

He stopped himself when he turned and saw tears in your eyes once again

“Oh, um… I didn’t mean to upset you, I-“

Then it hit him

That phone call from the other day

It must’ve been about your grandmother

Now he felt even worse for yelling at you before

“Come here.”

He didn’t need to tell you twice

You scooted close to him and he wrapped his arms around you

You stayed like that until he suggested you get something to eat

He’ll come to the funeral with you and comfort you when you’re feeling down

He also patched up the bunny plush for you, to aid his apology to you

He’s never gonna judge your cutesy style ever again after that

Chihiro Fujisaki 

“P-Please… Stop it… They don’t deserve that…”

It takes everything in him to stop himself from crying on the spot

Seeing you in that position reminded him of when he used to get bullied

He knew about your situation with the bully, and he wanted to get stronger so he could protect you

But now that he was face to face with your tormentor, he was frozen with fear

He politely asked for the bunny back and the bully laughed and taunted him with it

This was getting nowhere, so as a split-second decision, he swung his fist and punched the bully in the mouth

The bully stumbled back in surprise, then finally gave up and gave the bunny back

Chihiro hated to be so violent, but something in him felt proud

He rushed to you and hugged you, asking if you were okay and apologizing for shocking you

But you responded by telling him how proud you were of him, causing him to blush and smile

So you returned to his dorm and he cuddled up to you while you stitched up your rabbit

You noticed he seemed down, and asked what was wrong

He explained that he wished he was stronger, so he could protect you from the bullying

He didn’t have someone in his corner back then, but he wanted to be that person for you

You told him that he didn’t have to force himself to do anything, and that you were proud of what he did accomplish 

He smiled and snuggled into you

He still wanted to be stronger for you, but that could wait for another time

But right now, all he cared about was you

Leon Kuwata 

“Hey! Get the fuck away from them, you piece of shit bastard!”

If the bully doesn’t get out of there, he’s gonna throw a punch or two

Then he’ll help you up and take you to his dorm

He sits next to you while you stitch up your bunny, silently fuming

You’ll notice this and asks him what’s wrong

He grumbles that the bully is a piece of shit and how he wishes he could make them stay away from you forever

You lean against him and tell him that you’re grateful for what he did for you today

He smiles and pulls you close to him, swearing to protect you from that bastard

He’ll offer belly rubs to help with the pain from the bully’s kick

You spend the rest of the day together, and he’ll take you out to eat right after

The bunny acknowledges his resolve, and silently promises to grant his wish

Kiyotaka Ishimaru 

“This behavior is not welcome in a school environment, especially towards my significant other! I suggest you leave them alone or I will report you!

So they leave and Taka goes to pick up your bunny

His hands quiver as he reaches for it, but quickly picks it up and returns it to you

Then he’ll help you up and take you to his dorm

He sits in distress while you repair the rabbit, feeling bad that he couldn’t do anything more

He would never do anything violent, but perhaps that really was the only way to get it through to people like that

Homeboy’s been spending too much time with Mondo

You snuggle up to him and tell him it’s okay, that he did enough to protect you from the bully

He didn’t really believe it, but he suppose he can let it go for now

What’s more important is making you feel better

And it doesn't matter if the bully left you alone this time

Taka’s still gonna report them to the principal

And that fucker’s gonna get expelled

Mondo Owada 

“Hey. Leave them the fuck alone before I knock your teeth down your fucking throat.”

Ain’t nobody wanna mess with a biker gang leader, especially when he spoke with an unusually calm tone

Somehow that was scarier than yelling, and the bully GTFO’d immediately

Mondo picked up the bunny and handed it to you

You took it and held it close to your chest, cowering away from him

Seeing you afraid of him felt like a knife to the heart

“Hey, uh... I’m really sorry about the other day. That bunny of yours scared the shit outta me, but I didn’t have the right to yell at you like that. I guess the little guy was right to hate me.’

You look up at him and take his hand in yours

“No, it wasn’t. I’m sorry it attacked you. I swear, I didn’t know it was gonna do that.”

He nodded

“I know. Again, I’m really sorry for yellin’ at you.”

You leaned close to him and wrapped your arms around his waist

“It’s okay.”

He stiffened up, but hugged you back

Then he helped you to your feet and brought you to his dorm

You sat next to him on the bed and patched up your rabbit

Mondo looked at you and noticed you still seemed down

“Hey, is somethin’ else bothering you?”

You fixed the rabbit and held it close to your chest

“The other day, after I left, I got a phone call.”

He kept his gaze fixed on you, patiently waiting for you to continue

“Yeah? What was it about?”

Your eyes glistened with tears, and they slowly began to fall

“M-My grandma... She...”

Mondo understood what you meant without needing you to explain

He felt even worse for how he acted before

If he hadn’t been such an asshole, he would’ve been there to support you

But at least he could now

He wrapped his arms around you and gently pulled you into his lap

He’s not used to being so soft with someone, but he’ll give you whatever you need

Yasuhiro Hagakure 

“Hey, don’t be mean! What did they do to you?!

He’s trying so hard not to freak out, and it shows

He politely asked for the bunny back, with a quiver in his voice

The bully proved to be difficult to work with, so he quickly grabs the bunny, helps you up and you run to his dorm together

Once you made it to his dorm, he locked the door behind him, relieved that it’s over

He felt really stupid for losing his cool, but now his focus is all on you

You lay on his bed and he holds you close to him in an effort to make you feel better

He’ll rub your stomach and leave little pecks on your head and face

If you want, he’ll also bring out his crystal ball and start rambling about his “predictions” to make you laugh

He watched as you repaired the rabbit, still uncomfortable around it after what happened last time

But it’s important to you, so he was glad you were able to fix it 

He wished he had more courage, so he wouldn’t freak out so much in those kinds of situations

But for now, he can at least provide support for you when you need it

He’ll have a talk with Taka about helping get them suspended or something

Hifumi Yamada 

“Wh- HEY! How dare you treat my darling (Name) that way?! You are sick, absolutely SICK!!

He’s a little bit afraid, but also furious

Good thing it doesn’t do much to him when the bully tried punching him

He basically absorbed it like it was nothing

And the way he towered over them was horrifying, so they gave up and left

After they left, he started freaking out, asking if you were okay and if they hurt you

He was afraid to touch the bunny after what happened, but he scooped it up and handed it back to you

After that, you headed back to his dorm to hang out

He drew you some wholesome comics to help lift your spirits while you repaired the bunny

If you’re up for it, he’ll gladly cuddle you too

He loves getting opportunities like this, and he’s glad it’s helpful to you as well

He swears he’ll knock the bully’s lights out the next time he sees them

Not out loud, of course

He knows you hate violence, but he can’t stand to see you hurt by anyone

Just an idea in the back pocket, that’s all

Kyoko Kirigiri 

“How deplorable. The fact that you’re preying on someone so shy and soft tells me a lot about who you are. Never let me see you do that again.”

Her icy stare is enough to scare the bully away

Kyoko calmly picked up the rabbit and helped you to your feet before taking you to her dorm

She made or brought you your favorite snacks and drinks and just sat with you on her bed

She offered to fix it up for you while you relaxed, so you handed it to her while you laid down

She handed it back to you good as new

She doesn’t mind cuddling you if you want her to

She’ll hold you close to her and rub your back while you rest on her chest

And she’ll find a movie to watch while you cuddle together

Thanks to her father’s role as the principal, she can pull some strings to make sure the bully never bothers you again

Mark her words, you’re not gonna see them very much after that day

Toko Fukawa/Genocide Jack

“Well, well, what do we have here?”

Your eyes shot open at the familiar voice

Genocide Jill stood in front of you with her signature scissors in both hands

And the bully was on the ground, holding their hand to their cheek with a fearful look in their eyes

Genocide Jill held her hand out

“Hand me the bunny.”

The bully held out the rabbit to her and she swiped it from their hand

Then she approached them, grabbed them by the collar and pulled them close to her

Now that their hand wasn’t in the way, you saw a scratch on their cheek that was lightly bleeding

“Don’t you ever think about messin’ with my baby ever again. Got it?”

The bully nodded frantically, and Genocide Jill dropped them on the ground

“Now stand up and get the hell out!”

They scrambled to their feet and ran away immediately

Then Genocide Jil turned to you with her signature grin and walked up to you and gave you a tight hug

“I missed ya, y’know. Did that bastard do anything else?”

You shook your head

“No. They just kicked me really hard.”

She pulled away and handed you your rabbit

“Here ya go. Sorry for maiming it before.”

You took it from her and smiled up at her

“It’s okay. Thank you, Jill.”

She put her scissors away and held one of her braids up to her nose

“Weeeeell, I’d love to stay and talk, sweet cheeks, but Miss Morose wants to have a word with ya. See ya ‘round, cutie.~”

She tickled her nose with her braid and let out a sneeze

She fell back onto the ground, then a second later, she stood back up with the nervous gray eyes you were familiar with

“H-Huh? Wh-What happened?”

Toko saw you and quickly rushed towards you and knelt down in front of you

“A-Are you okay?! That b-bastard didn’t hurt you, d-did they?”

You shook your head, refusing to meet her eyes

She knew you were still upset about the other day, and she knew what she had to do

She held her hands together nervously before speaking

“L-Look, I’m really s-sorry for wh-what I said the other day. I k-know it wasn’t your f-fault. I w-was just sh-shocked and s-scared, and I b-blamed it all on you. Y-You were right. You sh-shouldn’t trust me. All I ever d-do is cause p-problems for people...”

You turned your head and took her hand in yours

“Toko, no. I’m sorry I said that. You never cause problems for me, I swear.”

She looked at you with wide eyes

“R-Really?”

You nodded and smiled

“Yeah.”

You pulled her into your arms and she didn’t hesitate to snuggle into you and hug you back

You missed this, and she did too 

You both went to her dorm to relax together

Toko noticed that you were still feeling down and she worried that you were still upset with her, until you explained that it wasn’t the case

It actually had to do with the phone call from the other day, and Toko felt even worse for yelling at you

Even though she was a little stiff, she took you in her arms and comforted you the best she could

She’s definitely not leaving your side anytime soon

Aoi Asahina 

“Hey, stop it! Didn’t your parents teach you to be a better person than this?!” 

That seemed to irritate the bully, but Aoi didn’t care

She’s not afraid to throw a punch if she has to

So the bully left in surprisingly low spirits

She picked up the bunny with a shaking hand, and returned it to you

Then she hugged you and made sure you were alright before helping you up

Earlier that morning, she picked up a box of donuts to share with you later

This was as good a time as any, so you went to her dorm and she busted them out

Then you cuddled up and watched some movies together

She also gave you some belly rubs to help ease the pain

Next time someone decides to pick on you, she’s calling Sakura

Any friend of Aoi’s is a friend of hers, so you’d best believe she wouldn’t tolerate any kind of nasty behavior towards you

Sayaka Maizono 

“Hey! It’s not okay to treat anyone like that, especially someone who did nothing to deserve it! Don’t let me see you putting your hands on them again, got it?!

Once they left, she quickly retrieved the bunny and rushed over to you

She handed you the bunny and hugged you, fretting over you and asking if you were alright

Then you both headed to her dorm

She gave you some snacks and something warm to drink

Then you cuddled up together and she rubbed your stomach to help it feel better

She also insisted on fixing the bunny’s arm for you, so that you could rest and relax

Even though she tried not to show it, she was really mad

She hates that there are people who prey on other people and make it their mission to make them suffer

Especially when the one suffering was you

While she was deep in thought, you sat up and hugged her from behind

She smiled and laid back down to cuddle with you

Even if she couldn’t do much about all the evil in the world, she could protect you from as much of it as you can

Celestia Ludenburg

“Pardon me, but someone as worthless as you shouldn’t be anywhere near my significant other, let alone place your hands on them. So I suggest you leave before I send you back to the PILE OF SHIT YOU CAME FROM!!!”

If that’s not enough to freak someone out, nothing is

The bully ran away immediately after possibly shitting their pants

Celeste picks the bunny and returns it to you with a warm smile

“Here you go, my dear.”

You took it from her and look away

“Thanks...”

Your voice came out meek and soft, and it was barely audible

Celeste could guess that you were still upset from the other day, and she knew what she had to do

“Darling, I am so incredibly sorry for the way I acted during our last date. I was simply stressed out from the incident regarding your rabbit, and I had no right to attack you like that. I sincerely apologize.”

You lightly smiled, but your sad expression was still intact

“It’s okay, Celeste. It’s not your fault.”

She noticed your expression and grew worried

"I truly am sorry. I didn’t intend to upset you.”

You shook your head 

“No, it’s not you.”

Her bright red eyes were flooded with concern

“Then what is it, my dear?”

You didn’t respond, and she carefully helped you to your feet and brought you to her dorm to talk

She made tea and listened quietly while you spoke

You explained that while you were on your date, you had gotten a phone call regarding your grandmother

That explained why you seemed so down the other day

She felt like an idiot for not noticing, and a massive asshole for the way she acted

She wrapped her arms around you and pulled you close, one hand rubbing your back and the other holding your head to her chest

She couldn’t get over how horrible she felt, but you were way more important

Sakura Ogami 

“I suggest you leave before I snap you in half.”

One look at her, and they’re gone

Sakura picked up the bunny and helped you to your feet

Then it’s off to her dorm to relax

She insisted on repairing the rabbit for you while you rested

She spent the whole time caring for you, holding you and making you her famous protein coffee

Or a nice cup of tea or hot chocolate, if that’s more your style

Despite how calm and gentle she was with you, she was furious on the inside

How dare that jerk pick on someone as adorable as you?

She tried not to let it show, though

She’s not gonna get violent unless she needs to be

But hopefully her warning was enough to keep the bully away from you forever

Mukuro Ikusaba 

“Leave. Now.”

She had one hand on the survival knife she carries around, and that’s more than enough to make the bully leave

She picked up the bunny, helped you up and brought you to her dorm

She watched as you carefully stitched up the rabbit’s paw, feeling furious on the inside

As calm as she seemed, she was carefully planning out the bully’s demise

You saw that it was bothering her, and you assured her that you’re okay, and asked her not to do anything rash

She reluctantly promised, and you leaned against her while thanking her for her help

She lightly smiled and cuddled you close, and she gave you belly rubs to ease the pain from the bully’s kick

Later, she’ll bring you to her house to hang out with her and Junko

You and Junko get along fairly well, so Mukuro hopes it’ll help you feel a little better

Even if you don’t want the bully to get hurt, she will at least scare them away so they never come near you again

Junko Enoshima

“Excuse me, who the fuck do you think you are?! You’d better get the hell out before I shove my shoe down your throat!”

They’re high heels too, so they’d better be scared

And they are, so they ran away forever

Junko picked up the bunny and handed it back to you

Then you headed to her dorm to relax for a little bit

"Ugh, what a fucking asshole! How dare they pick on my baby like that?? I swear, if my sister were there, they would’ve been erased from the earth.”

You lightly chuckled at her while you rested on her stomach

“I know. Thanks for protecting me.”

She playfully smirked at you before holding you tighter

After that, she took you to go shopping at any store you want

She knows you don’t like violence, but she’s secretly gonna tell her sister about what happened later

Although, before she can do anything, the bunny’s gonna beat her to it

[faithhopeloveandtherapy]

Hey Faith, thank you for sharing so honestly about your therapy process (longtime follower). Looking back, do you have advice for coping with the attachment feelings/process? I’ve been attached once to a psych - unhealthy r’ship which ended badly as he couldn’t manage the transference or help me with my mental health and he was over being a therapist/burnt out. Since, I’ve seen 20+ therapists (over 15 years) and felt nothing and nothing helped. Now finally I’ve found a therapist I’m attaching to and I’m so scared. I don’t know how to cope with the intensity, fear and vulnerability - I turn into a child and I want so much from him and it feels very shameful. I’m scared of rejection, etc. Sorry for the long msg - any advice welcome and thanks for listening :)

Hi anon, thanks for your message 😊

I’m sure there’s lots of wise things to be said about the attachment pain. Your message reminds me of those feelings so vividly, although now the memories don’t bring any shame with them because now I understand that it was all a totally normal response to being offered things I missed out on as a child. But at the time it was very overwhelming and all-consuming. I feel so lucky to have had a therapist that had been through therapy and all those feelings herself and she tried to normalise it for me, but it did backfire a bit because I was so mortified that she might know all these feelings I had for her that I was trying to keep under wraps.

I think the wise advice would be to talk to your therapist about how you’re feeling and how scary it is. But that is so hard to do when you’re in the middle of the feelings. Maybe think of one tiny thing you could mention, to see how he responds? That might help you be brave and mention something else and so on. It takes time to build trust and to learn that you aren’t going to get the rejecting response your past experience tells you to expect.

Also know that all your young feelings are valid and acceptable and entirely understandable and nothing to feel shame about, even if they feel hard to bear. Try and talk kindly to yourself about them, like you might to a child.

Hope that helps a bit. Take care of yourself and well done for being so brave and not giving up on therapy despite all those therapists that didn’t work out xx

[edgessunflower]

Can you do a Bianca Belair request pls

Yeee

Early memories

Pairing: Bianca Belair x Fem reader

Description: You share memories with your father Kevin Nash to your girlfriend

You smile pulling photo albums out with your girlfriend Bianca next to you excited to tell her stories of your life growing up. You were the daughter of Kevin Nash and boy what a life journey being the child of a famous wrestler, you have wonderful memories of watching your dad's matches in the crowd, backstage, and ringside with Scott Hall, Shawn Michaels, or Hulk Hogan who were uncles to you growing up always being with you when your dad was in the ring or training, you smile sweetly seeing the picture of you as a newborn in your dad's arms looking at his tear stricken and happy face "I remember when mom told about me that he was so happy when I was born he broke down as soon as I was in his arms" she giggles looking at pictures of you as a kid. "Oh my god Dom! I need to get these copied so I can give them to him and Aalyah" you smile seeing pictures of you and Dominik Mysterio as kids since Rey and your dad were longtime friends, you, dom, his sister aalyah, and your brother practically grew up like siblings and always spent time together backstage or ringside with Edge, scott, one of your moms, or Eddie always being brought in the ring when the event was off the air and wrestle with each other still being in each other's lives to this day being dom's number one supporter when he debuted and ever since the start of his career, she is in awe of seeing pictures of you not only as a child but teen feeling the unconditional love and real sense of family through the pictures and listening to the stories you tell her. "Hey baby girl what are you up to?" you smile big laughing in joy hugging your dad as bianca watches with a smile holding a picture of you and him when you were 12, you see the picture immediately giggling "This is one of my favorite pictures of us" you show the picture to him making him smile big and kiss your forehead "I remember that day close to my heart, that was one of my favorite days ever" things had been rough for you and your dad during that time, you hadn't seen each other in months both from his schedule and problems between him and your mom that really went down hill after an argument leading her to not let you see him for awhile until one day on the way home from school you called him on a payphone and found out he would be in town later that week and telling your mom whether she wanted you to or not you were going to spend the day with him. You walked down to the corner market after arguing with your mom when she tried to not have you go, you squealed quietly with a smile and cried with joy when you saw him get out of his truck running and jumping in his arms "There's my babygirl! Oh Lord I missed you so much" the two of you ate, went to the park, went to the movies, watched his match at WCW, and had dinner before he dropped you off at home where your mom stood on the door step "Mom I know your mad but if your not gonna let me see dad then i'll just go with him or stay with Grandma" she stops you before you could walk past apologizing to the two of you and after you saw each other every day even just for a few minutes he always made sure to hug you and say he loved you. The rest of the evening is spent of stories being told while looking at pictures followed by having dinner together smiling and melting seeing bianca and your dad talking with each other making you truly love your dad even more and not only fall in love with bianca but want to marry her even more than you did as you all watch tv before he hugs both of you saying his usual "Love you babydoll" before heading home seeing her stare at you "What?" she wraps her arms around you kissing you sweetly "Just can't wait whenever I marry you so I can have another wonderful dad" you smile big and laugh sweetly feeling warmth at the statement.

[houkagokappa]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who reblogged something from you! get to know your mutuals and followers (ू•‧̫•ू⑅)♡

Thank you for the ask, altho I guess it was on me haha

I get to play dnd again! A few weeks ago two of my colleagues mentioned that they have an ongoing campaign, and once they heard that I'm into dnd as well, there was an instant mutual "you could play with us/I'd love to play with you" exchange between us :D It's been great to get back to a beloved hobby - dnd is what kept me sane throughout the pandemic, and I'm thrilled I get to hang out with these people outside of work, because I really like them and I want us to become (better?) friends. Being included/excluded is a very touchy subject for me, and now both have shown a clear interest in spending time with me outside of work and I couldn't be happier!

I'm happy I'm in a position that allows me a lot of flexibility. It's been a little stressful this week, because I might be getting sick and I've mostly been laying in bed instead of doing something more productive and fun (like I had planned), but it's also nice that I have the possibility to do so. I can come up with my own schedule and it's great to get to do things at my own pace.

I've been connecting with a lot of people! Besides the two work friends I now play dnd with, I'm building up my relationships with the people in the same uni program as me. They're cool people and it's easy to spend time with them, as long as I have a reason to meet up with them (I've been studying, but not on campus so I've barely seen them since we all started). I'm also very slowly building up friendships with people who share the same hobbies as me, and I'm trying to maintain the few longtime friendships I have. I have a lot of plans to see different people during the upcoming weeks and I'm so happy to be building up my social network again, because it disappeared almost completely a few years ago. Besides the friends and people I hang out with irl, I'm also really happy to connect with people online, and I feel like I've made some progress keeping up with everyone!

I'm doing that one text post trick and treating myself like an animal in need of enrichment, and I'm providing myself with that by trying out new things. Mostly I buy and try out new foods, but I'm also planning on visiting a few places and then I'm forcing myself to go on walks every single day to keep my mental health strong. It's kinda working? And trying out new things is a lot of fun, even if some things end up tasting weird.

I love rambling on forever and ever when it's a topic I care about or I feel comfortable talking to someone. I used to feel self-conscious about it, like I'm weird and bothersome, but I've since found several people who act the same way with me and encourage me to keep going, and it feels so good to be accepted as I am? And to find people who enjoy talking to me for it?? Although sometimes our messages get so long it takes me a while to reply or get back to them haha

[somehowmags]

NAND THANK YOU 😭😭😭😭 VIL, IN FACT, WOULDN'T FORCE THE BODILY STANDARDS HE HOLDS HIMSELF TO ONTO YOU!!!! i once saw someone write a fic entailing epel's development of an ED as a result of vil and it genuinely did make me sad. epel and vil's bond is so beautiful. epel, despite his lower rank and duties to vil as his protégé, still has that strong spirit. he probably would just have another outburst at vil, attempt to challenge him, and/or run away. not to mention, vil genuinely cares about epel and loves him. he learns to embrace epel literally and figuratively, especially in chapter 6. sure vil would maintain a diet for epel and is extremely adamant on it, but vil isn't stupid. he wouldn't deprive epel of his right to eat sufficiently, or hold him to the strict diet vil maintains. vil would personally curate a diet suited to epel's needs and tastes. vil's watchful eye would probably sense if epel was struggling with his diet and would ameliorate that by either making changes to it, or talking to epel himself. rook is also there to gently chide vil if he ever did come to this (NO HE WOULD NEVER...) it's just. rggrgrhrghr. vil just wants you to make the best of yourself. follow basic hygiene. plus size? doesn't matter to him, as long as your body serves you healthily. skin full of scars? if you want a serum that helps clear marks, he'd readily provide you some. if you don't want it, atleast hydrate and keep your skin clean. crooked teeth? just remember to brush and flush regularly; if it impedes your health or self image, braces would help. point is, he wouldn't care in "fixing" these bodily "flaws" or other traits that do not personally align with what he holds himself to, but rather a general state of wellness and the effort in taking care of yourself so you are both satisfied with yourself and make the progress you are capable of. sure, he'd recommend it, but if you don't want to, he likely wouldn't bother to press you. because he just. wouldn't!!! do that to you!!!!!! if it's not in your interest to change that part of YOU, its not in HIS!!! and if you have any sort of mental illness that impedes your ability to take care of your hygiene, he would NEVER think of you as lazy! he'd very likely want to help you out of your rut! he does not like people who have every right and ability to make a change, but do not. or people who intentionally wallow in their own shortcomings. he does not have anything against people who are struggling mentally and emotionally! you are facing obstacles out of your control and as long as you make the effort to overcome them, even if it's the smallest step, even if you stumble and fail, even if you need time first, that's all he needs. that you try. if you do, he will, and he won't give up and as long as you won't. he's so pookie bear i want to roll him up like sushi and sell him on the conveyor belt for 2 dollars and 90 cents

YEAH i think people are like. a little too quick to make characters ooc for angst. like longtime followers of somehowmags dot tumblr dot edu will know that i am a frequent complainer about people making characters ooc for cheap angst but damn ive seen Some Shit. not as much in the twst fandom as in other fandoms that will be immediately apparent if you scroll down my blog for two seconds but there have been some abysmal takes from twsties as well.

i think people who have this take are misinterpreting vil putting nrc tribe on a diet for vdc (im NEVER calling it sdc my deepest apolocheese to the eng localization) which...i'm going to be honest with yall. granted i am not a dietician i read that in the same way that people do diets when theyre participating in athletic competitions. if you were training to run a marathon, you would probably try changing your diet a little to help you build up your strength, which is the same thing vil is doing. i think its intended to be more of a strength building diet, not a weight loss one. and again as a fat person and as someone who has been put on diets i get the kneejerk reaction of disliking diets, but i don't think that's whats happening here

ultimately i get why people think about vil but by god i do not have to like it alkdsjdfhlaksdfh

[teenmomcentral]

Jenelle Evans may be moving on to Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, but it appears that she hasn’t let go of her past yet.

During an Instagram Q&A session on Monday, Jenelle slammed her former Teen Mom 2 co-stars, especially Chelsea Houska, whom she claimed “hates” her. Jenelle— who was fired from Teen Mom 2 in 2019 and recently brought on to the cast of ‘Next Chapter’— also referenced a recent interview Chelsea did in which she was asked to comment on Jenelle’s split from her husband David Eason.

When Jenelle was asked if she still speaks to Chelsea, Leah Messer and Kail Lowry, Jenelle confirmed that she is not in touch. (This is no surprise, of course, as Jenelle and Kail have had a longtime feud that has resulted in plenty of online spats, some fat-shaming and even a torched-by-Jenelle haircare kit.)

Despite her well-known feud with Kail, Jenelle seemed to take more aim at Chelsea this time around.

“It’s funny how Chelsea does [an] interview and plays nice like we all still talk,” Jenelle wrote. “I just find them all two-faced.”

Jenelle is most-likely referencing the live interview Chelsea did with Access Hollywood last month. During the on-camera chat, Chelsea was put on the spot and asked to comment on Jenelle’s recent divorce drama. Chelsea— who was doing the interview with her husband Cole DeBoer to promote their HGTV show Down Home Fab— seemed to be caught off-guard when the reporter asked for her thoughts on Jenelle’s pending divorce from David.

“I have not been in contact [with Jenelle],” Chelsea said after stuttering a bit. “But obviously I can’t imagine how going through a divorce would be, in general, so I hope she’s doing OK. And I wish her, just the best.”

During an interview in March, Chelsea stated that she still cares about her ‘Teen Mom 2’ co-stars, even though she hasn’t stayed in touch with them.

“These girls were a huge part, a very important part, of my life as well,” she said. “We all kind of went through the same thing at the same time together. Even if I don’t talk to these girls all the time, my heart is still with them.”

Jenelle obviously did not appreciate Chelsea’s comments about her. When a fan suggested that Chelsea had moved on from ‘Teen Mom 2’ drama and didn’t need to be “bitchy towards” Jenelle, the Lady ‘o’ The Land stated that Chelsea secretly despises her.

“Behind closed doors she hates me and always has,” Jenelle replied.

“If she was genuine she would actually reach out to me personally rather than ‘wishing me luck’ during a public interview,” Jenelle continued.

“She has never acted as a friend towards me,” Jenelle added. “[She’s] nice to your face though.”

This is not the first time Jenelle has slammed Chelsea in recent years.

Back in 2021, Jenelle stated online that she felt Chelsea was “a complete bitch to her” during their years on ‘Teen Mom 2.’ When Chelsea left the show in 2020, Jenelle shaded her, telling her online followers that she felt Chelsea (and her story) were “fake.”

During the Q&A session on Monday, Jenelle also answered questions about Nathan Griffith (who is the father of Jenelle’s second son Kaiser). As The Ashley has previously reported, Nathan is currently living in Las Vegas on probation after pleading guilty to “assault by strangulation” for an attack on his sister last year. Nathan has not seen Kaiser in more than a year.

When someone suggested that Jenelle was still not over Nathan, Jenelle denied that was the case.

“…he has his own issues at the moment and I’m not looking to place myself in between that,” she wrote. “He needs to work on himself for KAISER. He knows how severe his alcohol problem is. I don’t want to be with someone like that.”

(Earlier this month, The Ashley broke the news that Nathan had been scolded by the judge in his case for not taking his treatment seriously. Nathan— who was arrested in April— was warned that this is his “last chance to comply” with the terms of his treatment program.)

Chelsea, Kail and Leah have not publicly responded to Jenelle’s statements.

[lmxkr]

OH MY GIRL!? | 장윤호 – EP.1 – A friend to lean on ୨୧

summary` – Noh Hyejin, a girl who has an identity for being popular among the males at her school. Not until Yunho and Hyejin crossed paths.

genre` – fluff and crack, add a little spice of angst

pairing` – jang yunho x named!reader

warning` – mild cursing, mentions of cheating, toxic relationship, i think that's all :D

note` – this is based on a thai movie OMG! Oh my girl (highly recommend for you to watch it!) please reblog or like if you love it! you can also tell me your opinion abt this fic in the ask box! i tried making it a 'he fell first, but she fell harder' kinda trope CUZ WHO WOULDN'T FELL HARDER FOR THE ONE AND ONLY JANG YUNHO????

💬: I Like You, Hyejin

"I like you too, Seungjun"

The boy giggled in response to the girl's response.

Unfortunately, Seungjun isn't the male lead character.

As his friend confessed to his longtime crush, the male lead is only observing from a corner.

But first, let's get to know about the female lead before we learn more about the male lead.

Noh Hyejin :

- Has a lot of followers on ig

- Most of the girls don't like her

- A PLAYGIRL (based on the rumors!)

Jang Yunho :

- Future Kpop Idol !!

- Likes to Dance !!

- Mixed feelings about Hyejin :D?

During the second and third year, Yunho doesn't really know her in particular.

The two we're always bumping to each other, but Yunho didn't even give a single shit about it.

"Excuse me, do you have any coins I can borrow?"

Hyejin asked him, as Yunho fished into his pocket to get some coins.

Before he could gave it to her, a boy suddenly appeared out of nowhere put a coin in a vending machine.

Yunho just looked at him; mouth gaped while holding the coin.

"I do.. have a coin" the boy spoke while he is out of breath, Hyejin was about to pick the bottle water from the floor but the boy was fast enough and handing it to her.

"Thanks.." She said grabbing the bottle water from his hand, the boy put his arm on her shoulder as they start to walk away.

Yunho then scoffed at the sight.

୨୧

Until one day..

A magical moment floated by..

Suddenly ₩5000 flew in front of them, they stared at it before Yunho suddenly rushed at it and Hyejin followed; Yunho's hand was above Hyejin's, so Hyejin removed her hand but when Yunho was about to get the money, Hyejin put her hand on the other side of the money.

"My hand was under yours." Yunho said while looking straight to Hyejin.

Hyejin then grinned and said "But now it's not, is it?"

୨୧

"Thank You" Hyejin said while getting the chocolate drink from the counter.

Hyejin then handed Yunho the chocolate drink and the change, saying, "Here." Yunho took the chocolate drink and the change, stating that "I've never thought of you to be someone like that." "Like what?" Hyejin said, slightly lifting her right brow. Yunho continued, "Greedy."

"But we can't be equally at fault," Hyejin mocked, crossing her arms, "you're more at fault than me, because I got ₩2000 and you got ₩2100 plus a chocolate drink."

Yunho then turned at the chocolate beverage in his right hand and stated, "Oh, this is to silence me." Hyejin merely nodded.

Yunho then returned his gaze to the sky, saying, "Fine, I won't tell anyone." He drank the chocolate drink while his pinky was up. Hyejin then noticed his pinky and pondered something. "Promise?" Hyejin said, pulling her pinky up and brushing it against Yunho's pinky.

Yunho stared at her, surprised, and Hyejin chuckled, "I thought you wanted to pinky swear."

"I'm going." Hyejin said while picking her bag from the ground. Yunho watched where she was going until she disappeared from his sight.

୨୧

"Hey, Yunho. I need your advice." Yunho's friend inquired, then continued, "I'm interested in this girl. Give me a pick-up line."

"Are you in high school, Seungjun?" Yunho expressed to his friend. "I haven't seen anyone ever confess their love successfully yet," Yunho added.

"It's usually, casually talking and then becoming an item," Yunho said, looking at him blankly, "I don't know, I'm impatient." Seungjun added, "I just wanted to try my luck."

Yunho then scratched his head and glanced at the ceiling, trying to come up with a pick-up line in response to his friend's request.

"Uh.. then try this." Yunho suggested, "Walk over to her, don't say anything, then send her a text telling her that you like her, in front of her.. Sounds good?" Yunho said, "Damn!" Seungjun exclaimed, shakily waving his finger, "That's awesome!"

"You know I'm joking, right?" Yunho asked. "Your mind is anti-anti social network, huh?" Seungjun went on. Yunho glanced at him, puzzled. "I know you're deep," Seungjun remarked, patting Yunho on the shoulder. "Thanks a lot, bro," he murmured as he walked over to her. "Sure.." Yunho simply nodded and grinned awkwardly.

Yunho couldn't figure out why that worked. Yunho was upset that his friend had stolen his shot. Unfortunately, it began to rain.

But the joke is on Seungjun, because Yunho knows that Seungjun never carries an umbrella on him.

Yunho then opened his umbrella as he watched his friend and her become soaked.

Suddenly, the rain became heavy and the wind became stronger, forcing the umbrella Yunho was holding to be blown away by the wind, leaving him being drenched.

Seungjun and Hyejin, we're cheerfully running while holding hands in the rain. Meanwhile Yunho.. erm.. his good!

୨୧

"I was explaining it to you!"

"What?"

"What the hell are you trying to explain?"

"You've never trusted me, right?"

"From what I saw, I can't trust you anymore."

Yunho was merely sitting in the corner, listening to the couple's conflict.

"Then do you want to break up? Let's do it." Hyejin cried. "Just say it."

"Say it," Hyejin mumbled, her voice shaking. Seungjun then began to distance himself from her. "I'm not breaking up!" Seungjun screamed from a distance.

"Shit." Hyejin murmured, brushing her up and sat at the corner.

"You're thinking I'm stupid, right?" Hyejin asked him while looking at floor, Yunho then stand up and went to her slowly. "Well, you're not stupid" and sat next to her, "You're just.. a masochist."

"i just found out.. when he's with you, he's like this." Yunho continued, Hyejin then scoffed. "What the hell's wrong with him? Always breaking up, or should I just called it quits?" Hyejin said trying to hold her tears. "Hey.. I'm not giving out pointers, but.. it depends, do you like to cry or not?" Yunho suddenly asked. Hyejin nodded, "You're so sharp, Mr. Knife." Hyejin then looked at him, "Your sharp words have dried my tears up, see?"

"By the way, this is known as giving pointers," Hyejin explained. "Hey, I mean it.. I'm not good at consoling people." Yunho said, "Well.. anyway, why don't you ask your friends for advice?" Yunho said, "I did ask Ryujin for an advice." Hyejin gave Yunho a look. "But instead she told me off. She's easily irritable." Hyejin said playfully, Yunho chuckled, then observed, "Then asked someone else." Yunho then noticed Hyejin's mood drop, "Hey.. Don't tell me, you don't have any friends?" Yunho asked. Hyejin then stared at him, her eyes welling up, and Yunho chuckled loudly, pointing his index finger at her.

"This is so unfair," Hyejin exclaimed, "I really don't understand. 'I change guys often.'" Hyejin continued, "I've only had two boyfriends. If I don't say anything, I become a snob. But if I'm friendly, they say I'm a slut. I know the guys who befriend me don't want to be my friend. What am I supposed to do?" Yunho then began to slowly pat Hyejin's back, "I don't have any friends, no one wants to be my friend!" Hyejin screamed angrily. "Am I supposed to be careful about what I say to people? Why isn't anyone blaming the guys?" Hyejin asked.

Yunho then just stood there staring at her, not knowing what to do to make her stop weeping. "Hey Hyejin, what's stuck in your tooth?" Yunho questioned, quickly pulling his phone from his pocket and taking a photo of Hyejin, then showing Hyejin the photo while laughing and saying, "Look! You're as hideous as a monkey. So damn ugly."

Hyejin then began to cry again, which caused Yunho to glance at her in fear. Yunho then looked aside and began to think of a method to make her stop sobbing again, but when he looked at her, he discovered something on her hair: a cockroach. Yunho stared in terror at the insect.

Yunho hurriedly snatched the bug from her hair and stood up, his left arm raised in a fist. "What?" Hyejin inquired, perplexed. "Cockroach," Yunho replied, anxiously glancing down at the floor. Hyejin hurriedly rose to her feet, seeking around for the cockroach, and said, "Shit! Shit! Where?! On my head? Yunho, aren't you afraid?" She looked back at Yunho, seeing his left arm raised, and she gazed at it confusedly.

Yunho then shakily opened his palm, and the cockroach moved in his hand till it went into his sleeve, causing Yunho to scream in panic and shuffle around so the cockroach could flee.

He then hugged the side railing, his face contorted with dread, which made Hyejin giggle. Yunho gave his hand to Hyejin for support, which prompted Hyejin to step closer and grab his hand. Hyejin then pulled out her phone and used the chance to take a photo of him as payback.

💬 (Hyejin) : [sent a photo]

💬 (Hyejin) : HANDSOME!

[sent a photo] : (Yunho) 💬

[sent a gif] : (Yunho) 💬

↑ Your Brother? ↑ : (Yunho) 💬

Hyejin then looked at the message, her mouth dropped open, and she looked at Dongsik, tapping his shoulder with a pen she was holding, "Dongsik, has Yunho ever done anything like embarrassing?" Dongsik snickered and pulled his phone from his pocket, showing Hyejin an embarrassing photo of Yunho in his gallery.

💬 (Hyejin) : [sent a photo]

💬 (Hyejin) : A person or A dog?

💬 (Hyejin) : [sent a gif]

Yunho scoffed at the message and repeatedly pressed the gif he sent, causing Hyejin's notification to balloon up due to his spamming.

They kept messaging each other even at night as time passed.

💬 (Hyejin) : That's enough

[sent a gif] : (Yunho) 💬

💬 (Hyejin) : My phone crashed

[sent a gif] : (Yunho) 💬

[sent a gif] : (Yunho) 💬

And so on; Yunho isn't stopping, and neither is Hyejin. Ryujin, Hyejin's roommate, just stared at her blankly while holding her phone.

୨୧

"Well.. I think I'm someone who is not good at anything. I don't have a clue what I'm going to do after graduation. Like, there's nothing I want to do or anything I'm especially good at."

"It's so damn sad."

Yunho then returned his gaze to the busy area, where people were dancing while a band performed in front of them.

"I don't think so. My Mom's friend is like you, constantly changing jobs, but she seems happy trying out this and that." Yunho suggested, "Why don't you give it a try, like a reviewer?"

Hyejin then grinned at him and added, "Then what about you? Why do you want to be a kpop idol?" Yunho then looks around at the folks in front of them. "Because... I wanted to show them what my talent is and what I am good at," Hyejin replied playfully, "For real? I've heard so many idols say that words everytime."

Yunho then sighed, "I just wanted some clout." Hyejin's eyes opened, causing her to gaze back at him before looking away again, and she clapped her hands, "Now that's the real one!" she exclaimed. Yunho broke out laughing.

As the music became louder and more people began to cheer, they looked around the room. Yunho returned his gaze to Hyejin and leaned in close so she could hear what he was about to say. "Hyejin, do you wanna join in there?" he asked, pointing at the crowd.

"Never mind. People are going to talk," he changed his mind. Hyejin then squinted at him, observing his facial expression. "Well, if you want, we can go there separately," Hyejin said, so he could hear what she was about to say.

Yunho nodded and rose up, offering his hand to help Hyejin stand up from her seat; she held his hand while standing up and thanked him afterwards.

"Excuse me," Hyejin said as they walked through the crowds, sneaking glances at each other while watching the band in front of them perform.

TO BE CONTINUED | next – EP.2 – New dude

[creativinn]

SXSW 2023: Artist Interview With Lola Tried

By Avery Viers Local Music Director

The last time I spoke with Lauren Burton of Austin-based band Lola Tried, I had freshly been appointed as KTSW 89.9’s Local Music Director only one month prior. Unsure of what to expect when meeting the band, I scavenged the internet to absorb all of the information I could in the midst of my nervous frenzy.

I was about five seconds into our introduction before my nerves were put at ease. Burton, along with her bandmate and longtime friend Ray Garza, exuded a genuine and enthusiastic energy throughout our discussion that could not be missed.

When I had the chance to catch up with Burton again recently, I couldn’t wait to hear what the band had been up to. I was anxious to discuss their recently released single, “Black & White,” and chat about the band’s invitation as an Official SXSW Artist for this year’s festival.

I called Burton the Monday evening following her birthday weekend. She shared that she had spent some time at her barn, where she enjoys riding her horse – which she fondly refers to as her “baby boy” – and that she saw PUP at Stubb’s Amphitheater.

“PUP is my favorite band in the whole world! My biggest influence ever,” said Burton. “I’ve seen them like four times; I have all of their records. They’re the reason Lola Tried exists.”

We chatted a bit more about PUP’s tour with Joyce Manor before jumping into the topic of this year’s SXSW music festival. I asked Burton whether the band was excited to perform, as well as whether it would be their first year as an Official Artist.

“It’s our third!” she said, “It’s funny. My SX experience started when I was sixteen; I had just moved to Austin and gotten my driver’s license. My mom was working for a nonprofit that helped find housing for the international musicians coming over. She would literally go, ‘you need to go pick up this band from England from the airport and just cart them around.’”

“My mom knew me,” Burton continued, “I was a good kid. I never drank. She literally had to be like, ‘Lauren, you don’t have a curfew. You can go out sometimes.’ So, these poor f*ckers had to sit in a car with me while I drove them around in downtown SXSW traffic. I also got the opportunity to develop these friendships and relationships that are beautiful. I still keep in touch with the folks I met [THROUGH SXSW] from fifteen years ago that changed my life. There were international bands from Spain, the U.K., and Germany. I got to see how real bands worked; bands that weren’t massive.”

“I would go to local shows all the time,” she said, “but it’s cool to see middle level bands – like Joyce Manor – where they’re known, and they’re touring, and can make it their full-time job. Seeing these bands interact and how they handle business was really cool. I also learned how to sneak into every single venue that they played. I remember I couldn’t get in to see Waxahachie because I wasn’t twenty-one and they were playing at Cheer Up [CHARLIE]’s. I literally jumped into the brush of the scaffolding at Mohawk and climbed up that cliff and watched them play like a weird-*ss bat.”

“SX has always been really special because of the touring bands that come through and the friends that I get to see that I haven’t seen,” said Burton, “I love giving all of the bands recommendations and getting to tell everyone all of my favorite spots. You get to see people experience the city. Plus, being on bills with your buddies and getting to see them play amazing shows is great.”

After wrapping up our discussion on SXSW, I was eager to ask Burton what was new with Lola Tried since our last talk.

“We actually have two new band members and I’m really excited!” She said, “It’s been really fun. After our original lineup switching up, we decided to say, ‘Okay, let’s get two new members. It’s gonna be great.’ Since bringing them on, the exchange of ideas has been so fun. When I started with this band initially, I had never played a show or committed to rehearsals or been a part of a true unit. Joining a team was definitely a moment of extreme vulnerability for me.”

“Jeff and Gianni – our bass player and our drummer – are so open to any new idea,” she continued, “I absolutely adored our original lineup, but this new journey has been super fun. Writing has changed; I don’t come in with things prepared anymore. I think a part of it is the Imposter Syndrome of thinking, ‘I have to have a perfectly crafted song to present to you guys, like a powerpoint ,because if I don’t you guys are gonna see through me.’ Learning to drop my guard and riff in a jam session is special, especially since it wasn’t always a thing. The new stuff that we’re releasing we have fully written together. Gianni and Jeff come from completely different musical backgrounds, so having them play with us has brought a whole new element to the band.”

I was curious to ask Burton about the songwriting process of the band’s newest single, “Black & White,” given the song’s themes of grief and loss.

“‘Black & White’ is honestly a pretty vulnerable song for me for a couple of reasons,” said Burton, “The less impactful reason is that it’s a ballad. For me, I like instant gratification and don’t like patience or having to wait. When we started playing the song, Jeff and Gianni had to stop me to slow me down and told me that it could really be something. ‘Black & White’ taught me patience. Being vulnerable in that way musically was interesting because I’d never written a ballad before.”

“A lot of my songs come from anger,” she continued, “that’s just how I write. When I’m feeling an intense emotion like anger, I’ve always felt motivated in my songwriting because it feels like the only way that I could get out my thoughts. I always thought, ‘I can handle feeling depressed. I know how to cope with anxiety because I experience these emotions a lot.’ But I don’t get angry very often; songwriting has been the main way for me to verbalize my fury.”

“But this song wasn’t that,” Burton said, “I think that’s my second point of vulnerability; my partner’s best friend died in May of last year. He was just a dream. He would have this laugh that would echo for days. There were two hard parts in terms of writing [BLACK & WHITE]; when I was writing the song, I realized, ‘I’m gonna have to deal with some real feelings here… and they’re not anger. They’re grief.’ I talked with the band to tell them I wanted to release something about grief and how I handle it.

“Ultimately, the song is about watching my partner grieve and feeling like I can’t do anything about it. There has been quite a lot of grief in our household over the past year. Another aspect of the song, though, is about wondering when the right time to grieve actually is. It’s harder for me to be vulnerable through sadness than it is for me to be vulnerable through anger.”

Burton mentioned the band’s upcoming projects as well, joking about its stark contrast to the preceding single.

“I’m switching up the tone a little bit,” said Burton, “For me, it feels so much more dynamic and it’s really fast paced. The drum parts are killer! After playing it on stage, Jeff had to leave for a second to go throw up and got right back on to play the next song. The song is called, “Don’t Care At All,” and it’s about work burnout that has been so impactful to me, especially working in tech. The layoffs, friends losing jobs, and even just the crumbling economy as a whole really makes you realize that you’re seeing some fundamentally wrong things going on in your field. [DON’T CARE AT ALL] is about experiencing a burnout so devastating and getting to the point of realizing you couldn’t care less about any of it. I really hope that people like my friends that lost their jobs will listen to it and go, ‘Ah. Thank you.’

Lola  Tried will be performing two sets as an Official SXSW Artist on March 12 and 13 at Hotel Vegas and one set at The Velveeta Room on March 18. Follow Lola Tried on Instagram to stay up to date on official set times, future shows, and newly released music here: @lolatried

This content was originally published here.

[redhoodieone]

You’re so Lucky!

A/N: Hey y’all! Here’s another sexy story that was a request from the amazing @jasontoddslut! Enjoy my peeps!

Warnings: Language, Bad Relationship with Ex-Boyfriend, Smut, Voyeurism, and Jason’s Goddamn Dirty Mouth!!!!!

It was bound to happen. She couldn’t deny this was going to happen sooner rather than later. If she believed they that they could get through their issues and be happy like they once were, then she’s a real fucking idiot.

Gabi still couldn’t believe it though. One minute she was trying to calm Bobby down and the next, he’s screaming at her and telling her to get the fuck out of his apartment. He was in a bad mood to begin with. He’s a mechanic and he’s always tired when he gets home. He was expecting dinner to be ready and maybe have his loving girlfriend of three years rub his back since his shoulder pain is getting worse.

But no. Gabi made the mistake of asking Bobby where he was tonight as soon as he got home.

What set him off was her telling him to calm down. She should have known though.

You should NEVER. EVER. Tell an easily angry guy to calm down.

Because that’s like telling fire to not burn people. Or telling a baby to not cry.

She should have known better though. It’s no surprise Bobby’s into some serious shady shit that the low life Gothamites meet up sometimes at night in casinos or nightclubs. She knows they do illegal shit like selling drugs, ordering weapons from other countries, and maybe even kidnapping young women and children.

And Bobby had participated in the ordering weapons category.

How Gabi found out is another story: she knows for damn sure that Bobby once brought home fifteen state of the art total militia AK-47 guns. Bobby had foolishly asked Gabi to go get some important documents from his huge safe; totally forgetting the weapons were in there about five months prior.

Why would a normal mechanic need such weapons?

Gabi had decided to never bring it up. Bobby would either deny or lie about it. His temper had been getting worse right about then and she knew better.

But he wasn’t always like this. Oh, no. Bobby was a funny, laid back, and loving type who worshipped the ground Gabi walked on before they even started dating. But after two years of living with each other, things changed.

Simple as that. Things changed.

Gabi always wondered how things could just...change. So easily. The fact that it could happen in the blink of an eye frightens her sometimes.

Just like Bobby’s hidden anger. She never knew a hilarious and sweet guy could have the rage of a bull.

Bobby never hit her though. He always made sure to slam his fist against the wall beside her head, though. He was the type to yell and belittle Gabi as if she was a little girl.

But she wasn’t a little girl. She was a 23-year-old woman who moved in with her boyfriend so fast that she began to understand why her parents and friends disapproved of her choices and relationship.

I just had to learn the hard way, Gabi thought to herself.

She doesn’t know why she’s trying to think of sayings that relate to this experience. The point is, Gabi knows she seriously fucked. With Bobby only giving her ten minutes to pack whatever truly mattered to her, she had to hurry the fuck up.

The moment she made it outside the apartment building, all Gabi could do is replay her questions that she asked Bobby.

Where were you tonight?

Were you with someone?

What did you do?

Why can’t you tell me what you did?

Are you hiding something from me?

Are you getting into dangerous things?

No wonder Bobby kicked her out. Gabi should have never put her nose in his business. And now, she’s practically homeless. She knows it would be embarrassing as hell to go back to her parents’ house because of what they told her before getting involved with Bobby. She also knows her friends would treat her horribly, with the “I told you so” stares and lectures. Gabi was certainly running out of options just as the rain began to fall.

There was one person she could go to, who would never turn her away.

However, Gabi hasn’t spoken to this person in about a year because of her relationship with Bobby as well as this person’s own relationship with their significant other.

But Gabi knew Y/N was a good person, a good friend. She was a sweet person, with a big warm heart and she would never turn her away.

With nowhere else to go, Gabi walked alone in the rain all the way down to high class side of Gotham.

By the time Gabi gets to the high-class penthouses, she has to call Y/N to let her inside. Of course, Y/N excitedly tells her to come up, and Gabi immediately starts to feel somehow relieved that Y/N hasn’t changed at all.

As Gabi finally makes it to the correct floor, she sees Y/N waiting by the door, where Gabi assumes is where Y/N lives. Y/N is wearing a red and black flannel pajama pants and a thin black tank top. Gabi also notices Y/N’s barefoot, and her hair’s in a messy bun.

She must have just woken up. I’m so sorry, Y/N, Gabi thinks to herself.

But none of that matters when Y/N meets Gabi halfway in the hall where they collide in a tight, warm-hearted embrace.  Y/N smells like a woodsy, musky cologne, most likely from whoever she’s seeing with now. Maybe they were snuggling up against with each other until Gabi had called and asked if she could come over.

“Come inside. You must be freezing!” Y/N says, releasing Gabi from her hug and pulling her arm towards the front door.

Gabi follows on shaky legs, completely overwhelmed by seeing her longtime best friend. Y/N giggles and leads Gabi inside the penthouse. Gabi instantly is hit by the aroma of vanilla and musk, the smell of intimacy and seduction.  Her eyes take in the red and black walls and décor, some exquisite art pieces, and the big space that is more comfortable and warmer than most homes she’s ever seen.

“Welcome, mi casa es tu casa! Seriously Gabi, babe, make yourself at home. There’s absolutely no rush to leave. You leave when you’re ready, okay?” Y/N says seriously.

“Are you absolutely sure? I really don’t want to impose or put you and your boyfriend out,” Gabi confesses.

Y/N leads Gabi to the long, cherry red couch that is facing a huge flat screen TV. Gabi sets down her duffle bag and takes a seat next to Y/N on the couch.

“Don’t be ridiculous! Jay and I insist you stay here until you figure out what you want to do, okay?” Y/N says, before she turns around to get comfortable to face Gabi.

A vanilla candle is lit on the coffee table. Gabi’s cheeks flush in embarrassment. “I didn’t...interrupt something, did I?”

“Oh, no, you didn’t! I was just setting the mood in the living room to be more...comfy,” Y/N admits, with a chuckle. “Jason just got home a few minutes ago and is taking a shower. He should be done by now.”

As if on cue, they hear someone walking down the hall and towards the living room. He stops near the couch. There in all his glory, well half-naked glory, stands Jason Todd, God’s greatest creation of man...at least that’s what both girls were thinking.

“Gabi, this is Jason, my boyfriend,” Y/N proudly introduces Jason to Gabi. “Jay, this is Gabi, my best friend in the whole wide world.”

Still dripping wet and fresh out of the shower, Jason at least has a white towel wrapped around his waist; hiding his goods that Gabi wanted to see so desperately. He’s really tall, must be 6’2 or something close to that. She takes note that Jason is all man: there’s absolutely nothing that screams “boy”. Gabi inhales hard when she watches his large hand run through his soaked dark hair. The other hand holds the towel tightly around his hips.

“Hi,” Jason smirks at Gabi. She notices his eyes are green, almost like emeralds. He smiles at her, even his white teeth are perfect. “So, you’re Gabi. Y/N’s told me a lot about you.”

“She-she has?” Gabi chokes out. Why is it so hot in here? Why can’t she speak?

Her eyes zero in on the droplets of water running down his strong as fuck built chiseled chest and perfectly sculpted abs that she really wants to lick and bite his skin.

Holy fuck...

Gabi scolds herself for thinking such inappropriate thoughts about her best friend’s boyfriend. Even though Gabi’s never fantasized Bobby this kind of way, she realizes Y/N’s lucked out. Bobby wasn’t in shape or even remotely attractive like Jason.

“Of course, she has. You’re one of her best friends, and I’m happy to finally meet you. I would go over there to shake your hand and properly greet you, but I’m uh...not exactly dressed yet,” Jason chuckles, and almost seems shy now. “I’m gonna go get dressed real quick so we can talk.”

You don’t have to. You can stay the way you are. You can even drop the towel, Gabi thinks improperly.

Y/N smiles softly at Jason as they watch him leave. True to his word, Jason returned in a pair of black sweatpants and a white t-shirt and took a seat next to Y/N. Throughout their comfortable and pleasant conversation, Gabi truly sees the way Jason cares about her best friend. Midway through their talk about what happened to Bobby, Jason clearly was paying attention and rubbed caressed Y/N’s thigh when Gabi recounted the latest scary fight with Bobby. Whenever Y/N looked shocked or worried, Jason made sure to calm her down through touches, forehead kisses, and whispers words along the lines of love, probably.

It almost makes Gabi jealous. Y/N’s life is clearly so much better than what Gabi had going on for herself. Jason seems like the perfect gentleman; always does and says the right thing. Gabi’s never seen a man pay so much attention to a woman before. Not only did he offer Gabi his advice and opinions on getting a better and more affordable apartment on their street, but Jason even voiced his hatred for Bobby, and even went on to criticize the man for treating women so poorly. He even made a joke about finding the man and breaking his legs; making Gabi and Y/N laugh their asses off and making the energy around them fun again.

But for some reason, Gabi couldn’t help but notice that Jason wasn’t laughing as hard as she and Y/N were. It almost seemed like Jason was serious about breaking Bobby’s legs, but Jason wouldn’t do that. She was sure of it.

He wouldn’t, would he?

By the time midnight came, the three of them stood up and decided to go to bed. Jason even surprised Gabi by giving her a hug and telling her that she can stay in their guest bedroom for however long as she wants and needs.

“I’m serious, kid. Don’t even worry about it. You mean so much to Y/N, and so therefore, you mean a lot to me, too,” Jason had said as he pulled back from their hug.

Gabi was speechless to say the least. She didn’t want the hug to end. He felt so good in her arms and he smelled so fucking good.

But it was bedtime now, and once Y/N and Jason had shown Gabi the guest bedroom, they went off to bed to let Gabi get comfortable. It wasn’t long for Gabi to quickly clean herself up and put on some plain pajama shorts with a tank top. As soon as she turned off the light, she was amazed by how big and comfortable the bed was. She figured it must be new and is probably the first person to sleep in here. In just a few minutes, exhaustion took over and Gabi fell into a deep sleep.

Her throat was dry. That’s what awoke Gabi at two in the morning and made her climb out of bed and go search for a bottle of water. She made sure to tiptoe out of the room and walk slowly and quietly to the kitchen.

As soon as Gabi made it to the end of the hallway, she stops dead in her tracks when she hears moaning. A woman moaning.

Her mind registers that it’s Y/N moaning. But why is she moaning in the living room?

Curiosity forces Gabi to peek out into the living room and see what’s going on, despite the logical part in her mind is screaming at her to have some respect for her best friend and her boyfriend.

But being a pervert outweighs being a prude.

Gabi is utterly shocked to her core when she sees her best friend straddling Jason’s lap. On the red couch where they sat a couple of hours ago, Gabi sees Y/N and Jason making out heavily. She couldn’t unsee it; she wants to keep watching them.

Gabi even sees the vanilla candle is lit again, after Jason had blown it out before they all went to bed.

But all Gabi could see is Jason’s fingertips digging hard into Y/N’s exposed flesh from where her tank top is pushed up above her bare tits. Y/N shamelessly moans in between the evident delicious kisses, and grinds against Jason’s apparent bulge.

Gabi quickly notices an isolated leather recliner that’s against the wall near the hallway. She throws herself down, sinks into the chair and watches the practically live porno show in front of her.

Jason pulls back from the deep kiss, revealing his red, swollen lips from where Y/N’s been biting and sucking since the beginning. He rests his head back against the couch and looks up with hazy, lustful eyes as Y/N grins down at him. She bites her bottom lip and pulls up her tank top, removing her top completely from her body.  

“Fuck...what the hell are you doing to me, sweetheart?” Jason asks breathlessly. He runs his hands up Y/N’s back and moves them to her front where he reaches for both her tits.

“I’m slowly...and softly killing you,” Y/N says, closing her eyes and moans when Jason gently grabs both her tits in his hands; her breasts fill his hands perfectly.

“I’d say...” he says, before sighing contently when switches from pinching her nipples to squeezing her tits before he sits up straighter and pulls Y/N’s body closer to lick and suck her sensitive nipples.

“Oh, fuck...oh Jay...feels so good,” Y/N moans louder than before. She whimpers and continues to rub herself against him. “I need to cum...please make me cum, Jay...”

Jason pulls back from her chest and gazes into Y/N’s eyes. “You wanna cum, doll? Do you want me to make you cum?”

“Yes, please...I need you so bad!”

“No, I don’t think you need to cum,” Jason teases, before he pulls off his own t-shirt. “Now, I’m going to take off the rest of your clothes, but if you touch your pussy, I ain’t going to fuck you.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!” Y/N snaps. Her cheeks are flushed from being aroused.

Jason smirks at Y/N’s frustration.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about, sweetheart. I’m going to check how wet you are,” Jason explains, as he raises Y/N off his lap to pull down her pajama pants and panties; leaving her completely bare on his lap. “If you’re soaking wet, then I’m gonna fuck you so hard that you’ll be feeling me for days. But if I have to make you wet, then that means I get to do whatever I want to this pussy.”

“But-”

Jason runs his hand up Y/N’s thigh until his fingers glide over her bare pussy. His fingers gently push inside her, he can feel the wetness, but wants to see it for himself.

“Stand up and put your pussy in my face,” he demands.

“What?”

“I want to taste your delicious pussy right now. Don’t make me get up and literally put you on my shoulders to eat you out,” Jason threatens.

Y/N slowly moves to stand up carefully on the couch. Her legs are shaking, but Jason quickly grabs her to hold her steady. He doesn’t waste any time, and he dives into her pussy as if he’s a starving man.

“Oh fuck!” Y/N cries out.

Jason’s tongue on her clit is what she wants the most right now. He squeezes her thigh and flicks his tongue side to side until Y/N fears she’s either going to fall back or fall over him.

Y/N notices one of Jason’s pull up bars is above her. How convenient.

She grabs a hold of the bar to hold herself up just as he decides to slip a finger inside her. Holding herself up allows him to remove a hand from her thigh. He takes the opportunity to slip another finger inside and pumps them in and out fast.

Y/N’s body trembles when Jason curls his fingers and strokes the sensitive wall that he’s mastered so well. He can tell she’s close. She must have been excited earlier when they planned to stay in last minute. He manages to look up at her and he can see she’s barely holding on.

“You’re so close aren’t you, babe? You taste so fucking good that I want you to cum on my face. I want you to be my dirty girl tonight,” Jason says as he finger-fucks her harder and faster than before. “Are you going to be my dirty girl tonight?

“Yes! Fuck yes! Just-just make me cum, please!” Y/N cries out desperately, needing the push that Jason could only give her.

“You are my dirty girl. You love it when I make you cum with just my fingers and mouth. But I bet you want my cock right after, huh?” Jason asks, chuckling darkly when Y/N’s eyes roll back when he speeds up his fingers inside her. “You wanna ride me, don’t you?”

“Yes-yes I do...” she’s panting now.

“Okay, I want you to cum in my face and then quickly get on my lap and ride me. Fast, slow, hard, whatever, you pick. I just want to feel your warm, tight pussy around my dick, okay?” Jason says, quickly shoving his sweatpants and boxers down to his feet. “Fuck...give me your pretty, tasty pussy, sweetheart!”

And then Jason finally gives in. He pulls both her thighs to bring her pussy to his face. Y/N whimpers when he licks all around her wetness, and he hums in approval when he feels her hand stroking his scalp and pulling his hair, while she continues holding herself up with only one hand now.

The vibration from his humming helps her reach her release. He continues to thrust his fingers inside her and sucks her clit until she gushes in his face.

Y/N manages to silent most of her orgasm, but it didn’t help when Jason continued to lick and suck at her clit to swallow most of her juices. Once her body relaxes, she lets go of the pull up bar and drops down to the couch. Y/N quickly straddles Jason’s lap until her pussy is hovering above his hard cock.

“Spit on my cock, doll. Get it nice and wet,” Jason says, as he watches Y/N spit in her hand and stroke his thick cock until he’s nice and ready for her. “How are you going to ride me, sweetheart?”

Y/N slowly looks up into Jason’s dilated, misty eyes. “Deep. Hard. And fast,” she says.

Jason swallows hard but is able to quickly smirk up at Y/N before she takes full control. “Then ride me, sweetheart. Fuck yourself on my cock like the dirty girl you really are.”

Y/N finally lowers herself onto Jason’s cock, all logic and common sense flies out the window. Whenever his cock was deep inside her, they both tend to lose themselves and the world around them. Because whenever they were connected emotionally and physically in their bubble, nothing else fucking matters in the world.

When Jason fills her up completely, they both release a content sigh. They usually take their time in the beginning, mostly because of their fears whenever Jason leaves to work as Red Hood. But since they’re both so horny and want to cum sooner, they’ll have to just take their time during round two.

“Fuck me, sweetheart. Fuck yourself silly on my dick,” Jason moans, but he and Y/N laugh at the “silly” part, when he realizes that’s not very sexy.

But Y/N understands and slowly lifts herself up his lap until just the tip of Jason’s cock is inside her. She keeps a steady pace, lifting herself and lowering herself, until their rhythm flows. Within seconds, Jason helps her by holding her hips tightly and thrusting his hips in time with hers.

“Your cock is so big inside me, Jay. You fill me up so good,” Y/N moans and rides him a little faster; wanting the head of his cock to rub hard and relentlessly against her g-spot. She guides one of his hands off her waist to move towards her pussy, encouraging him to rub her clit. “I wanna cum again, Jay.”

“Yeah? You like ridin’ my big cock, you dirty girl? You want me to fill your pussy with my cum?” Jason asks, watching Y/N’s tits bounce while she rides his cock faster than before. He can’t help himself, he uses a free hand to pinch her nipple and leans in to bite and suck her breasts, until he puts his hand back to her hip to guide her thrusts. “You want me to fill you up with my cum?”

“Yes! Yes, please!” Y/N begs.

“Okay, my dirty girl. I’ll give you what you want.”

Well, Jason knows now that this is going to end fast, but he refuses to let it end without Y/N cumming hard again. He squeezes her hip with one hand and the other hand rubs her clit fast in messy circles. He begins to pull her down to meet his thrusts, fucking her harder and faster with everything he’s got. The squelching sound from his cock fucking up into her wet pussy becomes more noticeable, especially when their skin-on-skin slapping gets louder and harsher that echoes in the living room.

“Fuck...Y/N, you’re getting so tight. You feel so fucking good baby,” Jason pants hard, completely sweating and keeping his fast and erratic pace to get them to their releases. “Fuckin’ cum on my big cock, sweetheart. I wanna feel you cum so bad. Please cum for me, again.”

Y/N keeps her eyes on Jason just as her orgasm hits her hard; she squeezes and gushes around his cock, she calls out his name. Jason thrusts harder in her three more times, as he finally cums hard inside Y/N, calls out her name as quietly as he could. Y/N collapses against Jason’s chest, despite being hot and sweaty, but he doesn’t mind. He wraps both arms around her and holds her while they regain their breaths and can function normal again.

Y/N doesn’t see the loving smile Jason gives her as he kisses her forehead. “I love you,” he whispers, and hugs her tighter.

She looks up at him and smiles. “I love you, too.”

Before Y/N can lie her head against Jason’s chest again, she notices Gabi sitting and watching them. Y/N jumps up and covers her breasts with her arms, causing Jason to jump in panic and turn around to see what’s going on.

“Gabi! What-what the hell are you doing there?!” Y/N cries out in embarrassment. She can feel her cheeks are getting red again.

Gabi slowly gets up from the chair and makes her wave into the kitchen. She finds bottled water in the refrigerator, takes one, and goes back into the living room where Jason and Y/N are still frozen in fear.

“I-I was thirsty,” Gabi answers, even though she knows it sounds like a lame answer. She walks backwards until she reaches the hall. “And-and then I saw you guys, and then I couldn’t stop watching. I’m sorry, Y/N...Jason...”

But before Gabi leaves, she points a finger at Jason and smiles. She even chuckles. “But-but in my defense...he’s really sexy! He’s fucking gorgeous, Y/N, and you’re one lucky bitch! You’re so lucky!”

But Gabi is right about that.

Y/N is lucky...because she has Jason.