#i may or may not have written a bunch of other projects

[manicplank]

I read all of my pink fic so I could remember where I am

AAAAA I have to write part 15 but I'm swamped with school this week (my friend is also out of town so I'm dogsitting for her)

[compacflt]

I am sad for your 'the end of the top gun era' that will come. Is there any possibility that even when you finish with all your ideas, someday you will still write icemav? Or are you done shipping icemav after everything is said?

i will never stop shipping or caring about icemav, they are my homeboys & my bffs

i just have other real world writing obligations i need to focus on once i post my extras (soon) 😞 have to start dedicating myself to my creative writing thesis & journalism work fully

Yeah if i have other ideas/motivation to finish old ideas i will definitely do that! It’s not goodbye forever

[felassan]

Snippets. 🐺💜 DA:TV spoilers under cut.

Kala has heard rumors that there may be merch pins coming of Assan and Manfred [source]

(Previous comment for context - Dev Brenon: "You can sprint, there is also a dash/dodge move you can do for short range mobility - though I don't tend to use that much when exploring.") A user asked on this, "Will it be a push-to-sprint key, a sprint toggle, or other (to be explained later)?". Brenon replied with some more detail on this feature: "Right now it's a pseudo-toggle, you press it once (while moving) to start sprinting and then as long as you keep moving you keep sprinting. If you let got of the movement controls, you stop sprinting." [source: the official BioWare Discord]

User: "if a choice i made 30 hours ago affects me.. best believe im restarting the whole game". Brenon: "Uh oh''. User: "UH OH???". Brenon: "I mean... we do have "decision saves" before big choice moments, but there are still a bunch that depend on a whole mess of stuff you've done earlier... so... yeah... RIP :P" [source: the official BioWare Discord]

They hope to get a bunch more BioWare-themed emojis for the Discord [source: the official BioWare Discord]

Trick Weekes has been signing DA:TV stuff with "with love and appreciation for your patience" [source]

Carly: "theres so much id love to say, but i unfortunately can't , that being said, i hear y'all and love working on a game for such passionate people and hope y'all enjoy when it does come out 💕" [source]

Actor signing attendees report that it was amazing and that we're in good hands with this acting cast. You can see more photos from it here [source].

Dev signing attendees report that it was packed. You can see another photo from it here [source]. and here is a photo of the sign from it [source]

Another photo of the booth [source]. Sometimes at the booth the devs had a Solas statue [source] (this is done by Dark Horse). I think Dark were also displaying somewhere a Varric and a Cassandra statue too, and I think these were the ones that Dark Horse do too (Varric, Cass), but I can't find the image or video where I originally saw this anymore, sorry >.<

The companion tarot-style art from the website was shown on the big screen at the acting panel [source]

A few more details from the actor panel, from an attendee: John Epler said that this is the best group of companions written because of their relationships with each other, not just Rook. They can become friends, lovers, rivals with each other. Zach thought that Lucanis was the coolest character he gets to play. It sounds like he mentioned Illario [I'm assuming] by name. Lucanis is quick-witted. Neve is a bit of a romantic. Jessica found voice acting freeing as it felt like playing pretend when she was little. In her role, she felt like she could embrace being very powerful. Neve is passionate. On Emmrich, "wisdom, calm to group, warm-hearted, loves learning". Emmrich has some fantastic lines. Along with working with Varric to track down Solas, Harding has also been working with Rook and Neve. Ali talked a lot about how much collaboration there is between BioWare, the actors and the material they're given to work with. Harding has been through some things and has more of an edge to her, but they can't talk about it! [source]

A few more details from the actor panel, from an attendee - Jessica Clark: "A lot of the time, we kind've really all bonded in the way that we were intended to, you know? And that's why we've been so excited all week and all weekend, because we can be like 'oh my god you're here', 'oh my god you're here, you're here, you're here', finally, you know? You know, I know on a lot of projects people are like 'oh yeah, we're all like, we love each other', but we really do, we really really do, and it just evolved so organically, and there was something magical about it just being our voices in the beginning, you know, like, sort've taking anything else out of the [equation.]" [source]

A few more details from the actor panel, from an attendee - Nick Boraine: "I think I've been preparing for Emmrich all my life. I was very attracted to the role initially, and I was so, I was so, I was overjoyed when I got it, because I think it was, the writing of Emmrich is really fascinating, it's this, this man that is obsessed with death, on one hand, but on death as a comfort, death as a transition, death as something that is not scary, and that, that ability to enable people to transition and the investment that he gives in that sphere, which we don't give in our own lives. I was immediately attracted to that and I thought that that was, I'd never seen that before, so to go in these two ways, to talk about death and to talk about it in a way that is kind, and that the transition becomes a kind transition, that was fascinating to me, and I think, will be fascinating to you too." [source]

A few more details from the actor panel, from an attendee - Zach Mendez: "[before they started shooting] I did kinda get an idea about how passionate the fanbase was, which made me really excited. I don't wanna say nervous, because I don't say I'm nervous, I say I'm excited. And so, before the first day of shoot, I was very excited. And luckily, you know, Ashley and them, didn't have me do too much on the first day. I played a lot of darkspawn. I darkspawn-ed my ass off, though. I want you guys to know, I really. And when I got home, I thought to myself, 'Zach, did you darkspawn hard enough?' I was just worried. You know, and within an hour I got texts from Jeff, who's a part of this cast as well, and G, telling me what a great job I did, and then I'll never forget, I got a call from Ali Hillis down here, and I'll remember that conversation, because for thirty minutes she made me feel like I was welcome in the Dragon Age family, and it gave me so much confidence moving forwards. So thank you, Ali, so much, I still remember that." [source]

[Character limit text break!]

Varric and Manfred: "not romanceable" [source] ?

Neve mostly eats deep-fried fish [source], it makes up the bulk of her diet [source]

Bellara loves pan-fried fish [source]

John on SDCC: "thank you to everyone who came out to the signing. thank you to everyone who came out to the panel. thank you to everyone who said hi, swung by the booth, or otherwise expressed how excited you were about the game. absolutely amazing experience. was wonderful to see you all" [source]

There's a lot of lovely concept art for DA:TV [source]

Trick Weekes: "One of the things I was proudest of was inviting leads from other teams/departments into writing peer reviews and having them later say, "Wow, those critiques went deep, but everyone stayed professional and compassionate the whole time." My junior-most writer knew she could tell me I was wrong." [source]

Violet: "As we get closer to DATV, I just want to send out a reminder Var lath vir suledin 😭" [source]

Derek on the casting department: "They really did an incredible job! Every single one of these folks deliver such amazing performances." [source]

Derek: "a lot of great talent doing awesome stuff from KY nowadays. I count myself extremely lucky that I can work on such an amazing project with such a wonderful team straight from my home state!" [source]

Michael Gamble: "i know a few people on the DA team, and i want them to have a nice time." [source]

User, on the recent word count news: "Sooooo , when will I (we) get to hear all these words". Michael: "hopefully when the game is out." [source]

User, on the news of no microtransactions: "This is great news that I hope survives past the review period". Michael: "it will" [source]

User: "What class have you been playing as in DAV mostly?" Michael: "mage. i light everything up. everything." [source]

DAMP / multiplayer mode is not returning [source]

Ghil: "Im very sorry for the teasing tweet but to be very real, i really miss playing veilguard and to stop THERE and have to wait over a year is killing me tbh. Im bothered. My crops are dying. I am withering. I want to know what happens" [source]

A user asked a question around if there are dialogue options and choices available in the game that indicate a mixed or less favorable positive perspective on Solas. Bria, a Councilmember, shared: "As an Egg Cracker, I was pretty satisfied with what we saw. I don’t want to go into spoilers but I was able to play my Rook the way I wanted when it came to the Sad Egg Man." [source]

User: "would you be able to tell us if you can change your perspective while in a fight? Those circles we saw on the video were kind of hard to see from that angle". Ghil: "Like a bit- no promises but they told us a lot of stuff like that would be in an accessibility feature. I get pretty motion sick so I remember talking about backing it up a bit." [source]

Kala: "The amount of gasping, screaming, @/ElbenherzArt having to lay on the floor, @/hattedhedgehog and @/chaosbria having to stand up from excitement and us just being in shock the whole time. Yeah 🔟 😎" [source]

Kala shared that there are moments in the game that she knows people will freak out about [source], that in terms of marketing, she knows that the devs have more things planned [source], and that she found Bellara endearing, despite not usually vibing with optimistic and energetic characters [source]

Kala shared that she feels that the Lighthouse is way cooler than Skyhold [source]

Also, in early May 2024 Zach appeared on a podcast:

Zach: "I'm very excited because it looks like at the end of this year, the video game that I've been working on for about three or so years is gonna come out, and I'm really excited for that. I'm gonna come back on and I'm gonna promote that, you guys, you will have no choice, I'm coming back on." Host: "Does the video game feature dicks?" Zach: "I can't say too much about it, but it, it doesn't ignore dicks, you know what I mean? It doesn't, you know what, there might be, yeah, there's, it's a sexy video game, it's a hot video game." Host: "So are you a character?" Zach: "I'm a character in the video game." --- Zach: "I'm gonna come back on to promote the hell out of that, because I'm really excited about that. I'm still working on that, and that's been, like, I'm super grateful for that, because that's been going on for like three years and it's been consistent work." --- Zach: "I'm super excited about it [...]" "Other people help you make really amazing things, when humans get together they make pretty stuff, and this game looks amazing"

[source (acting career segment. source link isn't work-appropriate. I don't recommend the podcast)]

[beyondthesefourwalls]

Something Worth Remembering

Summary: You were hopeful that you’d be moved into your new house before Christmas, but after another renovation delay, that’s not in the cards. To your credit, you make the most of the situation, and Bradley falls in love with you even more because of it. But he’s determined to make your first Christmas together special, and sets out to plan a surprise that ensures the holiday will be one both of you will always remember. 

Pairing: Bradley Bradshaw x Reader (no use of y/n)  

(can be read as Forgetful Boy and Pumpkin from RYEWID, but not necessary to read that first)

Word Count: 3.7K 

Warnings: Warm fuzzy Hallmark feelings. Language. Allusions to smut. 

Notes: Some holiday action for my faves. Written for @bellaireland1981's Winter RomCom Challenge with the prompt "home for the holidays”. Also as part of The Forgotten Moments Collection, but can very much be read by itself. 

—---

____

Bradley stopped short when he walked through the front door, eyes widening as he took in the scene in front of him. 

“Um…Pumpkin?” 

“You’re home!” 

You popped up so suddenly from the other side of the counter in the kitchen that he jumped slightly in surprise. “Am I?” he asked slowly, closing the door behind him and bending down to unlace and take off his boots. You laughed brightly as you stepped around some of the shopping bags on the floor to get to him. He accepted the kiss from you eagerly, feeling the stress from another work day dissipate as he wrapped his arms around you. 

“Contractors called,” you told him once you pulled back, resting a hand on his chest. Your ring sparkled in the light streaming in through the open curtains, and Bradley couldn’t help but smile before he registered the words. “There’s a delay with the electrician and the flooring.” 

Bradley groaned, the familiar annoyance of hearing the word “delay” coursing through him. The home the two of you had purchased was a fixer upper, tucked into the end of a cul de sac in a neighborhood not too far from base. There was work that needed to be done to make it everything you wanted, but neither of you had anticipated all the headaches that would come along with that. It would be a long project, you knew, but the contractor you had hired had promised it would at least be livable within the first few weeks. 

That had been nearly two months ago now, and the delays kept piling up. Barely anything had been done at this point, and he knew he’d have to call the administrative office tomorrow to extend the lease on the on-base apartment, again. 

“Of course there is.” 

You smiled gently, and Bradley couldn’t help but let some of the annoyance slip away at the soft look on your face. He took a deep breath and let himself relax, pressing a kiss to your forehead before releasing you. He gestured to the tiny apartment the Navy had provided you with, smaller than the shoebox you had called home back in DC, that definitely did not look like what it did when he left for work this morning. 

“Is that why it suddenly looks like Christmas threw up in here?” 

You threw your head back as you giggled. The sound caused a full blown smile to cross Bradley’s face, warming him from the inside out.

“I was holding out hope that we would be able to spend Christmas in our new house, even if it’s not finished. But since the electrician’s are delayed, the floor people can’t come until the 28th. So I decided to finally cave and decorate here instead. But I didn’t want to spend a bunch of money on nice decorations, because I want to save that for when we’re completely moved in next year.” 

“So…” 

“So I may or may not have bought out a good portion of the Dollar Tree Christmas aisle, and spent way too long deciding on white lights or multicolored lights for the $20 table top tree that I bought.” 

Bradley laughed loudly, looking around your temporary home once again. Red and green and gold covered the minimal available surfaces, and a small lopsided tree sat on the corner table in the living room, a bag of what he assumed to be decorations sitting beside it. Your cat, Florry, was curled up on top of a pile of bright green garland on the floor. 

"Who needs a fancy new house when we can have our own little tacky winter wonderland right here?"

Your eyes sparkled with delight as you spoke, clearly thrilled by the idea, or at least incredibly amused by it. Bradley knew that Christmas was your favorite holiday, and how much you loved the festive season. This would be the first one you ever spent together. When you had toured the house months ago, you had pointed out the perfect place for a tree and where certain decorations could go. You had been so excited to spend the holiday in your new home. As the delays started coming in you had adjusted just how grandiose your plans would be, but you had taken it in stride. Now you were only six days out from Christmas itself and you were once again just making the best of the situation that neither of you could control. 

Not for the first time, he wondered how he had gotten so lucky. 

"Alright, Pumpkin," he said, "Let me go change, and then I’ll help you make this the tackiest, most magical Christmas ever."

You grinned at him, a mischievous spark in your eyes. "Challenge accepted."

_____

The Dagger Squad had an impromptu and unofficial holiday party the next night at the Hard Deck, and it still blew Bradley away seeing you intermixed so perfectly with his friends, both old and new. You floated from conversation to conversation and when he wasn’t by your side, he watched you with a smile on his face. He knew you were perfect for him, but seeing you fitting in like this just reaffirmed it. 

“How’s the house coming along?” 

He looked over at Mav as he leant against the bar beside him, handing him a fresh beer. He was still getting used to being around his godfather after all this time, but they had settled into a peaceful kind of hesitancy as they relearned what it meant to be in the other’s life, and it was nice, even if Bradley had to remind himself to breathe sometimes. 

“Slowly.” 

His tone must have relayed how he was feeling because Mav shot him a sympathetic wince. “Another delay?” 

“Yup.” Bradley let out a frustrated sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. “They can’t get the electricians in until tomorrow, which is when the flooring was supposed to go in. So now that got pushed to after Christmas” 

Mav clasped a hand on Bradley's shoulder, offering a supportive squeeze. "It'll all come together eventually. How’s she taking it?” 

He snorted as he brought the drink to his lips, taking another sip. “She handles stress and shit like this better than anyone I know.” 

Mav smiled, nodding in what looked like approval. “You got yourself a good one.” 

Bradley hummed his agreement and let his eyes stray to you, chuckling softly when he saw you dancing with Nat. Sometime in the last few minutes, you had stolen the Santa hat that Coyote had arrived with, the red and white material perched on your head. You twirled around with his best friend to the Christmas song playing over the jukebox, laughing merrily. You really did love this time of year. 

You had told him that you didn’t care where you spent the holiday, so long as you were together. It was your first Christmas together, after all. But Bradley still felt guilty over not being able to get you into the house sooner. You had only been married for a few months, and you had given up your whole entire life to move out to California when he got permanently assigned here. It’s a decision you would make again and again, he knew, but he still wished there was something he could do, too. You had made far more sacrifices than he had. He wanted this holiday to be special. Memorable. 

You were just a little bit tipsy when you got back to the apartment that night. You had clung to Bradley’s arm with both of yours the whole way up to the third floor from the parking lot, but the moment you walk through the door, you’re releasing him to go plug in the tiny table top tree. You plug in the string lights lining the kitchen counters next, humming a christmas song he can’t quite place under your breath as you do. You turned to him once the space was illuminated, the soft golden glow highlighting your smile. 

“Pretty nice, huh? These cheap decorations aren’t so bad - I may just keep them for the new house, too.” 

Your ability to make the most of everything made his heart stutter. He was in front of you in only three quick strides, one hand landing on your hip while the other cupped your face. He bent to connect your lips in a kiss. He could still taste the peppermint from the candy cane you sucked on on the ride home, and the taste of the champagne Penny had broken out at the end of the night for a toast. You didn’t hesitate to wrap your arms around him and return the kiss, both of you getting so lost in it that by the time he pulled away, he was panting.

“You must really like the cheap decor,” you breathed, and Bradley huffed out a laugh at your joke. 

“I just really like you,” he quipped, and he enjoyed how a shiver went through your body at his response. 

As you changed into pajamas and settled on the couch together, an idea started forming in his head. He thought he might know just what to do to make this holiday memorable for you after all. 

_____

“Are you sure you don’t mind me running out for a bit?” you asked for what was probably the tenth time as you slid your sweater on over your head. Bradley groaned to himself as your body was covered from his view as he lounged in bed. He had been watching you get ready, enjoying not for the first time how getting dressed was almost always the last step in your process. 

“I’m positive,” he said, also for the tenth time. You gave him a dubious look and he couldn’t help but laugh. “Pumpkin, I promise it’s okay.” 

“I know, but it’s our first Christmas Eve together!” 

Bradley moved so he was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding his arms open. You stepped between his spread legs and let your hands rest on his shoulders as he looked up at you, squeezing your sides through your red sweater. “Technically, it’s Christmas Eve morning. And I think you getting brunch with Nat and Coyote’s wife will be nice for you. You’ve been so busy with work and the move that you haven’t really had time to make friends.” 

“I was already friends with Nat.” 

He rolled his eyes at you fondly. “You know what I mean.” 

You sighed again, fingers playing with the hair on the back of his head in the way that always calmed him down, even when he wasn’t feeling stressed out. He thought maybe the motion soothed you, too. “I think it’ll be fun.” 

“Yeah,” you admitted slowly, nodding hesitantly. “I do too.” 

“Then go. Have fun. I’ll be here when you get back, and we’ll spend Christmas Eve together. The morning doesn’t count.” 

You snorted, but nodded nonetheless. He accepted the kiss you gave him right as your phone started ringing from the bedside table. Nat was there to pick you up, just like he had requested her to when he asked for her help with pulling off this surprise by getting you out of the apartment for a few hours today. 

He gave it ten minutes after you had left before he jumped up and started taking down all of the decorations you had strewn throughout the apartment. It was easy work considering how small the place was, only taking him a few trips to and from the Bronco. He grabbed the small tree last, carrying it delicately so that none of the ornaments fell off and wouldn’t have to be reconstructed. 

It didn’t take too long to get to the house at the end of the cul de sac that was now in both of your names, traffic light despite the holiday. He let himself in with the key that was still shiny with how new it was. He let out a sigh of relief when he flipped the switch and the overhead light in the living room actually turned on - with everything that had gone on, he wouldn’t have been all that surprised if it hadn’t. He made quick work of bringing in everything from the car, including the items that he had purchased and kept in the trunk without you seeing them this week. 

He knew he had limited time, as Nat could only commit to a few hours of keeping you distracted, but it would be more than enough with what he needed to do. His phone buzzed right as he was finishing up a little more than an hour later, your name flashing up at him.

Pumpkin🧡: Getting the check! Back soon❤️

He sent back a response telling you he’d see you soon, quickly finishing up. He locked the door behind him and jogged to the Bronco parked in the driveway, and he was only back at the apartment for less than 10 minutes when you walked in the door with a large smile on your face that quickly morphed into horrified confusion.  

“What happened to our decorations?”

“Hey, Pumpkin. How was brunch?” 

“Were we robbed?”

Bradley barked out a laugh, shaking his head at your wide eyes. “Of our dollar tree Christmas decorations?”

You just gestured wildly around the space, devoid of any hint of the holiday cheer that had existed in its space earlier in the day. He laughed again, closing the distance to where you stood at the still open front door. He reached around you to push it closed before pulling you into him. He kissed your forehead, your nose, and then finally your lips, pursued in an adorable pout. “We weren’t robbed,” he assured you. “But I do have a present for you. Go get changed.” 

“What?” 

He squeezed your hips, smiling warmly. “Trust me?” 

You eyed him closely for a moment before your pout eventually settled into a soft grin, and you let out a long sigh before you nodded. “Always.” 

He kissed you again, a little deeper this time, but pulled away before he could get totally lost in it. “Pajamas are on the bed.”

“Pajamas? It’s 2pm!” 

He only chuckled in response, playfully smacking your butt when you started walking back toward the bedroom. “Trust me.” 

You got even more suspicious when you emerged from the bedroom and saw that he had Florry in her carrier at the door and had changed into his own pajamas. He twirled his keys around his fingers and then held open the door for you. Once you were in the Bronco, cat meowing at your feet, he held out a red silk piece of cloth that made your eyebrows shoot up. 

“Seriously? A blindfold?”

“Think of it like a Christmas adventure. Now let me put it on.”

You huffed a breath but he knew you weren't actually mad - you loved surprises, and there was a smile tugging at your lips as you turned to allow him to tie the silk at the back of your head. He kissed your hair when he was done and turned to start the vehicle. 

“You know,” you said casually, just as Bradley was pulling out of the parking lot, “this blindfold might come in handy later. We should make sure the headboard we pick out has appropriate accommodations.” 

He groaned at the implication, a flush creeping up his neck on instinct. You giggled happily, knowing the effect you had on him. He rested a hand on your thigh as he drove, yours covering his in a familiar move. The feeling of your ring on his skin was one he had grown to love in the last few months since you’ve gotten married. 

You threw out guesses the entire drive over, each one more extravagant and ludicrous than the one before. By the time he pulled into the driveway that one day will be an everyday occurrence, he was grinning so hard that his cheeks were starting to hurt. 

“Don’t move,” he said when he saw you reach for the door handle. He jogged around the Bronco to the passenger side, opening your door. He helped you down before reaching back in for Florry’s carrier, pressing it into your hands so you could carry her, while he focused on you. 

"Alright, Pumpkin," he whispered, his voice laced with eagerness. "Keep your blindfold on, and I'll guide you." His hand tightened around yours as he led you out of the car and towards the front door of your new home. Excitement coursed through him as he thought about your reaction, and he loved that he knew instinctively that it would be positive. 

He loved that he knew you so well. 

“Stay here just a second,” he instructed once he got you through the door. He moved away from you to quickly plug everything in, coming back to you once the room was cast both in the sunlight streaming through the windows and the artificial LED lights. 

He stood in front of you, a grin playing on his lips as he watched you fidget with anticipation. Your blindfold was still securely in place, blocking your vision from the surprise he had prepared. You were so damn beautiful, and he would never understand how he got lucky enough to call himself yours. 

"Okay, baby," he said softly.  He gently took the carrier out of your hands, setting it on the floor and letting the cat out to wander the new space that he had cleared of anything that might hurt her, before moving to stand behind you. Your back flush against his front, he moved his hands up your arms in a smooth caress, settling on your shoulders and squeezing in affection. "You can take off the blindfold now."

With trembling hands, you reached up and slipped the silk cloth from your eyes, revealing the scene before you. Gasping in awe, your eyes widened as you took in the sight that unfolded in the living room. 

“Oh my God. Bradley.” 

The room was still very much a construction zone, but he had moved all of the decorations from the apartment, plus a few more that he had gotten, to decorate the barren space. The tree you had bought sat on the floor in the corner. Blankets lined the unfinished floors, as well as humongous cotton puffs to replicate snow. An air mattress covered with bright red sheets and a green blanket was in the middle of the room. Everything looked straight out of a tacky high school Christmas play, but it was so bad that it was almost good - whimsical and unique.

He watched as you took it all in, feeling his heart beating double time in his chest. When you turned to face him, there was a wide smile on your face, and tears shining in your pretty eyes. You didn’t have to ask for him to know what you were thinking. 

“I wanted our first Christmas together to be in our home, even if it’s not finished yet. I figured we could camp out for the day. You-” The words were knocked out of him as you launched yourself into his arms. He held you for a long moment, pressing a kiss into your hair as your laughter settled. “You deserve something special, Pumpkin,” he finally finished, voice softer than it had been. 

You pulled back just far enough to meet his eyes, your hands cupping his face. “All I need is you, baby. You know that?” 

He turned his head just slightly to press a kiss into your palm, nodding once. “I do.” A smirk twitched at his lips, his mustache twitching with the expression. “Does that mean you want me to pack all this up and return your gifts, too?” 

The gasp you let out was damn near scandalized. "Oh, no you don't!" you playfully swatted at his chest. You motioned toward the tacky decorations with a mischievous grin. "We can't let these go to waste. It's our first Christmas, after all."

Bradley chuckled, arms secure around you.  "It sure is," he whispered, his voice filled with affection. He leaned down to capture your lips in a sweet kiss, the taste of anticipation lingering. 

“Besides,” you murmured quietly, your eyes sparkling with a familiar look that had him warming from the inside out. “This gives us a jump start on christening the place. That air mattress looks mighty comfortable.” 

Desire flared through him, and he wasted no time in scooping you up in his arms, carrying you bridal-style towards the makeshift bed. Your laughter echoed in the space as he laid you down. 

“You know I’m gonna make you pack all of this back up and put it back up in the apartment until at least New Years, right?” you asked him, slightly breathless as he moved his kisses from your lips down to your neck, nipping at the skin. 

Bradley chuckled, his hands pushing your shirt up, revealing soft skin that he loved to touch. “Oh, of that I have no doubt.” 

Later, you lay nestled together underneath the green blanket, the crackling sound of a virtual fireplace playing from his laptop on the floor beside you while Christmas music played lightly from your phone. You were basking in the glow of the makeshift display as your breathing calmed. You pressed a kiss to his chest, right over his beating heart. He was sure that it skipped a beat at the gesture, but if you noticed, you didn’t comment on it. 

“I can’t wait until we’re in here for good,” you whispered instead. 

He hummed in response, tracing lazy patterns on your bare back. “Me too.” 

You snorted after another moment, propping your head up to meet his eyes. “Hell of a first memory to make here, don’t you think?” 

Bradley laughed lightly, a contented smile spreading across his face. It certainly was, in all of the best ways. “I’ll remember this forever,” he said, voice filled with warmth and conviction, because he couldn’t fathom ever forgetting any moment with you, especially something as perfect as this. 

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

Main Masterlist :: The Forgotten Moments Masterlist

Notes: It's been far too long since I wrote anything for these two. I hope you enjoyed it! Likes/comments/reblogs are always appreciated if you did🧡

Thanks to @roosterforme and @mak-32 for all their help!

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@greatszu @na-ta-sh-aa @callsign-magnolia @chaoticassidy @thedroneranger @cherrycola27

[the-solar-system52]

ok who the FUCK was going to tell me that my favorite musician ever made a demo based off my favorite movie ever AND I DIDNT KNOW ABOUT IT???

so there i was, scrolling on google through some 2010 content, and I see a song on Genius titled "ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS EXCEPT EUROPA ATTEMPT NO LANDING THERE" and out of curiosity i click on it and get jumpscared by NEIL FUCKING CICIEREGA????? AS IN? LEMON DEMON NEIL CICIERGA? AS IN MY NO 1 SPOTIFY WRAPPED ARTIST SINCE 2021?? THAT NEIL CICEREGA???

and I hit play and ITS THE OPENING TO SPIRAL OF ANTS?????

SPIRAL OF ANTS WAS ORIGINALLY BASED OF 2010 THE YEAR WE MAKE CONTACT??? WHAT WHAT WHAT

(here is the youtube video the Genius site leads to: https://youtu.be/QuFv1jAo2CE?si=ceAdnsvOxEgcMBp1)

so ofc i relistened to Spiral of Ants and started digging for any hints towards its 2010 origins. i couldn't find much literal stuff since alien warnings about one of Jupiter's moons and a bunch of ants dying don't really have much in common. there is one lyric that uses the word 'odyssey' that could be referencing 2001: A Space Odyssey but idk.

but! in regards to the themes of Spiral of Ants instead of just the plot then there is plenty in common! SOA has an overarching theme of fusion and collective consciousness, since the story follows a hivemind of ants mindlessly following each other into a spiral and eventually becoming one ant and dying. i always took this song as a metaphor for mass hysteria and/or capitalism since fusion is viewed in a negative light. the ant's lack of individuality prevents them from recognizing the colony is just being led in circles since they are all only focusing on following the ant right in front of them via pheromones, and the fusion is what ultimately leads to their death.

2010 also has the theme of fusion! the scene the demo title quote appears in happens right after the scene where Hal and Dave fuse (technically. the exact time they literally fuse sort of depends on who you ask, but they definitely metaphorically fuse in this scene. cuz yk "Don't be. We'll be together.") the Europa message is basically Halman's first words. and although some out-of-context lyrics from SOA may fit Halman, 2010 overall has a more positive view on fusion. Halman doesn't count as a hivemind since he's only a fusion of two people, and because of that, he still retains all of his intelligence and memories from his past life unfused, if anything he's smarter. Instead, Halman acts as a metaphor for a functioning symbiotic, and possibly romantic, relationship between Hal and Dave. They fused because they actually wanted to be together, and not out of mindless instinct like the ants in SOA did. Fusion is the thing that saves them, instead of the thing that dooms them.

I think it's really interesting to think about how Spiral of Ants could've originally been based of Halman but then evolved into the song we know it today. And what would the song have been like if it stuck with the initial 2010 inspiration? Would it have been more hopeful and positive instead of the story of inevitable death we got in the finished project?

And am I a little pissed off that we could've gotten a Lemon Demon song based of my favorite fictional character ever but instead we got a song about ANTS? Maybe yeah. But this knowledge certainly gives me a new appreciation of the song overall.

Though I do wish this could've been an Ivanushka situation, a demo of Touch Tone Telephone that was released fully with completely different lyrics and story but the same melody. But the demo we have of Europa has no lyrics and is basically just opening of SOA with no major musical differences I can make out. If lyrics were ever written for this earlier Halman-inspired version of SOA, then it's been 10 years since the demo, I don't reckon our chances of getting the full song. But I can dream I suppose.

Also! Here's picture of Neil in Hal cosplay that I found on Pinterest. You're welcome.

Honestly knowing Neil was a space odyssey fan makes me think of what other songs could've had space odyssey influence? Ancient Aliens always gave Dawn of Man vibes to me, but even more vague stuff like Soft Fuzzy Man, Cabinet Man, No Eyed Girl or Aurora Borealis?? Who knows, the possibilities are endless!

Edit: Guys. I found a scrapped instrumental named 'Kubrick and the Beast'. As in. Stanley??? Kubrick??? Neil said this about the song:

"The albums tone ended up going in a different direction" what do you MEAN?? WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT WENT IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION?? WAS SPIRIT PHONE ORIGINALLY INSPIRED BY THE SPACE ODYSSEY SERIES??? OR MAYBE MORE JUST KUBRICK IN GENERAL?? EXPLAIN??

[whiskersz]

Can you please do headcanons with Angel and Husk with a reader who suffers from chronic pain/illness and how’d they’d help reader get through it? Platonic or romantic is up to you! It’s okay if you can’t but thank you so much if you do.

Hey there! Of course I can, I decided to go with chronic pain though it’s written pretty vaguely, so it can be relatable to a wider audience; and for anyone struggling with this, make sure you rest a bunch :)

Angel and Husk with a Reader who has Chronic pain/illness

Angel Dust

✧Angel is a very caring boyfriend; he remembers all the meds that you’re supposed to take and at what time, and if you forget about taking them he’s going to gently scold you and remind you that this is important for your health.

✧However, his life is pretty busy with him having to be on set for most of the day, so he can’t really take care of you the way he’d rather do it. Still, he’ll take a few breaks to remind you to take your medicine at the right time and entrust somebody else to take care of you if you’re having a particularly bad day.

✧Speaking of bad days, every single morning before he goes to work he’ll stop by your room; if you’re already awake he’ll tell you to text him if there is a problem and you two will share a kiss as good luck to both of you; if you’re still sleeping, he’ll gladly leave a neatly written note on your nightstand where he reminds you how much he loves you and tells you he hopes that you have a good day, and to obviously text him if something’s wrong.

Good Morning Sweets, I hope you slept fine, and that today goes well! Leave me a message if you need, I’ll try to check my phone for you. I love you a bunch, -Anthony <3

✧At the end of the day, expect a lot of cuddles and kisses! He’ll ask you how it went and if you managed to carry out any of your projects. At the start of the relationship he might even avoid talking about his own struggles because he knows you have to deal with yours every day, but as you two get more comfortable so will the relationship, and you’ll be genuine with each other, as the other will always be there for comfort.

Husk

✦Husk may appear grumpy, but as I said probably a million times at this point, he’s the exact opposite in a relationship, especially if you struggle with chronic pain or illness. He’ll be extra careful not to cause you any additional pain or fatigue, and will be thinking of you pretty much the whole time when you’re resting in your room.

✦Alcohol doesn’t really help with chronic pain and illness, so he’s willing to mix you non-alcoholic cocktails and of course prepare something extra for you, such as a breakfast in bed here...a favourite dish as lunch there...he’s skilled in the kitchen! So he does so both because he enjoys it and because it lessens your strain.

✦He can also be a bit of a couch potato, so he doesn’t really mind if you sometimes prefer to have little dates at the Hotel because you’re not feeling the best. Watching some TV to distract you sounds good enough to him, as long as you get to spend time together and he gets to comfort you with his purrs.

✦If you’re having a particularly bad day, he will do anything for you; bring you your meds, remind you to eat and drink, he will even take breaks from tending to the bar to check on you. Alastor doesn’t mind him doing that either.

✦- This only applies if you’re dating both of them – Husk will always be appointed to look after you by Angel while he’s at work if you’re in pain, and he doesn’t mind it one bit. You will receive lots of love once Angel comes home, from both him and Husk, and the playful banter between the two will surely be able to distract you a bit.  

[santanasaintmendes]

“crazy, crazy, crazy for you baby. . . ”

“what can I do honey? i feel like the colour blue”

wc!: 3.5k words + smau insta post (i just can’t write small fics im sorry 😔)

pepe martí x fem!reader

type: angst + fluff ending

warnings: mentions of barfing (not in detail), swearing, angsty, jumping out of a window (jokingly), embarrassing reader 😓 if there are anymore let me know!

summary: you and pepe have the cute teenage love most people would be jealous of, but with the two of you busy with your own things is it as perfect as it may seem?

requested by @cwafffle 💖

a/n: thank you so much for requesting this! I had an absolute blast writing it, i’ve never written something so intense lol anyways enjoy, I hope it’s as good as you hoped!

Love isn’t perfect, it’s something everybody knows. So surely loving someone should be worth hurting this much for . . . right? 

Your relationship with Pepe used to be perfect, everything you’d dreamt of and more.

It wasn’t always like this, the hurting and the endless waiting for one another to meet the other half way. Although it may seem like a century ago, you and Pepe were once happy. Dating him was like a dream you never wanted to come out of. Pepe was your first ever boyfriend, the two of you attended the same high school in Barcelona where he was in your classes. Initially you never paid attention to him much, sitting on the other side of the classroom near the window.

But he took the crown whenever it came to popularity contests, he always had a bunch of people - mostly girls, following him around and by the looks of it he enjoyed it. Everyone knew how impressive he was at karting, by the time you were both 15 he was up and ready to make his debut in Formula 4. 

The first time he ever spoke to you was when you were both appointed partners for a science project. “You’re Y/N, right?” a voice asked, sending your train of thoughts spiralling as you looked up from your textbook. Pepe stood next to you, peering down at you, eyebrows raised. You sent him a brief nod, “Yep.” you said awkwardly as he took a seat next to you. The two of you sat in silence as the teacher called out other students’ names. Slowly, you turned your head to look at the boy who was sitting beside you. You’d heard all sorts of things about the famous star of your school, Pepe Marti but you’d never thought you’d be partnered up to do a project of all things. His hair was jet black and . . . he had pretty eyes and- 

Pepe must’ve sensed you staring at him because he met your gaze, “You okay. . .?” he asked. Your cheeks immediately flushed red as you cleared your throat, “Of course, I was just uh . .  . looking at the plant behind you?” you stated, looking for the closest thing in your view. You could’ve died right there on the spot as Pepe turned to look at the plant you’d pointed out. It was half dead and withering brown. 

He slowly turned back around, nodding slowly, “Um, okay.” he chuckled nervously. You would’ve jumped out of the window if you weren’t in class, he probably thought you were a weirdo now. You nodded along, playing it off very awkwardly. You cleared your throat, “Anyways, my place or yours?” you blurted out, your face twisting into horror as you realised what you’d asked, immediately wanting to dig a grave and jump in. It sounded so bad without context. 

“What?” he asked, eyebrows raised in concern. “No wait. What I meant to ask was, do you want to do the project at my house or yours?” you could feel the heat of embarrassment creeping up to your cheeks. You just KNEW your face was tomato red as Pepe slowly nodded, “Oh. I don’t mind.” 

You winced, as you turned to look out the window, almost wanting to cry of embarrassment. You turned back to Pepe, a forced smile plastered on your face. “Is my house okay then?” you asked, relief washing over you as you finally said something that made sense without embarrassing yourself. He nodded as the bell rang, signalling lunch time, he stood up sending you a brief smile. “See you this afternoon then.”

Surprisingly, when Pepe came over that afternoon to begin the project you managed to keep your cool. Turned out that he was pretty chill and a funny guy, the two of you began to crack jokes and it was like you both clicked. After that, people at school would stare at you as you both would be on the verge of tears from laughing, both lost in your own little world. You learned all about his racing career and his family. As the closer the two of you got, it finally felt like you’d found someone who understood you. 

Pepe was by far the kindest and funniest guy you’d ever met and to be fair you’d never really been rather good with boys, but he made being his friend like the easiest thing in the world. You began to feel light and your stomach fluttery whenever you were around him, then it hit you like a whirlwind, you liked him.

It wasn’t uncommon for you to be swept off your feet like that, hell someone could open a door for you and you’d be thinking about it for months. But with Pepe it was different, it felt different. And you couldn’t help but wonder if he liked you the same way.

It was a peaceful November afternoon when Pepe invited you out on a walk, going on walks together wasn’t uncommon for the two of you. He’d just finished his first season of Formula 4 and he couldn’t have been in higher spirits. It hadn’t been a total bust and that’s all he could’ve asked for. There was just one more thing he had to do to seal the deal. 

The two of you walked silently through the park, admiring the beautiful colours of the autumn leaves that slowly fell and twirled in the gentle wind. You looked over at Pepe who was staring at his feet as if he was nervous. 

“You okay?” you asked, slightly concerned with your friend’s silence since he’d picked you up from your house. He nodded but didn’t meet your eyes so the two of you slowly walked in silence. It was getting weird, the silence, usually Pepe was the one who led the entire conversation, sometimes with even the most randomest things. 

“Are you sure you’re okay? Nothing bad happened, right?” you asked, eyebrows furrowed in concern. Pepe stopped in his tracks and turned to you with an unreadable expression, he was making you nervous. He took a deep breath in as he locked eyes with you, “I like you.” 

“I mean we’ve been friends for a while. I think it would be weird if you didn’t like me.” you chuckled but you paused when you saw his expression. OH. OHHHHH.

You felt like slapping yourself in the face, he didn’t mean it like that. He meant it in the way you’ve always wanted him to. Pepe liked you. It hadn’t fully sunk in but you felt like you’d been given laughing gas as you began to laugh uncontrollably much to Pepe’s surprise. This was definitely not going the way he thought it would as you gasped for air, holding onto him for support. 

“You are really the weirdest person I know.” he murmured as you regained your composure. You smiled at him teasingly as you wiggled your eyebrows, nudging him playfully. 

“But you like me.” 

“I’m starting to regret telling you.” he grumbled as he folded his arms across his chest. You smiled at him, it felt like you were in a dream. If it was, you never wanted to be woken up again. 

“It’s okay, I like you too.” you replied as you continued walking, leaving a wide-eyed Pepe gaping. He ran to catch up with you, “Wait, are you serious?” he asked, a giant grin on his face. 

“Of course, I’m always serious.” you replied earnestly as you admired his dimples that stuck out with his smile. You were playing it cool but inside of you it felt as if you’d gotten struck by Cupid’s arrow, you couldn’t help but have a grin on your face. 

“I think this is the part where you ask me out.” you whispered to him, he nodded playing along. “Oh right.” he cleared his throat before taking your hands in his, his gentle touch making your heart flutter as he looked into your eyes. 

“Will you, Y/N Y/L/N, go on a date with me?” 

You couldn’t help but engulf him in a giant hug, “Of course I will.” you whispered in his ear as he held you. If only you could’ve seen how giant his smile was. 

The next few months after that were absolute blissful perfection. Being Pepe’s girlfriend was everything you’d ever dreamt of and more. He was a gentleman through and through. The first ever date he took you on was to a giant amusement park not too far from his house. The day ended with you puking a couple of times after going on the rides but nonetheless it was perfect. The two of you bought popcorn and walked up a hill to watch the sunset. That was when Pepe took you by surprise and kissed you, it wasn’t forced nor rushed it was everything you’d ever wanted. 

Pepe soon moved up to Formula 3, his first year brought a lot of challenges and unfortunately wasn’t his greatest year. But you were there to comfort him everytime he wasn’t able to get as far as he thought he would. The second year was a huge improvement though with him winning two sprint races, one in Bahrain and the other in Monaco. Then came his first feature race win in his own country, he felt like he was finally flying. 

As you continued in school, the time you both spent together became harder and harder to manage. It was just natural, when Pepe got into Formula 2 his career demanded that he fly further away and more often. You were occupied with your own things, you were studying International Relations and working on the side. Calls and facetiming became less frequent, neither having the time anymore. You selfishly wished Pepe didn’t have to be so far away, that he could be closer to home, closer to you. 

But it wasn’t something you could control, you wished you could’ve just ignored how bad it was getting. That you could’ve told yourself it was fine and moved on, but it wasn't fine. You felt alone, and you shouldn’t be feeling that when you’re in a relationship, it didn’t take a genius to understand that. Pepe barely came home anymore, you always slept alone, you always watched movies alone, you always went on walks alone. Things you knew you should’ve been doing with Pepe, but the truth was that he was a million miles away. You knew you could never ask him to leave something he loved so dearly, you just wished that you were a priority in his life. To be the only thing he thought about, to be the thing that brought him home every week. 

But the truth? 

You’d never be a priority in his life as long as racing was in it. How you wished that you could be okay with his absence, okay with the fact that it felt like you weren’t even in a relationship anymore. You thought the two of you would be able to figure it out, that it would naturally fix itself but that just wasn’t how relationships worked. The thing about relationships?

That no matter how much you can ignore the cracks in your relationship, you’re both going to fall in, no matter what. 

It had been a rough couple of months for you especially with Pepe flying all around the world for his next race. He’d texted- not called, you the night before letting you know that he’d be coming home this weekend for the first time in what felt like forever. You told him that you could pick him up from the airport but he insisted that you’d be too tired to, so you told him you’d wait for him at home. 

Rain gently pattered against the windows of your apartment that was dimly lit by the lamps in your living room. You were on your computer working on your latest assignment, something you were finding trouble focusing on, all the words seemed to jumble up like they’d been barfed all over your screen. You knew what was distracting you, it was the fact that Pepe was coming home tonight, that you were going to do something you’d never thought you would in a million years. You were going to break up with him. 

Just the thought made you sick to your stomach. There was a soft jangle of keys in the front door that made you look up. Pepe walked through the door but he was a couple months too late in your mind. He met your eyes and smiled, “Hola, hermosa.” (Hey gorgeous)

You hated the way he thought that everything was okay, almost like he hadn’t missed you as much as you’d missed him. “Hi.” is all you said in a flat tone. You remained seated on the couch, no more giant hugs or smothering him in kisses, only silence. You looked back at your computer that was still on and shut it. Pepe could sense something was wrong, that you were unhappy, unhappy with him. 

“Everything okay. . .?” he asked gently as he set down his bags on the counter top. You stood up, “Are you seriously asking me that?”

Anger began to rise inside of you, you wanted him to know, to understand how much you were hurting, how much you were suffering alone in this relationship. 

“I’m always serious, princesa.” (princess) he joked but his smile fell when he saw that you weren’t smiling with him. 

“Don’t, don’t do that, you can’t just charm your way out of this.” you told him, “You can’t just pretend like everything’s okay.” 

“I’m not, just tell me what’s wrong.” Pepe said defensively. You sighed, “You really don’t know what’s wrong, do you?” you asked him. 

“Stop acting like I’m dumb or something, just tell me.” he persisted. You scoffed, pulling away from him as he reached out for you. The hurt in his eyes made you want to run out the front door and never look back. 

“You’re never around anymore, you’re so busy with your racing that you barely come home anymore. It’s as if you don’t even live here anymore, we don’t call anymore when you’re away. You leave me here all alone by myself and expect everything to be fine, well guess what? It’s not.” you blurted out everything you’d been keeping in the last few months. 

“Oh so it’s all my fault then?” Pepe asked, shaking his head as if disappointed. You took a deep breath in to steady your anger. 

“I didn’t say it was all your fault.” you shot back angrily, folding your arms across your chest defensively. 

“Yeah well it sure seems like that’s what you’re implying.” he scoffed, oh you just could’ve strangled him. How could he be like this? 

“I wasn’t implying anything, I’m just telling you how I feel, but clearly you don’t care at all.” you raised your voice, your hands were already shaking. 

“Don’t do that, Y/N.” Pepe warned but you were already too far gone. 

“Do what?” you asked, “Do what, huh? This is all your fault, you were right.”

“Well maybe if being my girlfriend is too hard for you then you shouldn’t be it anymore.” Pepe shot back angrily. There was a long moment of silence as the words did their damage. No matter how much he wished he could’ve taken the words back and apologised instead, he couldn��t. 

“Y/N, I-” 

“You’re so fucking selfish, I wish, I wish that you cared more. That you actually cared about me enough to fix this. I wish that you loved me as much as I love you. . . but you don’t. I want to break up.” you told him, hot tears rolling down your cheeks. 

“What?” 

You took a deep breath in, “I want to break up.” you repeated. Words couldn’t explain how hurt Pepe looked as you told him that, you felt awful like your heart had been ripped out of you. But deep down you knew this had to happen, love wasn’t supposed to hurt this much. Love shouldn’t be one suffering whilst the other thrives. For once, you were going to put yourself and your feelings first no matter how much you knew it was going to hurt Pepe.

3 MONTHS LATER  

liked by bestie1, bestie2, bestie 3 and 243 others 

yourusername: life lately <3 

tagged bestie1, bestie2 and bestie3 

view 312 comments 

bestie1: ❤️

user1: y/n’s first post without pepe i think i might die 😭

user2: sigh my favourite f2 couple

user3: i’m a child of divorce 😔

 user4: ya’ll im confused what happened between y/n and pepe?

|

 user5: i heard it was bad 😬 

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 user6: they broke up bc of the long distance and some other stuff 

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 user4: oh damn, i thought they were going to last 

|

 user6: didn’t we all 

user7: i don’t think i’ll ever get used to seeing pepe without y/n 

user8: they were the perfect couple, i mean high school sweethearts are u joking 

user9: literally crying. it’s the onions its the onions 

user10: goodbye i’m going to go jump off a cliff now 

author has disabled all comments 

3 was beginning to be an unlucky number for you, 3 letters in bad, 3 months without Pepe and somehow you still felt as shitty as you did when you broke up with him. He constantly occupied your mind, it felt like a giant chunk of your heart had been taken from you. You wished you could just move on from him, be okay and come to terms with the fact that you were no longer together. But some part of you refused to accept it. 

It didn’t help that every instagram post you put up got flooded with comments, both good and bad, mostly wondering why you and Pepe had broken up. It wasn’t any help at all, all of it just a torturing reminder of what you’d lost that night. 

God, you missed him. You missed the cute spanish nicknames he’d call you, you missed his touch, you missed when he would drop you off at university everyday and pick you up when the day had ended. But most of all you missed how he made you feel, feel like you mattered. 

You were walking home, the spring offering nothing except bad hayfever in your case. The day was finished and another exhausting day of uni was over. You climbed the stairs up to your apartment, when you and Pepe had broken up he was the one who moved out. 

You unlocked the front door and let it swing open, greeted with nothing but silence. The apartment seemed so empty, so dead now that Pepe was gone. You wish you could hate him more, blame him for everything but that wasn’t right because you knew you were just as at fault as he was. 

You placed your bag down on the kitchen bench and slumped down on the couch, groaning loudly as the doorbell rang. Who on earth would be at the door? You wondered as you got up, you weren’t expecting anyone, none of your friends had made any plans. 

You opened the door, half expecting it to be your friend but you were rendered silent as Pepe stood in the hallway. The air in your throat got sucked out as you stared at him, you couldn't fight the fact that you wanted to kiss him right there and then. Apologise over and over again, because the truth was that you wanted him back. 

“Hi.” you finally said, as you looked up at him. 

“Hi.” he breathed as if he was out of breath, did he run up the stairs?

“I ran up the stairs, that’s why I’m puffed.” he explained, you nodded slowly unsure what to do with that information. 

“But I’m here to. . . to say sorry,” he admitted, “I said awful things to you that night and you were right, as usual. I didn’t see how badly I was breaking us apart, it was selfish and I should have never let you walk away. Because fuck without you I don’t know who I am. If I could take back what I said I would, but I can’t so I’m here trying to do the next best thing and apologise. I don’t expect you to forgive me so easily because I wouldn’t either but just know that if you let me I will do everything to make up for the lost time and everything I wrecked.” 

You stood in silence, fighting the urge to pull him by the collar and kiss him. And well, that’s exactly what you did. Lips on his, you kissed him, making up for all the lost time you’d been without him, it wasn’t perfect but it was a start. 

“You’re crazy.” you murmured against his lips as you pulled away, pulling him into a hug. As he held you it felt right, it felt like home. 

“Crazy for you, baby.” he grinned, and it was true. 

Fin ~

a/n: I hope you enjoyed! have an amazing day xoxo santanasaintmendes

[magical-girl-trucy]

SO who's ready for my completely out there "okay but hear me out—" AU I've been brainstorming and have already written over 1000 words for?

Franziska von Karma adopts Athena after Metis' death.

(ID under read more)

HEAR ME OUT I PROMISE THERE'S A REASON.

Basically this world's version of events has Franziska on behalf of Interpol looking into the HAT-1 Miracle due to suspicious of international sabotage. Because Franziska von Karma is thorough and does not leave any stone unturned, she looks a little into UR-1, as it had happened a mere few days before and there may be a connection. What she finds from the actual case files is frustrating from how little care went into the trial...So screw it, she'll go directly to the source the trial had ignored: the little girl who had witnessed the crime.

While trying to glean any information that she can out of her, Franziska is reminded of how DL-6 similarly had effected her family and how her little brother was still struggling with it. And Athena's current legal guardian (Aura) in this mess is pissing her off so much in the amount of sheer hatred Aura exhibits and Franziska is definitely not projecting how dare you accuse her of that she has exactly 0 problems.

So one thing leads to another and now this child is now under Franziska's care.

Athena likes Franziska because Franziska doesn't talk down to her and while Fran isn't nice she is genuine and listens to her

[Image ID: A bunch of miscellaneous digital doodles. The top shows messy bust shots of child Athena and Franziska von Karma, followed by Athena sitting with her knees up against her chest. She's saying "You…believe me?" Next is two small doodles of Athena, one of her holding up a drawing of Franziska, the other her mumbling "Sorry, I have a hard time talking sometimes."

The next doodle, which takes up most of the page, is two drawings of Franziska and Aura Blackquill. Blackquill is saying "The fuck are you, a social worker?" before she turns around saying "Whatever, I don't care. I already have the paperwork ready. Do whatever you want with the princess." Franziska gets an angry expression and thinks to herself "The next time I see you, I'm going to whip you senseless."

The next doodle is of Franziska clenching her fist and saying to herself, "That foolish Phoenix Wright thinks he can make a fool out of me? How dare he! I shall prove my superiority by being the perfect guardian to this child."

The bottom of the page has two more doodles. The left one is Franziska guiding Athena while they walk somewhere. The right, and final, doodle is Edgeworth with a hand in his hand with a baffled and confused expression. Kay is next to him, completely shocked. Edgeworth says, "First Wright, then Franziska?!" Kay says, "SHE GOT A KID?! Damn, who's next on the adoption list?!" Underneath them is additional text in parenthesis that says "Kay is next." End ID]

[vasito-de-leche]

Do you have any specific queer headcannons of r1999 characters if so which ones and why?

I wrote a bunch of stuff for this post but then tumblr fucked me up and reloaded without saving it so here we are..... rewriting it all over again ... OAUGH. usually I default to seeing everyone as Vaguely Bisexual and Not Cis until stated otherwise, but you asked for specifics so here we go!

6 is aromantic or demiromantic.

On one hand, it's because I love projecting on my faves. On the other hand, it's because he genuinely doesn't feel like the type of person to be interested in relationships. But this isn't something that's tied to any potential disgust, repulsion or even trauma related to his Revelation and struggle against fate -- to me, 6 just doesn't feel romantic attraction. At the very least, nothing strong enough to consider pursuing. It's not in his priorities. I really dislike this specific thing that fandoms do in which every single character who is introverted, or who happens to be alone/isolated (either by chance or by choice) is secretly lonely, touch starved, pining and desperate for attention and romantic love. It feels like such a huge disrespect for their equally important platonic or familial relationships. 6 already holds a lot of love for his own community and his childhood friends, a type of affection that is shown in his subtle and unique ways. I like it when his character focuses on those aspects instead!

Mesmer Jr. is aromantic and asexual.

In her case, she's the opposite of 6. Mesmer Jr.'s trauma and OCD is much too intense for her to even consider the idea of an emotional or physical bond with anyone. She's disgusted at the idea of touching others so casually, and she's afraid at the possibility of allowing a person (someone she logically cannot have any control over) into her life because what if they throw her off her schedule? What if they mess every meticulous thing she's planned for herself and her mental stability? What if she loses her grip? Yes, it's plausible that she may find a partner who works perfectly with the way she needs things to be, and yes, you can headcanon that she heals and her OCD becomes "manageable" enough to have a stable relationship, but personally? I just like it when characters don't get to have stereotypical happy endings in which everything gets better through love and friendship and support -- like, yeah everyone loves to see their faves happy and all but eh... It's a bit of projection on my part! Some people don't get to heal and do all the things their disabilities prevented them from doing, even if we're given all this support and love. Some of us just have to find ways around these things, anything that works for us that makes our lives easier.

Sweetheart is queer but has a complex relationship with love. In a somewhat similar vein, Blonney has gone through every single letter of the LGTBQ+ community.

I tried my best to explain my thoughts on Sweetheart but at this point she deserves her own post because it's honestly a LOT, this single part was just too long so I cut it out entirely. Just trust me when I say she's queer and has a very complex relationship with love. In Blonney's case, we discussed the possibility of her being written as comphet and it got me to think a little about her. I see Blonney as the type of girl who presents as a straight bimbo, following the themes of her character and all, but who has constant crisis after crisis in the privacy of her bedroom, the only place she's allowed to be more than just a blondie. This constant journey questioning her orientations and gender happens entirely in her head and in private. I like to think that she just has these long monologues in her head. Sure, she's identified as straight her whole life, but maybe bisexual works better because there was that one girl she kept meeting under the bleachers. Oh, but maybe she's a lesbian, since all her boyfriends are just huge disappointments and none of them ever make her truly happy. Oh, but maybe that's just because she has bad taste in men, there was that one guy in class who keeps making her laugh after all. Ahh, this would be so much easier if she were a guy, her femininity is mostly performative after all. Ah, but she actually really loves pink and fashion... Nonbinary then? No, she's not the type to pick something so vague, it's one or the other. Oh, how about both? Genderfluid! Etc etc. If you ask her about how she identifies, she'll simply brush you off with a "What's it to you? That's none of your business, creep!" and move on, but this is something very personal to her. So far, she knows she likes being femme presenting and that she likes Jessica!

Eagle is a trans girl.

Have you guys seen those posts going around tumblr about how important it is that trans women exist because they fight for their own womanhood and girlhood in a world that constantly looks down upon feminine things and all women as a whole? Yeah. Yeah. Eagle being a scout that fights so hard to prove herself, the feelings of not belonging into the Boy Scouts and seeing how the Girl Scouts are created eventually, a space for her. The fact that she visits her father's grave so that he can see her grow up.

Kaalaa Baunaa, Oliver Fog, Medicine Pocket and Melania are probably bisexual, but they're super busy with work so they don't have time to address that.

Self-explanatory <3 I do like to think that Kaalaa and Medpoc are more chill about it, Kaalaa because she's a grown ass woman who is very mature, and Medpoc because they genuinely give no fucking shits about dating in general, so who cares about confirming whether they're bisexual or not. Oliver Fog is a little more flustered at the idea of exploring his orientation and whatnot, but it's tolerable. BUT MELANIA? I LOVE to think that she's FULLY aware that the MOMENT she acknowledges her bisexuality, she will have a crisis and then what will she do? She has 3 papers due next week and a heist this weekend, she can't possibly sit there wondering about liking girls! She's got things to do!

And here's the extra round of HCs that don't require that much text to explain or that lean towards being more silly!

Eternity has literally outlived the concept of gender. She/They royalty.

37 has QRPs instead. It Just Works. No one but herself and her partners understand the dynamics, though. As god intended <3

APPLe is a raging bisexual and has been spotted in many gay bars. Regulus is also bisexual.

The world would've been a better place if Bette was a butch lesbian.

Balloon Party and An-An Lee play with gender like its playdough.

Baby Blue is Not Cis and she's Not Straight either because none of that shit matters to her anymore, since she's been disconnected from reality and society for so long. She also doesn't care about labelling herself.

Diggers is trans, but no one can figure out which way exactly. It doesn't help that he refuses to clarify either. The same thing happens with John Titor, except she's very vocal about being a transwoman.

Bunny Bunny is bisexual but she hasn't realized this yet. In similar fashion, Horropedia is bisexual but he just forgets about it sometimes.

Druvis III as a trans woman goes hand in hand with Forget Me Not as a gay man. This is why they're both super divorced.

Leilani is pansexual because she prefers the colors of that specific flag over the bisexual one. Spathodea is pansexual because the personal distinction between pansexuality and bisexuality matters to her.

Tennant is bisexual because she can scam and seduce more people that way.

The Fool is nonbinary. Mf should've been born in the 2020's, I just KNOW he would've loved mirrorgender.

Zima is in the closet not out of shame but out of safety. Just in case.

Sotheby assumes that every girl in the world likes girls. So far no one has been able to prove her wrong because all she does is interact with other sapphic girls.

Pavia is nonbinary out of spite. But I also love transguy Pavia HCs so so so much, give that guy boobs, he would never get top surgery <3

Vertin is nonbinary too but she doesn't care about people knowing about it. She does, however, make the effort to be a little androgynous, as a treat for herself.

Madam Z and Katz absolutely had a Situationship going on during university. Katz was bicurious and Madam Z helped her experiment. Now the Situationship is between Madam Z and Constantine, the latter using Madam Z as a rebound after fumbling her relationship with Vertin's mother <- the machinations in my brain will astonish you.

TTT is genderfluid by virtue of being a picture on a TV, so I like to think she can just shift her appearance. In similar fashion, gender means nothing to Alien T and Voyager because they're aliens.

I specifically love the idea of all of the 1.2 gang joking about how Tooth Fairy is their token straight adult figure -- she's actually bi and asexual, but likes to keep that to herself so the kids can make their little jokes and have fun.

Enigma is gay and homophobic because his self-loathing is just that strong.

Turns out that the push Click needed to explore his own sexuality was getting killed on the battlefield, so now he's free to be gay. perhaps bicurious.

[stellari-s]

omg can you do ithaqua x a reader that acts like emu otori from wonderlands x showtime?

🌙

hi! gosh i know i’m really late with this as motivation with writing goes up and down. plus, i don’t really play project sekai, so i’m not completely familiar with emu otori, but i still tried to incorporate some of her personality and background into this too.

request; by @juicyydior and, requests are now open!

wc; 826.

tags; default! ithaqua x emu otori! gn! reader, (though reader may be kinda ooc for emu but i still tried my best to include some aspects i could glean from her still 🥲), written in ithaqua’s p.o.v., fluff, moon watching, snacking at night, could be taken as romantic or platonic i think.

summary; ithaqua gazes at the moon, hoping to be alone, but then ends up in the company of someone so full of hope in this manor, it’s almost blinding.

if there was one word to describe the emotions currently whirling in ithaqua’s mind after a certain match that had ended a few hours before, it would be annoyance.

annoyance at a certain someone: (y/n).

how could someone so bright and cheerful end up in a place like this? this dark and murky manor where the pungent scent of blood was everywhere in this murky air, making ithaqua miss his home ten times over.

“do you like gazing up at the moon?”

and speaking of the devil, that very voice from that match interrupted his thoughts, as he turned around to find a silhouette standing there, (e/c) eyes gleaming with glee.

if i entertain them a bit, maybe they’ll leave on their own?

“sometimes,” ithaqua replied, his voice curt.

“uwawa☆ i totally get that! hey hey, can i join you? looking at the moon makes me feel extra calm.” they beamed at ithaqua — it almost blinded him a little bit. realizing indulging in a conversation with them had the opposite effect than he intended, he let out a resigned sigh and directed his attention back at the moon.

it was a silent invitation for them, and fully aware of his silent words, (y/n) took a seat next to ithaqua with a “wonderhoy♪”

was that supposed to be slang? he hadn’t heard of it before, but his first impression was that it sounded quite silly.

for a few moments, there was just silence, but as if unable to take the silence any longer, ithaqua heard them speak. “do you want a snack?”

“…it depends on what kind of snack.”

“oh, there’s a whole bunch! just before i came i held a small show, and i received these snacks i can’t finish on my own. so let’s share!”

before ithaqua could offer any more input of his own, he glanced beside him to see them taking out a bunch of different snacks from the bag they had with them. he couldn’t help but feel a bit impressed by the sheer variety, and although he didn’t have much desire to see the said “small show” they mentioned putting up, he reckoned it must have been a good one. a good enough show to make others forget their worries, even if for a moment.

…it seemed (y/n) very good at dragging ithaqua along with their whims. he wasn’t exactly sure how to feel about that.

“i… don’t get it.” ithaqua started.

“hm?”

“why are you here? no, how are you here? i don’t get it.” ithaqua’s words were blunt and his tone may have been slightly cold, too, but his curiosity seeped in his voice anyway.

they didn’t hesitate to reply. their smile never faltered, and their eyes never wavered. they were like a calm sea with the sun peaking out just over the horizon — full of hope.

“my grandfather owned a theme park called phoenix wonderland,” they said, “and i don’t want to let that dream go; i want to make other people smile! because if they are happy, then i’m happy too☆”

hearing this, ithaqua couldn’t help but laugh. going through these matches, all these brutal battles, for a wish like that? it might not even be fulfilled.

“see, that’s it, you just laughed! wonderhoy! a smile suits you best.”

“i didn’t smile. i was just thinking how innocent of a dream you have.” (y/n)’s energy was contagious though; when ithaqua had wanted to be alone, his mind wandered to more gloomy thoughts in a darker world, but the more time he spent talking to the one now sitting beside him, the more his mind seemed to clear, as if a ray from the sun had shot straight through a stormy cloud.

it’s so innocent of a dream… i feel a little jealous.

“by the way,��� ithaqua changed the subject in an attempt to recompose himself, “what does ‘wonderhoy’ mean?”

“wonderful! ♪” they replied, “when i’m about to put on the bestest show, i say ‘wonderhoy!’”

“interesting.” ithaqua wasn’t sure what else to say in that moment.

thankfully, (y/n) didn’t take his brief reply as disinterest, as they continued on. “oh oh, i have an idea! when we’re in a match together, i’ll start with a wonderhoy!”

they were very honest, pure, and innocent. even though ithaqua had eliminated them in matches before, they somehow still wanted to approach him, and he couldn’t fathom for the life of him why they would want to do that.

ithaqua redirected his gaze back to the moon above.

“…please don’t.”

if there was one word to describe the emotions currently whirling in ithaqua’s heart, it would be… confusion, perhaps. he wasn’t sure now; he simply let the moon witness his emotions as they were.

he felt at this point, he could only let time march on past everyone’s consciousness, until the moon of that night finally set, taking his feelings with it down the horizon.

[bengiyo]

Only Friends: There are No Heroines. They're Just Dudes.

I’ve been meditating on what I want to say about Only Friends for a while. I’ve read so many great posts coming from a lot of lenses I respect and admire. I loved @shouldiusemyname pointing out the 90s aesthetic of the show and how the creative team is unpacking some of what informed their early experiences. I think @respectthepetty is right to call out the way Boston’s aggression crosses lines and @syrena-del-mar reading Boston as a Machiavellian Prince, even as I think @waitmyturtles, @wen-kexing-apologist and @lurkingshan provide good reminders of the kinds of lenses we need to interrogate as we approach stories about queer people written by queer people. I’m enjoying the discussions on ephemerality happening around the show from @waitmyturtles, @ranchthoughts, @twig-tea, @neuroticbookworm, and others. I think, when it comes to how I’m approaching this show, I’m watching I the same way I watched Queer as Folk, a text we know the creative team is familiar with (@omarandjohnny).

I don’t watch this as a story about heroes and villains. They’re just people with mundane goals reacting to each other as their desires interface with each other. I watch this show the same way I watched Queer as Folk, Black Sails, Game of Thrones, How to Get Away With Murder, and similar ensemble cast shows. None of these characters are heroines dealing with flawed suitors. They’re a bunch of dudes in their early 20s with problems, many of which have to deal with sex. This show isn’t like La Pluie, which was big romance in which Saengtai was the heroine and Phat was the romantic lead. Only Friends isn’t a big romance that’s interrogating the nature of romance itself. It’s a gay ensemble drama.

At first, I wondered if this show would center on Mew’s perspective because he was our opening narrator, but it’s clear by episode three that the show doesn’t have a central narrator. This was a similar shift I had to learn while watching Queer as Folk (2000) in realizing that Michael’s perspective is not sacrosanct and that he can be an asshole just as much as any of the other guys. It was also something we had to appreciate in Noah’s Arc (2005). When you’re watching Game of Thrones or Black Sails, you choose the faction you most want to see win or most respect or admire. For Only Friends, I’m mostly watching it from a third-person perspective; I am watching to see how each character’s choices impact the other characters.

I want to stress how mundane much of this show feels to me. Watching these guys interact with each other and their world reminds me exactly of how I felt interacting with other people when I was 21-24 and hanging out in spaces like this. Just like with my argument that Sailom (Wedding Plan) is just closeted, I think most of these guys are just young and a little messed up.

I liked @respectthepetty talking about how she feels bad for Top because of how people see him as a body, and how Top may just be using sex as a coping mechanism to not be alone. I like how obvious Ray’s abandonment issues have played into his substance issues, and how that informs the way he tries to cling so tightly onto people. I like that there have been huge warning signs over Nick ever since we saw him violate Boston’s privacy and look at his photos (I was not surprised he bugged the car at all). I am so fascinated by Mew’s apparent need for control (@lurkingshan), which may be over appearances. I am curious to see how Sand responds to Ray throwing him back after opening himself up past one of his boundaries. I am stoked to see how everyone eventually responds to Boston’s callousness now that things are going to start coming out (@ranchthoughts). I want to know how Cheum and April deal with all the gays losing focus on their project when they were the only ones trying to secure the bag during the party.

For me, I find myself waiting for context from these characters rather than trying to dig it out myself. I think I am worrying less about why anyone is doing anything and more on the responses they illicit from everyone else. I think it’s fascinating for me that prior to this episode I don’t think Top had done anything egregious we’d seen. He’s said he’s tired of hooking up with guys like Boston and wanted to try Mew and, despite their games, he’s been straightforward with Mew; he’s only faltered at the point that he believed Mew lied to him first. No matter how sad and lonely Ray is, I don’t want him driving his car around Bangkok, and I think he needs to stop dicking around with Sand. I think Sand needs to stop playing Captain Save-a-Hoe with Ray and reaffirm his solo stance. I think Nick needs to recognize that Boston’s insinuations that they could be more are hollow and he should just move on. I think Mew should stop trying to win his relationships and be honest about what he wants. I think Boston should probably taste a little fist and have his worldview rearranged a little bit.

Please keep writing and unpacking the psyches of these characters! I’m enjoying reading all of the ways people are connecting to these characters. Still, I want to avoid blowing them up into high-drama figures because they’re just like a lot of the folks I knew (and still know) in the community. I had dinner with some of them last night. These guys are just people, and people sometimes fuck each other up. I think the mundanity of their actions is probably the most appealing part of this show for me.

[centipedelightning]

Hobbies!

headcanons about what kind of hobbies i think some of the skeles have. this post includes undertale and underfell sans and papyrus. i want to smooch these guys so bad y’all.

| Undertale & Underfell || fluff |

Hobbies: you are here | pt. 2 | pt. 3 | pt. 4

words: 1045

Sans

Canonically it’s trombone, and he knows how to sew

He started learning how to sew pretty young (out of necessity) so he’s really good now. He made papyrus’s costume after all! He’s actually a pretty skilled seamstress and super super good at making barely visible, perfectly blended alterations to clothing. He’d be better at mending if he cared to, but he isn’t bad.

The trombone was probably in whatever the underground equivalent of his second year of high school.

Yes he was and still is a band kid sorry 🤷🏻‍♀️

Other than in game canon, I see him doing origami. He found a box set of books (beginner, intermediate, and advanced) at the dump in great condition and decided to take it up.

He used to make a bunch of little characters and animals for babybones Papyrus to play with.

He makes so many paper stars. Like two of those really big mason jar fulls with a third actively being filled.

It became a bit of a coping mechanism to be able to pick up scraps of paper and make little things quickly and mindlessly. Not to mention the chance to make a wish

More than once he may or may not have used torn slips of blueprints and schematics for projects…. Oops

Papyrus

He’s so babygirl girliepop

He loves puzzles but that’s already covered by playing the game and this is not written to rehash the canon

So instead I will tell you about the million and one crafts he does (no I won't)

He so so crafty and creative so technically he does a lot of different things, but I see him loving making decor items. Stuff like rock painting and recycled garden decor. Yk those bottle cap flowers for your garden? Stuff like that.

His front garden is so cute because of all the stuff he put in it.

The rocks he paints are just random local forest and river stones. The paints are all natural and watershed safe. Ecological awareness queen.

He mostly does those dot patterns when and places them all around the garden and pathways. Sometimes he’ll do little faces or bugs to mix it up

ZUMBA omg

He’s such a Zumba girl you have no clue. He loves the fun danciness of it while still being a good workout. He’s very 90s fashion-wise so you know he’s in those brightly colored body suits.

He lovesss putting together and painting model figures. Kinda like dnd minis but I see him being more into put it together yourself robot sets (like Gundams or whatever they’re called)

Y’all he’s so down bad for sexy robots you can’t tell me he wouldn’t love Gundams. Just look at how he acts towards his action figures AND METTATON HIMSELF. He’s so tragic and so real tbh.

Red

He’s my artsy babygirl.

If you’ve read my headcanon post about him you’ll know.

He’s not very good, but he does do landscape paintings every now and then. Those times are more when he randomly decides to take a walk around a local park or something. He’s more interested in studying other artists’ work than doing it himself.

Onto an actual hobby: Whittling!

He discovered the hobby kinda on his own in the underground. Whenever he was forced to show up to his sentry station and couldn’t find a way to run off, he’d pick up sticks and cut them down to nothing with a pocket knife. Over time he started carving little shapes and figures into the sticks. He’d usually just make simple bone attacks or snow poffs. Sometimes if he found a bigger branch, he’d make replicas of some of the other royal guards or random machines.

Topside he makes so many animals. Like so many. His favorite things to make are birds. He has so many different types of whittled birds all over his room. There’s boxes in his closet overflowing with finished and half finished bird carvings. They’re also in the windows and you can see them walking past their house.

If he’s feeling fancy he’ll pull out the woodstain and give them a little depth to make the species more obvious.

He makes other animals too of course, but they’re usually gifts. He makes a bunch of forest animals for Frisk (their favorites are rabbits and deer).

He made an MTT carving Once when Edge was going through it and was increasingly stressed for like a month straight. Red is a bit of a hater so jacking anything MTT was like pulling teeth. You gotta do what you gotta do for the happiness of your siblings I'm afraid.

A lot of people see him working as a mechanic and I agree, but that’s his career and jobs can’t be hobbies so I’m not gonna go into depth.

Edge

Ok consider for a second: (silk) flower arranging

For one, I headcanon him working as a professional makeup artist on the surface so its not completely left field,

For two, I’m right and you know it.

He does it as casually as you can imagine Edge being casual. Mostly dining table centerpieces and hallways vases. He does silk flowers for places he doesn’t check as often (like hallways) but since he’s classy he dumps the extra G for the fancy fake flowers.

The real flowers are in foyers and on tables. He even takes the occasional flower arranging class in different disciplines to be able to have the skill to arrange any flower in any style.

Edge is such a granny so I think weaving would be reasonable too.

Originally he started out darning his clothes so they would last a few more months, but since he got topside he does a lot of more artsy woven pieces on those small lap sized looms.

He’s not too picky about the actual design; they’re usually classy and fancy and a bit pretentious like him but he’s not actually all that picky about it. He mostly makes scarves and wall hangs that he sells at the local farmers market and craft fairs.

All his friends do have specially designed and stunningly made scarves that he spent hours laboring away on. He gets to critical levels of happiness when he sees them wearing his hard work.

[mixelation]

(a)sync rotating

so in attempts to not have this drag on forever, i think i'll have minato fall for tori relatively quickly. after she nearly kills him, i have part of a scene written where he tracks her down and

tori obviously noticed his body disappeared. she is HOPING he just teleported away to die of his injuries, but she does quickly realize she may have just pissed off THE most lethal ninja in history. and she no longer has the "i'm just an innocent, harmless civilian :)" disguise

she's like: oooooh no. oh fuck. and she goes into Seal Development Turbo Mode

when minato DOES show back up, they end up at a stale mate where she traps herself in a barrier

minato is like "well that HAS to have a time limit" and then he goes through all her stuff

she's in seal development Turbo Mode so she has a bunch of her notes out, which is both like phylogenies she copied because she's trying to figure out if chakras are more similar in more related taxa, but then also like "results f attempting to flash-fry a rat in project Flash Fry the Yellow Flash"

minato: wtf why do you keep trying to COOK me?

he ends up just leaving her because 1. he doesn't have clear orders from Konoha on this; it's mainly a personal research project, so he'll do what he wants (he is..... very bad about this). 2. he thinks she's interesting. 3. he gets her to explain wtf she's doing and she actually DOES have motives and logic he finds sympathetic: she's trying to get away from war, and even if she's selfish, she doesn't like ninja harassing civilians and she'll intervene when given the opportunity. 4. plus she's like

and this logic speaks to him. minato is "a good guy" in that he's a loyal friend and he largely respects the rules of society (harassing people bad! etc), but he's also basically never once been like "oh, murder of an enemy is too harsh a punishment!!" like yeah, if someone is threatening you or your comrade, you just kill them? duh???

so minato leaves her and has upgraded her in his brain from "interesting potential enemy" to "person i just think is neat." and he's not like I AM NOW IN LOVE but he IS like "i am bored all the time now, and i think having her attention would be fun and interesting and we could get along, so i'm going to try flirting" except she just GETS MAD AT HIM???? and jiraiya has a bunch of very bad suggestions

so minato goes and does his monthly Track Tori Down field trip (tori is always like HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS??? and will switch up her behavior to be weirder and less predictable, it's SO cute) and she's at a bar chatting up some other ninja. minato will NOT admit he is jealous but also, if she wanted to talk to a ninja, he's more famous, superior at every single ninja skill, nicer, smarter, more charming, AND better looking?!

@waffliesinyoface suggested Plasticity lore character Batta of Grass, so that's who Tori's target is. minato reflects on jiraiya's advice and is like FINE I WILL MAKE HER JEALOUS and saunters over and hits on Batta HIMSELF. obviously batta is more interested in talking to him than to tori and abandons her. except now.... now minato is talking to this random unimpressive ninja he doesn't care about and NOT the person who WANTED to see?

batta: (bragging about killing TWO ninja in one fight)

minato: (internal screaming) that's SO impressive (best most resilient fake smile)

and tori looks scandalized for like five minutes but now she's just smirking at him from across the bar. minato is silently begging her to bail him out.

not sure how the batta part of this ends (with him dying in some comical way, maybe?) but i want the fallout to be

tori is like "you are so fucking stupid, i was trying to get him to go kill some road bandits for me bc they're making travel basically impossible"

minato is like "whyyyyy didn't you just ask meeeeee i have been dropping SO MANY HINTS THAT I LIKE YOU"

tori is like "no, you treat EVERYONE like that. you just sat around for two hours treating batta like that even though you don't give a shit about him"

debating if she tells him he's met her TWICE before the boiling incident here, or if it's better to have another mirrored conversation later where instead of "minato why are being dumb" it's "tori why are you acting insane." kind of leaning toward the latter option maybe with them confronting the fact that tori WILL kill minato's allies and he doesn't want her to do that?

minato: ......you could minato: you could ask ME to clear out the bandits

he wants to show off so he takes her down the ENTIRE trade road and clears out every bandit, plus some ninja sitting around

tori IS incredibly blushy and flustered by this!! flirting successful :)

[accio-victuuri]

cpn time: yibo’s new songs 🎧

here we are, two songs and a bunch of short video clips later, but this post will be more about the lyrics. if you haven’t listened to the tracks then please enjoy bystander and everything is lovely first before anything else. i’m so thankful that wyb has kept his promise to fans of bringing us a new song every year and also performing it during nye. he may not be the most obvious when it comes to appreciating his fans but this is the best example of his commitment to sharing himself to fans and treating us.

i will start with some minor clues before we get into the lyrics and all that clowning interpretation. 🙇‍♀️

1. The first 3 photos that yibo-official released as soon as it turned 12:00, one of them was color pink, or you can say, very light shade of red. His photos released before had a more solid red like that from a traffic light but this one leans more towards pink.

A very nice choice of color knowing how he relates pink to being the color of love and and all the other symbolism we attached to it.

& when yibo posted it, he placed the pink one in the middle vs yibo-official’s who placed it on the right.

2. Same choice of words between their studios, especially with reference to the gap of time. We are definitely looking closer than a normal fan would when it comes to their studio’s captions, edits, posting time etc and to a normal fan this would just fly over their head. but the amount of coincidence between the two is too much!

3. QQ released parts of the lyrics and this one, the chorus of everything is lovely ( up to the part talking about love of coming home ), the word love was mentioned 23 times. Love Zhan. I mean, we all know this boys loves 2 and 3 😂😂😂

4. The timing of release for their projects this day. Another example of how they don’t overlap with the day or time. XZ’s marie claire was between 10-12 and then WYB stuff of course started coming out at 12:00. this follows their pattern 👀

5. I really like what this bxg discovered, the way everything is lovely was written, if you turn in upside down it may read wyb loves xz. 🤯🤯🤯

for those of us who have been subjected to xz’s artwork and the little things he hides, this should be believable to you. he is known to do these things, even without the cpn intention.

==================

BYSTANDER

I gotta say, i’m leaning more towards this song, i didn’t expect it! I just love how it sounds and i’m with those who felt nostalgic while listening to it. it seems familiar and brand new at the same time. The melody of the first few lines got me thinking of words ( bee gees ) and the guitar/drums played are excellent too! I hope he sings this with a live band please! 🙏🏼

I often watch, listen and feel like reaching out to touch.

Holding a handful of seawater to see it’s dreamlike color.

this is more of a song ( atleast to me ) that speaks of who WYB is as a person. a bystander/spectator/onlooker. he is someone who observes people and keeps quiet first before engaging. but that doesn’t mean he is indifferent, in this song, he talks about admiring the things around him.

i’m also thinking of a wish to be a bystander. XZ/WYB repeatedly said that the super power they wish to have in invisibility so they just roam around without people noticing them. in a way, it’s wyb’s ( and by extension xz ) wish to be able to do this.

Embrace all the joys and sorrows of life. Listen to the plucked feathers speak, wings aiming for the vast sky.

Watch a fallen leaf repeating until the four seasons bring it back to the branch. I cannot see another galaxy but believe in me in a more distant place.

i see this as basically yibo and zz’s view in life, they are willing to go through the good and bad. their lives may seem ideal because they are celebrities but it’s far from that so they just have to focus on the good.

Don’t ask me what i’m looking for, let life pass through.

it’s him just wanting to be left alone, to allow him to go through his life without people watching his every move. or maybe there isn’t anything he is looking for or aiming for, he is just enjoying and going through his life. This line speaks to me so much! There’s really no need to be constantly trying to achieve things and be exhausted by the end of it. Sometimes, it’s okay to sit back and enjoy the simple things.

EVERYTHING IS LOVELY

I have discussed this song before, especially the chorus that covers a lot of the CPNs. I feel the same way about my interpretation of those lines even after learning the lyrics of the whole song.

My hands, accustomed to patting my head, opening up the memory of the river and pond. There are always a few good friends by the side.

Listening to the cicadas, watching the fishing boats.

WYB who likes to pat his head as an example 😂 so this is really from his POV and a more personal touch to start this song.

Listening to the cicadas and watching the fishing boat? This paints a picture of them during CQL shoot and hanging out.

I’m cackling tho at bxg interpretation of the lines that talk about river & ponds and then him having friends on the side. So who are the friends by that pod? Turtles? LOL. 😂😂😂😂

How to distinguish between people, whether post-00s are young or very mature.

This is so WYB. Reminding us of when he always made a point to say that GG looks so young or that they have no age gap 🥹🥹🥹

Under the mud, lotus roots finally grown. Please, lotus flowers do not look back.

Lotus roots/ Lotus flowers. What a peculiar choice to include in the song. Maybe there is some deeper explanation here that has something to do with culture or what but as a clown, our minds went to CQL.

It’s a part of the story and who can forget that behind the scenes of WYB pulling out those lotus seeds for XZ? 🙃

I tightly hold on to the people i once lost.

I like the way some people have interpreted this line. If what we think is true, that they lost each other at some point after the cql shoot then this line makes sense. They had some time apart after that shoot and XZ went to Japan to clear his head. The people around them also encouraged to take this time away from each other and get out of character. But they still found their way back as XZ/WYB. 🤍

The main thing in this song tho is— everything is lovely because you (xz) are in everything. 😭😭😭😭

-END.

[dduane]

Dear Ms Duane, may I ask a writing question?

Do you ever abandon a piece you are working on, because you realize you don't actually know what to do with the story, and it's not vibing with you as much as you'd hoped?

If so, do you ever go back to those abandoned works later on to give them a second chance? Or do you prefer the 'no stepping in the same river twice' philosophy, and only ever move forward to work on new things?

I am dealing with this quandary right now, and would love to hear any advice you have on the subject :)

Thank you!

Thanks for asking about this, because it's a problem that seems to come up for a lot of people.

When I'm not working on something that's under contract, It's not at all uncommon that I get to a place with a piece of work in which it just doesn't seem to be advancing. (Or the outline I've written for it doesn't seem to be working out, or I'm missing something about the characters' interactions that is refusing to resolve.)

So I put whatever it is aside, along with (in the same zipped-up package) a text note with the project's vital stats: when it was started, when it got stuck, what seemed to be going wrong. I tag the package in a bunch of ways—genre, character names, year it was being worked on, medium, format, length—so I won't have trouble finding it again when I want it. And then I put it aside in a spot in my hard drive reserved for such projects, and move on to other work

What I may need to clarify here is that I've never, ever completely abandoned a project. Originally this came simply of a stubborn refusal to give up. (And I can get really stubborn sometimes. Ask @petermorwood.) But over years of experience I've found a better reason never to abandon a project: because you just cannot tell when it'll suddenly start working again.

Completely out of the blue, answers to unanswered questions will sometimes appear for projects that are literally decades old. I don't understand how the process works, so I have no intention of interfering with it by ever giving up on a project! Hope springs eternal, as the poet says. There's just no telling when even the most stubbornly stuck piece of work will suddenly suddenly sit up like Mushu in Mulan, shouting "HE LIVES!" And when something like that happens, assuming the current workload allows it, I go straight back to whatever it was and start work again. Life's too short to waste getting proud about this stuff. :)

Anyway: my recommendation is that you keep everything that's stuck (with notes on what happened, or failed to) and just... put it aside. And wait. Sometimes what needs to be done about one of these recalcitrant projects is... nothing.

HTH!

[sgiandubh]

Saw your comment: "We're not all thirsty mommies, nor 12, nor bitter bitches. I'd love to see and hear more about what is beneath that mask, not beneath that shirt." Sam has done that before. He wrote an entire book about his journey but the book is called bullshit and he a liar. He's written well-thought out articles and forewords to books. He speaks intelligently and passionately and knowledgably about his liquors and the process of getting to market, and is called a shill. His work with Prickly Thistle is expensive and taking peoples' money, even when it helped this woman-owned mill immensely. It goes on and on. Today he's been accused of hypocrisy for a plastic cup, thirst trapping to change a conversation and using his social media as a PR tool to fool gullible women. Some may want to see beneath the mask but when he's shown what he is willing to you get the above.

Dear Hypocrisy Anon,

Thank you for your thoughts. I have read your long comment very carefully and let's say I agree with about 85% of it. The itching point is, of course, the book: Waypoints is a good ghostwritten memoir I have commented at length, with a more benevolent view than most of those who found it took some substantial liberty with what they (and I, for that matter) think it's the current state of play in SC Land. Note I am not saying the truth: that's only for Them to know, not for us. So dismissing it and calling everything a lie is a bit of a stretch. It's just a memoir, to be followed by other projects, other books. And who knows, another memoir, later on, where he could correct the course again at his convenience. He's only 43. Give the man some credit.

Trouble is, the world is a vast and diverse place. It's not just this fractured fandom. If he wants to remain relevant beyond OL, he needs, in my humble opinion, two things: a) to score a big role in a big budget production, which would improve his notoriety and help him reach a different public and b) curate his personal image a bit more and get out of this midlife crisis fake character he's peddling around. The only people who find it interesting are the thirsty mommies in *urv's crowd and that's, uhm... a bit irrelevant, in the big scheme of things.

So, no more political blunders, please and thank you. Shut the hell up and play Switzerland on complicated and divisive society issues which can get one in boiled water for a comma. Carefully picked and curated CSR projects, he'd ideally be more actively involved in. And yes, maybe a bit more transparency on the so many great things he does, like that partnership with the Edinburgh's Youth Theatre he didn't even mention himself or include in his stories (no doubt, out of a very British and endearing sense of modesty). And always remember: when faced with something beautiful and fragile, like that story, people will try their best to smear it and break it. I am not bitter, just realistic.

Same goes for your conclusion: I am sure many would like to see more of what is beneath that mask. It's too bad that a bunch of bitter, nasty, clueless, but also very noisy women occupy a bigger part of the stage than they should.

But have faith, Anon. For the moment, all of this is nothing what a good PR, not the clowns he obviously hired, can't fix with relative ease. Trust me. I've seen way worse. And remember, always remember what dear Wilde (God, I love that soul!) said: 'every saint has a past and every sinner has a future'.

You just gave me an idea for a future post and for this, I thank you, Anon. But for now, I have to catch up on a thing or two, rather than determine the morality of a plastic glass. I hope this long answer helps somewhat. Thank you for dropping by: it was a pleasure reading your musings.