#i'm also sorry this is so long... i apologize

[suliigwp]

Hi! I've recently found your blog and it's amazing I really like your writing style and was wondering if you could do a rookie fic where she a completely different person around like a sibling or something? And maybe it was caught by paparazzi and the grid is a little shocked seeing rookie look human for once? Again, really great writing and I can't wait for the medieval au

-⭐

Sweet Like Butter

platonic!paddock x rookie!reader | fluff

SULI: FUCK ME HI I'm so sorry you had to wait this long but it's finally here! Km working on a lot of things rn but this has been sitting in my drafts for so long, why not post it— so based on the personality of our rookie I changed it up a little I hope you don't mind🫶 enjoy!! And also — Welcome to the family ⭐ anon, hope you stay long

Short and sweet- something I love about our rookie series, it gives me a time off from the long ass chapters I always write

Warnings: none

The rookie wasn’t like anyone they’d ever met.

She was sweet—everyone agreed on that. She always bowed when people greeted her, even after a year in the paddock. She said “thank you” to every crew member, waved politely at fans even when she was exhausted, and showed up to press conferences with her hair still a little damp because she forgot call time and had to sprint from the team hotel.

“I’m very sorry,” she said breathlessly once, cheeks pink. “I was watching baby goat videos and lost track of time.”

They forgave her immediately.

How could you not? She looked like a Studio Ghibli side character most of the time—always with a snack in hand (usually stolen from catering), legs swinging off the edge of pit wall, asking questions like:

“Do you think the tires have feelings?” “Can I put glitter on my helmet if I qualify top ten?” “What would happen if I licked the trophy?”

No one ever quite knew if she was joking.

Oscar once found her halfway under the team truck looking for her AirPod. She looked up, blinked, and said,

“Don’t tell anyone. If the engineers find me like this, I’ll get put in the toolbox.”

George caught her dragging a cone into hospitality after media day.

“What… are you doing?”

“He looked lonely. His name is Derek.”

She didn’t speak loudly, but her chaos was undeniable.

Lewis called her a “polite gremlin.”

Carlos said she was “like a tiny elf with violent potential.”

Lando just shook his head and said, “She’s got bunny eyes and raccoon energy.”

During races, she was focused—laser-focused. But outside the car, she wandered. Talked to herself. Collected little things like stickers and bottle caps. Her locker had googly eyes on it. No one put them there. When asked, she just said,

“They protect the snacks.”

In interviews, she was sunshine and stumbles.

“The car felt… like, spicy. But in a good way. Like pepper? Jalapeño? Yes. That.”

“Ah—oversteer? Yes. I met him today. Not nice man.”

People loved her. Fans adored her. She was cute, chaotic, and weird in a way that made everyone instinctively want to protect her.

“She’s the type of girl who’d apologize after overtaking you,” Oscar said once.

“She apologized to a curb,” Charles added. “Said she ‘didn’t mean to step on his feelings.’”

And somehow, despite the mess, the language confusion, the sugar crashes and trail of mystery items left in motorhomes… she was fast. She had raw talent, insane cornering instincts, and late-braking habits that made even veterans sweat.

...

It started as a quiet afternoon, just her and her older brother outside a small café near the paddock. The sun was warm, the air filled with the scent of fresh coffee and baked bread, a rare moment away from the frenzy of race weekend.

But then a paparazzo, hidden behind a bush, caught something no one in F1 had seen before.

She was talking to her brother—but not in the soft, tentative English she used for media or teammates.

No. This was her native language, and it was different.

Her voice was calm, controlled, deeper than usual—like she was suddenly the one in charge.

"You know this isn’t the best idea, right?"

Her brother smirked, shaking his head.

"Come on, just relax, I’m just joking."

She folded her arms, eyes sharp but steady.

"You always say that, but then you get yourself into trouble."

There was a pause, then a sudden, soft smile tugged at her lips.

"This time listen to me. I’m the older one."

Her brother laughed—a genuine, easy laugh—and she cracked, too, her entire face lighting up as she dropped her serious tone.

"Haha, alright, big sister. Just don’t tell anyone."

Their laughter echoed in the quiet street—warm, real, unfiltered.

The cameras caught it all.

The grid, watching the clips later, was stunned. That calm, mature voice was so unlike the soft, polite rookie they knew. They’d never imagined this side of her—the boss energy hidden beneath the gentle exterior.

And when she smiled at the end, the adorable girl they loved came rushing back.

The video dropped late Saturday afternoon — just a few minutes of her calmly putting her older brother in check, followed by that warm, infectious laugh at the end.

Within hours, it was everywhere.

Social media exploded:

“Wait… is that our shy rookie? She sounds so bossy! 😂”

“I’m obsessed with this new ‘older sister’ energy 🔥”

“She’s lowkey running the paddock from behind the scenes and we didn’t know.”

“This video just made my day. So cute but don’t mess with her brother!”

On the paddock, drivers couldn’t believe their eyes.

Oscar showed Lando the clip between sessions.

“Dude, she’s got power in that voice.”

Lando laughed, shaking his head.

“I thought she was a soft bunny but nah, she’s a whole CEO.”

Carlos pulled out his phone at the next team meeting.

“Have you guys seen this? Rookie’s got that serious ‘don’t mess with me’ vibe. I’m impressed.”

Even the media caught on.

“From sweet and shy to mature and commanding — rookie driver surprises everyone. #BossBunny"

Back in the garage, her team was both proud and a little overwhelmed.

Her race engineer joked,

“Guess we’re dealing with the silent boss now.”

She just smiled quietly, already half-forgetting the chaos she’d unleashed.

Because to her, this was just normal talk with her brother.

But to the rest of the grid?

She was officially unpredictable — and everyone loved it.

vroom vroom taglist: @miniaturedreamchild @nishimura-mimura @faithxyu @pookynknowntranger @elliott-calls @nemo-fish @sadprimrose @sagestack

Taglist, comment to be added; @angstynasty @cryinghotmess @mits-vi @dramaticpiratellamas @mimisweetz @mrssaturday @chiara8104 @moonlight-girls-posts @linnygirl09 @rue-t @danielricroll @the-vex-archives @trees-are-books @blodwyn4u @yoruse @ccrickett-t @l-a-u-r-aaa @multifans-things @woderfulkawaii @azrinableuet @mayax2o07 @everyday-is-sunday365 @devilacot @faithxyu @freyathehuntress make sure you can be tagged!

[thevoidstaredback]

We're gonna start from the beginning This is a bit of a long one. I'm not sorry and I'm definitely gonna have to do a bigger story based on this eventually.

Tim remembers going to sleep. He remembers taking the highest amount of Daridorexant that he can safely take, changing into his night clothes, laying down under a quilt and two blankets, closing his eyes, and falling asleep.

Tim remembers waking up in a dream. A dream he's had before. A dream he's had since his insomnia started rearing it's ugly face when he was twelve. A dream that he didn't have every night, but one that he had enough to remember it clearly.

Always, he woke up in a grey-scale void. It was white directly around him before fading out to black within ten feet of where he sat. Then, between blinks that lasted hours and seconds, the void changed to a field of poppy flowers under a baby blue sky. In the distance, there was a large, domed cathedral and the silhouette of a person. One day, when he was fourteen, the silhouette disappeared, he spent more time in the poppy field, and the cathedral gradually started to get closer.

Tim remembers waking up in a field of poppies not because the place was unusual, but because he wasn't in the void first.

Tim wasn't an idiot. Working with Batman, he couldn't afford to be. So, when he woke up in his bed, he finally decided to look up what the poppy flower symbolizes.

He didn't tell anyone about the dreams. He'd never had a reason to. Bruce wasn't one for sharing trivial details like dreams, and none of the others cared for those kinds of conversations, either. Besides, they were raised and trained in cold, hard logic and facts. Dreams aren't logical or factual. Dreams that have even a hint of magic would get whoever mentioned them sent straight to the JLD because Gotham does things to people who can use or are under the effects of magic that isn't her own.

Tim went to work that day, barely an hour after he woke up, barely five hours of sleep, barely six hours after getting back from patrol. He greeted his employees as usual, accepted his coffee from Dan the barista, told Tam about the fights he'd gotten into on patrol, and spent the rest of the day in his office.

It was all very monotonous.

He shouldn't complain, though, he knew lots of heroes who might actually kill for some kind of consistent schedule like he had.

Conversations had long run their course a while ago, sometime after Dick had all but fired him but before he got Bruce back. Small talk was annoying, people were more confusing than normal, and everything was dull. The colors he remembered capturing with his camera were nowhere near as vibrant as he remembered them being when he was a kid.

Tam called it depression. Tim told her to keep that particular opinion to herself. He also apologized for being so rude, but the topic was never broached again.

Tim knows he went home that night after work. He didn't have patrol, so he took the opportunity to go to sleep early because, despite what the others think, he likes sleeping. Sleeping takes him away from...everything.

He skipped the void again, opening his eyes to the poppy field again. This time, though, there was someone else there. He knew, even though he'd never seen this person up close, that this was the silhouette that used to stand with the cathedral.

He was wearing a full black suit with a white shirt and a red tie. His coat had two long tails that nearly brushed the floor, and his eyes were the brightest green Tim had ever seen.

He felt sorely underdressed.

The man, who couldn't be more than a year older than Tim, offered his hand out. "I haven't seen you here before."

And he was right, Tim realized, the silhouette had never once turned to face him before. Tim took his hand and stood. "Tim."

The man smiled. "Danny."

"Where is this?"

Danny's smile didn't change, though he dropped Tim's hand. "You wanna see something really pretty?"

As pretty as you? Tim didn't ask. "Sure?"

Danny lead him to the cathedral. It was behind him and barely a few yards away. When had it gotten so close?

The bricks were white, nearly perfectly smooth, and all of the windows were stained glass. There wasn't a door, just an archway twenty feet tall. The floor was all poppy field and the rood was a galaxy against the blue canvas of the cloudless sky.

Tim couldn't stop himself from wandering to the middle of the room, spinning slowly to take in every detail and memorize it to the best of his ability.

Danny was watching him from the archway to the field, a small smile on his face.

Tim met his eyes after a few minutes. "I feel like..."

"Yes?" Danny nodded.

"I feel like I don't...belong here."

Danny didn't quite frown, but his smile did seem dimmer. "I can fix that if you want me to."

"Please?"

Danny nodded and Tim suddenly felt warm. Had he been cold? His suit matched Danny's, though the colors were opposite and his hair was pulled into a half-bun.

"How did you..?"

Danny shook his head slightly, "I'll tell you next time."

Tim blinked. "Next time?"

"You want to come back here, right?"

"Yeah,"

"Then you have to wake up."

Tim wasn't quite sure he wanted to do that.

"How do I wake up?"

Danny came forward and offered his hand again, "This way."

Tim took his hand and was lead to a door near the wall at the far side of the room. A door that most certainly hadn't been there before. It was made out of black cherry wood and had carvings of vines and birds all over it. The handle was brass.

"You'll be here when I come back?"

Danny's smile was sad. "Always,"

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Tim opened the door and found himself back in his room in a t-shirt and leggings. He sat up and sighed.

He went about his day as he always did. He showered, got dressed, went to the kitchen for breakfast and tea, then left for work. At work, he greeted his employees as usual, accepted his coffee from Dan the barista, told Tam that he'd had the night off from patrol last night but that he'd have more stories tomorrow, and then spent the rest of the day attending meetings that really could've been emails.

He clocked out when he always did, just after everyone but the night guard had left. Then, he headed to the Nest to get ready to meet up with the others for patrol.

He found himself staring at the couch in the Nest for a long few moments, tossing the idea of a short nap around in his head. Eventually, he decided against it and suited up.

Halfway through patrol, just after Ivy and Harley had dropped by his steak-out for a quick snack, Tim realized that the world was just a little bit brighter than it had been in a long time.

He didn't even bother to completely change before he collapsed onto the couch in the Nest. He kept some sleeping pills in his desk, too, so he took a few, closed his eyes, and woke up in the poppy fields again.

Danny was there to greet him when he turned around, both of them in their suits.

"I want to show you something," Danny said. Tim nodded and took his hand.

Danny lead him back out of the cathedral and back into the poppy fields. However, over to the left, there was a lake that had never been there before. It had a stone bench with white cushions and a weeping willow tree acting as shade. There were lily pads in the water, some of which even had flowers.

Danny and Tim sat on the bench. They didn't speak, just sat there together, holding hands.

Tim didn't know when the last time he'd had a break like this was.

After what could've been minutes or hours, Danny excused himself and stood, not bothering to re-button his jacket. Tim watched him for a minute before a small field mouse at his feet caught his attention.

Danny came back a few minutes later, just as the brown field mouse ran off, with his sleeves rolled up and a purple water lily in his hand. "May I?"

Confused, Tim nodded, unable to fully look away from the flower and Danny leaned in close. Then, he was stuck staring at Danny's eyes. They were the brightest shade of green he'd ever seen.

Danny stepped back a moment later, too soon for Tim's taste. "There," he said, "The picture of perfection."

Tim reached his hand up to where the water lily was somehow tucked into his hair. He still hadn't looked away from Danny. He smiled.

He woke up in the next blink, a water lily sitting on the arm of the couch. He smiled.

Tim's day moved much faster. He was happier, the world was brighter, and the colors weren't so dull anymore.

His day moved on as it usually did, but he found more reasons to smile today. His tea was perfect; Janice, who worked the front desk, was engaged; Mayce, head of the day-shift security, and her wife were expecting their first baby; Dan, the barista in the cafe inside Wayne Tower, was set to graduate high school as valedictorian; Tam's laugh was as enthralling as it always was whenever he told her about funny shit that happened on patrol.

This time, when he went into his office, he left his door open and softly played lyricless music for himself and Tam to listen to. And when people eventually came into his office for one reason or another, he pushed back everyone's schedules by having hours long conversations with them all.

"What's got you so happy?" Tam asked as they both left for the day.

Tim smiled softly. "Just had a good dream is all."

Tam raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you sure that's all?"

Tim nodded. "Can't a guy just be happy?"

"Sure," she said, "But this drastic a change is cause for concern."

"I understand-"

"Do you?"

"But it's not like that."

Tam was skeptical, but she left it at that, heading home one way while Tim went the other.

He called out of patrol that night. Dick agreed to cover for him as long as he came to the Manor for dinner on Saturday. There was no way he was missing Danny for longer than he had to Alfred's cooking, so he agreed.

He didn't bother to do more than take off his jacket and shoes before he took some more sleeping pills and curled up in the middle of his bed.

This time, when he opened his eyes, he was at a park. Danny was already there, smiling at him with his whole face. He was beautiful. He didn't have his suit jacket on, and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows, and he now had white gloves on, but everything else was the same.

Tim took off his own suit jacket and placed it on the bench Danny was standing next to. "Come here often?"

"no more than you do," Danny answered.

Tim blushed the slightest bit. "What's our adventure for tonight?"

"Well," Danny hummed, "Would you like some ice cream?"

"Ice cream?"

"Yeah. Everyone likes ice cream."

Tim chuckled. "Can't fault your logic there. Where do we get ice cream?"

"Right over there," Danny pointed to a spot over Tim's shoulder.

Turning around, he spotted a cute little ice cream cart. It was light blue with three cones, chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla, on the side of it. No one was with it, but that didn't stop Danny from floating right over and getting them each a cone with two scopes of ice cream.

"How'd you know strawberry's my favorite?" he asked.

"I didn't."

"A lucky guess?"

Danny shrugged. "I guess."

Tim smiled, licked his ice cream, and then opened his eyes to his bedroom. It was still dark out, just barely three in the morning. He looked at the pill bottle and sighed. It would be irresponsible of him to take another dose now.

He stood up, upset by having to leave so suddenly and soon, and felt himself get dizzy. Nearly falling, Tim leaned all his weight against the wall as the room righted itself into standing still again.

He looked back at the bottle in his hand before putting it down. Nothing to be done about the side effects, so he'd just have to deal with it.

Tim had never been a painter. His art was always through the medium of photography, though he was quite proud to say he was quite good at sketching, too. So, with the several newfound hours of free time, he grabbed some blank paper from his printer, a pencil and eraser, and began to draw his dreams.

He drew the cathedral, the poppy fields, the galaxy roof, the lake and pond, the ice cream cart, the water lily that showed no signs of wilting, and Danny. Beautiful Danny, the boy literally of his dreams.

Tim found himself wondering if that's all they were: dreams. Was the human mind even capable of coming up with a series of dreams like those in the poppy field?

He drew the door that woke him up the first time, only then realizing what birds and ivy had been carved into the wood. Robins, crows, Persian ivy, and wisteria. New beginnings, hope, renewal, and connection to loved ones; Wisdom, transformation, spiritual guidance, death, bad luck, and trickery; fidelity, love, and eternity; grace, elegance, and spirituality.

There was a couple patterns here. He chose to ignore them. Instead, he focused on coloring his drawings. He made the wisteria purple.

He showed up to work an hour early and dropped off six dozen donuts in each of the employee break rooms before heading up to his office. He'd go back down for coffee later.

At least, he would have if he hadn't fallen asleep at his desk.

He didn't dream. It took Tam nearly ten minutes to finally wake him up. She brought him his coffee from Dan. He ignored her concern. "I just didn't sleep well last night."

"I heard Red Robin wasn't out last night, either," she said, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," he said, "No worse off than yesterday."

"That's what's worrying me."

I really, really wanna continue this, but it's almost 23:00 and I need to go to bed, but I couldn't just not share this, so I'll be back tomorrow with the rest!

Yes, I am taking scenes straight from The Rendezvous Storyboard. It's just such a good video! What a beautiful thing to take inspiration from OP.

I'll be back in a few hours! <2

Edit: It got too long, so I had to separate it into 3 parts. Part 2 is up now

Ok so remember that comic where a girl was taking sleeping pills to avoid the harsh realities of her life? Like arguments with her parents, bad grades, etc. And every time she took the pills she had an amazing dream about a boy. So she kept taking them to visit him until one day she took her life and turns out the boy was actually the Reaper/Death?

(Found it, plot is from the animation: Rendezvous Storyboard)

What if the characters were based on our tired couple? Danny obviously being the reaper and Tim just getting tired of all the crap he is going through with the Bats (storyline would most likely be after he saved Bruce //

Though I can also imagine the story starting from Tim’s time as Robin. He kept taking sleeping pills whenever he could in hopes of being energized the next day to continue on with his responsibilities of being Robin and his school life. Meeting Danny in the dreams was a plus, but he probably made a promise to Danny (the one who insisted) to take less sleeping pills in the future. Tim‘s mind probably subconsciously knew what each meeting meant but he didn’t want to focus on that and only on the fun and relaxing time he was having a dreamworld).

Danny would do his best to make Tim stay alive but seeing how Tim is getting more tired and lifeless from each dream would make him slowly stop insisting in him waking up. He couldn’t bear to see Tim alive but not truly living, knowing that Tim can be safe with him in the Realms.

If Tim does die and the Bats ask Constantine to bring him back, I want the man to downright refuse. He probably saw Red Robin’s soul slowly lose his spark and doesn’t want to risk the kid being subjected to the same treatment again.

Hope everyone suffers like me and Writers. . . I hope you can see this and make it come true!

[greenwitchfromthewoods]

Right Beside Me. [chapter 1] l Harry Castillo

Harry Castillo x f!reader

bio : You and Harry had been friends for a few years. When he told you about his plans, despite your concerns, you supported him in his decision. Later, you were there for him as he tried to find his way in a new situation, when he was looking for the love he had always dreamed of. You were looking for the same thing too… But maybe you were both looking in the wrong places?

warnings: spoilers! If you haven't seen the movie The Materialists and don't want to know the plot, skip this story; friends to lovers; self-doubt; complexes and low self-esteem; alcohol; tears;

a/n : okay. i'm a little nervous to give this to you. this chapter isn't long, so i apologize in advance, but i didn't want certain things to come out now. i wanted to write something romantic, a little sad, but also with a little hope. will i succeed? the future will tell. thank you that so many of you responded positively to my idea for a new story. your support means a lot to me. i'll be waiting in horror for your opinions.

your feedback is very important to me and I want to thank you for all the reblogs, comments and likes. I secretly hope you like this story.🖤 sorry for all the mistakes

[my masterlist] [Harry Castillo masterlist] [Right Beside Me. - masterlist]

The elegant woman passed him through the door he was holding, completely ignoring his polite gesture. Harry sighed softly, he was used to it, but it always felt like a slight sting. The soft dark grey carpet in the hallway muffled his footsteps as he approached the open door at the end, he could hear women talking and laughing. The muscles in his arms automatically tensed.

It was already late Friday afternoon and the building was slowly emptying out, but as he stood in the doorway he noticed three or four other women around you. He didn't want to interrupt, to distract you from what must have been a really interesting conversation, but one of them noticed him out of the corner of her eye and leaned towards you.

He raised his hand in greeting as you turned to him, giving him the smile he knew so well. Your friends clearly understood it was time to go home and quickly said goodbye. "I'll text you tomorrow!" "Send me the location of that pub, Mike will be thrilled." “I’ll bring you the book, but you have to remind me on Sunday, okay?” they headed towards Harry. He politely let them pass, then started walking towards you.

“Thank you. You saved me.” You said, packing your laptop and other things into your bag.

“Really?” he smiled. “You seemed engrossed in your conversation with them.”

You rolled your eyes, slinging your bag over your shoulder. “I should have left fifteen minutes ago. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Don’t worry.” He held out his bent arm to you, and you wrapped your hand around it with a pleased and relieved expression on your face. “I extended our reservation, so they’ll be waiting for us.”

“What’s the occasion?” you asked as you both headed towards the exit. “You were really secretive when you called me.”

“It’s a surprise. But first I have to feed you.” he opened the door with his free hand and you smiled like a true lady saying “Thank you” as he let you go on. “I’m starving!” you groaned and you both giggled.

“You’ve got to be kidding me, right?”

You looked at Harry as if you expected him to confirm it right away, but in the meantime he seemed deadly serious. You ate a delicious dinner, talking about everyday things, and it wasn’t until the waiter took the plates away to serve dessert that Harry finally told you what the purpose of your meeting was.

“I’m serious. Peter is also convinced of the idea.” Harry replied calmly, resting his elbows on the table and leaning slightly over his glass of wine. “You know me. You know how important this is to me.”

“I know, but…” you frowned. “Harry, it’s a serious operation. An operation. You don’t need this.”

The corner of his mouth lifted. You were wrong, he needed this more than anything. And if it would help him, he wanted to do it. He reached out and carefully took your hand, squeezing it tenderly.

"You're sweet, but you know perfectly well what I think of my..."

"Height?" you finished quietly for him. He nodded. "Harry, that's not the most important thing. You're a wonderful guy, charming, generous, sensitive and intelligent. Every woman would want..."

"Not every woman." Now he interrupted you and saw a trace of pain in your eyes. "They pass me by without a word. And when we manage to exchange a few words, they keep me in this... what's it called? The friend zone?"

"Because you haven't met the right person!" you groaned.

You were so lovely in your naivety. Harry adored you, your sharp mind, your big heart and what connected you - friendship. That's why he told you about his plans as the only one outside of his family. He trusted you.

He tilted his head and looked at you with those wonderfully sweet brown eyes of his. "Will you support me in this? Do I have you on my side?" Your eyes lit up with tears as you momentarily dropped them onto your intertwined hands. After a moment, you placed your other hand on top of them.

“I’m angry, Harry,” you said quietly, your voice shaking.

“Angry? Why?”

You took a deep breath, looking at him again. “I’m angry that the world has convinced you and me that we’re not perfect. That there are always limits that we have to reach to be worth something. It pisses me off and makes me sick. Because I know you and you’re amazing, and those few inches won’t change anything.”

“That will change a lot, love.”

A single tear rolled down your cheek, but you finally nodded. “If that’s what you want… I’m in this with you, Harry. Totally.”

He lifted your hand and brought it to his lips, kissing your knuckles. More tears rolled down your face, but you quickly wiped them away with your hand.

“You're amazing, you know that?”

You tried to smile, but the muscles in your face refused to obey you. Harry had to settle for a grimace, but that was also precious to him.

You had been friends for a few years. Harry didn't remember exactly where or when you met, but he remembered exactly how he felt when you looked at him. He was tense, very insecure, and you never once made him feel that what he said didn't interest you or that you wanted to be anywhere else but with him.

"I'll give you my number." You said, quickly writing something on a napkin. "If you want to go out for coffee or something... I love talking to you, Harry."

You were like a ray of sunshine. No excuses, honesty, openness and acceptance. With you, Harry wasn't afraid to show his sensitive side. He talked about his fears and worries, and you gave him a safe space for it. But he wasn't just a taker. Harry was a great listener, he didn't judge you, and when you had a bad day, he was the only one who could make you feel better. Now he needed you, and you wanted to rise to the occasion. Because that's what friends do, right?

"I miss going out together."

You smiled, sitting next to Harry on the soft couch and handing him the container of food you brought that night. "A few more weeks and then you'll take me to a nice restaurant."

He sighed. "It won't be that easy. Don't forget about rehabilitation and..."

"So I still have time to find a nice dress." you said, taking the first fry into your mouth. "And I warn you, I'll order the most expensive dish on the menu."

Now he smiled too. A ray of sunshine.

You spent a few evenings a week with Harry. You exchanged messages almost all the time, but the thought of him being alone in this big apartment broke your heart. The private nurse and the physical therapist were really professional in their work, but he needed you more than ever. And you were there for him.

After a while, he started working from home, but on a limited basis. He still needed painkillers and proper care, but he didn't regret his decision. You were there for him, although when you saw him a few days after he came home from the hospital, your eyes filled with tears again.

You were eating in silence, watching something on TV, when Harry heard your voice, a little worried but trying to sound casual.

“I bet once you get back on your feet you’ll quickly forget about me, huh?”

He looked at you in surprise. “Why would you say that?”

You shrugged. “You know… All those women won’t be thrilled to have me around. Don’t worry, I’m aware of that.”

He didn’t answer, just looked at you as if you’d suddenly declared that your time was set, that the countdown to the end had begun.

“You’re one of a kind, you know that?”

You chuckled, but finally looked at him. “Practicing your pick-up lines already, Castillo?”

“This one’s just for you.” You rolled your eyes, but couldn’t stop smiling. “Does it work? Yeah, I can see it works.”

“Jesus.” You shook your head, trying to hide your embarrassment. “You’re terrible.”

Harry had achieved what he wanted. He was taller. He stood on his own two feet in the dressing room, looking at himself in the mirror. He had to replace all of his pants because of the extra inches, and you were happy to go shopping with him.

"And?" - your voice rang out from behind the thick curtain, and Harry smiled.

"See for yourself."

The curtain parted and you peeked inside. You had to get used to this version of Harry all over again every time. He stood straight in front of you, his hands nonchalantly in his pants pockets.

"They look good," you mumbled. "Maybe we should buy them in a few colors?"

"Yeah, and those jeans I tried on earlier."

You nodded, then looked over your shoulder into the store. There were a few more customers there, served by pretty saleswomen, and one of them was looking your way.

"I think I should get out of here," you announced, not hiding a smile. "That girl is looking at you like you're the sweetest cake in the bakery."

"Really?"

"Jesus!" you playfully punched him in the chest. "Yeah. That's what you wanted, right? I'll get some coffee and you... Do whatever you have to."

"Thanks."

Smiling, you closed the curtain and after a moment Harry heard your voice from afar. "Excuse me. Can I ask you something? I think he could use some professional help."

"Of course!"

Harry had achieved what he had wanted so much. He had finally been noticed. And not just by women. Finally the waiters and bartenders didn't ignore him when he placed his order, the company's clients took him more seriously, and women no longer looked at him with pity. He walked upright and felt that he deserved it, fate had simply played a trick on him, but he had fixed everything.

The suffering and the time spent were worth it. When, as promised, he took you out for your first dinner after all this, he felt like the whole world belonged to him. He towered over you, giving the impression of solid support and care. And you were happy to see his attitude, he could see it in your face and in your gaze.

"Did you get her number?" Harry held up a small yellow card with a row of neatly written numbers, smiling like a winner of some prize. "Congratulations."

"You should have stayed." he said, but you just shook your head. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You don't need me anymore, Harry. Not like you used to." and seeing the surprise on his face you added. "Of course, we're still friends, but..."

"I told you, you're one of a kind." he reminded you, but there was something different in your gaze. You smiled, but looked at him with some kind of polite sympathy. In an ideal world, Harry could have a woman and you as a friend, but you didn't live in such a place. You knew perfectly well that no woman would ever want to share Harry, not even you. With every glance in his direction you felt an unpleasant twinge, but you didn't feel ready to face it, you didn't want to. He was so proud and happy, that's what he wanted, and you wanted to support him in it.

The shopping bags landed in the trunk of his car, and you got in.

"Maybe we can watch that movie you were talking about last time, huh? We'll make some popcorn and I think there's still some wine left."

"Sounds good, but unfortunately I have to decline." you replied. "I... I have a date tonight."

Harry raised his eyebrows. You didn't say anything to him, and he noticed that you were a little confused. Lately, everything had been about him, about what he felt and what he needed. Although you talked like you used to, somehow you didn't mention a word about the upcoming date.

"That's great." he finally replied, feeling the words struggling to come out of his mouth. But the smile quickly covered it up and you probably didn't notice. "Is he a nice guy?"

You nodded. "He's kind and funny. It could be a nice evening."

"I'm sure it will be. You'll see, he'll be delighted with you."

Harry saw the relief in your gaze. "You should call her." he raised his eyebrows in surprise. "That girl, silly. She was really pretty."

"Yeah, maybe I will." He replied, remembering the yellow note in his pocket.

☆☆☆

Thank you for your time.

taglist: @enchantedreader @sarahhxx03 @wencontre @stevie75 @orcasoul @picketniffler @perfectpoetrybluebird @saltyfartdreamland @beaagiannelli @the-curator1 @lillaydee @inlovewithchrisevans123 @chewie-bars @chrrypascal @person-005 @avengersfan25 @tezooks @kakiki3 @beezusvreeland @mallingcalling-blog @wand-erer5 @missladym1981 @sunnytuliptime @purplerain04

[desired-fantasy-writings]

MC who loves their possessions and cleaning (headcanons)

A/N: Couldn't stop thinking about this all day for the life of me. Someone probably wrote something like this already but if not I'm glad I'm the first! I know I haven't posted or wrote anything for a long ass time I'm sorry to the lovelies that follow me I'm still here, just preoccupied with life and work. Also sorry if some stuff sounds OC as hell just got the game a week ago so the characterization will be super off.. probably. 👉👈

Girlllll, and I mean literally. The objects LOVE them so so much and feel so cared for they honestly all melt whenever cleaning day comes around. While many are shy they want to meet them face to face so bad.

Pre-Dateviators

Many of the more insecure objects feel a better sense of belonging in the house feeling extra special. 

Out of any owner they've been nothing but the best to all the objects.

They're always so gentle, so caring and considerate making sure every spot on whatever they clean is spotless. They always use the best cleaning supplies available to them. They can't stand an unmade, filthy space. It ruins their productivity and workflow. Having a clean space makes them happy. 

MC has a whole cleaning schedule around cleaning certain places in the house on the fridge. Many objects look forward to those days so much they work their OWN schedules around it.

With the MC being so considerate and gentle. Their hands are like silk and so skilled with cleaning that many of the objects either get so flustered or turned on- They can't help it… It's so intimate. They feel EVERYTHING they do to them.

All the objects in the house know something's up when MC misses a cleaning day. 

MC even apologizes to the objects they clean like they're an actual person if they scrub too hard… Other humans find it strange as fuck, but to the objects of the house? They LOVE their weirdo of a human.

Despite the barrier many objects put effort into making them feel better; like Hector and Johnny adjusting their temperatures to their liking, the bed and couch feel more plush than usual, Lux adjusting the lights so it's less bright, but MC thinks none the wiser…. Until they get their hands on the dateivaters.

After getting the Dateviators 

EVERYONES FREAKING OUT, and honestly some are SO so nervous and giddy to meet them, while some don't really care. (They absolutely do but won't admit it-)

To their surprise instead of freaking out, MC was entirely amazing and eager to meet everyone! Even the more forgotten objects. 

Volt and Eddie went double time cleaning the Breaker Box club, and the day MC first met them they wished they could've met them sooner. 

Many of the more closed off objects of the house slowly fall for their charm and completely FOLD as well.

The MC asking if they do a good job cleaning their object forms and if they hurt them at all, what can they do to prevent it. What cleaning products do they like and dislike?.... LAWD-

So many hold back so hard… like they  want to kiss them SO FUCKING BAD THEY'RE JUST SO FUCKING CUTE-

[chrystal-ink]

Wherehog! Shadow x GN reader

Carried

Description: Shadow carries you down the mountain after reuniting with you, after a heated discussion and some apologies you can’t help but burry yourself in his newly formed fluff Warnings: Fluff (literally), a little bit of angst. Notes: so this fic has been in my drafts since February lol. the plot changed a lot from where I originally started it but I like it a bit more this way, it's kind of a sequel to the mini fic I did but with a touch more angst (and also no proposal sorry) -Enjoy

Night fell as you trudged your way down the mountain your mutated boyfriend in tow behind you as the snow began to fall heavier than before.

The cold began to sneak it's way beneath the layers of your coat chilling you to the bone. You shivered reminding yourself that it was only a few more miles to camp, once you made it you would be able to warm yourself up again, and maybe get a nap, you hadn't slept well since Shadow ran away a few weeks ago. you now knowing his reason.

A part of you was bothered about the situation, not because of Shadow's transformation, in all honesty his current form was the least of your concerns. What bothered you was the fact that he went so far to hide it from you.

It wasn't like Shadow to run away from anything, being fearless was kind of his thing. Was he worried about you're reaction? Did he honestly think that you wouldn't love him if his physical appearance changed?

caught up in your thoughts you failed to see the small creek you were about to step into. the icy water splashed everywhere seeping into your boots completely soaking your socks.

"Damnit" You hissed the cold stinging your already tired feet.

"Are you alright?" Shadow asked his rough voice full of concern.

"yah" you sighed "I'm fine, I just didn't see the creek and now my socks are wet."

Shadow gave you a look of concern which you quickly brushed off.

"It's fine, it's only an hour down the mountain I can change my socks once we get to camp."

"No, You'll freeze before then, let me carry you."

"What? No, Shadow you don't have to do that. I'll be fine"

"It's not a problem, I'm stronger in this form it won't take much energy."

"I can walk just fine" you were getting agitated you continued walking each step you took felt like needles. you winced at the pain hoping that Shadow didn't hear.

"You're being stubborn let me-"

"Oh I'm being stubborn? That's rich coming from someone who just spent a month hiding in the freaking mountains just because he didn't want his partner to see him like this." You snapped, all the frustration and panic from the past month finally rising to the surface.

Shadow was taken aback by your outburst, normally you would jump at the opportunity for physical touch, especially after a long period away from each other.

"I mean do you think I'd be so shallow to care what you looked like? I wouldn't have cared if you came home looking like a trout so long as you came home to me. I spent so long waiting for you I was worried sick." tears prickled at your eyes "I was scared, What if something happened to you?" you took a deep breath collecting your thoughts. "I don't care if you have claws, or wings, or whatever else. I care about you we can figure out the other stuff together but please don't leave me alone like that."

Shadow took a moment to absorb your words his face went through several emotions from anger, to shame, to something else you couldn't quite place before returning to his stoic demeanor.

"I didn't want to hurt you" he admitted quietly.

"What?"

"In this form everything is heightened, my scenes, my emotions" he paused for a moment not wanting to admit the last part "My desires. I couldn't risk hurting you if I got out of control"

you looked up at your boyfriend sincerity in his eyes.

"I need to protect you at all costs, you're all I have."

Shadow moved gently towards you reaching his hand out.

"You're shivering, please, let me help."

As upset with him as you were, you had to admit he was right. With your clothes soaked through you were at risk for hypothermia. Shadow could get you to camp much faster than if you had kept walking. "Fine, but this conversation is not over."

Shadow smiled at you softly before gently scooping you into his arms.

it was only then when you truly realized the difference in size between the two of you now. he carried you like a princess with ease, his arms almost the size of your head. He probably could have carried you with one arm if he really wanted to, although you were grateful he didn’t.

With his new size you almost felt like a child however any concerns on that matter were quickly brushed aside the moment you made contact with his new fuller fur. it was warm and oh so soft against your cheek. It helped fight the chill of the night which you were grateful for.

you resisted the urge to submerge your face in it, you could tell from the small taste you had that it would be hard to remove yourself from him once you went in, and there was still so much to talk about.

“So how exactly did this happen?”

“From my understanding this is what happens when dark energy is absorbed from the chaos emeralds. It happened to Sonic once but he didn’t tell me how to undo it.”

“Did it hurt, when you, you know?”

“At first yes, but I’ve gotten used to it. I return to normal during the day.”

You nodded at his answer your worry still unresolved.

“Why didn’t you try to contact me or the others? We could have helped. You could have at least told me about what happened and why you weren’t coming home.”

“I lost my communicator when I first transformed, I went to a village to try to find a new one but my efforts were wasted, it was abandoned."

You huffed in frustration. silence drawing between the two of you only the crunch of snow beneath Shadow's feet could be heard.

"I'm sorry." he admitted "I didn't mean to neglect you the way I did, In my determination to protect you it seems I only hurt you more."

His words struck you, it was incredibly rare for Shadow to apologize outright. he would admit that he was wrong sure but for him to actually say the words I’m sorry was a rarity he saved for only when he truly and deeply meant it.

You looked up at Shadow reaching out to stroke his cheek he leaned into your touch. You didn’t see his sharpened teeth or his wild eyes, you just saw him, plain and simple.

“You and I are partners Shadow, I need to know if you’re safe. I care about what happens to you even if it’s unpleasant I want to be there.”

“I know, I just couldn’t handle it if something happened to you and it was my fault.”

“You would never hurt me on purpose, I know that.”

“What if I lose control?”

“Well you haven’t so far. We’ll figure it out Shadow I promise.”

Shadow smiled at you and after a moment pulled you in closer you giggled as his fluff tickled your nose. you finally gave into temptation and buried your face in his fluff. his scent was different then you remembered smelling more of pine and sweat rather than the usual lavender notes you were used to, it wasn't an unwelcome change however.

"Do you enjoy that?" he asked playfully

"yes" you admitted removing yourself from the soft oasis. "I missed you."

"I missed you too."

you smiled and began to play with his chest fluff absentmindedly twisting it between your fingertips as you gave Shadow directions to the camp.

After a minute or two you noticed Shadow began to pant his Shoulders began to tense up as well his grip on you tightening.

"Cover your ears" he warned before letting out a howl, wild and incredibly loud.

"Where did that come from?" you asked when he finished your eyes full of wonder.

"Sorry, that happens when I get excited."

You laughed he was almost too cute. "Never a dull moment with you Shadow"

🌙

when the two of you finally arrived at camp Rouge greeted you looking not too pleased with you.

"There you are! What were you thinking going out by yourself so close to sunset? you could have gotten yourself killed, for crying out loud we're on a rescue mission you need to be more careful."

"Well I found him"

Rouge pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration "Finding him means nothing if you die in the pro-"

Just then Shadow stepped between Rouge and you blocking her from your line of vision.

"They are at risk for hypothermia and need to get warmed up and rest we can talk in the morning." he picked you up throwing you over his shoulder and grabbed a basin of water. he took you into your tent sealing the entrance behind him.

you were more than a little shocked at his sudden protectiveness over you however, he was right you were practically ice at this point.

you got to work right away stripping your wet gear off in exchange for your dry, more importantly, warm pajamas you felt total bliss as you slipped your fuzzy socks on banishing your wet socks to the corner to be packed away later.

you added some water into your electric kettle turning it on. "Are you hungry at all? I have some ramen cups if you want one." You looked over to him his attention solely on the entrance to your tent.

"umm Shadow?"

he hummed in response

"What are you doing?"

"Keeping watch" he said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Right, well did you want some ramen?" you were too exhausted to question him at this point.

"Yah sure"

You handed him his cup watching as he scarfed the whole cup down stray noodles hanging from his mouth when he finished.

"Sorry, my manners aren't the best in this form"

"It's alright dear, it's cute" You picked a noodle from his mouth and placed it in the trash giving him a kiss on the cheek.

his tail began thumping on the floor obviously pleased with your action.

after you ate exhaustion began to take over. opting to not pass out you decided to call it a night laying down on your mat and piling all your blankets on you.

"Are you coming to bed my love?"

"You go ahead and rest, I'll be there in a minute."

after turning off the lantern you watched as Shadow circled around the tent patrolling for any danger that may come to you. once he was satisfied with his results he laid down next to you with a thud. wrapping his large arm around you like a gentle cage.

instinctively you leaned into his touch nuzzling yourself into his fluff. it was soft like a cloud against your ungloved hand. you sighed relaxing for the first time in a while. finally reunited with your admittedly furrier than you expected love.

"Goodnight Shadow"

"Goodnight my love"

You finally let sleep take you. tomorrow would bring unknown mystery and adventure. a million questions still needing an answer, but all of that could wait. Because in this moment the only thing you needed was wrapped around you, and he had no intention of letting you go.

[hambalbeesart]

I have a (very) stupid question: Prowl is usually with 5 of the 6 Constructicons in a gestalt due to Scrapper's death in the comics and Prowl being his "replacement." What's their dynamic like now that Prowl isn't part of Devastator?

(btw, I have the HC that once Prowl gets used to the whole Devastator picking him up thing, he sits quietly in his servo while Devi carries him.)

In my mind, I like to make their dynamic G1-esque as I haven't actually reached the Prowlastator part in the comics, and only know the characters from the cartoon/bios and from things my friends tell me about them. (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) Since Prowl isn't part of the gestalt, their relationship would begin in a less forceful manner. I've talked to some mutuals about possible ways they could meet, and I think the relationship works best if set during an AU where the war is over, as I doubt the constructicons would care for cross factional relationships due to how risky they could be, as I hc that they wouldn't be the type to betray their faction for love (or maybe they could, idk I'm not really set on just one way they could work, I'm very indecisive). Ok ok, I love Scrapper, so I like to think that maybe he's the one who develops a crush on Prowl (I even have a fanfic in the works for that, I have some excerpts on my Twitter) and would be the first one to court him. Then he would be followed by the other Constructicons, who each also develop feelings for the aloof tactician. And yes!!! He would get carried around by Devastator, cause he's an extra boyfriend!! Devy would yoink Prowl up like a cat and be like "ok bb let's go" and just steal him for a date hehe. Sorry if I didn't answer your question well, my brain isn't braining today cause I'm sick (๑-﹏-๑) but I've been meaning to catch up on requests, apologies for taking too long to respond!! ( >_< '')

[huntrix-kingdom]

Huntr/x isn't even officially online and everything's blowing up to smithereens

They have another FAKE BEEF with Saja Boys

Like guys, THE PULSE THING WAS FAKE? THAT WAS FAKE? FAKE? I wrote posts so long they could be research papers, essays, I DID MAKE RESEARCH PAPERS

its time to admit i was also a zoelsea fan, chelsea and zoey were just too good, i felt like a traitor, but zoelsea... (they're still in touch aka still together trust)

Getting off topic, but if the fake beef holds true, holy shit they're fucking dialing it up to 11, I saw someone say that this is our new Pulse Vs Huntr/x but better

BECAUSE WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE SLIDE?? THE LEATHER?? ORCHESTRATED BY THE COMPANY I TELL YOU, AND IT'S LIQUID GOLD (can't believe i'm praising Sunlight Entertainment)

The Saja Boys are calculating fucks and I kinda love them for it (im sorry guys, they're fun)

Mira's posts are a mess too, the fact she was really dissing on the saja boys and especially mystery megamind and jinu jerkface (no coffee no creativity) and they definitely made her apologize, it's in the same format as her post about Rumi's recovery, so yeah PR-mandated

[goorgeousz]

Hello🩷I hope life is treating you well these days!

So yesterday I was watching the episodes where Aaron starts dating Beth, and even though I love Beth they are not my favorite episodes because I feel a little bit jealous. 🥲🤏🏼but in the end those chapters gave me an idea, and I thought I'd send it to you.

So maybe Beth comes back and goes to find Aaron but Aaron is already dating someone else who is the reader and I remember reading that you like to write about the age gap although maybe I'm wrong🫠Well Beth comes back and the reader just sees Aaron so excited about her coming back that she thinks he still has a thing for her but Aaron genuinely gets excited because they're friends and so on, and the reader believes that he is on this romantic side because she was his second illusion and those beautiful things scare her:( maybe the reader already has some of his things at Aaron's house, and he obviously notices that something is different with her but he realizes that it is really bad when her things started disappearing from his house:'( and the reader is simply distancing herself because since she is younger she thinks that Beth, who is closer in age, might already understand her adult concerns better🙍🏼‍♀️ and Rossi is the first to notice that she's sad or think to leave him so he can get back together with Beth and Rossi is like "if you know he's crazy about you no kid?😬"

And now only our beautiful and gentlemanly Aaron tells him all that nice thing that dispels doubts🫶🏼😌You know our stoic and frowning boss is so so in love with his controversially young girlfriend and demands that she return all the things she took from his apartment as if him were to say "they are in my house, they are our things, you basically stole to ourselves 😠" but it's actually just her stuff and that's kind of funny🫠🫠🥹

I hope this was understandable, I got a little excited. 🥲🫠

This was very specific and I apologize lol if you decide to write about this you can change it as you see fit it doesn't have to be like this🥹🥹I apologize if anything here is misspelled, English is not my first language. 🤍🤍

I hope you have the most amazing day/night ever.✨✨

-alba🌸

heyy, gorgeous alba🌸! i hope you're doing good💗

i feel you so much, i almost combusted after that woman at the bar hotch and rossi went to flirted with him istgggggggg

first of all, i'm SO sorry it took me that long to finish this one! i accidentally got too invested in it and ended up being longer than i expected!

now, i have no words to say but thank you! thank you for this lovely idea, i had something like this sitting on my drafts for ages but never really worked on it. but when i saw your request and how perfectly it fitted, i went all in! i was so excited to make this story happen i didn't want to shorten even a line out of it! i really hope it lives up to your expectations, this one spoke to me in personal levels and even though it might not be perfect, i really put my heart into it!

once again, thank you for trusting me with that beautiful request and allowing me to write such a beautiful concept!

you don't ever have to apologize for misspelling, english is not my first language either so i get it (and probably won't notice lmao) !!!!! with that being said, i'm also sorry for any misspells 🫠

i really hope you enjoy it, sending lots of love 🌸💗🪽

you can find your request here:

girl crush | aaron hotchner

[teru-byte-dev]

I know who the anti-willo anon is.

I’m already dreading how long this post is going to take to write. Gonna try to do as much as I can before I have to board my plane. But after this, it will all finally be over. 7 months of harassment, 217 days to be exact, finally blamed. After collecting data for five months, I can finally, finally prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Much will be claimed in this post that I do not currently have the energy to find the primary source to substantiate. Maybe tomorrow or the next day. If you’re unsure about any piece of evidence, ask anyone who’s been active in #syscourse in the last half year and I’m certain they’ll confirm they witnessed it.

So yes I’m sorry this is going to be extremely long and unpolished, I’m literally writing one draft of this, somewhat streamofconsciousnessy and yeah just some of the first things that come to my mind in the order they come to my mind, and then I'm sending it off to explode everything. My condolences.

Part 1: Radendo

So those of you who already know what this blog is may be wondering, “Did you just use your faulty little program to decide who to blame for months of bullshit?”. The answer is no. That would be very stupid. You can’t know who’s sending anons. Many, many of them were very obvious, but even the possibility of other actors would pollute the dataset too much, and that possibility has already been confirmed on multiple occasions.

I think it’s better if we work backward. So let’s start with the first clue: “radendo”.

This word never existed in English until mid-April, when it was first sent in an anonymous ask to @okiimii. And then to everyone in this god forsaken Tumblr tag #syscourse. I’m sure everyone who was active then remembers this well.

Except that’s not entirely true. It was used precisely once before then. A coining, if you will. Budget screenshot drowning because I’m not on mobile.

I would like to make it clear that I have nothing against @starstruck-sillies or @celesystiasys. It was just a one-off linguistic game that probably a one-digit number of people saw and then forgot about.

One of those people was the root poster, who I cropped out for dramatic effect.

Here’s the full screenshot.

@lion-queen.

For those who weren’t active in April, @lion-queen was a bait blog that interacted with as many posts as possible, roleplaying as a psycological brick wall. They claimed to be anti-endo, but had a unique quirk. Unlike all other anti-endos on this website, they believed that there could be valid systems that are traumagenic without having a CDD. They also made a particularly big stink about created systems. Please keep this in mind as we move forward.

Only 11 days after @celesystiasys’s radendo post, @sandstorms-syscourse deleted the @lion-queen blog and confessed to and apologized for running it (prompted by nothing in particular but the goodness of their conscience, surely) and promised never to do anything like that ever again.

A few days before that, a blog had popped up talking about how horrible “radendos” were. This blog was @pro-endo-dino. According to them, a “radendo” was a pro-endo who supports created systems. They claimed to have absolutely nothing to do with the anons in everyone’s inboxes, and that “radendo” had existed as a term since 2019. They faked Discord screenshots to prove this, and were caught for an anachronistic use of “radqueer”, which was coined in 2021. The anons and @pro-endo-dino continued for several weeks.

Now at this point, one could make the argument that it could be a separate person. There are some minor things here, like @lion-queen and @pro-endo-dino having somewhat similar intro posts (“this character from decades-old media is literally me” -> discourse stances -> mental illnesses), but come on, @sandstorms-syscourse super duper promised never to do anything like that again!

So anyway, among a flurry of alt blogs talking about “radendos” that all claimed not to have anything to do with each other (skipping over @unprofessional-shapeshifter) came @radendocringe. That one was part of a batch of 3 blogs that lasted less than 48 hours, but thanks to Tumblr’s beautiful eternal reblogging, we have this crucial post.

Ah... 3 weeks... what innocent times.

Thanks @casscourse, now we have the radendo person who is very obviously @pro-endo-dino beautifully framed confirming that they definitely saw that coining post. “radendo” and “endoqueer” both in the same screenshot. Excellent.

So this drastically reduces our potential candidates. And another thing is that @pro-endo-dino went on to talk about other origins. Yes, their main nitpick was with created systems, but any origin that didn’t have to do with some level of stress was a dangerous invader. Protogenic, spontaneous, didn’t matter.

Astute observers may note, and indeed a few have noted (without completely connecting the dots), that this is the same extremely unusual discourse stance as @lion-queen, just repackaged. @lion-queen folded stress-origin plurality into traumagenic, while @pro-endo-dino calls it endogenic, and indeed the only valid type of endogenic system (more on that later), but in terms of which systems they consider valid, they’re identical.

So, quite a suspicious chain from @radendocringe to @pro-endo-dino to @lion-queen to @sandstorms-syscourse to @driaderg (the main account behind @sandstorms-syscourse), but certainly not conclusive.

I’ve got plenty more hard evidence, but I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the prediction of the main purpose of this blog, @teru-byte.

The front-end’s gotten all messed up since I made some optimizations yesternight and I don’t feel like fixing it right now and I’m definitely not revealing the back-end, so what I will say (and yes you will just have to take my word for it, sorry) is that @teru-byte the sockpuppet detector thinks there’s definitely a connection between @sandstorms-syscourse and @pro-endo-dino, about a 47% linguistic fingerprint match which is remarkably high compared to other pairs. Percentages in the 40s is usually what I see for publicly known sideblogs. A slightly closer connection is @sandstorms-syscourse and @princess-auklet, another alter in the same system (this is public knowledge). More interestingly, @lion-queen and @pro-endo-dino are slightly closer to each other than any of driaderg’s system, after which there is a steep drop-off. So it would seem that @driaderg has a consistent “troll voice” even when playing different characters.

Anyway. Where was I? Right, @driaderg. Well, this was not the first time that @driaderg had admitted to doing anti-created systems trolling.

Part 2: My Alter Did It

“almost all of it”. More on that in a moment.

I’m not going to get into the specifics of the January arc and in general I’m going to just scratch the surface of stuff going forward because otherwise I have no hope of finishing this. You remember if you were there.

So, basically, bunch of people got anons bashing created systems. This was the first wave of mass harassment, though it was relatively short compared to the endless tidal wave we’ve had to deal with for the past 4.5 months. Notable events include the anon claiming to be a medical professional and trying to pin the blame for the anons on @luckyclovercollective.

Now for that “almost”. What wasn’t included?

Ah yes, the most eggregious ones. Of course. Full responsibility and pathetical groveling for most of it, but anything that could connect them back to the other anti-created systems person...

Ok, I’ve beat around the bush long enough. It’s time to address the elephant in the room.

@translucent-system.

Sorry for jumping around the timeline so haphazardly. A few days after @sandstorms-syscourse’s confession, @pearlite-blues put the pieces together and was the first to publicly accuse @driaderg of being the “pro-endo anti-created” blog haunting the tags, @translucent-system.

I don’t think all of their points were bangers, but some highlights were:

@translucent-system and @princess-auklet being seemingly the only people ever to use the phrase “nothing is impossible with systems”

identical signoffs (bullet points like i'm doing now)

very uncreative alter name selections that gave away participation in certain fandoms

Now with my gargantuan 700MB dataset, I can now surpass Tumblr search and confirm that no other user ever said “nothing is impossible with systems” aside from @translucent-system and @princess-auklet (@driaderg).

One thing I would like to point out is that the all-lowercase transid thing was a dud. @driaderg’s blogs regularly used both capitalizations so the point is moot.

But even though they were wrong about which word, paying attention to idiosyncratic capitalization will bring us another silver bullet.

I would like to make it clear here that I hate @sophieinwonderland. When I started this project far too long ago, I genuinely wanted to find some other bread crumb trail leading to someone else, maybe even @sophieinwonderland herself. I hate that this post is going to give her a win and crazy levels of smugness rights during her freefall. But it is what it is.

Anyway. The magic word.

TransPlural

“nothing is impossible with systems” is memetic. On its own I would feel comfortable ignoring it because as sus as a repeated 5-word phrase seems in the abstract, this is something that I think could easily be repeated. Similar to something like “silly guys in my head”

TransPlural is not that. Who the fuck capitalizes words like that? (Well, a Warrior Cats fan, that’s who.) This is anti-memetic.

Out of over 650 blogs (basically everyone who’s interacted with syscourse in any capacity in the last year), only 5 have ever used “TransPlural” with that capitalization:

@sandstorms-syscourse

@princess-auklet

the REAL elephant in the room, @system-facts

@prettypog-imust-say (only 1 instance, was quoting @system-facts)

@teru-byte-dev, just now

I have intentionally avoided bringing up @system-facts until now due to the fact that their blog claimed suicide shortly before deletion and there are a lot of strong emotions surrounding that. However, with all of this evidence piling up, I hope I have depoisoned the well enough to make it obvious that there is only one person who could possibly be behind all of this. There is no universe where radendo, endoqueer, TransPlural, and “nothing is impossible with systems” all recurring together is a fluke. It has to have been @driaderg, ever since December.

But ok, if we were to be delusional levels of “charitable” here, one could argue that the evil evil super evil mastermind @translucent-system planted these seeds in a big brain move that they would somehow be found. And to that I say: why hasn’t @driaderg been directly accused/admitted to being the anti-willo troll? They clearly love the strategy. @system-facts tried to send blame and hate to @princessofendos. Totally Not Lotus accused @luckyclovercollective. And now just recently, “anti willo anon” has dropped into @luckyclovercollective’s partner @sky-forest-inn’s inbox (innbox heha) to accuse them of... being @system-facts!!

And wow would you look at that, @sky-forest-inn just happened to be one of @driaderg’s recent publicly admitted targets!

This is Big Apology #3 within 6 months, by the way. At a certain point, and I would say that point is at #3, the apologies are bullshit, it’s clearly a pattern of behavior that will not soon change, and anyone familiar with internet drama knows that when someone repeatedly makes a big show of being super sorry and revealing everything multiple times within a relatively short time span, they’re definitely absolutely still hiding shit that will have to be forcefully pried from their disgusting slimy hands.

If it was a fluke, @driaderg should’ve been an easy target. They already had the biggest system blog on Tumblr on this hypothetically innocent person, imagine how much hate could get sent if they timed a fake apology post just right! But no, they didn’t do that, because it’s the same phucking person.

I’m still far from done and it’s already so blindingly obvious oh my GOD how has the majority stayed on driaderg’s side for this long

Part 3: Bounce Forward

Ok, so we’ve hit the origin point of @system-facts, we now have the full context (maybe I don’t know I’m aware how scattered this all is, I’m probably skipping over important context for those not in the know, but this is really for those who are in the know so they can fill in the gaps), what other missing pieces are there.

Mostly tidbits I guess. Did you know that every single anti-created blog ever has used “directional quotes”? The kind I’m using now, that look different depending on if they’re at the “beginning of a word, or at the end”. On some devices they display as curly, others as slanted, but what they definitely aren’t is straight vertical. I’m not sure why keyboards are different about this or what causes it, but based on my analysis, only 25% of blogs use directional quotes instead of simple quotes. So whatever you had for the probability of all of this stuff with @driaderg being a fluke, divide that by another 4. 16, if you want to pretend that there was a single point in time ever where it even seemed likely that @system-facts was an actual independent person. Or is being anti-created correlary with having a keyboard that types directional quotes?

And there was The Spreadsheet that showed @driaderg and @pro-endo-dino posted at similar times. Honestly not sure if that was actually enough data to be conclusive, but that’s already where the mountain of evidence is pointing, so fuck it! It also is likely what prompted @driaderg to admit to the smaller crime of running @lion-queen, presumably in an attempt to save face. The blog was deleted, maybe to intentionally try to hide the evidence, but unfortunately this is the worst website to try to do that on.

Speaking of getting back to that connection, let’s talk about this ask. Maybe could’ve led with this as it’s quite strong evidence. I am so sorry for how much of a disaster this post is from a writing perspective. I really can’t put more energy into this because thinking about this for this long makes my blood boil. One draft takes long enough.

So if you remember from the beginning of this ungodily long post, we know for certain that this is a lie! @driaderg was one of the very few people to hear about radendo before this, they received a direct notification! Great to catch @driaderg in something so blatant, because accusing them of being all of these blogs necessitates the claim that they are a habitual liar. Honestly, admitting to running @lion-queen was definitely their biggest mistake. That was the start of this whole chain reaction. Though, it’s a shame that this lie wasn’t caught immediately upon the admission. Would’ve been a great followup to The Spreadsheet.

Anyway, let’s once again imagine the completely unrealistic scenario in which @driaderg is innocent of everything they haven’t admitted to. Imagine you are a struggling system who has been accused of, among other things, faking a suicide on a “pro-endo” anti-created blog. A new pro-endo anti-created blog pops up. What would you do?

Option A: Engage with it, associating yourself with what you know is a ticking time bomb that could lead to even more hate

Option B: Stay a million billion miles the fuck away

Obviously, an innocent @driaderg would choose Option B. But driaderg is not innocent, and we know that because of the CONTENT OF THE ASK. It’s obvious why this ask was sent.

Part 4: oaiw4htgjndgfkj

All of that speedran and yet I guarantee there’s still more evidence I haven’t thought of. More sources maybe coming in a few days, but everyone who would be enough in the know to care knows that all of the baseline facts I’ve stated are true because they witnessed them firsthand.

If you spent time out of your finite life defending @driaderg, good fucking luck justifying that to anyone on the outside of this. “Oh how could I have known that the person who had previously admitted to sending dozens of anti-willo anons and running an anti-willo bait blog for weeks was the person who was sending the anti-willo anons and running anti-willo bait blogs?”

Now for more speculation time, since there are no consequences on the internet ( ͡ ͜ʖ ͡ )

I don’t think there are multiple committed anti-willos. I think a few anti-endos may have briefly joined here and there, but I believe that at least 95% of those posts made in the last 217 days were written by driaderg. I simply don’t think it’s possible for two people to be this insane and not eat each other alive much sooner than that. Especially with the recent @sophiesopposite “Mod B” bringing up Sophie’s “suicide denial” with seemingly no prompting, it doesn’t make sense for a different person to hold that grudge and be as persistent as “Mod A”. They are at best two different alters in the same system.

I also think the Discord server leak was fake. Remember, the only thing that gave away the radendo screenshots was the anachronism of radqueer. This server leak had all of the same suspicious elements, but people ate it up like candy because it fit what they wanted to believe or whatever. That some of the anons were being abusively forced? idk. Anyway, that was just one attempt of many to trick people into thinking there are multiple people behind this. There weren’t and there aren’t. They tried many ways to get people to believe there was a group of operatives here to seem more threatening, some more successful than others, I am not buying any of it. I am pushing my poker chips all in on this entire 217-day operation being entirely the doing of driaderg.

Here’s every major blog that I think driaderg was behind in the last 7 months:

@driaderg

@princess-auklet

@sandstorms-syscourse

@system-facts

@translucent-system

@pro-endo-dino

@unprofessional-shapeshifter

@fuckradendos

@radendocringe

@radendo-blocklist

@pro-endo-miku

@sophiesopposite

probably more i'm forgetting

Even if I'm wrong about my ultimate bet on singularlity, and that is the one thing I think is reasonable for the readers to disagree on, there's no possible doubt

So @driaderg, since I know you're reading this because I know you've been much more online than you let on, I don't want an apology. If you were Pinnochio, your nose would be long enough to be a metereological device by now. No one would be fucking stupid enough to believe a 4th Big Apology. It would be forced and insincere, the two worst things for an apology to be.

I want answers. I want to know why you did all of this.

I want to know why you hate created systems so much.

I want to know why you spent so much time on this.

I want to know why you were so stubborn about the bait, only bothering to switch out a word or two every several weeks.

I want to know why you hate @okiimii so much.

TLDR/Summary

Everything that would have to be a coincidence for driaderg to be innocent of what I’ve accused:

@lion-queen (confirmed @driaderg) and @pro-endo-dino having the same ideology is a coincidence

“radendo” being coined in a reply to @lion-queen (confirmed @driaderg) shortly before it was adopted by @pro-endo-dino is a coincidence

“endoqueer” being coined in a reply to @lion-queen (confirmed @driaderg) shortly before it was adopted by @radendocringe is a coincidence

“nothing is impossible with systems” being used by @princess-auklet and @translucent-system and no one else ever anywhere on the internet is a coincidence

“TransPlural” being used by @princess-auklet AND @sandstorms-syscourse, and then also @system-facts, and no one else ever, is a coincidence

@driaderg conveniently forgot about radendo and thought it was a good idea to be one of the first and only people to unanonymously engage amicably with @pro-endo-dino

@sky-forest-inn out of everyone who could’ve possibly been targeted, including @driaderg themselves, being accused of being @system-facts shortly after @driaderg had already harassed them for weeks is a coincidence

@driaderg and @pro-endo-dino having similar posting schedules is a coincidence

@teru-byte has absolutely no merit and it just happened to identify linguistic similarities*

more I’m not remembering right now, for sure. I may have even forgotten a point I brought up in this very post

*ah shit i was supposed to post the author comparison chart before all of this. yeah i did a whole thing where i compiled books from a bunch of famous authors as a test for teru-byte but forgot to do the last 5% of making it look decent enough to post before writing this monstrosity. sorry i promise that’ll get beautifully substantiated sometime within the next week. have a whole graph and everything

Well, that’s all I have externally pressured time for, and all I have internally pressured health to deal with. There are so so many gaps that will need to be filled in later, but for now I’m going offline for at least several hours and will be back later to engage with the ensuing pandemonium.

Now explode

[imbaebi]

Lemonade

ִֶָ࣪☾. 최종호 —

paring: groomsman!jongho x bridemaid!reader

genre: comfort and romance

warnings: wanting to get married, jealousy(reader gets kinda jealous of her friends)

wc / cc : 2.6k / 14.9k

a/n: this connects with Summer in White !! i lowkey really love writing this, hehe

atz summer masterlist

synopsis —---

weddings were fun. but it would get tiring if you were always the bridesmaid but never the bride. maybe lemonade could change that?

—-- ⪩⪨⪩⪨

Your friend had asked you to be a bridesmaid for her wedding. Of course you said yes. You loved weddings!

You arrive at your friend's house, she was having a mini celebration party for her friends, a bridal shower if you will—a week before her wedding. You ring the doorbell, as you shift the gift in your hand.

    “Ah! Y/N, you're here!” Your friend takes you into a hug. She pulls away and sees what you're holding. “I told you you didn't have to bring a gift, girl!”

    “How could I not bring a gift? It's your bridal shower, for flips sake!” You argue with a smile. She shakes her head defeated, it was too late to do anything about it.

    “Thank you though. Now come in!” She pulls you inside.

You both head to the living room where the shower was happening. It was decorated with green vines—your friend was obsessed—and white balloons. There were fairy lights too. You recognized everyone in the room, her bridemaids are your best friends too. You recognize her older sister immediately.

    “Hi everyone.” You greet everyone and they great you back.

    “Y/N!!!” Chaewon squeals, getting up to hug you. “I haven't seen you in like ages!”

Chaewon doesn't live around here, you only met her in person like 3 times of the years knowing her sister, most of the conversations happened through the phone. But you're still excited to see her.

    “Chae!! It's been too long!”

And the bridal shower begins. You all play games like who knows the bride the most, obviously Chaewon won but it was still fun nevertheless. You also played pingpong with shots, and limbo. You all have lots of snacks too because what type of party would it be without food?

Now to the bride's request—she wanted to play hide and seek. Now at all your grown ages you guys obviously said yes.

Your friend counts next to the front door. The only rule she had was to not go outside, so everyone runs around the house in search of a good hiding spot. Everywhere you checked was either taken or it was just terrible so you run upstairs, your friend's house had 2 extra rooms upstairs. One was the guest room and the other an extra room where she turned into her office. The office seemed like a good place to hide. You enter the office and slam the door shut behind you, only for you to almost let out a scream. You slap your hand over your mouth.

    “Oh shit! Sorry—I didn't know anyone was in here.” You apologize to the random man inside the office. You notice though, that the office had been turned into a temporary guest room it seemed cause there was now a bed in here with a very attractive man sitting on it.

    “It's alright.” He smiles at you, putting his phone down.

You hear your friend yell "ready or not, here I come."

    “Are you guys playing hide and seek?” He looks like he's about to laugh as he asks this.

    “Yeah. The bride's request.”

    “Of course it's my sister who wants to play this.” He shakes his head. Realization dawns on you.

    “Oh! You must be Jongho right?”  Your friend and Chaewon have a younger brother so this must be him.

    “Yeah, the one and only. What's your name?”

    “I'm Y/N. Say, Jongho.. you wouldn't mind if I hide in here would you? There's kinda a prize on the line and your sister's already seeking.”

    “I don't mind. You should hide in there.” He points to the closet.

    “Thanks! You're a real one.” you quickly get inside the closet, closing the door behind you. Just as you did so, you hear the office door open.

    “What do you want?” You hear Jongho say, his voice sounds annoyed and bored.

    “Did anyone come in here?” Your friend asks him.

    “Nope. I thought you told everyone I was in here so they wouldn't come in here. You literally exiled me to this room and kept from everyone cause I'm not one of your bridemaids.” You could almost hear the eye roll. Jongho was a good actor, you took note of.

“I didn't exile you.” She huffs.

“Whatever you say, Sis. And isn't it cheating to ask where people are when you're playing hide and seek, hmm? Are you that bad at the game that you have to resort to cheats?”

“Oh my gosh, shut up!” She says before you hear the door slam shut. Jongho breaks into laughter. He definitely was a younger brother.

You open the closet door, your friend was definitely not going to check in here again.

    “You definitely fooled her.” You say to Jongho.

    “Of course I did. She's my older sister, so it's easy.”

⪩⪨

The day before the wedding, it was the last rehearsal.

Ahri, Chaewon's daughter was crying. Ahri is the flower girl but she's afraid to walk down. Ahri's a little shy. Unfortunately her mom couldn't convince her to do it.

    “But mommy I don't want to anymore...” She says quietly to Chaewon who was crouched to her level. Chaewon looks stressed, she and her sister had barely gotten any sleep the other night trying to fix Ahri's dress since it came in a couple sizes too big and the neckline was too deep for a 6 year old girl.

Seonghwa comes over to his soon to be niece, picking her up. He walks to the end of the isle and spoke quietly to Ahri. You rub Chaewon's back in a soothing way. Three minutes later Seonghwa comes back with Ahri, he had some how convinced Ahri to not be scared and walk the isle. He literally worked some magic on that girl.

The practice went again from the top. The groomsmen would be at the alter with the groom already. The grooms parents would go down first after the bride's mom would go down next. Then the bridesmaids would go in the order—Chaewon, You, Eunsae, Hari, Seongyeong, Yoonhee and Christy. Then Ahri throws the petals down before the bride walks with her father. Then after the ceremony, the bride and groom walk together down the isle followed by Chaewon and Hongjoong, You and Jongho, Eunsae and Yunho, Hari and Wooyoung, Seongyeong and Yeosang, Yoonhee and Mingi, and finally Christy and San, then the bride and grooms parents are to follow shortly.

You hold onto Jongho's arm, a fluttery feeling in your stomach you chose to ignore as you walk down the isle a couple paces behind Chaewon and Hongjoong.

Jongho was barely a month younger than you but that didn't stop you from finding him handsome, there was a charm to him.

    “Okay you guys did great! Let's do the same thing for tomorrow, yeah?” The wedding planner encourages everyone.

They respond with a "yeah!!"

    “You did good, Y/N. You have a good sense of rhythm, you kept in time well.” Jongho notes.

    “I could imagine.. I've been a bridesmaid for as long as I remember.” It came out more bitter sounding than you meant it to. You laugh trying to mask the sudden tone. “I been in all the bridesmaids' weddings, if you didn't know. I'm an expert at being a bride's maid.”

You explain, scratching the back of your neck.

    “I see...”

    “You did good too, Jongho.”

    

⪩⪨

The ceremony was lovely, it was always lovely—the whole becoming one with your soulmate and living with them for the rest of your life. Something you always dreamed of doing but you couldn't even keep a relationship for more than 3 months...

The ceremony was almost over, it was now time for the groom to kiss his bride. Seonghwa dips your friend, kissing her in a dramatic romantic way. You smile, happy for them, really you were. But you felt something in your stomach. You were the last one of your friends the who wasn't married yet now. It stirred something in you.

You meet Jongho in the middle and grab ahold of his arm, he pulls you closer slightly. You notice, your chest warms.

    “You look very pretty.” He tells you quietly as you both walk down the isle behind Hongjoong and Chaewon. It took everything in you from screaming out loud.

    “T-Thanks. You look very nice yourself.”

Everyone in the wedding party finally makes it down the isle. It was time for pictures. There was a special spot outside dedicated for the after ceremony pictures. The photographer asks the bridesmaids to stand next to the bride and the groomsmen to stand next to the groom. The photographer takes a bunch of pictures for them. You held your smile up as best as you could, posing for the pictures. Finally it was time for the couple to take pictures with their parents, you let your smile drop a little. Not enough to raise concern for anyone but enough for your face to rest. Afterwards everyone moved to the reception hall.

Everyone was seated as there were congratulation toasts to the two being raised. You listen to the sweet words said by Chaewon and Hongjoong, the maid of honor and the best man. Their parents also spoke, that almost made you cry. Then Jongho was called up to the mic. He sang a song for the couple. This time you actually cried, his voice was beautiful as he sings the words of a love song for his sister and brother in law. Your teary eyes on Jongho and they never faltered.. His voice was almost hypnotic like a siren's song, causing you to fall for him a little more than you wished. His eyes met yours and you swore you almost melted. You wipe your tears as you tear your gaze away, face warm because he could probably read what was written in your eyes.

⪩⪨

After dancing for a really long time, your friend retires, she walks tiredly but happy to her husband. They were just so cute... You couldn't help but feel a little pang jealousy of your friend and Seonghwa. When was it your turn?

You sigh, needing a break from all the noise. You head outside to the terrace. The July night air was cool, chilly. You were only out there for two minutes before the goosebumps crawls up your arms. You didn't go back inside though, you couldn't. Not when you felt like this. You chose to rub your hands over your bare arms. You didn't even hear the terrace door open, you had only heard it click shut. You turn around and saw him. Jongho. He has two glass in hand. It was lemonade.

    “Hey. Are you okay?” His brows furrow a little bit.

    “...just fine.”

He comes closer and holds out a glass of lemonade. You look at the glass then you look at him, wondering if he had followed you out here. You take the glass from him and mumble a thanks. You take a sip of your lemonade and he does the same.

    “I know you said you said you were fine.. but if you want to talk, I'm here to listen.” He says gently.

    “You might think I'm pathetic and a bad friend...” You say truthfully.

    “Try me.”

    You sigh. “I'm feeling a little bit... Jealous. Like I've always been the bridesmaid since I was seventeen. All of my friends are married and I'm wondering when it's my turn, y'know? So seeing it happen once again...” You didn't finish instead you choose to laugh, humorlessly. “See what I mean by I'm a bad friend?”

    “I don't think you're a bad friend. You're just being human with human feelings. Hey, you even came outside so you don't make our friends' day about you. How is that being a bad friend?”

You think about his words, honestly a little touched. “I guess you're right...”

    “So... Is your boyfriend not proposing or something?”

    “Boyfriend? I don't have a boyfriend.” You say surprised, hand waving.

    “Oh. I assumed you had one since you're like really pretty.” Your cheeks warm at his words, you take a sip of the fresh lemonade.

    “Oh no..! I can't even keep a boyfriend, they all say I'm too boring.” You frown as you spoke quietly. “They don't want to wait for me.”

    “Those guys are seriously missing out. You're definitely worth the wait.”

    “Stop, you're just saying that.” There was a pause as you turn to look at him. He looks serious which catches you off guard.

    “I'm not,” he says softly. “I've only known you for a week but you... You captivate me. I really want to get to know you more, Y/N.”

    “I— are you sure?” You stutter. Your heart flutters too, beating fast.

    “Of course I'm sure. Why wouldn't I be sure?” Jongho furrows his brows.

    “well... I did say I was boring.” You remind him, nervously.

    “Boring how so?” He asks you.

    “I want to wait for marriage to have sex.”

He starts laughing, catching you off guard. You press your lips together, slightly embarrassed, neck growing hot.

    “I-I told you..”

    “No, no I'm not laughing at you, promise. Y/Nie that doesn't make you boring. This whole time I thought you just didn't like to go out and have adventures, that it made your nervous or something.”

You cheeks flush red, hopefully the blush you were wearing was enough to mask the heat as makeup.

    “So you wouldn't mind..?” You ask nervously, there was a bit of hope in your voice. A breeze came, waving your hair around slightly. Jongho uses his free hand to tuck the strands away from your face. You freeze at his closeness.

    “Of course I wouldn't mind, Y/N. You don't need to have sex to have a relationship. I wouldn't mind waiting if it that's what you want.” He spoke with such softness that it warmed your heart. His hand lingers in your soft hair. Your lips part, your eyes on his.

The lights from the terrace gave him a soft glow, making him look very attractive right now. Whispers of unspoken feelings drifted in the comfortable silence between the two. The moon was bright too, almost full and round as the stars danced around it giving the illusion of twinkling in the night sky. The uncertainty lingers in his finger tips as they caress your soft hair, he didn't want to do anything you didn't like but you looked absolutely gorgeous in the light green bridesmaid dress and with the small white flower crown around your hair. He wanted to kiss your soft looking lips, feel yours on his. They would fit perfectly against his, he had a feeling they would—a feeling that you were the one, the missing half of his life. You both had already walked down the isle together but he wanted to do it again but with you as his bride. This might be a little too fast but he's never been so sure in his life.

Another breeze blew by, causing you to shiver again, the goosebumps returning. Silently his fingers leave your hair and he begins to unbutton his suit. He puts it around your shoulders with softness, you feel warm instantly. His scent drowing your nose in such a pleasent way.

    “Thank you.” You give his cheek a quick peck. He smiles a shy grin.

    “I really do want to take you on a date, Y/N. If you'll give me a chance.”

    “I'd really like that.” You tell him, your eyes sparkling. His grin widens. “Can we go get some more lemonade?”

    “Of course.” You take his hand, fingers interlocking. It felt right. You two leave the terrace and enter into the hallway. The music from the reception room wasn't too loud out here, just faint for the doors were closed and the room was mostly sound proof.

    “Y'know, I was really nervous to approach you earlier... So I thought of offering you lemonade and using it as a conversation starter, cause I didn't know how else to approach you.”

You giggle. “Really? Well you're lucky I really like lemonade.”

You liked it even more now.

Extra scene (wc is 172):

Upon entering the wedding hall again, you notice that a couple of unmarried women lined up behind your friend. It was time for the bride's bouquet toss. The hall was loud, buzzing with voices of excitement—the superstition of the flower toss being the loudest of the talk. You and Jongho start making your way to the refreshment table to get more lemonade as the bride gets into stance to throw the bouquet.

Your foot catches at the hem of your light green dress, causing you to loose your balance. Everything happened so fast—you felt yourself tipping over when Jongho's arm goes to your waist catching you before you could fall. Then bam, flowers were suddenly in your arms. Everything went still for a moment, you and Jongho look at each other in shock. You weren't even intending on joining the bouquet toss. You begin to laugh at the obscurity of it all. Jongho's laughter joins in with warmth sending fuzzy feelings through your whole body.

Maybe this was a sign...

©2025 imbaebi — all rights reserved, I don't allow copy of my work. Inspiration is one thing, plagiarism is another. reblogging is appreciated.

atz summer masterlist

taglist — (comment under the masterlist to be added) ;

@eumppapasmom,

[tethys-the-aquatic-sea-godness]

Sarevok's situation with Rieltar and the Iron Throne

There's a lot of room for guessing the details of Sarevok's life in the Iron Throne, but you have the outline of his situation. It's not as good as one might expect for the son of a leader, and it's vital in shaping his character. Sarevok becomes who he is because of his past and current situation. He's a character with depth, nuances, ambitions and motivations, not a flat, cardboard villain planted on his throne in an underground sewer, waiting for the murder race of 1492 DR.

This got way too long, you've been warned.

Because Baldur's Gate 1 has been out for so long, you tend to forget that Sarevok being the greater mastermind of the evil plot is a twist in the story. From the prologue, you know about the 'ominous figure', but not who he is, and it falls in the background when you get into the iron crisis- a crisis that has nothing to do with Gorion's ward. Sarevok is the foster son of Rieltar Anchev, a leader within the Iron Throne. It's a criminal organization where Sarevok is a member, but not a leader. It should be a cushy position, but it isn't. Let's see why.

First, let's recall the setting of Sarevok being adopted by Rieltar:

Sarevok is a homeless, orphaned child. He describes himself as an 'urchin', meaning he likely resorted to stealing and other mischief to live on the streets.

Rieltar is a wealthy man, a 'higher-up' within the Iron Throne, a mercantile organization with shady practices, a gang of sorts, closer to bandits than merchants.

I don't think I need to spell out how dodgy the whole thing is.

How Sarevok gets adopted is left up to the player, but a few things are certain. Sarevok is part of a vulnerable population, while Rieltar is of the upper class. Sarevok has no person nor structure to turn to should he need help. As a child, he entirely depends on Rieltar. Hunger, thirst, housing, clothes, other material needs and various threats that comes with being a homeless child, all of this gets taken care of if Sarevok stays with Rieltar. It's priceless, and a child wouldn't think past no longer being cold or hungry. Sarevok is affiliated to the Iron Throne from a young age, when he couldn't decide otherwise.

Sarevok is not a leader. it's his foster father, Rieltar, who is the leader of the western branch of the Iron Throne. The 'chief of operations'. He has two co-leaders with him, Brunos Costak and Thaldorn Tenhevich. Sarevok is the commander of their mercenary forces of the region, one of Rieltar's officer. Compared to Rieltar's own status, Sarevok's role is minor. There isn't as much nepotism going on as you might expect from a criminal organization passing off as a legitimate mercantile group.

The first time Sarevok is mentioned, he's a passing name in a letter found in the bandit camp, not a master mind- and that's how it was supposed to be.

Tazok, I have noticed that your shipments of iron have slowed of late. It is imperative that we receive another ton of ore. Step up your raids, and get a shipment to our base in Cloakwood within the next week. We need to stockpile as much ore as possible before our ultimatum is given. Also, Sarevok wants to know what has happened with the band of mercenaries. Have they been killed? You had better ensure that they have been, as Sarevok will not take kindly to any other news. Davaeorn

It's the first hint you get that he isn't like the rest of the Iron Throne. His own focus is more on the mercenaries disrupting the iron plot, more than the plot itself.

One interesting thing here:

"You had better ensure that they have been, as Sarevok will not take kindly to any other news."

-> Davaeorn is threatening Tazok with Sarevok, but Davaeorn himself isn't worried. Davaeorn could be nervous that Sarevok, son of the big boss, may cause him trouble if he doesn't get what he wants, but he isn't. No reason to think Sarevok is anything more than another Throne member.

After defeating Davaeorn, you find letters on him from Rieltar himself. In one, Sarevok's role and title are clearly stated:

"Davaeorn, Our plans go smoothly. Sarevok has arrived from our headquarters in Ordulin. He brings news from our superiors; they are pleased with our progress so far. I plan to place Sarevok as the commander of our mercenary forces in the region. He has already sent his subordinate, Tazok, to the Wood of Sharp Teeth to take command of the forces located there. Things go apace here in Baldur's Gate. We have placed our first agent among the ranks of the Seven Suns trading coster. Rieltar Flamerule, 1367"

It's not said in the letter that Sarevok is Rieltar's son. He is going to be named commander of the mercenary forces of the region. It's a new title, so I'd say his previous rank was equal or lower.

During your first stay in Baldur's Gate, you discover Sarevok is the foster son of Rieltar Anchev. Being the son of a wealthy man explains how Sarevok manages to get within the noble circles of the city for his popularity campaign, which I talked about in another post. Here's one interesting thing I got from this:

"From what I've heard, the new man with the Iron Throne, Sarevok, is an unmarried man."

-> He's considered new, however, the story starts in Mirthul (May) 1368, and from Sarevok's diary and another letter, you know he's been in Baldur's Gate in 1366, went back to Sembia at some point, then returned in Flamerule (July) 1367. That's two years on and off the Sword Coast and almost one full year on it, not to mention he's been in the Throne since an early age, but he's seen as new.

Sarevok's presence may not be public because he's working with the bandits, however, not knowing about Rieltar's son is common. Yeslick Orothiar is a companion who moved to Sembia where he met Rieltar. He pretended to befriend Yeslick, then tortured him to learn the location of the Cloackwood mines. Yeslick was in Sembia, and he doesn't mention Sarevok, or recognizes him when he comes to the party under a false name. So it's not just in Baldur's Gate, even back in Sembia, before Sarevok was commander, Rieltar doesn't mention his foster son— or the fact that he has one.

It can be explained by how Rieltar and other higher-up of the Throne see Sarevok, both his capacities and how far he can go. One telling example is during the Candlekeep chapter. Gorion's ward is going after Rieltar, the big bad at the time. You can go to Rieltar with the advice of 'Koveras', who tells you Rieltar is defenceless and this is the perfect time to kill him. He even gives you a nice ring to protect you. If you start digging through Koveras' dialogue, you might find something's odd with him and decide you don't want the ring. Joke's on you, it won't change a damn thing. Don't be too quick to laugh at Sarevok for only switching his name backward to change identity, it worked on Charname and their whole party (also worked on me when I was ten and had a pikachu face during the reveal).

Rieltar is a lot quicker to catch up than Charname though.

"Koveras! Who is Kove... of course. It seems I taught my son all too well. Well, my young pups, you've been set up to be used as dupes. Koveras does not want what's best for you, but rather what's best for him."

-> There's a brief moment of outrage before Rieltar realizes who Koveras is. The realization doesn't anger him more, it makes him calm down. He doesn't see Sarevok as a threat. It's unlikely he thinks Sarevok's plan goes beyond killing him, when it's in fact much more elaborate than that. Other Throne members straight out of Sembia underestimate how dangerous Sarevok is.

Here are a few more examples:

"She seemed surprised that Sarevok had taken control of this regional base. He is thought of as an upstart"

Kalessia: I have been sent from Sembia to determine why this branch of the Iron Throne has floundered [...]. Valdis (Charname): Why not ask Sarevok? He seems to be the one in control now. Kalessia: Sarevok? That upstart? Then the rumors I have heard are true. Our regional leaders here are dead and Sarevok has assumed their roles. Such arrogance! No doubt he has a hand in their demise, I'll wager. [..]

-> The outrage these criminals feel toward Sarevok's, well, criminal actions against them will never not be funny to me. Kalessia calls Sarevok an 'upstart'. She doesn't sound any more worried than Rieltar was, she sounds pissed that he would dare to do this. Also, she thinks he participated in the demise of their leaders, not that he orchestrated the whole thing. As if he isn't capable of it. I will stress this again, but Sarevok is the foster son of a high-ranking member of the Throne with wealth and influence. Yet, they talk about him as if he's of low rank. Somehow, I don't think the Iron Throne is a progressive organization that thinks wealth and social status shouldn't determine an individual's worth.

Later, inside the Undercity, you come across more people working for the Iron Throne. You get the following dialogue from two dialogue paths.

"We've been sent to hunt down Sarevok. Seems as if he went crazy and started murdering all who got in his way, including Rieltar, and the Throne don't take too well to having their high-ups killed."

"He doesn't seem that skilled at making friends. I am Rahvin, in the employ of the Iron Throne. My companions and I have traveled from Sembia to learn what has been happening to our operation in Baldur's Gate."

They're off to kill Sarevok. Just like that. Like he's just another guy with a bounty on his head. The twist of BG 1 is not only realizing Sarevok is the true antagonist, it's realizing Sarevok is not just a brute working for the Throne, he's a major threat to the Sword Coast and far from stupid. That's something characters who only know of Sarevok what is known in Sembia and have just arrived in Baldur's Gate don't realize. He has overthrown the entire leadership of the Iron Throne in the region, almost got the whole leadership of Baldur's Gate as well and they're simply going to 'hunt him down'. The way they talk about him is also telling:

"Seems as if he went crazy and started murdering all who got in his way"

-> He's talking about Sarevok as if he was a dog who went rabid, not someone who actively orchestrated the downfall of his employer.

"He doesn't seem that skilled at making friends."

-> Sarevok had the entire city eating out of his hand, he was about to be lawfully elected Grand Duke. Sarevok is skilled at making friends, when he needs them— and, when he has the right background to make the right friends. For example when he's known as the foster son of a wealthy business man without anyone knowing anything beyond that, like in Baldur's Gate. Something that's more complicated in Sembia, where people around him would already know he used to be a penniless urchin until Rieltar adopted him.

When you encounter characters working for Sarevok, rather than characters he works for, you get a different image of him, one that's closer to what you encounter in the game. There are two kinds, first, the zealots, those who already worship him as a new god.

"You have breached an inner circle, fool. There are no hired lackeys for you to bribe here [...]. We are servants of Sarevok and Sarevok alone, selected by hand to protect his destiny. [...] His will... be done!"

"So it has been decreed, so it shall be done. So orders Sarevok!"

-> Sarevok doesn't know how to make 'friends' in the strict sense of the term, but he knows how to be charismatic. He got servants to worship him before his actual godhood. These followers aren't part of the Throne, Sarevok independently recruited them to be his first faithful. Which is smart, considering gods in Forgotten Realms get stronger with more fervent and more numerous followers. Sarevok is planning ahead so he already has worshippers when he's a god.

If you played SoD (which is mid writing wise, but has good moments), you'll find that Sarevok's charisma struck again with other nondescripts fanatics.

"S. and I had a long talk last night. Everything he says make so much sense."

The other group of people are Sarevok's own underlings. These are mercenaries he recruited who are unaffiliated to the Iron Throne and only answer to him. You get interesting dialogue from Diarmid.

"Not a terribly original alias to be sure, but who is going to tell him that? Sarevok is quite used to getting his own way, and I gather subtlety is something that doesn't quite come naturally to him. He doesn't have the patience for it, though his mind is amazingly tactical. Certainly this made him perfect for organizing the Iron Throne's mercenary forces, though I doubt his superiors would say so now, what with his plot to have them killed. Such is the trouble with hiring highly motivated people. As underlings we can safely serve, but woe to those in a position he desires."

-> Is Diarmid scared of Sarevok? Yes. Does he respect him? Also yes, which increases the 'fear' part, I think.

Diarmid is a mercenary who's been working with Sarevok for weeks, maybe months. What he knows of Sarevok is surface level, but it doesn't match what other characters, who've been around Sarevok since Sembia know of him. Here are how different visions contradict each other:

"She [Kalessia] seemed surprised that Sarevok had taken control of this regional base." VS "[...] though his mind is amazingly tactical. Certainly this made him perfect for organizing the Iron Throne's mercenary forces [...]" / "Such is the trouble with hiring highly motivated people."

"Seems as if he went crazy and started murdering all who got in his way [...]" VS "[...] I doubt his superiors would say so now, what with his plot to have them killed." / "[...] woe to those in a position he desires."

Characters within the Throne are not supposed to know about Sarevok's plans, but they all react as if his behavior is an anomaly, they're blindsided. Yet, these plans match what Sarevok's mercenaries know of him: "have a tendency to only give information on a need-to-know basis"; "notoriously impatient"; "quite used to getting his own way"; "subtlety doesn't quite come naturally to him"; "his mind is amazingly tactical"; "highly motivated"; "woe to those in a position he desires"; "wouldn't sully his hands on those he didn't deem worthy of personally killing".

The Sembians's reaction is more understandable when you read the following letter, written by Sarevok to Rieltar. Sarevok's tone isn't what you would expect from him.

Father, I received your letter, and I can assure you that the mercenaries led by <Gorion's ward> will no longer trouble our operations. I have dealt with them personally. Before dying, they were most forthcoming in their revelations. It is as you had surmised: They were agents of the Zhentarim. I am also writing to tell you that I cannot attend the meeting at Candlekeep. Some problems have arisen with the Chill and the Blacktalons. They have had trouble working with each other, and I am needed there to smooth over any dissension. I am sorry that I will not be at your side. Sarevok

This letter reads like a dutiful son from start to finish. It's also a pack of lies from start to finish. Everything he says goes along Rieltar's own opinion, to placate him. The perfect son and officer, committed to his role. And it works, since Rieltar doesn't suspect Sarevok until he's told of 'Koveras'. You can assume the dutiful, uncompromising tone of the letter was the front Sarevok presented to Rieltar, and to other members of the Throne.

Reading Sarevok's diary, you see this is a front he has to present. Remember how Sarevok was named commander of the mercenary forces by Rieltar? Well, he wasn't even supposed to be part of his foster father's project.

"I have expressed interest to my 'father', and he has promised to include me within the operations along the Sword Coast. He mentioned Mother in our conversation: how I wasn't to be unfaithful to him as she had. He made it clear that I would suffer her fate if I was."

-> What a lovely father-son relationship. Anyways, if Rieltar had his way, Sarevok wouldn't have been commander, he would've left him in Sembia. Sarevok had to ask to be given a role. You'd expect the son a wealthy man to have a prime spot saved for him in his big project.

The next part of the excerpt is, in my opinion, the core to explaining the dissonance between what people from the Throne perceived of Sarevok, and what he's truly like. Rieltar threatens Sarevok, and that shows what this 'father-son' relationship really is about. For those who don't know, Sarevok's foster mother, who to this day doesn't have a canon name, was 'unfaithful' to Rieltar. It might be she cheated on him, but since it's never stated clearly, you could go with something else. Like trying and failing to kill her abusive husband, for example. As a punishment, Rieltar strangled her with a garrote in front of Sarevok when he was young.

Rieltar doesn't just threaten Sarevok, he reminds him of his place, which is the same as his mother. It's my guess that this is why he murdered her in front of Sarevok to begin with, so he would learn his place as a 'family member'. Someone Rieltar has complete authority over, including a right of life and death.

Sarevok brushes off the threats, but he does that as an adult and experienced fighter who is already planning to kill Rieltar and crush his operations. He wasn't always in that position. For the urchin Rieltar adopted, this threat wasn't 'weak' or 'hollow'.

This would explain why, despite being the 'foster son' of a wealthy and influential member, Sarevok is seen as an 'upstart' without a place in the upper ranks of the Throne. Because he is not his son to them, he is the urchin 'sponging off' Rieltar.

Another piece of the journal gives a little more information.

"The fool still insists on calling me his son, and for now I will let him. He assumes that I am loyal to him because he raised me."

-> Rieltar is confident in Sarevok's loyalty because he raised him. He provided for him and considers that should make Sarevok loyal no matter what. Even though Rieltar adopted Sarevok, their social classes are still very distinct. He's the one with the money and Sarevok should be grateful he spent some on him. 'Son' isn't an affectionate term (if the death threat above didn't make that clear), it's the reminder of what Sarevok 'owes' Rieltar. It would explain why Rieltar rarely mentions him. He has a debtor, not a son. When he discovers his plot to kill him, Rieltar says Sarevok wants 'what's best for him'. He knows why Sarevok wants out of this situation— he's the one who created it. Hence the threat. The devoted front is something Sarevok has to show, to ensure his own safety and the success of his plans.

Now I will go into a more 'grey' territory regarding a bunch of things that can't be checked with canon but are worth considering because of the situation:

First, does Sarevok have money? Rieltar does, yes. Sarevok works in the same group at a lower rank, he's both Rieltar's 'son' and his employee. As a commander, he likely has allotted money, but that's not his gold, that's for his job. Chances are he either doesn't get paid because he's working 'for the family' and that's another thing to be grateful for, or he does get money for his work, from Rieltar. Either way, Rieltar is the one who has control over Sarevok's finances. It's a good way to restrain him, and ensure his loyalty, since he won't get far without gold. Sarevok lived on the street before, he has ambitions, it's unlikely he's willing to rough it out again and be a homeless nobody. Rieltar surrounds himself with people he has control over, like his co-leaders: Brunos is dumb, and Thaldorn is a coward. They defer to Rieltar, who likely has an easy time controlling both. Having Sarevok at an officer position allows Rieltar to keep a leash on him, which fits his pattern.

Second, Sarevok has two genuine relationships that we know of. One was with his foster mother, and the other with his lover, Tamoko. If he had any real connections while living in the streets, they'd have ended once he joined Rieltar's household. Growing up, he'd be surrounded by people from the Iron Throne. The lowest in ranks would be under Rieltar's authority, and those of higher rank would only see the urchin Rieltar pulled out of the gutter. It's likely there were few children his age or anyone he could trust and build a relationship with. His connections are to characters he works for, and those who work for him. He's isolated, he doesn't have allies. That's another way for Rieltar to restrain him. There's the uncertainty of what 'unfaithfulness' means to Rieltar. Does Sarevok having someone he cares about gets in the way of being the devoted son Rieltar wants? Would the threat he makes on Sarevok's life include anyone important to him? It's possible. It would make any relationship Sarevok could have a weakness, which would impact how he views them. I would imagine he'd fight any feelings he developed for Tamoko before giving in, and he wouldn't introduce her to the man who murdered his mother. Having any attachment in this situation becomes a drawback.

Third, could Sarevok leave the Iron Throne if he wanted? Criminal groups rarely offer retirement. He's been involved since Rieltar adopted him, he's been working with them for years, and likely knows the group's inner workings well. The Throne is a criminal organization that wants to keep a legitimate front. With everything Sarevok knows, it wouldn't be smart to let go of him. Unless it's off a cliff. He's probably not an isolated case either. Youth with nothing to their names and no better options are easy to recruit and make good underlings.

Recap and conclusion:

Sarevok was pulled from poverty at a young age by Rieltar, a wealthy man who's part of a criminal organization. Through the murder of his wife, he's shown that he gives himself total authority over his family, and will harshly punish any form of rebellion. Growing up with Rieltar, Sarevok was affiliated to the Iron Throne from a young age and became another member. All that time, he remained under Rieltar's thumb, acting the part of the loyal son, while not showing anything that might cause suspicion. It's no surprise Sarevok charmed the city of Baldur's Gate when he has been fronting his whole life for Rieltar and the Throne, downplaying his ambitions and capacities. He doesn't appear as the true antagonist until late in the game, when he turns on the Iron Throne. They're blindsided and unable to fight back, while Baldur's gate is ready to name him Grand Duke. It's a victory on every front. He outsmarts the entire Iron Throne, the leadership of Baldur's Gate, he has the city eating out of his hand, he believes he's on his way to become a god. He used the organization that used him, got revenge for his mother's murder, his years of abuse, and had the nobles at his feet. He failed the godhood part, but he beat odds stacked against him. The urchin from the streets of Sembia rose higher than anyone ever thought possible.

It's important because Sarevok's situation connects to a game's theme and to his misbeliefs. One of Baldur's Gate theme is that your choices matter more than your nature- which is the direct opposite of one of Sarevok's own misbelief. He is convinced his nature as Bhaalspawn predestines him for violence and destruction. The most telling example is in ToB during dialogue if you're trying to change Sarevok's alignment.

"And do you believe I have another choice?"

"After… after all you have been through? With the taint in your soul, you still believe this?"

If you reply positive, you wreck his world enough to make him speechless. And enough to trigger his alignment change. It's a deeply rooted belief, one that affects how he interacts with the world around him, and it's directly connected to his past. Sarevok is also convinced he needs the ability to dominate others, hence his quest for power.

"I… don't understand. What is the use of power if you do not carve out an empire for yourself?"

Sarevok grew up first in the streets, where he was prey to all manners of dangers. Then, he was in a brutal and callous household where his freedom and his life were conditioned by his obedience. It's not said how long he's been working for the Throne, but likely as soon as he could fight. Growing through this, violence would be an everyday part of Sarevok's world, and of himself. He views the world through that twisted lens, where the strong crushes the weak. Learning he's a spawn from a god of murder would cement that belief by giving meaning to that violence. Sarevok isn't a wealthy, privileged man greedy for more power, he's someone from an impoverished background who only views his relation to others and the world as either having others at your mercy, or being at the mercy of others. And he's been the one preyed on for a large chunk of his life. By seeking power, he ensures control not only over his own life, but over other people's lives, because if he controls them, they can't control him.

Sarevok was shaped by his environment, which allowed him to survive, but also messed up his adult life. He has no genuine relationship, they're all transactional. Cythandria, who will brag about loyalty, is with him for wealth, power and sex. Sarevok knows that, he's with her for similar reasons. They're intimate, but their self-interest comes first. Winski Perorate is 'loyal' because he's getting his divine glory by proxy through Sarevok. They follow Sarevok because they get something out of him and he keeps them around for the same reasons. Tamoko is an anomaly in this, because Sarevok caught feelings. Feelings he wasn't equipped to handle because they couldn't fit with his mindset. That's the core tragedy of their relationship, it was doomed from the start, even without the game's events. Tamoko loves Sarevok without wanting anything from him but his company, and he cannot believe that. I made a post about them, and I do think he leaves her because the taint would push him to kill her if she stayed, but I also think it's easy for the taint to manipulate Sarevok, because he's predisposed to believing the worst. Being with Tamoko required effort, because it challenged Sarevok's mindset. Her betrayal confirmed it: he let someone get too close without check and got stabbed in the back.

While Tamoko didn't fully understand Sarevok, she's the on who sums up the situation best:

"You had Gorion to guide you did you not? Sarevok had no one. He draws his strength from his hatred, from the thought of rising above those he knows to be inferior."

In BG 1, Sarevok doesn't fail because he's weaker than Gorion's ward, he's more powerful when you face him, but he's holding on to misbeliefs that make him the puppet of the taint, whereas Charname is master of their own choices, harnessing the taint or rejecting its control. But there is nothing about Charname's nature that is superior to Sarevok and vice versa. The one thing that separates them is the past that shaped them.

Sarevok's story is tragic. He doesn't become a ruthless man because of his nature, but because he was young, alone and poor. Those around him exploited that. His situation gives nuance to his character, enough to make you feel for him. Even when he's only the antagonist, he has depth, and ToB further improves his writing, making a point to show his duality and his struggle to change, to uproot himself from the soil he grew up in. Sarevok never is a one-dimensionnal character, not as a villain, and not as a companion.

[the-palelady]

YAY REQUESTS ARE OPEN! :D can I please have a lil smth with Simon and his squadmate? I thought about this and ho boi now I feel all sorts of emotions.

I feel like Simon is the type of person to sometimes lose it and push himself to his limits, especially during training. And so he would be ok, but Y/n sees through the facade. And so BAM! Simon is laying down from exhaustion, with the summer heat making everything worse. He desperately needs water, but cant move and every recruit is staring.

We see Simon and imediately go Mama Bear ™️, almost scolding Simon for this despite being lower ranked than him. We bark orders at others to look away, while we give him some water behind his mask.

When Simon gets better and remembers, he is pissed that we might have looked at his face, and says so. We sass back that no tf we dont and that next time he should take care of himself. Simon can only be flustered by us, because 1. We are right and 2. We took care of him in the heat of the moment. He can only sit there like a scolded puppy

Guess who has a bigger crush on us now :)))

i’m so so sorry this took so long!! i drafted this up twice and never got it where i wanted it to go, but we’re finally here!!

It had been a week since he had collapsed in front of a group of recruits, and the whole thing replayed clear as day in his mind. A broken record repeating itself in his mind as he did anything and everything to try and forget about it.

Ghost could still feel the exhaustion that seeped into his bones that was somehow worse that day than it ever had been. The sweltering heat felt more like molten lava than anything. It didn’t help the recruits also seemed to get under his skin more than usual, primarily you, your already defiant nature seemingly ten times worse. Yet for some reason that day you were different. Your sarcastic remarks were instead replaced with quizzical expressions, eyes narrowed, assessing him. He could still feel your eyes watching the way his steps faltered, the twitch of his eye when his balaclava seemed to become one with his skin because of the sweat underneath.

He felt like an open book under the scrutiny of your sharp gaze, his patience dwindling at your rare silence.

Until everything went quiet, for just a moment.

Admittedly, Ghost could hardly remember who he was speaking to or what he was saying, likely terrorizing some poor recruit who had messed up their stance during training. All he could remember in that moment was one second he was standing, and the next he wasn’t.

His eardrums rang for a beat, then it was replaced by a voice.

Your voice.

You shouted to some recruit to grab some water, their rushed footsteps padding off somewhere Ghost couldn’t see. His vision was blurred, your figure above him just a shadow in his eyes even as you bent down at his side, grabbing the base of his neck and holding him up.

You mumbled something, your voice soft, caring, a contrast to what he was familiar with when it came to you. Then he felt the push of damp fabric underneath his jaw, moving its way up and over his nose.

At the time, Ghost didn’t register that you had lifted up his mask. Instead, he laid against the ground, neck comfortably cushioned by the palm of your hand that seemed so cool despite the heat that threatened to suffocate him.

“Hey!” He didn’t react to your screaming, only mentally begged that you’d hurry the hell up and press the bottle of water to his lips.

“What did I say? I said turn the around! Gawking like this is a fucking zoo.”

It was like heaven found home within that single bottle of water when it finally pressed to his lips, the cool liquid making Ghost’s eyes almost roll into the back of his head. He barely paid any mind to your annoyed grumbling.

“I have half a mind to kick your ass you know?”

What?

“Our Lieutenant, our superior, supposed to be an example for us, but instead you’re wearing yourself thin. I mean look at you: bags under your eyes, boots hardly tied when you showed up to training. Barely pushing 0900 hours and you’re already on your ass trying to catch a quick fucking cat nap.”

You continue to dig your own grave as you go on about how he isn’t taking care of himself, how he is supposed to be leading you and the other recruits. If Ghost weren’t on his ass he’d throw you off base himself.

However, that’s what he thought at the time.

Rather than ponder on the rage he felt at your words, he instead realized two things, the first being you were right. Ghost always put the job before himself. Things were easier that way. Instead of living in his mind he dedicated his entire life to his career even though it was as physically taxing as it was mentally.

The second thing he realized was that you had seen his face.

At least half of it. 

And for some reason this ate him alive more than the rest of the situation.

A week had gone by and he had done nothing, but allow his anger to grow. Admittedly, you were right. He didn’t take care of himself. Even so, he couldn’t live with the fact that you had seen something that was meant to stay hidden under the shroud of his mask. You had seen the man underneath Ghost, the man he had pushed down and kept hidden for so long.

The anger grew, festering like an untreated wound, puffy, hot, and seething red, blood boiling. Ghost knew anger could lead people to make stupid decisions, and yet here he stood in front of your door, chest rising and falling, fists clenched tight at his sides. His nails left crescent indents on his palms, those same fists coming up to bang heavily on your door.

The sound echoed throughout the hall. Ghost didn’t even notice some people had peeked their heads outside of their doors before retreating back inside. He finally heard the click of your lock before your door slid open.

You wore the usual military issued attire, grey sweatpants and a t-shirt. Your hair was damp, a hand running a towel through it to catch any excess water. Your expression was neutral even when your eyes met Ghost’s, and for some reason his words got stuck in his throat.

“Lieutenant?” He continued to stare at you, almost completely forgetting why he was here, “What do you want?”

The words were caught in his throat. What did he want? Why the hell was he here exactly? It was like all the hatred he held for you suddenly packed its things and vanished. Although he couldn’t say he necessarily hated you. There was just something about you that got under his skin.

The two of you never exactly got along. You questioned authority, his especially. Despite your ability to outperform the other recruits, your behavior was contentious. You were a thorn in Ghost’s side. You’d roll those sparkling eyes of yours when he’d have to adjust your hold on your gun, a rare occasion. He’d bark at you when you’d run ahead of the group during your morning runs. Your head would tilt back as you’d let out a laugh, a sound that made his fingers twitch, a song that he could get used to hearing. You always saw light in a world you knew was so full of darkness, and that just-

“Hellooo? Lieutenant?”

“M’face.”

Your eyebrow arched almost immediately at his words and lack of context, the confusion written all over the way your eyes darted from where his lips would be underneath the mask to his eyes.

“Other day, during training. When I collapsed, you saw m’face knowing damn well I keep what’s underneath hidden for a reason.”

The tone of his voice was accusatory, and he couldn’t help the way he took a step closer towards you. Even so, you didn’t make a move, hip pressed into the doorframe, arms crossed over your chest. When Ghost continued to remain quiet, the only thing you offered him was a scoff, looking down at the floor beneath you as you crossed one ankle over the other.

“Didn’t see a thing, actually.”

There it was. The sass. Ghost could already feel a blood vessel coming to the surface right above his eyebrow, twitching, desperate to burst.

“Ya lucky I didn’t take ya arse to the curb the moment ya decided to mouth off, but looking at something ya have no busin-”

“For Christ’s sake…I didn’t see your damn face, Lt!”

Your shout echoed throughout the hall, but this time no one peeked out. Ghost’s searched your face, your eyes closed. Your hand came up to massage your temple.

A sigh left you, “What’s underneath…it’s none of my business. I would never step over a boundary like that no matter the situation. Kept my eyes closed…”

Ghost could still detect the annoyance laced within your tone, but your voice was softer now.

“Just wanted you to understand the gravity of the situation,” your gaze was resolute when you finally looked up at him, “Everyone here knows how…incredible you are at what you do, Ghost, but none of the dedication you put into this job will matter if you don’t take a step back.”

His ribs vibrated with the beat of his heart, his ears pulsated wildly, rendering him practically deaf as you spoke. Johnny and Price had told him a few times to take a break from work. He knew their concern was genuine, but this was different.

You weren’t them. They didn’t pry open a piece of his mind and make a spot for themselves there as you had, insistently taking up his thoughts like some clingy house cat. That anger he felt slowly dissipated into a forgotten mist, evaporating off of him as he deflated right before your eyes.

“But next time you want to accuse me of something, at least ask first before almost ripping the damn door right off the hinges, hm?”

You raised a brow when he failed to answer you, something foreign fluttering within the pit of his stomach when he failed to maintain eye contact with you. Rapidly blinking to disguise his sheepishness, he nodded.

“Y-Yea…”

He chose to ignore the smirk he was met with when he finally looked back at you.

[sweetmariihs2]

I squeeze into a small hole

Through the eyes of needles

To stitch you up again

Even though I know so well I can't fix anything

[...]

And I need you

And I need you

To understand

To understand

Sometimes I see light

And I fear it's only fantasy

Oh, wouldn't it be tragic

If there is no light in me, not any magic?

And I need you

To forgive me

If you can

I know the best I can

Isn't always good enough

It hurts to know I hurt you

Like I know it hurts for you to know you've hurt me

And now my blood is yours

And life is slowly losing touch

How do we learn to tend to

These invisible wounds our homes gave us?

I can't heal you

And you can't heal me

Even if we wanted to

And how I wanted to.

And I need you

To stop needing me

Like I've needed you

We both need to

Tend to the invisible wounds...

[call-me-copycat]

Sorry to anyone who's messaged me anywhere from mid January to late May/early June - school was actively destroying my body and mind and I couldn't even fit sleep into my schedule because it was so packed (⁠｡⁠ﾉ⁠ω⁠＼⁠｡⁠)

[lelanida]

The Vault of Knowledge has always been different from other realms.

Starting from the elder, finishing with the landscape. Lamed can be condemned for many of her actions. This old lady has made countless mistakes along with everyone else, but when you stand in the shadow of her tower, you forgive her everything. The building in front of you is so majestic. Everyone wanted to get there.

The rest of the elders were raised by their realms. But Lamed is unique in that she brought up her realm on her own. It wasn't that she didn't want to share the land with her brother Tsadi, but rather she just needed space to develop. They were too different. Tsadi was an down-to-earth, progmatic being. And Lamed's gaze was always directed beyond the horizon. She was created to study. The cold thirst for knowledge lay in her very depths, in the core laid down by the Megabird. And Lamed faithfully performed her function until the very end. She was created for this purpose.

No one had questioned the gods before her. After all, their entire strength was based on people's faith. Elder Lamed was the first to begin a focused study of Limbo and its inhabitants. Thanks to her, we still have records of the rituals of the days of bloom, color and fortune. Don't get me wrong, she didn't do it out of respect for the pantheon, but for the sake of preserving history. Maybe Alef is destined to destroy them, or maybe he's doing it for his own benefit. In any case, Lamed will be here to witness and register it.

You know her tale, and it has a sad ending. Elder Lamed made a terrible mistake that she still regrets. She was a coward. Accustomed to hiding behind others, in the face of danger, she ran away, abandoning those she called family. An act unworthy of an elder. An act not worthy of anyone who has honor. Lamed is really sorry, but she doesn't know how she can redeem herself. For this reason, she locked herself away from everyone. It will be easier for her to find words of apology when she is completely alone.

Is she completely alone?

This was something Elder Lamed had never encountered. A creature that literally appeared out of thin air, had been sneaking right under her nose for years. Invisible and unnoticed, woven of purple light. Over the years of monotheism, people have forgotten that they can create gods.

It's called Essentia.

An amazing, inexplicable creation. The greatest thing that ever came out of the pen of Elder Lamed. Is it even a thing? Lamed doesn't even know. And the Essentia doesn't know. And even the Megabird herself, whose gaze rarely falls on the Wasteland, is unlikely to find an answer. Perhaps the answer to this mysterious creature lies where it has not been looked at for many years. Where the pantheon used to be.

But is it possible to create a god out of nothing? Out of magic and pure faith. Was Lamed really so lonely that she created a companion for herself? Was her pain so intense that it gave birth to a new mind? Well, this has to be studied.

And if there's one thing Elder Lamed is good at, it's studying.

[kindahoping4forever]

I know it’s entirely possible 4/4 are in the studio working on the new album but I wonder why the only teasers we’ve been getting lately are of cashton. Do we think muke are working on something too but moving in silence, or cal and ash just happen to have more free time to be in the studio atm while the other two are doing other stuff? Either way, sooo excited for (hopefully) more cashton bangers on the new project 🤩

I feel like there are likely a number of elements at play here!

At this point, I'm sure they already have a general feel for the vibe and sound of the album, so it may not be imperative for everyone to attend every single session. 5SOS5 primarily has 4/4 writing credits but that has not always been the norm, traditionally their albums tend to have a lot of pair credits or even the occasional solo credit (alongside whatever outside collaborator they're working with, of course).

In the case of what we've been seeing recently, Cal and Ash appear to be in studio with Elijah Noll and Colin Brittain, who they (Cashton, specifically) previously worked with on "You Don't Go To Parties." It's likely that since the band already knows that Cashton works well with that team, it's not a big deal for them to write, demo or possibly even start laying down a track without the entire band present. (Also we don't know if Luke and/or Michael have been involved via Zoom/FaceTime!)

And like you mentioned, scheduling is probably a big factor as well. When we got the first post of Cashton footage, Calum had literally just gotten back from his Australia promo trip, Luke was still in Australia for his recent shows/Fashion Week and Michael was presumably still home in Georgia. With Cal's album release so close (and Michael gearing up for the GMAB! release and album announcement), it's plausible finding a window to get 4/4 in a room is just not currently practical. And! In addition to the craziness going on 5SOS-wise, since they last worked together, Colin Brittain has become a member of Linkin Park and so if they were set on working with him specifically, they'd have to plan around his touring schedule as well.

And of course, it's worth noting that in recent months, Calum and Ashton have been the most active on IG so just because there's been a lack of similar Luke and Michael content, that doesn't necessarily mean there hasn't been any, they could have just not shared it, yk? 😂

But whatever the case, I agree with you, I too am looking forward to (hopefully) hearing some new Cashton bangers whenever the project is complete 😌