#idk if sb already posted this

[daawwn]

guys

[huntershowl-moving]

work tomorrow. goodnight friends!

[scionshtola]

tbf i do think the story could have given the wol more of a connection to it/the antagonist outside of solely through wuk lamat and that probably would have alleviated a lot of ppl’s problems with it

[teh-inggris]

i cant hold it in anymore i need to draw a s0larballs n h3talia crossover im going off the walls CRAZY Earth needs to meet the sentient physical manifestations of his earthlings' idea of a territory HE NEEDS TO ITS A MUST I NEED TO FULFILL THIS DESIRE

[risingsunresistance]

being stuck between mcyt and skyblock sucks bc they're extremely different types of fans. i CAN talk to skyblock players, but 99% of them will not care about storycrafting. i can talk to mcyt fans endlessly about headcanons and such, but they usually dont care enough about hypixel to get invested and cant contribute much 😔

so the end result is there is a tiny group of people that i am compatible with. and then mcyt fans follow for one thing and skyblock fans follow for another and both of them end up losing JHDFJH

[noxianwilled]

hm. it's almost 1am I'm having the urge to make another blog and i'll just leave this here and go to bed but

[hivemuthur]

hihihihi i literally love ur writing smmmm like i actually need it sb. any time you post ik it’s gonna be peak literature 🙂‍↕️

anyhowwww, i wanted to request an arcane fic with a university au viktor x reader where viktor and reader are like academic rivals or wtv and they’re always bickering but viktor rlly wants to be her friend and doesn’t want to be rivals. sooo he tries like anything he can and as reader eventually warms up to him another guy comes along (maybe jayce or smth idk? or it can just be a random) and becomes their friend like almost instantly and viktor is JEALOUSSSS and envious and just ufhfhhffhhfghhf i need that sb.

it can be nsfw or sfw i literally do not care i just need that plot paired with your writing and ik it’s gonna be an absolute masterpiece.

Hey, love! You know what I'm gonna say, right? Sorry for the long wait. This will have 3 chapters, like for real, not like the other one that now is looking more like 5. I'm gonna say a few things got changed here, because I forgot the essence of the request while writing, but the general message is: Viktor is bad at flirting.

Tightrope - Ch. 1.

viktorxfemale!reader mature (overall explicit), frenemies/academic rivals to lovers, modern university AU

Ch.2. | Ch.3.

word count: 5,9K

tag: #tightrope

summary: You and Viktor are tethering the line between friendship and rivalry, Jayce being one amongst the few common factors you both acknowledge (of course more is there but for the smart people you are, you tend to be very stupid about things). Oh, and you have to do a project together.

author's note: I have a very poor name vocabulary sorry. Here's another Joe, this time he's a dude :v thank you @rennethen for beta reading and bearing through my shit with such grace. One trick pony here we go!

also the artist behind art is here!

Cross-posted on AO3

—

You squint as your eyes scan the list of projects for Heimerdinger’s class. And since the professor is just and fair, like a nice old man who has seen it all, you already know what to expect. But you check anyway.

He wouldn’t pair you—the almost top-of-the-class student, fighting desperately with your feet and elbows to stay there—with someone undeserving. This little annoying thing in the back of your head called hope still glows faintly, last embers about to die as you’ve read through almost all names known to you except for yours.

And as a bucket of cold water gets thrown over the ashen pieces of coal, you find it. And oh—

Of course. Next to it, your least favourite name. Of course, just… great. This is great. This is fine.

The last time you worked together, it ended with a lot of papercuts, pencils flying, and Jayce using notebooks and blackboards as shields—not to mention a tiny explosion because neither of you could agree on proportions.

So, like the responsible classmate you are, you make one final, desperate attempt to convince the nice little man to change your partner. For the sake of public safety and the well-being of everyone who steps foot on Academy grounds.

You are also nice and well-behaved, so even though the door to the classroom is open, you knock on the doorframe before disturbing the professor.

“Ah! I would lie if I said I wasn’t expecting you to show up. Please, come in!” he exclaims, and you have to stop yourself from rolling your eyes in sheer existential pain. If he already knows what you want, you already know how this is going to go.

Still, you press forward, stepping inside and clasping your hands behind your back in what you hope is a diplomatic stance. “Professor, I was wondering if—by any chance, purely hypothetically—there’s a possibility to switch partners for the project?”

Heimerdinger folds his arms behind his back, looking up at you with the kind of patient amusement that makes you feel like a child asking for extra dessert before finishing dinner. “Ah, yes. I was almost certain you’d ask that,” he says, nodding sagely. “And before you say anything else, I do hope you won’t drop out of my class if I say no.”

You open your mouth, ready to assure him that you would never be so dramatic—except that’s exactly what you were about to say, just in different words.

Before you can recover, Heimerdinger raises a hand and continues. “This project is worth thirty percent of your final mark,” he states, his voice gentle but firm. “I am, of course, aware of the... tension between you and Viktor.” His moustache twitches slightly, betraying a hint of amusement. “However, I must ensure fairness in all assignments. There will be no one riding on someone else’s back in my class.”

You exhale sharply through your nose. “Professor, with all due respect, we nearly set a classroom on fire last time—”

“The most beautiful diamonds,” he interjects, tilting his head with a knowing smile, “are shaped under pressure.”

You stare at him, jaw tight. He stares back, completely at ease.

Fantastic. Just fantastic.

“I—” you gulp on air, searching for words. Finally, a breath of surrender escapes you and you deflate completely, saying only, “Thank you for your time.”

Seeing your sagged chest and fingers grasping the edge of your notebook tightly, Heimerdinger offers you a consolation. “I know I seem ancient to you, child. But trust me when I say, I do remember what it’s like to be young, and a little bit of friendly rivalry can be transformed into something truly groundbreaking. Think Newton and Hooke! Tesla and Edison! Bohr and Einstein! All of them were in quandaries that led to further discoveries!”

While Heimerdinger lists off pairs of rival geniuses, completely different names surface in your mind, unspoken but undeniable. Verlaine and Rimbaud. Love and Cobain. Sid and Nancy. Bonnie and Clyde. You are convinced those are the dynamics that loom over you and Viktor—just without all the feelings, of course.

And if only you were just competitors, like Bohr and Einstein, things would be so much simpler.

From the very first meeting, Viktor had been cold and reserved, his sharp tongue laced with enough venom to wither anyone foolish enough to challenge him. But if there was one thing you had to do to stay afloat in this sea of STEM sausages, it was dare. And challenge.

You still remember that moment vividly. How you almost stumbled when Jayce introduced you—because gods, he was gorgeous. An angular face that looked carved from marble, warm amber eyes framed by a fall of auburn hair. A boy so unfairly pretty that, had you met him a few years earlier, you would have fallen hard.

Your eyes swept him from head to toe before you slipped your hand into his, and for a single, traitorous moment, something fluttered in your chest. A rush of warmth, unexpected and unfamiliar.

Then you blurted out your name with an embarrassing stutter—

And the magic shattered the second Viktor opened his sweet mouth.

"Charmed," he drawled, but the dryness in his voice suggested the opposite. His gaze flicked over you in a quick, assessing glance before he tilted his head towards Jayce. "Is she another one of your projects, or does she actually know what she’s doing?"

The warmth in your chest evaporated instantly, replaced by a sharp spike of irritation.

Oh. Oh. So that’s how this was going to go.

With a weak smile, you thank Professor Heimerdinger, and your mind is so out of it that you almost curtsy—which you hastily disguise as an awkward bow. Nearly stumbling over your own feet, you literally fall out of the classroom, colliding with something big and solid.

“Careful there! Hi, oh—” A surprised voice reaches your ears, followed by a strong arm steadying you. “Hi there. Hi, um. You alright?”

Either he’s a halfwit or completely smitten with you, because his articulation leaves much to be desired. Not that you're one to judge, given your current coordination.

“Hi, sorry. Just a small… miscalculation.” You smile sheepishly and extend your hand out of habit, instinctively introducing yourself to your unexpected saviour. After all, that’s how you met Jayce.

“I’m Joe,” he says in one breath, your much smaller hand completely disappearing in his massive palm. “It’s nice to meet you.” He chuckles, a blush blooming across his cheeks—so unabashed, his eyes glinting—and oh.

Nice, you catch yourself thinking in the most obscene, ludicrous way as you zero in on his chest, the tight team T-shirt clinging to it.

“Eh, it’s nice to meet you too.” You grin, nodding, and blink stupidly, batting your eyelashes, not entirely sure what’s happening.

Before you get a chance to unglue the dumbfounded smile from your face and actually say something more, Jayce’s voice rings through the corridor, your name echoing off the walls.

“There you are! Oops! Making new friends? Don’t mind her, this is her love language.”

Jayce—the oblivious Jayce, a man so naïve it would never cross his mind what he is doing to someone you literally just met thirty seconds ago. Mortification is too weak a word to describe what you feel inside.

“Jayce!” You smack his chest and shake your head in disbelief. “Don’t mind him, he’s an ass.”

And as if poor Joe doesn’t have enough on his plate already, another voice bombards him, and you’re certain he’s beginning to regret ever catching you.

“Hello. Are you a new face in Heimerdinger’s class?” Viktor asks, wearing that redundant smirk, his voice stretching into a deliberate, chewy, gross thing that makes you scowl. Just outright cruel.

“Heh, no, I just happened to catch your friend,” Joe answers without missing a beat. “And… I was hoping I could get her number.”

And that just. Does it.

You nod faster than you think, already reaching for his phone, clumping your number in there with sticky, shaky fingers and a stupid blush creeping up your neck. You avoid Jayce’s and Viktor’s eyes, but oh boy, you can feel both pairs drilling into you almost viscerally. Viktor’s especially—those fucking yellow embers burning right through you from under furrowed brows.

You flash Joe one last smile and a very awkward, very hurried, “Call me,” not knowing what has gotten into you. Then you let Jayce sweep you away toward your usual route to the cafeteria, while Viktor strolls behind, full of graceful disdain.

“So, I saw the tables, and…” Jayce clears his throat, chattering into your ear. “I’ve seen the pairs! We can share a lab, I’m paired with Sky!”

“Yeah, I know.” You sigh and pat his shoulder—a touch saying more than a thousand words. Words that say how much you can’t wait for another round of throwing objects at Viktor, while Jayce scrambles to catch anything that might hurt Sky.

“Oh, are you not happy about the distribution of projects?” Viktor asks, a small smile playing at his lips.

“The project is fine. The distribution… I’m sure you understand.” You throw him an acidic smirk, your eyes empty of any emotion save for one slow blink. Neural Interface for Prosthetics is actually an incredibly good project—Heimerdinger got you there, and you couldn’t be more grateful. Well, maybe you could be just a little more grateful had he paired you with Jayce or Sky.

“Eh, you will forgive me, but I do not.” Viktor pauses and looks at you—challenging you. And you really hate it, because it works. “I do not wish to have the project jeopardized by something silly, as the topic itself aligns with my interests.”

“I’m sure the feeling is mutual, Viktor. Can we please eat? I am about to eat one of you if we don’t go to the cafeteria right now,” you sigh, exasperated, and your stomach growls to support your claim.

“You can eat me!” Jayce lands face down between your bickering, and you just laugh, completely disarmed.

Once you finally sit down, Viktor simply opens a book next to his tray, ignoring both you and Jayce completely—obviously sulking about something. Jayce, on the other hand, takes massive bites of his sandwich, staring at you intensely, as if willing you to spill the tea. When that doesn’t work, he speaks.

“So… who’s the new guy?” he elbows you playfully and you can barely understand him with his mouth full. But his eyes say it all—he is dying to know.

"Jayce, you’re so transparent I almost can’t see you. Where are you, Jayce? Where did you go?" You wave your hands around dramatically. He almost chokes. Viktor scoffs, unimpressed, barely glancing up from his book as he stirs sweetmilk into his coffee.

Once the immediate hazard of death by choking is under control, Jayce flashes one of those earnest grins—one that practically screams what a good person he is, full of pure intentions. "Oh, shut up. He seems nice, and I’m curious."

"He’s just a guy, nothing more," you hum, taking a sip of your coffee. And even though you have no idea if that little encounter will go anywhere, you can’t resist adding a pin. "Yet."

Viktor looks like he is holding back a scoff, so he just turns the page in his book with a violent sweep.

"Well… do you like him?" Jayce presses, oblivious to the tension at the table. He’s just such a gossip girl.

You let out an incredulous laugh. "Are you alright? Why are you so interested?"

Jayce shrugs. "I don’t know, I always thought you’d end up with someone of equal… interests?" Intelligence is what he really means. But that would be cruel. Just because a guy plays rugby doesn’t mean he’s brain damaged. Surely.

"Oh please, I hate STEM bros." You lean back in your chair, crossing your arms with an air of finality, as if that settles the matter. You do hate STEM bros. They are full of themselves, have no respect for women and look down on you.

Jayce raises an eyebrow, a slow, knowing grin spreading across his face. "Erm… you are a STEM bro."

Viktor finally looks up from his book, watching you with the barest flicker of amusement in his eyes.

You gasp, pressing a hand to your chest as if mortally offended. "Jayce Talis! I am a lady! Not a bro!"

That is Viktor’s cue. “I don’t think that lack of testicles classifies you as a lady instantly,” he says in a deadpan voice.

And you don’t know what pushes your stupid mind to say it. Is it just muscle memory—your tongue snapping back whenever you talk to Viktor—or an actual intention to say something mean to him? You really don’t know. In one breath, you say, voice equally dead to his, “Of course not. If that were the case, you’d classify as a lady as well,” and watch the chaos unravel.

None of that happens, though. The underwhelming events carry on in painfully slow motion—Jayce’s eyes widening so much there’s a real threat they might never close again, while Viktor gulps his coffee with an agonisingly slow bob of his Adam’s apple. It’s only when he’s done that you realise he was fighting not to choke on it—because the next moment, he bursts into laughter, covering his face with his hand.

Jayce exhales the breath he was holding and laughs as well—you’re not sure if it’s at your joke or simply at the sight of Viktor laughing so openly, an event so rare it shouldn’t go uncherished. Despite yourself, you grin. Indeed, Viktor’s face—his eyes squeezed shut to the point of a tear slipping from beneath his long lashes, smile lines filling out his hollowed cheeks, his teeth bared in an uninhibited cackle—is a sight to behold.

The stupid thing in your chest stutters, as Viktor wheezes and lowers his hand to rest on yours. “Remind me to never cross you again. Merciless is an understatement,” he says, barely, with a really warm smile and you find yourself blushing again, for the second time in a mere hour. Because of two different boys.

And as any moment made of pure magic in the history of magical moments, this one doesn’t last either. It gets violently interrupted by a buzz of your phone on the table.

If you wanna take a stroll, I have a free period now :) We can meet by the fountain. Joe, in case you wonder who this is :)

And your blush deepens. You calculate options in your mind and soon decide on the what the hell one. “I’m gonna scram boys. See you in the lab after class?”

“Yes. Please bring the less… distracted version of yourself if you can,” Viktor states and all the warmth evaporates from him at once. Back to the usual version of himself—sharp wit, balancing on the verge of cutting.

As you mumble an absent, “I’ll do my best,” and wave them goodbye, Jayce returns to his sandwich and sighs knowingly.

“You know… wouldn’t kill you to be a little bit nicer,” Jayce says, leaning forward on his elbows. His voice is casual, but there’s an edge of curiosity beneath it, like he’s prodding at something fragile just to see if it will break.

“This is me being nice,” Viktor replies in a neutral tone, lifting his coffee to his lips. The steam curls around his face as he takes a slow sip, his expression unmoving. He is being nice. He is trying to be nice. It’s just sometimes completely impossible to be nice to you when you get like this. Distracted. He scoffs to himself. It’s a strange friendship you have there, but it’s a friendship nevertheless—or so he likes to think.

Jayce studies him, his gaze sharp despite the lazy way he’s chewing the inside of his cheek. “No, that is just you being… well, you,” he says bluntly, tilting his head as if he’s considering whether to push further. “Being a dick is not a way to a lady’s heart.”

Viktor arches a brow, unimpressed. “Excuse me, but have we experienced the same scene? I was the one being offended and laughed it off like a gentleman, thank you.” He gestures vaguely with his cup, his fingers tightening just slightly around the ceramic.

Jayce narrows his eyes. “Then why are you so annoyed in the first place?”

“I am not annoyed,” Viktor states flatly, setting his coffee down with a little more force than necessary. He smooths his hands over his sweater as he rises from his seat, already turning away before Jayce can open his mouth again. “I am great. I am so great, in fact, that I will go and start working on that project. See you, Jayce.”

And then he just strides off, his cane tapping against the floor, leaving Jayce mid-sentence with his mouth open, eyes blinking slowly.

Of course, he is not annoyed. Maybe only slightly—and only because you’ve somehow managed to gain another distraction in your life right before you were about to start working on the biggest project of the year. And it’s just, well, fucking annoying.

***

When you glance at your watch, you yelp and press a hand to your forehead. “Fucking hell,” you mutter under your breath before breaking into a sprint toward the lab.

Viktor is going to kill you—especially since there’s no way to prove you were caught up in something important.

Because, well, you weren’t. It was Joe who took up all your time this afternoon. And he is… surprisingly nice. And smart.

You hadn’t expected that.

What started as a casual conversation somehow stretched into something far longer, the minutes slipping away unnoticed. He had opinions on films—actual opinions, not just generic statements about “liking action movies.” He had read some of the same books as you and even suggested a few you begrudgingly admitted sounded interesting. Sports came up, of course, but he spoke about them with a self-awareness that made it bearable. And when the conversation dipped into politics, he didn’t say anything that made you want to throw your coffee in his face. That alone was impressive.

It was… weirdly comfortable. Easy, even. Even when he lingered.

Joe’s gaze held onto you a second longer than necessary, like he was memorising the way you looked when you laughed. And when he hugged you goodbye, his arms stayed around you for just a breath too many. The slow way he untangled himself from you made it clear that if you hadn’t pulled away first, he wouldn’t have been the one to let go.

Shaking off the last remnants of Joe from your thoughts, you push through the heavy lab doors with a hurried stumble, your breath still uneven from the rush.

“Sorry, I’m late, guys—” The words die in your throat as you take in the empty room.

Only Viktor.

He stands at the workbench, sleeves pushed up, hands meticulously adjusting the placement of various tools and notes. At the sound of your voice, he pauses but doesn’t turn around immediately. The rhythmic ticking of the clock fills the silence, marking the seconds you take to process the situation.

No Jayce. No Sky. Just Viktor, and the sharp scent of metal and oil clinging to the air.

“Glad you could make it,” he remarks, finally turning his head just enough to glance at you. His voice is even, but something about it feels... off. You can’t tell if he’s irritated or merely stating a fact. Maybe both.

“Sorry,” you sigh, setting your things down with a thud. “I lost track of time.”

“With your new himbo.” It isn’t a question.

You hesitate for a fraction of a second. “Yes. And his name is Joe, Viktor, not a new himbo.”

Viktor hums—a short, unimpressed sound—and resumes his work, carefully aligning a set of blueprints. Somehow, his silence feels louder than an argument.

“Okay,” you say hesitantly, more to yourself than to him, or rather into the empty space between you and Viktor, which seems to be expanding with each passing second.

“And where are Jayce and Sky?”

“They managed to sketch out the roadmap for themselves in the time you spent with Joe and decided they needed the library for further planning,” Viktor replies flatly, still not looking at you. The way he deliberately keeps his gaze averted only emphasises how much has been accomplished in your presumably very long moment of indulgence. How nice.

“Alright, would you like me to crucify myself, or do you want the honours?” Impatience gets the better of you, and you fold your arms tightly across your chest.

At that, Viktor’s hands still over the workbench. His head tilts ever so slightly in your direction, though his gaze remains fixed on the floor, as if acknowledging you fully would be a waste of effort.

“I am merely stating a fact,” he says, his voice low, clipped. “This is more important than some affairs, I’ll have you know.”

“Oh, really, Viktor?” You let out a sharp laugh, shaking your head. “And here I thought thirty percent of my grade was worth sacrificing for some sloppy making out—but thank you so much for finally making me see the error of my ways.”

That makes him look.

And he is angry.

His head snaps up, eyes narrowing, gears visibly grinding in his mind as he weighs whether you’re just riling him up or—God forbid—whether you actually have made out with Joe.

His jaw tightens. “Just get to work already, will you?”

You say nothing, only flash him an acrid smile before reaching for your goggles on the workbench.

The two of you work in almost deafening silence, broken only by the occasional exchange of necessary questions and answers. You retrieve materials while Viktor arranges the workspace, and you scribble down the general plan on the blackboard, the tension in the air palpable.

Each time the chalk screeches against the surface, Viktor visibly winces, hissing under his breath and sinking his head between his shoulders in an exaggerated display of agony.

You roll your eyes but say nothing.

“Could you maybe try a little harder to make it less cacographic?” he mutters, irritation creeping into his voice.

The suddenness of it startles you just as you’re making another stroke, and the chalk lets out a bone-chilling whine against the board.

Viktor flinches violently, covering his ears. “For fuck’s sake,” he grumbles, voice muffled behind his palms. “Let me do it.” He steps forward, reaching for the chalk without hesitation.

You anticipate the move, tucking your arm behind your back in defiance. A childish gesture, maybe, but if he’s going to be an ass about it, you’re not about to make it easy for him.

He doesn’t stop. He closes the distance between you in a few sharp steps, his expression taut with frustration. Before you can react, his fingers wrap around your wrist—tight, unrelenting. He pries your hand forward and gives a firm shake, forcing your fingers to unclench until the chalk drops neatly into his waiting palm.

A sharp twinge shoots up your arm. It’s not painful exactly, but it’s close enough to make you wince.

Snatching your hand back, you massage your wrist, eyes narrowing. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

For a brief second, something flickers across Viktor’s face—regret, maybe. But it’s gone as quickly as it came, buried beneath the same rigid composure he always wears like armour. He doesn’t apologise. Doesn’t even acknowledge it. Instead, he turns to the board and begins writing, his tone stripped of anything resembling warmth.

“I want to wrap this up before tomorrow,” he says flatly, chalk gliding across the surface with sharp, efficient strokes. “And you are being thoroughly incompetent. I told you to bring yourself not distracted.”

You let out a sharp scoff. “Okay, I am so sorry I was late. I’ll stay longer and finish up whatever we don’t get done in time. But you are outdoing yourself in being a complete twat today.”

You don’t wait for a response. Instead, you march over to the workbench, hands immediately finding the prototype components. If you focus on the task, maybe you won’t be tempted to launch something at Viktor’s insufferable head.

“Oh please, I do not trust anything you do without supervision,” Viktor says, scribbling quietly on the board, somehow making a point out of it.

“Viktor, are you serious right now? We literally have the same grades,” you huff, leaning over the table to pick up the components you need. You do your best to tune him out—his bickering is only distracting, and you need to rewire the prototype from the previous project.

Overall, the task is simple enough. The device is built around an EEG-based neural interface—a system that reads electrical activity in the brain and translates it into signals that can control a mechanical limb. In practical terms, the user wears a headband fitted with electrodes that detect neural impulses associated with movement. These signals then travel through a processing unit, which refines the input before transmitting it to the prosthetic itself.

That’s the easy part. The rest, well.

The prototype you’re working on today is a refinement of an earlier model. The previous iteration had suffered from signal lag and inconsistent responsiveness—issues you’re hoping to correct by integrating a new set of circuits and refining the algorithm for noise reduction.

You grab the headband from the pile of equipment, turning it over in your hands. It should work just fine if you tweak the wiring to accommodate the new design. Without thinking too much about it, you start securing the circuits, fingers working on autopilot as you weave the delicate wires through the correct channels.

Or at least, you think they’re correct—until Viktor’s voice cuts through your focus again.

“Are you even listening to me? What are you doing?” His tone is sharp, irritated—like he’s already asked this more than once.

Your expression tightens as he strides over to the bench, clearly unimpressed. “I just rewired it. Nothing too complex,” you mutter, adjusting a loose wire before reaching for the power switch.

Viktor doesn’t look convinced. He picks up the headband, turning it over in his hands with a scrutinising gaze. “Nothing too complex,” he repeats dryly. “Yes, because neural interfaces are famously simple. I’d rather be sure. Show me.”

You roll your eyes but oblige, reaching over and flipping the switch.

The reaction is instant.

A sharp jolt cracks through the air, followed by a strangled, almost undignified yelp as Viktor jerks back, dropping the headband as if it has burned him. His entire body stiffens, fingers twitching violently for a brief second before he stumbles, gripping the workbench for support, blinking rapidly.

Your mouth falls open. “Oh—shit—Viktor—”

He exhales sharply, pressing a hand to his chest, his face twisted in a grimace. “Wonderful,” he grits out. “So that’s what you rewired.”

“God, I’m so sorry,” you mumble, rushing to him, ignoring the sharpness of his tone. Your hands instinctively cup his face as you lean in. He blinks, startled, his mouth parting at the sudden concern—your brows furrowed, eyes searching his face for any sign of lingering pain, thumbs brushing over his cheekbones. “Are you okay?”

“No,” he says flatly. “You’ve electrocuted me.” His hands move to seize your wrists, but you twist away before he can. Your palms return to his face, fingers framing him gently, and Viktor’s breath hitches.

“I didn’t mean to,” you whisper, voice genuine. You are truly sorry, the worry overriding all the anger you had for him mere seconds ago. And Viktor has no idea how to react to this. He stands there, breath unsteady, before muttering, “I’m fine.”

You blink, straightening, and Viktor is almost ready to exhale in relief—until your hands shift again, this time pressing against his chest and back, cradling his heart between your palms. You stand beside him, hands firm but careful, instinct guiding you more than knowledge. You don’t even know if this is what you’re supposed to do for someone who’s been electrocuted, but it’s the only thing that comes to mind.

His heart thunders beneath your touch. The silence is so heavy you can hear yourself gulp on the lump in your throat. You don’t hate him that much, and you hope he knows it.

Finally, Viktor speaks, his breath still rattling. “Well, would you look at that. So there is kindness in your touch after all.” He tries to sound wicked, but there is no venom in his voice.

“Viktor, you bastard. When have I not been kind to you?” you respond playfully, your hands still pressed against him.

“Ah, well. When you implied my alleged castration is the first that comes to mind. But rest assured, my testicles are good and well. I’d show you, but I’m afraid someone has already filled this position in your life,” he trails off, slipping back into his seemingly unbothered attitude.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” you groan, rolling your eyes. Still, your fingers linger, as if trying to determine whether his heartbeat is elevated from the shock or something else entirely. Or is it always like this? You don’t dare to ask.

Viktor tilts his head, watching you. “What about?”

“Any of it. You make me fucking gag,” you scoff, finally sliding your hands off him.

“Not yet—but I could.”

You barely have time to register the shift before he catches your hand, his thumb pressing against your palm. A slight twitch makes your fingers curl around his.

“You could what?”

“Make you gag.” The words slip out just as a smirk blooms on his face, faster than he can think to stop either. He can’t tell if he regrets them immediately.

The figurative pin drops. A high-pitched whine rings in your ears. Viktor’s gaze is drilled into you, thumb still pressing into your palm.

Your eyes widen, but you don’t miss a beat. “Well, would you look at that. So there is kindness in you after all,” you murmur.

“Ah, for you. Only kindness, nothing else,” Viktor hums, his voice a low purr as his thumb idly circles the centre of your palm. His grip is loose enough that you could pull away, yet you don’t. His eyes flicker with something unreadable—something that makes your breath catch before you force yourself to scoff.

“Yeah, right.”

His smirk deepens. “When have I not been kind to you?”

“Like… ever?” You raise a brow, tilting your head as if you’re genuinely considering it. “You mock me. You think I’m outright stupid and don’t deserve my spot in class. You constantly correct me and fight me over solutions. You hate working with me, scoff at me, and laugh me out in front of Jayce. And Sky.”

Viktor clicks his tongue, his fingers squeezing yours ever so slightly. “Such is my love language.”

You huff and roll your eyes. “Oh, forget it.” You finally try to pull your hand away, but Viktor doesn’t let go just yet, his grip tightening for half a second before he releases you—only for his cane to hook lightly around your wrist, stopping you mid-motion.

“Wait.” His voice is softer now, coaxing. When you glance at him, there’s something else in his gaze, something warmer, but it’s masked beneath that ever-present air of a prank. “I almost died, you shouldn’t leave me.”

You gape at him. “Viktor—”

“Alright, alright! I surrender.” He chuckles, but there’s something breathless in it. His fingers twitch against his cane. “Wait. Please.”

The sudden plea stills you. Your heart stumbles over itself before you swallow and straighten your posture, crossing your arms in an attempt to shake the feeling off.

Viktor exhales, dragging a hand through his hair before returning his gaze to you. “I do not mock you or laugh you out. I simply jest—I do that with Jayce all the time. You should have noticed by now.”

You purse your lips, unimpressed.

“I do not correct you,” he continues, his voice lilting, as if this is all some grand performance. “I offer you my point of view. And I do not fight you—I simply enjoy some intellectual sparring. Not many can provide one that satisfies me.”

Your fingers twitch, nerves sparking beneath your skin at the way he says satisfies, but you ignore it. Instead, you level him with a flat stare.

“You’re just gaslighting me at this point, Viktor. At least give me a head start before you snap my neck with this thing one day.” You tap the end of his cane with a pointed look.

Viktor grins—slow, wicked. His weight shifts, allowing the cane to rest a little heavier against your wrist, his fingers curling just slightly around the handle.

“Oh, come now. That would be far too merciful.”

Your stomach flips, and you hate that it does.

“Are you going to be good to me now?” Viktor asks, his voice so low you barely hear it, but the weight of it settles deep in your chest.

He takes a step closer, and your breath catches when you feel it—his exhale, warm against your skin, ghosting over your lips. His fingers brush against your wrist, the same one he had seized not long ago. A touch that lingers.

“You have almost killed me, after all.” You watch his lips twisted in a smile you’ve never seen before. And it scares you for some reason.

“Stop this,” you say, firmer than you expected, yanking your hand away. You clutch it to your chest like a wound, like something fragile he might pry apart if given the chance.

Viktor tilts his head, eyes sharp with curiosity. “Why?”

Your throat tightens. “You know goddamn well why.” You take a step back, shaking your head, something bitter curling in your gut. “I am not your project, you dick.”

Viktor’s expression shifts—his smirk falters, lips parting slightly as if caught off guard. “Hey, that is not what I meant—”

But you don’t let him finish. You pivot on your heel, retreating towards the door, your pulse hammering in your ears. You need distance. The lab suddenly feels too small, the air too thick, charged with something neither of you were prepared for.

Behind you, Viktor’s voice follows, just a step behind. “Wait—”

You don’t.

The door swings shut behind you, and Viktor is left standing in the empty lab, staring after where you had just been.

A long exhale leaves him, and he runs a hand through his hair, muttering under his breath,

“Well, damn. That backfired.”

He frowns to himself, rolling his jaw as if trying to make sense of what just happened—of what he just did.

And for the first time in a long while, Viktor realises he doesn’t have a formula for this.

[cosmicdreamgrl]

my gif wrapped 2024 🎊

(tagged by the lovely @raplinenthusiasts 💗, also there's an issue with the hyperlinks for some of these so bear with me)

january

jk season's greetings 2020: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/740314140498952192/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-2-cr-qdeoks

jk be room photoshoot: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/741033226949312512/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-6-𝘤𝘳-𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥

maknae line season's greetings 2020: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/740410109262479360/𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮-𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴-𝘧𝘰𝘳-jkvjimin-𝘤𝘳-𝘲𝘥𝘦𝘰𝘬𝘴

february

jk gma butter performance: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/742945686277046272/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-16

jin hair colour comp: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/741312054517972992/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦-𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳-𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴-𝘴𝘦𝘰𝘬𝘫𝘪𝘯-𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯-𝘧𝘰𝘳

jk photo folio #1: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/741402180002643968/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-8-𝘤𝘳-0613𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢

jk calvin klein s/s 2024: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/742492809125330944/ᴊᴜɴɢᴋᴏᴏᴋ-ꜰᴏʀ-ᴄᴀʟᴠɪɴ-ᴋʟ��ɪɴ-ꜱꜱ-2024

jk photo folio #2: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/742045664309100544/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-12

namjoon sbs super concert: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/742271804926836736/𝘨𝘰𝘵-𝘢-𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦-𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦-𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘮-𝘧𝘰𝘳-fireworksgalaxy-𝘤𝘳

jk mots on:e : https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/741774349097467904/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-11-𝘤𝘳-𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥

jk ptd in vegas: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/742167403998412800/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-13-𝘤𝘳-0613𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢

march

jk mint hair: this was so pat coded it had to be done

jk golden album shoot: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/744485836050087936/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-25

jk for youth focus cam: one of my personal faves 💜

taehyung singularity tokyo dome: colouring this was- something alright

jk mots on:e (red): https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/744021436990144512/𝘢-𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭-𝘪𝘯-𝘳𝘦𝘥

taehyung black swan mv: yeah apryl asked for this basically

jin dna making film: when you randomly discover things that put your friends through it lol

jk calvin klein bts: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/744213439079202816/𝘫𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘬𝘰𝘰𝘬-𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘯-𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘪𝘯-𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨-𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘤𝘩-𝘧𝘰𝘳

jimin 5th muster japan: loved this fit on him, so pretty

ot7 tokyo dome: this was just something cute for me personally

april

jk dionysus stage mix: one of my all time fave comps wbk

jk mots on:e bts: because i love suffering, also i killed it with the colouring

jk snty music video: everything about this = perfection

jin butter mv making film: kayla coded to a t, was only right to make this for her bday imho

jk snty mv bts: the first of my 'he's doing nothing but this means everything to me' sets, also the suit ya'll already know

yoongi mots on:e concept photobook bts: god tier look wbk

jk mots on:e bts #2: he's too beautiful, it needed to be commemorated

black swan music video: the icon the legend the moment

jk sys in chicago making film: *sighs dreamily*

jk snty promo bts: idk how this got so much traction tbh

jin pink comp: the colour comps are some of my greatest work, truly

kim line black swan comp: an inspired idea, i'm glad it turned out as good as it did considering some of the obstacles that arose

jk x red comp: what started out as a gift for a friend turned into a passion project & i'll always be proud of myself for all the time and effort i put into these

may

namjoon mots persona comp: the platinum was a serve wbk

jk dope performance: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/751461327466283008/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-60

jk 3d focus cam: he knew what he was doing jfc

jimin mots on:e concept photobook bts: petition to remove egregious yellow tones in footage, please & thank you

maknae line mots persona album bts: colouring this was a lot of fun ngl

jk calvin klein bts: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/749830461725048832/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-53

jin 2016 muster bts: what's the funniest anecdote & why is it that kayla wanted to gif this and couldn't but i ended up being the one to do it and i'm not even biased towards this man lol

jk dna mv making film: this is my all time fave era/album/title track, are we surprised? didn't think so

ot7 gda 2020 vcr: it baffled me to know so many people didn't know this existed, like? how? but also i adore the colour grading here, really lent to a cool look in the end

jk dreamers mv bts: i couldn't have picked a more apt caption, also this will always be one of my favourites for multiple reasons

jimin lys in seoul: i'm shocked at the reception this got tbh, it was fun to experiment with the sparkle filter for the first time too

ot7 magic shop fukuoka dome: i needed to commemorate them performing one of my fave songs, it'll always remain close to my heart, i can promise you that

june

jk dynamite performance: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/754178882478964736/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-74

jk x blue comp: yes i made myself a bday gift, what about it

jk for youth focus cam (i could kiss myself for how well i coloured this i kid you not): https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/752729693819731968/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-64

yoongi fake love making film: this turned out really pretty, go me

jk mots on:e concept photobook bts: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/753996667118845952/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-72

jk run bts dance practice: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/754269074615418880/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-76

jk esquire mag making film: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/754360068637605888/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-77

jk weverse video (supposedly for jimin's bday, the way i snorted because who uploads a glorified thirst trap as a greeting? this man smh): https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/754540999335903232/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-79

july

jk amas 2021 bts: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/756079005119184896/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-82

jk x pink comp: first time trying out a different aspect ratio/layout, would turn out to be one i really liked going forward

taehyung on/black swan comp: i don't get enough credit for working around interesting camera work for the sake of my friends, truly

jk louis vuitton bts: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/757078260153729024/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-86

jk 5th muster: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/757168451251044353/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-87-𝘤𝘳-𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥

jk ytc in busan bts: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/757530749307060224/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-89

august

jk amas 2020 performance: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/757984205685882881/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-91

jk dna mv making film #2: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/758165380230430720/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-92

jk ptd on stage merch making film: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/759343208225538048/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-98-𝘤𝘳-𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥

taehyung singularity stage mix: clearly i love torturing people lol

jk ptd on stage vcr making film: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/760068022103932928/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-101-𝘤𝘳-𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥

jk x black pt.1 comp: did i need to make two of these? actually yes, all things considered plus it was for his birthday, i rest my case

september

jk sys in osaka: i needed this as much as pat did, i love him the most wbk

jk anpanman performance: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/762785921883111424/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-110

jk dna show champion: i don't know how this got as many notes as it did, but it's nice knowing other people appreciate him in this era

jk time mag dynamite performance: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/762151510446669824/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-106

jin vogue korea #1: yes i giffed the whole thing, it had to be done

jin vogue korea #2: these two looks are my personal faves

jk dicon mag 2020: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/761789209655869440/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-105

jk x purple comp: keeping this a secret was so hard, simply because i loved the end product so much & i stand by that

jin dionysus mma 2019: this needs no explanation i think

taehyung blue hair comp: 'tis the month of all the bday comps, this was also another fave, it's so aesthetically pleasing to look at

rap line mic drop comp: we love evolving, this compared to the very first comp i made of them? i'm just saying

jk x black pt.2 comp: the way i felt burnt out after finishing this but i'm glad i got through it

october

jimin lys in nyc: apparently i really love shiny/sparkly outfits

jk vogue mag bts: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/765594512321118208/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-114

taehyung army zip: again i love being a menace, on occasion anyway

vocal line dimple stage mix: one of my greatest works, it makes me miss making comps but......we won't get into it

jk lys in chicago bts: just the prettiest boy being made even prettier, need i say more

november

jk ctdv live butter performance: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/765956924981280768/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-115

jin sys md making film: he just looked good, enough said

jk ptd in seoul: best believe i put myself through it when making this, he's so fine, it's unfair

taehyung dynamite era comp: it's odd seeing how everyone loves this comp because if i'm being 200% honest, idk if i do. like, i did my best with it but just- oh well

jk prom party bts: i have loved him in this fit since i first watched this concert, case closed

hobi fake love: it's always the ones you make on a whim that do well, strange but true

jk airplane pt.2 mama 2018: https://cosmicdreamgrl.tumblr.com/post/768312360893120512/𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦-𝘫𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴-119

tagging: @cordiallyfuturedwight @jkvjimin @rjshope @btsiu @jung-koook

@kimtaegis @taehyunghobi & @btsjk-biased (no pressure as always)

[diminuel]

Idk if you have seen nerd luffy drawn by Oda (you can check pewpiece account in X they just posted it, it’s actually the second time Oda draw nerd luffy) but there’s one time Oda draw croco’s, mihawk’s, and doffy’s son and crocodile’s son resemble nerd luffy in both art. (you can search crocodile son sbs for comparison)

so maybe if luffy was raised by crocodile, he will be nerdy like that haha

Ahaha, I haven't seen it yet (here is the tweet of pewpiece you mentioned for those who are curious) but I've seen the comparison between nerdy Luffy and "what if Crocodile had a child" made before!

(Is Oda spinning a web for us or are crocodad believers just that good at connecting dots that weren't meant to be connected? Well......)

I think Luffy already is nerdy, though his interest is limited to certain things.

I just find it funny to imagine that Crocodile as a father would lead to a somewhat spoiled but studious kid. Because I am thinking about that for my happier AUs, haha. Would Luffy be studious if his parents wanted it? I don't know... though I think neither Dragon nor Crocodile are super hung up on traditional school learning (I don't think they had it either. Maybe Dragon once he joined the Marine). They want to make it available to their kid(s) if possible, but if they don't take to it then there are other ways.

[gwynrieldreams]

It just striked me so hard how boring Elriel is as a ship.

Or maybe it's because of what Elriels have invisioned. Elain is apparantly already very happy and content in the night court. Her family, the IC is with her and so is her second family, Azriel and the wraiths. Her and Azriel are already in love and the only thing that stands in their way of their ultimate happily ever after are 2 redheads. One who would accept rejection and the other who's literally just minding her own business.

Then there's the fact that apparantly you.. aren't allowed to be cold to Elain? No, you have to be very nice and soft with her! The wraiths are good enough to be friends with her cause they'd never challenge her, unlike Vassa and Jurian.

No Elain absolutely never did anything wrong! She's perfect and very powerful!

- they've made fun of gwynriel cause Azriel wasn't already so trusting with Gwyn in the bonus chapter. Laughing that he doesn't consider her a friend.. like??? Yeah?? Why would I want them to be already in love? Lmao it's not the end of the world that they aren't close?? It makes perfect sense that they aren't. I actually prefer it that way.

Same with Elucien. Because they aren't close it means it's a lost cause! Elain isn't comfortable with Lucien! (even though we don't know why and Lucien hasn't done anything to make her feel that way).

Maybe it's just cause they want Gwyn and Lucien out of their way, which is why those 2 could never win in their eyes no matter what. Azriel thinking nothing beyond sexual fantasies is fine and understandable but how dare Lucien breath the same air as Elain?! He's abusive! How dare he stay away 7 courts away from her?! He doesn't care about her!

Idk. I'm just not interested in reading a book about a girl who has everything she wants and everyone loves her and her obstacles very easy to overcome. Why does Elain's love interest have be a complete simp? Elriels can't even take the smallest inconvenience. Lucien giving her gifts on Winter solstice is enough to traumatize them I guess.

I want to read Gwynriel's whole progress. I can take Azriel being harsh or not trusting to her sometimes. I'm cool with it. I want them to go from 0% to 100% in a full book, ON PAGE. I want them to challange each other.

It's all over the place but I hope you get what I'm trying to say..

To be fair, I get why some people want to read a story about defying fate and god and say fuck to all of that, I will follow my heart BUT I don't think they will find that sort of thing in SJM's books, let alone in elriel.

Azriel, like the rest of the ic, puts her in a box. He constantly unknowingly contradicts her wishes during acosf. Elain wants to scry for the Trove, Azriel doesn't want her to. Elain doesn't want to be fought over, Azriel wants to fight for her. Azriel contemplating killing her mate just because he assumed she's not interested WITHOUT EVER DISCUSSING IT WITH HER! (I love Az but he made me so mad in this part). Even in acowar nobody acknowledged her part in killing Hybern, but Lucien. Lucien has done nothing but respect her wishes.

I've already made a post about it but I will shortly explain why elriel doesn't make sense to me. Their "romance" could end in like 5 chapters. Elain rejects Lucien, Lucien accepts it, they live happily ever after. There is not going to be any Blood Duel between them because if it did then sb would have to die. SJM can't kill her characters. Even if she did though, who would lead the next vassien book that all elriels like to claim will happen? If there's no conflict and everything is perfect how is that a good story? What would be the logic in making Lucien the villain in the elriel book and in the next we'd have to fall in love with him through Vassa's eyes?

The irony is that her stans also fight over her and baby her like no other. As if she so fragile, she will break if she faces any kind of inconvenience. I'm sorry to be the one to tell them but Elain in her book will probably go through shit -like any other mc- because that's what makes a good story. If you want to read about Elain frolicking in flower fields and baking go read a fanfic.

Let's not forget Azriel is never going to reject his mate. Gwyn and Az are perfect for each other in so many ways.

"He didn't consider her a friend, but..." First of all this happened in the Winter Solstice, when they barely knew each other. Second, I thought it was a wink wink monent as in he hasn't "friendzoned" her, so maybe they can be friends or sth more(?) I definitely wouldn't want to be best bros with the guy I liked. I don't know if SJM will go with the friends to lovers route, I wouldn't mind it. I'd personally prefer if they had more like a rivalry, constantly challenging and teasing each other (maybe because that's how I flirt 😅 but I also think that's more SJM's style).

[puhpandas]

was thinking last night about the direction the fnaf story is going and I was thinking about vanny cassie. like vanny cassie would be such a perfect villain because it brings vanny back to the spotlight and cassie has a connection to Gregory as a friend.

her arc would be so tragic in every way and she wouldnt know what or who to believe. she would believe she was abandoned by Gregory again (in this case he didnt cut the elevator) like all her friends and her dad did and that vanny is a friend. both manipulation and supernatural mind control stuff like glitchtrap did to vanessa to create vanny.

and 3 stars could be the protags in a post hw2 dlc game that's big and free roam story like sb. I think Gregory would be a better choice as player because he would have the best reason to chase after cassie; shes his friend. vanessa would be very important also because like. Vannys back. and now she has a family and another kid shes gonna fight like hell for.

"the family missed the greatest opportunity of their lives" vanessa didnt destroy vanny glitchtrap and mimic when she should have, and now they're back. and she isnt gonna run away scared this time. shell finally end them for good

and also Vannys motivation. since vanny killed glitchtrap (probably to take his place as big bad bunny virus) this makes you wonder why shes doing this. we dont know why glitchtrap did it either so I guess the same reason as him. shes supposed to be reluctant tho so? idk what's changed. but we'll go with building the monarchy evil pyramid back up

so vanny would be trying to get all of the followers back, or maybe shes still following mimics orders and it wants them back. could have a potential rebellion plot from vanny at the end but that's besides my point

the point is itd be such a fun spot to reveal ggy. Vanessa's been hiding it from Gregory to protect him, maybe freddy too, and Gregory has no idea and just knows he has tons of memory loss. hes moved past it to live his new life, but after doing all this to get Cassie back, it turns out vanny wants all the followers back and hey, why is she talking about 2?? who is dr rabbit?? why is she after me??

I just think theres a lot of potential in a plot like that for all characters. Vanessa's arc as vanny is already so interesting but cassie has an obviously very similar arc becoming vanny but also so different. she would be manipulated while shes alone hurting and believing she was betrayed with abandonment issues and taken advantage of. vanny would be using her as a vessel, so theyd have to get her out of cassie to kill her for good.

and if Gregory had to find out about ggy at this point, itd be a big deal but also truly make that connection between cassie and Gregory. no matter who cut the elevator Gregory would feel at fault because he either did it or wasnt fast enough to stop cassie before it happened. so he would have to confront condemning cassie to the same fate his family and now apparently HE went through and that's his best friend man. and also not to mention the concpet of vanessa and cassie of course

[springtrappd]

just read ur recent mimic post and got caught up by one detail. i always thought the notes in sb about power siphoning and the construction/foundation issues with like, roxys raceway, were connected to the blob/tangle - and not the mimic or burntrap or Whatever The Fuck. like that thing down there is massive. and it (sort of?) tracks that it would be the one causing those issues?

the plex is said to be destroyed by an 'earthquake' in ruin, and then we see the blob.. idk. escape. it might've been that thing burrowing around down there, causing problems with all its.. greedy grabbers. i mean hurricane does sit near a fault line, but it also wouldnt be a stretch for fazco to have just lied about it

(note: the lighting in all of the following screenshots isn't natural. i've added lights in some places to make it easier to see.)

like all things, but especially all things fnaf, there's a certain degree of freedom wrt interpretation; there is the room to argue, as you have, that the blob is the thing "drawing a massive amount of power from the [raceway] worksite" -- for the exact reasons you've stated: it's big and important and also trapped in the basement. it's a reasonable take, but one that relies on a pretty big assumption -- that the blob was already tunnelling its way out (and therefore needed power) during sb. and i don't think this is the case?

the hole you find the blob is surrounded by construction equipment -- that big yellow box there is an oil-powered generator, i'm pretty sure? and there's a mechanical pulley being used to lower supplies. all the objects surrounding the pit (no, not that one) are falling inwards, and there's no rubble surrounding it to indicate that anything got moved out of its way; rather, all the debris is inside the hole. the safety railing and old party tables are pretty telling. additionally, you can actually see in these screenies that none of the many, many wires in the environment connect to our big boy at all.

(also the tiles are all cut at harsh angles vs the more natural crumbling of the concrete/rock? but that could just be a limitation thing)

and, well... the blob is just plain chilling until gregory gets down there. you drop into the afton ending area by falling through the (wooden) floor -- the floor it is is resting on! someone intentionally brought all that shit down there, covered the (smaller) hole up and left it sleeping. it's already "out", but... the brownouts continue during our time there. why would it continue to need power if it was already done? why did it stop there?

(actually, you can probably argue about whether the blob wants to get out at all, considering it ended its first appearance by intentionally trapping itself down there & stuck around as of ruin...) (is there blobcourse? i feel like there is about to be blobcourse)

but, hey. remember what, exactly, it's guarding? it's vanny's hideout, the scene of the burntrap boss battle... and a place with numerous electronic devices very prominently plugged in.

there is, of course, the little detail i noticed while gathering screenies for this post -- that the charging station burntrap crawls out of is the only one not linked to the grid, for... some reason? but the emphasis his introduction places on it -- literally dramatically climbing out of one -- gives him a pretty big association with power; same goes for him overtaking electronic equipment. whereas the blob skulks around the pipes, some of which have... wires running through them? for some reason?? (see above)

(also, the blob is sitting directly over those grates in the ceiling. fun!)

vanny is the one siphoning energy off the grid. based on the candles surrounding her cot, we can kinda assume that it's scarce resource -- and one that she isn't prioritising using for her own sake (to... y'know... see). considering her status as the reluctant follower of [REDACTED], we can safely make the leap from "vanny is eating cables" to "vanny is eating cables for [REDACTED]".

so, okay, maybe the blob wasn't tunnelling throughout sb. then...

why did the pizzaplex collapse?

in the wake of ruin, "sinkhole" is a term that gets thrown around a lot -- usually with the assumption that we all know what one is, and (importantly) how it works... but not everyone did their end-of-year assignment on them in grade 6, so! to give you the rundown: a sinkhole is a natural disaster in which the ground collapses in on itself, creating -- you're never gonna believe this -- a bigass hole.

the reason why this happens is actually pretty simple: water. no like actually, that's (mostly) it. the tldr is that water seeps through overburdened soil to erode at the layers of soft rocks beneath (like limestone), creating cracks that slowly form caverns in the same way streams carve riverbeds aboveground. and eventually you might end up with ground that isn't capable of withstanding the weight of the shit on it, resulting in it all collapsing inwards, creating... a bigass hole.

that is the absolute barest minimum, simplest explanation possible, and i'm sorry to all the geologists reading, but! hopefully the rest of you get the gist.

and the thing is that... well, the pizzaplex has a lot of structural problems. not only does the racetrack's tarmac constantly crack (per the message "SINKHOLE") -- as if the ground beneath it is uneven/shifting -- but you can see a similar phenomenon across the pizzaplex's subterranean areas; the (former) staff mess hall is a prominent example, where there are massive cracks through the walls... and piles of concrete powder -- but you can also see it on the way out of the sewers. misaligned pipes are also a pretty common sight, as are crumbling ceilings and water damage.

(all of the areas pictured above are underground.)

speaking of water damage: the room full of drums you find chica in (on your way to the loading docks) might look weird to you when you first see it, and that's because it's actually flooded!

and this is all pretty understandable, since the pizzaplex is built on hollow foundations -- something we get a good look at it both in the sewers and at the old pizza place! where we find... well, their multipurpose sewer/landfill/mass grave setup -- and the areas in it that aren't filled with trash or water are hollow. everything is damp, dark, and several stories deep, all of which isn't the greatest for your structural integrity.

now, what do we see below the pizzaplex in ruin?

some of these images are of ruin's final area. the others are of limestone caves in missouri and utah.

(the first is of the meramec caverns in missouri, courtesy of zubin raj; the second is of timpanogos cave in utah, courtesy of visit utah.)

in conclusion: while the brownout situation is as nebulous as everything else in this godforsaken franchise -- particularly if they're doing as i suspect & quietly retconning burntrap -- the earthquake thing is maybe the only time fazbear entertainment has ever been truthful in a press release. turns out building a mall directly on top of a mass grave on top of an underground complex on top of a giant underground cavern system is a really bad idea!

TL;DR:

[presidentofpenraser]

okay so I gave sb some kinda of backstory??? Idk,,, kids au sorta

The big black cloud up there is snowball's dad!!

snow cloud!

-cis male

-straight ally

-he/him

-(in picture) 36

• (right now) 64 (old man old man ‼️‼️)

FUCKING GINGERS anyway

Snowball as a kid was always next to his dad, he was doing anything he could to help his dad out,

SnowCloud was a wrestler back in the day, he went to tournaments yearly,

Snowball was always in the crowd cheering for him along with his mom (who I'll make a separate post about)

SnowCloud was teaching snowball how to wrestle since sb was 3-4

Snowball wanted to be just like his dad, and SnowCloud pushed that to its limits,

Everyday, at 7 am, him and snowball started to work out and practice wrestling,

When snowball turned 15 he was already in tournaments with his dad as the coach

Snowball won a lot of trophies and medals but his dad kept pushing him,

Snowball didn't really mind, he let him push him because he knew he could do more,

And he did, but it exhausted him, ALOT

At age 19, snowball moved away to battle for the dream island, and only thing SnowCloud told snowball was: "win for the family"

Okay!!! That's enough lore!!!!!

[lady-protector]

glamour progression! some canonical Looks that Kaede has had over the years, lore and reasonings and whatnot under the cut~

early ARR: just some basic, comfortable traveling clothes. she didn't have a ton of money here, and her fighting style was offensively-focused, rather than defensive. she didn't even use a shield yet.

mid ARR: finally scrounged up some basic armor, but she still prefers the flexibility and mobility afforded by leather over chain or plate.

end of ARR: for the Praetorium assault, she joins as an officer of the Immortal Flames, and wears their uniform. even though it's heavy and bulky and uncomfortable.

post ARR: newly dubbed the Warrior of Light, she still favors Immortal Flame colors, but make it stylish. also helps Gerolt reforge Curtana and the Holy Shield.

early HW: after the Bloody Banquet, but before being admitted to Ishgard, she comes across the corpse of a dark knight dumped outside the city gates and takes up his sword. it's no longer safe to wear anything that associates her with the Flames, so she reverts back to her more gladiator-like style, but with light plate

mid HW: can't very well be walking around Ishgard as a heretic, so it's back to paladin for a while. she finds a full set of really nice (and warm) armor and weapons in The Aery and uses them for a bit, but swaps the sword/shield for a greatsword again in the aftermath of the Vault

end of HW: Sid gave her some armor. please imagine Zephirin's face under where her sword is planted in the ground.

post HW: had a new set of armor made to match the style of the set she found in the Aery, carries the Fortemps shield in Haurchefant's honor

early SB: when Tataru Taru makes you an outfit, you damn well wear it. also this is her RDM training arc, Marz is the main character doing WAR stuff here, Kaede is just here to vibe and help out

mid SB: Kaede doesn't care for Doman fashion in Eorzea, she has a hard enough time convincing people she's not foreign. but when in Othard, do as the Othardians do. oh this is also where she got her horn and tail decor! turns out when you go somewhere with lots of au ra, you can find cute auri accessories. who knew.

end of SB: we liberating Ala Mhigo in full red mage regalia my friends

post SB: it's just a cute witchy look, Kaede didn't do the Mhach raids so idk how she even got this one. I just like it. she spent most of the SB patches in Ishgard so maybe she bought it from Leofard or something. for REALLY late post-SB (aka Ghimlyt Dark) please see "early ShB"

early ShB: puts her rapier away when her friends start dropping and she has to go to actual legit war. opts for some heavier actual plate mail, but you can't fight evil if you ain't cute. also she got that top from the bowels of Orbonne Monastery, and it's reminiscent of her childhood hero, Agrias Oaks, so it's important to her

mid ShB: Kaede has Feelings about Voeburt and how it's basically Ishgard but with au ra, ask her about them some time. anyway she tries to PLD for a while on the First but it starts exacerbating her light poisoning, so it's back to dark knight time

end of ShB: yikes, girl. yikes. anyway Voeburtite+Crystarium gear is a nice cross-section of the places in the First that really spoke to her

post ShB: neo-Ishgardian top, Halonic gauntlets, I think it's safe to say she is homesick, someone let her go home and see her man already

early EW: Sharlayan is...not Kaede's favorite place. she went there straight from Ishgard so she's just wearing some of her normal civilian clothes tbh. if you see her out and about in Ishgard this is probably the kind of thing she's wearing

mid EW: Garlemald is fucking cold and depressing, even when you have a nice heavy coat. while she's here she gets her arm broken and her shoulder dislocated, so she has to do red mage stuff until it heals. I didn't include it here but it's the heirloom casting top+ravel keeper gloves+virtu duelist boots.

end of EW: a return to the iconic look after getting her shield arm fixed by Haurchefant in the Aitiascope. also all her friends died. it's a bad time. Tataru made her some boots though.

post EW: holy shit baby girl finally learned how to heal, it only took almost dying to make her stubborn tank main ass learn. she changed her hair because she's On Vacation rn. also she's engaged! idk where the yorha top came from, I don't consider the nier raids canon lmao. her staff has a chunk of the mothercrystal on it though

[ashsostrange]

hey y'all so i wasn't initially planning on talking about what rashad posted earlier today bc it's literally all bullshit, but i might as well! i’m not actually tripping over anything that’s going on. if anything, i’ve been laughing my ass off all day at this foolishness.

this is gna be long as hell, so don't even grab popcorn, i suggest a five course meal.

for some background, rashad became mutuals w this girl. right off bat, he’s making hella race jokes ab this girl being white. i b doing the same, but with my FRIENDS. people i am CLOSE WITH. and i don’t over do it because that’s lame and annoying. anyway, she eventually stated that she was uncomfortable and rashad blamed his behavior on the fact that he was on pain meds. she eventually blocked him and told one of her mutuals, and to rashad, that’s her “spreading rumors” about him. he did the most on his page and in ppls inboxes crying and complaining, saying he was gna eat glass and shit.

so now let’s look at his fuckass post:

number one, how can a rumor be started about you if nobody.. knows you? like, you are not a celebrity. nobody talks about you. and nobody was talking about you “being on drugs” other than the girl you made uncomfortable and her two mutuals. i know you send yourself anons too. you make it seems like anyone actually cares about your “hot takes” for some strange reason. don’t even try to deny it, bc there’s no way you’re getting more anon msgs than my friends with larger platforms than yours.

you’re also messier than a mf, sending your own mutuals anon msgs. me and lia know you were the one sending her anon msgs bc she blocked you, and you know it too! talking ab how her username is “corny” then reblogging the posts of her clocking your ass??? acting like it wasn’t YOU.

you tried to turn two writers who were already arguing against each other even more. we sat there and defended your ass even though you were the anon the entireeee time. you made a post saying “war has begun” to try and get us to attack bree’s friend. your weird ass stayed in that girl’s inbox after i told you to block her instead of doing the most. you’re lame and you’re bored.

it doesn't matter if you tagged her or not, you still said it. sliding into sb's inbox and telling 'em you're going to eat glass bc you made someone else uncomfortable is ABSURD. it doesn't matter if it isn't my drama, if i see bs ima say something, and there isn't a thing in the world you can do about it. your "rants" are a form of guilt tripping/manipulation. you're trying to victimize yourself and make us feel bad for you. well, we do not! i checked you once on discord. you said thank you. you said you were going to make an apology, but in that same “apology”, tried to justify your actions. i clocked that and unmutualed you. you then went to lia talking ab some "tell ash i said thanks for checking me" nd now you switched up. your thanks was revoked. all of a sudden, you're the victim again. all of a sudden, i’m ableist?? okayyyy niggaaaaaa 👎 boooo

you say you're "blocking me for your safety" when i wasn't even planning on talking ab your lame ass again. i won't baby you about your behavior because you're not a goddamn baby! and yes, you CANNOT be the victim every time. you bitch and whine on your page when you get into it with somebody, and unless we're defending you, you don't want us getting involved! it doesn't work like that. nobody else was calling you out, so me n my girls did.

idk why my name stays steady coming out of your mouth. my "daily activities" that i "broadcast" are what i ate for lunch/dinner and complaining about school. you run your mouth about all sorts of mess. you put every aspect of your life on your blog. we are not the same, so don't even try to make it seem that way. the people on my blog that i don't talk to outside of tumblr don't know everything about me. you cry in people's inboxes unwarranted and say explicit shit with tw's in your TAGS. i'll say what we're all thinking, NOBODY IS TRYNA SEE ALL THAT!!! coming from someone who struggles with mental health, venting on tumblr will not do anything for you. these people are not licensed professionals. invest in a diary, don't you have a boyfriend to vent to?

you are quite literally the only one looking for drama. we never defended that girl bc we don't know her.. we know you though. and you were venting about catty, but i never said ALWAYS, so don't lie in my face like i'm stupid bc i'm not. ion know what you thought you were doing with the last part, but god bless.

i am a good person my nigga, i don't need confirmation! i know who i am. if you're debating suicide because you're confused about something, you just need to get off the mf internet bro. it’s never that serious. you're not gna sit here and tell me you were debating suicide bc me n my girls put you in your place. you made your own mental worse by refusing to take accountability.

he also made an edit saying he has nowhere else to go… if you have nowhere else to go, then i'd be happy to buy you a damn journal so you can write in there and leave the rest of us the hell alone. and there isn't shit to be sorry about bc you're not putting jack shit on me, all of it is on you. you wna be everything but wrong. 🚶‍♀️should’ve just kept it cute and kept it quiet.

allat being said, good riddance, r*shad. leave me and everybody else alone! and if you fw him, then there’s the door 👉🚪 good riddance to you too.

[miiilowo]

hey, same anon from earlier here. Idk if you’ve thought of it but, do you have any thoughts about a fnafsb ruin rewrite? I like hearing your rewrite thoughts btw :] I think your ideas are very neat

i dont have any thoughts about a ruin rewrite exactly, but i do have ones for just the base game! so ill. share that here ^_^ sorry if youve alr seen me ramble about this specifically but its more simplified and straight to the point than my previous posts ab it anyways

my copycat killer vanny au is less of an AU and more of a "what if steel wool . didnt. do that: a collection of ideas" and so SB being different is a big big portion of it

First off, lore wise, I'd completely remove william. as much as i love him, im tired of his corpse being dragged around much like everyone else. This means no glitchtrap. Fnaf VR would be non-canon, and purely just be a compilation of games and have ZERO story implications. so it'd go straight from ucn+ffps -> security breach. the pizzaplex would exist because of the fazbear ent franchise package (the same one michael got in FFPS)

Vanny would be a true-crime obsessed freak failwoman who gets a little bit too invested in the missing childrens incident and mr afton as a result. she is homocidal. and unwell. after months (possibly years or more) of being obsessed with william and the murders, she sees that the pizzaplex is hiring, and takes her chance!

In one of the SB endings you can see that theres multiple already missing children listed in a newspaper. I'm sure you can see where im going with this

So. Security breach. My first course of action would be to solve the glamrock issue-If theres no glitchtrap, theres no reason to be aggressive. my solution to this is making it so they have a night mode where they try and find any patrons still in the building after closing time and alert the security guard ((think of all the vloggers posting WE STAYED OVERNIGHT IN THE PIZZAPLEX!?!?!?! (WE ALMOST GOT CAUGHT) videos)). this is bad because the security guard is vanessa

I think for the beginning of the game, we have gregory being caught by her straightaway. he would be upset, but not have a reason to really fear her; afterall, shes just some nightguard. she can take care of him and make sure hes safe, right? lure him into a false sense of security. i want her to bring him to a room (perhaps the vanny hideout in sb), say she has to leave and that she'll be right back. from here, the lights will go out (she shut them off + put on her little murder getup + disabled the security cameras). Now, going back to the missing kids, i like to imagine shes a bit of a freak and hasnt stuffed any of the bodies into the suits yet because she wants to wait until she has enough victims and then do it all at once. Gregory will either see blood or smell a corpse in the vanny hideout, and manage to escape through a vent. from here, the game will take place in the dark. vanny will peek around corners and from railings, always watching you but never quite catching up except for some chase sequences because she likes toying with her prey [which will eventually be her downfall]. You try to avoid her and the animatronics.

Glamrock freddy is a problem. I dont want the glamrocks to be as sentient as they currently are, so i think making them be a sort of shitty chatgpt AI would work wonderfully. It means that glamfred could be very, very, very unhelpful at times, and would leave room for uncanny interactions as well as funny ones, which fnaf is sort of known for. the funnies. the sillies. the jokes. the "dont poop on the floor"s. He would be programmed to protect children above all else, however, so he isn't in night mode like the others are.

In security breach, theres a really fucking good cut plotline about glamrock freddy. After getting all of his upgrades, when vanny disassembles him, he turns against gregory, and becomes an antagonist. i cannot stress enough that this USED TO BE IN THE GAME. we have lines of gregory crying and shit. i would 100% keep this in the SB rewrite. its at this point he would shift into night mode instead of just succumbing to the mind control stuff like before. thatd happen either about 2/3rds of the way through or halfway, with a few stretches of time where freddy either isnt cooperating or is unavailable like in the OG game beforehand

outside of that, i would make the pizzaplex smaller, grimier, and dingier. not the same levels as fnaf 1 of course, but the only super clean areas would be like. the atrium and dining areas. fazbear ent is neglectful and unsafe, the vents and rooms patrons dont go into typically arent gonna be super clean. the kitchens probably only get cleaned when they know a health inspector is coming. lets be real

id also love a heavier focus on liminal space sort of enviornments in the pizzaplex. its an empty 80s themed mall! its the perfect setting for it! they kinda sorta did it in the daycare, but didnt fully commit, and id LOOOVE more areas like that, because in the dark theyd be 100000x more unsettling. the only lighting would be very dim neon lighting for ambience and a flashlight i imagine, maybe one on gregorys fazwatch

i dont have a lot of plot points rounded out overall, just some concepts id throw in there, and i especially dont have an ending planned out. ive never been too big on the sci-fi elements fnaf took on around SL and the release of the books (been a fan the whole 9 years!), so trying to figure out an ending that would lean into ruin and making ruin....not like that . would be a whole. Task. a fun task, but a task nonetheless. i do like ruin quite a bit unlike SB, but it wouldnt mesh well with everything else i have going on here and would be bit out of left field i thinks