#if there's no interest I'll keep on going solo

[dadrielle]

I am going to treat this as being in good faith even though I know you have copy pasted this same response on multiple posts.

It's fair enough to see this post and roll your eyes about it. I am being a sarcastic lil bitch about implications that really aren't meant to be there! Liam absolutely didn't mean to do this as an "Orym doesn't trust them" or "Orym doesn't respect their boundaries" thing, and I know that. And I know no one in game is gonna read it that way, either. I didn't tag this Orym specifically because I was picking at a small thing irritably and I fully acknowledge that.

But! There are 3 things I want to say to this on a more serious note.

First, I think we must acknowledge that the implications of listening in on one's friends over listening in on one's enemies are quite different. People have different reactions to different applications of Observant because the social stakes and boundaries are situational. It means something much different to punch an enemy combatant in the face than it does to do the same to your best friend, you know? And Orym is not omnipotent; he does not just automatically know everything that happens, despite how we all joke that he can see god with his high perception. When he chooses to listen in should matter, as should the implications. That's actually my main issue with this whole thing, but I'll get to that in a moment.

Second, I would just like to say while I'm sure you believe it's true I and others critical of Orym don't talk about any of Orym's actual flaws, the fact of the matter is there are many fans who do most of our character discussion privately with our friends instead of tumblr or god, even worse, twitter. And my Orym feelings aren't identical to every other person who is critical of him. As I said in the initial tags for this, I don't think this was the worst thing in the world, it just bugged me! That was just an emotional response, and those often pass. There are lots of moments in stories where my initial reaction is a strong negative emotion, because I am feeling the feelings of the moment, but then I love the full picture it creates. Imogen and Laudna's "did we break up" phase is a great example of that, especially Laudna's ongoing insistence that she was a dead end. It hurt to watch! It made me sad! But it really enriched the narrative! My actual, continuing issues with this Orym moment have nothing to do with Imodna, or the meanings of this moment in particular. It's just another expression of something I've been grousing about among friends for ages. I actually WISH it was Orym being fucked up, that it was something that would come up again later, something he might get push back on. I wish the implication that he feels the need to monitor Imogen and Laudna, that he isn't thinking about how they might feel about it, was a flaw that would be explored with the other characters. Instead it was just kinda there and I imagine no one else will ever have a reaction to it one way or another.

And that leads to the final thing: my biggest issue with Orym listening in is that it DOESN'T matter. It feels like at some point, Liam stopped having Orym engage with other characters and the narrative as actively. It's started to feel very repetitive, and I am deeply frustrated with it. I know he is a reserved, PTSD-laden soldier who uses his hard line morality and sense of duty to hold himself together, who refuses to tell his friends how he feels because he doesn't want to be a burden. I know this! And I think it makes for an interesting character and I want to love Orym as much as I used to. But this is an interactive game, an ongoing narrative, and after a certain point, choosing to have your scenes be solo and keeping your character from changing any of their stances starts to feel like refusing to give other people room to react and challenge your character, and refusing to engage with how others' narratives have changed. What Imogen expressed about not running in this episode isn't a revelation. She has, at this point, been saying some variation of it for about half the campaign. And he has told her he is proud, before. It was nice, then! But listening in to their conversation here and feeling proud in isolation didn't add anything new to the narrative. It could have, if it was a conversation, if he had talked to Imogen directly. But instead it feels so empty to me. Disconnected. It even sort of re-framed the moment as if it was about Imogen Finally Choosing To Not Run, instead of being about Laudna trying to reaffirm a future that keeps slipping from their grasp, one she only just started to believe in again on the precipice of Imogen possibly sacrificing herself for the world. It makes it seem like Orym has barely moved on from the solstice, like he hasn't registered how Imogen's narrative has developed since then.

There are so many things I would love to see from Orym that require acknowledging that things have changed. I wanted him to talk to Dorian instead of chasing after Dorian's dad to say he should be proud of Dorian, especially since Dorian had already had his big cathartic conversation. I wanted him to ask why Dorian has come to hate the gods so much, to ask him why it wasn't just the Spider Queen he was mad at. I wanted him to talk to Fearne about the fact that people outside the party have treated her with the same anti-Ruidusborn suspicion as Imogen, particularly in light of their conversation about taking Imogen out pre-solstice. I wanted him to actually internalize that he was wrong about there being nothing beautiful in Exandria before the gods, and to talk to Ashton about it in a way that starts with him actively listening to Ashton instead of just repeating the same arguments, even if he came out the other side still disagreeing. I wanted him to realize that there hasn't been any danger of Imogen running and that the core of her struggle now is with the fact that she's being asked to sacrifice herself. I wanted him to talk to someone about his guilt over killing Zathuda. I wanted him to acknowledge the hardness he put on when he tossed the locket on Bor'dor's corpse and declared this was war and what that hardness did to him. I wanted him to work on his flaws and talk to people! But instead, he listened and reacted in isolation. The fact that his reaction to Fearne asking him if he was ok as late as episode 95 was just "then why ask? You know the answer" instead of opening up is narratively a problem for me. The few times he has opened up a little have been wonderful but he's still holding most of it to the chest. So many emotional Orym scenes are people talking to him about his emotions and him not responding. We're in too deep, man! "If not now, when?" doesn't just apply to kissing Dorian, you know? He is running out of time to open up.

So. Do I still think listening in on that moment was sucky of him, even beyond the hyperbole? Sure. I think generally purposefully eavesdropping on something like that is sucky. It's a small kind of sucky, though. A blip. Because this is a story, the big sucky thing is that it didn't mean anything for any other character and felt just narratively disconnected. And I find that so frustrating because there are so many potentially meaty, interesting things possible in Orym's story, and I desperately want that richer narrative for him and for Dorian and for all of them.

You might not agree and that's fine. To paraphrase Orym's own words, every one of us forms our own interpretations with the lenses or prisms we see life through. Of course I'm gonna get more het up when this ongoing, general Orym frustration touches on something Imogen or Laudna related - they're my favorites! Of course that influences how I see things. I know they aren't everyone's favorites, so something like this moment won't be a domino-kick on tangentially related, piling frustrations for everyone. But it is for me. I'm not really trying to convince anyone I'm right, here, just to explain why I feel this way about it.

Sure would be fucked up if Imogen and Laudna, until only recently, had every single one of their private moments observed against their will, and then their friend decided to observe possibly their last private moment against their will, huh? :)

[omnificent-orion]

This is just me throwing spaghetti at the wall, but are there any Kingdom Hearts artists that would be interested in doing something like a sticker rally to raise funds for aid work in Palestine?

I don't have any first-hand experience with physical goods, but I was thinking stickers are low-cost enough that they'd been the most efficient thing to offer and designs could be continually added over time from many different contributors. I've been trying to come up with something I could do with what little time and resources I have, and now the idea is at a point where I simply have to shout it into the void to see if anything echoes back.

[welcometogrouchland]

Anyway since they're apparently not going to go with the "Steph leading/babysitting a team of young heroes" book idea (pause for despair) I'd like to pitch MY idea for Steph: Steph gets back into playing piano (she already started doing so in Batgirls #18!) and ends up taking on a mystery related to the basement rock scene in Gotham (I know the underground concert game there is INSANE absolutely prime serial killer territory)

[louismygf]

just recently watched this is us with my college friends

[orcelito]

God, this is fucking crazy

So i only have 3 more classes to take, but it'll cost the same to take 3 classes as 4 classes. So I've been thinking about taking a 4th class just for the hell of it. Something fun and/or easy.

Out of curiosity, I looked up orchestras. I was in it in my first year, but I haven't consistently played since 2016. But I still dream about being in an orchestra again. I *miss it*. So I was like. Well, what if *that* was my 4th class next semester? What If?

I looked it up. This week is the last week they're doing auditions for it. There was only one more spot free after today. And that's *tomorrow evening*.

I haven't really played my violin much in YEARS. I'm so out of practice. But apparently they don't reject anyone outright. Auditions are just for placement. So worst case scenario, I get placed in an orchestra at a lower skill level than I was at my prime. It'd still be an orchestra.

It's crazy short notice, but I don't think I'd forgive myself if I passed it up. Bc I have just one more semester before I graduate. One last opportunity to be in a school orchestra. And if I didn't do this, I'd be left with that What If forever.

So. Crazy short notice, but I have a violin audition tomorrow!!! Hahahaha

[flowersforbucky]

acquainted

bucky barnes x reader (undercover stripper!reader x undercover bodyguard!bucky)

word count: 3.3k

warnings/tags: SMUT, oral (male and female receiving), vaginal penetration, language, strip club setting, creepy dude being a piece of shit, violence and a brief mention of blood, protective/possessive bucky, reader is afab, no use of y/n, touch her and die trope, Bucky might have a slight lingerie kink... 18+ only!

The pulsating fuschia and lime green strobe lights illuminating the club had been making your eyes throb for the last three hours. EDM plays so loudly that you're surprised blood doesn't trickle down from your ears. Not to mention the suffocating combination of cheap perfume, body odor, cigars, and booze that permeates the air makes your empty stomach churn.

If you never step foot into another nightclub when this is all over, you'll consider yourself lucky. Not just any nightclub - one of New Orleans’ scummiest strip clubs.

Five goddamn nights of this operation and not a lick of progress.

Your objective was simple - obtain proof that the owner was operating a sex trafficking ring out of the club, and then call for the back-up squad parked a block away. So far, you had not been able to acquire any kind of definitive proof. No hints of anything shady going on behind the scenes, and you had yet to even see the owner make an appearance at any point since the mission began.

Everything seems as above board as a strip club can be.

One last night, you compromised with Fury. One last night and if it went as the last few have, you were done, and he owes you a few days of paid leave for putting you through this.

“If you don't stop picking at your garter belt, it's not going to have any sequins left.” Bucky's low voice murmurs through the communication device placed discreetly in your left ear.

“If you don't stop watching my every movement, you’re not going to have any unbroken toes left,” you threaten lightly, taking a sip of your drink - just a Shirley Temple, to keep up appearances. “Shoes like this could do a lot of damage.” You glance down at the pointy heels of the black velvet stilettos.

“Is that not my job?” he counters. You don't have to look over at where he's standing in the corner of the room to know he's smirking. “To not take my eyes off of you?”

“Then do your job. Watch me. You don't have to make comments on my sequins to do that.”

“Alright, alright,” he concedes. “I'll be over here, admiring your sequins from afar. You won't even know I'm here.” The com line clicks off before you can retort.

Except you absolutely would know that he's here. Just as you have the previous four nights of this mission - painfully aware that he's here, tracking your every movement in the skimpiest outfits you've worn in your life, doing the most provocative dances imaginable, and flirting with men that you wouldn't touch with ten foot long poles in real life, all while he keeps to the sidelines in case something were to go wrong.

Keeps to the sidelines and just watches you. Even when one of the dancers approached him to ask if he'd be interested in a private dance once he's off the clock on the first night on the job.

Even when there's gorgeous, topless women crawling on the stage and all but humping the pole in his direct line of sight.

He isn't here to look out for them, of course. He is here solely to keep you safe if things were to go sideways. But you had assumed you would have caught him sneaking glances at the dozen other women at least once by now.

It's almost your turn to go up on stage. You've performed a solo set every night so far, and you still feel every bit as nervous as you did the first time.

You enjoy dancing, actually. In the comfort of your own room, when listening to music alone. When you go out with friends, occasionally. When you took ballet lessons as a child. This, however, was leagues out of your comfort zone.

“The creep from a couple nights ago is back,” Bucky's voice is a strained whisper in your ear.

“Gonna have to narrow it down a bit for me, Barnes. You could be referring to at least half of the men in here right now.”

“Sitting in front of the stage, to the left,” he mumbles back. “He's wearing a red wife-beater–”

“See him,” you interrupt, your eyes zeroing in on the short, stout, beady-eyed fuck who had been thrown out of the club night before last. One of the other security guards on duty chucked him out when he repeatedly got too handsy with one of the girls who had been giving him a lap dance.

“Fantastic,” you huff under your breath, as you finish touching up your lipgloss and reapplying the iridescent baby pink body glitter across your chest. “Just in time for my dance.”

You get up from your seat at the bar and adjust your lace bustier and thong as the announcer calls your stage name.

“He won't lay a finger on you,” Bucky assures you as you're walking up the steps of the platform.

There's a weak round of applause and a few whistles as you take your place on the center of the small stage. You give a vague nod in the direction of the DJ’s booth to indicate you're ready for your song to begin.

An upbeat but sensuous synth-pop song pours out of the speakers throughout the room and you begin to sway your hips.

You're hyper-aware of the fact that you can see Bucky making his way closer to you, away from his position in the back of the room. He settles when he's just a few tables behind the man in the red wife-beater.

There's an eruption of butterflies in the pit of your belly at how close he is. Each night prior to this, he has kept to lingering around the exits and the far wall towards the back of the club. Now, he's close enough that you can actually see his eyes following every languid movement that your body makes around the pole.

“Take your fucking top off!” a grating voice bellows from the audience. “We want to see your tits.”

You don't have to look to know who the voice belongs to. You decide to ignore him, hoping he would stop if you didn't give him any attention. You go to wrap your thighs around the pole again, preparing to spin–

“Did you not fucking hear me?” he shouts even louder this time, audible to everyone over the roaring music. “I said take your fucking–”

A flash of movement in your peripheral vision causes you to freeze around the pole. You turn your full attention to the ruckus, just in time to see Bucky fisting the man's greasy, shoulder length hair and pulling his head back. The music comes to an abrupt pause.

“You don't fucking talk to her like that,” Bucky snarls. “In fact, you don't talk to her at all, you don't look at her, you don't even breathe the same fucking air as her.”

The man is thrashing around, trying and failing miserably to get out of Bucky's grasp.

“Let me go you fucking–”

He doesn't get to finish his sentence before Bucky snaps the man's head forward, sending his face crashing into the granite tabletop.

The instantaneous pool of blood that contrasts so starkly against the white stone snaps you out of your fear-stricken trance.

Bucky pulls his head back up, forcing the man to look up at him.

“It's not my fault she refuses to show off those perfect–”

You all but jump off the stage - miraculously not breaking an ankle in the six inch heels - and rush over to where Bucky still has the man's hair yanked into his fist.

Just as Bucky is beginning to shove the man's head downwards again, you place both of your hands on his chest, gently but effectively shoving him backwards. He immediately releases his grip on the man as the other few security guards on duty arrive to detain the pervert.

“Hey, hey,” you place your hands on his biceps, trying to turn his attention to you and away from the man who he's still glaring after, as he's hauled off by security. “I'm fine, yeah? Everything is fine,” you try to assure him, though you're not sure your shaky voice sounds very convincing. “He's just a creepy, entitled asshole.”

Noticing that Bucky is shaking beneath your touch, you rub your hands up and down his arms in hopes of calming him down.

He finally meets your gaze. He doesn't say anything for a moment, just stares at you as he takes a few deep breaths.

“Go get dressed,” he orders you calmly after a moment. “I’m getting you the fuck out of here.” You want to leave too badly to even think about objecting.

You make a beeline for the changing room, where you throw on a sweater and force your pants over your heels, not even bothering to change out of the lingerie and stilettos.

Bucky's waiting for you right outside the door as you sling your duffel bag across your shoulder.

“How mad do you think Fury will be that we are abandoning our positions?” you ask in a hushed tone as Bucky ushers you through the club, his metal arm wrapped around your waist.

“Not as mad as I am that he's had you doing this bullshit for no reason for almost a week now.”

You and Bucky exit the club as quickly as possible, ignoring the curious and confused stares of the other dancers and security guards. He guides you down the block, then through an alleyway where his motorcycle is parked in a heavy silence - other than the obnoxious clanking of your heels against the pavement.

Bucky straddles one leg over the seat of the bike, taking his place in the driver's position and then hands you the helmet.

“Wait,” you pause before putting it over your head. “I'm starving.” Your stomach growls, as if on cue. “Can we stop and get some take-out?”

He looks at you incredulously. “I just shattered that guy's nose and likely severely concussed him and then just dipped. Our cover is essentially blown, don't you think we should get back to the motel room and lay low until the morning?”

“There's a Chinese place open late just a few blocks from the motel–”

“If I say yes will you put on the helmet and get on the bike?”

Taking that as a win, you slide the helmet over your head and hop on behind him. You wrap your arms securely around his midsection in a tight hug and he takes off down Bourbon Street.

You spend the drive trying to ignore the thought that of all the times you've ridden on the back of Bucky’s motorcycle, you don't remember him ever feeling so tense beneath your touch.

Half an hour later, you're lounging on the rickety motel bed, stuffing your face full of sweet and sour chicken and vegetable fried rice while Bucky fills Sam in on what happened over the phone.

He sits in one of the small chairs at the singular table in the corner of the room, his posture rigid. He answers all of Sam's questions with clipped, one-word responses as he massages his temple between his thumb and forefinger.

He hangs up the phone, refusing to meet your gaze. Instead, he pretends to be interested in the episode of Family Guy playing on the old motel TV.

“Your egg rolls are going to get soggy,” you tell him, pushing the to-go box across the mattress towards him.

“I don't have an appetite right now,” he says, picking up the box of food as he stands. You grab his bicep in your hand as he begins to walk past where you're sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Hey,” you say, stopping him. “Everything's okay. Really. Don't let that guy get to you–”

“A little late for that, don't you think?” He snaps, pulling his arm from your grasp. You sit back, too stunned by his reaction to know how to respond. You just stare after him as he crams his take-out box into the motel room's mini fridge.

“I shouldn't have reacted so harshly,” he says after a moment, still facing away from you. “I couldn't stop myself. He spoke to you that way, and I could have killed him and not thought twice about it. Probably would have if you hadn't intervened.”

He turns back to you. You're frozen in place.

“Do you know what that's like?” He asks, taking a step closer to you. “To feel like you aren't in control of your own body? To be so irrationally protective of someone that you'd kill for them without a second thought?”

You feel like all air has been stripped from your lungs. He's just inches away, staring down at you from where you sit on the edge of the mattress. The way he's looking at you makes your skin feel like it's on fire.

“Because that's what you do to me. That's how you make me feel.”

Heat pools between your legs.

“Come here,” you say - it sounds more like a question than a command.

He closes what little distance is left between the two of you, and pulls you up from the mattress by the tops of your arms so that your body is flush against his.

His mouth hovers over yours - not quite making contact, though you can feel his breath fan across your skin.

He takes his flesh hand and cups the side of your face with it, his thumb trailing across your bottom lip. His metal hand wanders down your back until it reaches the curve of your ass - grasping your cheek in a firm hold and squeezing until his touch borders between pleasure and pain.

“This is what I wanted to do to you every time I saw a man so much as glance in your direction in that club,” he whispers against your mouth. “I thought about bending you over the stage and making them watch me take you right then and there, but they didn't deserve to see that.”

“They aren't here to see us now,” you murmur as you bring your hand to cup the noticeable bulge of his jeans, eliciting a hiss from him. “So what are you going to do now?”

There's a dark grin spread across his face. He pushes you, softly but effectively, back down on the bed. You scout back a few inches on the mattress, and then bring one of your feet up to remove the stiletto heels that you'd completely forgotten to take off upon returning to the motel with your haul of Chinese food.

“Oh, no,” Bucky laughs lowly. “I want you to keep those on. I've grown to like those quite a bit.”

Your cheeks warm in both arousal and bashfulness. You begin to push your pants down your thighs as Bucky kneels on the ground and helps you maneuver the fabric around your shoes. The sweater that you threw over your bustier goes next.

You're left in the lingerie set that you wore at the club.

“Call me jealous,” Bucky sighs as he begins trailing sloppy kisses up the insides of your thighs. “Call me possessive, call me crazy..”

You lay back down against the scratchy comforter as Bucky gets closer and closer to where you're aching to have him the most.

“But I don't want anyone seeing you like this but me.”

He pulls the already soaked lace material of your thong to the side, exposing your cunt.

He licks up your center torturously slow, causing you to let out a sharp exhale. He repeats the motion, and then locks his lips around your clit. Your hands shoot to his hair, fisting your fingers through the short brunet strands.

He eats you until you're a mewling and squirming mess beneath him.

You come hard, clenching your thighs around his head and riding his face through your orgasm.

“Stand up,” you instruct him as soon as you can think semi-clearly.

He obeys without any hesitation. The warm glow of the singular lamp in the motel room highlights the way your slick coats the lower half of his face.

You get up on your hands and knees before him and he lets out an audible groan at the sight in front of him. He bends down enough to kiss you - cupping your face in both of his hands and tipping your head up to give him a better angle to slip his tongue into your mouth. You moan into the kiss - the ache between your thighs reappearing already.

He removes his hands from your face, unbuttoning his pants while still kissing you.

You pull away to help free his cock from the confines of his boxers. Your mouth waters at what's directly in front of you. He's impressively long and girthy, with a thick vein running up the side.

You pump him a few times in your hand, swirling your tongue around the pre-cum dripping from his slit. He's already putty in your hands - groaning above you and placing his metal hand around the back of your neck to keep you where he wants you.

After you've run your tongue up and down his length a few times, you spit on the tip of his cock and massage it over the entirety of his shaft before taking him as far into your mouth as you can in the first go. He throws his head back, moaning your name.

You feel him hit the back of your throat and you gag before pulling back.

He curses under his breath, nudging himself slowly back towards your throat again.

“Such a good fuckin’ girl,” he praises and you moan around his dick. He gradually increases the speed at which he pumps himself into your mouth, obscene noises echoing off of the thin motel room walls.

When he pulls out, you feel drool running down your neck and mascara-tinted tears leaking from your eyes.

“You're so gorgeous like this for me,” he tells you, and despite knowing that you look thoroughly fucked out, you believe him. “Will you turn around?”

You do as he asks, turning around on your hands and knees. You lower your chest down to the bed so that your ass is angled upwards.

“Jesus Christ,” he grunts under his breath. He grips your hips with both of his hands, yanking you to him. His erection juts against the cloth of your underwear.

He tugs them aside once more, giving him access to tease your slit with the head of his cock. You rock backwards, grinding against him. He brings his flesh hand around your stomach and reaches down to rub your clit as he begins to slowly fill you from behind.

He pauses for a moment once he bottoms out, giving you time to adjust to the fullness of him before he starts fucking into you.

The combination of him slamming into you at such an intense angle and massaging you so perfectly has your climax building shamefully fast.

You grunt his name, bouncing your ass to meet his thrusts. “I'm gonna come,” you mewl, knowing he's on the verge of doing the same as his movements become uneven.

One, two, three more pumps and you can feel your pussy clenching around him as you come together.

You pull off of him, collapsing onto the bed and rolling onto your back. He crawls over you, propping himself up on his arms above you.

“You know,” he stares down at you, his eyes trailing to your breasts that are now spilling out of the black lace bustier. “As much as I hated every second of that mission, I do hope I might get to see you in some of these outfits again.”

♡♡♡♡♡

my masterlist!!!

[rueclfer]

Fake Dating // Bakugou

a/n: hi all, i am back from the dead with this shit that took me DAYS to finish bc my brain is def not used to writing anymore. pls enjoy and maybe keep a look out for PART 2 if people want it !

You stare at your phone in disbelief. The audacity he had to tell you where to go, how to dress, and to essentially perform in front of everyone for him. Of course this was a mutually beneficial agreement, but at least you only dragged him along to your family functions sparingly.

You two had come to this agreement early last Winter when family members kept pestering you about potentially finding a love interest at your new University, and for him when he couldn't shake off all of the romantic confessions from the students in the other classes.

No one else knew about your arrangement. What made it so much more unbearable was the fact that you shared the same cohort and friend group, so it was a constant facade whenever you're in each other's presence with the others around.

You felt a bit awkward coming to the party alone, and a few hours late. You could hear the bass thumping through the door from the front yard, and from the looks of it, there were far more people than you expected, but on the bright side, it'll be easier to be invisible within the crowd than have to hold up this facade all night.

You approached the front to see Jirou catching a breath of fresh air. She had a drink in one hand and her other interlocked with Momo's

"Are you guys already tapping out?" You asked, taking the steps up the porch.

"Y/N!! For a second I thought you weren't going to make it!" Jirou says, releasing Momo from her grasp and giving you a big hug. "I'm so happy you're here."

"Can't blame me for always being fashionably late” You embrace her back.

"Better now than never." She drunkenly chuckles “Bakugo’s been a moody bitch all night please go contain him”

“Are we surprised?” You roll your eyes and laugh. “Where are you two off to?”

"I'm gonna take Momo out for some air and to maybe vomit, but go inside and I'll find you later!"

“I love you Y/N!! Take a shot for me!!” Momo slurs and blows you a kiss as Jirou drags her away.

"I love you too, Mo! I'll catch you guys inside."

Once you stepped foot inside, it felt like the air from your lungs were instantly replaced with the thick fog of weed and cigarette smoke. It was suffocating, but all too familiar at the same time. You recognized many of the faces around from campus, but none of which were your close friends.

Before anything else, you decided to stop by the kitchen to pour yourself something to drink. To be honest, you weren't picky with your liquor. As long as it did its job, you weren't going to complain. You grabbed a red solo cup off of the stack and poured in a shot and some change worth of cheap vodka.

Mina has to have some red bull somewhere around here…

You quickly down it and refill another cup to carry around while you look for your ball and chain, Katsuki. You wander around the crowd for a few moments, waiting for someone you knew to catch your attention, but no one did. You decide to take a break to lean against a wall and to send Katsuki a text to see where he was hiding. Before you could even get your phone unlocked, you received a notification from him.

After he sent the last message, you looked up and searched for his meeting eyes. He said he was looking right at you, but for some reason you couldn't find those fiery eyes.

“Looking for someone?” A low voice breaks you from your search.

You turn to see Katsuki leaning up against the wall right beside you, almost shoulder to shoulder.

“Hmmm yeah I am, actually. Have you seen my boyfriend?” You turn to him fully. “He’s tall, messy blonde hair, kind of has a stupid look to his face, really hot though, trust me, and also like a medium build?”

You catch a glimpse of the smallest smirk on his face.

“Yeah? Well I’ll be sure to keep a lookout for him. In the meantime though, can you keep an eye out for my girlfriend? Angel faced, toothy smile, obnoxious ass laugh though, like if you hear honking, it's probably them.” He retaliates.

You both stare at each other in silence before you break character and playfully punch him in the arm. “Shut up, idiot. I don't honk.”

“You do. Like a goose.”

"You're so good at this flirting thing, Katsuki. Keep it up." You say sarcastically.

"It is my job, after all."

He stealthily wraps his arms around your shoulder, bringing himself in closer to you. He damn near was caging you in against the wall, blocking out the rest of the party with his back.

“So what's the game plan for tonight?” You peered up at his towering figure.

“Hang out for a couple hours, do all that lovey bullshit and then I’ll take you home. Don't get too messy tonight either. I’m not trying to babysit.”

“Worry about yourself, lightweight.” You roll your eyes.

“And is this straight vodka?" He looks into your cup with disgust. "Are you mentally ill?"

“I couldn't find the red bull.” You shrug.

“So it's either that or straight vodka?”

“Yeah and? You have a problem with that?”

“Yeah I actually do. It's fucking insan-” He starts.

“Bakugou!” A voice interrupts behind him. “There you are!”

You two lock eyes for a brief second. Just when you were actually starting to enjoy yourself with annoying Katsuki, you remember that you were only here for one reason. Katsuki's jaw clenched as he turned over to lean back against the wall beside you.

“Oh. Y/N you’re here too.” They say in a deflated tone. “I was just wondering if you could give us a second to chat?” They bat their eyelashes.

“I'm not in the mood to chat.” He says, pulling you closer by the waist.

“We’re actually about to go meet up with the others. Catch him next time.” You smile sweetly, interlocking your fingers with his and dragging him towards the backyard.

To your surprise, your friends were actually all there surrounding the firepit.

Denki was the first to spot you. He gasps and jumps up from his seat.

"You're here!" He nearly trips over his own feet trying to get over to you. He pulls you in a big hug, sweeping you off your feet. "Oh my god Y/N I missed you so much I could cry right now."

He was clearly a drink or two over his limit. His cheeks were bright red and he was already starting to sweat through his shirt.

“I missed you too, Denks.” You let yourself get twirled around by him.

“Finally you're back, I’m tired of holding onto your nasty drink.” Kirishima says, passing a red solo cup to Katsuki once he sat down.

You tried to take the empty seat next to him, but he immediately grabbed your wrist to pull you to share his chair. Your eyes widen at his own, as if you could telepathically curse him out. You clench your jaw as you feel a hot flash across your face.

“It’s cold. Stay close.” He simply says.

You nervously chuckle. “There's a fire right there, babe.”

“Do it for me then.” He smirks.

You silently groan to yourself as you lean back into his chest in defeat. Luckily, the chair had enough width to allow you to not have to fully sit on his lap, moreso just a leg slung over his own.

“Try this.” He lifts the solo cup to your lips.

You peer down at the dark red liquid in his cup. The smell burnt your nose. You shot him a weary glance before you downed his concoction, having to pinch your nose right after to subdue the burn. The shock of spicy and tangy residue left your throat burning with every inhale.

"What the fuck is that?" You choke out, continuing to pinch your nose.

"Fireball, lemon juice, and OJ." He smiled mischievously. "Thoughts?"

"The nerve you have to comment on my drink after sipping on this bullshit all night? It tastes like piss.”

He shrugs, wearing a lazy smile as he grips the softness of your inner thigh, with his other arm wrapped around your shoulder, fiddling with a lock of your hair.

You were internally screaming. Usually, there would be a hand holding or an arm around the waist or shoulder, but he was never this touchy whenever you had to act like a couple in front of your friends or even in front of the people trying to get at him.

You look around the firepit to see that all of your friends were in loud conversation with one another- laughing, arguing, and definitely not paying you two any attention.

“What are you doing?” You say low enough that only he could hear. “You're like, all up in my shit."

“5 o’clock, babe.” He simply says.

You slightly turn your head to your right to see the person from earlier, trying to not-so-obviously stare at you both.

“Tryna give them a show or something? You roll your eyes.

“Only if you'd let me.” He whispers.

You felt a chill crawl up your spine. God he's being gross. But you liked it. When you first made your little arrangement, you swore to yourself to not to catch any type of feelings for him, but the more time you spent charading around as a couple, the deeper you fell into this infatuation despite how hard you fought against it or played it off as a part of the bit.

“Don’t kill me, okay?” You whisper, meeting his eyes and forcing a smile.

You turned your head to fullyface his own and leaned in. Both of you were caught by surprise- his eyes widening right before you made contact. You two had never crossed this line before, let alone talked about it. It was only ever the unspoken rule of “don't catch feelings” and “no couple shit when we’re alone.”

His lips were soft and swollen as if he spent the last hour biting down on them. Once your lips crashed into his, it felt like your stomach was turning inside out, and a fire lit within.

It's fine, it's for show. It’s fine, you agreed to this. It’s fine, it’s not real.

You were fucked. You hated him, but you liked him. Maybe it was more than like. Maybe like isn't even the right word at all, but all you knew was that you needed to stop and take a second to reevaluate what you were doing with Katsuki.

In reality, the kiss lasted no more than 10 seconds, but it felt like you had fallen into the fire pit and laid in it for hours. Your body was on fire.

Once you broke away, you two stared at each other blankly, blinking away the realization of what had just happened. You didn't know whether to laugh and slap him on the shoulder, or start crying.

“I-I'm gonna go get another drink!” You suddenly exclaim, getting up and leaving him in his chair.

I'm so FUCKED.

You quickly snake your way through the large crowd that had filtered their way to the backyard. You stop by the kitchen to pour yourself a heaping cup of whatever liquor bottle was closest to you, down a large gulp, and take the rest with you to the bathroom.

Your head was starting to feel a bit hazy from the mix of second hand smoke as well as your drinks from earlier starting to settle in your stomach. Did you even eat anything before drinking like this? You weren't really expecting to have anything more than one drink, but after your kiss with Katsuki, you suddenly feel the need to forget it all.

You were sitting up against the bathtub, wallowing in your complicated mass of feelings, and now fully intoxicated. You let your head rest on top of your knees while you replayed every single interaction you've had with him tonight.

Your phone started buzzing on the floor next to you. You opened the screen, eyes squinting to adjust to the brightness.

Of course it was Katsuki.

You sat and stared at your feet for a few minutes until you heard pounding on the door. Judging from the force of it, it was either a fucking SWAT team or Katsuki.

You grab a hold of the side of the bathtub to hoist yourself up, stumbling a bit while doing so and unlocked the door. Of course behind it was the latter.

He lets himself in and shuts the door behind him, leaning back on it.

You were wildly embarrassed for a multitude of things. You were on the verge of messy drunk, your face was stupidly hot and flushed, you kissed your fake boyfriend and ran away, you're swallowing down your feelings, and now here he is to reprimand you for all of it.

"Water as per requested." He pops open the cap of a fresh water bottle and hands it over to you.

"Thanks." You mutter and drink the water in silence.

"So are you upset at me?" He finally asks.

"Yes."

"And why is that?" He cocks his head to the side.

You were drunk, no doubt about it, but this unserious playful tone in his voice that pissed you off was clear as day. Why were you the only one freaking out? Did he not care? It surely confirmed that he does not and never have felt the same as you and truly did think of your "relationship" as nothing more but a transaction.

You purse your lips and remained silent.

"Because... you kissed me?"

You nodded.

"So you're upset at ME... because YOU kissed ME..." He states once more.

You were on the verge of tears. He loved making you look stupid but this was tenfold now. Not that he was wrong, but you weren't in the mood for it.

"So what if I am?" You choke out, tears now brimming over.

Katsuki's eyes widened, clearly not expecting you to break down so easily after a couple of harmless questions. You steps towards you and grabs your shoulders, not quite sure what to do or how to react.

"Hey hey hey, what the fuck? Why are you crying all of the sudden? Seriously, Y/N it's not a big deal."

"It is." You whine. "It is and you don't even care!"

He finally pulls you into him, letting you sob into his shoulder. His hand caressing your back in comfort.

"You idiot." He says after a moment of silence. "You're such an emotional drunk. This is why I told you not to get messy." He scolds. "I do care. But I won't if you don't want me to."

"I do want you to care. I want you to like me. Not just like me, but like-like me." You confess.

You feel him stiffen under you. Clearly your drunken state had forced you to say the wrong thing, but you didn't care.

"But do you like-like me?" He asked back, pulling you back to look at your tear stained face. "Drink some more water and sober up a bit before you answer okay?" He brings the water up to your face.

"I don't want anymore water!" You push his hand away. "I like-like you and I hate being your fake girlfriend and lying to everyone and myself about it!"

His smile grew, but he shook his head. "Okay angel face, let's talk about it then." He moves his thumb up to your cheek to wipe away stray tears.

"You're so wasted, you may not even remember this for tomorrow. But I think you're the coolest person on this fucking block, okay? And I like being around you even though you annoy the shit out of me sometimes. So stop crying and feeling bad. We're fine."

"But we're not! I don't want you to be my fake boyfriend anymore. I think you're cool too and you make me laugh and feel stupid in the heart and I fucking hate you for that, so that's why we shouldn't do any of this anymore."

He doesn't reply, but instead looks down at your sad face, lip still quivering, makeup smudged around your eyes. His hand continued to cup you cheek, forcing you to look back up at him.

Katsuki leans down and presses a kiss to your forehead, letting it linger for a second longer.

"That's okay. We can do something about that when you're sober. If you even remember any of this, anyways. Let's get you home."

He grabs your hand and swiftly leads you out of the bathroom. You wonder what you had just done, whether it was going to blow up in your face (if you even remember the next day) or work itself out? Would it even matter?

[arc-misadventures]

Dancing Partner

Summer: Hey, Jaune you okay, you look nervous?

Jaune: Like hell I am... I'm waiting for my date, and I'm scared as hell...

Summer: You have a date?! I thought you, and Qrow were flying solo for todays school dance?

Jaune: That was the plan, but my date said otherwise.

Summer: Otherwise?

Jaune: She said I was going to take her to the school dance as her date, or she'll castrate me.

Summer: Oh gods...

Jaune: I don't understand why she's doing this?! Raven is the last person I'd expect to want to go on a date, let alone to a dance!

Summer: R-Raven...? As in, Raven Branwen 'asked' you to the dance?!

Jaune: Yeah... She did... technically…

Summer: Why the hell would, Raven ask you out on a date? Hell, why would she ask anyone out on a date?

Jaune: How the hell am I supposed to know?! Ever since I beat her in that CQC bout we had she's been giving me odd looks. I think she's trying to tell me something in her own socially awkward way.

Summer: What do you think she's trying to tell you?

Jaune: Hell if I... know...

Summer: Jaune? What are you... Oh gods...

Raven: Hello, Jaune~! Summer, are you looking forward to today’s dance?

Summer: Yeah.. I am...

Jaune: Wow, Raven... you look gorgeous...

Raven: T-Thank you, Jaune...

Summer: Oh... oh that's interesting...

Raven: Ahem! Thank you, Summer for keeping my date company.

Summer: Oh... No problem.

Raven: Shall we take our leave, Jaune?

Jaune: Of course, I'll see you on the dance floor, Summer.

Summer: See you.

Raven: Oh wait, before I go...

(Raven walks over, and whispers in, Summer's ears.)

Raven: Tonight he's all mine~! But, in the future I don't mind sharing~!

Summer: W-W-What?!

Raven: Till later, Rosebud~!

Summer: ...

Summer: I-I don't think I'd mind sharing either...

[luveline]

id love to see eddie and a shy!reader at a concert. r is overwhelmed with the crowd and eddie is being his usual lovely reassuring self

love you sm!

ty for ur request! —eddie insists on taking care of you when you get overwhelmed in the middle of a concert. fem!reader, 1.3k

"This is insane, right?" Eddie asks. Or, yells. 

The ground thumps with music. The drum feels as though it's being beaten against your own chest, heat at every angle, lights flashing above and roaming downward. You blink against the purples and blues, your hand sweaty in Eddie's. 

"I'm sorry!" you shout, nodding down at your joined hands. 

Eddie tucks a limp curl behind his ear. "I'm gonna give you the sweatiest kiss anyone's ever given!" 

"Gross," you say, a half second before Eddie's pressing his lips to yours. You can feel the vibrations of the instruments through his skin. It almost tickles, but Eddie's rough touch helps. 

It's a nice kiss, but there's so much going on. The crowd swells with a unanimous cheer as one song ends and another begins. Eddie yanks himself away from you to grin at the performance, whooping as his favourite guitarist takes centre stage for an intro. You gulp in dank air, the person standing behind you treading on your shoes for the tenth time in as many minutes, the person to your right smelling of pot and beer, sticky thick. 

A firm arm curls around you. "You wanna go up on my shoulders?" Eddie asks. He must be pumping with adrenaline, his kisses quick and plentiful over your cheek as you attempt to answer. 

"As if, Eds." 

"What, you don't think I can get you up there?" 

"I know you can't." 

Eddie visibly registers your shifting mood. "Hey," he says, giving your shoulders a jog, "are you okay? You look like you're having a whitey without the smoke, babe!" 

"I'm okay, I…" You blink sweat from your eyes. "I'm really hot." 

"Take your jacket off, baby. I can hold it for you." 

You shrug out of your damp jacket but feel the same. Still, when Eddie says, "Better?" you smile and wrap your arm around his. 

"I'm good. Now shut up! This is my favourite one!" 

You're not telling the truth, but your enthusiasm fools him. Eddie slides an arm behind your back and you hug each other from the side to sing along. You like the music and you love Eddie, you're not interested in ruining the precious couple of hours you have here tonight. You can grin and bear it. You have been for a while. 

Or, you think you can, but you feel something warm on your leg, and you know it's just beer spilled from a crushed plastic cup, but your ears ache as the drum solo starts and fireworks burst at the front of the stage less than forty feet away. The crowd closes in. It's too much. 

"Eddie, I think," —he turns to look at you, eyes sparkling— "I need to go to the bathroom. Okay?" 

"I'll come with you!" 

"No! No, stay here, we'll never get this close to the front again!" 

"Are you kidding? What if something happened to you? I'd lose my mind!" Eddie nudges you toward the back of the venue. "Babe, I know the kind of creeps that hang around, I'm not letting you go by yourself!" 

You're sick of shouting at him to be heard. "No, I'll hold it!" You won't ruin his night. "I'm okay, I– I swear!"  

"Don't be stupid, let's go! It'll be nice to have a break from Doctor Marten," he says, looking quickly behind his shoulder at the perpetrator in question, the guy who keeps nipping your ankles with his thick gummy soles. 

You shake your head. Eddie shakes his head back at you incredulously, twining your fingers together as he starts to fight his way through the crowd, dragging you with him. People are ten times as likely to let you move backwards rather than toward the front, and soon the air is cooling, your skin damp and cold as the fresh breeze finally reaches you. The crowd thins. You can stretch your arms out without touching anyone for the first time in nearly an hour. 

The relief is enough to have you closing your eyes, savouring the sudden lack of input. 

Eddie pulls your hand between both of his, calluses and rings and all the things you love about him scratching your hands as he squeezes you. "Feel better?" 

You should've known he knew. Nodding sheepishly, you say, "Yeah." 

Your breathlessness must endear you to him. Eddie's on you like a rash. Your jacket slips where it's tucked under his arm, but he doesn't let go of your hand, stepping with one foot between yours, his long hair brushing your chest as he closes the space between you.

"It's a lot, I get it," he says. His voice is rough from yelling, scratchy as hewn stone. "I meant to bring you those ear plugs and I forgot. I'm sorry." 

"That's not your responsibility," you say, frowning. 

He smiles at you. "You're my girl, aren't you? I look after you 'n' I like doing it." Eddie laughs, the sort of laugh that says, I'm really happy, I love you, and it's easy. 

Or maybe you just want it to say that. Regardless, he bumps his forehead into yours and closes his eyes for a few seconds, rubbing your fingers between his mindlessly. "Take a minute. Chill. We can stay on the outskirts for the rest of the night if you need to." 

You can deal with being uncomfortable, just not to the level you had been. That was dire. This is fine. 

"Sorry for losing our spot," you say, pulling away from him. 

"Sorry for putting you in a tough one, babe. How do you feel now? Any better?" 

"Yeah, definitely." You pull your elbow up to wipe your burning cheeks. 

"Better enough for a very public and disgusting kiss?" he asks. 

"How disgusting?" you ask.

"Tongue, for sure." 

"That's not that bad." 

"Didn't say where, did I?" he asks. 

"If you lick my ear I'm gonna have to go hide in the girls bathroom," you warn, flushing at the thought of it alone.

Eddie doesn't give you the kiss he threatened you with, only throws his arms over your shoulders to cup your head, lips pressed to your temple. He rubs your shoulders, and after a moment he starts to sway you both from side to side in time with the slightly less hectic song being performed by the band. 

"Chill out," he murmurs. "I don't care where we're standing if I get to stand with you, loser." 

You hug his back. You're uncomfortably warm still, but his touch is a remedy for the general frazzle of white noise that had been fizzing between your ears. 

"Come on, let's go back," you say. The band starts on a song you know Eddie loves, you've heard it enough. 

"I wanna be like, oh, no, I can't tear myself away from you, but I really fucking love this one," Eddie says. He gives you no less than six apology kisses against the bridge of your nose before spinning on his heel to usher you back toward the crowd. Not in the throng of it, but at least you're facing the right way. "Whoo!" he yells.

"Play it louder!" you shout, knowing no one can hear your individual voice over the cacophony. "My boyfriend loves this one!" 

"I love this one!" Eddie shouts at the top of his lungs. 

Your heart lifts at his huge, beaming smile. All the sweat and noise and raw ankles are worth it just to see him this ridiculously happy. He makes it easier, checking in on you periodically for the rest of the night, and persuading you to leave a little early to escape the rush. When he swings your tired arms between your bodies and declares it the best night ever, you know you can keep on coming to gigs no matter how crazy they get. 

[songbirdseung]

happy accidents / park jongseong

synopsis: maybe getting hit by a basketball wasn't so bad?

pairing: jay x reader

warnings: injuries?

wc: 1k

Your solo trip to the park did not go as expected when you felt a sudden pain in your back. Ignoring the fact that your drink fell from your hand and almost ruined the white maxi skirt you were wearing, you turned towards the direction you assumed the ball came from.

"I'm so sorry, my friend is a clumsy idiot," a voice called out.

"Jake, shut up!" another male voice responded before facing you and apologizing for hitting you. "Basketball isn't really my thing, I'm more into guitars."

You blinked, still processing the pain and the sudden chaos. The guy who had spoken was now standing in front of you, looking genuinely apologetic. He had a warm, approachable aura that somehow made the whole situation less frustrating.

"It's okay," you managed to say, trying to smile despite the discomfort in your back. "Accidents happen."

Jake and another friend, who you assumed was Sunghoon, jogged over, both looking equally concerned. Jake had a sheepish grin on his face, while Sunghoon looked more serious.

"Are you alright?" Sunghoon asked, glancing at you with worry.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," you replied, waving off their concern. "Just a bit startled, that's all."

Extending his hand. "I'm Jay, by the way. Sorry again for that."

You shook his hand, feeling a bit more at ease. "I'm Y/N. And it's really okay, Jay."

Jake stepped forward, looking at the fallen drink. "Can we at least get you another drink to make up for it?"

You nodded, appreciating their efforts to make amends. "That would be nice, thank you."

As the four of you walked towards the park's cafe, you couldn't help but notice how easy it was to talk to them. Jay, in particular, had a relaxed demeanor that made you feel comfortable despite the awkward start.

"So, guitars, huh?" you asked, looking at Jay.

He chuckled, nodding. "Yeah, I've been playing for a few years now. Basketball is just something I do for fun with these guys."

"He's actually pretty good with a guitar," Jake added, nudging Jay playfully. "You should hear him sometime."

"Maybe I will," you said, smiling at Jay. "If you're not too busy accidentally hitting people with basketballs, that is."

Jay laughed, shaking his head. "I'll try to keep my basketball skills in check."

As you all reached the cafe, you realized that what started as a mishap had turned into a pleasant encounter. You got your new drink, and the conversation flowed easily among the four of you.

As the four of you sat at a small outdoor table at the park's cafe, the conversation continued to flow easily. You found yourself increasingly drawn to Jay's warm smile and easygoing personality. The initial awkwardness from the basketball incident had melted away, replaced by laughter and shared stories.

"So, Y/N, what brings you to the park today?" Jay asked, leaning forward with genuine interest.

"I was just taking a solo trip to enjoy the nice weather and watch the swans by the river," you replied, glancing in the direction of the serene water where you'd been earlier. "It's one of my favorite spots to relax."

Jay nodded, his eyes following yours. "I get that. Sometimes, you just need a peaceful place to unwind."

Jake and Sunghoon excused themselves to get refills, leaving you and Jay alone at the table. The air between you felt charged with a new energy, the kind that comes with the potential of something more than just a chance encounter.

Jay cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "You know, I really am sorry about earlier. I hope it didn't ruin your day."

You shook your head, smiling. "Not at all. Actually, it turned out to be a lot better than I expected, thanks to you guys."

Jay's face lit up with a smile. "I'm glad to hear that. Maybe we could hang out more often. You know, when I'm not accidentally hitting you with basketballs."

You laughed, feeling a warmth spread through you. "I'd like that. Maybe you can even show me some of your guitar skills."

Jay's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Deal. How about we exchange numbers? That way, I can let you know when we have a less hazardous hangout planned."

You both pulled out your phones, quickly exchanging numbers. As you saved his contact, you couldn't help but feel a flutter of excitement at the thought of seeing him again.

Jake and Sunghoon returned with their drinks, and you all spent a bit more time chatting before deciding to head your separate ways. As you walked back through the park with Jay, the conversation continued to flow effortlessly.

"You know, I wasn't kidding about the guitar," Jay said, glancing at you. "I really would like to play for you sometime."

"I'd love that," you replied, looking up at him. "And maybe you can teach me a thing or two."

Jay's smile widened. "It's a date, then."

As you reached the park entrance, Jay turned to you with a sincere expression. "I had a great time today, Y/N. I'm really glad we met, even if it was because of my terrible aim."

"Me too, Jay," you said, feeling your cheeks warm. "Today turned out to be pretty amazing."

Before you could part ways, Jay hesitated and then spoke up. "Actually, do you mind if I walk you home? Just to make sure you get there safely."

Before you could respond, Jake and Sunghoon, who had been lingering nearby, burst into laughter. "Aww, look at Jay, being all protective," Jake teased, nudging Sunghoon.

"Yeah, make sure she gets home safe, lover boy," Sunghoon added with a grin.

Jay rolled his eyes but couldn't hide his smile. "Cut it out, you two."

You laughed, appreciating their playful banter. "I'd love for you to walk me home, Jay. Thanks."

With a final wave to Jake and Sunghoon, you and Jay started walking in the direction of your home. As you strolled through the streets, the conversation flowed easily, and you found yourself feeling more and more comfortable around him.

As you approached your building, Jay turned to you with a soft smile. "Here we are."

"Thanks again for walking me home," you said, feeling a bit shy.

Jay shrugged, his smile warm. "Anytime. I had a great time today, Y/N."

"Me too," you replied. "See you soon?"

"Definitely," Jay said, giving you a wave as he started to walk away. "Goodnight, Y/N."

"Goodnight, Jay," you called after him, watching as he disappeared down the street.

As you closed the door behind you, you couldn't help but smile. Today had turned out far better than you could have imagined, and you were already looking forward to your next meeting with Jay.

[mayashesfly]

An interesting part of Stayed Gone and Hell's Greatest Dad is how these two duets visualize the different dynamics Alastor has between his two "rivals"

In this analysis I'm mostly going to focus on RadioStatic since they're the ones I'm brainrotting over, though there are a few things I've noticed about HGD that I wanted to point out in this post.

So if you're looking for a more RadioApple focused analysis, I'm afraid this isn't it due to my inherent bias. If you have any thoughts about Alastor, Lucifer, and their dynamic or anything in general about this post feel free to share your own thoughts and ideas! ^w^

First let's get to the starting portions of the song when Alastor is in the picture.

In Stayed Gone, we're first presented with the background of Vox's store front having an empty neighbor by its side. Until Alastor enters the picture.

Visually this already tells us that there's always been an empty spot by Vox's side that Alastor fills.

Interestingly enough, we also see them being visualized as cleanly slotting together in the song even if there's a definite line between the two of them that keeps them separated. (Which is also present with how their store fronts are also separated by a wall)

Meanwhile, in Hell's Greatest Dad, we're shown that Lucifer and Alastor starts off in the song by being physically beside each other.

Which Lucifer swiftly leaves behind to have his solo portions.

In Stayed Gone, when Alastor first entered the picture, Vox tried to push Alastor out. But kept failing as Alastor continues to keep himself in the picture.

Interestingly enough, regardless of how much Vox pushes and how much Alastor keeps himself in the picture, they're always shown together visually even when they're singing by themselves.

And the moments when they're are on the screen alone instead of together is shown to be very brief before Alastor enters the picture yet again.

Contrasting that to Hell's Greatest Dad, they spend alot of their singing portions being solo and alone on the screen. Making a point to push the other away before making their point with Charlie.

They don't really stay in the same screen together and beside each other for long.

If Stayed Gone started with Vox trying to push Alastor away before begrudgingly letting him stay on the screen with him.

Then in Hell's Greatest Dad, they started off as staying and singing their parts separately away from each other as much as possible.

Before they stayed with each other for a longer period of time and making them have their more heated instrument duet and the arguing at the end.

You could argue that the two songs are an inverse of each other in a weird sense.

Another thing I've noticed is how Vox and Lucifer were presented differently when it comes to being "below" Alastor.

For Vox, there's a very clear line that makes this sense of being below Alastor very apparent.

Meanwhile Alastor's attempt at making Lucifer seem below him isn't as apparent and clear cut as Vox's

(I find it so fucking funny and hilarious how Alastor gave Lucifer a thumbs down. He didn't even pull anything like I thought he did at first!)

That's all the things I can compare and contrast between Stayed Gone and Hell's Greatest Dad for now.

I have more thoughts about how Alastor and Vox's relationship is presented, but they're not as closely tied/limited to these two songs so I'll talk about that in another post :P

This post isn't meant to say that either RadioStatic or RadioApple is better than the other as that's not my intention at all with this post. I just wanted to give my personal observations about these two songs and their differences and similarities.

So if I accidently offended anyone, I sincerely apologize.

Since I'm a RadioStatic fan, I naturally talk about them more in a positive light, though I did try to keep my observations about RadioApple as neutral as possible since I'm not as confident with my observations about them.

I hope this was a good read regardless!

[myscenic]

Pairing: roommate!na jaemin x male!reader

Genre: fluff, enemies to lovers, fake dating

Warnings: none

Word Count: 3.6k

Synopsis: the popular boy na jaemin was tired of always going to parties solo, so he decided to ask his roommate out.

♡ Note: it was a bit rushed sorry!! i've just made an account for female readers since i want to make this acc for male readers only, so go follow if u want lol. the content there will be different too :>

jaemin scowled as he rushed around the dorm room, haphazardly tossing clothes into his overflowing laundry basket. it had been two weeks since his last load, and he was down to his last pair of clean socks. his roommate, y/n, was sprawled across his bed, scrolling through his phone, seemingly unaffected by the chaos.

"can you keep it down over there?" y/n complained, not looking up from his phone. "some of us are trying to have some rest."

jaemin shot him an irritated look. "you try living out of a laundry basket for two weeks. it's disgusting."

the two had been paired as roommates at the start of the semester, much to both of their annoyance. from day one, they hadn't seen eye to eye on anything. where jaemin was loud and social, y/n kept to himself. their fighting and bickering had become so constant that the other students in their dorm had taken to avoiding their room altogether.

"why don't you ask one of your many friends to help you with your laundry problem?" y/n retorted.

jaemin sighed in exasperation. it was true that he was popular around campus and always had people willing to do favors for him. but for some reason, he didn't feel right asking any of them for something so personal.

"actually, there was something i wanted to ask you..." jaemin said hesitantly as he shoved the overflowing basket into the corner.

y/n finally looked up from his phone, glancing at jaemin with mild interest. "what?"

jaemin fidgeted nervously, avoiding eye contact. "there's this party tonight...for my friend's dance team. and usually i would bring someone, but...i don't really have time to find one properly."

y/n raised an eyebrow, waiting for jaemin to get to the point.

"iwaswonderingifyouwouldbemyfakeboyfriendjustforthenight?" jaemin rushed out in one breath.

a look of disgust washed over y/n's face. "absolutely not."

"pleaseeeee y/nnnn!" jaemin begged.

yn stared at him in disbelief. "let me get this straight. for months you've been nothing but rude towards me. and now you want me to what, play pretend boyfriend for one night?"

"it's just this one party, i swear!" jaemin said quickly. "and i'll do your laundry for a week."

y/n rubbed his temples, already feeling a headache coming on from even considering it. but he was intrigued by jaemin's desperation. it wasn't often he had the upper hand in their constant battles of wills.

"two weeks..." y/n proposed, a sly smile playing at his lips.

jaemin weighed his options for a moment before conceding. "deal. two weeks of laundry it is." he stuck out his hand for y/n to shake on it, hoping he wouldn't come to regret this unlikely alliance.

y/n shook jaemin's hand begrudgingly. "alright, so what's the plan?"

"just show up with me and act like we're together," jaemin explained. "hold my hand, dance with me, maybe kiss me on the cheek-"

"whoa, let's not get too carried away," y/n cut him off. despite their agreement, the thought of kissing jaemin made his stomach turn.

jaemin frowned. "it has to look authentic! come on, it's just an act."

y/n scoffed. "you better buy me dinner first."

a smile played at jaemin's lips, seeing an opportunity. "deal. i'll take you to that italian place you like after the party."

y/n hesitated, surprised jaemin knew his favorite restaurant. maybe he was starting to pay more attention than y/n realized. still, he couldn't make it that easy.

"and you'll do the kiss thing?" jaemin pressed.

y/n deliberated for a moment before nodding reluctantly. "fine. one kiss on the cheek, that's it."

jaemin beamed, feeling suddenly hopeful about the night. "this is going to be great. they'll totally buy us as a couple!"

y/n rolled his eyes, already regretting his agreement to this fake dating scheme. but he had to admit, it did feel satisfying to have jaemin wrapped around his finger for once.

two hours later found them arriving at the party together, per jaemin's instructions. as soon as they stepped through the door, all eyes fell on them, surprised to see the campus rivals united.

jaemin didn't hesitate, grabbing y/n's hand and intertwining their fingers. y/n fought back a blush at the intimate contact. this was going to be a long night.

as they walked into the crowded party hand in hand, y/n leaned closer to jaemin so he could hear him over the loud music.

"how do you know my favorite Italian place anyway?" he asked suspiciously.

jaemin glanced at him in surprise, as if just realizing he'd let that detail slip. he debated playing it off but decided honesty was the safest approach, for now.

"i, uh, might have overheard you talking about it with jungwoo once," he admitted sheepishly.

y/n raised an eyebrow. "were you eavesdropping on us?"

"no!" jaemin said quickly. too quickly. "i just happened to walk by your room at the time... okay fine, maybe i was listening in a little."

y/n shook his head in disbelief. trust jaemin to snoop, even when they weren't getting along.

"what, you were that curious about me?" he teased, enjoying seeing jaemin so flustered.

"i wasn't curious!" jaemin protested, pouting adorably. damn it, why did y/n have to look so cute when he was smug? "i just like to be well informed about my enemy, that's all."

y/n chuckled. "sure, keep telling yourself that."

a comfortable silence fell between them as they scanned the crowded dance floor for jaemin's friends. for the first time that night, y/n was starting to enjoy himself. maybe this fake date thing wouldn't be so bad after all.

just then, jaemin spotted mark waving at them from across the room. he waved back enthusiastically and pulled y/n through the crowd to meet him.

"yoooo!" mark shouted over the music. "you and y/n? together? no wayyy!"

jaemin laughed nervously. "crazy right?" he squeezed y/n's hand, hoping he would play along.

y/n sighed inwardly but plastered on a smile. "yeah, i know. it's pretty new."

"how did this even happen?" mark asked excitedly. "i thought you two hated each other!"

jaemin cleared his throat, quickly coming up with a cover story. "well, we had that big project for history class last month. we ended up spending a lot of time together working on it."

he glanced at y/n, silently asking him to continue weaving the fake relationship narrative. y/n squeezed his hand back subtly to let him know it was okay.

"one thing led to another and we realized we had more in common than we thought," y/n added smoothly. he peered up at jaemin through his lashes, putting on his best doe eyed expression. "who knew such a cute guy was hiding behind all that yelling?"

jaemin felt his heart skip a beat at y/n's words. was he laying it on too thick or...did he maybe mean it? he smiled shyly. "aw babe, you're gonna make me blush."

mark cooed at their act. "you guys are too cute! i'm so glad you worked things out."

jaemin looked up to see one of his long time admirers jiwoo approaching with her group of friends. he braced himself for the inevitable confrontation.

"jiwoo, hey," he greeted warily.

she tossed her hair over her shoulder, eyes narrowing when she saw y/n tucked into jaemin's side. "jaemin~ who's this?"

her voice was saccharine sweet but there was an edge of venom underneath. jaemin knew she wasn't used to having to share his attention.

he squeezed y/n's hand protectively. "this is y/n, my boyfriend."

gasps rippled through jiwoo's friends at the revelation. y/n fought back a smirk - he could only imagine what a blow this was to jiwoo's ego.

jiwoo's smile didn't falter but her eyes flashed angrily. "boyfriend? since when?"

before jaemin could answer, y/n boldly stepped in. "a few weeks. it's new but we're really happy." he leaned up to plant a quick kiss on jaemin's cheek.

jaemin felt his face heat up as jiwoo sputtered indignantly. he shot y/n an impressed look, grateful for how naturally he was playing along.

the group of jealous admirers followed the two wherever they went, still hurling insults and not taking the hint. y/n's patience was at its limit, hand gripping jaemin's so tightly it must have been painful.

jaemin could see just how close y/n was to snapping. in a bold move, he suddenly pulled y/n towards him and pressed their lips together in a searing kiss.

y/n made a muffled noise of surprise, eyes flying wide open before fluttering shut against his will. jaemin's lips were impossibly soft yet insistent, coaxing a response without force. after a moment of stunned rigidness, y/n found himself sinking into the kiss.

gasps and outraged cries arose from the gaggle of girls, achieving the intended effect of distracting them from further heckling. when jaemin finally drew back, their admirers were fuming, scurrying away in a jealous rage.

heart pounding, y/n met jaemin's flushed face in a daze. but then the realization of what they'd done struck him, and color rushed to his own cheeks.

"you said just a kiss on the cheek, not the mouth!" y/n muttered, trying and failing to seem composed. his lips still tingled from the sensation.

jaemin laughed breathily. "it worked, didn't it? they've left us alone now."

his teasing grin slowly faded as he gazed searchingly at y/n, all hints of jest falling away. something unspoken passed between them in that loaded moment, a question hovering on the tip of jaemin's tongue.

y/n looked away first, swallowing thickly. this game they were playing was starting to feel all too real, in the best and most terrifying way.

in the charged moment after the kiss, jaemin glanced over y/n's shoulder and spotted his friend haechan waving excitedly across the room.

"i'll be right back," jaemin said, reluctantly detangling their hands. "haechan looks like he needs to talk."

y/n nodded, still a bit dazed. "go ahead, i'll be here."

jaemin smiled thankfully. "i won't be long, promise. just hang out, get a drink, i'll find you in a bit."

he squeezed y/n's hand before jogging off to greet his friends, leaving y/n alone at the edge of the dance floor.

y/n leaned against the wall, sipping his drink as he observed the partygoers. his mind kept wandering back to the kiss he'd shared with jaemin. he still wasn't sure what to make of the fluttery feeling in his stomach.

lost in thought, he barely noticed jiwoo approaching until she was right in front of him, glare in place. he straightened up warily.

"having fun without jaemin?" she asked sweetly. too sweetly.

y/n didn't trust her tone. "he just went to say hi to some friends, he'll be back."

jiwoo hummed noncommittally. they lapsed into an uncomfortable silence as she continued to eye him critically.

finally she spoke. "look, i don't know what game you're playing with jaemin. but i've had my eye on him for a long time."

y/n frowned. "we're not playing any games, we're really dating."

she tossed her hair back with a smirk. "come on, we all know jaemin gets bored of people quickly. he'll dump you soon enough. so do yourself a favor and back off now before he breaks your little heart."

her condescending tone made y/n's blood boil. but he refused to let her intimidate him.

"thanks for the concern. but i think jaemin is capable of making his own decisions," he said coldly.

after jiwoo left in a huff, y/n leaned back against the wall feeling tense. where was jaemin? he scanned the crowded room but didn't see him.

growing impatient, y/n sighed and grabbed another beer from a passing tray. as he sipped it slowly, he let his mind wander back to jaemin. the way he looked in the soft party lights, the tender feel of his kiss...

before he knew it, he had zoned out and finished that beer as well. as he waited, a group of guys stopped by with an extra case they insisted on sharing. one beer led to another as y/n desperately tried to ignore jiwoo's ominous words echoing in his head.

by the time jaemin reappeared, an empty bottle sat at y/n's feet and three more littered the small table. he was nursing a fourth, cheeks flushed from the alcohol.

"sorry that took so long..." jaemin trailed off as he took in y/n's inebriated state with concern. "y/n? how many have you had?"

y/n waved his hand carelessly, words starting to slur together. "whaaat? it- all good jaem. just a few..."

when he reached for the opened fifth bottle with unsteady hands, kaemin grabbed his wrist gently. "i think you've had enough babe."

yhe term of endearment made y/n's already fuzzy brain go blank. "missed you," he mumbled, smiling dopily up at jaemin.

the doe eyed affection was unexpectedly cute. but jaemin was worried about how much y/n had consumed alone. gently taking the bottle away, he hauled y/n's arm over his shoulders.

"let's get you home okay? i've got you." jaemin said softly into y/n's hair, hiding a smile.

y/n pouted up at him with glossy eyes. "but...the party isn’t over yet. wanna dance with you." he stepped in unsteadily, trying to sway to the loud music.

it was undeniably cute how cuddly he was in this state, but jaemin had to stay firm. "maybe next time when you haven't had so much to drink, yeah?"

"don' wanna leave yet," y/n slurred. he peered up at jaemin with bleary eyes. "party's still going on. wanna have fun with you."

jaemin smiled gently. "i know, but you're too drunk right now. let's get you sobered up first, yeah?"

y/n shook his head stubbornly. then his expression turned sad. "d'you not wanna have fun with me?"

jaemin's heart clenched at the vulnerability in y/n's tone. he cupped y/n's cheek tenderly. "of course i do. but not like this, when you aren't yourself."

when they arrived to their dorm, jaemin gently scooped y/n into his arms again, stifling a laugh at the cute sleeping face nuzzled into his neck. he carefully made his way up the stairs.

at y/n's door, jaemin paused. should he take y/n to his room instead? not wanting to overstep, he reluctantly laid him down on the bed.

as jaemin tucked him under blankets, y/n's eyes fluttered open slowly. "jaem...stay?" he slurred sleepily.

jaemin's heart melted. how could he refuse that face? "of course." he kicked off his shoes and climbed in beside y/n.

y/n’s arm immediately wrapping around jaemin's middle, y/n sighed contentedly. "g'night..."

just then, jaemin's eyes flew open at y/n's sleepy mutterings. did he hear that right?

heart pounding, he shifted carefully to look at y/n's face, barely illuminated by moonlight. his breath had evened out in deep sleep once more.

'i love you...jaem...'

the slurred words echoed in jaemin's mind. there was no mistaking it - y/n had confessed to dreaming. but was it just drunken ramblings or...something more?

he knew he should dismiss it, that y/n was too out of it to mean whatever he said. yet a tiny flicker of hope ignited in jaemin's chest all the same.

all this time bickering, he'd tried to ignore his growing feelings for the fiery boy. but pretending had become impossible after their kiss.

and now this... it gave jaemin courage to consider that maybe, just maybe, y/n felt the same way buried deep down. that behind the yelling and glares lay something more tender between them, waiting to blossom.

biting his lip to contain his smile, jaemin gently brushed y/n's fringe back and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.

"i love you too," he whispered into the dark. then settled back to sleep, letting the future , and any awkward morning after talks, come what they may. for now, hope and y/n's words were enough.

the morning sun filtering through the curtains awakened y/n from a deep sleep. he buried his face further into the warm pillow with a groan, not ready to face the day yet.

as he snuggled closer, a pair of arms unconsciously tightened around his middle. y/n's eyes flew open at the unfamiliar sensation.

bleary eyes focused on a mess of blonde hair mere inches from his face. memories of the previous night came flooding back in snippets - jaemin's lips on his, jiwoo's annoying smirk, downing shots at the party...

with a start, y/n realized the 'pillow' he was clinging to was in fact jaemin, who had somehow ended up sharing his bed.

"wait...WHAT THE-?" he exclaimed, flailing in a panic.

his sudden movement jolted jaemin awake, eyes blinking open in confusion. then recognition dawned as he took in their tangled limbs, mouths curving into a sleepy smile.

"morning," jaemin said cheerfully, as if finding himself in y/n's bed every day was no big deal.

y/n felt like screaming. or throwing up. maybe both. what the hell happened last night after all that drinking?!

as he awkwardly disentangled himself from jaemin's grasp, mortified questions crowded his hungover brain. what did they do? what did he say? and why did jaemin seem so at ease, damn it?!

all y/n knew was his pounding head and racing heart were in no way prepared for whatever this morning was shaping up to be.

"y/n, calm down," jaemin soothed, sitting up slowly. the last thing he wanted was for y/n to panic.

"you were drunk last night, remember? i brought you back, and you asked me to stay," he explained gently.

y/n raked a hand through messy hair, heart racing as disjointed flashes came back to him.

"did we...did i...say anything?" he asked hesitantly, afraid of the answer.

jaemin paused, debating how much to reveal. "you said you didn't want to be alone."

it wasn't a lie, but not the full truth either. y/n's whisper of love still echoed in jaemin's mind, too precious to share without y/n's permission while he was vulnerable.

seemingly satisfied, y/n dropped back onto the pillow with a groan. "ugh, my head is killing me."

"and...you said you loved me."

y/n froze, eyes blowing wide. no...he couldn't have uttered those words out loud, not when smashed. he refused to accept it.

but the tender look on jaemin's face said it was true. y/n shrieked internally, mind reeling as it tried to recall anything from last night.

blood rushed to his cheeks, staining them scarlet. mortification weighed heavier than any hangover. he needed to hide, to erase the past 12 hours completely.

with a groan, y/n yanked the pillow over his head and buried his burning face in it. he wanted to scream, to tear out of there, and never look jaemin in the eye again.

instead he lay paralyzed, listening to his own heart pounding deafeningly loud. why, why did drunk y/n have to go and confess like that?

after several tense moments, jaemin's hand gently pried the pillow away. y/n squeezed his eyes shut, unable to face him.

"hey," jaemin's voice was soft, no trace of mockery. "look at me please."

y/n reluctantly peeked out. jaemin was smiling so tenderly, it made his insides twist in the best way.

seeing y/m's anguish, jaemin reached out to rub soothing circles on his back. "don't beat yourself up, it was just an accident. i'm the one who should have stopped you drinking sooner."

y/n grunted in protest, voice muffled by pillow. "still dumb of me. don't even remember...what i said."

he peeked up hesitantly at jaemin, clearly ashamed. In that moment, he looked so vulnerable and afraid, and jaemin's heart broke a little.

"hey, it's okay. no need to be embarrassed," jaemin said gently, pulling y/n into his arms.

y/n initially resisted halfheartedly before melting into the embrace with a sigh, head finding its place tucked under jaemin's chin. "i'm still sorry."

jaemin squeezed him tighter. "apology accepted. and just so you know..." he pulled back to meet y/n's worried gaze head on. "i feel the same."

y/n stared, searching jaemin's eyes for any hint of deception but finding only sincerity. "you...do?"

in answer, jaemin leaned in to press their lips together sweetly. y/n's breath hitched before he eagerly responded, all tension draining from his body.

when they parted, y/n wore a dazed yet hopeful smile. naemin grinned back just as wide.

jaemin started. "i've had feelings for you for a while, even if we didn't always get along."

when he didn't respond, jaemin started to draw back, concern etched on his face. "unless...you didn't mean what you said?"

snapping out of it, y/n caught jaemin's hand in both of his. "no, i-i meant it. i love you too, jaem."

the brilliance of jaemin's responding smile was all the sunlight y/n needed to chase away any lingering doubts or hangover. in that moment, all felt right in his world.

[sydsaint]

I am INSUFFERABLE when it comes to him <3

Summary: Solo enacts his plans to take over as the Head of the Table. Complete with his own new enforcer, Tama Tonga. And to top it off, Solo also has a new inside (wo)man to replace Paul in Nick Aldis's assistant, whom Tama takes an interest in.

It's going down tonight. So stay ready.

You read the text from Solo on your phone with an eager smile on your face. Across the room, Nick yaps away on the phone with someone from the FOX executive office. You glance over at him and nod to the door signaling that you're stepping out when he meets your gaze.

Nick nods and goes back to his phone call. You rise out of your worn-out office chair and step out into the hall. You make the journey from the office all the way down to the staging area backstage, where some of the crew are keeping an eye on the flow of the show.

"Everything alright down here, guys?" You head over to the crew once you're through the door.

"Yep." One of the crewmen nods and glances back at you. "Need anything boss?" He asks you.

You shake your head and turn your attention to the monitors on the wall just as Solo is making his way down to the ring. "I just came to check up on stuff for Nick." You explain.

The crewman nods and both of you go back to watching the monitors carefully.

Out in the ring, Solo steps into the squared circle with Jimmy and Paul at his side. Roman is busy sulking after his loss to Cody, so he didn't bother to show up for work. Like usual.

Paul attempts to start his usual spiel about Roman's loss and how this obviously isn't the end of the Tribal Chief. But Solo cuts him off. Paul watches in shock as Sikoa snatches the microphone from his grasp and lays down the new law.

Backstage, you watch with a neutral face as Solo embraces his brother in one last heartfelt hug. The brothers share a friendly-seeming hug before suddenly a hooded figure rushes the ring and takes Jimmy out with a hard blow to the back of the head.

The hooded figure rises to their feet and pulls off the hood to reveal Tama Tonga. One of the great Haku's sons.

"What the hell?" One of the crewmen comments once Tama is revealed. "I didn't see this on the schedule." He picks up the schedule for the night and does a quick once-over of it.

"It's been cleared with the boss, don't worry." You set a hand on his shoulder with an assuring smile.

With the secret now out, you walk away from the stagehand desk and head for the curtain. Solo comes marching up the ramp and through the curtain a few seconds later. You smile at him and glance over at Tama as he steps up behind Sikoa.

"Tama, this is, YN. She's our inside girl." Solo glances between the two of you. "YN, this is my cousin, Tama Tonga." He introduces the two of you.

"Nice to finally meet you, Tama." You step forward and offer your hand for a handshake. "Solo's been talking nonstop about his new enforcer."

Tama glances down at your outstretched hand before he does a once-over of the rest of you. A sly smile plays on his lips as he reaches out and shakes your hand firmly. "The pleasure is all mine. Trust me, sweetheart." Tama grins at you.

Your eyebrows raise slightly with intrigue as you drop your hand back to your side. Tama continues to look at you with a gaze that could bring a girl to her knees. The look on his face screams smug, self-assured, fuckboy. But boy are you digging it.

"Well, I'll let you two handle whatever business that you need to get done." You step back over to Solo. "News about our new buddy here should be reaching Nick's desk by now. So I've got to go smooth that over with him." You explain.

"Anything I need to worry about?" Solo asks you.

You shake your head and wave your hand dismissively. "Not at all." You assure Solo. "Nick's a pushover. And I already submitted all the mind-numbing paperwork earlier today."

"Atta girl." Solo nods with a pleased look. "Meet up back in the locker room after the show, yeah? We'll grab drinks and get to work on the next phase of the plan." He suggests.

"Yes, boss." You tease and dismiss yourself. "I'll catch you two sinister backstabbers later." You add with a playful wink.

Solo and Tama both watch you walk off before Tama turns to his cousin. "She single?" He outright asks Solo.

"Far as I know, yeah." Solo rolls his eyes. "Come on, I'll show you where the locker room is." He nods to the hallway to the far side of the room before taking off.

Tama grins to himself and follows Solo back to the locker rooms. Plans are already forming in his head about how he's going to knock you off your feet the next time that he sees you.

A few hours later, you finally finish putting all of Nick's worries about Tama to rest. Smackdown has come to an end and the arena is beginning to become deserted save for the cleaning crew. You make your way down to the locker rooms and knock on the new Bloodline locker room door.

"Yeah?" Tama answers the door with a sneer that instantly warps into a shit-eating grin when he sees you standing in the doorway. "Well well well, look who finally decided to show up?" He steps out of the way and lets you into the room. "How are you doing tonight, pretty mami?"

"Better now that I'm done listening to Nick bitch and moan about you." You quip back with a playful grin. "You're not here for more than a couple of hours, Tama. And you're already a pain in my ass." You tease him.

Tama chuckles, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Well, by all means then, gorgeous. Tell me? How I can make it up to you?" He asks you.

"Oh, I'm sure that I'll come up with something." You giggle and step past him so you can get to Solo. "Everything's all smoothed out with, Aldis, Solo." You report to Sikoa. "Tama is officially entered into the roster database as a member of Smackdown."

"Good." Solo nods. "You ready to head out then?" He asks you. "Because I am more than done with this place." He sneers and gets to his feet.

You nod and everyone heads out. You all stop back at the hotel to change out of your work clothes and agree to meet back up in the lobby later.

You get back to your room and immediately dig around for the most suggestive top and pant combo that you have with you. You find what you're looking for and touch-up your makeup as well before heading down to the lobby.

When you make it down to the lobby, Colo and Tama are waiting for you. Solo doesn't seem phased by your wardrobe change. But the look in Tama's eyes makes you shiver. Oh, yes. You're about to have one hell of a good rest of your night.

[deerspherestudios]

📖FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS📖

Regarding asks, I typically avoid:

stacked questions (asks that have more than one question, so honestly, sending them one by one is better than writing a bunch in one go)

hyperspecific scenarios (while I enjoy answering these, some can get incredibly specific to the point where it doesn't even feel fun anymore)

questions that have already been answered (obviously)

To manage the blog, I usually queue up asks instead of posting them instantly, so it might take several weeks for me to respond. Please be patient! And while I appreciate the time and thought taken to writing me a message and the growing interest in the game, understand I'm still one person and will sometimes leave a message unanswered. Thank you. ❤️

Below is a compilation of questions I get a lot about Mushroom Oasis and Mychael, so if you have a question feel free to check if it's already been answered! The list will update as needed:

🎮 F.A.Q ABOUT THE GAME 🎮

1. What is Mushroom Oasis❔ What is the rating❔

Mushroom Oasis is a visual novel made in Ren'Py that was initially released for the 2023 Yandere Game Jam. It's currently still in development as a solo project. I post updates almost exclusively on this tumblr so if you're interested in the game, you're in the right place. The rating is 16+. How did I come up with the concept?

2. How many days will the game have❔ When will it release❔

I initially planned it to have 4-5 days! But with some new ideas and routes I'm considering, it might extend to 5+ days. As for a release date, it's done when it's done. So please allow me the time to develop it at my pace <3

3. Will the game be translated to other languages❔

I'll be honest, I had no plans to. However, a few people have reached out volunteering to. I'll say for now I'm open to the idea, but I prefer people asking permission first. First and foremost, ask first.

4. Will the game be available for mobile❔ Will the game be free❔

For now, a hard no. I have zero clue how to make it available for mobile. Maybe I'll consider it once the game is fully released, but it's only for PC and Mac for now, as those are the default builds in Ren'Py.

And yes, the game will be completely free.

5. Is NSFW content allowed❔

Considering the main love interest is an adult, that's fine. However I'd appreciate proper filtering of NSFW content considering the game's age rating means there's more than a few minors in the fandom. NSFW questions aren't allowed on the blog.

Keep it where it's meant to be with proper tagging separate from the '#mushroom oasis vn' tag. Using '#mushroom oasis nsfw' should be enough? I hope.

NOTE: Now, I understand some people are really passionate about Mychael being asexual, but I can't bring myself to police people for mischaracterizing his asexuality, nor would I want to gatekeep him either.

He's a fictional character first and foremost, and while representation is important!!!/gen /srs I don't want to bring attention to any such content in case it brings unwanted harrassment on that creator for posting such content.

Please don't do that. Let people make what they wanna make. It's unfortunate, but fandom will be fandom.

6. Will there be other love interests? Will it have multiple endings❔

Due to project scope, the only romance-able character for MO is Mychael himself. The game will have multiple endings however, ranging from romantic ending, platonic ending to creepy/bad endings (because, y'know, yandere).

7. Will there be official merch?

Since I'm just done with college and newly married, the extra income would be nice! I have to plan for it and work out some logistics, but I will be working on something on the down low.

🍄 F.A.Q ABOUT MYCHAEL🍄

1. What are his pronouns and sexuality and age❔

He identifies as male, uses he/him pronouns and is a panromantic asexual. He's older than you think. ::-)

2. Is Mychael's name based off 'mycelium'❔

Yep!

3. What is his height❔

He's 6'2. He used to be 5'8.

4. When is his birthday❔

Initially it was 15th February! Simply because I happened to start designing him that day, hence his 'creation'.

I might pick another date though; for now, his birthday is undecided.

5. Favorite food and drink❔

He loves fried mushrooms and tomato juice! He hates spicy food though, as the smell and taste makes him physically ill.

6. Do you have a voice claim for him❔

Jonathan Groff, specifically his role as Kristoff in Frozen. The fandom has kinda associated it with him now, so it's here to stay haha.

7. What is Mychael's love language❔

I explain it in-depth here!

TL;DR: He likes giving gifts, and likes receiving words of affirmation.

8. How is Mychael's affection towards MC (blog-centric only)❔

So for context, as I manage the blog sometimes Mychael makes an appearance in answered asks. His answers can change depending on when you ask at the current state of the demo:

Day 1:

Day 2:

Day 3:

EXTRAS:

Mychael's Character Ref

Firefly (MC)'s Character Ref

Mychael's Playlist

Mushroom Oasis' Playlist

Bad Ending 1 Explained

[fireintheimpala]

McCartney II

Paul McCartney's 1980 album 'McCartney II' is such an interesting piece of work. It's a banging, sexy album! He finally breaks up Wings and releases his first solo album in a decade. He releases it in May 1980, Lennon loves it, and by June 1980 John Lennon is hard at work on his first album in 5 years.

What's this Lennon-inspiring album about??

I TRY not to read into McCartney's lyrics, since he keeps claiming they're all about "nothing in particular." But let's just list the tracks, skipping the instrumentals.

Coming Up - Hey guy who likes peace and stuff, you want (quotes Don't Let Me Down) a love to last forever? I wanna help. We can be together. We can make it! It's coming up like a flower, the word I most commonly use to describe love!

Temporary Secretary - I want a kinky secretary and I don't care what kind of girl she is.

On the Way - Well, we've been traveling for a long time and we finally finished here. Though I said some things to hurt you, well, it was only out of fear. Wouldn't want to see you crying so l hope you don't mind the things I say on the way. Well, you know I'll always love you. Everything will be alright.

Waterfalls - I need love

Nobody Knows - nobody knows, baby, and that's the way I like it

Summer's Day Song - tomorrow our bad dream will be over, the world will soon be waking

Bogey Music - we gotta bogey. clean your bogey act up, let's bogey!

Darkroom - I got a sexy dark place we can go, let me show you.

One of These Days

One of these days, when my feet are on the ground I'm gonna look around and see See what's right, see what's there And breathe fresh air ever after One of these days, when a job just takes too long I'm gonna sing my song and see See what's right, see what's there And breathe fresh air ever after It's there, it's round It's to be found By you, by me It's all we ever wanted to be One of these days, when we both are at our ease When you've got time to please yourself See what's right and see what's there And breathe fresh air ever after

And let us not forget its B-Side single!

Secret Friend - I know we'll find our way if you will say you'll be my secret friend. I need you.

This is the message that brought John Lennon out of retirement.

[allieebobo]

Monsoon Games: Roadmap

I'll continue to tweak this rough roadmap according to the responses I get from the google form, but here's the plan (ideal-case) for the next 1-2 years!

If you haven't filled out the form yet, please do, as answers would be super valuable in helping me better gauge, prioritize, and budget my next steps as well as tweak the pricing for the tiers!

Phase 1: Now till end-2025

Full-time urban planner

Part-time game dev.

Likely to be mostly solo-work and choice-script based

Phase 2: Beginning 2026 till end 2026

Part/Full-time game dev

Likely to involve / bring in an artist/coder, depending on eventual decision on game format (ren'py, Godot or choicescript)

Phase 3: Beginning 2027

Launch phase 2 game

Re-evaluate what to do next, likely back to my full-time job, but to KIV this based on what happens in Phase 2

Details below the cut!

Again, if you have comments, suggestions, preferences, do leave a message or email (allieebobo@gmail.com). If you're interested to collaborate, or to find out about what games I'm thinking of, click here.

Phase 1a

Timeframe: now till end 2025

Scope: Keep rolling out choicescript updates for CT:OS and Merry Crisis. This will form the base of content for ko-fi/patreon (with subscribers continuing to get early-releases until these games are complete).

Phase 1b 

Timeframe: start sometime 2nd half of 2025, run concurrently till end 2025)

Scope: Write a choicescript 'concept demo' for 2 new games I've been haunted by over the past couple of years. (I'll release more info on this if I think they're viable). Whether or not they become more complex games, I'll at least have the choicescript demo. 

Phase 1c 

Timeframe: optional, but to start as soon as funding is obtained

Scope: Depending on interest, I want to consider doing a port to ren'py for Merry Crisis (or CT:OS, but likely MC) for a more visual-style game. This would involve either hiring a coder to help with the port, or doing it myself. More importantly, will need to commission art for this.

_____

Monthly-subscriptions for both Phase 1a and 1b would include the following tiers: 

$3/month (existing): Just to support me :) 

$6/month (existing): Early-access links to CT:OS and Merry Crisis

$9/month (new tier): Same as above + Early-content (e.g. lore, character snippets & art, non-interactive stories, dev logs) for new game(s)

$12/month (might not go for this tier, but including just as a concept): Same as above + Expanded early-content (e.g. interactive choice-script based demo access)

Phase 2a

Timeframe: Beginning 2026, probably 6-9 months or more depending on scope

Scope: With CT:OS and Merry Crisis completed, I hope to then turn my sights to converting the choicescript demo created in phase 1b into actual complete games. This could either take the form of: 

A full choicescript game

A full ren'py (visual) game

A full Godot (2D) game

About 2-3 months into Phase 2a, I will also have enough content to launch a kickstarter, which would hopefully bring new backers on board and funds to speed-up production of the game(s). For folks who prefer supporting once-off instead, they'll also come in at this stage :) 

Phase 2b: 

Timeframe: Probably 6-9 months into 2026

Scope: Once there's a playable beta version of the game, I'll then do testing with subscribers and other beta-testers, and do de-bugging.

_____

Monthly-subscriptions for both Phase 2a and 2b would include the following tiers: 

$4/month: Just to support me :) 

$8/month: Subscriber-only content for all new games in development (e.g. character snippets & art, dev logs)

$12/month: Same as above + Little interactive patches/expansion packs for CT:OS and Merry Crisis 

$16/month: Same as above + Expanded early-content for all new games (e.g. non-interactive stories, scene peaks/teasers, interactive twine or choicescript based playable content, access to beta version of the game when ready in phase 2b)

Kickstarter tiers: 

$12 once-off for a specific project (a selection of content from the pool of characer snippets & art, dev-logs that $8/month subscribers get) 

$25 once-off for a specific project (same as above + a selection of content from the pool of expanded early-content) 

$35 once-off for a specific project (same as above + special perks e.g. ability to design a character or item or request chapter) 

Phase 3

Timeframe: Start of 2027 onwards 

Scope: When at least 1 game is launched, hopefully by start of 2027, I'll re-evaluate and see what to set my sights on next! This probably also means going back to full-time urban planning :)