#if this turns out to be a misdelivered ask i hope you’ll get a proper response from the right person~~~~

[deus-ex-mona]

Hey!!

I'm not sure who to ask but I've seen your posts here for a long time and I just wanted to ask what should i do when i'm pretty sure i like this guy and we're classmates but I'm too scared to even talk to him and the only once i've ever done so was when he borrowed my pencil and he smiled at me and i couldn't help but feel my heart skip a beat what do i do should i/can i get over him and my friends say that he's locked in with another girl i'm pretty sure i'm not his type should i even try pursuing him but i haven't even talked to him

THANK YOU SM

hi anon!

i’m so sorry this got too long and rambly; an excessively long answer is right below the cut—

in your situation, i think the best course of action would be to try to get to know him better first. rather than pursuing him outright (romantically speaking), i think trying to befriend him would be a better course of action. since you guys are classmates, you may be able to find a common ground, in the sense that you could ask him for help with homework and try to get to know him better from there.

and, who knows, perhaps you’ll feel differently about him once you actually get to know him a little better. maybe you’ll find that he’s not actually the type of guy you’re looking for, maybe your feelings for him will grow stronger than ever, or maybe you could even get over him completely and become his good pal or something?

of course, it could completely backfire and you could end up as his bestie with a one-sided crush on him while he happily dates someone else, completely oblivious to your feelings. even so, there are plenty of fish out in the vast sea, and maybe you’ll find someone else, all while still being his friend.

though, i do have to say that the simplest course of action would be to just do nothing but (perhaps) pine from afar while (possibly) hoping for your feelings to fade away with time. it’d be easier to think about the endless possibilities of what getting acquainted with him could be like than to actually muster up the courage to approach him, objectively speaking. if you opt to do nothing, though, i think your feelings for him could fade relatively easily once you’re no longer in the same class as him. out of sight, out of mind, right?

at the end of the day, i think it’s fine to have harmless and objectively superficial crushes. they’re just a little part of the experiences of being a youth. it’s all about how you choose to deal with it in the long run. only you can decide whether you’d rather stay in the background and watch him from afar till your feelings fade, or if you’d rather take the plunge and speak to him directly. but, as a disclaimer, i think it’d be a bad idea to make your feelings for him known if he’s already in a relationship. no one likes a disloyal guy after all.

so, in short, i’d say approach him with the intentions of friendship (or maybe even as a study buddy), if you’d like. since it seems like you hardly know him (on a personal level, so to speak). from my experience, getting to know your crushes better is the best way to deal with your feelings. like, maybe the guy only seems nice from afar, but once you get to know him, he turns out to be not what you had expected of him, or something, and your feelings may change accordingly… maybe. but, of course, opting to do nothing about it is fine too! crushes can fade easily, and, who knows, perhaps you’ll fall for someone else while you’re keeping your distance (metaphorically speaking, since you’re physically in proximity with him by means of being in the same class) from him…

regardless of your choice, anon, good luck!!! and remember to focus on your studies!!! crushing on your classmates is cool and all, but your education is important!!

and, well, since this got way too long, i’ll leave you with a tl;dr: you can try to be his friend, or you can choose to forget all about him. but, no matter how you try to avoid it, your education is your top priority!

in all honesty, i’m probably the worst person to seek relationship advice from though (lmao) i’m truly sorry anon

[thepetulantpen]

Tarot/Fake Dating

(Late as usual ehhh. Here’s matchmaker Molly for day 1 of @mollymauklivesfest !)

“Molly?”

“Yes, Yasha?”

Molly doesn’t look up from the tarot cards he’s shuffling but Yasha knows he’s listening so she sits across from him at the low table, fidgeting nervously.

“Do you,” Yasha looks down at her hands, picking at the nail she cracked in their last battle, “Do you think...”

Molly looks up at Yasha and finds her totally obscured by her hair falling in front of her face, forming a dark curtain. He smiles, leans across the table, and gently moves the hair aside to look her in the eye. Even nervous and embarrassed Yasha’s gaze is strong and intimidating- for anyone who hasn’t known her as long as Molly, anyway.

“Do I think what?”

Yasha frowns and sighs, like she’s preemptively regretting talking about whatever this is but has resolved to do it anyway. She’s talked to Molly about stupider things.

“Do you think Beau, uh, likes me, or do you think she,” Yasha bites her lip, trying to think of a way to put this, then settles on flexing her arm as if showing off her muscles, “just likes me?”

“You think she likes you for your muscles?”

“No! I mean, yes, but I meant whether she’s interested in... me or just my looks.”

Yasha looks confused at both sentiments, as if she can’t understand why Beau would want either of those things. Molly plants a hand on the table and vaults over it to plant himself on the cushion beside Yasha. She looks down at him and he presses closer, rubbing her arm in reassurance.

“Yasha, I can assure you it’s definitely both.”

She snorts and raises an eyebrow. “And how can you be so sure?”

“Are you questioning my incredible insight and foresight?” Molly pulls back a little and puts a hand over his heart in mock offense, barely keeping the shocked facade together as his smile threatens to break through.

“What if I am?”

Yasha smiles a challenge, brute force in the shine of it, and Molly meets it with a smile of his own, like a mouthful of sharp knives.

“Well, we’ll just have to consult the cards, in that case.”

He moves back around the table, takes up his cards, and settles into a showman’s stance, poised and energetic. Yasha crosses her arms and keeps her eyes on the cards and Molly’s hands, ready to catch any potential tell that Molly is rigging her reading.

Normally, Molly wouldn’t dare rig a card result for Yasha- it would be pointless, since she’s seen all his tricks before and can easily catch him- but today is a special occasion. Luckily, he mastered some new sleight of hand while she was away and he puts it to the test now.

“Two of Cups. Lucky you, Yasha.”

She scoffs and shakes her head, smiling despite herself. She knows what that card means, has seen Molly pull it for too many lonely customers seeking something more.

“How did you manage to hide that one?”

“Do you dare accuse me of disgracing the sanctity of tarot cards? I would never misdeliver a message from the stars-“ Molly cuts himself off with a yelp when Yasha throws a cushion at him.

He throws it back, of course, and Yasha catches it mid-air but by then it’s a proper pillow fight and Molly plays dirty- upending the table to use as a shield and throwing multiple pillows at once. The previously cozy sitting room is a disaster in just a few minutes, pillows and tarot cards strewn about the floor, underneath the sprawled, laughing forms of Molly and Yasha.

Molly props himself up and carefully unsticks a stray card from his forehead, redirecting his attention to Yasha. He knows he’ll have to suggest something or she’ll never ask for help herself.

“Hey, Yasha?”

Yasha, laying on her back next to Molly, looks up with a quiet hum.

“I can get you that date.”

Yasha looks at him seriously, eyes staring straight through his exterior and into his thoughts. He has nothing to hide, not from her, so he stares back until she looks back up at the ceiling.

“I think I’d like that,” she‘s quiet for a second, considering, then she grins mischievously, “if you can deliver, that is.”

“With the Moonweaver’s blessing and my incredible charm? There’s not a chance I’d fail, dear.”

...

That night, Molly prays to Moonweaver, much more seriously than he normally does.

He lights a candle and sets out the Two of Cups card he dug out slightly bent from under a cushion. The moon shines down on him through the window, Her light casting crisscrossing highlights across his skin, a web that remains there even as he lays down to sleep.

It feels less like sleeping and more like being transported to another place entirely- a place that glows dimly and spins dizzily, showing him visions and giving him feelings yet to come.

There’s dancing and music and a big banner for a gala he recognizes. There’s moonlight on a shadowy path, and a sharp turn into an even more private alcove. There’s two cups, two lovers, four hands.

He wakes up half out of bed and already stumbling over to Yasha’s cot. He’s shaken her awake by the time he’s blinked the sleep out of his eyes enough to realize it’s still the middle of the night.

“Molly? What-“

“Two weeks. You’ll have your date in two weeks.”

...

14 days later, Molly is brushing and failing to braid Yasha’s hair beside Jester, who is putting Beau’s hair into an elaborate updo.

“When I get back from this damn party, I’m going to kill you.”

Beau hasn’t stopped scowling since Molly managed to convince the group that Beau should lead the undercover charge into the gala, dressed as a made-up political figure. Or, technically, she did take a brief break from scowling when he’d suggested Yasha should go with her, as a bodyguard and dance partner, but she’s right back on it now.

Molly is loving it, getting to annoy Beau and help Yasha at the same time.

“You wouldn’t risk the blood on your hands, it would besmirch the good reputation of Countess Lionett.”

Beau restrains herself from throwing something at him, probably only because she doesn’t want to upset Jester’s work. She’ll be sitting there for a while with a style that complicated.

Yasha’s hair, on the other hand, is already done, as good as it’s going to get, anyway. Molly isn’t an expert but it’s difficult to mess up a braid too badly, so he thinks it’s passable.

“Come on, lets leave the royalty to their business and go get you dressed.”

He leads Yasha back to their room, away from the eavesdropping ears of Jester and Beau so they can have a pre-date/pre-mission pep talk. Molly is certain Jester is doing the same for Beau, but Yasha doesn’t seem to fully believe him on that front yet.

“She’s just as nervous as you are, I guarantee it.”

Molly sits just on the other side of a dressing panel, behind which Yasha is struggling into a dress. He’d offered to get her a suit or pants, but she’d insisted and he knows she’ll be great in the bright blues and purples they picked out.

“I just,” there’s a clatter as Yasha knocks something over and a swear as she bends to pick it up, “I keep thinking, what if I screw it up? You know what they say about first impressions and this’ll be our first date, the most important one.”

“Well, it’s not really your first date.”

Yasha peaks over the panel at him, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

Molly turns and grins up at her. “Since you’ll be pretending to be someone else for the mission, it’s a fake date, technically. Which means it really only counts as like... half a date. A trial run. So there’s no pressure.”

Yasha blinks and Molly can see a light spell flicking on in her head. “I didn’t think of that.”

“That’s what I’m here for, my brilliant ideas and fresh perspectives. Now, are you dressed?”

Yasha steps out from behind the panel, dress swishing around her feet as she goes. It’s primarily a beautiful, royal blue and it’s covered in cascading patches of lavender embroidered flowers, trailing from the bodice all the way to the hem. The lace sleeves match the color of the flowers, pulling all of it together in a color scheme that perfectly complements her eyes.

It’s perfect.

“Oh, Yasha,” Molly smiles and steps forward, fixing a few strands of hair and straightening a wrinkle in the sleeve, “You’re going to be great out there.”

“You think so?” Yasha’s voice is soft, scared to hopeful.

“I know so, dear. Here,” he takes the flower pin he had made and puts it in her hair, just above her ear, “The final touch.”

Yasha smiles and Molly leads her out to meet Beau.

...

Everyone is tense the night of the gala. Everyone except Molly and Jester, anyway.

They’re absolutely hyped and nothing anyone says about “how important this mission is” or “how essential it is that Beau gathers the information they need” or “how disastrous it could be if either Yasha or Beau is found out” can dampen their good mood.

They make a whole night out of watching the lights and giggling about their matchmaking skills.

“I mean, ‘fake it till you make it’? That’s brilliant, Molly. Who would’ve known getting a date could be as easy as pretending you’re married?”

Jester’s eyes slide over towards Fjord as she says it and Molly makes a note to try to same sort of scheme for them the next time the opportunity arises. But for now, he just laughs and keeps an eye on the party, watching carefully for when the lights start to dim and the patrons begin filtering out.

“Hey, Jes? Could you cover me for a sec, I gotta... do something.”

Jester waggles her eyebrows and Molly gives her a wink that says “I’ll tell you later” as he slips away from the group and down the walkway he saw in his dream.

The moonlight outlines a forgotten path off of the main sidewalk, stepping stones overgrown with bushes and weeds, that leads to a private clearing that’ll be perfect for the end of their evening together. He has to do some gardening to clear the path and partially block the other way, which he’s pretty sure is a punishable offense, in this neighborhood. Nonetheless, in a few minutes he’s got a lovely path and a bunch of random parts of bushes and branches strewn over the main road. It’s not the best diversion, but he’s got a few other things he needs to set up before they show so he lets it be and enters the little clearing.

It probably used to be a beautiful place for respectable lovers, protected by trees and furnished by flower bushes, but it’s now majorly overgrown, vines and weeds creeping up the archway, table and two chairs. It’s still beautiful, but fitting for a different pair of lovers, wilder and with some secrets between them.

He sets out the two chalices and bottle of wine he brought with him, then, as an afterthought, places the Two of Cups card in the center of the table.

He steps back to take a look at the arrangement and determines that his work here is done- and not a moment too soon, as he can hear footsteps on the path and realizes they’re a little closer than he thought they’d be. Thinking fast (maybe too fast), he dives into the nearest bush, trying to obscure himself as best he can with his color scheme.

Molly certainly hadn’t intended on spying on their date, but he does get a surge of pride when he sees the two of them arrive together, wreathed in moonlight.

Beau is wearing the cobalt blue gown Jester picked out for her, expensive and fitting for the character she’s meant to play. It flows around her as she walks and the shimmery, sky blue sheer that hangs from the sleeves glitters on the moonlight. Molly always thought she’d be more of a suit person but she definitely makes the dress work, strong and graceful at once.

They dance and Molly looks away, trying to give them as much privacy as he can without being able to escape.

Molly may not be the most... nuanced person when it comes to romance, but even he can see that fake dating isn’t quite a guarantee for a good relationship. Still, it’s nice to have an excuse to be close to people sometimes. Close in way that would seem scary, unachievable if it was real. Close in a way that seems too far away from their real lives. Close in a way that is only intimidating if they stop pretending that this is all a farce.

Molly is happy to give that to them.

When the night is over and their glasses clink against the table, Molly finally relaxes and looks back. Yasha looks down at him, maybe by chance or maybe she’d known all along, and Molly gives a tiny thumbs up through the leaves.

Beau lags behind her for a few seconds.

“Hey, Yash, I gotta fix my shoe. Go ahead, I’ll catch up to you.”

She leans over and does a poor job of pretending to mess with her shoe- Molly hopes she did a better job with her acting during the gala- until Yasha is out of sight.

Molly stays deathly still as Beau stomps over to his hiding place and towers over the bush.

“I’ll get you back for this one day,” Beau looks back up, making sure Yasha is out of ear shot, “But thanks.”

Molly smiles as he watches her go.

“Anytime, Beau. Anytime.”