#if you want context you can drop an ask btw

[kentuckyfriedmegumi]

tess’s guide to writing kiss scenes (featuring itafushi)

this is for @sunnyyflowerrs and @kat-likes-writing btw

bye so i am not that good at writing these idk why i’ve been asked to make this.  i read other people’s stuff and their kiss scenes and i’m like hnnnghghfhsnksj GIVE IT TO MEEEE!!!!! but alas… i shall deliver what the people want.

before we get into the step-by-steps of writing a kiss scene, i want to go over the general things i try to highlight in a scene that helps me when i write them. there’s the general way that kiss scenes go–build/tension, the kiss, post-kiss. wow, what a shocker, right? but overall, when i am writing a kiss scene, i like to highlight the feelings, the movements, and the energy. feelings being what the characters are feeling of course, movements being what they are doing, and energy being the overall charge in the scene. what is the context? is this a happy kiss? is it desperate? is it fast? is it soft? is it intimate? is it sexual? once you establish the tone of the scene, you are able to start building it.

let’s go.

1. the build up

as you get into building a kiss scene, there’s a lot of high tensions and emotions happening. a kiss is a very intimate form of contact and when you have two characters who are going to kiss, you need to set it up in a way that feels natural.

let’s take a desperate kiss for example. let’s say in this situation, megumi and yuuji both nearly died, and megumi was especially hurt (there will be light angst prob, sorry):

Yuuji stumbled towards the boy on the ground. Fushiguro was lying on his side, back towards him, breaths short and ragged. Guilt rippled through Yuuji the way a stone ripples through still water, jagged as it washed over him. “Fushiguro?” he asked. He could hear how pathetic his voice sounded, small and hesitant as he waited for an inevitable answer. Please answer. Yuuji dropped to his knees, feeling the pain of the fight finally settle in. The adrenaline was wearing off now, everything ached and he had cuts all over. He was sure he looked like hell and he could feel the blood caked on his face slowly dry and crust over. But nothing mattered because Fushiguro was right there. He could be bleeding—he probably still was—he could be missing an arm, he could he dying. It didn’t matter. Everything was shut out, locked away from his mind. Everything other than the body in front of him, chest rapidly rising and fall. He saw a small a shift and instinctively Yuuji reached out towards Fushiguro, only stopping not even an inch away from his shoulder. His hand was left hovering over him, scared to touch him, scared to cross that line. He wasn’t sure he could stop himself if he did.

in what i’m writing, i’m trying to show yuuji’s specific focus on megumi. this is a desperate kiss scene, so what i am trying to go for is this sense of i nearly lost you, so nothing matters other than the fact that you are right here with me.

notice that for this, i have feelings, movements, and energy.

feelings. yuuji is WORRIED, poor guy, all he can think about is whether or not meg is okay. i’m highlighting yuuji’s own pain and injuries, and immediately tossing them aside. yuuji does not care if he is hurting, all that matters right now is if megumi is okay.

movements. yuuji is placing himself near megumi, he reaches out for him, but he stops himself. this creates ~tension~ which makes for a juicy kiss scene. having some sort of tension also helps the build as emotions are rising. even in less /dire/ kiss scene builds, there may be some sort of tension going on. maybe they are both shy, maybe one of them isn’t sure the other likes them back, maybe they’re just plain nervous.

energy. this is the charge of the scene and mainly relies on surrounding context. this may be a bit easier to write based on how the scene is going. for this kiss, what is the overall tone of this that you’re going for? is this romantic? is it comforting? it’s important to have that extra layer so the reader has a better understanding of both characters’ emotions and motives as they reach the kiss.

2. the kiss

the kiss itself is the climax of the scene, everything is leading and converging to this very moment (no pressure right?). when writing a kiss, the feelings, movements, and energy are all VERY IMPORTANT because this is what the readers are reaching for when the scene starts.

let’s have a slow/soft kiss now. for this one, megumi and yuuji have been ~in love~ but they haven’t kissed and this is their first one. the build for this type of scene would focus a lot on the jitteriness in the characters. write in things such as trembling hands, increased heart rates, LOTS of blushing. aight, time to make these boys kiss, you get build and a kiss now:

Itadori was looking at Megumi. His cheeks were tinted a soft rosy color, and Megumi adored the way his eyes shone, despite his overall fidgety demeanor. He was usually so confident and easygoing, why was he so nervous now? Megumi wasn’t really in the position to ask questions, he could feel the heat rising to his face as Itadori looked at him. he smiled and Megumi could have melted right there. His eyes were so warm, his smile was so warm, Itadori was so warm. Megumi could feel his pulse quicken and he felt like his head was spinning in circles. But it was impossible to miss the way Itadori’s eyes flickered down, away from his eyes, a bit lower on his face. Megumi swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. “Megumi,” Itadori said, stepping closer. Megumi’s face was surely as pink as the hair of the boy in front of him. he nervously fidgeted with his hands, unsure of what to do as the ever-increasing warmth that was Itadori stepped even closer. Megumi searched his eyes as he took one more final step forward. Itadori stopped for a moment, gauging a reaction, as if he was making sure this was okay. Megumi could feel his breath, their faces just inches apart.   It was like time slowed. Itadori shifted, his hand coming up to Megumi’s face, as if Megumi would want anything more than what was about to happen. He felt warm calloused hands light brush his cheek and Megumi jumped slightly at the content. Itadori was already starting to lean in when he stopped at the sudden movement, worried that Megumi was going to rebuff him. Megumi reached up with his own hand, grasping Itadori’s arm and holding him in place. their eyes met. They stood like that for what felt hours and seconds all the same before Megumi started to lean in too, eyes half-lidded as they fluttered from Itadori’s gaze to his lips. Their breaths mixed and Megumi just knew that Itadori could feel his racing pulse beneath his fingers. It didn’t matter. With one final resolve, they both moved in. It was like everything in the world stopped. A burst of warmth spread from Megumi’s chest throughout his body, enveloping him as he sighed into the kiss. Itadori’s lips were soft. Megumi could feel a light tremble that was probably, definitely from the nerves, and he was certain that he was probably, definitely trembling too. Itadori’s hand on his cheek moved a bit lower, fingers ghosting the nape of Megumi’s neck. They tangled in his hair while the pad of his thumb rubbed softly behind his ear. Instinctively, Megumi’s grip on Itadori’s arm tightened. As a result, Itadori pressed himself into Megumi further, other hand snaking around to his back and pulling him against his chest. And god, Megumi wanted to melt. They broke apart, only for a moment, before Itadori moved back in and resumed the kiss. Megumi could feel his mouth part slowly and Itadori responded in kind. Both of them moved with gentle, subtle motions, taking in small breaths in between. Megumi shifted his head, tilting slightly to the right, allowing Itadori to deepen the kiss further. They kept the pace slow, their kisses light. Megumi’s heart was racing a million miles a minute and his mind was overflowed with only thoughts of Itadori—the tenderness in his touch, as if Megumi was the most precious thing in the world to him.

ayyyyyy look at that kiss!! once again, we got the big three.

feelings. for this scene, it was important to show that megumi is nervous (capital n), but he WANTS this. he wants yuuji to kiss him and he wants to kiss yuuji. when they finally do kiss, there’s this overwhelming feeling where all of his anxieties finally calm. notice how i focus a lot on megumi’s feelings to convey the importance of this kiss for them. i also highlight yuuji’s nervousness in meg’s perception through his actions. the constant glancing at his lips and the way he moves in slowly to kiss him help show that yuuji is just as nervous as meg is.

movements. a lot of people thing that writing kiss scenes are awkward and i can see how they would be. you don’t want to focus TOO MUCH on what they’re doing, unless you’re writing more explicit content. in this snippet, i have brief descriptions of their actions, but a lot of movements are also focused outside of what their mouths are doing. yuuji brings his hand from megumi’s cheek to his neck, his other hand comes his back and pulls him closer. but you don’t want to focus too much away the kiss. i bring it back to that by writing how megumi is the one who deepens the kiss, parting his mouth and allowing yuuji to take over.

energy. this kiss scene is meant to be soft and tender. notice how i sort of drag it out bc the boys are supposed to be a lil nervy. i convey the energy by using descriptors of their subconscious actions, bc the body is also reacting to the kiss. heart rates are increased, they’re looking at each other’s lips, they’re lips are trembling. but i also have the feelings and movements be really soft and slow. they don’t crash together, they slowly gravitate towards each other.

3. post-kiss

this part is probably the easiest to write. both characters are coming down from their high and there’s a swirl of emotions that starts to die down. usually nerves dwindle as both characters soften. depending on the situation, you can have them soften into each other, or perhaps they pull apart in regret.

bc i’m cruel, let’s do both! sorry in advance…

Fushiguro was kissing him. It should have been the best thing in the world. It was the best thing in the world, but all Yuuji could focus on wasn’t the heat from his body, the grip on his shoulders, or the soft press of Fushiguro’s lips against his own. All Yuuji could think about was the endless list of lives that he had taken. The people that he should have saved, that he could have saved if he had just died. Fushiguro was kissing him, and he didn’t deserve it. But couldn’t he be selfish? Just this once, could he take what he had always wanted? Fushiguro had asked to be saved, he had asked for Yuuji’s support. Yuuji wanted nothing more than to give that to him. He wanted to give it all to him. And so he did. Yuuji stepped closer, grabbing Fushiguro’s collar and pulling him further in. He could feel a small gasp before he swallowed it with a kiss. Fushiguro was kissing him, how could he not kiss him back? The feeling of Fushiguro’s hand carding through his hair stopped everything. His touch was gentle as he tangled his fingers through Yuuji’s hair. There was a certain tenderness in the way that he moved. No. He didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve to be touched, kissed, loved as if he were a good person. Not after everything he did. Not after everyone he killed. And he especially didn’t deserve it from someone like Fushiguro. No, Fushiguro deserved so much more. Yuuji deserved nothing. So he pulled back, his grip on the collar loosening. Yuuji had to force his hands down at his sides as he took a step back. He was still quick to notice the way Fushiguro followed him, only briefly, before he pulled back with a certain look on his face. The kind of look that Yuuji hoped to never see again. “I’m… sorry,” Yuuji said. Fushiguro stiffened and his gaze fell. “No,” he said, face dark as he turned away from Yuuji. Suddenly, everything was so much colder. “It was my fault. I shouldn’t have k– I shouldn’t have done that.” It wasn’t you. It’s not you. It’ll never be you. I’m a monster, I’m a murder, I don’t deserve you. You could have so much more, so much better than me. A million thoughts raced through Yuuji’s mind—so many things that he wanted to say to assure Fushiguro that he didn’t pull away because he wanted to. “We should probably get some rest,” was what he said instead, “before he go to the third years.” “Right,” Fushiguro replied. “It’ll be a long day, I’m sure.”

eeek sorry, chooms. i’m just trying to provide ~variety~ here in my kiss scenes. whipping these up on the spot means i just sorta write whatever comes to my brain. this kiss meant to be angstier. it’s bleaker. yuuji’s thoughts are dark and self-depreciating. he kisses meg back, but he immediately feels bad about it because he feels like he doesn’t deserve it. this translates to his movements, with him gripping the collar in desperation, but immediately pulling back and restraining his himself at the end of it. as for the energy, notice how in this kiss and post-kiss how there’s an overall darkness in the tone. there is less focus on the kiss itself and what they are doing and more so in the dark thoughts plaguing yuuji’s mind. this adds to the post-kiss, as it sets up his regret in kissing meg in the first place.

Let’s do another one:

Megumi rushed in, crashing his lips against Itadori’s as the grip on his arm tightened. Fuck Sukuna, fuck the higher ups, fuck everything else in the world. They were crazy for thinking the world could ever just be free of Itadori Yuuji. Megumi wouldn’t allow it. Not when he was right there in front of him, real, and alive. Megumi could feel Itadori stiffen in hesitation for a moment before he was met back with the same fervor, the same desperation Megumi had kissed him with. All of the noise of the outside world, all of the noise in his head silenced immediately at the feeling of Itadori’s lips moving against his. His hand was quick to make its way to Megumi’s face, caressing his cheek with a gentleness that he was definitely not kissing him with. Megumi didn’t care about that, though, so he tilted his hand and let his arms fall around Itadori’s waist and pulled him flush against himself. A small gasp escaped from Itadori before it was immediately swallowed by the kiss. Megumi drank him in like he was dehydrated and Itadori’s lips were a cold glass of water. They could have stayed that way for forever. Allowing their pace to slow, Megumi’s grip on Itadori loosened. They morphed into a kiss that more loving and intimate. It was as if the rush of emotions slowly recessed back into the ocean of Megumi’s mind—not repressed but rather settled into something a bit softer. When they parted, Megumi held Itadori close and rested his forehead against the other boy’s. He was smiling. That same goofy, stupid smile that he smiled when he was about to watch a movie with Megumi, or when Megumi summoned his Divine Dog, or when he was cooking with Megumi. The smile that Itadori reserved only for him. “Hi there,” he said. Megumi gave a small smile in return. “Hi.” He could tell his heart was racing, he was probably blushing too, but all he could think about was that he kissed Itadori. Even crazier, Itadori kissed him back. Megumi couldn’t help the small chuckle the escaped his lips before it was too late and Itadori was giving him a small nudge. “Are you thinking about me?” Itadori teased. “Shut up,” he said with no real annoyance. “Fine.” And suddenly, Itadori was kissing him again.

For this post-kiss, we have them softening to each other. The kiss was a big boiling point of emotions as megumi kissed yuuji, then after the kiss, they part and it’s a sweet, loving moment between the two of them. we have megumi’s feelings being read about yuuji, we have his movements in resting their foreheads together, and we have the energy shift from a passionate kiss to an intimate moment.

overall

i mean that’s basically it! i didn’t plan on it, but i wrote four kiss scenes (well, three kisses and one build to a kiss) and broke down my little formula for each one. i hope that this provides some enlightenment in how to write a kiss scene and i hope my ramblings make sense here. i was always of the belief that kiss scenes were super hard to write, but after writing one for IYTFPTGFMTFILWH, it just sorta all clicked for me. i hope that this guide helps it click for you too, fellow author.

if anything, i hope you enjoyed the itafushi kisses. happy itafushi friday.

[redclercs]

DELICATE✰ CHARLES LECLERC.

v. i gave my blood, sweat and tears for this

— the one where both of you have given everything to be where you are.

warnings: misogyny, sexual harassment, this is how monaco went btw i accept no criticism. barely proofread, sorry. 3.7k words (+ article, podcast excerpts)

masterlist ✢ next

'Have we let y/n y/ln get away with way too much?'

By Alan Gomez

Yes folks, it might be our own fault, we have created a monster in the form y/n y/ln. Mediocre actress at best and with an even worse personality, if the latest events are any indication.

But how could we let this happen? Come on, we're smarter than this!

The thing is, y/n brainwashed us into believing that her doe-eyed, no-brain characters were actually her. Don't beat yourselves up over this too much, even I was a victim of those pretty eyes. But now that the blindfold has fallen, we have come to realize we have let y/n get away with everything!

You might know y/n from Supercut, the romantic comedy that took the world by storm in 2019, where she starred alongside Aidan Kim and it lead to these two becoming one of the general public’s most cherished couples. At least until two months ago, when their breakup was announced via Inside Out. Although there haven’t been any official statements, given the circumstances, we believe it was the actress who broke it off with Kim.

RELATED:

→ Aidan Kim and friends at Cannes Film Festival

→ Y/N supports alleged boyfriend at charity football match

But whether she’s dating a new guy now or not, why do we keep letting her do whatever she wants?

How did she actually brainwash us into thinking she’s anything close to an “it girl”? After Supercut, all she’s done is the absolute bare minimum to keep people talking about her, it’s all RomComs and no effort. I didn’t want to be that person, and you have to believe me on this, but Aidan Kim made her.

Let’s remember Aidan built his career from the ground as a member of Star-5 the early 2010’s boyband that split in 2018. He was the ‘someone’ in the relationship. How can people even compare having the hit song “Round and Round” in your résumé to being in Scream (Netflix) and The Mist (again, Netflix)?

Aidan made us like her and the writers of Parisian Valentine, The Hating Game and Last Night In Love, did her a HUGE favor by consolidating her as the “Queen of RomComs” by what standard? Well, don’t ask me.

The truth is, we accepted y/n into our hearts and homes, thanks to Aidan Kim and an unbelievable amount of luck, and we haven’t held her accountable for anything ever.

Here’s what I’m talking about, if you’re still wondering what the point of this article is, click on every link to be taken to the whole context, you’ll thank me later:

❍Y/N yells at paparazzi to leave her alone as she walks around Beverly Hills with Victoria Presley.

❍ Y/N praises Taylor Swift while tearing down several male artists for writing songs about their personal experiences.

❍ Y/N says in interview with ELLE that not every movie has to be “profound”.

And just for fun:

❍ A collection of Y/N’s disastrous looks.

It’s time we realize y/n y/ln is talentless, has a horrible personality and feigns innocence she certainly doesn’t have. You will NOT continue to take advantage of us, y/n! It’s all over for you, so I’m glad you’re dropping your pathetic career to become a WAG. #Y/NIsOverParty.

↺ FROM ❛WE WATCH❜ PODCAST

Paul Byrnes: Can y/n really do another role now, after all she’s known for are romantic comedies?

Anna Sanchez: well, I really liked her in The Mist, she did great as character in a horror it was—

Paul Byrnes: No one cares about The Mist, Anna, just you.

Anna Sanchez: all I’m saying is she’s a good actress, she can do other things. That was your question, Paul.

Paul Byrnes: Well, in my opinion she can't and that's it.

↺ FROM ❛IT TALK❜ PODCAST

Greg Zane: Let's talk y/n y/ln and her fashion choices now that she's an F1 WAG. What do we think?

Riley Green: She's a what now? How long has it been since she broke up with Aidan Kim?

Martha Vincent: I think she's looking great, I just wish she'd let go of the ugly caps.

Riley Green: No seriously, how long did she stay single?

Greg Zane: I agree Martha, but caps are big in Formula 1, nothing we can do about that. I'm wondering if she'll go for a more glamorous look in Monaco.

Riley Green: guys? hello?

Martha Vincent: Oh Riley, we're not talking about her love life, let it go.

↺ FROM ❛HOLLYWOOD VIBES❜ PODCAST

Pauline Oscar: [cont.] I'm just so curious about the reason of their breakup, why hasn't anyone said anything?! It must be juicy.

Brenda Yim: I feel like it's bad for one of them, most likely y/n. Hello, can anyone offer one of their friends some money? Just like old times!

Pauline Oscar: [laughs] Definitely! We need to know! Can it get any worse than the fact that she's already with another guy? What's his name? Charles Le what? She soooo cheated.

liked by charles_leclerc, vicpresley, mati.bassi, carlossainz55 and others.

ynfreesia UM THE LIKES?

xxynbaby it's "monaco" of course

aidanluvs you don't even have the decency to pretend like you're alone? fuck you

ynredstar i cannot defend you if you pull this shit girl

mati.bassi great view for breakfast with my best girl!💕

ynredstar oh ynredstar nevermind thanks mati ↳ feels4aidan don't be so gullible she's obviously covering up for them

THE COMMENTS FOR THIS POST ARE DISABLED.

May 27th, Montecarlo, Monaco.

THERE are tears in your eyes, and despite your best efforts not to let them run down your cheeks, it's futile. The worst part is that you're the one doing this to yourself. There's zero need to read 'articles' from pseudo journalists on how a man gave you your career and how you're tossing it into the trash for another. Not to mention the cascade of curses you received for a picture on instagram, where everyone thought you were with the other man.

Has your life really come to this? People don't talk about you unless a guy is involved? You loathe it. Your career was never about Aidan, and it's not about Charles now. Who only makes things worse every time he shows up and yet you can't manage to bring it up to him.

It's embarrassing. You don't want to walk up to him during whatever free time he has in a hectic weekend, and ask him if it really doesn't annoy him everything the press has made up about the two of you, or if he's really that unbothered by being paired up with you in the wildest scenarios, and tell him that he can shut them down whenever he feels like it (you wish he would already), and let him know you won't mind whatever he says about not being involved with you.

But no, Mr. Leclerc is busy giving unclear answers at interviews and liking your instagram posts, as if this isn't already a wildfire.

You put down your phone and pick it back up almost immediately, Vic's ringtone fills your hotel room and you wipe away your tears before answering her FaceTime request.

"Were you crying?" it's the first thing she says, moving her sunglasses to the top of her head. There's a lot of noise in the background and you can barely make the words out, but she comes so close to the phone that all you can see is the tip of her nose. "Why were you crying?"

"It's nothing, Vic. What's up?" you sigh, rubbing your eyes only makes things worse but you don't want to worry about that now.

"I just got to Monaco, babe," the phone is at a safe distance from her nostrils again and you can see around her, the airport where you landed a few days ago. "I'm with my parents," she rolls her eyes, lowering her voice. "But if you could get me into the Ferrari Suite I can hang out with you tomorrow!"

They allowed you one guest and the spot has already been taken by Mati, so there really isn't much you can do in terms of getting her into the Ferrari Suite. "Well, let me see what I can do, okay?"

"Okay," she sounds unsure, you know Vic enough to be sure she expected a different answer. "I mean my parents have Lounge privileges but it's more fun to be with you."

Had she said something about coming to Monaco you might have been able to do something, but as far as you were concerned she planned to stay in France all week, enjoying Cannes and mingling.

"I'll do my best Vic, but you know how they are," you exhale heavily, "Plus it's a crazy-ass weekend."

"Isn't it always?" she's yawning now, "We can meet for dinner later and you can tell me what's up alright? Being with my parents is so boring."

You shake your head, "Be nice, they just want to hang out with you. I'll call you after Quali," you check the clock on top of the nightstand, it's 10 am. You have to get ready for FP3, which you don't care about attending or not but Stuart Schaffer asked to see you, so you haven't got much of a choice.

"Sure babes, love you." Vic pulls her sunglasses down again and blows a kiss to the screen.

"Love you too," it's your turn to yawn as you tap the hang up button.

You look at the special edition Ferrari cap you received as a gift yesterday on top of your suitcase and immediately discard the idea of wearing it. No caps. And then the wave of disgust invades you, are you seriously going to do what some random man said on a podcast you came across by accident?

The answer is yes, unfortunately.

─────────

You would rip your leg off if you could, at least it would mean you’d be able to get out of this chair and away from Stuart. But his palm resting on top of your knee feels like a death grip and you’re frankly afraid to move in case it goes further up.

Mati decided to skip FP3 and you’re really hoping she’ll be on time for Quali because you have no one else to talk to, Stuart is just parading you around again and keeping you way too close for comfort because he’s in a great mood since both Ferraris maintained their top spots and things are looking hopeful for Qualifying.

You know it’s your chance to ask if you can bring Victoria around tomorrow, and you know the answer will be yes, but you don’t. You don’t want to ask things from this man, he’s the type to never forget a debt.

You barely catch a glimpse of Carlos and Charles as they walk by on the way to their debrief and Charles waves at you quickly, with a single-dimpled smile. He’s wearing the same cap you refused to put on.

“I’m going to call my friend,” you blurt out once Charles is out of sight, finally moving your leg back to make Stuart’s hand drop. “She had the worst hangover, I have to check up on her.”

“Oh, you girls get wild in Monaco,” Stuart cackles as you sprint away from him, actually resisting the urge to wipe your knee clean.

"Hey y/n!" Mati's voice can barely be heard above the EDM playing wherever she is. "What's up?"

"Where are you?" you whine, looking back inside the Suite. "Help."

"What's wrong?" you picture her frowning as she tries to walk away from the noise helplessly.

You feel guilty for worrying her so you sigh. "Nothing, I just hate being here. Are you coming here for Qualifying?"

"Yep," she pops the 'p' and laughs. "Listen, why don't we have lunch here at the yacht and then go back for Quali?"

"Yes!" once again you look over your shoulder to where the Elix men are laughing at their own jokes and patting each other's backs. “I’m on my way, okay?”

“I’ll be right here, also don’t scare me like that again, please.”

“Sorry,” you chuckle, embarrassed. Maybe you’re a bit dramatic at times, but it’s really all good-natured. “See you in a minute.”

You turn to the door of the Suite, giving a short jump back when you open it at the same time as someone else.

“Oh, god,” you sigh, stepping inside as Charles moves out of the way to let you in. “Thanks.”

“Sorry I scared you,” he smiles, closing the door again once you’re fully in. Charles is once again holding a closed Elix can, tapping his fingers on the side.

You eye it suspiciously, wondering if the thing has really grown on him. After all, one of the first things he told you was how much it disgusted him.

“It’s alright. I thought you were in your debrief?” You grab a can of Elix yourself, looking good in front of the sponsors cannot hurt.

“It was a short one. Keep doing what you’re doing kind of thing,”

“Right. Well, good for both of you,” you look around for Carlos but he’s nowhere to be seen. “Would it jinx it to say ‘good luck’ for later?”

You know many sportspeople take their jinxes and rituals way seriously, and you don’t want to be the one to blame if something goes wrong for the local star.

Charles considers this for a second and then shakes his head no. “Wish me luck,” he smiles.

“Good luck, Charles.” You beam back at him, enjoying—despite yourself—the way his eyes burn into yours.

─────────

You’re back at the Suite with Mati 10 minutes before Qualifying starts. The tension that had seeped out of your body in the form of laughter and loud singing with Mati is already making its way back to your back and jaw. You’re not ready to be around the Elix people again, but you must. However, first, you make Matilde promise she won’t leave your side.

Stuart Schaffer is already patting the empty seat next to him when you make your way through the refreshment tables. You smile at him, a muscle in your cheek falters as you walk past him on your way to the balcony, to catch both Ferraris leaving the garage.

“Oh don’t drink that,” you whisper when you see Mati walk your way, two cans of Gold Elix in her hands. “Don’t.”

Matilde snorts, “You’re literally the ambassador of this thing, and you don’t like it?”

“SHHH!”

“Fine, but those guys are looking at us so we have to at least sip it.”

You groan, opening the one she offers you and then taking a huge gulp. “Yum,” you mock.

Mati laughs again before her face goes sour with the taste. “Oh my God,”

“Warned you,” yet you take another sip. You think that if it grew on Charles it might grow on you, but you don’t really see it happening.

Q1 and Q2 go by smoothly, at least for Ferrari and you’re on the edge of your seat for Q3. This is the race you’ve been more excited for, but it’s not like you’ve attended many others. Still, Monaco just hits different.

The end of Q3 almost gives you a heart attack, although you also blame your almost empty Elix. You didn’t even notice how much you drank, but the thing that really gets your heart jumping out of your chest is Victoria’s ringtone.

Begrudgingly, you turn away from the track. She has texted you a thousand times, without exaggerating, since Quali started and you know it’s because she’s bored out of her mind at the Lounge with her parents. But you’re starting to find this genuinely entertaining and you are bothered by the distraction.

“I told you I’d call you after Quali, Vic,” you singsong, looking up at the screens inside the Suite.

“Well Quali is almost over, no one cares about the last three minutes.”

You do, Max Verstappen is in first place, then Charles and Checo in P3. You’re crossing your fingers for Charles to manage to get above both Red Bulls. And for Carlos to squeeze in there too.

You don’t say anything else, too enthralled by the battle on the screen.

“Y/n?” Vic raises her voice, “Are you listening to me?”

“Yes Vic, what is it?”

“We’re going to be at Ferrari together tomorrow, right?”

You wince, glad she chose a phone call instead of FaceTime this time around. You haven’t asked and you don’t intend to. Vic still has VIP Lounge access, she’ll be fine.

“They said no, Vic.” You lie, your eyes scanning the screen, it’s the last lap before they get the checkered flag out. “I’m sorry.”

“What? Why? Did you tell them I can give them publicity? I have one million followers!”

“Monaco is different from Miami,” you explain gently, “But you’ll still be at the VIP, you have a great view.”

“Yeah, whatever,” she’s beyond annoyed now, as it happens every time things don’t go her way. You can’t blame her, but you also think it will be good for her to spend some time with her parents, whom she refuses to visit although they live in Malibu and pay her mortgage. “We’re still up for dinner though, right?”

“Yep! I’ll meet you at your hotel.”

“Okay see you then, babes.”

By the time your eyes return to the screen, Charles is in P1, Carlos in P3 and the Ferrari Suite is exploding in cheers.

YOU’RE up painfully early the next day. Vic and you went back to your respective hotel way past three am and you’re exhausted, but at least you had enough self-control to avoid today’s hangover.

Nevertheless, the morning goes by in a blur between breakfast with Elix people, calls with Mildred and Walter, your manager, and two casting agents that tell you that no, you don’t need to go for an in-person casting, you’re not getting the role.

By the time you get to the Suite you have a headache and the knot on your throat is progressively getting harder to swallow. You only make things worse by rage-reading tweets with your #IsOver hashtag.

People claim, with more force every day, that Aidan gave you everything and you are starting to regret ever meeting him.

You have worked your ass off for years, taking on small roles, commercials, stock-photo deals. Learning scripts and going to castings and taking classes, you have been criticized and rejected for more things than just “not fitting the role”.

You have given everything you are and everything you have, and people assure what you got in return you owe it all to some man.

“Hola y/n!” Carlos is the first one to get back to the Suite and you wish he would rub off some of his good mood on you. “How are you today?”

“Hi Carlos, I’m alright and you?”

“You definitely look it,” he says, semi-sarcastically. “Something on your mind?”

The knot is back in your throat so you shake your head no. “And yours?”

“Nada de nada.” he smiles. You’re still growing on each other, but this is the most comfortable you’ve been while sharing the same space.

Charles arrives while Carlos, Mati (who is hungover from her party at the yachts) and you are comparing workout playlists. Wearing what now seems to be like his comfort cap, and a pair of ugly ripped jeans, he smiles brightly at the three of you.

You’re happy to see both Ferrari boys so smiley after the past couple races. Miami especially. And you hope they’ll do well; but you’re particularly scared for Charles, and whatever it is that made him unlucky in his hometown, you don’t want this day to end on a sour note.

You spend about an hour talking to them about anything, your movies, their races, Mati's tour with Romeo and Juliet. Music, hobbies and quirks, Charles and Carlos have an opinion on everything and they are actually quite fun to be around. Then, a Ferrari Team member comes to get them for the Drivers Parade so you wave them goodbye, wishing them a smooth race.

"You're not going to wish me luck, y/n?" Charles asks, the smirk on his face is one you identify as mischievous, and it makes a small wave of anxiety run down your back.

Mati stops the bottle of water halfway through her mouth to ogle at the two of you, and the palpable tension that has installed itself in the space.

"Good luck, Charles," the smile you return falters in one corner, but Charles doesn't seem to mind as he adjusts his cap and says thank you before leaving behind Carlos.

Mati has forgotten about her need to hydrate and is staring at you with both eyebrows raised. "I thought you were not doing that?" she gestures with her head towards the door through which both drivers vanished.

"I'm not doing anything," you reply, defensively. "He's being—"

"y/n, you could cut the tension there for a minute," Mati finally takes a swig of water and you wait for her to continue talking. "Like I said, I don't recommend it but... you're free to do whatever you want." she isn't unkind while wording that last part, but it still stings you with annoyance.

"Thanks, Mati." you bite the inside of your cheek, leaning back into the sofa.

─────────

The Ferrari Suite explodes in cheers once the checkered flag is out. After a frankly insane race with rain, crashes and too-long pit stops, both Ferraris have crossed the finish line, and most importantly Charles has finally managed to get rid of his Monaco curse. His enlarged picture appears on every screen with P1 right in the middle. Carlos is P4, but the points are extremely important in the long run, so people celebrate nevertheless.

Before you know it, Mati and you are being dragged down to the track for the podium celebrations. You're buzzing with excitement, holding Matilde's hand as you run to one side, where the mechanics can't crush you as they jump up and down.

Even above the general screams of happiness, you can hear talks of 'Charles deserves this so much', 'It was about time' and 'His hard work is finally paying off at home'.

At least someone's blood, sweat and tears are valued.

YOU are probably not living down the Charles dating allegations this weekend. Which is not your fault, honestly, had they enlarged the picture, it would have shown Mati just as excited for Ferrari as you were. She's Italian, and she bleeds for Ferrari.

But right now, surprisingly, you're not overwhelmed with whatever it is they're saying on Twitter. Although it took Mati snatching your phone away and tossing it in her own purse before sitting you down to retouch your makeup for the celebration party.

Victoria is joining you too, because a 'the more the merrier' applies to any sort of party happening in a Monaco club, especially if it is for the unofficial prince.

It is the first time in three months you let go of your worries, even if it is for the shortest amount of time as you dance with Victoria and Mati and drink anything you please and whoop every time the DJ mentions Charles and Carlos.

You're happy to be with your friends, away from Elix and celebrating two people who can become something more than coworkers to you. Although through the night you see them on a few occasions, Carlos waves at you as he passes by a few times only stopping in the third time to let you congratulate him with a quick hug that's more of a shoulder squeeze than anything.

Charles is obviously harder to approach, and to be fair, it's not like you're even trying. He's surrounded by his hometown friends and by anyone who wants to have his attention for a minute, for a picture or a dance or to buy him a drink.

It's past three am when Victoria is beyond buzzed and you're starting to feel exhausted so you decide it's time to leave. Mati has found someone to take home so she's been gone for around forty minutes, minding her business.

"Come on, let's go," you are grabbing Victoria by the wrist as her ankle twists. "We've both had enough," you laugh, Victoria joins your laughter as you snake through the crowd of people pumping fists in the air, some of them point and wave at you and you smile back at them politely.

You hear your name being passed around a few times, but you focus on finding the exit while keeping Victoria by your side, who has started to whine about not wanting to leave.

Once you break into the outside, you take a breath of fresh air, the coolness makes your skin rise in goosebumps and you shiver, letting go of Victoria to lift the hair on the back of your neck.

"It's too early!" Victoria complains once again, her eyes are glassy and she's just as sweaty.

"It's not, plus you're drunk, we should leave," your ears still feel drowned in the sound of music. “My feet are killing me.”

The exit opens again, and a couple stumbles out laughing and they tell Vic and you goodbye in drunken French. Before the door shuts again, Charles is out on the street too.

"I heard you were leaving," he says in what you're sure it's a too loud voice. But your ears have barely stopped ringing, so you can't blame him. "Are you two okay?" he eyes Victoria, who is starting to lean down on her knees to soothe her dizziness.

"Oh we're alright, we've just partied enough," you smile at him. Charles is rosy, bright-eyed and sweaty. Is it corny to describe someone as painfully handsome?

"I didn't get to congratulate you," you add, trying to keep your attention on Charles while being aware that Victoria might start retching at any given moment. "You did amazing."

Victoria straightens immediately, her glassy stare focusing on Charles. "You're such a good driver, Charles, for real."

"Thank you," Charles nods awkwardly a few times as Victoria pokes him with her left index finger. "And thank you y/n."

"Come on, Vic," you chuckle, keeping her hand away from Charles. "Seriously though, I'm happy for you."

Charles smiles again, running a hand through his hair. "Thank you, really. I'm sorry I didn't see you earlier," he points behind him, to the club.

"It's your party, you can't be everywhere,"

Vic is yawning loudly, and you roll your eyes, amused. "We better get going."

"y/n, when are you flying to Spain?" Charles blurts out, the moment you turn to lead Vic down the street.

"I'm not sure, Wednesday probably?"

"You know, I can still show you a place or two in Monaco. If you want." He sinks his left hand in the front pocket of his dark jeans, and you wonder where the mischievous aura from what seems like ages ago went.

You pause, letting Vic put her whole weight on your shoulder as she finally gives up to the exhaustion. "Um well..."

The same tension that appeared at the Ferrari Suite is back, and the more you hesitate, the thicker it becomes.

Victoria pulls you down with her as she throws her head back, yawning again. Charles is just in time to hold you back up, his other arm pulling Vic back to a standing position.

"Only if you want," he says, he is far too close now and you can smell the mix of alcohol and cologne on him.

And maybe it's the alcohol in your own system, and you'll regret this once you sober up and realize that you told Matilde several times this is exactly what you were not going to do, but you say yes.

─── team principal radio: ❝thank you for reading! I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. I want to say thank you to everyone who interacts with this series, it means a lot to me to know that you're enjoying it!♡❞

✰ paddock club members: @majx00

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for making my ex taking medication as a bargain chip for us to get back together?

This happened a while ago but I saw some posts about the right of someone to go unmedicated and now I feel bad and wonder if I was shitty 💊🧘‍♀️ mentions of death, pet endangering, pet death, untreated mental illness and if you call them a narcissist I will steal your left socks. Also not disclosing their diagnosis because you guys can't be normal about mentally ill people.

So me and J (about 25, I was 22 at the time. Name changed for privacy. Both of us is NB) had a extremely quick developing relationship where in 5 months we went from dating to living together. Don't judge me okay I was 20 when we met and I needed a place that wasn't my parents house. Sorry, this will need some context. J convinced me to drop college due to mental health and to move out of my roomies house for privacy reasons.

So three days before my 21th birthday, J lost her brother due to an accident, and we moved together anyway. One month after her brother passed her cat also passed away. That made the grief way worse and about 10 months into the relationship she tried to choke my cat because she peed in the wrong place. I told her I was going to leave her and in result she slitted open her arm with a box cutter.

Later she admitted to be hurting our two cats when I wasn't home by choking and almost drowning them.

By december of the same year I came out as aromantic and she was extremely shitty towards me from deceiving her because she thought I actually loved her but that was all a ruse. So we broke up for real this time but kept living together because well, it was unfortunately what we had and we couldn't move to our separate paths due to our income. That was january with until march/april more or less when she noticed i was pulling guys like no one and hooking up constantly (that was self harm but that doesn't justify it. In my defense I told her just because she would ask me repeatedly if I was hooking up with guys and always wanted to know where I was going). I also went back to college and started hanging out with other people that seemed to actually like me!

Keep in mind all this time she was unmedicated and when I tried to bring up she need therapy and medications she would shut me down, even before the break-up.

And then, by may she was crawling at my feet because she wanted me back. And I cared a lot about her. So I put in my conditions that unless she was medicated and on therapy by the end of july, I would never consider going back to her. And would you look at that, it actually worked because before june ended she was both medicated and on therapy and I said well you did your part, and went back to her, with her now.

Btw for all that matters I am 25 and broke up with her again from almost 2 years now but last time I talked, she was still on therapy and medicating herself, making a bitter remark on how "that's the only way people can stand her, that no one can stand her true self"

So, AITA for making my ex take care of her mental health before I considered going back to her?

What are these acronyms?

[nukanobody]

Funny Familiarity

For context: I posted a head-canon a few days ago, on how Danse actually ended up in the brotherhood of steel as a synth despite not being sent as a spy but instead is listed as "missing". It's probable he ran away from the institute where the railroad helped him escape, with Deacon knowing about the case.

I'm so obsessed with this idea now so read below for any thoughts or further hc's i had when making this. Or ask me anything about this hc i am going cray cray. sorry if this is ooc i'm bad at characters.

ty to @ericadrawsstuff for your addon btw!! it fueled me to draw this haha

For Danse, I don't believe he was a courser but maybe a failed experimental synth/synth meant for manual labor? The institute would probably be in a panic if a courser with a courser chip went awol, they'd probably take notice if the same missing courser became the poster boy of the people whose trying to destroy them.

Danse stayed in the railroad for a bit, like maybe 5 months? Formed a somewhat close bond with Deacon who was "Debbie" at the time.

Deacon loves collecting sunglasses, was toying with the idea of being a woman when he found novelty heart sunglasses. I see him as identifying as male but really flexible when it comes to presenting himself.

Obsessed with the idea that despite being reset/memories wiped synths may carry flaws or mannerisms. In Danse's case his fierce loyalty and self sacrifice are his major flaws, pre-wipe he didn't want to be a danger to the railroad and felt he needed to be wiped, post-blind betrayal he felt like he was a danger to the brotherhood and needed to be killed.

Deacon's a good liar sometimes, but in the cases where Danse says something against synths his hands clench and has to lean on a wall to catch his breath while the sides of him fight in his head. The first side is the railroad agent who has huge empathy for M7-97 and knows that if his identity is revealed it'll absolutely ruin him and get maimed by the brotherhood, the other side of him is absolutely disgusted by Danse and wants to put him in his place, the 3rd just thinks it'll be funny.

I depicted Nora as how I'd imagine she'd be. A woman from a pre-war era being dropped in a wasteland, it's kind of a culture shock for her and she has a savior complex, she assumes that everyone just needs to sit down and talk. Her main goal is to somehow "unite" the commonwealth, she's joined all the factions and some of her companions are kind of peeved about it. In the comic she introduced Deacon to Danse thinking they could have a civil conversation where Deacon could steer him to a better mindset (she sees Danse as a kid who got into the wrong crowd, despite being a fully grown man)

okay jesus, this took like 3 days of non stop drawing for me to do. Whoever designed power Armour i pray for your downfall what the hell. Sorry if it looks bad i study software so I haven't gotten the chance to draw in like, 7 months. Can you tell which pose I was able to find refs for and not the rest? lol

I ship them now too, i've been researching them and I love their dynamic and damn if the plot "Person A knew Person B before Person B forgot them and became a different person" doesn't hit like a ton of bricks.

[parentsday]

Hiii! Since you asked about headcanons/analysis stuff:

There's a common interpretation on the fandom about Max's treatment of David in the early episodes coming, at least partially, from trust issues regarding adults/authority figures. And I've seen push back against it, too. People who say it's just because David is annoyingly positive. Nothing else.

And sure, I can see that. But Nikki also acts in a cheerful manner and mostly enjoys camp, and Max doesn't treat her with the level of rudeness he treated David in season one. This could be due to her being his little partner in crime, but idk. I always interpreted it as him thinking that David is some fake nice adult who will just let him down if he allows it.

And, while I was thinking about this, I realized how this interpretation of Max's behaviour towards David adds another heartbreaking layer to Parents day.

Max's perception of David started changing after Order of the sparrow, specifically after the "Somebody fucking has to" moment. For just a moment, the annoying, overly positive persona drops, and Max is able to see a nuanced human being. And it's clear that he starts understanding David a little more, because in Cult camp (literally the next episode), he allows himself to be brainwashed and trusts that David will save the camp (btw, we as a fandom don’t talk about this aspect of this episode enough).

So yeah, his perception of David changes for the better.

But then, parents day happens.

And David spends most of the episode being an absolute jerk, even if he doesn't realize it.

He pushes SO HARD to try and make the day perfect, basically ignores Max when he states that his parents aren't coming, gets way too serious about playing the role of Max's dad for the day, forces Max into the activities and then, at the end of a day that was already shitty for Max, he yells at him.

I think the context of Max's opinion on David finnaly becoming more positive makes this episode so much sadder.

Because it ceases to be just about Max's neglectful parents.

Now it's also about the closest thing he has to a trustworthy adult making him uncomfortable, ignoring his feelings and then yelling at him and telling him that he "has a bad attitude" and "brings everyone else down instead of trying just a little bit to have fun".

(Which are things he must have heard from adults before, if he behaves the way he does at camp in school and other places)

Remember in Friends like these when he said "Life's just one dissapointment after another. I can't belive I let myself forget it"? I think he might have had the same train of thought here: "I can't believe I let myself forget David is an asshole that only cares about impressing Campbell and making this stupid camp look good". Or: "I can't believe I let myself forget that every single adult thinks I'm a bad kid and a lost cause."

And I know it gets fixed quickly, with David apologizing shortly after, but still. I think the idea of Max being dissapointed at David in Parents day, even if it was just for some moments, is so good.

I also think this is the episode that comfirms to Max that David is genuinely a good person trying his best. He spent the entire day having to think about the fact that his parents suck, and then there's David, who is kind, apologizes for upsetting him and takes him to eat pizza and have a little heartfelt talk.

When was the last time his parents apologized to him, or cared about what he wanted/needed, or talked to him so gently?

The contrast between his parents and David is so big, and I think that's what makes Max finnaly go "Yeah, this guy isn't actually that bad."

(Sorry for rambling, omg.)

hi first of all thank u for an ask and such insightful one at it too !! this was an incredibly pleasant read and a lot of the stuff you say i personally find very good analysis of the show and agree with, however i do have some stuff to say abt it soo here we go ^-^ (this will be a long one so sorry about this in advance)

as i said in some previous reply, max is an incredibly peculiar guy when it comes to the way this show treats his trauma and the way he himself behaves as a result of it, and that’s by design! a lot of the thing he says and does in the first two seasons when it comes to david are there for reasons of narrative set up, and are later masterfully recontextualized by parents day later, leaving very little room for interpretation when it comes to how and why he operates. im gonna go out on a limb and say that i don’t think it’s a stretch to assume that most of his actions towards david in the early show stem from the childish born-from-trauma need for attention and also from his need for societal reinforcement of his own ego’s right to exist. when it comes to the first one i see most people agree (bc it’s a basic child psychology fact), but turn their noses in reference to the second one.

contrary to popular belief, max being in need of constant affirmation that he, as a person with little self value, deserves to exist next to other people is something that we see examples of constantly and is not a terrible part of his character that needs to be ignored. max is a neglect victim who from our knowledge is given very little attention by his parents, as a result of it he is a pessimistic asshole kid whose ego suffers from the very thing that made it this way. its in his strained relationship with nikki and neil, its in him arguing with david to put himself in the position of an adult, its him putting himself above others when it’s not needed and its in him putting his own egos safety first when time comes to accept that things are moving forward (two final episodes from both s3 and s4 are good examples of this). its not an inherently positive trait, but it is one okay for him to have by the virtue of being a young abused child with no support system, and denying it will leave him devoid of this characterization. in freudian (ugh) terms, we cannot separate his character’s superego from his id in a way that won’t harm the way he was intentionally written. Id, ego and superego are all influenced by our relationship with our parents, the amount of nurturing of a child's emotional and psychological needs parents does will result in the child’s psychological state forming a certain way, max as a character who is heavily reliant of his lackluster relationship with his parents is not devoid of this and it affects his relationship with david too. and the reason i’m saying all of this is exactly due to this.

david, when put in most simple terms, is a character who’s an adult figure present and mature enough in max’s current social position that it allows him to treat max as a child, something max is not used to. not used to to such an extent that it puts a strain on his ego in the process. david feeds his need for any form of attention, positive or not, just as much as he clips away at max’s need to be seen as socially important and in a position of an adult. it’s arguable if both of these are good or not but the main thing they are in relation to is obvious: max feels that being an adult who meets both of his psychological needs in ways that are unfamiliar to him makes david an untrustworthy person, thats exactly where you interpretation comes in clutch.

max and his behavior towards david cannot be separated from david being an adult, that is made clear with the way he treats nikki as an equal just because she is a person his age, despite her sharing a lot of david’s traits. going through the episodes you mentioned, order of the sparrow episode lets max see david perspective for the very first time. max is allowed to peek into the reason why david acts the way he does, however it alone doesn’t make him see david in a good light, if anything it makes him appear genuine in his actions. it also lets max have something for david that he didn’t have before: trust. it ends up being used in cult camp as a confirmation of it being something david can live up to (you are absolutely right, we really don’t talk abt this episode and it’s narrative weight enough). all of this has been adding onto the way max himself perceives david, parents day, however, lets both of them internalize the sentiment of mutual understanding towards each other together. parents day does this by lampshading max and david parallelism, making this whole episode consist of max seeing his parents in david just as much as david sees himself in max through the whole show and putting them in each others shoes by the end of it. the episode ends with david choosing max as a priority, he is still acting selfishly (once again david is an asshole) but choosing to do so towards max because the situation allows him to understand max the way s1 finale let max understand him. and with the final turning point in their dynamic, max understands that both his ego and need for attention can exist without them being reinforced by an adult treating him like he is an adult too. max was chosen as a priority for the very first time and that alone made him feel of more value than the treatment he initially yearned for would have. above all else parents day makes max see david as someone he can look up to as a person in emotional way, not only in a life or death situations, the shot of david from his perspective in the end making sure that we don’t miss it.

most of this is not me disagreeing with you, on the opposite i think a lot of the arguments you make are nice and are mindful interaction with the media. gold star for enjoying meta analysis to both of us i guess ⭐️. my main problem is, however, the fact that using all of this to basically say ‘maxs parents suck so he has a distain for david because of it’ is a heavy oversimplification that you somehow go against in your initial statement too and that i, personally, just don’t enjoy. this alone does not make your interpretation wrong though, if anything just reinforces your general idea into a more concrete argument rather than a collection of bits and pieces of evidence pointing to it. hope all of this made sense

tldr; man idk no summing up this one as to not take away from the overall statement im making with this. read the post 🫶

[writing-whump]

Hey Sol! 💫

It's the dessert question anon. I know this prompt doesn't really fit in the current situation but, later on, can we please get something with Arnie and Matt? We got all the other interesting or rather unconventional pairings like Hector and Matthew, Seline and Hector, Arnie and Seline, but we have yet to see those two truly interact 👀

Btw I don't think I have seen this emoji around, but if there is another anon who signs with this, please let me know and I'll change it asap!!

- 🍰

Haha that's a nickname with fun context. Dessert is all yours!!✨️ Thank you for the prompt💙

This is also the 💫100th💫 fic and the official start of the vacation arc🏖

100. Airport troubles

"Remind me why I have to tag along with you guys again?" Arnie said for like the third time as they made their way through the airport.

Matthew was walking behind him, so he rolled his eyes openly. God, the kid was a handful.

"You wouldn't want to get dragged into pup training, would you?" Seline said quickly. "This way, Isaiah can train Rip on the way, Dylan can learn some tricks and since Hector graciously offered to help-"

Oh yeah, Hector was oh so gracious. Maybe he just wanted to avoid the fucking airport.

Honestly, Matthew didn't know why he wasn't in the car either. He could help with training Rip? At least with the sparring part? And who was going to look out for Isaiah during the 4 day drive it took to Bulgaria?

And he could have skipped the crowd in the hall.

Though Seline picked the earliest flight as possible—they were already at the airport at 4 am—it was still crawling with people. Happy families, crabby teenagers, loud babies.

Matthew's skin was itching. He couldn't help rolling his shoulders back repeatedly and it took all his strength to not jump everytime someone bumped into him or walked too close on accident.

The only way to avoid people completely at Vienna Airport would be by climbing the ceiling.

Another elderly man bumped into him, nose almost touching his phone screen, eliciting a shudder from Matthew. Why didn't he ask Isaiah to roll his shadow for the flight? This was torture.

Seline's hand suddenly hooked around his elbow and she leaned her weight against him. "Look, that's our control check that way. We'll be out of here in no time."

Arnie also wore a constant pout, grumbling about not getting first class and being left out when his brothers were having fun.

Matthew suppressed a sigh as they got into the queue. Trying to be nonchalant, he leaned over to take a deep breath of Seline's ozonic grapefruit scent, the air brushing against her silver blond hair. An ancherpoint of familiarity in the sea of chaos.

"You'll get your cabin bag up on the stripe yourself. They will only touch it when they move it forward. Once it goes through the box, it's all yours," Seline said, side of her face brushing against his shoulder.

Matthew glanced towards Arnie, flushing a little. "I know." He had seen movies with airports before.

Arnie snorted. "What? You have never been to an airport before?"

Matthew flushed a little more. So he never had a reason to fly, big deal. Airports and stations and everything crowded was a challange for wolves. He preferred to drive, bike or take empty night trains over flights any day.

"Shouldn't you have gone with the pups after all?" Arnie teased as he expertly unpacked his laptop and tablet and ereader out the bag. Why did he need so many devices was beyond Matthew's understanding.

Seline had a delicate frown on. "Don't be mean now. Matthew didn't have proper wolf training in his pack."

Which didn't make Matthew feel any better. Arnie gave him another ridiculous look as he moved forward to get through the security check.

Matthew quietly fumed his way through the procedure, partly comforted and partly emebrassed by Seline waiting for him and hanging herself on his arm again.

"I have saffron drops for nerves," Seline whispered in his ear.

Matthew nodded tightly and looked away. He wanted to be able to do this on his own, no meds needed. Though Seline was their local medical expert, she also liked using lots of herbs and drops and natural remedies like teas and leaves whenever she could.

It would probably help. He could try taking it when Arnie was out of earshot.

They finally made their way to a row of chairs near the right gate that wasn't open yet. Since Bulgaria was Seline's family favourite destination she moved around the airport with practiced ease. Her parents even offered them to borrow three apartments they rented over the summer next to each other for free.

Matthew promptly collapsed on the chair nearest to the window, taking deep measured breaths.

Seline sat beside him, watching like a hawk. Her hand was firmly planted on his forearm.

Arnie eyed them critically. "You gonna be buzzkillers the whole time? We have at least a whole hour left. Let's get some breakfast."

Seline bit her lip in consideration. "We can get food and eat it here together. I'll bring you a croissant, Matt?"

Matthew grumbled, wishing Isaiah was here. Or anyone who would offer to get the food so that Seline could stay sitting like this next to him, shielding him from the masses of people.

Arnie's eyes glittered knowingly, but the snide twist to his mouth betrayed he wasn't up to feeling any sympathy.

Arnie wasn't a person to offer anything, even if he caught the hint. He was observant, Matt would give him that, but for all his insight and knowledge about wolves, he still opted to be provocative and mouthy instead. He knew how hard it made things and he still did it. What was up with that?

Was Arnie really that mad for not being able to go with his brothers, taking his anger out on them?

At least Hector was blunt and predictable in his remarks and challenges. Matthew could get behind that. Isaiah was a generous caretaker from his soul. None of them seemed as petty and jealous as Arnie.

"Meet you here in 20 minutes?" Seline suggested.

Arnie scoffed. "Not much time is that? I wanna check the boutiques and get a good coffee."

"It's half five in the morning," Seline said.

"All the more. We had to get here at this crapy hour for Mr Second here. I don't wake up before 10, thank you. If I am to function I need a frappe."

Fortunately it didn't take long for Seline to return with a plain croissant and some tea. She didn't mention Matthew stayed at the seats, sitting on his arms to keep his jumpy reaction and shadow in check.

Matt felt guilty for the service, but immensely thankful to have something in his stomach.

Arnie took way more than 30 minutes to get there, sporting a large transuclant plastic cup inside another one with the frappe and melting ice.

Seline wrinkled her nose. "You had two?"

Arnie shrugged. "How else do I survive? Maybe they will have coffee on the flight too."

"Did you at least eat anything?"

"No hungry. And what's that to you anyway? I'm 18, you know?" Arnie said in a tone like that really made him an adult.

Spoiled little brat. How did someone rough like Hector even manage that? Matt was definitely throwing that in his face when they saw each other.

"The gate just opened." Seline was squinting on the far away timetable screen, one of her hand resting on Matthew's knee. "We have priority seats, so we can go sooner if we want...but maybe you better enjoy the view a bit longer?"

"I'm gonna be fine. Closed up spaces aren't a big deal."

"Yeah, but there will be lots of people. Though the priority seats also mean we have more leg space and you can sit by the window-"

Matthew smiled, his hand coming to rest on top of hers. "Sel. It's fine. Thank you."

She nodded, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "You are doing great for your first time. I'm proud of you."

Matthew rolled his eyes, feeling his cheeks turn red as his hair again. "Don't-don't say nonsense, there is nothing to be proud of."

"If he was half his age, maybe," Arnie added. He sat a few seats away from them, fidgeting with the empty cups with jittery fingers.

Seline rolled her eyes and stood up. "Last bathroom break. I'll be right back."

Matthew had to chuckle at how she couldn't look at either of them as she said it, trailing away. Still so easily flustered about such things.

A loud rumbling gurgle caught his attention then. Since people lined up to the gate, it was just him and Arnie left in the row by the windows.

Arnie sat hunched over himself, staring at the ground like he was trying to burn it. He kept licking his lips, rocking back and forth a little.

It was Matthew's turn to snort. "Bathroom break for you too? So much coffee on empty stomach was so adult of you." Not that Matt never made that mistake.

"Shut up," the blond said. His earlier pouty high attitude burst like a balloon and he got pale as a sheet in just a couple of minutes.

The kid rocked back and forth again, shaking the backpack off his shoulders and hugging his stomach with both hands. "Ow, okay, that hurtsss."

"Stupid," Matthew said, leaning back in his seat. "You better hurry up before you shit your pants. Plane's leaving soon."

"Asshole," Arnie said. His blond curls were sticking to his forehead with sweat. He shot up to his feet, leaving his bag behind and sprinted towards the bathrooms.

Matthew grinned to himself, pleased with how fate got back at the kid for him.

...it wasn't that funny half an hour later, when the last call for passengers appeared. Matt and Sel stood at the gate, looking around themselves in hopes of spotting Arnie.

"Damn this timing," Matthew complained, Arnie's backpack now thrown over his shoulder beside his own. "Think you can talk with the attendant to wait a bit more?"

"Can't hurt to ask. But we better not split up anyway. We can always take the next flight."

"And let the tickets go to waste?" Matt grimaced. "No way. I'm gonna drag that kid over. Just don't fly without me."

He left the bags at her feet and made his way to the bathroom, glad he knew which one Arnie went to.

When he entered the surprisingly large white room with rows and rows of stalls, he was greeted with the horrible retching sound and a liquid splash.

"Arnie? You in here?" Matt headed to the stall with the noise, knocking on it.

"G'way," Arnie groaned.

Matthew sighed. "No can do. Come on, kid, we're gonna be late."

Another loud belch and more liquid splattered inside the bowl. Matt pushed against the door experimentally, finding it open.

Arnie was hunched over the toilet, a large sweaty stain in the middle of his back. The foul smell had Matthew's hair standing up.

He crouched down behind the boy, trying to get a glimpse of his face. "Still bad?"

"My stomach's fucking killing me," Arnie whined in the most undignifed manner, spitting into the toilet. His nose and eyes were running, his face a mix of liquids.

"You can sit at the plane and heave over an airsickness bag too. You can't have anything left there, it was just the coffee-"

Arnie's back heaved violently at the word and he gagged over and over the bowl like crazy. A meager but chunkier gush came out. He suddenly pitched to the side.

"Fuck, no you don't-" Matt was glad for his reflexes as he caught Arnie from behind.

"...dizzy."

"That's some serious sugar low," Matthew grumbled. It felt awkward to touch Arnie. He felt very strange to Matt's shadow and he wasn't exactly thrilled to be sitting in that small space with him.

Matthew gathered some toilet paper and handed it over, steadying Arnie with a hand on his shoulder.

Arnie blinked at him in confusion, accepting the papers and blowing his nose loudly. He was very noise for his small stature.

The big green familiar eyes in the foreign face felt even weirder to Matthew.

Arnie moaned pathetically, letting the crumbled paper fall on the floor and curling around his middle again. By the loud growls it was making, even on empty it was still plenty upset.

"Want some water?" Matthew tried.

Arnie gagged at the mention, pressing his chin against his chest. He shut his eyes again, face drained for colour even more.

"Shit," Matt muttered. He flushed the toilet then brought the larger towels for hands, cold with wet water and pressed them against Arnie's forehead.

"J-just go ahead. I'll catch up. Next flight's in six hours and I have-" he burped, eyes still shut, "I have the money, it's fine."

Matthew rolled his eyes. "That's what you would deserve, you little prick. Whatever. Not gonna leave you like this. You absolutely sure you can't go yet? It'll probably let up in a bit."

Arnie shook his head. "C-can't. My insides feel like they are about to fall out."

Matthew grimaced and nodded. "Okay. It's fine. I'm gonna text Sel about, ehmm, the situation. She probably has some herb drops to help, if you want."

Arnie opened his bleary red-rimmed eyes. "You really don't have to stay."

"Shut up. Who do you think I am? Ain't gonna leave Isaiah's little brother behind when sick."

Arnie snorted, face relaxing a little. "Not cause Hector would have your head?"

Matthew scoffed. "I'm not afraid of that idiot, stupid."

[thevirtualvalentine]

005. ONE PIECE, VINSMOKE SANJI.

content warnings: readers gender isn’t specified but they are wearing a dress, terrible tooth rotting fluff (author is in love with sanji), morticia and gomez energy, smut author writes fluff (rough).

plot: it’s your anniversary with Sanji and it appears he has something to tell you.

authors note: me x sanji but in the form of x reader fanfic. this is how he confessed to me btw if u even care. Also, the accompanying song is Mio Amore by the Flamingos.

Such beautiful days on the water, it’s been a few months with him already; he only makes your experiences feel that much more sublime. You admit it was risky having relations on a sea bound ship, but you could tell Sanji was different. Not like men who only valued your physical attributes, but one who sees you for your most bare and essential parts.

He asked that you meet him in the kitchen tonight, just the two of you. You expected a fancy dinner and to most likely be interrupted by your Captain who was going to inevitably be hungry and plead with your date to make him a third dinner. However, that was not what you were met with exactly.

Stepping into the kitchen there he was, clad in a black suit with a button up in your favorite color. Pots simmered on the stove as the kitchen was shrouded in ambient light with low jazz filling every corner of the space. The dining table only set for two with bouquets of fresh flowers, where could he have even gotten those? You’ve been at sea for two weeks without stopping at an island.

He turns to you, dropping his knife before cleaning his hands on a towel. “And don’t you look beautiful,” he says, taking your hand while guiding you deeper in his set up for your anniversary date.

“Sanji, what’s all this?” He’s always like this, overly romantic in his affections for you. It’s like he’s never heard of the word subtle. Honestly, it’s what you love about him. His extreme attention to detail over you, the dedication it shows. No one in your life has ever been so thoughtful.

He doesn’t find your words to be critical, learning early on in your relationship that you’re eerily similar to him; posing questions as a means of guarding your own heart. “For you my sweet, happy anniversary.” He places your hand over his heart, allowing you to understand exactly how he feels in this moment. Nervous but calm, excited to be with you anywhere.

“Oh! Before dinner, I wanted to do something.” When he begins to speak, his heart rate picks up the slightest bit. His hand that was placed over yours let’s go before he’s swiveling on the heel of his foot over to where the record was playing. “There’s this song, it reminds me of you,” only softness is found in his voice as he tries to give context to his actions.

The music he listens to always brings a grin to your face, Sanji is quiet the romantic you’ve come to find out. Despite his womanizing first impression, you’ve learned that above all he loves with every fiber of his being; down to his finger tips and toes. He loves his crew, he loves his mom and sister, he loves the Baratie, he loves his true dreams; but you’ve wondered, does he love you?

When he places the needle down on the disc, an old sounding tune fills the air. He rushes back to you asking, “May I?” Ambiguous. You’re unsure what he means but you just nod. You’d give him anything he asked of you.

“𝐌𝐢𝐨 𝐀𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞. 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.”

As the song begins to play he plants a soft and sweet kiss to your lips, pulling away all too soon before taking your hands in his.

The dress you’re wearing matches the setting so well, of course it would be like him to ask to dance. You can’t help but smile. It’s one that lights up every corner of your face, showing all the care you have for him in your heart. A small laugh escapes you as your eyes meet his.

“𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.”

He’s nervous, you can tell in the tension in his shoulders that his posture is abnormally rigid. You’re both keenly aware of each other, intuition a gift and curse you both were blessed with. “You’re sweet dear, this is perfect.” You try to encourage him, settle any anxieties he may have about this whole set up. “No one’s ever done something like this for me.”

He can’t tell you just how much he likes hearing those words come from your mouth. Something instinctively within him wants to be your first for many things. He wants to show you a world where you’re the sun he revolves around, yet that you can also depend on him with any worry or qualm you may have.

“𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬, 𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞.”

You’re both now swaying on the wood floors, the occasional creak of the Thousand Sunny’s can be heard as your heels clatter against it. “Everything for you, always.” It sounds like a promise, something similar to a code he means to live by. A set of values that he refuses to break as his tone is serious.

“𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐬, 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”

“Sanji…” you say softly, he always manages to make butterflies erupt within you. Your hands are placed on his shoulders while his find your waist.

“𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬, 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”

Your head is tucked into his chest as he holds you close. You can hear the erratic beat of his heart clearly. “I mean it. I would kill for you, I would die for you, do you understand that? I would give up the all blue in your name if you asked me to.” At that you gaze into his eyes, they always seem to tell a depth of truth about him that words can’t. The intensity you’re met with is almost frightening, dark eyes that refuse to waiver. His words go against all that you know. His loyalty to his crew should be first, not to you…

“𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞.”

“Anything you could ever want, I would do my best to give it to you.” It’s tender and raw, his feelings always end up that way. You’re all he’s ever wanted and he’ll be damned if you don’t end up the person he wakes up to every day.

“But Sanji, why? What about everything you stand for?” You can’t help the rise of anger in your voice, he’s prone to sweet talking but this is flat out too much.

His face is unreadable, you’re looking for something; anything that could explain his irrational thinking right now. “Because, I’m in love with you.”

“𝐎𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞? 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞.”

Well, that could definitely explain his ‘irrational thinking.’ Your face screams “what” as your jaw is left agape. “I’ve been in love with you.” He corrects himself. “It feels like I was made for you, and you for me.”

His confession leaves you speechless. Stunned that a man could have such profound things to say about his feelings.

“𝐎𝐡, 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞.”

He drops to one knee in front of you, taking your smaller hand in his while his thumb rubs against your knuckles. “I promise you that y/n,” he leaves a kiss on them while awaiting your response.

“𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥.”

Those damn eyes, the ones that see you for who you truly are. The ones that rip you to bits and can pick apart your essence, almost as if he can see past your physical being and into something more.

It’s trust that he places in you, handing his fragile and vulnerable heart on a silver platter that you could break into tiny pieces. He’d glue them back together and still love you. He’d rather be a fool that doesn’t learn his lesson than turn away from you.

“𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝.”

Sweeping his blond hair that covers half his face, you’re met with a man who wants nothing more than to love you and to be loved by you. Down to his core, that’s all he could ever ask from you.

“I love you Sanji, more and more every day.” Bringing yourself down to his height, you kiss his forehead, holding his face within your hands.

You swear you could hear him gasp in surprise. Whether it be your confession or action, he wasn’t prepared for it to be reciprocated in the same way. Just as you’ve never had someone to care this much, the same goes for Sanji. While he’s had Zeff, this is far different. A love that is romantic and unconditionally given, all consuming and devoted. You are better than anything he’s ever lusted after, and now that he has you he will continue to make you his.

“𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞.”

He stands back up to wrap his arms around you, dragging you into a bear hug with a swirling storm of kisses that don’t seem to stop. “I’m yours, always,” he says to you. Carding his hands in your curls as he tries to meld your forms into one. “Yours, yours, yours,” he repeats. In the way that you need him, he needs you.

If it wasn’t for the food continuing to cook, you could have stayed right there with him forever.

[fountainpenguin]

So I was rereading your lore on witches in your riddledeep au and um.

Would this technically make Dev a witch??? lol. He also freebies a pizza across a digital title card that episode too.

😂 Y'know, it's funny you say that because for the past month, I've been wondering if anyone was going to ask me if Dale or Dev are witches. I don't know why I was wondering that, but it's been clinging to me. I couldn't think of a way to bring up "btw, they're not witches in my work" without it feeling weird.

My witch lore for context

Dale and Dev can specifically not be witches under my lore even if I wanted them to be, even if I were following a headcanon where the Dimmadomes get around the XYZ chromosome sterility through clones, because of something extremely specific that also exists in my lore that I cannot go back on.

Magic Colors

So, I have a whole magic system set up around the colors of magic. There are 6 possible colors in the OG series- 5 of which are represented on the Rainbow Bridge, 4 of which are represented on the Fairy Council, and 2 of which are extremely rare.

I gave the Fairy Elder (namedropped in "Timmy's Secret Wish") yellow robes, thus tying the Fairy Council together.

Each magic color has a meaning associated with the mood or thought pattern behind magic use. I drew my original inspiration from the colors Timmy's brain turns when Poof's controlling his body in "He Poofs, He Scores."

For those interested, my Colors of Magic post (From May 2016, but has screenshots) & my worldbuilding sideblog's post on magic colors (Cleaned-up lore with no pictures). Short version below:

Red is an extremely uncommon magic color, though we see it when Foop is fighting Cosmo and Wanda in "Playdate of Doom" and when Wanda jumpstarts Timmy's heart in "Yoo-Doo." It's the color I associate with life and death magic. So, y'know... Foop is very okay.

There's also indigo (used by Juandissimo in "Fairy Fairy Quite Contrary"), which I consider a subset of blue.

Green is also extremely rare. Notably, it's the color Foop's magic slowly starts to turn throughout "Scary Godcouple"- He started off with blue, but sours to green in one of the only appearances we see of green in the entire series.

But you know what commonplace color we don't see?

Orange.

In my lore, orange-haired magic users (both Fae and genies) are the equivalent of shiny Pokémon. Even two orange magic-users don't normally have orange offspring- They produce yellows and reds.

And the thing is... I've already set up Happy Peppy Gary to be the only orange witch in my lore. In fact, I have a WIP multi-chapter 'fic about Gary getting discovered by H.P. and Anti-Cosmo, who lose their minds when they realize what he is (Pink and Gray).

Shout-out to one of my favorite dialogue exchanges I've ever written, from H.P. trying to sus Gary out as genie-descended:

H.P. brought his hand up to fiddle with his glasses. "Okay. Completely random get-to-know-you question. By any chance, are you afraid of small spaces?" "Deathly. Why?"

And Dale is Gary's age - in the same city where the Pixies dropped Gary and Betty after taking them in - which means if he WAS an orange witch, he would've been clocked so hard, so fast. Also, since I'm going the route of H.P. being Dale's godfather, there's no way he wouldn't have noticed even though Dale was MIA for years.

Fun Fact! Gary and Juandissimo are "related!" Juandissimo was finger-snapped into existence by Gary's ancestor, Crimsona. He's arguably a great-great-great-great uncle (5 generations up from Gary). In Cloudlands AU, Gary's middle name is actually Juandissimo! That's because Juandissimo's been assigned to godparent to this family several times (We met Gary's dad and grandmother, Quincy and Eunice, in Baby, You're a Rich Man; Sanderson matches Eunice's name to Juandissimo's in Chapter 10 while looking through godkid files).

Anyway, I COULD have witch genes passed down through Dev's mom's side of the family (Leadlys in my headcanon), but that comes with its own issues: if Leadly had XYZ chromosomes, he can't have Hadley, and I'm not going back on that. I could make his wife a witch, but that STILL has issues.

In my 'fics I play Ed Leadly as a guy who's looking for magical creatures (hence him being willing to drop 17 million dollars on someone else's dog in "Dog Gone"). I have literally shown him onscreen holding a witch-detecting compass that points to Gary (in "Opportunity"). There is no way he would not have clocked his ex as a witch, sldkfj...

Closing Comments

Dale and Dev are some of the only characters in my universe who are absolutely confirmed to not be witches, despite how much I have actually wondered if it would be fun to portray them as such.

I don't have a lore reason for the visual gags in that episode- I sadly have to clock it up to random cartoon silliness akin to Jenkins exploding into pieces when Jasmine sings in "Fly" (or Hazel also falling apart or exploding when people expressed crushes on her in "Multiverse of Jenkins").

In my lore, I actually do have Gary set up to be able to pass his witch powers to people he kisses (Because I thought it would be funny if that's why Betty is taller in some scenes than others; yes, I am that pedantic and it makes Betty's "But I don't like you like that" line exponentially funnier), but I've established that only genie-descended witches can pass powers... That doesn't make sense for Dev in this episode either.

Technically all the fluids can pass magic, so a blood transfusion would make Dev "a permanent false witch" if I wanted to do that, but I'm not gonna bother when again, we have people exploding in this show as a gag. Cursed gags I cannot touch with lore 😔

If anyone else makes the Dimmadomes witches, I'd be totally down to read that. I think it would be extremely funny if Dale Dimm was also a witch despite sentencing Alden Bitterroot to 350+ years of clawing his way out of Dimmsdale's well for witch crimes, but my AUs have pretty firmly locked Dale and Dev out of that option.

Riddleverse Design Facts

Here's another fun fact for any new followers who don't know I do this: I draw witches with spirals in their hair! Pics under the cut due to length:

Crocker has his in the back and Kevin has his on top!

You could TOTALLY make an argument that Leadly's spiral is in his mustache

Also, it's a very good thing I do this- I joked in the past that Gary and Dev look eerily similar (even sharing lots of body language), so it's nice to have things like freckles and a hair spiral I can fall back on.

I'm VERY happy with my adult Dev design, but I definitely kept freckles and hair spirals away from him, haha. Sneak peek of him next to his mom:

Note- Spiral headcanon excludes H.P., who has a unique family cowlick I gave him before doing this for witches. Poof doesn't count either since he's under Fae Get Alphabet Hair rules:

Whistle and Anti-Whistle [Soren] (at the bottom) are some of my favorite designs... I can't get over his upside-down W hair sldkfj.

But Wanda and Anti-Wanda having completely different Ws is another favorite thing. I'm especially proud of Dusty's little D tuft.

I'm not sure why Smoky ended up with what looks like an F (unless it's a T since he was Talon before Talon was Talon), but I remember doing a lot of designs for him. Sometimes I don't commit to alphabet hair if letters are hard (Soren's top zigzag is meant to be an S, which is a very hard letter to incorporate, and I think I didn't want Smoky and Soren to have the same one). I've been wanting to redesign Smoky a bit, so I'll probably fix it then.

Goldie's is subtle and you can see it better in some drawings than others, but she has M hair because her full name is Marigold :)

I should probably re-add her middle tuft to her official sideblog art, whoops.

Also, if this is how someone is finding out Poof and Foop literally were designed with alphabet hair, I have wonderful news for you. Fun fact, the "Anti-Poof" storyboard portrays Foop with a square spiral instead! It was the final detail of his design.

[tigerdrop]

Got any fun thoughts to share about Ford and Bill?

they drive me crazy dude. i have a lot to say about them so im putting it under a readmore

ive been billpilled for 1 million years dog. hes like the Blueprint. bills the perfect entity to me: terrifying shapeshifting demon who can slip into every corner of your mind and read all your thoughts and memories. and also hes a cartoon character with noodle arms and a cute shape. and hes a pathetic worm whos hung up on his human ex. and hes a funny little guy whos playful and mean and delights in tormenting you but juuuust enough so that he doesnt break you. Hes so awesome

like. listen. this isnt going to be a surprise if youve read literally anything ive ever written. but if bill possessed ford and slammed his hand in a car door and got a kick out of it and put him in a funny little outfit id be fine about it. ford was literally in a 24/7 freeuse lifestyle with him so why WOULDNT he

yeah im kind of a masochist. Why do u ask

put his ass in a horny neurotic guys body and see what happens. hit his dick with a cartoon mallet for fun. slap him around a little. feels cool and neat! like "human bodies are so responsive, huh" said while blanfords about to jam a fork into an outlet (thats my name for it btw. Im not looking it up)

what if i hurt you?? what if i dropped you??? Just kidding :-)

i dont know how much genuine sexual pleasure bill would get out of it so much as the thrill and novelty of a new human sensation but i think that could be fun in and of itself. jacking off with another guys body in a weirdly distant way like Haha Wow. Im getting kind of flustered here! (actively jamming a coke bottle into his pussy)

and the thing that really drives me crazy about ford is how much fetish shit he thinks about/makes inventions for/has inflicted upon him. i think in the series finale hes tied up like 3 fucking times. its insane. he wants to give up control of his body so fucking bad dude!!!!! (exhibit A: ford going limp like a kitten whenever hes picked up. it happens more than once.)

and theres even more contrived bondage bits in the deleted scenes! its maddening. hes an insane obsessive bdsm-lifestyling pervert and hes likethe ideal guy to match bills freak

hes soooo fucking easy. its so much fun to me. theres something really erotic about the way bill makes him feel special about his hands......like.......its naked flattery but its also kinda true. its weird. he likes weird shit. and ford falls for it soooo easy. drives me nuts

now walk with me. think about how easy that same interaction would transfer to ford being transgender. and your not allowed to get mad at me bc this is just my thing now

its so strange! kind of captivating. bills been around the block but the western conception of transmasculinity is so recent that for him it might as well be a blink of the eye. so i think it would be new to him. especially given when he actually makes a deal with ford. just another special thing about his special little guy. he *knew* there was something about ford

and to be frank i think that if you were a transmasc pervert in the 70s and a dream demon came along that understood you inside and out and can make all of your bizarre fantasies come true. well. you would have been fucking stupid not to fuck him

i need to read the book of bill so fucking bad bc the extra context of bill being super hung up on ford drives me CRAZY!!!! i love bitter lovestruck jerks. i love divorce. and i think they could and should hook up again. bad guys that are reluctantly forced to stop being so bad are so much fun and fords huge fucking ego didnt go anywhere. i think bill could convince ford to give him a second chance. at least just to hook up for old times sake

anyway. im making a bill itabag. Gotta go

[spacelazarwolf]

That reply completely glossed over op's point that if you're GNC and you want to go to a business meant to aid you in your presentation (an explicitly GNC presentation!) you're more than correct in feeling unsafe. The kind of nb people they're referring to are explicitly non-GNC in their presentation. Every time I go to the barber I feel anxious and worried at what their reaction to me, extremely non-passing trans man, will be. The same goes for a non-passing trans woman (augmented, even)

The most the average nb person who isn't going out of their way to present differently from their agab (which is VALID, btw. Like the op said they don't *owe* anyone androgyny) would have to deal with is misgendering, but for the most part I don't think a nail salon is going to ask for your pronouns when you come in and refuse service if you give the "wrong" ones

yeah i think people were getting very fixated on that example and not really understanding what the point of it was. part of it i think is because the op didn't explain it very well, but also this is tumblr dot com where we piss on the poor daily. the point wasn’t “asking for a trans friendly business if you’re not visibly trans is stupid and bad”, it’s “are you afraid someone isn't going to understand that you're nonbinary and will assume you're cis unless you say something? or are you afraid someone will refuse you service or treat you poorly?"

when i was pre t and looking for places to get my haircut, when i kept it longer and more "feminine", i didn't have a problem finding places to go. i just showed up, said i wanted a trim, and that was it. when i decided i wanted to cut it shorter and get a "men's cut", i had a lot of trouble finding someone who would even do it. over and over i would get hairdressers (all women) who would give me pixie cuts instead of men's cuts. i once spent two hours at the salon repeatedly telling the hairdresser "go shorter" because she literally would not just buzz it and insisted we go little by little in case we went "too short." but they still provided me service. it wasn't until i found my current hairdresser, who is a gay man, that i started getting the cuts i actually wanted. and now that t is making my voice drop and most importantly in this context changing my hairline in a noticeable way, it is imperative that i have a barber who is trans friendly. because people can absolutely react badly to discussions about pronouns, but when there is a physical marker of Gender Difference, that's when i noticed people started getting more aggressive. that's when i started to notice "oh this isn't just really uncomfortable and shitty anymore, this person doesn't want to mock me, this person wants to hurt me." both sucked, but one was significantly more terrifying to experience.

an example that is probably more relevant to the topic and what's currently happening in my life is a conversation i had with a friend of mine who is nonbinary, was assigned female at birth, presents feminine, and has no interest in any aspect of medical transition. love that for them! but trying to talk to them about losing my access to hrt is nearly impossible because they simply do not understand the severity of it. they have compared me losing a job because my coworkers found out i was trans, and being unable to do anything about it because my state is an at-will state, to their coworker misgendering them their first day at work when they were not wearing their usual pronoun pin.

does getting misgendered at work suck? yeah. does it suck to have to wear a pin with pronouns on it just to get people to use the correct ones? yeah. is this indicative of a larger societal problem with cis normativity and the gender binary? absolutely. but the sting of being misgendered in the moment and having to correct someone (who from then on used the correct pronouns) is absolutely not the same as losing your health insurance and only source of income and housing all within the span of two months.

the problem isn't that You Must Be This Oppressed To Talk, the problem is that interrupting a conversation about the government legislating your right to exist to center a moment of personal discomfort is an asshole thing to do.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Bpp I'm dying to know your song rankings in chapter 2 now they've all debuted. What are your top picks this year? I miss your writing and hope I can coax you back with 'a fun ask'

***

Okay. :)

Since you asked...

Top 10 Non-BTS K-pop Songs in 2023

10 - Watch It - The Boyz (this song just dropped and it's already in my top ten, yes)

9 - Seoul - H1-key

8 - Ay-Yo - NCT 127

7 - Sweet Venom - ENHYPEN

6 - Neverland Farewell - TXT (Say whatever you like about BigHit, they know how to make good music. Soobin sounds incredible on this song. Beomgyu too. Really, they all do.)

5 - Cool With You - NewJeans

NewJeans isn't going anywhere, so everyone else really should get comfortable with the idea of seeing them at the top. That's all there is to say.

*

4 - Crying - BOYNEXTDOOR

I don't know where my head was at when I ranked this the worst song on the album. Clearly, I was wrong. This song was a pleasant companion during the autumn months, and I can't wait to see what else they come out with.

*

3 - Chaconne - ENHYPEN

Do you know what a chaconne is? That's not a rhetorical question btw. No shade either, I'm just curious. For those who don't know, a chaconne is a rhythmical and harmonic motif over a pronounced bass-line. That's my leftover understanding from music classes taken a lifetime ago. According to google, a chaconne is also "a slow, solemn dance in 3/4 time, of Spanish or Moorish origin, similar to the passacaglia." For a non-k-pop example, I recommend Hilary's rendition of Bach's chaconne (more leftover knowledge from a lifetime ago).

Anyway, this likely isn't important context. The use of "chaconne" in the song probably has more to do with how it sounds in the song, than what it means. In any case, Enhypen earned a gold star from me with this pantydropper anthem.

*

2 - Criminal Love - ENHYPEN

I'm not sure how many of you were here when Heartbeat and Dream Glow were released. What I remember was shock, pure incredulity that BigHit would release songs of that quality for game OSTs. From ARMYs and k-pop stans alike, this was the sentiment. It was like a flex that BTS had such a peerless discography they could make songs like this for a side gig.

That's immediately what I was reminded of when I first heard Criminal Love, released as the OST for Enhypen's webtoon. It's moody, vampy, seduction in a song. That's what that song is. Sad too, when you hear the lyrics. Watching the live performance only drives it home.

*

1 - Blind - ENHYPEN

This song has given me one of the best auditory experiences I've ever had in k-pop. Which is a bit odd because yes a lot happens in the production, but the switches are so subtle you almost don't notice it.

Heeseung, Ni-ki, Jay, Sunoo, Sunghoon, Jake, and Jungwon - all outdid themselves on this song. Vocally, they sound incredible. The writing, (again) is top notch. This is one of the only songs released this year that I genuinely struggle not to loop.

*

Top 5 BTS Solo Songs

5 - Yes or No - Jung Kook

This is one song I'm praying and begging that we get thousands of remixes of. HYBE, please work your magic and give us 10 remixes of Yes or No. I need it. This is the perfect pop song in that it makes you crave more. I know it's got a predictable, common almost, chord progression in VI -> V -> I -> IV, but it's perfect in that it's impossible to get sick of it. It just worms itself into your head and all you can think of is all the ways to sing all over those chords.

Jung Kook's vocal work on that song is irreproachable. He's really set himself apart with this album and I'm glad he did it.

*

4 - Snooze - AGUST D, ft. Ryuichi Sakamoto & Woosung

HUH?! should be here, as should Amygdala so consider this a triple entry: HUH + Snooze + Amygdala. The reason why is self-evident (I hope).

Anyway... I want to talk a bit about Snooze.

Yoongi loves using the piano. He likes the sound of it, and you can tell in songs like Snooze. He has such a profound love and respect for that musical instrument that it only makes sense a man like Ryuichi acknowledged Yoongi before he passed.

With everything that happened this year, remembering Moonbin, and knowing that Yoongi made this song for his juniors... the first time I heard this song it completely destroyed me. Anyone who hasn't paid attention to the lyrics yet should check it.

When I casually listen in to TXT, SVT, Enhypen, BoyNextDoor, and see the work they're doing, putting out easily some of the best music and performances in their generations, I hope and pray they develop a support system that genuinely values them, soon. I hope they survive this industry, and thrive in it.

*

3 - All Day - RM ft Tablo

Not to be that person (since he's canceled for reasons and it actually makes sense why), but when I first saw the song title All Day, I immediately remembered All Day by Kanye West - one of the sauciest and meanest songs he's ever made. I was worried, given the tone of the album to that point, that Namjoon was going to give us his take on Ye's original. Joon is more than capable of dropping a track just as mean if not more. I didn't put it past him to pay homage to the Kanye joint by taking a spin on it. But, thankfully, All Day is nothing like Kanye's song, and it's my favourite song on Indigo because it's the best.

Joon's diction on this track is *chef's kiss*. His voice.... that outro, and thank goodness, Tablo came through. He actually has a presence on the track and made it even more worth the listen.

It kills me that we don't even have a visualizer for this masterpiece.

*

2 - Set Me Free Pt 2 - Jimin

Thank you for giving me another chance to talk about Set Me Free Pt 2.

One reason all the anxiety and fear-mongering around Jimin seems insane to me is because Jimin dropped this song and ended k-pop in 2023. He literally has no real competition. He came in, showed out, and left. That song is the sexiest joint out of Korea this year. It's so nasty. He's absolutely disgusting on this song in how brutally he makes rubbish of everything beneath him. Like, he literally has people bowing down to him in the choreography. Bobbing their heads like Funko Pops, while he sings to be set free. I'm going on a bit of a tangent here, but I want to say something. There's a cruelty in the way Jimin speaks. Whether to someone else or to himself. It's often (somewhat) restrained, born of the way he sees the world I think, and it was especially brutal in their early days, but he's toned it down significantly since 2016. It's virtually non-existent in his speech patterns and word choice now. Jimin of the last few years communicates gently, directly, tactfully, and at worst, bluntly. A lot of that cruelty is toned down but he unleashes a whisper of it on SMF Pt 2. Just listen to what he's saying on that song. That autotune effect on his voice was for our benefit and safety. Nothing can convince me otherwise. And we haven't even yet gotten into the full symbolism of the MV and his lyricism...

The moment I heard this song I knew I would bias Jimin. He's a man who knows what he's doing.

Jimin is a one of a kind wonder. Real magic in a person. An artist. He proves it on Set Me Free Pt 2. Kudos to PDogg too - the GOAT.

*

1 - On The Street - j-hope ft J. Cole

When it comes to song construction, I have to give credit where credit is due and the fact is Hoseok outdid himself with this song. It is perfect, my top pick for a k-pop song in 2023. Jermaine did good on it too. But, you know... Hoseok.

The whistle melody he came up with, the beat, the vocal layering, the mixing, the MV direction - all of it is perfect. If we were giving scores based on separate components, OTS would get 10s in every category.

Honestly, Hoseok coming out at number 1 is kind of expected of him lol.

[bittersweetcanary]

Summoner who experiences Chronic Fatigue & Chronic Pain 

How the Artw cast reacts to a Summoner with Chronic Fatigue & Chronic Pain. The gender of the Summoner is not mentioned, this can be read as enby, man, woman, trans, etc. :D

Special thanks to Cora ( @adcmans ) for helping me come up with ideas!!

BTW IF you want to add anything please do in the comments, I'd love to hear your ideas!! Or reblog!! :D

[Disability Rep | Pronouns of Summoner not mentioned | Gender of Summoner not mentioned | Some Suggestive Text | Tooth Rotting Sweet at times ]

Spica

Spica’s part has some stuff about the MC/Summoner to explain the context a bit.

You explained your condition to him first, less due to trust and more due to wanting to get accommodated for your disability ASAP, and not being totally sure how to go about that. He seems the most reasonable and accountable of the bunch.

At first, he didn’t quite understand but it certainly didn’t take long with your explanation of your condition. Spica helped you through the process of getting medication through the school due to your… Finances being… Low… (*cough* broke, poor, you have nothing now that you fell through a damn rift- *cough*) Luckily the school easily covered it, taking some of the weight of your anxiety off your shoulders. Wow, their Medicare system is nice. Unlike some places.

Since, to your surprise, Spica checked in on you frequently when you dozed off during meetings or when your pace would slow, asking if you were tired if something hurt, or if you needed to rest.

Spica went with you to pick up some school supplies from one of the village shops, mostly just plenty of pencils with big pencil grips which made it easier to hold. The number of times you’ve lost a pencil simply because it rolled off your desk is… To put it simply, a lot. And a backpack to carry your school stuff in as just holding it wouldn’t quite work for you.

You were quite anxious to start using a mobility aid because then you’d have to explain to everyone why… But Spica made sure to explain to the rest of the Guide Committee just why you were using forearm crutches so they wouldn’t bombard you with questions, after asking if that’d be alright of course.

Upon occasion when you were being stubborn, wanting to keep up with the others, Spica would pull you to the side (-if he had to he would grab your arm just above your elbow and sit you down on the nearest couch beside himself-) and would begin to lecture you- reminding you that it is ok to take breaks & rest. Followed by your comment about his sleep schedule had him stuttering for a moment before coming up with a “good reason” as to why that was totally reasonable. Your expression showed your opinion on that.

It’s safe to say you MADE Spica sleep more hours at night when you could, sometimes he’d be too stubborn. One time he was snappy about it, telling you off harshly though he did apologize later it still stung.

Spica immediately offered to help you ready yourself for the day if you ever felt too tired to do so alone, and you took him up on that offer sometimes, if he could spare some time away from his paperwork.

Spica was the first to offer to take you out for breakfast whenever he could, Arcturus sometimes joined the two of you if they happened to both be free though Spica preferred it to just be the two of you.

Pollux

Before finding out

In class when the Summoner would doze off he’d huff, and puff, but never wake them. Once they woke (or he woke them up after class) he’d chew them out over sleeping through class. Sometimes classes. Threatening to leave them asleep in the classroom next time. (which he never does, it doesn’t take you long to catch on)

You have caught him staring more than once, though you play it off as if you totally didn’t notice him with his head down beside you blatantly gazing at you with big stary eyes.

Sometimes when you’d be writing down your notes your hand would twitch and you’d drop your pencil, having pushed yourself too far. Pollux didn’t notice at first but when you’d take breaks from writing he’d ask why and you’d shrug off his question, picking up the pencil and beginning to work again.

And lunch… Pollux couldn’t quite understand why you’d sleep through lunch of all things, the food was always great. Especially the chocolates he usually kept to himself, that he’d brought as his dessert, he’d sometimes share with you and Arcturus.

Pollux never quite got how you couldn’t keep up with him when he’d run ahead, often telling you to exercise more. It felt insensitive, causing you to show him a bit of a cold shoulder afterward though you knew he just didn’t know about your disability.

Sometimes when you were quite tired and just so happened to be sitting beside Pollux you’d unconsciously doze off while leaning against his shoulder. Pollux would stare at you for a few moments after you leaned against him, then look away and cover his face with his hand, but remain still and quiet so as to not wake you. He would stay there till you woke.

Polly would make rude comments about your disgruntled unkept appearance on bad days, pushing stray hairs into place. Huffed and puffed when he tried fixing up your hair, he got better at that over time. It’s become a sort of daily routine for him to play with your hair during class, sometimes you’d play with his too, he loved it when you did and you could tell by how he squeezed his eyes shut and blushed.

After Spica’s explanation at the meeting

Pollux, much like the others, wondered why you weren’t there till Spica began the Guide Committee meeting. It’s safe to say a lot he was confused about was answered by Spica’s explanation. Why you doze off so much, and why your pencils all have those large grips… And the times you’d just dropped something… He brought up as much during the meeting as he found it concerning that you hadn’t told him, him!.. First... Spica was the most reasonable, he supposed, but you two were close!... Right? He’d work with you on assignments all the time! And share notes… And hangout! (totally didn’t say he wasn’t looking to make friends on day 1)

Pollux is a lil jelly that you didn’t tell him first- he pouts about it.

He was a little pouty around you after that but stopped trying to push you to keep up, or chewing you out over dozing off… Pollux slowed down to your pace whenever he realized he’d been walking at too quick a pace for you. He would constantly glance over his shoulder to make sure you were still there.

He MiGhT try to loop his arm around yours, or just blush a little thinking about it. Maybe if you offered up the idea first he’d go for it.

Alpheratz & Sirius missed the meeting… But Vega didn’t?! Maybe it’s that pathfinding magic, maybe it brought him there? Pollux eyed him up and down, sus. 

Will chew anyone out if they harass or bother you at any point about your disability, yap yap BITE!!

The whole hair play routine you two had started kept up, though he’d offer to help you in the morning if that’s okay, totally understandable if you didn’t want someone in your dorm, but it's him so… It’d be ok, right? Just don’t let anyone else in, they might be bad people.

When he and Arcturus showed up at your dorm, they’d be surprised but they are both besties so they help you out together and sometimes you all go out to breakfast at a cafe as a group <3 Sometimes Vega, Alpheratz, Spica, or Sirius might join if they happen to stop by around the same time, or one of them may try to drag you off for themself…

Alpheratz

Before finding out

Alpheratz thought it was a bit weird that you napped nearly as much as him… More than himself sometimes but never questioned it. It was nice having a nap buddy, someone who didn’t nag him for sleeping so often.

After a while he began to expect you to show up at specific nap locations, he’d bring a spare neck pillow just in case you needed one. And a spare blanket.

Sometimes he’d catch you rubbing at your knees or ankles as if they hurt but when he’d as if something happened you’d say you were just a little tired.

When you would yawn constantly throughout the day despite having napped alongside him he suspected something may be wrong, occasionally checking your health with his magic but not totally understanding what he saw. Alpheratz began to look into possibilities while you napped in the library with him.

He never really kept his appearance up so when you looked messy it didn’t really phase him, though he’d ask teasingly if your messy hair was some sort of new trend.

Finding out

Slept through the meeting assuming it’d be something unimportant- immediately regretted it after Pollux filled him in after he asked you about your mobility aid while the three of you were out at a sweets shop. Alpheratz had been downright staring at your forearm crutches the entire way there, with a very concerned expression.

Pollux scolds Alpheratz- they bicker a little. It’s cute. Then Alpheratz shoves some gummy worms into Pollux’s mouth to shut him up. Pollux stares Alpheratz down, crossing his arms, frowning, and furrowing his brow as he slowly chews the gummy worms.

After finding out

Now he knows what’s wrong and has a better grasp of just what his magic was showing him when he checked up on you.

From then on when you’d nap together Alpheratz made it a habit to check your physical health status using his magic, just to make sure you were ok. Sometimes he would check in to make sure you took your medication, knowing how forgetful you can be.

When he could, Alpheratz would join you, Arcturus, and Pollux for lunch, to spend time with you and make sure you took your meds.

Sometimes, if you seemed more tired than usual or if he saw you over-exerting yourself he’d just pick you up and take you to a comfy spot to nap. After the first few times, you weren’t so surprised. But the first time… You nearly kicked him between the legs and punched his face- in your defense, you didn’t know it was him, AND like wtf- you both laughed it off.

Both of you worked together to make a little “club room” in the back of the library, you both deemed it the Nap Club Tent. It was a sizeable tent- (you guess the only reason the school allowed you to get away with this was because Alpheratz’s grandfather wanted Alpheratz to warm up to him) inside the tent were plenty of blankets, pillows, and a well-padded floor. Some plushies too, those were purely your touch at first, then Alpheratz added some that he thought you’d like.

Sometimes Alpheratz would offer to help you get ready for the day, a slight blush on his cheeks, then he would quickly offer to hire someone else to help care for you if you wanted. 

When you’d go out as a group with Arcturus and Pollux for breakfast he would sometimes join, offering to pay for you and the others though sometimes he’d get up extra early just to take you out by himself.

Arcturus

Before finding out

Arcky found it odd that you would yawn so often, and how you seemed to occasionally limp, but if he pointed it out you’d brush it off and adjust your posture and how you walked. He’d frown, he wasn't sure what was going on but how you acted gave him a bad feeling.

Sometimes when you looked incredibly drowsy while standing he would ask if you needed to sit down with furrowed brows, just what weren’t you telling him? 

When he would ask if something was wrong you’d change the topic with ease, Arcturus couldn’t remember what he’d asked after talking about some other random thing.

He had asked Spica if he noticed it as well… Which led Spica to ask you which kicked off the conversation.

Began occasionally stopping by your dorm in the mornings if he was free after seeing how messy and tired you looked most days, offering to help you prepare for the day. He helped when he could though he would often ask you why you looked so tired.

Finding out

Spica explains the situation to him first, being the only other Fili Pferer & Spica’s most trusted confidant. Arcturus was a little worried and sad that you hadn’t told him personally but understood it was probably difficult to talk about. Still pouted a little. But only a little!

After finding out

He helped to explain your disability to Vega and Pollux with Spica.

Later he ran into Sirius… After being chased by that big black dog!! Scary!! He updated Sirius on the recent meeting, assuming he’d just been too busy with missions to show up! Why else would his friend miss the meeting, he must’ve had a good reason! Though Arcky didn’t push Sirius to tell him why he’d missed the meeting.

Arcturus would constantly check up on you whenever he could. (when random Fili Pfere sorcerers weren’t dragging him around) Sometimes he’d go overboard and continue to ask you what he could do to help till you told him you were alright, only then would he stop and sigh in relief. 

He likes to offer to make food for you, get you a drink, or sometimes he will just leave a snack with a cute little note wishing you well if he finds you napping. (with a little smiley face)

Will also cover you with a blanket and place a pillow beneath your head VERY CAREFULLY if you don’t already have a blanket and/or pillow.

Might gaze at you for a while if you doze off while hanging out with him before sputtering if you ask him why he was staring.

Began to make it a point to stop by your dorm in the morning to help you prepare for the day whenever he was free, knowing that sometimes just keeping up with your hair and skin care was difficult. Then he would walk with you to the cafeteria for breakfast.

Loves having breakfast with you and Pollux, he wishes the others would join you all more often!! Super excited and happy when everyone or almost everyone shows up!!

Vega

Before finding out

Vega arrived at the meeting right on time to Spica, Pollux, and Arcturus’s surprise. He felt that he should be there, for this particular meeting.

It was plain to see that you weren’t getting enough sleep, the bags under your eyes were telling and the yawning at 9 a.m.! Your symptoms stressed Vega out quite a bit to the point he would constantly be on you about getting plenty of sleep. 

Might force you to go back to bed if you doze off during breakfast.

After Spica’s explanation at the meeting

Vega is incredibly worried about you. However, the way he shows this feels more like a nagging older sibling. Sometimes he would give you harsh lectures when you push yourself a little too far.

One time he offered to carry you when you felt too tired to walk, your knees hurting, but when he tried- he apologized so many times after you both fell. His cheeks were utterly red when he looked up at you, atop him, before you got up. From then on, when he was with you he made sure no one blocked your path. 

“ MAKE WAY SUMMONER IS TIRED “

If you ever decided to bring up that one time he tried to carry you he’d just DIE.

Constantly offers to carry anything he can for you just to take some of the weight off your shoulders. He will do whatever he can to help.

Grumpy if he can’t have breakfast with you by himself. Might try to drag you away, if only he could. Will not respond to anyone unless the topic is you. Or if he is talking to you.

Sirius

Before finding out

Sirius didn’t say much, other than teasing you over just what could be keeping you up to make you that tired. “Were you thinking of me last night Summoner~? I’m so flattered~”

Sometimes he would drag you about with him on a random mission or just more fun which hurt your joints a LOT, when you would tell him you needed to slow down and rest he would tell you to keep pushing forward if you ever want to build your endurance. Not giving what you said or your actions a second thought as he brushed you off.

It certainly stung each time he’d brush you off so you began to give him the cold shoulder if he tried to drag you along one of his schemes.

After Arcturus’s explanation

Spica didn’t specify what the meeting was about beforehand so he just skipped it. Or maybe he would’ve anyway? He’s busy, but with what? O-o sus.

When Arcturus showed up, with the black dog playfully giving chase, he was told what the meeting was about. Though he brushed Arcturus off at first. But when Arcturus mentioned that it was about you, Sirius listened.

How’d he not notice sooner? When thinking back, it seemed quite obvious…

Your pained expression to the sheer amount of times you dozed off… You even told him you needed a break so many times and he just brushed you off… He swore at himself for not thinking more about your health. Adding to the list of things he loathes about himself.

After finding out

Sirius was noticeably more careful around you, not yanking you about or pushing you to keep up with him. Instead, he would pull you into little hidden nooks to hide or teleport away with you in his arms, to hide from the other Sorcerers when he blew something up again.

Slowly you warmed up to him after he began to actually listen to you, but you were always at least a little wary of his intent.

To make up for his carelessness he spoiled you as much as you would let him for a good month, he swore to get you anything if you’d forgive him but you just wanted him to understand and that he did. And still got you things he knew you liked.

If you felt too tired to apply makeup(if you wear that), nail polish, clean your face, and or fix your hair in the morning he’d be there to help, offering to do so when you looked worse for wear and insisting that you call him whenever if you need help getting ready for the day ahead at any time! He would be there, anything for his Summoner.

Sirius also just loved to get to do your hair and nails, and help you choose out a cute outfit for the day! Totally didn’t attempt to peek at you changing like a perv. Denies it after he was caught. Doesn’t try again, but teases you, asking if you’d give him a show.

Beats Alpheratz at getting up early just to take you out to breakfast first, will tease him about it if Alpheratz asks where you’ve been.

Sirius ends up taking you to breakfast quite often when he isn’t out on a mission, sitting beside you with his hand on yours.

[bleue-flora]

Hate to intervene on the discussion about the genuine finale, but Tommy did apologize previously to the nuke going off and he did it before Dream even killed him, Im not sure if it was intended for him to say the apology so early on if at all but it did make me a little confused when the reaction to the apology was dream focusing on tommy dismissing the revival book and then killing him. Its not that out of character or anything, it made sense for Dream to be paranoid and lash out especially considering Tommy accused him of being the same person the whole time within his apology, but it did make me feel bad for tommy, as well as the fact he didn't get a sorry in return but then again had the nuke not dropped and no reset, Dream probably would of apologized for his own actions once he really processed what was going on which is rlly the only issues i had with that final convo

Regardless on my opinion on that part of the stream, you've definietly highlighted why many dislike it and I completely agree. Dream and Tommy had closure, while pretty much no one else in the server really did, not sure if punz even did, many character arcs didn't rlly end, stuff was left ambigious, ranboo had their ending on twitter, we got nothing about dreamxd. killing staged duo off is just a repeat of everything before and it just makes the moral that violence is the answer to trauma and multiple characters in dsmp use violence as revenge and the ending having that would just be like saying that was okay. But the fact it instead took this understanding morally grey approach and ended that destructive cycle gave it a much better moral. Solid essay btw.

[context]

Always feel free to intervene, just know you’ll probably get an essay in response lol. ;D <3

In regards, to Tommy’s apology [clip] I am of the opinion that anything Tommy said before he died was not really genuine because he was stalling for time. He only asks Dream what his point of view is the server because he needed to stall. And even when Dream is explaining his side [clip], instead of really understanding it or even having remorse he mutes and says “Come on, Tubbo.” He’s not really listening, and his apology shortly after isn’t really sincere. He keeps repeating how Dream was always like this, so if he was apologizing it wasn’t because he realizes he actually hurt Dream. He even questions how Dream can be upset about burning down George’s house “it wasn’t even your house.” Language like “you could’ve got over that” tells me he isn’t seeing the point. He does not see how he might be in the wrong nor how much he hurt Dream.

So honestly, I think this apology is really just manipulation, trying to get Dream to stay. And honestly, that makes sense, because if you want someone to stay you’re not going to keep pissing then off, or at least he learned this because that was his first strategy. But that was only making them want to leave or kill him, so he changes tactics, getting Dream to talk [clip] “take as long as you need.” So yea, it doesn’t really count in my mind, just as Dream’s “I’m sorry” in prison doesn’t necessarily count.

If however the nuke hadn’t happened, and Tommy had actually apologized, now beginning to understand Dream more, then perhaps Dream would also. But to be honest that would be pretty out of character for both. Character growth can only go so far in one stream.

And I think Dream doesn’t feel sorry, not really. I think he regrets things getting out of hand and going further than they should have, but I think he’s so hurt by Tommy that he feels justified in his lashing out. And unless, Tommy were to express actual remorse for his actions and see them as wrong vs the “that was just me having fun with my friends” we got, then I don’t think Dream would apologize.

If the nuke hadn’t happened, I don’t necessarily see Tommy changing his behavior, only his view of Dream. I see him still being Tommy and pissing Dream off, just not viewing Dream as this evil devil out to get him. So honestly the reset was probably good because might as well go out on this nice moment when they understand where the audience can be optimistic about what could’ve happened vs seeing what the actual aftermath would have been. Certainly better and different but I don’t think things would change as much as we’d like to think.

Certainly Dream and Tommy had a satisfying wrap up where some other characters did not, but I would say it is pretty fitting that they would have a more dramatic actual resolution considering they have been the center of a lot of conflicts from the very start.

I do think though Punz did complete his character arc, perhaps not as satisfying as we’d like but still. Throughout the whole thing he has been in the background and more secretly Dream’s ally, but finally he was able to stand beside Dream and speak his truth, and be openly his friend, openly defend him and have his back. That was a good ending for him. Instead of being a bystander like in the disc confrontation this time he got to speak up and be heard. He finally got to die alongside Dream, instead of watching Dream die for him. He finally got to be included. It’s not perfect or as well thought out, but it works.

Have another essay I guess lol, glad you liked the other. <3 <3 and yea for sure sending a good message to the audience is super important (again something that Supernatural failed at) and to say let’s talk it out and try and see each others point of views instead of just continuing the cycle of violence is certainly a very important message to highlight. :)

[r0-boat]

please. pleasw give me nsfw headcanons for jacq. i love that silly man

Oh man I was going to do headcanon for this guy but I forgot thank you for reminding me!

Jacq sfw & Nsfw headcanons

Sfw

encouraging which is weird because His sense of humor is self-deprecation, but he'll get mad at you if you do it to yourself.

Extremely clumsy, he'll be trying to impress you and then stub his toe, or after baking you something he'll immediately drop it. Forget about papers as soon as he puts them away. Walk into a room then forget why he's here.

Sends you random pictures of random things when he's bored with little to no context. Yeah he has the Gen Z humor.

Extremely sweet Boyfriend btw, super polite. He does have his tired 'I'm going to spam you with the same meme' Gremlin moments, but most of the time he's very relaxed and easy-going.

Texting Jacq is very different from in person Jacq that's like the best way I can describe it.

Extremely impatient if you tell him that you have a surprise for him he will think about it all day.

forgetful, so he always carries around a notepad or sticky notes but he just forgets those too : (.forgets to eat for several hours because he's extremely hyper fixated on his work. Please help this man he's in trouble.

Genuinely very curious, when he wants to know something he'll make sure he knows everything about it. Which makes his brain full of absolutely useless information that he doesn't need. So he'll just tell you randomly.

"baby! Did you know-"

Is a nerd and has alot of game/anime t-shirts

Nsfw below

Don't bully him. He will cum. Huge degradation kink.

Loves being degraded, but he'll praise you, physically can't degrade you back. Every time he tries it just melts into mindless praising.

Jacq has a high sex drive. He's just really good at hiding it. He tries not to think dirty thoughts about him sliding himself inside of you or you bending him over the table when he's at work because once your naked form is on his mind, he won't stop himself; suddenly, he'll have piles of Unfinished work.

Closet perv too. Listen, this man is thinking some really horny, kinky thoughts. Like I said he's really good at hiding it. You probably won't even notice until he tells you how much he thinks about you milking his cock dry with your hand. He's surprised that you're surprised; to him, he was being obvious.

he'll definitely leave you surprised when he asks you to sit on his lap, and look in the mirror, and watch as he bounces you on his cock.

He's so shy his first night with you, he gives you a small smile asking if you would like to try something for him. You smile back saying "yes my dear anything~" your soul leaves your body when you see something metal around your wrists

Switch he wants to feel himself deep inside of you as much as the next dom, but most of his fantasies come from you domming him, that doesn't mean he doesn't think about doing kinky dirty stuff with you. He is less willing to share his fantasies and Kinks. As much as he loves the idea of you crawling under his desk in his office and giving him head highly unlikely that he's actually going to try it. People still think he's a shy virgin and he rather keep it that way.

When he dirty talks it's mostly all talk because he's afraid that you might not like it when he actually does it to you.

Phone Jacq strikes again ( maybe it's because he's so much more comfortable behind a screen). When he's really horny and away from you, he'll start sexting the most heinous stuff to you.

LOVES seeing you in his oversized shirts, ;)

Infodumps after sex lol

[serve-cunt]

HELLO HOW DO I GET INTO TENNIS HOW DOES IT WORK

context: i read your landoscar tennis fic and thought “oh. OH. This is GREAT. now i wanna get into tennis but oh fuck, new interest scary.” and now im conflicted because i have been scrolling through your blog and this seems like a very fun and sexy sport to be a fan of but also How the Fuck does it work? like what’s the main objective, what’s everyone trying to do? im already a huge f1 fan, and i know the point there is to win grand prix’s and eventually a world championship, but is there a tennis equivalent to that? is it to win Wimbledon? or the Australian Open? Or the US open? WHAT EVEN IS A OPEN. I AM LOSING MY MIND. and like how do you play tennis? how to be a good tennis player, what are the defining characteristics? what the fuck is a drop shot and why is a man named jannik not allowed to do them or else you will get a heart attack? speaking of which, jannik sinner has floofy hair and baby girl vibes and a friendship with slightly homosexual undertones with Carlos altracatz and i WANT to know more about them but like AAAA and i also feel like tennis is harder to understand because it’s not as easily categorised as f1? idk if it makes sense but there’s only 20 f1 drivers and one championship and one aim, but i feel like tennis is SO much wider and there are so many levels and it’s HARD TO UNDERSTAND…… so if someone could give me a basic breakdown of how tennis works and how to be a tennis fan? that would be great? or like… point me in the direction of something that will explain it? because i can feel a new obsession coming on but also AAA CONFUSION?.?. PLEASE I AM BEGGING SOMEONE HELP, please explain the basics. i am so sorry about the rant. have a good day <3. i am in tears of confusion

ANON my GOD I think this is the best ask I've ever received ... you have SO many questions and I have SO many thoughts, thank you so much for trusting me with this I will do my best & then I'll link some tennis blogs

"What's everyone trying to do"

LMAOOO okay this is actually such a fun question and multi-layered

— so if you asked a tennis player I think most of them would give a small-ish goal (relative to their experience. lol)  like some of them are sooOOOoo boring and would just say "I take it one match at a time" blah blah, some players (ons jabeur my beloved) are transparent about wanting to win big tournaments, some players are close enough to being number one in the world that they are allowed to say "I want to be number one in the world" lmao. Being #1 is determined by ranking points btw!! which you earn by winning matches at tournaments on the ATP (men's) or WTA (women's) tour. Each round at a tournament earns you more points, i.e. if you get to the semi-finals you earn more ranking points than if you only get to the round of 16.

— wow that was too many words for a bullet point but basically: if you're good enough, you want to be #1 in the world by ranking points. There are also other goals like: win all majors in a single year (a "grand slam"), win the MOST majors compared to anyone else (djokovic holds the record currently at 24), etc.

"okay so what is a major??"

(sorry slightly rephrasing your q: what is an open — we'll get there — also sorry it's getting jargony)

— ATP/WTA tournaments happen at different levels, which affects how many ranking points are earned and how much money you get in prizes. At an ATP 250 you win 250 points for winning the final, at an ATP 500 you get 500, etc. At the Grand Slam tournaments you get 2000 (!!) points and, like, SOOooooo much money for winning. 

— There are four Grand Slam tournaments: in chronological order you've got the Australian Open (January), the French Open (also called Roland-Garros, it happens in May/June), Wimbledon (July), and the US Open (August/September). 

— "Open" means that the competition is open to professionals and amateurs, so a lot of the tournaments are called [name of city] open or [name of sponsor] open

AO and USO happen on hard court

Wimbledon is on grass

French is on clay

okay that's all boring facts but here's where it gets fun (2 meeee)

^ Wimbledon is ✨ SACRED✨. it has a bunch of strange/archaic rules that are taken very seriously (players have to wear white, silence during play is ENFORCED in capital letters, etc) and its history is vaunted & special ! as a result there is a lot of weight to winning wimbledon for a lot of people, like wimbledon is special even amongst tennis players. it's the only grass major and the grass season is SHORT so you have to find your feet real damn fast. of course there's some backlash to the weird mystical atmosphere of wimbledon which is also fun to watch .. kyrgios being an smarmy asshole about it and (maybe?) getting fined for example .. but honestly it's rightfully criticised for being a stick in the proverbial mud,,  speaking of mud ... 

^ the French Open is ✨BEAUTIFUL✨. it's a clay tournament, which means play is slower, and just .. the look of clay ... idk it punches me in the chest tbh not sure why. players slide around and get dirty and it's all so fun & lovely & GORG . clay season is my personal favorite season

^ the US Open is ✨FUN✨. it's in New York City (ayyyyyyooo) and the crowd is ROWDY in a way that is truly unparalleled, you can't beat the atmosphere for party-esque but some players (a lot of players) haaaaaAAaate it. Some people love it tho, Serena always loved it, Coco fricken adored it (helps if you're american LOL)

^ the Australian Open is .. uh, hm. Happy? tbh I miss most of the AO every year because it's in an exactly opposite time zone from me. it's like a warm-up slam. LOL SORRY. somebody can correct me if they feel strongly ... >.>  it's also called the happy slam, it has a huge turn out every year so it must be fun!! play is very quick. jannik won this year :)))))))))))

"What's a drop shot"

— SooooOOO now we're getting into actual play jargon ... basically different shots have different names, forehand is when you hit a ball with the palm of your dominant hand facing forward, backhand is when your palm faces your chest ... I won't describe every shot because probs a video is more helpful for that? but:

— a drop shot is a ball hit so that it drops very close to the net on your opponent's side. basically if your opponent is waaaaay at the back of the court (maybe you've been rallying for a while and they got comfy) you can try and hit a ball short so that they can't get to it before it bounces twice. it's risky!!! if you attempt a drop shot you're probably pretty close to the net: if your opponent DOES get to it and hit it back, they're probably going to hit it behind you, and you won't have time to run behind it to get a racket under it.

"what are the defining characteristics of a good player"

— WOOF. okay. speed, for sure. but fast-twitch speed: can you get to the ball quickly? can you react to where it lands on the court and how it pops up? once you've hit it, can you get back into position before it comes back to you two seconds later? if you're up close to the net because you attempted a drop shot and your opponent gets to the ball & hits it behind you, can you back up real fast and attempt a "tweener" (when you hit a ball backwards through your legs) ? etc. You have to do a lot of movement around a small-ish space quickly, tennis players do a lot of short, high-intensity practices to prepare — athleticism!! tennis is an all-body sport:  do you have the lungs to keep running for a three hour match? do you have the leg strength to keep you jumping around that long? do you have the shoulders for a strong serve, arms for big ground-strokes?  (tennis players are fucking HOT lmao)

— creativity ! you can have the best arms ever and still lose because you play the same shot over and over and over and over and over and your opponent learns this and hits something that throws you off your rhythm. The best players (and most interesting to watch) can play far from or close to the net, are trying new things, are HAVING FUN (carlos alcaraz e.g.) 

— elegance ... idk some players just float .. they do all of the above but make it look so EASY

"there are only 20 drivers in f1 and there are so many tennis players HOW"

— no, valid. basically this tumblr post about how every so often there's a new tennis guy and I'm like "wait, who?" . I think everyone on tennisblr picks their faves and follows them closely, and then depending on your level of interest you pick up other faves along the way??  I got into tennis in the federer/nadal era so I'm a federer girl, in the WTA I'm smitten for serena (who isn't) with almost equal soft spots for Naomi Osaka and Ash Barty. Nowadays I follow jannik sinner like i'm a dog who's found a weird lanky carrot-flavored bone. i follow alcaraz because he's beautiful to watch, truuuuuly beautiful. i follow daniil medvedev because he's inSANE and a cunt but fun about it. I follow iga sviatek (my love) and coco gauff (my love [american]) because they're incredible and fun, ostapenko because she's ridic, muchova because she hits so pretty, daria because I want her to marry me <3 

^ one more obligatory jannik picture lol

— just on the subject of relating things to f1: the one thing that I really miss in tennis now that I've been following f1 for a bit is how the idea of a "team" just doesn't really exist. tennis players play doubles sometimes but even on a doubles team you're really playing for yourself, you don't get team support, that's not really a thing?? if you're a really good singles player you prioritize singles play, and often you play across the net from your doubles partner and obviously in that case you want them to lose??? like to a greater extent than f1 drivers want their teammate to lose, because tennis is truly zero-sum in a way that f1 isn't, quite.  this makes all tennis players feel kinda lonely and anti-social LOL and uhhh sometimes they actually are I think, like a lot of tennis players are super introverted and strange. i'm sure you see this in other sports this is just me comparing my two obsessions

woof ok idk if you're still reading but if you are!! some tennis blogs i can recommend off the absolute top of my head are: @sincaraz @tennis-shenanigans @mythicalpoolnoodle @scarletwitch1918 @fritzes @zhengqinwen @mayor-amor @vilebodiess @advantage-sinner (sorry this will catapult you into sinner tumblr) and they can probs rec more !! they can also correct me if i got something wrong!

as for basics, I think just watching some matches to start ! with commentary on so you know what's happening, also if you ever feel like sliding into my DMs ... they are SO open (heh) for new tennis fans :))