#it wasn't my first choice of scene but once I started I just figured I'd finish

[damngoodbabysiitter]

@giftober 2024 | Day 7: Helping

Juliette helps/saves Nick in his fight with Oleg Stark

[respectthepetty]

I'm here to report on the colors in episode four of Wandee Goodday, but first a few stray thoughts like I have another image to add to my collection of Yak looking at Dee crazy,

yet still going along with whatever Dee wants.

Also, Yak being bothered that Dee didn't immediately think of him as a friend was a good beat in establishing the "friend" portion of their benefits. They are friends who share their lives with each other and scheme together, and I'm glad the show is explicitly stating that.

Because the way the conversation began paralleled the way Yak wants to approach Taem about their relationship - What are we? "Are we datin'? Are we fuckin'? Are we best friends? Are we somethin' in between that?"

But also the nurse stating Yak must care a lot for his lover to get the vaccine and Yak looking immediately at Dee was perfection because 1) safe sex isn't just about you but about the people you are sleeping with,

2) you shouldn't be ashamed of caring about sexual health, so even if you hide behind queer pamphlets, drink water, get the shot, wear the condoms, and use the lube. Also, PrEP isn't just for men just like HPV vaccinations aren't just for women, and

3) it showed that Yak does care enough about DEE, his lover, to take their sexual health seriously -> Yak is on that Bed Friend's King level of sexy, and I'd go through the entire Kama Sutra with them both once all our test results came back clear.

Translations are always iffy but Ter mentioning that Dee wasn't thinking about his professional persona while Yak reminded Dee to not include his face in the pictures and Yei mentioned his brother being fine with Cher when they first started dating gives me hope that this show is going to lean more into the layers of being out because even though that "666" told me Ter was el diablo, he continues to make comments like that and Golf's other show, The Eclipse (which has been featured often in this show) was very much about (not) passing and levels of outness.

Yei and Yak's dad was a world champion boxer, yet he wasn't mentioned in this mom-focused episode and the mom is the one who opened the gym, so is the space that Cher and Yei are giving Yak to figure his feelings out something they weren't given by the father? Because Cher was worried about the pressure Yei was putting on Yak to move up a class.

And if the gym was the mom's, with all of its yellow, is Yak really like his mom as Dee assumed?

Because putting the opening scenes in black and white is an easy flashback technique, but in this particular story, where Yak and his mom are bright yellow, it was a painfully good choice to take the color and brightness out of the scene.

And it was an even better choice to parallel Dee comforting Yak in the same way Yak comforted him with a warmer (yellow) light than his normal purple one.

Because Dee is already in his feelings about Yak without realizing how deep he was, which is why he is wearing a soft yellow while Yak is wearing Dee's fake blue.

When they practiced what Yak would say to Taem, Dee thought about all their moments together, so he is falling quickly, while the signs are pointing out that Yak isn't there yet.

But I wouldn't be there either if I was still daydreaming about this beautiful goddess who always rescues Yak with her brilliance, sassy personality, singular focus, and yellow folders, but that sounds a lot like someone else.

A Purple Prince who is also brilliant and focused on winning but wild and sassy. Good to know Yak has a type. (Sidenote: the music choices swinging between romantic to tension-filled as the scene flipped between Taem and Dee was another great choice)

Because Taem is taken, even if not officially. She matches her guy. She had on a dark brown and black shirt, so he had on a dark brown cardigan with a black tie.

And she had on a brown-striped shirt with a black star, and he had on a brown jacket with black writing and a black tie.

Then again, Dee is no consolation prize. Not looking like that at least.

No wonder Yak is conflicted about what he feels when he looks at Dee because he most certainly is sexually attracted to him because *duh* who wouldn't be attracted to Dee (TER!), but as they sit in Yak's black and yellow room, it becomes more apparent that whatever he is feeling isn't just sexual desire.

And when Dee scratches his back just like his mom used to while tutoring him, it starts to become clearer that Dee, wearing his necklace, and in orange which is sooooo close to yellow fits easily into his life. (Sidenote: Together with Me taught me that in Thai, being itchy is slang for being horny, so good for this show and its layers)

Dee works so well in Yak's life that Yak is willing to get three shots to continue to have sex with him which can take anywhere from eight months to over a year to complete because each dose is spaced out by at least two-to-six months. Basically, Yak committed to a long-term plan . . . with Dee, who is chilling in his yellow-striped shirt.

So it's not surprising that Yak is wearing a deeper blue next week as he holds Dee on the couch since he is far more invested in this fake relationship than he originally intended.

I could write 5,000 more posts about them and this episode which I probably will.

But know that even though the blue Yak is wearing is getting deeper, I will not be satisfied until it turns into purple.

That's when I'll know they are both in love.

[darthgloris]

The Artist (Alicia Sierra x fem!reader)

Summary: Y/N (a.k.a. Akita) is part fo the robbery and works backstage as negotiator. Even though her career in art didn't work out, she still loves it. When she meets the leader Inspector she feels immediately drawn to her and starts sketching...

Requested: yes

Warnings: mentions of violence, fluff, teasing, SPOILERS

A/N: sorry but I lost the request! I'm really really sorry, hope you can forgive me!! Here it is, this was really fun to write! 🥰🥰❤❤

...

Drawing was my greatest love when I was a teenager.

While other girls may have been into make-up, or drama, or gossip, or boys... I'd stay in and draw, paint, sketch. Name it, I've tried it at least once. I was an unusual girl growing up. Girls at that age were interested mostly in the hobbies listed above, while I loved the exact opposite: drawing, reading, listening to music, learning languages, playing with dogs, studying like there was no tomorrow.

At university, I chose Graphic Design. And I loved it. Learning about my favorite thing in the whole wide world, filling in the gaps of my abilities, picking up new skills... that felt like heaven. I got out of college with my head high, amazing grades and an even better graduation. Although I wasn't prepared for the world outside. Soon enough, I started struggling to pay rent, especially in a city like Madrid. And I had no choice but to give it up.

Then, I met the Professor. A man just as unusual as me, who just so happened to have saved my life right there and then. The first heist was a success. I worked well with the gang, and given my love for working behind the scenes, I was the negotiator. Raquel was a very interesting individual, but I didn't get to speak to her much, as the Professor was the leading voice of the heist. It didn't bother me at all when they got together, to be honest I was rooting for them. When it all ended, I took my share of the money and went to live in Japan. It was beautiful: the perfect balance of modernity and tradition, the amazing food, the beautiful views, the friendly people, the new language. Every little detail fascinated me.

A year later, I came to know that Rio got kidnapped. And there I was again, back into the heist business. Once again cast as negotiator, this time I had to take the upper hand, because the Professor and Lisboa had their own part of the plan to take care of.

...

Current day - during the heist

I rested my feet onto the table of my hideout as I watched the TV intently. The news channel finally gave me important information: Rio was in Spain, finally. The poor boy took a tumble down the plane, falling on the ground in handcuffs and dirty clothes. Poor thing, I thought. Behind him, a figure emerged, a red-haired pregnant woman in a white coat and black cap. Inspectora Alicia Sierra. I found myself unable to tear my eyes from her face, as if I was in a trance: she was a very attractive woman, there's no denying that.

I wanted to remember that face while talking to her, so I was quick to reach for a pencil and paper and start reproducing her face. I glanced at the TV once in a while to get an idea of what she was like, memorising her traits as I transferred them on the paper sheet.

...

I pulled on my headphones and lined up the microphone to the side of my face, trying to calm my nerves before talking to the woman I was pining for a few hours ago. I picked up the drawing I made earlier and used it as a reference to draw her from other angles.

"Professor." A female voice spoke. Calm, collected, confident.

"Inspectora Sierra, how lovely to hear you." I replied, mirroring her tone.

"Ah, señorita Akita. I wasn't expecting you." Alicia said. "Well? Aren't you going to ask me what I'm wearing? I'd say it runs in your gang to play games like this."

"I'm assuming maternity clothes. Tell me, is it a boy or a girl?" I tantalised, running the pencil on the paper to make a rough sketch of her face.

She chuckled. "My, my, nosy girl. I didn't remember the Professor being this curious, but between you and me, sweetheart, I like you better." She clicked her tongue, presumably paired with a wink.

"Touché, preciosa," I shook my head, laughing at her attempt at flirting. "That's enough niceties for now, you can flirt with me later. Let's cut to the chase."

There was a long pause after she laughed in shock at my bluntness. I smirked, almost too proudly for my first conversation with a pregnant woman I've seen once on the TV. During the pause, I kept my eyes trained on the rough piece of paper while my wrist made a flicking motion to draw her strands of hair.

"I'm assuming your dear sister is having the time of her life. I don't think you've escaped to Germany. We could find her in a heartbeat, you know. I could barely picture it, a 17 year old girl thrust in the midst of rapists, drug users, murderers in the jails of, say, Northeast Asia? Ah, the poor thing. So young and so naive, the spat image of you, she wouldn't last a beat." She chuckled humourlessly.

"And what's your point, Inspectora? Your empathy for my little sister doesn't add up to when you tortured Rio, does it?" I didn't even bother to look up from my work as her threat was no longer valid. My little sister died of cancer last month, and the news hadn't reached Spain. That offered us a very good advantage.

She ignored my comment. "Akita, listen to me very carefully. Turn the Professor and Raquel in, and your sister remains untouched. Think about it, sweetheart. And think quickly, I am a busy woman, as you know."

"I most certainly do, señora Sierra." I said innocently, in a stupid but successful attempt to tease her.

"It's señorita now, actually." Alicia corrected.

"Good to know," I mirrored her flirty attitude from before. "On second thought, you were right, how foolish of me. What are you wearing?"

"You're impossible, Akita," she replied, laughing. "Don't get any ideas, sweetheart. I'm way out of your league."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah."

I gasped in mock offense, making her laugh genuinely. "Well, am I mistaken or am I actually growing on you? I bet you wouldn't be upset about being out of my league if that was the case."

"Shut up, sweetheart." She said mischievously.

"Make me." I teased her.

Her playful scoff was interrupted silently as she suddenly hung up.

I was confused for a moment as my hand moved the pencil confidently on the paper. As I stroked the graphite onto the rough surface, my mind wandered. Alicia was flirting shamelessly with me, in front of all her colleagues, and in a recorded phone call, no less. So either she was really brave or really stupid. Maybe a mixture of both.

This woman was really mesmerising: she was incredibly intelligent, as I could tell, she was confident, sarcastic, dominant and gorgeous. She was brave for raising a child on her own, as she specified that she wasn't married.

If the circumstances were different, I'd even go after her. I wished I had met her differently, because this woman was far beyond average and just about the quickest crush I've ever gotten. She was certainly not someone you'd want to lose. I wanted to talk to her again, leaving out our positions in this makeshift war. It seemed like we were getting along perfectly, flirting with each other as if the call wasn't recorded.

I took my hand away from the drawing and looked at my finished product. I was extremely proud of it: it looked just like her, the lines were confident and creative and the shading in a cross-hatching technique was on point. I bet she'd like it, I thought. My eyes lifted from the paper as I got an idea. Maybe she would.

Aikido, my Akita Inu, looked at me quizzically and tilted his head, almost as if questioning my decision. "Who knows? Maybe this will be what wins her heart." He yawned in response. "Oh, shut up, Aikido."

...

It had been a few days since I sent the drawings to Sierra, and apparently it went over well. The next time we negotiated she asked everyone to leave the tent and didn't confront me about the drawing, but rather she got friendlier: she started to open up, telling me things about her, showing her soft side, laughing, being careless, even saying that we'd meet one day. Of course, she loved the sketch, but we were still enemies, enemies who were intensely pining for each other and instead of doing something about their attraction they played games from a phone call and flirted shamelessly. Because acting on things was the most difficult thing you could ever do in your life. It requires courage, determination, confidence, and given the circumstances, you needed double these qualities.

And I was getting brave these days. And also a little crazy.

So I started sending her a sketch every other day to tease her. One day it was a sketch of her, the next of Aikido, the next of the police tent, the next of her holding the teddy bear.

It continued like this until she sold out the Government and started working alone. First she stopped by Sergio, which ended up in the ultimate team-up as they were on their own and Raquel was finally out of custody and in the bank. Then she left the Professor alone for a while.

...

I heard a knock on my door and Aikido got up on his feet, startled. I carefully stepped closer and tried to take a peek. My eyes caught a flash of red that I'd recognise anywhere, I immediately knew that was Alicia. I quickly opened the door and she looked at me, almost fazed. After a few seconds, she smiled at me, and said, "I promised you we'd meet, one way or another." I chuckled, moved, and let her in immediately. The second hideout of the heist was none other than my own home, a detached house in the middle of nowhere that the Professor was able to get me. It suited me perfectly, there was room for me and Aikido, hell, it even had an atelier.

"Welcome to my home, Inspectora," I said as she took in her surroundings.

"You don’t have to call me that anymore. Just 'Alicia' will do, sweetheart," she replied, a smirk playing on her lips. I gazed at her sweetly, meanwhile surprised at how my attraction to her had grown from a small infatuation to a full-on crush, and realised she didn't have a baby bump anymore.

"You-you gave birth?"

"Yeah, I did. In the stormwater tank."

"That must have been... uncomfortable."

"Sweetie, I had to blow a Saint Bernard out my ass. It would have been uncomfortable even on a hospital bed."

I couldn’t help but laugh at her joke, and soon enough she joined in. "So, is it a baby boy or a baby girl?"

"Girl. I named her Victoria." She said.

"That's a lovely name." I smiled at her.

"Speaking of names," Alicia leaned back on the table and gazed at me, her tantalising green eyes twinkling with mischief. "What's your name?"

That question took me off guard, as I almost tripped over my own feet while holding a glass of water.

She chuckled at my antics. "Somebody got flustered."

I cleared my throat. "Keep telling yourself that, Alicia." I loved how her name rolled off my tongue so easily.

"So you're not answering?"

"Not for the time being, no," I clicked my tongue and winked at her, mocking her for the first time we met. "I like being called Akita."

"Like the dog?" She asked.

"Actually, like the city. But yeah, also like the dog."

As if on cue, Aikido trotted inside.

"Oh, yeah, this is Aikido." I said briefly as Alicia offered her hand for the dog to smell.

"How adorable, you even have an Akita Inu." She noticed, chuckling when Aikido rubbed himself on her legs for pets.

"Wow, he never does that with anyone," I said in surprise. "Maybe he has a good feeling about you."

"Well, I have the blessing of your dog now, so we can't go wrong, can we?" She joked, scratching his weak spot. Soon enough, she even got his leg going.

"He really must love you," I laughed. "Usually he's very cat-like, I'm surprised he's actually asking to be petted."

"Well, I tend to grow on people." She said charismatically.

"Yeah, you do." I mumbled. "Hey, why don't you get comfortable? I'll make dinner and we could watch something."

"Dinner sounds great, thanks," she sighed in relief and I led her to the couch.

"What do you feel like having?" I asked her.

"Whatever you want, sweetie. Your house, your rules." She replied.

"Okay." I hunted through my fridge, hoping to find something good. I found a few eggs, and enough stuff to make salad. "You must be tired after giving birth and running away from the police. I'll make you something to restore your energies."

"Yeah, it was quite the drama. I've barely had time to breathe," she rested her head on the back of the couch at an angle where she could look at me. "You know, you draw really well."

"Oh, thanks." I accepted the compliment.

"Where did you go to art school?" She asked.

"Madrid Academy of Art," I replied. "How did you know I went to art school?" I immediately felt stupid after asking that question.

"Well, a ton of things gave you away. First of all, your proportions in the sketch of me you sent me. Obviously, your choice of media and type of paper that go well together, and the fact that you used binder to keep the sketch's lightfastness in a quantity that was balanced as to avoid damaging it. Then the smaller things, like your posture, the way you sit, the way you hold things, your hands, your eye for observation, and of course, the unmistakable smell of paint coming from over there..." she pointed at a room on the other side of the house. "...which I assume is your atelier."

"Wow, you're good," I laughed in shock. "And yeah, that is my atelier."

Alicia hummed in satisfaction. I turned around to check on her and she was looking at me in a different way now: her pupils were dilated and she was making puppy eyes at me, batting her eyelashes while pouting. Her eyes asked the question.

"You want to see the atelier?" I asked her, surprised.

"Yeah, I'd love to," she replied.

"You have beautiful eyes," I blurted out, and immediately cringed internally. Maybe I shouldn't have said that.

I heard her get up from the couch and silently step elsewhere. Since I couldn't hear her anymore, I turned around to check on her and found her in front of me in a heartbeat, hovering over me while my back hit the counter. I swallowed thickly and tried to hide my blush, but she noticed right away. Alicia grazed my face with her fingertips, starting at my cheekbone and trailing down my jawline. Her fingers brushed my neck for a split second, sending a shiver down my spine. Then her thumb slowly traced over my bottom lip, her eyes flickering to my eyes and back to my mouth. Her intelligent eyes asked for permission to kiss me, and I gave in without thinking twice.

In a second, Alicia brushed her lips against mine tentatively, with hesitation. She checked on me to see if I was okay, and that was all she needed. Without a second thought, she crashed her lips on mine more eagerly, her hand resting on the back of my head. I cupped her cheek and kissed her back with the same amount of desire.

She pulled away and leaned her forehead on mine, sighing in content. I licked my lips and gazed back at her, clearing my throat out of embarrassment. "That was, um... that was good."

"Good." She said.

The next few minutes were quiet. I cooked while she kept her eyes trained on my every motion, as if to make sure I didn't get hurt. When dinner was ready, I prepared our plates and took her to the couch. She sat down next to me, thanking me for the food. I put my feet up on the table and she followed suit. I turned on the TV, and she looked for a movie to watch together.

"This one?"

"This one."

The evening was quiet. We ate our food, which she really appreciated, by the look on her face, and Aikido stole a couple of pieces as well. About halfway through the movie, Alicia leaned her head on my shoulder, snuggling her body into mine. I froze in place, taken off guard by the action, but honestly I kind of like it.

"Is this okay?" She asked me, noticing the look on my face.

"Of course," I smiled at her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to me. I pressed a kiss to the top of her head and felt her melt into the embrace.

"Your hug is so amazing," she sighed. "It makes me feel safe."

My heart leaped out of my chest at that. "You are safe, honey," I kissed her temple lovingly. "I promise."

[commehter]

Netflix Live Action ATLA Adaptation

I'll admit upfront that I generally prefer animation over live action, and old school 2D animation in particular will forever have a place in my heart. I prefer the bright colors, stylized art, and easier suspension of disbelief inherit to the medium of animation. I also don't recall ever watching a live action adaptation of any animated movie or series that I considered to be better than the original.

So, I wasn't exactly excited for Netflix's new ATLA project, but I was, at least, curious. I'd not gone out of my way to follow any news or interviews about it, but I heard a few things here and there and I'd watched a trailer or two. Last night, I watched the first 30-ish minutes, and... I have a few thoughts. Just thoughts. No deep-dive critique or fiery damnation, just a few musings from my initial impression of the series.

It doesn't look like the project is Shyamalan bad, at least. Of course, Shyamalan dropped the bar to the floor and then blew it up with blasting jelly, so it would have been impressive if Netflix had managed worse.

The CG bending still has the problem of more often looking like fantasy mage spellcasting than of martial art bending. The bender does a series of movements like they're crafting a spell and after the fact there's an elemental outburst in response, rather than the element moving with the bender as an extension of them. It's clunky. (Also, Aang's first glider is iconic. Why avoid using it in his introduction for a sequence that looks like he's a step away from achieving Zaheer-style flight?)

The project seems to have settled on a tell-over-show approach for getting the uninitiated up to speed. It's a bit painful when a movie does this, but surely eight episodes is enough time that you don't need to cram in an explanation for everything right up front? The audience isn't so stupid that they can't figure out a few things without you telling them direct to their faces, or so impatient that you can't wait to address a secondary issue a few episodes in. You can give your own audience a little credit, can't you?

I'm a bit baffled as to why they felt the need to move the beginning scenes of the show to the pre-war timeframe, and then used some random EK spy. If you're going to mess with where in the timeline you start, why not jump straight into Sozin betraying Roku while they're fighting a volcano? It's got action, spectacle, and you can have Sozin monologue to his once-friend as he's dying rather than some nobody spy that he's only talking to for the sake of the camera. That one scene could be used to establish the Avatar's role, Sozin's ruthless ambition, and the state of the world as well as threat of the coming war. If you want to start things off with a bang and some establishing exposition, which is clearly what they attempted to do, then I don't understand why you don't immediately go to this scene.

This one's small, but why are so many FN soldiers using metal weapons during the attack on the Air Temples? They had to firebend/rocket their own way up from the look of things, so they're all benders. Those weapons would have been unneeded weight during their ascent and the comet is a boon specifically to their bending, so... Yeah, I can't make that one make sense.

Why is Sozin, who is a national leader and old, personally heading a military campaign from the frontlines? Doesn't he have people for that? A literal army of people?

There are some other illogical choices, particularly for folks who know the world, but those are the ones I recall most vividly after sleeping on it for a night. (Reminder: I only watched the first 30-ish minutes, roughly half the episode.)

In summary, it didn't strike me as being terrible but it definitely had its share of avoidable problems. I'm not sure how much of it I'll end up watching, if I go back to it at all.

How about it folks? Any opinions on if I should or shouldn't try watching more of the Netflix series?

[krizaland]

Found Once Again Chapter 9

LMK Wukong x Bao Li

Be warned: There’s slapping ahead.

First Previous

The moment MK answered the call, he was met with an absolutely panicked Mei!

“MK! Bao Li was just kidnapped! You need to get over here right away!”

Wukong nearly choked on his noodles.

“SHE'S BEEN WHAT?!“

In the blink of an eye, Wukong dropped his noodles and jumped off the couch.

“Don't worry, I'm on my way!” MK announced as he ended the call, “Monkey King! Bao Li's been kidnapped! We gotta save her-”

“Way ahead of you, kid!”

MK looked over to find Wukong cleaned up and fully dressed in his usual armor.

“Now, cmon! We have no time to lose!”

And with that, Wukong summoned his cloud, grabbed MK, and flew off to the crime scene.

Meanwhile, Macaque popped out of his portal and made a smooth landing at the park.

He casually plopped down on a nearby bench as Bao Li's portal opened above him.

PLOP!

Bao Li landed safely in Macaque's arms.

“Glad you could drop in.” Macaque chuckled.

“That wasn't funny, Macaque!” Bao Li pouted as she wriggled out of Macaque's grip.

“Aww, you're no fun~” Macaque teased.

“Ok, Let's get this date over with.” Bao Li muttered as she sat down next to him.

“Not with that attitude! This is supposed to be a date not a chore.” Macaque mused with a smirk.

“Well it sure feels like one; considering how you've pretty much given me no other choice!” Bao Li huffed as she folded her arms.

“C'mon, Sapphire. Can't you at least try to have a little bit of fun?” Macaque pouted playfully.

“Well I'm not- Wait. Sapphire?” Bao Li blinked in confusion

“Yeah. Your eyes remind me of sapphires. So I thought it would be a cute nickname for you.” Macaque explained casually as he twirled his wrist.

Bao Li's face burned pink once more.

She tried to speak but all that came out was a flustered squeak.

She turned her head away in a poor attempt to hide her blushing face.

“Aww, don't hide your face from me, Sapphire-” -Macaque turned her face to look at him- “-You're so cute when you're blushing~”

“I-I am not! I'm-”

“You totally are. But hey, there's no shame in it. Pink really suits you.” Macaque purred, his eyes half-lidded.

“Why are you doing this to me?” Bao Li whimpered pathetically.

“Because it's fun. Besides, I've been waiting a really long time for this.” Macaque chuckled .

“Eh? What are you talking about?”

“C'mon, sapphire, do I really have to spell it out? I'm in love with you. Always have been since the day we met.” Macaque confessed, his face blushing as well.

Bao Li nearly fell out of the bench!

”What?! You've been in love with me this whole time?!”

“That's what I said, isn't it?” Macaque grumbled.

“Were you just pretending to be my friend so that I would fall in love with you?!” Bao Li snapped as she put a hand on her chest.

“What! No! Not really. I had a feeling Wukong wasn't gonna give you up. At least not without a fight. But now that he's out of the picture-”-Macaque grabbed Bao Li's face and his voice lowered- “-I've finally got my chance to have you for myself.”

He was about to pull Bao Li into a kiss when-

SLAP!

Bao Li's hand collided with his cheek.

Macaque simply let out a crazed giggle as he rubbed his throbbing cheek.

“Wow! You actually have some fight in you after all.”

Bao Li jumped out of the bench and snapped.

”How dare you?! Did you really think that because I'm no longer with Wukong that I would just fall in love with you?!”

“Well not right away. I figured I'd have to spend some time proving to you that I'm the better choice.” Macaque purred as he examined his claws.

“Ugh! I can't believe you! And to think I called you a friend!“ Bao Li sniffled as a few tears trickled down her cheeks.

“Hey, we actually were friends. But now we can take things to the next level. Sit back down and let's start over-” -Macaque patted the spot next to him.

“Absolutely not! I refuse to participate in this any longer!”

With a loud huff, Bao Li tried to storm off.

Bao Li then let out a yelp as her shadow wrapped around her.

“Where are you going? Are you really just gonna run off by yourself in a strange place?” Macaque chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her.

“No! I'm going to find Mei and-”

“And what? Let her drag you back to Wukong? You do realize that you’re never gonna get your space out here, Right? Wukong and his stupid friends will keep trying to track you down and force you back into an unhappy marriage-”-Macaque turned Bao Li around to face him.

”That's not true! My marriage with Wukong wasn't an unhappy one at all! I was very happy with him!“ Bao Li countered as she trying to wriggle out of Macaque's grip

“Then why do you want to leave him so bad?”

Bao Li let out a gasp as more tears trickled down her cheeks.

She tried to speak but no words came out.

“Look, just because you think you were happy with him doesn't mean you actually were.” Macaque continued.

It was then Bao Li found her voice.

“What are you talking about?!”

“Your nostalgia is lying to you. Things weren't that great with Wukong and you know it. He dragged you into his mess, then lied to you about it. Then he made an even bigger mess that nearly got you killed!” Macaque growled, his grip tightening.

Bao Li froze as she felt a knot form in her stomach.

Macaque's face softened as he released her from his grip.

“Look, I know I'm coming on strong but you might as well accept me. ”Because, let's face it, Bao Li. I'm the only one that you can still trust.”

“But you lied to me too.” Bao Li choked out.

“No I didn't. I just kept my feelings to myself. I let you be with Wukong for all those years and did t try to butt in once until now. If anything, I'm actually the only one being honest with you.” Macaque explained gently.

Bao Li felt her heart sink into her stomach.

As much as she hated to admit it, Macaque did make a good point there.

She let out a sigh and hung her head low.

Macaque put a hand on her shoulder.

“Look on the bright side, I’ll always be here for you, whether you like it or not.”

Next

———————————————————————

Like what you’ve read? Buy me a Ko-Fi!

[rokkit-story-time]

Hypnovember day 3 - Vampire/Film

CW: Vampire bite, talk of a person as prey

"Oh *gawd*, you can't be serious!" Suzie was remarkably careful about spilling the bowl of homemade popcorn as she plopped down onto the couch. "I know it's October, but a cheesy vampire flick!?"

Ysabelle chuckled. "What can I say? It's most of what's available right now... aaand I have a spot spot in my heart for cheesy schlock~"

Suzie rolled her eyes and patted the spot next to her. "Still, for having me over for the first time? I'd have expected something a bit... different~"

Ysabelle shrugged as she settled onto the couch and leaned against her girlfriend. "Just give it a chance, yeah? I think you might be surprised by some things~"

Suzie took the edge out of her scoff by kissing the other woman's cheek. "If you say so... it's an excuse to cozy up to you regardless~"

"Exactly!" Ysabelle put an arm around Suzie's shoulders and gave a brief squeeze. "So let's at least enjoy that, even if you can't stop harping on my choice of film~"

Suzie giggled and snuggled closer, choosing popcorn over further banter as the opening credits gave way to the movie proper.

Things had been going *well* between her and the raven-haired beauty... too well, honestly, but she pushed away the bit of anxiety that told her Ysabelle was hiding something from her. She'd seen the woman unmask around her at least once, and she herself had already fallen into a comfortable level of openness. They just... clicked. Things that had put other partners off, Ysabelle instead found *cute* about her. And she'd been told a few times that it went both ways for that. They connected in ways Suzie had never had before, and *gods* did it feel good~!

Her thoughts started to focus more on the movie as the tension picked up. The cover, name, and cast all screamed 'bad-acted old-style horror', but it was actually quite an interesting thriller. It wasn't until a third of the way through the movie that the audience found out who the vampire even *was*, and then she started picking off the humans one by one, getting them alone and putting them under her spell to use against the others.

Suzie squirmed a little each time one of those scenes happened. Watching them trapped, staring, held there under that predator's gaze, slowly falling to her words... there was something in that Suzie was fascinated by. And how the lead's crimson eyes would flash at the camera as she spoke sometimes... it almost felt like she was addressing the viewer with some of those lines. Suzie felt herself pulled in, rooting for the vampire more and more, excited to see how she'd trap the next person, to hear what she'd say, to see those eyes flash, and to feel those fangs-

A quick two-pronged poke hit her neck, and she stiffened and let out strangled squeak.

Ysabelle doubled over laughing for a moment, moving her fingers away from where her nails had gently jabbed at Suzie's neck. "You should have *seen* yourself! I think you actually stopped breathing... Oh and hells that blush and pout are *adorable*~"

"I AM NOT POUTING!" Suzie tried to get her voice under control. And her breathing. And her pulse. And her... everything, really. "Y-you just startled me!"

"Really~? Just startled~?" Ysabelle leaned in, and Suzie felt the tone in the room shift. "A bit of jumpscare is all that was~? *Nothing* else~?"

Suzie's mouth worked as she started into Ysabelle's eyes. The movie was on another scene of the vampire and a cornered human, and part of her brain noted that the vibe was oddly similar to that in the room with her. "W-w-well..."

"You weren't, maybe, *excited* or anything~?" Ysabelle's nails brushed against her neck again, and she whimpered quietly. "...wishing you were in that position, maybe~?"

"I-I-I-I-I-" Suzie would've been upset that she couldn't get her mouth to work properly, but she also couldn't seem to figure out how to *think* the words she intended to say either, so there wasn't really much to do about it.

"You what~?" The enchanting creature on the couch mirrored the one on the screen, moving her popcorn bowl out of the way to climb on top of her, straddling her lap. "You found yourself practically entranced by the movie~? By the lovely lady lead in it~?" She leaned in, gaze holding Suzie's own as her arms draped over the shorter woman's shoulders. "...you caught yourself desperately craving such attention, maybe~?" Her voice was a whisper, and her eyes...

Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck.

"*Speak*~" It was almost like the red flash she saw was just the reflection off the TV. Almost. But it wasn't.

Suzie opened her mouth. She *had* to speak. Had to answer. Had to...

She shivered. Had to *obey*.

"...what happens now?" Suzie's voice felt pulled out of her, breathy, terrified and needy both at once. "A-am I going to die...?"

Ysabelle blinked. "...Suzie." The red was gone, and there was so much... *warmth* in that voice. "I wouldn't spend two months and over a dozen dates just to lure in one prey~"

Suzie swallowed. The word 'prey' caused the oddest spike of fear and desire in her. "Th-then why...?"

Ysabelle leaned in and kissed her softly before speaking. "...because I..." She hesitated, glancing away for just a moment. "...I... like you... a great deal. And..."

"I might be in love with you!" Suzie let the words tumble out of her mouth without any effort to stop them.

They hung in the air for a long moment as Ysabelle stared at her.

The smile that bloomed on the pale woman's face made her *so happy* she'd let those words go free.

"...I *know* I'm in love with you, Suzie~" She felt more relaxed now, her hands starting to idly play with Suzie's hair. "I'm rather familiar with the feeling~ I've been what I am for a few hundred years now, and I have become *well* aware of the value of... companionship~" She glanced away again, and the faintest pink tint came to her cheeks. It suddenly clicked to Suzie why the woman seemed so hard to make blush. "...and, with you, I... well, I normally wait at least a year to reveal myself. Sometimes I let them discover it on their own. But..."

Suzie's hand rested on one of Ysabelle's. It was hard to tell who first started intertwining their fingers into the other's. "...but it feels easy, yeah? Natural? ...*right*?"

The smiling, blushing, hand-holding predator in her lap nodded. "Yeah~ All of those and more~"

Suzie chewed her lip for a moment, both in excitement and to try and restrain the idiotic grin she could feel trying to fill her face. "Y-you know, I, um... think we can just scratch off that 'might', then~?"

Her efforts to keep said idiotic grin off her face failed miserably as its twin took over her girlfriend's mouth. The objectively power supernatural being on top of her *wiggled* and let out a quiet "yaaay~"

Suzie's heart melted on the spot.

They just stared at each other for several seconds before a red flash caught her eye from the screen, and Ysabelle's eyes suddenly shifted from giddy to sultry. "...you never answered my questions, you know~"

Suzie thought her face might catch fire as she let out a nervous laugh. So many different replies flew through her head... and the one that she finally landed on nearly stopped her heart. "...so make me then~"

Flash. "*Tell me* how this movie made you feel... my love~"

"Iwanteverythingshewasdoingtothemandmore!" Need. The words tripped over her tongue as she tried to get them all out. "Iwasmesmerizedeveryscenewhereshetookcontrol!" *Need*. She had to tell, had to confess, had to let her *love* know *everything*. "ButI'dmuchratherbemesmerizedbyyou~!" Need need need need need! "IwantitsomuchIcan'tstandit~!"

"Are you sure~?" Suzie's breath caught as Ysabelle smiled... and as she caught sight of two long fangs. "If you want me playing with your head like that... if you 'invite me in' to your mind... I probably won't ever want to leave, you know~"

Suzie swallowed hard. Again her head came up with so many things to say... but only one felt right. Just like Ysabelle did. "...I love you, Ysabelle~ So please, please please *please*... won't you come in~?To stay~?"

Her heart skipped a beat as her vampire lover blushed for the second time she'd ever seen, emotion soaring in her expression as she started to lean in. "Gladly~"

Her voice was a whisper as her mouth reached Suzie's neck.

"...I love you too, Suzie~"

There was a small pinch of pain, and Suzie's world went white with bliss.

[alpacaparkaseok]

Hello hello B!!

Popping in to ask 1. How are you?! and 2. To pick your brain about How to Sell Sunshine. A TikTok has inspired me to MAYBE write a mafia fic about SKZ (because I am seeing them on Sunday and the brain rot is real), and now I have questions on how you wrote your masterpiece.

1. How did you decide who mc would end up with?

2. How in the world did you figure out all the mafia stuff AND keep it sfw? I am simply baffled and overwhelmed 😂

3. Did you plot out everything generally or chapter by chapter (member by member)?

I stand in awe of your genius, that is all.

Delacy!! I'm doing great! Just enjoying seeing the sun again and the snow finally starting to melt!

How are you?? Hope you're doing wonderful!

YESSSSSSSSSS

Ok I saw that "maybe" thrown in there but I'm just ignoring that while I celebrate because I'd read the crap out of a SKZ mafia fic and ALSO that sounds like you're going to have the best weekend ever seeing them!!! Send them my loveeeee 😭

Ok ok ok I'm gonna try to answer these as coherently as possible because I'm a total pantser when it comes to this kinda stuff lol

I had a top three I think going into it, but it was easier for me to decide who wasn't going to be endgame. Like, Joon was automatically off the table due to his history that I really liked and wanted to develop. Having him form a romantic relationship with mc seemed contradictory. (although this didn't stop me from playing around with their dynamic lol)

As the story progressed, I looked at their character development and how I wanted that character to be by the end of the series. it was actually really difficult, because there were a couple of good options, but I also think that's nice because then it isn't this blatant choice. It really comes down to mc and who she feels like understands her the best.

Just adding this: I feel like it's ok if mc makes a decision that also maybe goes against the grain a bit (not saying that HTSS mc did, but just in general...although maybe she did a bit haha), as long as she has a legitimate reason for making that choice. It doesn't have to make perfect sense to the other suitors, but it has to feel right to her. Just like it real life lol. Sometimes we make decisions that make other people look at us funny, but we know why we're doing it.

2. HA this is actually a great questions, because it's hard. There's a lot of other mafia fics out there both in the fanfic world and in other mediums, and not very many of them are sfw. Mainly it was just a personal choice that I made long before, but I also put more weight on the plot than the other stuff. Sure, we deal with blood and gore but we can't find the point of it all if it's off camera drowning in blood. Also, I have no issue throwing in a spicy scene here or there, but the art of implication is powerful and something I respect. None of my characters got far enough to sleep with each other or anything, because I'm a big fan of slow burn. But I'm also a big fan of sexual tension exploding with a single caress and whispered confession. I'd hate for that to go out of style lol

3. The plot! Going into this, I knew everybody's "role", as in, Hobi is a hitman and Tae's a getaway driver, etc. From there I built up their character's a bit more, and honestly those first chapters where we're meeting them one by one, that was just me trying to figure crap out. It wasn't until I was coming up on the Gala chapter and people were getting shot (keeping it vague in case someone reads this that hasn't gotten to that point haha) that I realized I wasn't ready to have this crew say goodbye just yet. They had a higher, more criminal purpose to fulfill. 😂

Once I got to chapter 6, I mapped out a bit more of the overarching plot. But it was fairly vague and really just came to light as I wrote the chapters. I knew how I wanted it to end, but getting there was all on mc & friends. I just had them figure it out lol

I can lightly plot, but I really depend on the characters/members. Getting to know them through character sheets or just writing blurbs that never see the light are usually how that works for me. So it was super general as far as plot goes, and it uncovered itself bit by bit until I knew the ending and how long I needed to get there.

I hope that this makes any semblance of sense! Really truly just had fun with it. And fell in love with this particular cast of characters along the way.

Happy writing! And I can't wait to see what you come up with if you end up writing it! Have sososososo much fun with SKZ!!

tell lee know i'd probably do something illegal for him if he wanted

[casspurrjoybell-17]

Heart’s Choice - Chapter 40 - Part 1

*Warning Adult Content*

Carlos Martinez

Detective John Turner's house is quiet and lonely without him and if I didn't have Becky and the dogs to keep me busy and entertained, I'd quickly lose my mind in the quiet stillness.

His late brother's style leaned towards industrial chic, making the place look more like a museum or a modern art gallery than a home, I wonder if it's too soon to talk about redecorating, once John gets back.

If he ever does.

Whatever business David and he had with the vampiric council lasts longer than the promised 'few days.'

Soon, days become a week, which now stretches into two.

At first, John had texted me with regular 'if brief and cryptic' updates and called in the evenings, though he didn't 'or maybe couldn't' tell me much about what he'd been up to but on the fourth day, he sent a single text in his characteristic broken-lined, emoji-free style, which read almost like a poem.

Hurts too much to hear your voice Be home soon Sorry

After that, I hadn't heard from him and he hadn't replied to my messages or returned my calls.

I guess he'd turned his cell-phone off but that didn't stop my imagination from running wild and taking my anxiety along for the ride.

The best I can do is to keep myself busy and between the dogs and figuring out what to do with the rest of my life, that's easy enough.

"What about your shop?" Becky asks as we sit together one evening on the titanic leather sofa in the lounge.

She's leaving for Sacramento in the morning, where she has a job and a life of her own to get back to and we're spending our last night together eating pizza and playing with the dogs.

"Can't you just move? Start again?"

I take a bite of pizza to avoid answering right away.

Once the crime scene had been cleared, the county had taken possession of the garage, along with the rest of Lucille's estate.

Even if I'd been able to continue renting the space, I wouldn't have wanted to.

The thought of all the hours I'd spent working with the bones of murder victims inches beneath my feet still makes me shudder.

It would have been worse for Kyle, had he lived to know it, as those victims had been his parents.

Poor kid.

"Not easily," I say at last.

"Especially not now that I've sold most of my equipment."

I'd had little choice.

Sure, I could have rented a storage unit while I hunted for a new rental site but all of that costs money I don't have.

I poured everything into my business, put all my eggs in one basket, as my aunt would have said and now it's gone.

At least I got some money for the tools and machinery.

Not much, given it was already used when I bought it but something and something was better than nothing, which is another thing my aunt used to say.

Rick comes trotting over with his favorite stuffed rabbit in his mouth and presents it to Becky, inviting her to play tug-of-war with him.

She takes hold of it and lets him tug away to his heart's content while she talks.

"You know, David is far from my favorite person," she says.

"But if nothing else, I have to admit he's always been there for John. He's offered to write John a blank check several times, though John never accepted it, he'd have made a wonderful father-in-law, if he wasn't so damn creepy."

Sensing that she's missing out on the attention, Morty joins us as well, resting her head on my knee and shoving her muzzle beneath my hand.

I scratch her ears and smile distractedly.

I'd taken her and Rick to the groomer earlier that day, so their coats are clean and shiny and they smell pretty good, for once.

"Call me stubborn but I prefer to make my own way, if I can. I relied on my aunt for long enough, I want to stand on my own two feet, even if I have to crawl at first and yeah, I'm aware of the irony of saying that while living here rent free."

I nod at our expansive and expensive surroundings.

John could sell this place for several million dollars, if he wanted to.

"Speaking of your aunt," Becky says, keeping her tone carefully casual.

"Have you had any word?"

Sighing, I leant into the creamy, genuine leather cushion at my back and stare up at the exposed beams of the high ceiling.

"Nope. Nothing but I guess I'm getting used to that."

Morty whines and Becky reaches over to rest her hand on my arm.

"Another thing about David, if I trust him with nothing else, I trust him to take care of John. They'll be fine. As for your looking for your aunt, have you thought of hiring Freya?"

"Freya Hunter?"

She gives me a look.

"How many people named 'Freya' do you know?"

"Fair enough but Freya's a bounty hunter."

"Exactly. Finding people is literally her job."

"Finding people for a fee," I remind her.

"I'm broke."

The look she's giving me grows more intense.

"Carlos, I've known the woman for two weeks and I can already say with absolute certainty that you're practically family. I'm sure she'd take it on if you asked."

I shrug and wince.

"It's complicated. You know how I explained that the Morellis were demon-hunters? Well, my family was the same. We mostly stuck to the incorporeal shit but we weren't above shooting werewolves or staking vampires, if the chance arose. Speaking of vampires, you're taking all this really well."

It's Becky's turn to shrug as she serves herself another slice of pizza.

"People are people," she says.

"I figure vampires and werewolves and whatever else is out there, are just people, too. Like John and Freya and you. Everybody just wants to be happy and most people are good."

"I'm glad you see it that way. Good or not, I think most people would have run screaming."

[redrosesandforgetmenots]

Through Your Eyes

Pretty Little Liars (Chapter Four)

3,974 words

The storage closet of Art Room B was quiet, the stiff air smelling like oil paint with a lingering under current of pencil shavings and paper. Tweek was tucked away into a corner, working on the project that would make or break his grade this semester- a mixed media project meant to "evoke the image of the written word." He sometimes wanted to know what was going through his teachers head when she assigned this type of shit.

He had chosen to depict a poem from "Crank" by Ellen Hopkins. And was trying to figure out what picture from a magazine evoked the word "coalescing." Tweek gently pulled the magazines out of his bag, the folder Craig had given him earlier falling out as well. Distracted by remembering its existence, he opened it, curious to see what he had dropped.

He was immediately greeted by Craig's face, the half finished portrait of the boy who sat next to him in first period. Tweek quickly closed the folder, flushed. Craig had seen it? It was the first thing in the folder that the other had assembled. Questions flooded his mind. Is that why Craig came out to him? Did he think Tweek had a crush on him? Did him coming out mean he had a crush?

Tweek quickly shoved the folder back in his bag, turning his attention back to the magazines. He stared blankly at the images in question, but his mind was still racing with thoughts about Craig. Soon the bell rang, and he made his way into the actual classroom, quickly zipping past everyone on their way out and running to Wends' locker. 

Thankfully, they were actually there, in an animated conversation with Stan. Tweek stood behind the dark haired boy, not saying anything. Luckily he was quickly spotted. "TT?" Wends asked, looking behind Stan.

"Hey, Tweek! We were just talking about this weekend-" Stan noticed Tweek absolutely shaking, his breathing ragged. "... You okay man?"

"I-Im- What if I like Craig?" Wends expression went vacant, eyes empty as they measured their response.

"That … would be okay. But hes… I don't think you know him well enough to like him." Wends pointed out, before mustering up a pitiful smile. "I'm not sure he's exactly boyfriend material, T…"

"Craig's a dick!" Stan exclaimed.

"I know." Tweek replied bluntly. "B-but I could get to know him better!" Wends and Stan shared a glance.

"... Well dude… I know parties aren't your thing, but … my dad's taking my mom to a cannabis convention so I have the farm to myself. I was gonna have a little get together. I could invite Craig, if you want?"

Tweek paused for a moment. He knew Stan meant the best, but he was also inviting Bebe and Eric, so chances were their little get together would become a full on rager, and that was absolutely not his scene. But if Craig went, it'd be a nice neutral place to talk. "I'd be okay with that." 

"Cool! Chances are he won't show up unless I invite the other guys he hangs with… I guess this little party isn't going to be that little." Stan said, looking to Wends, who shrugged. With who he was inviting, it didn't seek like it ever would've been in the first place. 

"Charge a door fee, see who still shows up," Tweek joked, before the bell started ringing. He quickly scurried to his next class, dodging others in the hallway.

*****

"Its not l-like it's a full on date Bebe, i-its just a party!" Tweek had once again been dragged out shopping. This time it was just the two who were out thrifting, Bebe holding an assortment of women's blouses up to Tweek, attempting to visualize him in them.

"Mmm… this isn't gonna work, you're gonna have to actually try stuff on." Bebe said, putting her choices into the cart. "And besides, Craig dressed up to give you your papers back! You need to like, return the favor?"

Tweek shrugged. "He probably had s-something else to do, or he just ran out of clean laundry-"

"I've seen Craig wear the same exact shirt for a week straight. And there definitely wasn't anything else going on today, I would know!" Bebe pointed out. She went to the sweater section next, pulling out a mint green cardigan. "Cute… but not super you. Yknow?"

"That colour is f-fucking ugly." Bebe gasped in faux shock, horrified by his hatred for pastels. 

"Excuse you, it's almost spring! You really need to experiment with florals, or something." She pulled another cardigan off the rack. Brown, with little crochet leaves hanging off it in various shades of green, vines giving it more texture as they ran parallel down the front and sleeves. It looked handmade.. Tweek had to admit he liked it. They put it in the cart.

"OK so like… cargo pants are not going to go with my Spring Awakening forest academia vibe I'm trying to go for..  how do you feel about shorts."

"Abhorrent." Tweek replied, but was dragged over to the rack anyway, this time on the men's section. 

Bebe huffed. "You're not being a very good dress up doll!" She joked, pulling a pair of very short corduroy shorts off the rack. They matched the brown of the cardigan, but Tweek shook his head. Who would ever want to see that much of his legs? "Pleeeaaaassseee at least try them on? You'll be so cute!"

"Im n-not supposed to be cute, Bebe." Tweek replied, "I-Im trying to not get peoples attention." He already looked weird enough.

"Okay but, do you wanna look cute for Craig?" She asked, putting the shorts in the cart. Tweek flushed, but didn't push any further. He had to admit, he regretted not putting in any effort today. He literally just picked the same sweater from yesterday off the floor because he knew it was still mostly clean from being washed two days ago. Should he have worn a button down too today? No- he could never get the buttons right. Which was concerning considering how many of them were in the cart right now. 

Bebe rifled through them, picking out one that looked pretty sheer, it was white, and had way too many ruffles for Tweek's liking. They lined the collar, down the front, and the ends of the sleeves. "It's not perfect," she said, "But I have an idea!" She handed him the shorts, shirt, and cardigan. "Go try these on right now!" Tweek groaned, but did as asked, entering the dressing room.

There was a slew of hangers already in the dressing room, and the mirror was cracked on one side. Still, it would work. Tweek changed as quickly as possible, avoiding his reflection before stepping back outside for Bebes reaction. He hid in the door frame, pulling down the hem of the shorts. They couldn't even make it past the middle of the middle of his thighs. 

"You look so perfect!" Bebe replied, but swooped in to make adjustments. She tucked the top into the pants and thankfully did up the cardigan. It left only about an inch of shorts hanging out the bottom of it, and Tweek glanced down to his bony, bruised knees with a grimace. "Okay, so I'm gonna take this blouse, wash it obvi, and then dye it green. So then for jewelry-"

"No." Tweek stopped her in her tracks. He was already uncomfortable enough, the party was bound to be overstimulating, the last thing he needed was the feeling of accessories. "Th-this isn't girls go games, Bebe. I-I was just gonna wear jeans and a t shirt or something. This is… i-its too much."

Bebe was pouting. "Okay… no jewelry, I can do that but please, please at least come in with this? We can bring you a change of clothes, I promise! But you'd look so good next to me and Wends in our matching sweater dresses!" Tweek sighed, but relented. 

"A-as long as I can change … c-can we go now?" The music was loud, and the smell was really starting to get to him, it made his exhaustion feel all the more prominent. 

"Totally, thanks for doing this, TT! You're like, the first customer in my new stylist business!" She joked. Tweek quickly went into change back, ignoring the mirror once more. Now he was gonna smell like thrift store all day… hopefully Bebes trip to Ulta wouldn't take that long, he desperately wanted a shower.

Tweeks phone buzzed in one of his pockets, and he pulled it out as he exited the dressing room.

Unknown Number:

Have a good weekend everyone! Enjoy the party, I'm sure it's gonna be killer!

-L

Okay, what the actual shit? Tweek rolled his eyes and blocked the number. How cheesy, who even signed their texts anymore?

The shopping trip wrapped up with relative ease, and Tweek and Bebe made it to Wends house for the pre party sleepover. 

*****

"But, are you sure you like like him?" Marjorine asked while Bebe was pushing Tweeks cuticles back. Tweek groaned.

"I-I don't know! He's just- AGH! This is too much pressure!" Tweek pulled his hands away from Bebe to grab at his hair. He wasn't sure how the topic of his liking of Craig came about, but he wanted this conversation to be over. 

"Isn't he straight?" Nichole asked, looking up from the TV where she and Heidi were trying to figure out a movie to watch. Tweek simply buried his head in his hands, refusing to answer. He knew Craig wasn't, but that wasn't anyone else's business. He was good at keeping secrets- he'd kept his parents for long enough after all. 

"Didn't he have that crush on that kid with tourettes in the fourth grade?" Heidi offered.

"Craig is definitely gay." Red piped up, "at every family reunion it always gets brought up. He's never had a girlfriend, at least."

"Guys! It's uncouth the speculate on someone's sexuality!" Wends said, "... but I remember in fifth grade he held hands with Tweek all the time until Cartman called him… well, you know."

"Fags?" Tweek replied for them, before letting out a sigh. "I-i mean.. he's always been like that though! H-he was a very clingy kid."

"To you," Nichole said, "I don't remember him ever holding hands with Tolkien or Jimmy."

"H-he held hands with Clyde!"

"Yeah, but Clyde was a cry baby. I mean like, I get it after his mom died, but it's like he never stopped." Bebe replied, gently taking Tweeks hand again to finish her task.

"Well, I think Craig's just afraid of what other people will think! And you can't live your life that way!" Marjorine said with a smile. "And I think all the fellas just gave him shit because they're too afraid of themselves."

"Well said," Wends said, handing Marjorine a bag of Cheesy Poofs. 

"C-can we just not talk about Craig tonight?" Tweek asked, and all the girls nodded and replied in agreement. 

*****

Craig couldn't believe he got dragged to a lame party and Stan's house. He would have absolutely said no, if Stan hadn't promised that Tweek would be there. Now he was in the living room, sitting on the couch with Kenny and Jimmy as they passed a blunt back and forth. 

He still hadn't seen Tweek, but honestly he was just trying to zone out the overly loud music and chatter around him. Thankfully the lights were dimmed, but he still could hardly think. "..  I wanna go home." He mumbled, more to himself than anything.

"H-hang on, the girls aren't even-arent even here yet!" Jimmy replied, before taking a hit. That was a lie. There were plenty of girls at this party, but he knew which ones Jimmy meant. 

"Yeah dude! And they're bringing the tweeksterrrrr!" Kenny replied, sing songing the nickname for Tweek in a teasing tone. "And I heard from Marj that he's gonna look super hot tonight." Craig rolled his eyes, leaning back. He guess he could at least hold out to see Tweek, then go home…

The door swung open, letting in a blast of cold air. Bebe, Wends, and their friends all entered in, Tweek bringing up the rear, wearing the shortest shorts he'd ever seen. Wasn't he freezing? Still, Craig took a long, appreciative look at his legs. They were pale, and covered in light blonde hair and bruises- they looked like they were sculpted out of marble… at least to Craig. Tweeks internal monologue was far less kind.

"Everyone is looking at me- these shorts are too short, I'm fucking freezing! Are my legs turning blue? Oh god fuck everyone can see my goosebumps they must look so gross-" Tweek's mind rant was cut short when he made eye contact with brown eyes from across the room. The door closed behind him,but he didn't move to get closer inside. He and Craig stared at each other for a moment, before Craig finally made a move to get up. 

"...Hey." Craig greeted, feeling much less confident on his feet than he had sitting down. He finally felt the full effects of the weed hitting him, and he was probably staring a little too intensely at the shorter blonde in front of him. 

"Hey…" Tweek greeted back, wrapping the cardigan tighter around the sheer green blouse underneath it. Luckily the cardigan covered everything, but it still made Tweek nervous.

"You look cold." Craig said simply. "Do you want a blanket?" He had no fucking clue where the Marshs kept their spare blankets, but he could figure it out.

"Uuuhh… kinda.. kinda wanted to get a drink first? Maybe a snack or something?" Tweek couldn't give a shit about snacks right now. Truth be told he wanted the blunt sitting plainly in Kenny's hand, but he needed to get a scope of the party first. At least make the rounds before bailing. 

"Oh… yeah, for sure. I'll come with you." The song changed, playing Speed Drive by Charli XCX, which effectively got most people dancing. Craig absent-mindedly took Tweeks hand to lead him through the surprisingly thick crowd and into the kitchen. Thankfully it was mildly quiet, Stan and Kyle having a conversation by the fridge withstanding. There was a good amount of alcohol on the kitchen counter, mostly stolen from Randy's stash. 

"What did you want?" He asked, dropping Tweeks hand, who looked at them briefly, before grabbing a beer off the table. "Gross… that's all?"

Tweek shrugged, "I'm a simple man." Craig cracked a smile, before pouring midori into a mountain dew. "That's disgusting…"

"You have your drinks, I got mine." Craig replied, now secured with his stereotypical red solo cup. "Wanna head back out to Kenny and Jimmy?"

"... Not really? I-i mean… it's kinda loud in here, man." Tweek replied, shifting from foot to foot as he looked around. 

"I brought my car. I'm sure we could just sit in it with the heater on and smoke." Craig replied. "Come back in when we're good and stoned."

"... I'd like that. Yeah…" Tweek replied, grabbing another beer. Just in case he finished it in the car. Craig took Tweeks hand again to lead him outside, out to his shitty PT Cruiser. 

"So…" Craig started once they were inside with the heater blasting, and he pulled out a joint from his pocket in a plastic baggie. "You look really nice tonight."

"... Thanks man." Tweek replied, and Craig could swear he saw Tweeks cheeks redden in the dim light. "I never dress like this though… i-its um… I-I'm pretty cold?" Craig passed him the joint, and finally noticed the polish on the others fingers.

"Did you paint your nails?" Olive green had been perfectly manicured onto them, with flecks of gold sitting on top.

"Ummmm… B-Bebe did, actually. Said my outfit needed more green tones." Tweek pulled his hand away protectively, before taking a hit off the joint. 

"Maybe she can do mine sometime." Craig replied, showing off the manicure he'd done in sharpie. It was mostly faded by now, but the black was still managing to just barely hang on. "I think nail polish is pretty cool."

"Damn, you really are gay." Tweek said without thinking, immediately shutting his mouth and looking towards Craig, who was… laughing? He didn't seem to be upset at all.

"I mean… yeah I guess… I mean I had to think about it and..  I guess everyone else realized before I did, and that sucks ass but, I am pretty damn gay." He locked eyes with Tweek again, his gaze hazy. "And you look really pretty…"

"You are so stoned right now!" Tweek replied, going to take a few more sips of his drink. The way Craig was looking at Tweek made him feel butterflies, but he was so obviously high out of his mind- he couldn't really mean it, right?

"Tweek… I am so serious. You're the prettiest boy in the whole damn school I swear- you-you..  fuck man, I don't know what I'm saying."

"...Clearly." Tweek replied. "I-I'm just going to smoke the rest of this, if you don't mind." 

Craig nodded, focusing more on his drink instead. He still stared at Tweek, his eyes drinking in the way moon light looked on him. It highlighted the curve of his nose in pale light, caressing his gaunt cheekbones and long eyelashes. He even looked pretty smoking a joint, his lips wrapping around it in a way that made Craig's recent realizations about his wants prove more than true. "You look like an angel," he said after a while of silence, feeling the warmth of the alcohol fill him.

"D-dont say cheesy shit like that man!" Tweek replied with a laugh, "I'll think y-you have a crush on me or-or something!" The joint was almost done, looking like it was down to the tips of Tweeks long fingers. Piano hands, Craig remembered.

"Do you still play piano?" He asked quietly, now staring at Tweeks hands.

"Uhh… y-yeah. Thankfully my-my parents never cooked anything or brought any-anything to the house so I got to umm… sorry I got to keep my stuff? S-s-sorry I didn't mean to talk about it."

"No its okay… I'm glad you gotta keep your piano." Craig replied. Tweek was still shivering slightly, and Craig took off his hoodie, handing it to Tweek. Tweek graciously took it, immediately putting it on. He'd tolerate the teenage boy stink if it meant that he'd be warm..  and honestly, Craig didn't smell that bad.

"Thank you," Tweek said, zipping the hoodie up.

"Ready to go back inside?" Craig asked, to which Tweek just shrugged, but got out of the car anyway. The hoodie was so long it actually covered his shorts. Something about the sight made Craig feel warm inside- or maybe that was the alcohol. Either way, the warmth kept him going until they got back into the house, where rain started pattering on the windows. It went unheard over the music.

"You do look really nice tonight, that outfit looks good on you." Craig complimented. It looked like Tweek had even made an attempt to tame his wild blonde hair, though any effort was destroyed by the wind outside.

"I feel l-like a ti-tik tok alt kid circa twenty twenty."Tweek replied bitterly. "But thanks man… B-Bebe just wanted t-to dress me up t-to-FUCK. … Tonight. She just wanted to dress me up tonight."

Craig slid a little closer to him, taking his hand again. It was subconscious. It honestly felt natural. He could feel Kenny gleefully staring at them, he looked up to see the bastard flashing him a thumbs up. "Why'd she wanna do that?"

Instead of a reply, Tweek just smiled awkwardly at him, squeezing his hand. "... I think I need another drink."

"Third beer of the night… I'm surprised you're not a lightweight." Tweek just shrugged.

"M-my bodys been through worse."

They made their way back into the kitchen, which had gotten busier in their absence. Tweek quickly grabbed another beer before he was pushed out of the way by a girl with long black hair, and he and Craig retreated to a corner. "T-too loud in here…" Tweek mumbled.

"Hey queers," Came the ever grating voice of Eric Cartman. "You guys need a room or what?"

"Fuck you-w-wait… is that an offer?" Tweek looked at the larger boy in confusion. Eric had the most smug look on his face, but it wasn't evil… it was so odd.

"Figured if you two fags wanted to hook up you should at least have your own room! They've got a spare bedroom now, I could take you to it." Cartman offered. Craig and Tweek looked at each other incredulously.

"I… we.. we're not gonna fuck, dude." Craig replied, incredibly confused.

".... sure, whatever, but isn't it too loud in here, aren't there too many people here for your autistic asses? Don't you guys wanna confess all your gay feelings and shit?" Craig tensed at that, but nodded. There were too many people here for his autistic ass, actually.

They followed Eric up the stairs to a bedroom that looked like it belonged to Stan's older sister once upon a time, and Eric quickly shut the two of them inside alone. Never in his life did Tweek think Eric Cartman would be his saving grace.

Tweek went to sit on the bed, immediately pulling the blanket up over his legs, kicking off his boots. He leaned back against the wall, letting out a sigh of relief as the noise was finally muffled enough for him to relax.

But now the two were alone. In a room. Together.

Sure they'd been in the car together, but being in a bedroom had more expectations. People would certainly talk, especially since Cartman was absolutely running his mouth right now. "Hey so… we aren't gonna be…y-yknow… sleeping together?"

"I'm not interested in sex." Craig said plainly. It sounded almost rehearsed.

"C-cool! Just checking!" Tweek replied, "me neither… a-anyways um… I guess we could talk?" Craig nodded, sitting on the bed next to him, but reached out to hold Tweeks hand again. Tweek didn't protest. Actually, it was kind of nice.

"W-we held hands all the time when we were kids…" Tweek whispered. Staring at the interlaced fingers between them.

"Yeah… why'd we stop?" Craig asked, his words slurring slightly.

"Cartman called you a fag and you stopped."

"Oh…"Craig had a look of concentration on his face. "... sorry." He mumbled finally, his thumb stroking the back of Tweeks hand. 

"D-dont worry about it. A-a-after that I came out and we stopped talking as much."

"Wait- I thought we stopped talking because your parents got arrested?"

"A-are you kid-kidding me? Dude, I came out and you never texted me again! Y-y-you wouldn't pick up my calls-"

"My dad took my phone that year. Shit grades."

"What-why didn't you say that then?"

"I didn't know you were texting me!" 

Tweek and Craig stared at each other for a moment, mouths agape in mirroring expressions of shock.

"Oh… I… I guess I didn't think to ask… wh-why you weren't picking up."

"And then your parents got arrested and you kind of… you kind of stopped talking to anyone but Wendy and Bebe." 

"Yeah…." Tweek bit his lip in thought, before looking back up at Craig. "Everyone thinks you're a complete dick, you know?"

"I know." 

"I-i-its kind of funny… y-you have a reputation of being such an ass wipe, b-but you've always been nice to me… I mean-usually."

"I like you." Craig stated bluntly, putting his other hand on top of the one he was holding.

"Man, y-you can't say shit like that-"

"No. Tweek. I like you. I have a crush on you. I have for years."

"I-you-I-WHAT?"

[votestaynight2]

9th Day - RAIN (Scene 4 & 5 & 6)

Alright, so the next few choices all come in the space of, like, 5 minutes in a single conversation with Tohsaka, so I'm just gonna do them myself to avoid the blog getting weighed down by a bunch of short posts.

"No. I probably can't obey you unconditionally." "…Hey now. Who do you think you are, answering like that from the very first question?" "But isn't it normal? For example, I'd be in trouble if you give me a reckless order."

"I won't be that stupid. If you think it's reckless, it's probably because you don't understand what I'm planning. …Oh well. So you'll obey me, as long as the order's reasonable?" "Yeah, I can keep that promise." "Then here's the second question. Can you trust me like I'll be trusting you? Will you stay on my side, no matter how ugly things get?"

CHOICE: Yes. (obviously)

"I see. So you will give me your absolute obedience?"

"――――Mm." Tohsaka says something dangerous with an evil smile. That seems to be the final question, but――――

CHOICE: No Way! (Once again, obviously)

"――――No way…! I'll admit that your instructions are better as a magus. But I'm sure you make mistakes once in a while. If you say something ridiculous, I can't just obey you. I'll protest if I think you're wrong. That's what it means to cooperate, right?"

"Of course. I can't cooperate with you unless that's the case. I tend to do things my own way, so I need someone to act as my brakes. It'll be helpful if you can take that role."

"Huh――――――――?" …I'm a bit disappointed. I expected disagreeing to spark an argument, but Tohsaka is nodding in satisfaction.

"Then here's the last question. I'll help you as much as I can if it's something I can do and you can't do. But… can you do the same even in the opposite case?"

"…? Something I can do that you can't do…?" Is there such a thing? Is it possible that she can't cook and needs my help?

"Hey. Come on and answer since this is the most important question. Yes or no. Quick." "…Well. Um, it'll help me out if you can give me a specific example…"

"Geez…! I'm asking if you'll let me win or not!"

"――――――――" She says with her cheeks blushing, as if she's sulking. It looks childish, completely unlike Tohsaka.

But―――― "……Yeah. I'll let you win since I'm cooperating with you. I promise." …It's actually really cute.

"Then we'll meet at the front gate after school. You're going to have club activities at my place, starting today." "Hm――――club activities at your place?"

"Yup. We're cooperating, so I need to teach you how to fight by yourself, right? …Well, I know from what I've already seen that you're an amateur, so you'll be working overtime every day."

"Well, I don't mind, and that's actually helpful――― But is that starting today?"

"Of course. I have to figure out your ability and determine our plan from tonight on. You'll be going home late, but it's no problem since you live alone, right?" "Huh? Well, that's true, but how do you know that, Tohsaka?"

"…! I-I thought so because there wasn't anyone at your house when I treated your wound before. A-Anyway, that's how it's going to be, so you just have to wait for me at the front gate!"

"――――――――" Tohsaka waves goodbye and runs off. It's Friday today… Classes run to sixth period, so we'll be going home after three o'clock.

"…This is bad. I told Sakura I'd be coming home early, but I can't cancel Tohsaka's proposal on the very first day." I feel bad for Sakura, but I'll go with Tohsaka for today.

…Well, she isn't a devil. So she might let me go home early today if I tell her about Sakura…. Right?

"――――――――" I wait for Tohsaka by the front gate. The sky is gray, and it looks like it'll rain any minute now. There's a chill wind, so it'll be a cold night if it rains.

"What are you thinking about?" ―――Then. Tohsaka is in front of me when I notice. She must have ran here, as her shoulders are moving up and down.

"Nothing. I just thought it might rain." "Oh, the weather? I guess it'll just be a drizzle. We have to go patrol at night, so it'll be a pain if it rains too much."

…Hm. It seems Tohsaka has already made plans for us to go on patrol tonight. I don't mind, but I'd like to go by my house and check on Sakura before that.

"Tohsaka, about that…" "I know. I'll train you as your cooperator, so prepare yourself. I'll make you a proper magus."

With those confident words, Tohsaka sets off down the hill. …Crap. I can't bring up the subject of going home early if she smiles like that.

We make the long walk up the hill south of the intersection. This residential area is filled with Western-style houses. Tohsaka's house is at the top of this hill, past Sakura's.

"Wow――――" So this is Tohsaka's place. Sakura's house is bigger, but this house feels more like a Western mansion.

…And it somehow feels cold. There's been an air that seems to reject anyone nearing this place ever since we finished climbing up the hill.

"Why did you stop? This is my house." "Y―――Yeah, I know. I was just coerced."

"…Yeah. My house is different from yours. It's just that even someone who's ignorant of magical energy like you can feel the coldness of this house." Tohsaka goes into her home, speaking in bored tones.

"Hey, come on. I don't have any traps set up, so you don't need to hesitate." She beckons me from the entrance.

"……No. It's not because of the atmosphere that I'm hesitating." Muttering to myself, I gather my composure and go in.

…This place certainly does have a cold atmosphere, but that's nothing. She has no idea what a big deal it is for a guy to come over to Tohsaka Rin's house. …Well, I'm sure she won't understand even if I explain it to her. If I'm lucky, she'll just laugh.

――――Wait.

"W-Why are we in your room and not the living room!"

With an utter lack of concern, she shows me through the living room and into her bedroom.

"It's because this place has more instruments ready. The living room is where you have tea, but we didn't come here to drink tea, right?" "Uh――――um. You're… right, but…" Um, I wish she'd think of me as a boy her age.

"…? Just sit down wherever. I'll be using sage and cards to consecrate you, but tell me now if you don't like either."

Tohsaka opens the box by her bed. It looks like a treasure chest from an adventure movie.

"Hmm… Kishua's agate is useless for this. …Oh, I'm out of sage. Can you bring some up from downstairs, Archer?" "Scarlet sage, right? …Well, I don't think you'll need to go that far to distinguish this man."

"I'll do whatever I please. You can rest downstairs after that. We have a pact, so you don't need to protect me." "―――You're right. I doubt he has the nerve to betray you. I shall get ready for tonight."

That must be Archer. His presence must be thin when in spirit form. I didn't feel much magical energy from him.

"…I'm surprised. I didn't notice that he was in the room." "That's how it is if he's in spirit form. Even if he takes form, his magical energy won't leak outside as long as he's in this house. It's elementary for a workshop to shut in the magical energy."

"Oh. So is it the same for Makiri… no, Matou's place?" "Yes. But that place has no need to hide magical energy anymore. If they are hiding magical energy, it'd be the energy leaking out from the magus himself and not from the house."

"Well, either way, it takes nothing to hide magical energy. I'd take Archer with me to school too, but I'm resting him during the day since he's not up to par."

Tohsaka rummages through the treasure chest with a difficult expression. …It seems she can't find what she wants. Is she the kind of person that never keeps anything in order?

"…Really, why doesn't the wound he received from Saber heal when all other wounds can be healed easily? I'm sure they had some connection… Geez, why am I finding my master's jewels now? I can never find them when I want them, dammit!"

She leans forward and keeps fumbling around. …That chest looks small, but it seems big enough to be able to fit Tohsaka inside.

"――――Man." There's nothing to prepare for. All I can do is pray that she'll find the thing she wants, or just look around her room aimlessly――――

"……?" Then. I see something.

―――It's a photo. A bookshelf that's about waist-high is at the corner of the room. On it is a photo that looks to have been forgotten. Dust falls off of it when I pick it up, and I can tell it has been left alone for a long time

"…It's not that she never cleans. Just this picture is undisturbed." Does Tohsaka not like seeing herself as a kid? …No, if that were all, she could just put it away. Maybe it's important to her, but she doesn't want to touch it…

"……But…" People sure can change. Tohsaka looks like she's five or six years old, and she's really cute in the picture.

"…So she had long hair back then, too…. Huh?" The girl in the picture looks just like she is now, except younger. That's why I notice the one thing that's different.

"Thanks for waiting, I'm all ready now. There'll be a little pain, but it's nothing you should be worried about… Huh, what's going on, Emiya-kun?"

"Oh. This, Tohsaka." I show her the picture I found.

"Oh, that's an old photo. I just put that in the corner, but is something wrong with it?" "Huh… Well, there's nothing wrong, but…"

It's nothing much, so I hesitate. It's nothing I need to ask about, but it just caught my attention.

"Oh. I see, you want to say I have a different ribbon on, right?" "――――――――" I nod.

"That's natural. I'm a girl, so I have lots of ribbons. Even if it's my favorite, do you think I'd keep the same ribbon for over ten years?"

Oh. She's right now that she mentions it. It's just an ordinary ribbon. Why was I so concerned about it?

"I'm kidding. That's what I want to say, but ribbons are special. It's the last resort for female magi. It's an appropriate magical item, so there aren't many substitutes for it." "…Wow. Then is that ribbon some sort of a magical item?"

"Yes. Holding the hair in place means holding the magical energy in place. My family doesn't have mystic eyes, so we have to at least keep our reserve magical energy from our hair. It's something that controls your body, so it's best if you make it yourself, right?"

"That's the first ribbon I made. It was my favorite, but I parted with it for various reasons. …Well, let's stop with the idle talk. I'm starting the consecration, so sit down in that chair―――"

Tohsaka's analysis ends rather quickly. She lit an incense, did something like tarot fortune-telling, and asked me a few personality assessment-like questions.

And Tohsaka says… "―――You don't correspond to anything. Further testing would be useless." …And quickly gives up diagnosing my Magic Circuit.

"Hey. Does that mean you can't tell?" And when I ask her…

"Excuse me. I found out that you're not related to the five elements. Any more consecration is out of my expertise, so it's useless to keep going. I'll just see what magic you can use and figure it out from there."

…That's how it is according to her. I run through the "strengthening" magic using the clay she prepared.

It's called an ether cluster, and it's a strange object that returns to its original form no matter what happens to it. It's a good conductor of magical energy. I strengthen it so easily that I'm afraid it won't recover, but…

"It's like shiniku, so don't worry about it. It restores its original state in a day even if you bundle it with strong magical energy." …She says something like that. Shiniku, by the way, is meat that never goes away, no matter how much of it you eat.

…Anyway, I keep repeating the strengthening magic on the clay. I can't fail in front of Tohsaka, but I only succeed two out of ten times. Activating my Magic Circuit, which was easy when I had Saber, took a lot of time and effort.

Tohsaka asks me a few questions while I cast the strengthening magic. Whether I'm self-taught, whether I can use any other spells, how Kiritsugu taught me, and what I have the easiest time imagining.

So. Tohsaka's expression darkens further with each answer I give, and by the end she's shut up entirely. I don't know what she's angry about, but it's really awkward to be here if she makes a face like that.

"Tohsaka? …Um, I know it's only a matter of course, but are you regretting cooperating with me because I'm such an amateur?" I ask her the most likely thing.

"Huh…? Yeah, I do regret that you're an amateur, but in your case, you were taught wrong… Or should I say that I'm surprised you're still alive with the way you're doing things." Tohsaka ponders.

"…? Heeey, Tohsaka? You lost me." "………?" Why is she glaring at me?

"……Fine. I guess if I'm going to correct you, we'll have to start with the fundamentals. But let's go back to what we were talking about earlier. Is it true that the things you projected are still in your shed?" "Yeah. Things don't normally go away unless you break them, right?"

I told her that I use projection as a breather in between strengthening magic. It seems Tohsaka is particular about it, and told me to use projection using the clay. She told me to make a vase. Everything started out smoothly, but in the end I still failed.

"―――Hmph. For now, I'll teach you how to turn your switch on and off. It's faster to make an actual switch in your body. Stay over tonight. It's a drastic measure, so you'll have to stay in bed all night."

"What――――? You mean here?" "What's with that face? Don't worry. I'm not going to be performing surgery on you. You'll just drink some medicine. Well, you won't be able to move for a while because it's so strong."

"Oh… Um, it's not that I don't like drastic measures…" …I look at the clock. It's almost five. I didn't notice since it's cloudy today, but it's getting late.

Tohsaka is helping me as a fellow magus. It makes me happy, and I'm grateful, but I'm worried about Sakura too. I should――――

[ghirahimbo]

A (for Blind, But Now), Q and U! + some figurative 🍵 for the plague

Thank you for the figurative tea! Hoping to curl up with some literal tea soon 💖

A: How did you come up with the title to Blind, But Now?

I once was lost, but now am found / was [blind, but now] I see :D

But yeah, basically I had that song stuck in my head, liked the theme of redemption, and ran with it.

U: A pairing you might like to write for, but haven’t tried yet.

Ohhh, I've had an angsty sidlink idea kicking around for ages that might be interesting to try to write someday? Urbosa/Zelda’s mom could be fun, too! I do generally write what interests me, though, and I guess I have relatively narrow interests T–T

Q: Do you have any discarded scenes/storylines/projects?

Do I...

lmao actually though, do you want a deleted scene from Crystalline? I started scrolling through my old documents trying to remember just how many unused projects I actually have, and I realized that I'd completely forgotten about the version of Crystalline featuring the Thunder Dragon. I'm pretty sure I abandoned the idea when the pacing wasn't working out right and I couldn't get the scene to resolve the way I needed it to, but I still might reuse the idea for something else someday ;)

((obligatory disclaimer that this never made it out of rough draft stage))

--

On "good" days, Ghirahim managed to track down a Wolfos den or Molderach nest for Link to clean out—but when all else failed, the Thunder Dragon at Lanayru Gorge was still happy to let Link throw himself against the simulated enemies of his past. More and more often, Ghirahim's thirst for a challenge led them to Lanayru eventually.

Today, Ghirahim took them straight to the gorge without bothering to look elsewhere first.

"Good to see you back here, Link!" Lanayru boomed from his usual place as they approached, sitting back on his tail. Even when Ghirahim led them, he always addressed Link. "It's been a few weeks, hasn't it? You up for another trip down memory lane?"

Link nodded, considering his options. The battle with Tentalus was difficult, but he thought Ghirahim resented how much he relied on his bow and arrows. Scaldera had lost most of its challenge now that he had the hang of it, and they'd fought plenty of Molderachs already, so…

Link opened his mouth to say Koloktos.

"He is here to fight Ghirahim," Ghirahim announced before he could get the name out, and Link whipped his head to stare. "The first battle, if you please."

"Ghirahim," Lanayru repeated, deep voice inscrutable. His cloudy beard let off barely a wisp as he stroked it, strips of lightning rippling up his stomach. "The first battle." Turning to Link, he asked, "Is that really your choice?"

Biting his lip, Link nodded. They had never faced any of his remembered battles with Ghirahim before, any more than they’d faced Demise… by unspoken agreement, he'd thought. It occurred to him that Ghirahim's spur of the moment desire for bloodshed was perhaps not as unplanned as it seemed.

“Ghirahim it is, then!” Lanayru clapped his hands together—a thunderclap. “Look to the past to understand the future, as I always say. I assume you both remember the rules, so… are you ready?”

Link nodded. Ghirahim said nothing, but his dark eyes spoke volumes as a dark mist rose from out of nowhere in Link's mind, swallowing up first the looming desert cliffs, then the grassy oasis they stood on, and finally Link himself.

The world brightened again as the simulation took hold, but not by much. The deepest chamber of Skyview Temple was dim, with only hints of sunlight shining through hidden cracks in the ceiling above, though his pale opponent seemed to gather what little light filtered through as he approached. Walking slowly, arm outstretched, Link remembered his taunting smirk all too well. That confident, unarmed approach had frightened him once.

“He’s toying with you, of course,” Ghirahim murmured from beside him, and Link spared him a glance. Gaze focused on his double, the true Ghirahim’s red cloak peeled away in diamond wisps until the two were mirrored. “Not that he would hesitate to kill you should even his pared back strength prove overwhelming. The weak must learn to survive on their own merits.”

Like the Kikwi? Link thought but didn’t say, raising the tip of his black sword experimentally. The false Ghirahim’s eyes followed it, his hand drifting sideways.

As always, the Thunder Dragon had let him bring the sword he carried with him—Ghirahim's sword now, instead of the Goddess Sword. Could this simulated Ghirahim still steal it away?

For the moment, he needn't find out. He had sparred often enough with Ghirahim since this battle to make his "training" style of battle all too familiar. Switching his sword's direction quickly, Link scored a line of diamonds down his side.

"You've grown quite comfortable with me, haven't you, Link?" the Ghirahim beside him mused. The Ghirahim he had struck approached again, silent. "No wonder you have come to harbor such affection."

[helloalycia]

teenage dirtbag [two] // wanda maximoff

summary: your crush begins to get more intense for Wanda, ensuing awkwardness between you both

warning/s: none

author's note: so glad you’re all liking this, here’s part two! 🥰

part one | part three | part four | part five | masterlist | wattpad

I knew it was a dream as soon as it began. Dreams never tricked me as I always detected something didn't feel right and figured out it wasn't real. But that was my only 'talent' with dreams, as everything else was left down to my subconscious. I couldn't control them, break away from the script or deviate from the scene in any way. I just knew when it wasn't real.

Admittedly, it took a little longer for me to recognise this one was a dream compared to others I'd had. It just seemed so normal as I headed into Chemistry class, seeing other students filing in and joining their partners. Mr. Hale was at the front of the class, occupied by his laptop and the projector, and it felt like any other day at school. The lights were off and the blinds were closed slightly, leaving the room in darkness except for the light from the board.

"Are we watching a film or something?" I asked Wanda as I set my bag on the desk beside her, earning her attention.

She looked up from her notepad and smiled widely, blue eyes sparkling in the darkness. "You're here, you took forever!"

"You saw me two lessons ago," I teased, taking a seat beside her.

She moved closer to me, hands immediately moving to my left one, playing with my fingers mindlessly. It felt right at the time, but I knew deep down that this wasn't real. In what world would this happen?

"Still," she mumbled adorably, before meeting my eyes. "We're watching some video about the periodic table."

I hummed, glancing at Mr. Hale as he struggled to pull up the video.

"Thank God because I couldn't be bothered doing work," Wanda added with a sigh, before moving closer to me, leaning on the palm of her hand as the other held mine still. "D'you think you can cover for me whilst I sneak in a nap?"

I stifled a laugh, moving closer and admiring the way her eyes changed colour in the light from the board. "I'm sure you're supposed to be paying attention."

She scrunched her nose, an uninterested smile on her lips, and it made my heart flutter.

"Fine, I'll cover for you," I gave in easily, before pressing a kiss to her nose.

She giggled quietly and when I pulled back, she leaned in and kissed my lips. Her free hand moved to the back of my neck as I rested mine on her lap, closing my eyes and falling into her without question. Okay, so yeah, definitely a dream, but I wasn't complaining.

"If Miss Maximoff and Miss Y/L/N can kindly stop making out, then we can begin the lesson," Mr. Hale announced, breaking Wanda and I's kiss.

Some of the class snickered as we separated from each other's hold, cheeks flushing with embarrassment. He gave us a fed up look.

"Thank you," he said, before erupting into a speech about today's lesson.

When he started the video, I leaned forward on the desk to get comfortable and felt Wanda do the same, leaning her head on my arm and continuing to play with my hand. I smiled to myself, kissing the top of her head gently before getting comfortable. It all seemed too good to be true, but God was it a nice thought.

When I woke up the next morning with butterflies in my stomach, I groaned loudly. I knew I'd screwed myself over. I was in too deep. Dreaming about Wanda was not good, not good at all...

And it definitely didn't help when I showed up to class that same day, approaching my table and an already-seated Wanda. Just a dream, I told myself as I took a seat. Not real. And not a big deal.

"Good morning," she greeted when I sat down and pulled my books out. Her usual picture perfect smile was on her lips as she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "How are you?"

Trying my best not to think about my dream, I gave her a small smile. "G-good, yeah."

Fuck me, why did I stutter?

"You sure? You seem distracted," she noticed, making me swallow hard and look away from her piercing gaze.

"Yeah," I managed to say without stuttering once again. "Just tired. What about you?"

"Same," she said with a breathy chuckle, her leg brushing mine under the table and making me freeze. She didn't seem to notice as she continued, "I stayed up late binge-watching Netflix. Probably the wrong choice, but here we are."

I bit my lip to contain a laugh, relaxing a little. It was just a dream. She wasn't that bad. I was fine!

Class started and Mr. Hale was explaining something about doing a practical experiment today, but if I'm being honest, I was barely listening. Stuck in a daydream, I was wiggling my pen in my right hand and staring at the display behind Mr. Hale's head mindlessly.

Suddenly, a warm hand rested on mine, pressing it to the table and stopping me from shaking my pen. I shit you not, my heart stopped when I saw Wanda smirking playfully at me.

"D'you mind?" she asked, clearly finding my wiggling pen distracting.

All I could think about was how soft and warm her hand was, and then I became aware of her bare leg still brushing against mine – she just had to wear a dress today, didn't she? – and then the fact that she was still staring at me with amusement dancing in her eyes. My dream from last night returned to mind as she was still yet to remove her hand and I was lucky I managed to find my words as I choked out a response.

"S-sorry," I said, frozen in place, yet again, by Wanda's presence.

She snickered, shaking her head at my dismay, before finally letting go of my hand. I licked my lips nervously and let go of my pen, but not quite finding the energy to move my hand. I could still feel the warmth of her hand lingering on mine and, oh God, this was getting worse by the second. Why did I have to have that stupid dream?!

Clearly distracted by my own stupidity, I failed to realise that Mr. Hale had let us begin with our experiment, whatever that may be as I wasn't listening. Wanda was nudging me slightly, bringing me back into reality, and said something about getting lab coats and goggles whilst I got the bunsen burner.

I watched her leave and massaged my head, telling myself to get my act together. I was not the stupid cliché of a girl who acted nervous around her crush. I was better than that, goddamn it.

After getting the bunsen burner, I hooked it up to the gas tap as Wanda returned with our lab coats and safety goggles. We both put them on before Wanda gave me a knowing look, humoured smile tugging at her lips. I was beginning to hate (love) that look.

"You totally weren't paying attention during that, were you?" she asked, but she definitely already knew the answer.

"'Course I was," I played it cool, before wandering over to the handout on our desk. "We're doing an experiment."

She chuckled as I distracted myself with reading the instructions.

"So it says the first instruction is to boil some water in a beaker," I said with a nod. "Seems easy enough. Just gotta get a beaker."

My mouth went dry when Wanda hunched down on the desk, reading the paper between us. I hoped she couldn't hear how fast my heart was beating in my chest.

"You think you can manage that one?" she teased, glancing up at me with that same playful smirk on her lips.

Her eyes twinkled with mischief, similar to the one her twin possessed on a regular basis, and I'd never felt more stuck in place in my life than I did now. Without thinking, my gaze lowered to her lips and I realised then and there how badly I wanted to feel her lips against mine for real. She was so close I could move forward a mere few inches and feel it, but I didn't.

"Y-yeah, I'll get it now," I stumbled out, before literally stumbling over the stool as I made a move to leave.

I tried to ignore the way her gaze followed me and instead focused on getting to the beakers without passing out. To my relief, Y/BF/N was also collecting a beaker for him and his partner, too. When I stopped by his side, he looked up to see who it was, then smiled.

"You alright?" he asked, sensing my panic.

I shook my head frantically. "Definitely not. This is really bad, Y/BF/N."

Y/BF/N furrowed his brows, making me give him the look, to which he eventually followed what I meant.

"What happened?" he asked, trying (and failing) to hide his amusement.

I made sure nobody was nearby or could hear us before admitting, "I had a dream."

He raised his eyebrows suggestively, making me slap him on the arm quickly.

"Not that kind of dream, you perv," I clarified, before sighing. "But a dream. About you-know-who. And it threw me off and now I can't seem to act like a human."

He snorted as he tried not to laugh. I glared at him, shoving him again, making him laugh out loud.

"I'm sorry," he defended. "It's just– you've got it bad."

"Very helpful." I narrowed my eyes.

"Look, it's new which is why you're all awkward," he said knowingly, collecting his beaker. "It'll eventually pass when you get used to it. Until then, try not to do anything stupid."

"Too late," I mumbled under my breath.

He patted me reassuringly before leaving. I grabbed a beaker and turned around, deciding to take it easy. I'd get over it. I always did. I wasn't stupid. Yeah, I wasn't stupid. I had this!

But that thinking immediately went out the window when I approached our workspace and saw Wanda leaning on the desk, looking over the handout with thought. Her hair was pulled back for safety reasons, exposing her tensed jaw and pursed lips. She was wearing her lab coat over her black, knee-length dress and I'm not gonna lie, she looked extremely sexy today because she was wearing matching black knee-high boots. I gulped.

God help me.

—

You'd be relieved to know that my crush on Wanda died down after a while. Not in the way that I no longer had a crush on her – God knew I was overflowing with feelings for her – but in the way that I was getting a lot better at hiding it.

Which was perfect for when I saw her with her dick of a boyfriend. You'd be surprised how many times he kept popping up. And when he did, I always seemed to want to strangle him.

This time, I was working my new part-time job at a pizza place in town. Y/BF/N was keeping me company on my shift by taking extra long to finish his pizza so we could talk at the counter. I was drying some glasses as we spoke when the door to the parlour opened and the bell jingled, signalling new customers.

"I believe that's your cue," Y/BF/N teased, making me roll my eyes playfully.

My gaze wandered to the door where I saw a small group of teens walking in and finding a seat. It took me a second to realise that it was actually Wanda and her friends, including her boyfriend, who were looking for a table. My eyes widened with surprise as she looked around. Her eyes found mine and an excited smile appeared on her face as she waved to me.

"This just keeps getting better," Y/BF/N said when he saw Wanda heading our way, thankfully without her friends.

I pinched him before straightening up and plastering my best customer service smile on my lips. Wanda stopped before me, smiling between Y/BF/N and I.

"Hey, guys," she greeted brightly, to which Y/BF/N smiled in return, before looking my way and making my stomach flip at how pretty she looked today. "Y/N, I didn't know you worked here!"

"Yeah, it's kinda new," I answered coolly. "Gotta get that extra money, right?"

She nodded before grabbing the tip of my cap on my head and wiggling it, letting out a laugh. "You look adorable in your uniform, I must say."

I forgot how to breathe as she let go of my cap, her eyes still glittering with joy. Y/BF/N tried to hide his laughter as he sipped his drink, meanwhile I felt my neck heating up with embarrassment.

"Th-thanks," I got out nervously. I know what you're thinking – I said I got better at hiding my crush. And I have! I just– why did she have to put me on the spot like this?!

"I should get back," she said after a moment, pointing over her shoulder towards her friends. "But it was nice seeing you. Are you serving us?"

I nodded, regaining composure. "I'll be over in a minute. Give you chance to pick something."

"Awesome," she said sweetly, flashing me a final smile before heading back to her friends.

I released a shaky breath when she left, taking my cap off and massaging my head momentarily.

"I feel like she flirts with you just to see what happens," Y/BF/N said with amusement.

"It's just her personality," I mumbled, before putting my cap back on and taking a deep breath. "Time to work."

I continued to do my job as usual, thankfully not being affected by Wanda's presence, and took their orders. It was pretty uneventful as I served them their food and continued to hang with Y/BF/N by the counter. Every time I'd look over at her out of bad habit, I'd feel uneasy at the sight of Nate having his hands all over her. I mean, obviously he could – he was her boyfriend – but admittedly, I was a little jealous. I tried to ignore the feeling by busying myself with other things.

Wanda's friends were being a little noisier and rowdier than I'd liked, but it wasn't particularly busy so I saw no need to shut them up. Yeah, in hindsight, maybe I should have.

Clearing a table after some customers left, I balanced a tray of glasses in my hand and headed back to the counter. But on the way, a football came out of nowhere and got launched at my chest, making me drop the tray onto the floor with a loud crash. The rowdiness from Wanda's table ceased momentarily, as did the chatter from other customers, and I looked up to see Nate and his friends watching me, trying to suppress laughter.

"I am so sorry," Nate called with anything but guilt.

"Shit, Y/N, you okay?" Y/BF/N said, racing to my side in an instant.

I nodded, clenching my jaw, and bent down to clean up the mess. My boss must have heard the commotion as she came out from the kitchen and saw what happened, putting two and two together.

"Right, all of you out," she ordered without questioning anything, looking to Nate and the rest of the table. "We don't tolerate that tomfoolery here."

They groaned their complaints, but I didn't bother looking up to see, instead focusing on cleaning up the mess. Luckily for me, the tray took most of the hit rather than my chest, so unlike last time, I wasn't hurt.

"You're lucky I'm not charging you for the broken glasses, honey," my boss continued to scold Nate as he walked past, grabbing his football.

I saw feet shuffling past me, presuming it was their table leaving, and focused on picking up the large shards of glass and putting them on the tray. Y/BF/N helped out, even though he didn't need to, and I smiled at him as he knelt opposite me doing the same.

"Y/N, I'm so sorry," Wanda's voice grabbed my attention, making me look up. She had a guilty frown on her lips as she looked between the mess and I.

I stood up, shaking my head. "It's fine. It's–" But I stopped speaking, instead letting out an exhausted sigh. "No offence, but your boyfriend is a dick."

She pressed her lips together, not saying anything. I felt bad for saying it, but this was the second time he'd hit me with his stupid ball. It was true.

"I should clean this up," I mumbled, avoiding her eyes. "See you at school."

She opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. I knelt down and continued to clean up, hoping she'd walk away already. This was awkward enough as it was.

"See you guys at school," she finally spoke, making me pause. "Sorry, again."

Y/BF/N bid her a goodbye before she left for good. I let out another sigh, deciding not to say anything as I continued cleaning up. It would never make sense to me why someone as lovely as Wanda would be with someone as obnoxious as Nate. I guess I'd never know.

—

Since that lovely incident at the pizza parlour, things had been a little distant between Wanda and I. Mostly on my part if I'm being honest. I couldn't help it – the whole situation had been uncomfortable and embarrassing, making it impossible to return to how we usually were.

This meant that Wanda was the one to come to me and check in, which I definitely wasn't expecting.

I was at home one afternoon, hanging with my older sister who was staying with us for a week. She'd moved out a year ago, getting her own place a few towns over, so I missed her presence a lot. I took advantage of her weekly visit by having a catch up as we played basketball in the front drive.

Disclaimer: none of us were good at basketball, but the hoop came with the house and it was simply tradition for us to attempt to shoot baskets as we had a catch up. Only, this time, as we were talking, a loud car engine pulled us from our chat and we both spun around to see an unfamiliar car parking up.

"That must be mum's customer," Y/S/N realised, holding the basketball underneath her arm. She glanced at me with a quirked brow. "You think we're gonna get roped into helping?"

"Most definitely," I answered with a chuckle, and just on cue, our mum opened the garage door behind us.

She was a florist and had a large pick-up delivery for a customer today. Apparently they were a good friend, so she had the flowers delivered to our house and they were waiting in our garage until now.

"Can you girls give me a hand?" she asked my sister and I, motioning for us to go to her. "I'm gonna say hi. Just start bringing the crates out, yeah?"

We both saluted playfully before watching her go to the customer's car. My jaw dropped when I saw who it was – Wanda's mum. And to top things off, Wanda and Pietro were both with her, the three of them getting out of their car and greeting my mum with smiles on their faces.

"You cool?" my sister asked, nudging me slightly.

I closed my mouth, straightening up. "Yeah, yeah, duh."

She gave me a funny look but grabbed a crate and began to leave it in the drive for the moment. I swallowed the lump in my throat and did the same, knowing both Wanda and Pietro were approaching us after my mum pointed them our way.

"Y/N, hey," Wanda said, stopping before my sister and I. She gave my sister a friendly smile before looking to me with nervous eyes. "It's good to see you."

I tried to say something – anything – but my words got stuck in my throat and all that came out was a weird noise. Partially because of the awkwardness between us at my fault and partially because of how pretty she looked in her sundress.

"Hi, I'm Y/S/N," my sister cut in, noticing my quietness. She gave me a sideways glance before looking to the twins. "It's Wanda and Pietro, right?"

"Yeah," Wanda said with a smile, eyes lingering on mine before looking to my sister. "We're just helping our mum out to load the car."

"I'm the muscle," Pietro joked, lifting his bicep, making Wanda roll her eyes jokingly.

"Okay, muscle, you can come help me get these out the garage," my sister played along before looking to Wanda and I. "You guys okay to load the car?"

Wanda nodded. "Sure thing."

Y/S/N grabbed Pietro, who shot me a friendly smile, before leaving Wanda and I alone.

"Your sister seems nice," Wanda tried to make conversation as we both grabbed a crate and took it to the back of her mum's car.

"Yeah," I agreed uncomfortably. "She's just visiting."

Wanda hummed in acknowledgment, neither of us knowing what else to say. We walked past our chatting mothers before setting the crates in the back of her mum's car.

"Are we okay?" Wanda asked suddenly, as soon as our hands were free. I looked to her and saw she was debating something internally before looking to me. "I mean, I know we're okay, but I just– I feel like you've been off since, well... since Nate threw that ball at you."

My neck heated up with embarrassment as I cleared my throat; my eyes fell to the flowers in the crates.

"I really am sorry," she apologised again, resting a hand on my forearm, sending shivers up my spine. "He can be such a jerk sometimes. Does stuff without thinking."

"You don't need to apologise," I said, finally lifting my eyes to meet her anxious green ones. And I meant it – Nate's idiocy wasn't her fault and it was harsh of me to make her seem like it was. I sighed, knowing my distant behaviour would end here. "We're good, Wanda."

She still seemed uncertain. "You sure?"

I gave her my best smile, hoping she knew I meant it. "I'm sure."

Her tense shoulders relaxed and a relieved smile spread across her face. "Okay, good. I'm glad."

She held my gaze and I just knew my heart was beating too fast to be useful as she did. She was just so beautiful.

"You know, the whole point of splitting into teams was to be done quicker," Pietro's voice interrupted our staring contest.

He stepped between us, glancing between us with amusement, before setting a crate in the back of the car.

"Right, yeah, we were just on our way back," I said, smiling sheepishly.

Pietro smirked. "No harm no foul, princess."

I was taken aback slightly as he called me that, and even more taken aback when he plucked a flower from the crate and offered it my way.

"For you," he said, half joking and half serious.

Unsure what to say, I accepted the flower. "Er, thanks... I think."

Wanda crossed her arms behind him, eyes narrowed in his direction. I wondered what she was thinking, but never got the chance to ask as their mum's voice called out to us.

"Pietro, I paid to use the bouquets," she said with mild distress, "not so you could ruin them."

His cheeks flushed as he called back, "Sorry!"

I tried not to laugh as the three of us headed back to get the rest of the crates, being sure to set the flower to the side. We ended up filling her car with the bouquets before facing our parents as we bid them a goodbye.

"They're lovely, Y/M/N," Wanda's mum was complimenting the flowers. "Thank you again."

My mum patted her back. "Anytime, dear." She looked between the twins and my sister and I. "Thank you all for helping out."

Y/S/N and I smiled her way as Wanda's mum nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, thank you!" she added, looking to Y/S/N and I. "It's so great to see you all together. Especially you two, Wanda and Y/N. It's nice to know you're good friends after so long of barely speaking."

Wanda's face was beginning to turn pink as I'm sure mine was doing the same.

"Yes, I agree," my mum said with a smile. "Anyway, we won't keep you any longer. Good luck with the banquet!"

Wanda and Pietro waved goodbye to Y/S/N and I before joining their mum in the car. I followed her figure subconsciously, butterflies floating in my stomach until their car was gone.

"Damn, I really missed a lot," Y/S/N said when they were gone, wrapping an arm over my shoulder and tugging me closer. "You're crushing hard."

Instantly, I looked to her. "What? What are you talking about?"

She rolled her eyes, letting go of me. "So we're playing that game. Okay. I'll bite."

As she began to walk away, I chased after her. "What game? Y/S/N? What are you talking about?"

She merely laughed and allowed me to chase her, wondering how the hell she knew of my crush on Wanda. Was I that obvious?

[lothrilzul]

Funny how most of my predecided plans fail once I start listening to characters, and once I allow my PC to settle on a personality after their first few interactions.

Emerencia Cousland was a warrior, because I figured it'd easier to watch out for the tank if I was the tank. Having a heal mage is nice, of course, but I can chug potions too. She was eager to get fighting, just shy of her 18th birthday. She was hushed to stay and keep Highever. She was discouraged from even speaking to Duncan. She was urged to find a husband be a good wife. She didn't want to marry a nobleman. She hated Rendon Howe from the moment I laid eyes upon his face, and wasn't particularly fond of any other one, either. She was polite, but kept her distance.

And then everything went to shit. Her dear father and her brave mother died, her brother lost and she was forced to flee. And than Duncan saved her. Or so I thought. She was eager to join, because she had nothing to lose. After the Joining, which was a disaster, she felt betrayed. And if that wasn't enough, she was made public enemy number one for trying to do the right thing. But she couldn't get answer from Duncan anymore. She couldn't turn to Alistair, because he was barely any more experienced. She stumbled into the most haphazard band of misfits and befriended most of them. All she ever wanted was a peaceful life, where everyone could tolerate ther others and problems could be solved through words first.

Thrn, her past acquaintance with Alistair evolved into friendship, then interest, then love. She knew it would have the potential to hurt both of them, and so must he, yet neither of them stopped.

I always replied what I thought fit her mindset. This lead to Alistair remain unhardened, and thus not wanting to be King. So she didn't make him. He was on the fence, she could've push him either way, but she only wanted him to be happy. So I kept Alistair a Warden, despite I started a Couslanf so I had a chance at all to be Queen. Then I throw it away. Was it a good choice? Perhaps not, because this will mean I'll see Alistair again in that quest.

Then, Alma Hawke. How do I unpack her? I made a rogue, because I wanted to open the locks myself. In all honestly, I still entertainrd the thought of a Fenris romance but that would mean either making Fenris OR Emerencia grieve later and I didn't want that on him, so I jumped on the first time he declined my interest and called the matter finished. Which left me with my original, more tragic intention. I made a purple, pro-mage Hawke and relentlessly teased the apostate. I befriended him before Act 1 wrapped up.

And then that ominous kiss scene happened. I'm not gonna lie, I love a vocal man. I love touch starved man. And I love two idiots against the world relationships. So I dug myself deep, deep into Handers pit.

I originally planned to have them break up or have her kill him, but the more they interacted, the more I saw everything unfold, the less and less control I had. I said to myself ig Hawke feels it was anything personal she will act like it. And it was nothing like that.

So I spared him, saved the mages and they are supposedly on the run together.

Which is bad, because now I have choose between sacrificing Alistair and taking the last thing that keeps any light in Emerencia or sacrifice Alma, and let Anders loose with the possibly most devastating reaction any DA2 LIs could have.

And there's also the very much existing friendship between Emerencia and Anders. Either of them loses their other half, the other would feel bad about it.

I briefly considered leaving Alistair there and my cognitive functions shut down. There's no way I'd do that.

So, Emerencia will have a very bad timr trying to console Anders, and then trying to shelter him and possibly stop him from doing any harm, himself included.

Then, I was halfway finishing my Trevelyan when Kiddo reminded me I promised to make an elf. So, I backtracked, made a Lavellan anf named her Tünde. That's a valid Hungarian name, equivalent of Fay, used for elves in fantasy translations. Oh, and she's a mage.

There's no way I romance Cullen after that. I don't need another layer to this rollercoaster. Can you imagine the added bonus to all this package? No, let's stick to something of the original plan by going yet again for the Warden.

Or go Egg. That's a tragedy on its own.

[mimisempai]

Missing you comes in waves and tonight I'm drowning

Summary:

After seeing Loki disappear before his eyes and confined to the TVA because of the failed mission, Mobius decides to still believe in Loki and search for him. He witnesses the discussion between Sylvie and Loki on the train

Notes:

My theories on the method used by Mobius to locate Loki is probably very far-fetched and lacks technical truth, but that's not the most important point here, so I hope you'll forgive me for my short cuts. (I miss them together!)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32162878

2008 words - Rating G

"Loki! Wait!"

Loki looked at him for a moment before stepping through the portal.

By the time they got there, it was too late Loki and the portal was gone.

"I knew he would betray us as soon as he could!" said one of the hunters right next to Mobius.

"Shut up!" shouted Mobius at him before returning to the TVA.

As he walked toward Ravonna's office, the same thoughts swirled over and over in his head.

Had Loki betrayed him! What were his plans? But worst of all, was he in danger?

He tried to think rationally.

Loki always said he was one step ahead, but Mobius knew that wasn't true. Loki was improvising. Loki was adapting. So reason told Mobius that this is what he had done.

That's when Mobius decided to do something he'd never done in his life at the TVA, he was going to bet on chaos. On the fact that Loki had chosen to follow the variant not only for his own sake but also because it was his mission.

Because Mobius could not imagine that what they had shared was nothing in the eyes of the god.

"Mobius! In my office!"

Ravonna... he was already imagining her reprimands, "I warned you" "he can't be trusted"...

As soon as he entered her office, she showed him a screen and just said, "Look!"

A scene showing the variant fighting in a hallway with the guards and Loki in the locker room retrieving his daggers then arriving at the place where the guards were eliminated.

Next scene Loki and the variant fighting, Loki trying to convince her to team up, at this point, despite the faith he has in him, Mobius could not determine if this is a way to stop her or get what he wants.

Then Rovenna arrives and the variant uses Loki as a hostage.

Mobius could not prevent a gasp.

Still on the screen, seeing that Rovenna is not persuaded, Loki grabs an object that opens a portal above them and he and the Variant disappear.

Mobius tried not to show his relief, but he saw that Rovenna was not fooled.

"So you still trust him?"

Mobius looked at her defiantly, "As long as I don't have concrete, real proof that he betrayed us, yes I’ll trust him!"

"Always the idealistic dreamer huh?"

Mobius didn't answer, Rovenna continued, "You're grounded here until I tell you otherwise. You can get out."

Once out, Mobius sat in a chair, held his head in his hands, and began to think. He was grounded, but there was nothing to stop him from trying to figure out where Loki was.

He just had to figure out how to locate him.

The difference was that now, thanks to Loki, he knew to look in the apocalypses, what he had to find now was the equivalent of that candy, something out of the ordinary, something anachronistic.

He stood up suddenly, he had found it!

He went to the office, where the screen that displayed all the nexuses was located.

"Casey! Come here!"

The younger man got up and joined him. Mobius spoke more softly, "Will you help me with a secret project?"

Casey, who had great respect for the man, nodded.

"Follow me."

They headed into the archive room. Mobius chose a table a little out of the way.

"You sit here. I'll be right back."

A few minutes later, he returned with a stack of files that he separated into two piles.

"In all these apocalypses, we need to find one where it mentions two Lokis variants and unusual magical acts."

"Got it!"

Mobius didn't know if his smoky theory would work out, but he didn't have much choice.

He couldn't help but think back to a similar scene a few days earlier, when Loki had fallen asleep. He had let his guard down in the presence of Mobius, so that meant something, didn't it?

He started to flip through the files.

"M-Mobius! I think I've got it!"

Casey was showing him a file, Lamentis-1 - 2077, a woman reports that two demons tried to attack her. One even allegedly posed as her deceased husband in order to get information.

Mobius could feel it in his bones. It was Loki and the Variant.

He was going to have to gamble on someone again.

"Casey. I need you to keep this a secret for a while longer. If Ravonna gets wind of this, I'm afraid she'll launch an assault and won't hesitate to eliminate Loki."

Casey nodded without taking time to think, "As long as you need Mobius."

Mobius was surprised that he didn't have to persuade Casey more than that.

After all, he seemed to be the good, loyal employee who never disobeyed.

Casey, seeing his reaction, added with a knowing smile, "You know, I like Loki too. He promised me he'd show me what a fish is and you know? The drink he took from me the other day, he bought me another one and apologized. A villain wouldn't take the time to do something like that right?"

Mobius's throat tightened. Casey was the first person other than himself to acknowledge that there was good in Loki.

"Thanks."

Casey nodded and returned to his desk.

Mobius headed straight for the video archive room. The advantage of being an agent of his rank was that he had unrestricted access to this section of the archives.

He searched through the shelves until he found the videos of Lamentis 1 in 2077.

He sat down in front of one of the small projectors provided for this purpose. He was going to start from the described scene that Casey had shown him.

After entering a few parameters, the screen lit up with Loki being blasted by an old woman.

The noise of the meteors that rained down around

Loki and the one who accompanied him, prevented Mobius from hearing what was being said.He pressed the fast-forward button until Loki and the girl, after some trouble to enter the train, found themselves in a box in the dining car.

He turned up the volume to hear their conversation.

He was amazed at how easily they seemed to converse, despite the jabs on both sides, and couldn't help a twinge of annoyance that he refused to recognize as jealousy.

The variant said to Loki, mockingly, "FYI, that wasn't even a plan."

"Oh, really?"

God how Mobius missed that cheeky attitude. Even when unmasked, Loki still had that irritating confidence.

The variant replied, "Plans have multiple steps. Dressing as a guard and getting on a train is just doing a thing."

She couldn't hold back a yawn.

Loki responded, "Oh, are you a bit tired? Feel free to, you know, get some rest."

One thing Mobius had realized and Casey had confirmed to him just before was that Loki cared more about others than he let on if you paid attention.

The variant grunted and replied, "I can't sleep in a place like this."

"You can't sleep on a train?"

The variant retorted, irritated, "No. I can't sleep around untrustworthy people."

Loki replied, still cheeky, "Oh, right. That's me?"

Fearing he might misinterpret what had been said, Mobius pressed rewind and let the scene play out before him.

The image of Loki nodding in agreement about not being able to sleep near people he couldn't trust was superimposed on the image of Loki sound asleep in his company.

He could not suppress the pang of his heart.

Loki trusted him, Loki considered him trustworthy.

While he was thinking, the video had continued and Loki was now talking about his mother.

Mobius had witnessed Loki's relationship with his mother and his devastation at the news of her death.

Loki's voice had become more hushed, with that hint of fragility he had whenever he spoke of her.

"She was, um... A Queen of Asgard. She was good. Purely decent."

Then the variant and Loki respectively provoked each other about the fact that they were adopted and Loki continued, "You know, when I was young, she'd do these little bits of magic for me. Like turn a flower into a frog or cast fireworks over the water. It all seemed impossible. But she told me that I'd be able to do it too because... Because I could do anything. You wanna see?"

Loki sets off tiny fireworks over his hand.

Mobius could not deny his feelings at that moment.

The sight of magic coming from Loki's hands, pure magic, was enchanting.

Loki continued, "She was the kinda person you'd want to believe in you."

Mobius could not help but whisper, "Loki, I believe in you."

For a few moments he didn't catch the conversation until it was audible again. Apparently they were talking about their love interests.

The variant asked Loki, "How about you? You're a prince. Must've been would-be-princesses or perhaps, another prince." She finished with a wink.

Loki, replied with a serious look, "A bit of both. I suspect the same as you. But, nothing ever..."

The variant finished his sentence, "real."

"Let me find you and I'll prove to you how real it is." Mobius didn't realize he was speaking aloud. He pushed fast-forward again.

The Variant had fallen asleep and Loki looked a little giddy.

Loki waved his hand and was back in his TVA agent costume.

He could wear the illusion of any outfit, and he chose this one. Why stay in these clothes?

Mobius really didn't want to be under any illusions, because how could he imagine that someone like Loki, a prince, a god, would want to claim a belonging to something like the TVA... to someone like Mobius?

Loki had started to dance and sing.

Mobius could not help but laugh. Then his laughter died down as Loki's song became more melancholic,

I stormsvarte fjell, jeg vandrer alene

Over isbreen tar jeg meg frem

I eplehagen står møyen den vene

og synger "når kommer du hjem?"

Men traner danser og fossene stanser

når hun synger, hun synger "kom hjem"

Then seeming to regain his spirits, Loki began to dance and sing happily again as if trying to prevent nostalgia from invading him.

When the music stopped, he joined the Variant and resumed his seat in front of him. Mobius managed to understand what they were saying to each other.

"What did you just sing to look so disturbed?"

Loki looked a little moved and answered him with the voice Mobius knew well, the one he used when he was serious, when he was sincere.

"It's Asgardian, it says:

In storm-black mountains, I wander alone

Over the glacier I make my way

In the apple garden stands the maiden fair and sings,

"When will you come home?"

Loki stopped, apparently moved, and the Variant simply said, "So there's a would-be-princess somewhere..."

Loki chuckled looking so sad before answering her, "I like metaphors you know, it's not a princess it's a prince, and I don't know if he's waiting for me or hoping to see me again, it's not even really my home, but..."

"But you'd like to believe that right?"

Loki nodded.

Mobius, didn't dare to believe that it was him that Loki was talking about, even though he couldn't stop the hope from rising up inside him.

The video continued, much more animated, after a wild fight, both jumped off the moving train and found themselves walking through a kind of desert towards the energy source they apparently needed to reactivate the tempad.

Mobius saw Loki suddenly stop, looking shocked. But Mobius was unable to hear what they were saying, the sound of the meteors again covering their voices.

Suddenly, Loki shouted louder, "But they don't know that!"

And they began to run.

Mobius could see that Loki was repeating something as he ran, an expression that Mobius had never seen on his face. Like he was worried. But he couldn't hear him. He zoomed in closer to try to read Loki's lips and finally succeeded.

Mobius.

_________

The whole serie here : The story of Loki and Mobius

Not beta'd I hope you enjoyed it 🥰

[book-o-scams]

'Sorry Wrong Ed' Alternate Ending Storyboard Sequence

Check out Al Kang's Ed, Edd n Eddy portfolio!

Al Kang worked on the show during seasons 3-4 and had roles on the storyboard and prop teams apparently. (IMDb says he was credited as Al Choi at the time, but it also says he worked on season 1 episodes, which doesn't line up with the timeline he mentioned.. anyway.)

I discovered his portfolio a few months ago after seeing fandom discussion of the alternate 'Sorry Wrong Ed' ending. I was pleasantly surprised to find a few other treats as well! But yes, I even sorta liked what I learned about 'Sorry Wrong Ed' in the process... (I threw in a little analysis comparing the two endings at the bottom)

I noticed Al seemed to mix up the order on these, so I thought I'd try my best to figure out the right order. This was the most confusing one for me to try and figure out the order of since almost all 8 pages were out of order. I think I finally figured out what's going on in the original ending.

So this alternate ending starts at an unknown point with Eddy flat on the ground, presumably injured, picking himself back up. At this point in the final cut of the episode, Eddy has just been squashed by a tree, but this seems more like a different injury, and he's not even retaining his injuries from the truck scene... The scenes with Jonny and Plank from the final cut of the episode seem to not exist at all here, Jonny and Plank don't appear in this sequence.

Anyway, Eddy picks himself up in the middle of an on-going scene, sees Jimmy drop a coin in a jar for Ed, who has inexplicably turned the cursed phone into a scam on his own. Edd is glaring at the off-screen kids, who have somehow learned about this phone and are excited to kill Eddy with it.

Eddy: "Jimmy! No!"

Jimmy answers the phone: "Hello?"

Ed: "HA HA HA"

Edd: "You people don't seriously believe--"

Then we sync up with gags that did happen in the ending of Sorry Wrong Ed, with context that makes its tone a little more sadistic than random. Jimmy's paid phonecall drops the sandbox on Eddy.

This page has the most skeletal dialogue...

Kev: "Yes." (I think he's meant to be fist pumping because Eddy got hurt, more of a "Yes!")

Jimmy: "BAD LUCK EDDY PHONE." (this dialogue must have been a placeholder)

Edd: "HA HA" (sarcastic ha-ha or did Al mean to write "Ed" for this?)

Jimmy seems to offer the phone to Edd.

We sync up again with Edd's denial from the final cut of this episode, except now it actually makes sense that he's so one-track-minded, because there are people actively arguing with him and keeping him disengaged from the victim.

Edd: "There must be a cargo plane overfilled with playground supplies..."

Sarah interrupts him.

RING RING

Sarah: "Oh, that's for me."

Eddy at this point holds Ed responsible, as he should, and starts running to stop Ed or Sarah. Ed offers no explanation for his betrayal.

Eddy: "Ed! What are you doing!?"

Sarah: "Hello?"

Sarah's paid phonecall summons the hippos, the most random moment in the final cut of the episode. Note how both of these slapstick gags were storyboarded on the same generic background, seems like the lane or an empty lot, but clearly a different location than Eddy's front yard from the aired ending.

And that's all we have to go off of!

I'll put my updated opinions below the cut, but suffice it to say, I like the episode a little better now! Knowing what the ending was going to be and trying to figure out the choices that led to the ending we got, I feel more appreciative that it didn't end up a lost episode or something and less annoyed that it was 11 minutes of one joke.

I know I have a reputation for not finding slapstick funny and disliking this episode, but violence was never my only issue. Lots of episodes have lackluster slapstick that I just let wash over me. My point that never gets as much focus is that this episode never felt FINISHED to begin with. It's just a slapstick vacuum with no ending and no point, and it used to be frustrating to me not knowing for sure if my hunch was right or not that it felt like the episode just wasn't working and they had to cobble it together from the scenes that almost worked.

I am surprised to say I like the episode more now that I know that is pretty close to the truth. Judging from this peek into the episode's development, this episode seems to have reached Danny Antonucci's and/or Wootie's (the episode's lead board artist) limit for being mean-spirited with the characters without a reason. I'll still probably avoid rewatching it, but knowing the episode has no ending specifically because it's been trimmed to bare bones is somehow reassuring.

The most obvious flaw to this original ending is the lack of motivation for Ed's or the kids' actions. The kids presumably still weren't in the rest of the episode, so there's really no reason for them to be here other than reiterating the same idea from 'Your Ed Here' and 'The Good Ole Ed' that the neighborhood kids are always looking for a reason to gang up on Eddy, something that isn't really true of those characters in earlier seasons.

I think I can imagine how, on paper (in the writers' outline), this episode sounded funnier. Trying to imagine this ending as part of the whole episode, I think the script's idea of the final joke is that Ed is not satisfied with ending the tests at the point where they tried to return the phone to Rolf. I think Ed converts the curse-testing process to a scam at that point, building off of how Ed already wasn't processing Eddy's safety in anything so far, and is probably more focused on proving to Edd that curses are real (as Ed was previously in league with Evil Tim). The addition of Ed running his own tests and the kids arguing Eddy's point against Edd's while Eddy's busy, does sound more like a complete manic cartoon boiling point than the way the finished episode just petered out with Edd as the sole antagonist. But unfortunately, in visual execution, suddenly piling in so many aggressive characters and so much random violence at once, would only really result in it petering out at a higher volume.

Meanwhile Edd's characterization is made much more structurally sound in the original ending. He's annoyed FOR Eddy's sake, and the only reason he's not actively helping Eddy is because like 3 other characters were supposed to be arguing with him while this was happening. It seems extremely apparent to me that the cuts made to this ending were for the sake of mitigating Ed's reputation in the fandom, as well as the kids', and I think it's really unfortunate that Edd's characterization was the cost for salvaging everyone else's. I'm glad I already considered his behavior in 'Sorry Wrong Ed' non-canon, because now it feels like the reason the aired ending is so out-of-character is just because Edd is basically arguing with the ghost of the original scene. I formally forgive 'Sorry Wrong Ed'. Production turnarounds are tough and AKA did their best to not turn this into another forgotten 'Special Ed' episode that simply wasn't working.

I think ditching the original ending was ultimately the right call. It was not an exemplary episode, but I can admit it's less out of place to have a pure "vacuum of violence" story than it would've been to essentially give the kids a supernatural revenge plot like this. That would've been really weird to have to accept-- Eddy definitely wouldn't want to be friends with anyone at the end of the movie if THIS was their past. Changing it to an unaware Jonny and a questionably aware Plank being responsible, indeed, was a vibe that landed much more like standard EEnE fare. It was weird enough that the kids all saw Santa in JJJ, can you imagine if they all knew curses were real AND participated in attacking a neighbor with one??

If there was a silver lining for me the first time I saw this episode, it was that none of the kids were directly involved in Eddy's suffering. It made the questionable reality of the cursed device slightly more acceptable that only the Eds and Rolf know about the curse. If this ending had happened, I would've reacted the same, but I would've rejected its continuity even more than I do now, because it would just feel like they animated one of the DC Comics (where the kids can blow the Eds up with fireworks at the end or the Eds can randomly be crushed under an avalanche of anvils)-- the art could end up gorgeous but the characterizations don't exactly land as real human beings, the balance this show strives for typically.

And I think that's all I wanted to say! In the end, I found myself liking 'Sorry Wrong Ed' slightly more than I used to, all thanks to this glimpse into how the animation production system morphs the outcome of a cartoon. Thanks so much to Al Kang, for sharing your art and this insight into the industry! I don't know whether he did both the gesture drawings and the revised art, but judging from his other boards I think the cleaned up art is his, and I liked seeing the poses that almost were!

[marshmallow-xphile]

My thoughts on the sexuality of some of my favorite X-files characters.

I posted this in my X-files amino back in June as part of a LGBTQ pride challenge and for some reason I only just thought to post it here as well.

Fox Mulder: openly bisexual

Mulder is so open sexually that I really don't think gender matters all that much to him. He does seem to prefer females but I wouldn't be even remotely surprised if he had a boyfriend or two in the past. I don't think he's flamboyant about his sexuality but I don't think he'd hide it at all either

My evidence:

In the season one episode "Ghost in the Machine" we meet an Mulder's ex-partner, Jerry, and I absolutely feel like there is an ex-lovers vibe to the both of them. They hug upon first seeing each other, Mulder looks incredibly happy to see him, when Mulder says they worked together Jerry corrects him to say they were partners at which point Mulder looks over at Scully as if to see her reaction. Mulder has this real guilty look to him. When Jerry acts a little self conscious Mulder is real quick to jump in and reassure him. They get in each other's personal space. It just really leaves me with the impression that they care deeply for one another and broke up for other reasons, perhaps the different career goals as Mulder tells Scully.

We also have Mulder with Krycek. From the very beginning of Krycek's involvement with the X-files I feel like the writers went out of their way to make a correlation between the change in partnership and a new partner in a relationship. There is a scene in Sleepless where Mulder and Scully are on the phone and Mulder tells Krycek he'll be right there, the rest of the conversation feels reminiscent of two exes chatting about the change brought about by the new relationship. Scully even brings up that it must be nice having a partner who doesn't question his every theory.

There were many scenes in Sleepless, Duane Barry, and Ascension in which Mulder and Krycek were alone but that we never got to see who knows for example what the two of them got to talking about while they were stuck in traffic during the drive to New York in Sleepless. Or how often they hung out between Sleepless and Duane Barry.

During Mulder and Scully's partnership Mulder only called her 'Dana' on a few emotional occasions. He started casually calling Krycek 'Alex' almost immediately.

Let us not forget the infamous speedo scene. While yes it definitely showed more of a Krycek attraction to Mulder than the opposite. It does make one wonder what led him to wear such a revealing bathing suit. How many straight men do you know who wear speedos? My guess is few. How many straight men wear speedos when they can reasonably assume their male partner will show up looking for them? Not many would be guess.

And then there is their relationship after Krycek is revealed to be a traitor. They both tend to act more like scorned lovers than enemies and notice that it's Mulder, not Krycek, who cannot seem to keep his hands off the other. Seriously it's like every time Krycek shows up, Mulder immediately grabs him.

Now here's a couple quotes from Mulder,

Krycek tells Mulder he most be losing it because Krycek beat him with one hand. Mulder's immediate reaction: "isn't that how you like to beat yourself?"

When the little man in Humbug is lined up pretty much exactly with Mulder's crotch he says that Mulder would be surprised how many women find his size alluring. Mulder's immediate reaction: "you'd be surprised how many men do as well"

How many straight guys do you know comfortable enough with their sexuality to make a gay innuendo? I personally cannot think of any.

Dana Scully: bicurious

I believe that Scully is sometimes attracted to women. It definitely is not as blatant as with Mulder and I really don't think she's had any past girlfriends but I definitely think that there is an attraction.

My evidence:

In the episode "Ice" I really felt like there are a few tender moments between her and Felicity Huffman's character especially while they were examining one another for the worms. That examination had a sort of sexual energy to it I thought.

In the episode "kill switch" theres a moment where the Invisagoth asked if she could have her handcuffs removed or if she should type with her tongue. Mulder mentions that she doesn't want a vote there and the look on Scully's face and the way she licks her lips, I definitely get the impression that she would have been perfectly happy to see what Invisagoth could get up to with that tongue.

Some people point to Scully's relationship with Reyes as evidence of her bisexuality, I personally don't see any attraction there on Scully's side but I don't think its outside the realm of possibility.

Monica Reyes: Closeted lesbian

This one's probably a surprise I know there was something between here and Brad as well as a flirtation with Doggett so you would probably think she was Bisexual but honestly was either one of those even remotely convincing? To me they weren't. I believe that Reyes is a lesbian.

I kind of go back and forth on whether she's open about it. Reyes is very spiritual and open so it seems strange that she would be in the closet but maybe she has a reason, fear of it affecting her career in the FBI perhaps? It just seems strange that she keeps pursuing these heterosexual relationships she has no passion for unless she is trying to hide her true passion.

My evidence:

I admit I really have very little evidence but look at the relationship between Reyes and Brad Follmer. It had all the chemistry of two people who got really drunk once and cannot remember sleeping together. I don't for a second believe she was ever in love with Brad nor he in love with her.

Then you've got the same thing between her and Doggett. Yes the writers were obviously trying for a romantic angle with the two of them but to me it never came across as convincing. It seemed more like she thought of him as a good friend and figured she might as well date him, I saw no evidence of love or attraction.

On the other hand look at her and Scully. While I feel like the attraction there was one sided I definitely feel like Reyes was into Scully or Dana as she would call her. Reyes was willing to risk her life for Scully and yes that is her job after all but Reyes seems to take that above and beyond and it's not just Scully herself but also William. Look at how protective Reyes is of William in The Truth and of the sacrifice Scully made in giving him up. She seems to care even more than Mulder on that.

Cigarette-Smoking-Man: Asexual

CSM has probably had sex at some point, he is of course the father of at least three children but I do not think that he was ever in love with any of these women or even attracted to them. I believe they were all just a means to an end.

I believe that CSM's only love was for his cigarettes

Evidence:

There is a little bit of evidence that he might have actually felt something for Teena Mulder but I don't buy it. He freely admits that he felt nothing for Cassandra Spender but he must've been convincing if he got her to marry him and we have seen him fake emotions more than once. He also seemed to show an attraction to Scully in En Ami but that too was just a means to an end. Perhaps he does feel something towards all the women he has impregnated but I wouldn't call it love. I don't see any real attraction there either. My bet is that CSM needed some "help" in order to produce his offspring.

Alex Krycek: Gay

While Krycek did have an obviously sexual relationship with Marita Covarrubias he definitely didn't have any real feelings for her and I don't buy attraction either. No I'd say they were both just trying to use sex to get what they wanted. His anger at finding the Russian boy gone wasn't because he was heartbroken at her betrayal. Merely mad that she'd managed to get the upper hand.

Whether Krycek is open or in the closet I'm not sure, I'm thinking it probably depends on the mission hes on at the time.

Evidence:

Of everyone on this list I'd say Krycek is the one I'm the most sure of. There is no doubt in my mind that Krycek was attracted to, perhaps even in love with, Fox Mulder. From the very beginning there appeared to be a bit of longing in his eyes.

There was the speedo scene wherein Krycek was definitely checking Mulder out. There were several scenes where Krycek could've killed Mulder but chose to help him instead.

As I've seen pointed out before, Krycek's crazy motivational choices don't make any sense at all unless it's all in an effort to be around Mulder more.

Look at his sense of style and his obvious love for lip gloss. I am not saying that straight men cannot love lip gloss and dress themselves in Krycek's fashion but it is uncommon and it was especially so back in the 90s

The infamous kiss in The Red and the Black could certainly be explained away as some kind of Russian custom but it isn't one that I am aware of and he hasn't really shown any other signs of his Russia heritage.

I would say my best evidence of Krycek's sexuality is in Essence and Existence, just look at the look on Krycek's face when Mulder trusts him to protect Scully. Krycek knows what Scully means to Mulder and then look at how seriously Krycek takes the job! I definitely feel like that moment meant a lot to him and he would have protected Scully with his life for Mulder.

There's also the fact that Krycek's unwillingness to kill Mulder lead to his own death.

Of course asking Skinner to shoot Mulder goes against this theory but I do have a couple thoughts on that, the most sensical being that he knew there was no chance Skinner would shoot Mulder and he probably knew there was no chance he would survive anymore. Maybe he made that request in hopes of sparing Mulder any pain he might have otherwise felt at his death (I know it's a bit of a stretch but my other theories require a long explanation of my thoughts on where the series had planned to go next)

The lone gunmen: no one knows....not even them

Three (I don't count Jimmy for this) single adult men who all live together in very cramped quarters and are, at least in Langley's case, perfectly happy to be around each other without thier clothes on certainly makes it seem like there's something between them all but I really don't get a overtly gay impression with any of them, even Langley who as mentioned doesn't like to wear pants and is the only one who hasn't had a love interest. They just have this sort of Vegas-esque thing. "What happens in the bachelor pad/newspaper room stays in the bachelor pad/newspaper room.

I would love to hear other people's thoughts on these and any other X-files characters you think might be somewhere on the LGBTQ spectrum.