#like they're really talking to someone in their contacts

[demon-country]

I agree wholeheartedly with the vast majority of all of this, but I do have two small points of contention. 

1) I do think Stolas could have learned about the gravity of his classism if Blitz (or someone else he knew, like Millie or Moxxie) had sat him down and explained it calmly to him. He wants to learn, he's willing to learn, and he's been trying to learn, he just doesn't know how or where to even start looking for answers. He wasn't in a good state of mind to listen to it the three times it was brought up - first while being tortured by Striker, then while being yelled at by Blitz after getting triggered twice in quick succession, and then by Blitz again the very next morning when Stolas was still feeling raw and didn't want to talk yet in the first place. But you can tell from All 2 U that he understands that Blitz wouldn't keep bringing it up for no reason and there's something Stolas has been missing that genuinely hurt Blitz.

If, at that point, he had someone willing to actually teach him, I really do think he'd be receptive to it. Sure, he wouldn't be able to empathize with it, having never experienced it himself, but as long as someone is willing to truly put in the work of learning then they can be taught to understand the different facets of systemic oppression and unlearn their own biases and behaviors that contribute to it. Of course, you're right that that wouldn't be nearly as entertaining, and in any case Stolas did need to get out from the Goetia's clutches because they definitely make him worse on pretty much every level.

2) I'm really unsure where you got the idea that Stolas somehow doesn't know Moxxie and Millie, but there's only a 50% chance that Stolas was even taking about the rescue (or at least, was primarily talking about the rescue) anyway. It's equally as likely that he was instead referring to the aftermath. He said "you couldn't be bothered to come help me", not "you couldn't be bothered to come save me", and that's much broader. After all, Stolas did need help in the form of support after being tortured, and extended an invitation for Blitz to come see him during his extended hospital stay. Which was ignored without any contact at all afterward. Like, we know why Blitz didn't come (shame, guilt, then-unresolved trauma related to Fizz supposedly refusing to see him, etc), but since Stolas has no idea about any of that his feelings of abandonment are clear even at the end of Western Energy and they would've only grown the longer that Blitz ghosted him.

And even if he was talking about the rescue, I really don't think Stolas is ungrateful that Moxxie and Millie came to save him and stopped him from being mutilated just because they're not Blitz??? There was no reason for Stolas to bring them up in the garden. If he was just upset with Blitz about Blitz not coming to his rescue, then of course he's only going to address what he feels Blitz didn't do. He can be extremely thankful for what M&M did for him while still being upset with Blitz, they're not mutually exclusive by any means. Plus, he heard Moxxie on the phone, and there's really nothing that says Blitz was the one to send them when they just as easily could have them sent themselves.

In either case, Stolas was upset at a lot of different things - both old and new - by that point in the conversation, and lots of people say things they don't necessarily believe or phrase their words in a way that doesn't convey their full depth of feelings when they're upset. Like we can agree that what Blitz yelled at Stolas in The Full Moon was him lashing out with something he probably knows isn't entirely true but is still very hurt by anyway, right? It's the exact same thing Stolas did with that line. It was him lashing out, because he was upset and Blitz wouldn't stop pushing, and to Stolas' very recently traumatized mind what Blitz yelled at him the night before sounded too close what Striker had said so all his feelings surrounding his kidnapping were close to the surface.

Does Stolas deserve to lose everything?

The answer is a simple: No! Of course not!

What happened to Stolas in Mastermind was horrible, he essentially lost everything he ever knew in a very cruel and unusual way, and the real kicker is the fact that the punishment is rather light in comparison to the punishment Blitz would have gotten if he hadn't stepped in.

But why did it happen? Simple.

It happened for the sake of Stolas' future character development.

It didn't happen to "punish" Stolas when the man really only has the best of intentions.

Surprise! Surprise!

I want to highlight this specific statement Apology Tour's description states: Stolas still not being quite self aware enough at times.

Stolas genuinely does not know what is wrong between them, he genuinely can not understand the issues

If there is one thing Stolas has always wanted to know, it's the why...

Why is Blitz so guarded with me? Why does Blitz accuse me of looking down on him? Why does Blitz always mention my Princely status when talking about our relationship?

And here's the thing, even if Blitz were to sit Stolas down calmly and explain the why, Stolas will never get it. He will never understand it.

Stolas will never understand the struggles Blitz went through and still goes through just by living as an imp.

Blitz is an asshole, but you can't say he isn't determined.

When Blitz wants something so fucking bad, he'll get it, it doesn't matter who he needs to steal from, who he needs to fuck, who he needs to kill, lie, and cheat with... He's going to get it.

Blitz wants to be his own boss, he doesn't want to be like any other imp who works for someone else, so he'll do whatever it takes to make that dream a reality.

And the thing is Stolas wants to do better and understand Blitz's point of view... he states it time and time again.

Unless it's me And no matter what in this world I could give It's not enough To get through the walls you've conjured up to live

But maybe it's all on me For missin' every sign and every glance And every turn

Maybe there's somethin' here for us to glean For you to teach, and me to try to learn

~~~

The sad part is that Stolas is just going to have to learn it the hard way because where's the fun in just giving Stolas a book to read...

[linka-from-captain-planet]

Neve/Rana NSFW alphabet

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

They're still soaking up all the touch they can. Cuddling, backrubs, washing up, Neve wrapping Rana's hair up for her to get ready for bed. This is the time they're the most relaxed and the most chatty. They manage to enforce a no-cases-in-bed rule (unless it's really important ofc), so they catch up on their friends, what they're reading (The Lighthouse Book Club still lives and Rana got into Brom's and Bellara's serials), what they should get at the market tomorrow. This kind of comfort and being-together is hard-won, and once they're settled in, they want to savor it.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

You think Neve's wide-open collar exposing the gentle slopes of her chest and a tasteful hint of the weighty cling of her bra-freed breasts to her sternum is an accident? You think they highlight her elegant neck for no reason? You think her perfectly structured belt and suspenders show off her hourglass figure and make sure her perfect ass is crystal clear is for fun? No. Weep. Rana doesn't really have her own favorite on herself - probably her hair if that counts, or women have always liked her arms and shoulders (trained on the sword and bow - she hits all the muscle groups). On each other, Rana is not immune to propaganda. She is a boob woman and Neve's are her first stop every chance she gets, and she also likes Neve's belly and thighs. Neve loves Rana's back and ass; she likes to watch her hands stroke them and dig her painted nails into the muscle.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Rana loves taking Neve's strap, but it does make her squirt sometimes and she gets all bashful about it. Needless to say, Neve loooves it but manages not to tease her too hard (don't want to spook the kitty too much)

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

They're pretty clean, honestly. But they're also super private, so pretty much their entire sex life and their big feelings feels like a dirty secret (Rana more than Neve, since Rana is more reserved). Like whenever Taash and Harding come to visit, Neve and Rana are both white-knuckled hoping Taash won't be like "sniff sniff was someone eating ass in here 16.5 hours ago? nice" and Harding won't egg them on to talk about their ~love story~

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Both have had fewer partners than you'd think for such hot, interesting people - single digits, most likely. Neither made it a priority, plus Neve is cagey and afraid of intimacy and knows she's a feelings-catcher, and Rana has spent her entire adult life in a homophobic religious organization. They've each had short-term relationships and flings and one-night stands, but mostly they've just powered through romantic loneliness and handled their sexual needs by masturbating, ignoring it, or looking for a hookup. But sex isn't rocket science and they're confident, sensitive, and determined, so they definitely know what they're doing.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

We've got the blessed top-leaning-switch (Neve)/bottom-leaning-switch (Rana) setup. They like to take advantage of every configuration and surface possible, but if they had to pick an all-time favorite: it's gotta be Neve with the strap-on taking Rana from behind. Doggy, side spoons, bent over the desk, Rana's face in the pillows with her braid wrapped around Neve's fist, what have you. It's a lot of body contact, optional eye contact (they can get self-conscious), hits the best spots, satisfies each of their particular I Must Be The Goodest Girl Or Else urges. When Neve wants to receive, straddling Rana's lap is her favorite, riding her fingers or the taking her turn on the strap. Generally, Neve wants to be physically on top whether she's giving or receiving; she can feel too vulnerable or stifled on the bottom. Once she's more comfortable with Rana, she doesn't mind as much - and she comes to love the feeling of bigger, heavier Rana covering her body, making her feel safe - but she still prefers her top positions.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

They're dead serious honestly lol. They do a lot of teasing and ribbing, but "goofy"? Not really. If they're laughing in bed, it's probably because one of them landed a really good dunk on the other.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Neve presents a very tidy image, but she's as good as faking it as she is actually maintaining it. When she's got her head and heart wrapped up in a case, she lets some things fall by the wayside. She'll skip a shower or two, but will always fix her nails as soon as she can. She never skips caring for her skin under her prosthesis, but she sleeps in her makeup as often as not. When she gives herself enough time, she *luxuriates* in the bath. If she feels like shaving (anything), she'll shave and occasionally she does just to mix it up (something she can control, just for herself), but she has sensitive skin and prefers to avoid it to avoid irritation. She trims her pubic hair, but does a shitty job of it such that Rana eventually snaps and takes it over to do it right. Because Rana is Fussy. She is mani-pedi'd, exfoliated, moisturized, perfumed, coiffed, moisturized again, 24/7. A Thedan equivalent to a Tide pen is on her person at all times. She complains endlessly when Neve drags her into the gross catacombs or explodes a Venatori and gets her hair dirty because it fucks up her wash cycle. For her, it's about self-respect and self-control, and even self-expression - she was a Clean Templar, and now she's a clean dick ahaha detective. If there were a strong societal pressure for women to remove their body hair, she probably would since she's not one to defy The Rules willy-nilly, but I can't imagine why that'd be case. She's naturally not very hairy so she doesn't think much about it, but she meticulously trims her pubic hair (and Neve's) because she find it the most comfortable.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

They're weird about it at first as one might expect. They already have the trust, they understand the feelings are there (even if it takes them a long time to explicitly verbalize them); it's just a matter of getting over the awkward this-is-new hump. Fortunately, sex is an opportunity to do, rather than say, so it's faster-going than their feelings-talking. Little ways of caring for one another through touch had already creeped into their habits - checking each other for injuries, scraping the other off the pavement when the battle's over; gradually, touching hands when there's no reason to, gently guiding the other through a narrow alley with a hand on the lower back. So it's just a matter of bringing that to the bedroom. The first kiss on the cheek in the afterglow initially feels a little awkward, more intimate than the literal sex they'd just had. The first time Rana brings Neve a washcloth to freshen up a bit so she doesn't have to get out of bed, she spends the whole night agonizing over how touched she felt by a little gesture. The little things do add up, and it's not too long before they feel more comfortable acting romantic in the bedroom.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

No-nonsense types - get off, get back to it. They never gave themselves the chance to develop a more pleasing routine; Neve tried to avoid being home generally to avoid The Horrors (any of her feelings), and Rana was self-conscious living in the Templar quarters (what if someone heard? smelled it? better get it done and wash up fast).

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

The first thing I'm mentally establishing when I explore a new ship is which one is the armpit sniffer and which one likes anal more, which is sort of like my smut version of astrology. Neve/Rana could really go either way, but ultimately Rana is the sniffer and Neve is the anal enjoyer. Firstly, armpits are next to the boobs and Rana is a boob gal, so there's a primal wire there to be crossed there that extrapolates the eroticism of one to the other (Rana would find this embarrassing which is part of the appeal also). Secondly, scent is intimacy and trust. If Rana awakens with Neve safe and secure in her arms, bathed in that light musk of a long night's sleep in a body-warm bed, would she not want to nuzzle right on in? She would and that's why she's the sniffer. Neve gets anal because even though Rana being too uptight is part of their long-term conflict, it's Neve who's really tortured by her neuroticism (anal-retentiveness, if you will). Anal play is a very commanding sex act that requires patience, care, and relaxing, so can be a big relief for someone so high-strung. Also she has a great ass. It starts with Rana slipping her a finger while going down, and they explore more after Neve finally admits she likes it. Also, Neve also likes using simple restraints on Rana - just commands (hands on the headboard, or she'll stop), her ascot, a shirt. Rana finds submission relaxing, so she's glad to play along even though she's much stronger than Neve and could easily overpower her if she wanted to (this too is kink). She's never let anyone pull her braid before, but once she lets Neve do it once, she can't get enough. Neve's ice and time magic comes into play here and there, of course.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Can't beat the comfort and convenience of the bed, especially since Rana springs for a full-size one when she moves to the Tallow in their quasi-together-quasi-not phase (Neve teases her about this for weeks - planning something, Savas?) and also especially since they tend to overwork themselves and come home too tired and sore to bang on the desk. That said, their desk, and Neve's desk in the Lighthouse, are their second favorite when they're feeling squirrely.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Big brains. The other is never sexier than when she's thinking deeply, processing evidence, tabulating every possibility. And they love how they stand up to everyone else, including each other. Neve's status as a swaggering local menace gets Rana so hot, and she'll let Neve cajole her and push her around a bit, but Neve loves it when Rana turns the tables. They both also love a little rough-housing - a little manhandling, a little wrasslin. They're both tactile and physical.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

They're both a little skittish and rely a lot on the other for emotional support, so anything that plays with that - degradation, name calling, restraining then leaving them alone, etc - doesn't work for them. They're also exposed to enough real violence, and seen each other hurt enough, to not want to simulate anything of the sort in bed - a saucy smack on the ass is one thing, striking the other with an instrument, choking, brandishing knives, and so on is another. Some people can reconcile those experiences, they can't.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Neve initially prefers to give because she finds receiving more vulnerable; if they're scrappin a bit and she winds up riding Rana's face, that's one thing, but just laying back and letting Rana pamper her? It takes a while to warm up to that. But once she does... it helps that Rana really, really loves eating her out. Look at those lips, that jaw... behold her endless dedication, her commitment to a job well done, her fussiness. She's ON it. Rana likes receiving just fine, but it doesn't compare to snuggling down between the soft thighs she loves so much and digging in.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

They lean slower. Not that they don't still love their quickies (they got shit to do) or enjoy throwing the other on the desk and hair-pulling back-scratching ass-smacking capital-F-Fucking, but they live a lot of their life pretty fast, and it's nice to have something more indulgent at home.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Quickies have long been their bread and butter with other people - if they're just hooking up to blow off some steam, they want to get it done and hit the bricks. At the beginning of their relationship, it helps them trick themselves into thinking they're easing in emotionally (fake news). Even later when they're more comfortably established, the quickie remains a part of any workaholic's sexual life. It's sorta a relief that they can now just have sex about it when they get under each other's skin mid-case and get back to it

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Experiment, yes - risks, not really, no. They're by definition curious women, so when one of them gets an idea, the other is probably excited to try it out. Are they the most creative and kinky couple? Probably not, but they find themselves a variety of things to do. But as far as risk goes (getting caught in public? not preparing properly? not using protection when they should?), neither of them is a thrill-seeker like that. They took enough risks thwarting the end of the world, they don't need to get kicks from risking getting arrested over some alleyway ass.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Neve is out there cross-country parkouring all of Northern Thedas without losing her breath, Rana is right behind her. They can fuck as long as they want. They're looking to connect, feel good, and relax, so they take the time they need to achieve that. Sometimes, 30 minutes and a snack after is perfect. Sometimes, it's a marathon session riding the high of a slam-dunk case. Sometimes, it's a languid morning in bed where it's not clear if they actually "had sex" but they're both glowing and full-hearted after it. Whatever they're feeling that day, they have the stamina to do it.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Neve had a single dildo for personal use (she likes the feeling of fullness, even if she isn't always comfortable bottoming), but otherwise, neither of them had toys until they were together. Rana wasn't willing to bring such a thing into the Templar quarters, and also they're both chronically broke. They'd used pretty basic toys (strap-ons, vibrators, maybe simple restraints) with other partners who had them, but otherwise, they're used to using what the Maker gave them. Which for Neve, includes magic. Once they're together, and the city's made it through the aftermath of endgame, Neve goads Rana into attending the grand opening of the city's first non-black-market sex shop (thanks Archon Mae/Dorian!) and they get themselves a few things to start. Neve especially had been dying to get her hands on a strap-on.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Neve LOVES to tease - mostly out of bed. It's a big part of their long-term foreplay. Rana doesn't have enough game to pull off the same kind of teasing, but once they're in bed, she knows how to keep Neve on her toes. Neither of them likes to be strung along for too long, but they give each other a little affectionate shit before giving in.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Both are pretty quiet. Neve can be pretty self-conscious, but we've all heard her kiss-whimpers. She can't help herself. She makes a lot of quiet little sounds - some of them embarrassingly high-pitched, but she can't help it. Rana is a heavy-breather, soft-grunter, quiet-groaner. Rana doesn't talk a lot in bed- little encouraging phrases, quick requests, sure, but she'd feel awkward trying to like, dirty talk. Neve, when she's totally in control, has that part down pat, purring and growling.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Neve's first kiss, first girlfriend, and first time were all with the Little Oil Lamp Girl. They were latter teens, and that girl was the only thing that felt like it made sense as Neve's whole world was changing around her. It didn't burn forever - maybe that was her fault, the cynicism seeping in then, but it sure was nice while it lasted. Rana's first kiss and first time were with a guy she tried to like to please her parents. He was her friend and a nice kid, just proof she'd never measure up to the expectations, so it's a bittersweet memory. She ran away to join the Templars shortly after.

If Minrathous had a The Cart, they'd have at least 3 connections they didn't know about, one of which is definitely the Sexy Bartender From The Prologue.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Even though we only get a tiny glimpse of it, Neve's body in-game is perfect for her IMO. She's dainty, but not too thin or frail-looking. She's got a bit of muscle (her arms!), but you know she's no gym rat and she mostly eats fried fish so of course she doesn't look like an Olympic gymnast. Her belly and thighs look SO!! soft and pettable. Her model doesn't quite do her supposed height justice (around 5'8"), although some gifs of her stradding Rook capture that vibe very sexily and her hourglass figure is poppin. Her thighs and ass are A+++ Rana's a little taller; she's as tall as the "100" height for a human feminine body, so I'm guessing around 6 feet tall. Hot! She was maybe lightly retconned from a warrior in Tevinter Nights to a rogue in Veilguard, so that throws off my original body headcanon a bit (but that was just based on her description of wielding a sword and wearing heavy armor - and the Veilguard rogue does use a sword, so maybe she's been a rogue all along). She's beefier than Neve, but still pretty willowy, like a track and field athlete. Her arms and back are well-defined and being a good swordswoman comes with a juicy ass.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Pretty average? They've been emotionally entangled for so long before actually getting together that they don't have a big must-fuck-at-every-opportunity honeymoon period. While they're busting ass helping rebuild Minrathous or stuck on a big case that hangs over their minds, they have sex less - they might skip a week or two and prioritize non-sexual intimacy and touch when they can find a few quiet hours together. When they have less on their minds and things settle down, they go with the flow. It might be twice a day, every night, every other, twice a week. So it goes.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

They're sleep-deprived workaholics, so once those good good afterglow hormones hit the bloodstream, they both knock out pretty quickly. Sometimes basically still in position, resulting in some pleasant or not soreness the next day. If they're going to bed, Rana at least still wants to do her nighttime routine, so she can stay awake long enough for that.

[peachhcs]

figure skater x macklin celebrini au ✰

→ blaire stevenson x macklin celebrini

or best friends to lovers to strangers to lovers again

→ mood board & masterlist

★ ☆ au background + timeline ★ ☆

they first meet in minnesota when they're at shattuck-st. mary's boarding school—mack for hockey and blaire for figure skating

she's a bit..put off by mack and his brother's sudden entrance to the school just for hockey at first. she knows what people say about hockey players and their cockiness, so she stays away until they begin having mutual friends and it's a bit of a forced proximity type of situation

blaire really thought wrong of mack because the two hit it off right away

they talk all night at the party, revealing their passions for their sports. blaire learns how dedicated mack and his brother are to hockey and she suddenly admires his determination to do better and be better because that's exactly how she is with figure skating

macklin's intrigued by her figure skating and immediately wants to see her skate

a few mornings after the party where they talked, mack goes to the rink early to get some playing time in when he runs into blaire already there with the same idea

she's on the ice and he's so captivated by the way she glides around

this pretty much sets off their relationship because mack starts going to the rink early everyday to see her spin around and eventually, he starts showing her some hockey moves

this is really new for mack because he's never had something like this before after dedicating his entire life to doing online school and then going to play hockey

it's always been hockey, hockey, hockey until meeting blaire where he just can't be away from her

he learns she's very shy and reserved, but it doesn't bother him because that just means someone is finally listening to everything he has to talk about

they start dating pretty quickly after that initial morning

it's literally perfect

they become each other's best friends and blaire quickly becomes someone mack can count on after only really having himself to count on since his parents divide their devotion between his other three siblings

she's more than happy to come to his games and watch him become even better—so good that he signs on with chicago steel after two seasons at st. mary's

what's even better is that blaire gets an offer to come to mcfetridge sports center in chicago to continue developing her figure skating career

the two couldn't be happier that they were taking on this new chapter together

blaire still made it out to all of mack's games and he came to her meets when they were in chicago together

it wasn't until college recruitment season came around and talk of going to play at a collegiate level that their relationship started changing after almost a year and a half of dating

mack was looking at schools in boston while blaire was getting offers on the west coast

the two quickly realized they were being pulled in two different directions—things were happening so fast and it was no doubt that both of them had grown a lot in their skills since meeting almost two years ago which is why so many different schools wanted them

they started realizing that maybe their relationship wouldn't be able to work on opposite ends of the country

mack never had any intention to breakup with her and was absolutely crushed when blaire told him they should go separate ways (running away is how she copes with hard situations)

she's never been good at showing emotion like that, so she closed herself up when mack tried convincing her they could make it work

ultimately, they broke up and went to school on separate coasts

mack was heartbroken

blaire tried acting like she didn't care and focused all of her energy into figure skating

they lost contact and stopped talking for almost two years until by some fate, macklin saw her in san jose

he was in disbelief that she was there and immediately attempted to reach back out to her

she was actually quite receptive to wanting to meet up, so they did when they got their contact information again

they easily fell back into place with one another like no time had passed

mack, who never stopped thinking about her, wanted her back

blaire wanted him back too, choosing to believe maybe it was a sign they belonged together after ending back up in the same city

→ blaire stevenson:

blaire morgan stevenson

older sister to carter stevenson and younger sister to mason stevenson, so she's a middle child

she's closer to her younger brother than her older brother

birthday is june 23rd, 2006!

she's boarded at shattuck-st. mary's since she was 12 and is 16 when she goes to chicago for mcfetridge for her last two years of school

she's loved figure skating since she could walk because she adored the girls who came on during the winter olympics and immediately wanted to be like them

obviously, she thinks hockey players are stuck up because she doesn't think very fondly of macklin when he first gets to shattuck

she's more reserved than her brothers and it takes awhile to really get to know her which makes sense as to why she didn't talk to macklin right away, but once you get her talking she talks like no other

her mom passed when she was little, so blaire dedicated a lot of her routines to her mom because her mom was the one who encouraged her to try out for her first competitive team

that's why there's a small rift between her and her brothers because they all remember their mom differently and are still grieving after so many years

figure skating acts as blaire's escape when she's in her head too much or feeling sad about her mom

it’s also why she shuts down and turns away in tense situations or when things start going bad because she taught herself to escape the bad feelings before they could truly hurt her (her mom dying was one she couldn’t escape, so she’s trying to get ahead of the hurt before it crumbles her like that again)

she loves that macklin doesn't care about her quietness and enjoys listening to him rant on about his day

joining a sorority wasn't something she thought she would do when she got to college but her freshmen roommate encouraged her when she rushed, so she followed along

she immediately fell in love with kappa delta and their values during rush

kd becomes another way for blaire to immerse herself in college life other than figure skating because she knows she needs to have a balance

santa clara university also becomes her "home away from one", especially when she reconciles with mack because he's so close by again

→ macklin celebrini

younger brother to aiden and older brother to rj and charlie which makes him a middle child too

he's very close with his brothers because they all look up to one another and support each other with everything they do

birthday is june 13th, 2006!

he's always had a love for hockey living in vancouver for awhile before moving to the states

his dedication shows especially when 2020 hit and him and aiden were consciously making an effort to continue playing and building their skills when nothing else was open

shattuck-st. mary's gave him and aiden a greater opportunity to really build their skills and macklin definitely flourished there

his outgoing nature is what gets him involved with blaire when they meet at school

he likes her perseverance and performance on the ice when he finally catches her one morning practicing by herself

he appreciates how closely she listens to him because he's never had something like that growing up—having a person he can call his and who’s consistently there for him

she becomes something else he can put his time and energy into besides hockey

the whole dating thing is fairly new to him because he didn't really have serious girlfriends until blaire

he's really serious about her

he admires her dedication to figure skating and feels lucky when he's one of the only people she begins sharing really vulnerable and intimate details about her life with him that she's never told anyone else

if anyone is a yapper, it's mack

he never stops talking ever

very much golden retriever energy like will

he teases will and samy nonstop until the script finally flips and they're the ones teasing him when him and blaire get back together

he loves will like a brother and loves samy like another sister

samy's someone mack starts going to for relationship advice in the beginning of his and blaire's new relationship because he doesn't wanna do anything wrong this time around

→ quick author's note:

a really, really big thank you to everyone in my inbox who helped me bring this to life!! i'm so glad you all like my writing and characters so much that you want another au from me! it really means a lot, so here it is!! i changed a few minor details from what we discussed, but it's all here! say hello to blaire and macklin coming into the samy + will universe :))

[remyfire]

I work with somebody about once a week who is so fascinating to me, especially when they are at our first desk. When someone walks in, they do not so much as smile or look at them, much less greet them. When someone leaves, they don't do anything either. If someone says, "Thank you," they say, "Sure," and if someone says, "Have a good one," they say, "Sure."

Listen. I don't know if it's because I was born and raised in the South for over three decades or because I was the front-facing customer-service-driven person at my previous jobs for a grand total of eight years. But I wince and get a little flappy anxious every time. What do you mean, you're not greeting people warmly so they're smiling as soon as they come through the door? What do you mean, you don't thank them for coming, wish them a good day, and bid them farewell? What do you mean, you just don't interact with the public unless forced, even in our front-facing job?

I think the amiable Southern politeness is just too engrained in me. There is no getting rid of it. And I'm kind of hoping that eventually I can work my way up to having more shifts at our first desk instead of our second because it's a lot weirder to gently greet someone from a distance when the employee closest to them is not paying them a single bit of mind.

[confused-theist]

w

what story are you planning 👁️👁️

girl help how does one balance school studies, social life, creative projects and religious practices

[ruvviks]

Mikhail and Vitali were inseparable; when they weren’t studying or getting into fights, they would hang out at Mikhail’s place to smoke and get drunk on cheap rum and vodka, to then pass out in each other’s arms and sleep most of the next day away. They promised each other— no matter what would happen— they would never leave each other’s side. Yet after starting university and college respectively, they did not see each other for a little over six years, leaving them both heartbroken and wondering what went wrong.

by lucas expedidor // catch me if you can; eden // clementine von radics, from 'courtney love prays to oregon' // sam sax, cruising: a broken tiara // 'ceramic home' by heavensghost; quote from john murillo // 'something's changed' by laiikastears // i don't want to watch the world end with someone else; clinton kane // fortesa latifi, from 'the truth about grief' // audre lorde, the evening news // frank o'hara, biotherm (for bill berkson) // heading home; ruben // 'preface to a dream' by alessandra casini // tokyo; caroline kole // langston hughes, poem // haruki murakami, norwegian wood // julie buntin, marlena // by lute // by aleksandr popov // anyway; noah kahan // christa wolf, cassandra: a novel and four essays

[campingwiththecharmings]

one thing i hate about online friendships is the lack of closure you have when someone leaves.

[halfdeadwallfly]

ok i'm just wondering, is eye contact like a real thing? is it actually expected and normal for people to look into people's eyes as they talk? just like on the everyday?? because i honestly can't fathom...like every time i talk to someone i don't know where to look, and if i try to make eye contact, it only lasts for a couple seconds and then i have to keep looking around elsewhere. do people ever actually feel comfortable making eye contact in everyday situations?

[smolskye]

they are sooo neurodivergent <3

[ms-demeanor]

Sometimes college professors like to hop on my posts lamenting the sorry state of syllabi these days and joke about how they haven't thought that far ahead in the course themselves, or talk about how they struggle to complete a schedule for their students.

With all due respect, that's your job. If you can't do your job, you should have a different job. If you need help, ask your colleagues or your department chair or *someone* because I know that professors aren't given a hell of a lot of education on how to educate, so you probably *need* help.

But every single time I make one of those posts I get anywhere from ten to thirty messages, replies, reblogs, and asks say "oh man, that's exactly why I had to drop out of school; I couldn't keep up with the assignments because I didn't know when they were due until the week they were due."

I have been a college student in three separate decades, and "not having a schedule of assignments in the syllabus" is new to my experience. That shit didn't fly in the 2000s or 2010s and I think it likely has to do with professors being overly reliant on apps.

AT A MINIMUM your syllabus should have:

Contact information (including preferred method of contact) for the professor

Office Hours

Grading Policy

Assignment schedule.

Your assignment schedule doesn't necessarily need to have the exact page numbers of every reading or a full assignment sheet for each project, but it should have things like:

December 1st - Major Project 3 second draft due December 9th - Quiz 10 December 12th - Major Project 3 final draft due December 15th - Final Exam

If you end up presenting a more thorough schedule with readings and homework later, that is acceptable to present a week or two into the semester but it is absolutely insane to me that students these days don't know what homework they're going to have to get done over Thanksgiving break during the first couple weeks of class.

If I had three professors at once who didn't give me a schedule, how on earth would I know if I was going to have to read three chapters of a novel, take a midterm and turn in two stats homework assignments, and complete a history research paper the same week that I'm planning to travel to see family? If I'm aware of this from the beginning of the semester I can make sure not to pick up extra shifts, or I can plan to leave a day later to accommodate the midterm, or I can start working on the paper early to complete it before the due date but if I don't know what's going to be due when, I'm going to have a big problem.

If you don't give your students a schedule you are communicating that you don't care about their schedule, and that you think it's their responsibility to contort their life (and their job, and their other classes) around your class, and honestly my advice to students in that situation is "drop in the first week and pick up another class". That's actually part of why I recommend signing up for one more class than you can really manage - if you get a professor whose class looks like it's going to be a disaster because they don't have a schedule, you can bail before the withdrawal period and get a refund for the class.

I'm only in one class this semester but the professor's response has fully dropped me into "Fuck it, I guess I'll fail" mode and I don't even know if I can pull myself out of my current D grade because I don't know how many assignments we have left in the semester.

This is a shitty way to run a class. If you can't do better than this, you shouldn't be running a class.

[why-animals-do-the-thing]

average United States contains 1000s of pet tigers in backyards" factoid actualy [sic] just statistical error. average person has 0 tigers on property. Activist Georg, who lives the U.S. Capitol & makes up over 10,000 each day, has purposefully been spreading disinformation adn [sic] should not have been counted

I have a big mad today, folks. It's a really frustrating one, because years worth of work has been validated... but the reason for that fucking sucks.

For almost a decade, I've been trying to fact-check the claim that there "are 10,000 to 20,000 pet tigers/big cats in backyards in the United States." I talked to zoo, sanctuary, and private cat people; I looked at legislation, regulation, attack/death/escape incident rates; I read everything I could get my hands on. None of it made sense. None of it lined up. I couldn't find data supporting anything like the population of pet cats being alleged to exist. Some of you might remember the series I published on those findings from 2018 or so under the hashtag #CrouchingTigerHiddenData. I've continued to work on it in the six years since, including publishing a peer reviewed study that counted all the non-pet big cats in the US (because even though they're regulated, apparently nobody bothered to keep track of those either).

I spent years of my life obsessing over that statistic because it was being used to push for new federal legislation that, while well intentioned, contained language that would, and has, created real problems for ethical facilities that have big cats. I wrote a comprehensive - 35 page! - analysis of the issues with the then-current version of the Big Cat Public Safety Act in 2020. When the bill was first introduced to Congress in 2013, a lot of groups promoted it by fear mongering: there's so many pet tigers! they could be hidden around every corner! they could escape and attack you! they could come out of nowhere and eat your children!! Tiger King exposed the masses to the idea of "thousands of abused backyard big cats": as a result the messaging around the bill shifted to being welfare-focused, and the law passed in 2022.

The Big Cat Public Safety Act created a registry, and anyone who owned a private cat and wanted to keep it had to join. If they did, they could keep the animal until it passed, as long as they followed certain strictures (no getting more, no public contact, etc). Don’t register and get caught? Cat is seized and major punishment for you. Registering is therefore highly incentivized. That registry closed in June of 2023, and you can now get that registration data via a Freedom of Information Act request.

Guess how many pet big cats were registered in the whole country?

97.

Not tens of thousands. Not thousands. Not even triple digits. 97.

And that isn't even the right number! Ten USDA licensed facilities registered erroneously. That accounts for 55 of 97 animals. Which leaves us with 42 pet big cats, of all species, in the entire country.

Now, I know that not everyone may have registered. There's probably someone living deep in the woods somewhere with their illegal pet cougar, and there's been at least one random person in Texas arrested for trying to sell a cub since the law passed. But - and here's the big thing - even if there are ten times as many hidden cats than people who registered them - that's nowhere near ten thousand animals. Obviously, I had some questions.

Guess what? Turns out, this is because it was never real. That huge number never had data behind it, wasn't likely to be accurate, and the advocacy groups using that statistic to fearmonger and drive their agenda knew it... and didn't see a problem with that.

Allow me to introduce you to an article published last week.

This article is good. (Full disclose, I'm quoted in it). It's comprehensive and fairly written, and they did their due diligence reporting and fact-checking the piece. They talked to a lot of people on all sides of the story.

But thing that really gets me?

Multiple representatives from major advocacy organizations who worked on the Big Cat Publix Safety Act told the reporter that they knew the statistics they were quoting weren't real. And that they don't care. The end justifies the means, the good guys won over the bad guys, that's just how lobbying works after all. They're so blase about it, it makes my stomach hurt. Let me pull some excerpts from the quotes.

"Whatever the true number, nearly everyone in the debate acknowledges a disparity between the actual census and the figures cited by lawmakers. “The 20,000 number is not real,” said Bill Nimmo, founder of Tigers in America. (...) For his part, Nimmo at Tigers in America sees the exaggerated figure as part of the political process. Prior to the passage of the bill, he said, businesses that exhibited and bred big cats juiced the numbers, too. (...) “I’m not justifying the hyperbolic 20,000,” Nimmo said. “In the world of comparing hyperbole, the good guys won this one.”

"Michelle Sinnott, director and counsel for captive animal law enforcement at the PETA Foundation, emphasized that the law accomplished what it was set out to do. (...) Specific numbers are not what really matter, she said: “Whether there’s one big cat in a private home or whether there’s 10,000 big cats in a private home, the underlying problem of industry is still there.”"

I have no problem with a law ending the private ownership of big cats, and with ending cub petting practices. What I do have a problem with is that these organizations purposefully spread disinformation for years in order to push for it. By their own admission, they repeatedly and intentionally promoted false statistics within Congress. For a decade.

No wonder it never made sense. No wonder no matter where I looked, I couldn't figure out how any of these groups got those numbers, why there was never any data to back any of the claims up, why everything I learned seemed to actively contradict it. It was never real. These people decided the truth didn't matter. They knew they had no proof, couldn't verify their shocking numbers... and they decided that was fine, if it achieved the end they wanted.

So members of the public - probably like you, reading this - and legislators who care about big cats and want to see legislation exist to protect them? They got played, got fed false information through a TV show designed to tug at heartstrings, and it got a law through Congress that's causing real problems for ethical captive big cat management. The 20,000 pet cat number was too sexy - too much of a crisis - for anyone to want to look past it and check that the language of the law wouldn't mess things up up for good zoos and sanctuaries. Whoops! At least the "bad guys" lost, right? (The problems are covered somewhat in the article linked, and I'll go into more details in a future post. You can also read my analysis from 2020, linked up top.)

Now, I know. Something something something facts don't matter this much in our post-truth era, stop caring so much, that's just how politics work, etc. I’m sorry, but no. Absolutely not.

Laws that will impact the welfare of living animals must be crafted carefully, thoughtfully, and precisely in order to ensure they achieve their goals without accidental negative impacts. We have a duty of care to ensure that. And in this case, the law also impacts reservoir populations for critically endangered species! We can't get those back if we mess them up. So maybe, just maybe, if legislators hadn't been so focused on all those alleged pet cats, the bill could have been written narrowly and precisely.

But the minutiae of regulatory impacts aren't sexy, and tiger abuse and TV shows about terrible people are. We all got misled, and now we're here, and the animals in good facilities are already paying for it.

I don't have a conclusion. I'm just mad. The public deserves to know the truth about animal legislation they're voting for, and I hope we all call on our legislators in the future to be far more critical of the data they get fed.

[t-u-i-t-c]

sometimes characters will say something that just completely throws me for a loop

[morningmask27]

guys, I have a feeling I might be in love...

[fairyhaos]

the small romantic gestures that seventeen would be

this has been in my head since april so it's really nice to finally!!!! be able to get it out :>

masterlist

seungcheol

maintaining eye contact as you talk. it's such a devastatingly lovely action and it shows how attentive he is of you, all the time, even if you're just telling him some silly story about something that happened at work. he pays attention to you, always, because he cares. he'll smile at you, looking you in the eye and silently encouraging you to continue talking even if the rest of the group isn't quite interested anymore, because he still is, because it's you, and he's always interested in what you have to say. 

jeonghan

sincerely complimenting your outfits. you quite like fashion. he likes being stylish, but he wouldn't exactly call himself the biggest fashionista, and you know this and are totally fine with that. but sometimes he'll look over at what you've decided to wear on your date, do a double take and very genuinely tell you what he likes about it. he tells you you're pretty every day, sure, but the fact he takes the time to notice your clothes even though he doesn't really care about that kind of thing? you feel touched that he's paying attention to something that you care about, too. 

joshua

holding doors open for you. he’s a gentleman, and also a little shit, and holding doors for you is the perfect way to be both. it's sweet, and helps you carry on your conversations without a hitch, and earns him a warm smile as you enter through the cafe doors he's held open for you. but he also holds the door when you're several metres away, just grinning as you glare and do that awkward hop-run towards him so he won't be standing there by the door for ages. nevertheless, the action is often mindless, natural, showing how much he always goes out of his way to help you, even with the little things. 

junhui

sends you pics and is like “this is us!!!!”. it's not ur typical romantic gesture thing, but it also shows how he just thinks about you, always. whenever he goes out anywhere you can bet he'll take a photo of two cats or two leaves or, one time, two cigarette butts on the floor and tell u how they look just like you two <33 even if you can't see any sort of correlation whatsoever, it warms your heart and you find yourself looking forward to the silly little pictures that junhui sends you. you have a whole album in your phone dedicated to them, in fact. he cries when he finds out. 

hoshi

giving you flowers. not the plastic-wrapped, fancily arranged flowers. just… flowers he finds. a pretty violet in the park that made him think of you. a sunflower from the girl selling flowers in front of her house because they're cute and he thinks you're cute too. sometimes the flowers are growing in someone's garden so he sends you photos of them, because flowers are pretty and it only seems right to send pretty things to the prettiest person he knows. and it feels more heartfelt to send you these ones, the real ones, rather than the perfectly picked flowers in the shop. because that's what you are. beautiful and real.

wonwoo

he becomes talkative when he's with you. this isn't rlly a gesture (most of these aren't tbh) but he just. he just talks so much when he's talking to you. wonwoo is quite introverted, and even with the others, he'll probably talk the least, but when it comes to you, it's like the words just flow out of him. you make him feel comfortable. he wants to tell you everything, to share every detail of his life with you, because there's just something about you that makes him feel lighter, softer, more relaxed. there are few who know wonwoo better than he knows himself, but he's more than happy with the fact that you're one of them.

woozi

smiling whenever he sees you. every time your eyes meet, every single damn time, the corners of his lips will twitch upwards and his eyes will crinkle just that little bit. most of the time, it's unintentional, and it makes you feel giddy to know you have such an unconscious effect on him. sometimes, he'll smile for your sake even when he's exhausted out of his mind, and that touches your heart, because he cares enough to put on a smile for you, to try and comfort you, to show you that he loves you even when he's like this. 

minghao

remembering small things about you. you swear that minghao probably had some secret file full of information about you, because you really don't know how he does it. you'll offhandedly mention something about your niche food preferences one time, but he'll remember it and randomly bring it up when you're out at dinner three months later. it's like some sort of magic, but when you comment on it, minghao just shrugs with a smile. of course he remembers these things about you. who do you think he is? 

mingyu

sending “goodnight” and “good morning” texts. every. single. day. it's so devastatingly sweet of him, and he always wakes up a little earlier than you, so you get to start each day with a brief, adorable morning update from your boyfriend. they're sometimes the only things that get you out of bed, and at night, you know you're guaranteed one last conversation with the love of your life before you go to sleep, and nothing is more comforting than going to bed whilst imagining mingyu murmuring a warm “goodnight” into your ears

dokyeom

holding hands. the action itself could be romantic enough, but he always has a specific intention, a specific reason that causes him to hold your hand. you never know how he knows, but when you're particularly stressed or overwhelmingly exhausted or simply feeling like you're at your limit, his hand finds yours, fingers interlacing, his touch warm and safe and grounding. it's like he always knows, like he's aware that he's your lifeline, that he's the one thing you need in order to keep sane. he holds your hand, and that small action speaks louder than any “i love you” he's ever said. 

seungkwan

“so, tell me how your day went?”. he's a yapper, he won't deny it, and firmly tells you that it's because gossip just loves him so he kind of Has to talk about stuff, Always. there's always something or other going on in his life at any given point and if he can, he'll 100% tell you every single detail. nevertheless, he's still aware that he can sometimes talk a little too much, so after a bit, he'll always settle down and turn the topic to you. regardless of how busy he is, he'll always find time to talk about you and what you've been up to, no matter what. 

vernon

tucking your hair out of your face. it's habitual, and he won't even bat an eye as he lifts a finger to brush a strand of hair away before it can get caught on your lips or fly into your eyes. it's sweet, but also a little unusual, so you ask him about it one day, as he's tucking loose curls behind your ear. and he says it's simply because he likes watching you talk, likes looking at your face as your eyes shine and you chatter animatedly, and he didn't want your hair getting in the way. he likes looking at you, he says. so he tucks your hair out of your face. 

chan

he's always planning “surprise dates”. it's so cute bc you always know when they're coming, because he's grinning ridiculously wide and looking so!! adorably!! pleased with himself before he asks you out but it's just so endearing that you always smile and laugh as you say yes. the fact that he never gets tired of planning things for you, for arranging days where he does things specifically for you and takes you out to do things that he thinks you will love… it shows how much he loves you, even without him having to say the words. 

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[meidiary]

( ♡ ) WHEN THEY'RE JEALOUS .. !!

synopsis : ur wbk favs get a little too annoyed because of the bold guy next to you

starring : sakura haruka, suo hayato, nirei akihiko, kiryu mitsuki & kaji ren

mei's note : eeehhh!! first time writing for wb.. i absolutely adore all the wb content on here && I wanted to contribute a bit- so that's what brings us here.. hope you enjoy! this layout was inspired by the lovely @stunie & @kaiser1ns ♡

SAKURA HARUKA

nicknames / f!reader

"baby~ need me to put some sunscreen on your back?" you grab the sunscreen spray and get up on your knees. you giggle as you see a faint blush on your boyfriend's face. "don't need any sunscreen," sakura mumbles, avoiding any eye contact with you.

you wrap your arms around his neck from the back, leaning down before brushing his ear with your lips. "nuh-uh, you do need it.."

"close your eyes, okay?"

he grumbles a bit before obliging and allowing himself to melt in your embrace.

the first spray was cold, albeit the warm weather, it still gave sakura the chills. but he forgets about the cold sensation once he feels your soft hands, massaging the sunscreen onto his skin. your fingers slowly gliding from his shoulders to his upper back.

sakura almost missed the cold feeling of the second spray because he was too focused on how warm your hands felt om him. your hands gently making their way to his lower back.

then the third spray- your fingers suddenly stop moving. his eyes jump open, his eyebrows are up in confusion, where did the warn sensation of your touch go? he looks to the back to see you waving to a group of people on the other side of the beach.

"haru', i'm gonna go say hello to some old friends! give me a minute or two, and I'll be back, yeah?" you tell him all giddy before heading to your old friend group.

a huff leaves sakura's lips, just a tad bit annoyed some randoms stole your attention. he meticulously follows you with his eyes as you make your way to the group. sakura internally scolds himself for not telling you to wear something on top of your little two piece bikini. don't get him wrong! he thinks you look gorgeous, stunning even! but now he has to restrain himself from going over there and punching the guy who's been undressing you with his eyes the second you greeted the group.

his teeth are clenched, the veins in his neck are popped while he struggles to stay put and not make a scene. sakura knows you don't like it when he starts a fight, that's why he's using up all the patience he has to prevent himself from beating the guy. if it were up to him, he would've started a fight the moment that weirdo started smiling at you like that! who does he think he is? does he really think he stands a chance with someone like you? funny.

sakura doesn't even know what you see in him, but there's absolutely no way he's going to stand by while some sicko is flirting with his girlfriend!

as if on cue, you bump into sakura the moment he started agigatedly stomping your direction. "eh? you miss me already?" a giggle leaves your mouth as you wrap your arms around your boyfriend's neck. "I didn't know you needed me around so badly!" another silly joke of yours flew right past sakura, his attention still being at your former friend group.

"hey..! what're you looking at?" your head spins to the same direction sakura's looking at before you notice he's glaring at your old friend. after a while the realization hit; your tsundere boyfriend was jealous! ah, lovely, another thing to tease him about!

"baby~ are you jealous I was talking to him?" you laugh, turning his head to face you.

"w-what?! of course not! w-what are you on, you weirdo!" he stumbles backward a bit before gaining his balance again, your arms now detached from his neck. sakura continues to mumble, "he- he should just stop lookin' at you like that.." your raise your eyebrows as you see a blush creeps up on his face.

you bite the inside of your lip, trying your hardest to keep yourself from smiling. "like what haru'? hm?"

"you know what I mean."

you reconnect your hands with his neck, tilting your head to the side. "no~ I don't!"

"[ ♡ ]!" your first name rolls off of his tongue so smoothly, reminding him not everyone can call you that. not everyone could stand as close to you as he is standing right now. not everyone could feel your hot breath on their skin as your fingertips slowly caress their neck. and even if they could, he wouldn't let them. you're his and his only.

"like you're his girlfriend, cause you're not! he should know his damn place.." sakura sighs before hiding his face in the crook of your neck, hesitantly wrapping his arms around your waist. "y-you're mine. just- just don't forget that.."

you gulp as you stand in the middle of the beach, completely enveloped by your boyfriend, not able to move an inch because of the way he's holding you. you receive glances from passers-by but you don't care enough right now. he called you his, it felt as though you could've squealed when he uttered those 3 words.

but truth be told, you are most definitely his, and his only.

SUO HAYATO

if you squint your eyes -> a bitttt of yandere!suo at the end / nicknames / reader wears dresses !

"but- it looked so cute!" you protest, your eyebrows furrowed as you look at your boyfriend rolling his eyes playfully.

"hey now, I thought i already told you that it definitely carries like atleast 10 diseases," suo glances at you, noticing your lips were still pouted, "look, if you had touched it, you'd probably have ended up in a hospital, we don't want that now, do we pretty?" suo lets out a chuckle.

you slightly shake your head before intertwining your fingers with his.

he lets out a quiet sigh before admitting, "it did look cute, though.." you giggle at your boyfriend's statement, your giggles mixing with his chuckle.

suddenly, you hear a small thud, which makes you swiftly turn your head to the side at the sound of something falling.

"ah! su', gimme a minute, stay here with the bags please!" you let go of his hand as you make your way to the guy who had dropped some boxes. you get down and start helping him put the items back in the boxes. "h-hey, thanks for helping out!" the guy spills out before he continues grabbing his stuff, his hand accidentally touching yours as you both go to grab the water bottle. awkwardly laughing it off, you two finish up refilling the box.

little do you know on the other side of the street suo drops the shopping bags he was holding for you, he doesn't care less what could happen to those pretty pink bags filled with cute dresses you tried on earlier in the shops, which you decided were essential additions to your already filled to the brim closet. if the bags would end up stolen, suo would buy you new ones anyway. so they weren't that important right now.

not when some guy was gushing at his girlfriend. not when that same stranger had touched your hand, which only he was allowed to do. and oh, definitely not when he had the courage to shove his phone in your pretty hands, waiting for you to put your number in.

"[ ♡ ]," suo calls out your name as he reaches you. "we should go, sweetheart, we told the others we'd be at kotoha's in 10," he forces a smile before taking the guy's phone out of your hand and pointing it towards him. "yours?" cold, that was the only way to describe your boyfriend, whose smile had disappeared into thin air, tone.

the guy who you were so innocently helping earlier, started awkwardly thanking the both of you before hastily making his way to his car.

"ah, su'! my bags!" you sprint to the shopping bags on the other side of the street, worriedly checking if all the items were still inside. "everything's still inside?" your boyfriend's smile was showing again.

you nod as he grabs the bags in one hand and locks his other hand with yours. this time with a tighter grip, the last thing he'll allow is for you to stray from him again.

"stay close to me now, alright pretty? don't let go of my hand."

and you could've sworn you saw him clench his jaw before relaxing it and sending you his signature smile again. "love you."

NIREI AKIHIKO

no warnings, just nirei being adorable

how did nirei even get himself into this situation? no, but really, how? it was a perfect day; sunny weather with clouds nowhere in sight, nirei was hanging out with the people he loved being around, his friends, and of course, you! yet somehow, he finds himself in the bookstore, ignoring his friends' stories.

he isn't purposely ignoring them! it's just hard to listen to them when his, his girlfriend is being hit on by the employee.

you were talking him about how badly you wanted to read this book. it was of a psychological genre, and when you explained the story premise to your boyfriend, he got totally spooked by it! but when you two and your friends got to the store, you couldn't find it at all..

you were searching for an employee to help you find it as your earlier attempt with nirei and the others weren't really successful.

but, oh, the regret nirei's feeling right now about letting you go off on your own to find someone to help is absolutely tearing him apart! he doesn't want to seem like the possessive type by waltzing over there and snaking an arm around you, but he can't stand witnessing one more second of that guy flirting with you!

"hmm, what're you gonna do now, huh nirei?" suo teases the blond, elbowing kiryu to witness nirei's predicament.

"hah? you gonna let 'em take your girl, eh nirei?" kiryu chuckles, playfully pushing his shoulder.

nirei shakes his head before sending yet another glare at the employee. he was an older man, way too old to even think about flirting with you. what's worse is that you were completely oblivious to the situation, you probably just thought he was being friendly!

that's it. with that thought flowing in nirei's brain he makes his way to you.

"h-hey! you find the book yet, sweetheart?"

nirei usually sticks to calling you by your name or nickname, occasionally even calling you baby. but never had he called you sweetheart before. so that was what caught your attention.

"yes, darling, I have!" you giggle as you decide to play along this game of his, oblivious to the way your boyfriend's staring at the older man, waiting for him to get the hint and back off.

"well.. I'll be going then.." the employee abruptly leaves, after rolling his eyes at you two.

nirei's knot in his stomach finally seems to loosen as he intertwines his fingers with yours. "glad you found it," your blond boyfriend sends you a cheeky smile.

"thank you, sweetheart!"

"SWEETHEART?!" tsugeura yells out, fake-fainting into kiryu's arms. the pink-haired individual struggling with keeping tsugeura on his feet. "y-yo, you're 'bout to make me trip!"

suo smiles widely, one of his hands on nirei's shoulder. "my, my, haven't you progressed a lot in the past 5 minutes, haven't you? you even got sakura blushing like crazy.."

"hey shut up!" sakura hides his face behind the book he was holding, pretending he was checking it out. mind you, it was upside down..

oh my, nirei is going to be teased about this for the rest of the year. but honestly, he'd do it all again to see your pretty smile again. your laughing mixing in with all the ruckus the guys are making brings another genuine smile to nirei's face.

this was his happy place, right here with you.

(just look at him omg... i-)

KIRYU MITSUKI

nicknames

"ah! mitsuki, look at this top, isn't it adorable?!" completely in love with the clothing piece, you show it to your boyfriend, waiting for his opinion on it.

"mhm, it'd look so pretty on you. and it'd fit with your new shoes!" kiryu adds, slightly wiggling his eyebrows up and down to convince you the top is a must-have! "come on~, tried it on for me."

kiryu locks his hands with yours before pulling you along with him to the dressing rooms.

you hand your boyfriend your handbag and jacket before picking out where you'll try the top on. "I'll be quick, kay?" you tell him, earning a smiley nod from him.

after some time, kiryu sees your hand coming out of the dressing room, signing to him to come in. chuckling, he goes into the small space.

"baby, look how small it is! 's like a baby size.." you mumble, still trying to adjust the top.

the back of your top gets adjusted by kiryu before he shakes his head, "baby-, I'll just go grab another size for you. this size could actually be a baby's size.." you giggle as you nod, planting a quick kiss on his cheek before letting him go look for a different size.

kiryu searches at the original spot, but he doesn't seem to find the other sizes. after a long while of searching and asking the employees, going through 3 floors searching for the top, and then suddenly remembering there's a fourth floor, kiryu finally finds the infamous top.

this piece of fabric better be the best clothing piece ever.

with the top in his, your boyfriend makes his way back to you, eager to see you wearing the right size this time.

he turns the corner to get to the dressing rooms when he hears your voice. you're sitting on the couch, talking to some guy. that isn't a bad thing, it really isn't! what is, though, is the fact that the guy was giving you heavy heart eyes as he grabbed your phone to add his number. like yes, you're pretty, gorgeous, stunning, but you're taken, so no, thank you!

"h-hey.. maybe we should y'know go there togeth-"

"hey, princess, I found your top," kiryu walts over to the sofa, standing in front of the two of you. his smile disappears almost immediately once he shifts his gaze to the man next to you. "and you are?"

you widen your eyes a bit at your boyfriend's sharp tone. "baby-," you mumble

kiryu's fixed stare started to make him feel fiddly as he starts awkwardly laughing. "h-hey man, didn't know she was taken.. was just hitting up a pretty girl, right?" he chuckles before standing up.

"mhm, next time, don't hit on my pretty girl, yeah?"

another awkward laugh flows out of the man's mouth as he leaves the dressing rooms.

"mitsuki-"

"don't even get me started," kiryu hands you the top. he motions for you to try I on before plopping on the couch again, still annoyed at the individual trying to get with his pretty girlfriend.

but all that pent-up annoyance and frustration suddenly goes right out the window when he sees you walking out of the fitting room. wow, you look incredible.

the way the top hugs your figure so elegantly yet somehow still remains a casual vibe, surprises him.

"baby? what do you think?"

"you look so pretty, princess.." kiryu wraps his arms around your waist before pulling you closer to him. "you always do."

kiryu's bank account might be experiencing an existential crisis because of all the items he bought you, but he couldn't care less when he sees you smile like that.

KAJI REN

teenie tiny bit of swearing / reader's wearing a skirt

where is that damn soda of yours?! kaji's been roaming the grocery store, searching for another soda for you because you were all "baby, they're buy 1 get 1 free!". and how could he tell you he wasn't in the mood to go to the back of the store to get it for you when you were puppy-eyeing him.

damn you. (he loves you)

if kusumi were there with him, kaji just knows he'd be poking fun at him, calling him a simp again.

finally, he found the bottled soda! he angrily grabbed it, making his way back to you, who stayed in line, waiting for your turn at the cash register.

kaji moves past families with full carts, jumps over children playing on the ground, and almost knocks over a fabric softener stand.

reaching the line at the register, he hears your laugh and follows it past the others in line to get to you. wait, who were you laughing at? as he stands behind you, you turn around to greet him.

"baby! this is kai, he was telling me all about some trivia about fruits!" you giggle, waiting for ren to greet the man in front of you, who had reached out his hand to him.

your boyfriend only stares at him before the man retrieves his hand, uncomfortably running it through his hair before letting out a forced chuckle.

you smile awkwardly, turning your head a little to kaji's side. "ren. be nice," you warn with a smile still on your face.

"anyway, did you know figs aren't fruits! they're inverted flowers, isn't that crazy?" you start rambling, hoping to dissipate the awkward situation. you were completely amazed at what the stranger told you. unbeknownst to you though, kaji was fuming, he was humming at your rambles whilst scowling at the man in front of you.

you should've seen how the stranger was looking at you before kaji stood next to you! his toothy smile, flirtatious glances, the man even playfully touched your shoulder. but you, of course, being the clueless person you are, thought he was just being friendly!

as you ended your newly learned trivia about fruits, you saw the man grabbing his stuff and hastily walking off.

"y-yeah well, was nice to meet you too.. bye.." the guy turns around, not even sparing you another glance.

kaji rolls his eyes as you too load up your groceries in a bag and start heading out.

"baby, you were so rude!" you state while taking a sip from your soda, and then offering it to him. "the guy was just being nice.."

grabbing the sods, kaji lets out a scoff. unamused with your cluelessness. "the guy was trying to get in your pants," kaji's eyes shot down, only to see you were wearing a skirt. "..uh skirt, whatever, you know what I'm getting at..!"

"ren, you're exaggerating so much it's starting to give me a headache!" you joke, locking your arm with his.

another sigh leaves kaji's mouth. "baby, why else would a guy randomly tell a pretty girl some shitty trivia in a grocery store if not to get close to you?!"

a moment of silence lingers between the two of you before you look back at your boyfriend. "... you think I'm pretty?" you deadpan, holding in your laugh as you see kaji literally breaking.

"I should've let him have you-" as your boyfriend hears your giggles a tiny smile creeps up his face.

"love you too, rennie."

his arm slings around your waist and holds you even tighter to him than usual.

kusumi's right, he definitely is a simp.

[specshroom]

Ok so what do you think would make a monster INSTANTLY attracted to someone. And then how do you think they would vocalize/show it?With said monsters being orcs, merfolk, centaurs, driders, werewolves, and vampires

Okokok so these are all obviously just my opinion :) but here we go:

🧌 I think in orc culture the women initiate romantically and sexually just as much as the men, as opposed to human culture where the men generally are expected to initiate more. So I think any orc would find it hot if you were the one to flirt and initiate contact first.

- They like humans who know what they want and go for it.

- They like humans who can hold their liquor. They just think it's hot.

- They like humans who are a little vulgar. Who swear and shout and are a little rowdy maybe?

- So if you want to attract an orc your best bet would be to just go up to one and flirt heavily with them. If they like you they'll think it's hot that you show your attraction so boldly and they'll flirt back just as hard.

🧜Merfolk generally keep to themselves and their underwater cities. For a merfolk to be swimming in shallow waters means they're probably curious about the surface already.

- These merfolk will be instantly intrigued by a human who is as interested in them as the merfolk is with the surface. They just really like humans who try and talk to them, frantically ask them questions about their species and just seem enamored with their existence.

- A merfolk will fall for a human who brings them cool human stuff they've never seen before and enthusiastically tells them stories about the surface world.

- They'd appreciate humans who aren't scared to swim with them. They know the water is not a humans natural place and that it takes a lot of trust for them to be so vulnerable. They'd straight up take that as a confession of love from the human.

🐎 In my head centaurs are often depicted as strong stern types. Like noble warriors and such so I think they'd admire humans who are resourceful and independent.

- They won't like any human who disrespects nature. Killing unnecessarily or destroying/ littering wildlife is an absolute no go.

- They like outdoorsy humans who like nature walks or mountain climbing, that kind of shit. Anything from fishing to bird watching really.

- They find archery very attractive for some reason.

- Centaurs are known for being steely and almost cold so if one likes you they probably won't show it immediately but slowly over time by engaging in your shared interests.

🕷️ I think driders are often starved for affection. In my headcanon, driders don't get much affection from their parents because they're very independent and able from a young age so they're never really coddled as children.

- So I think driders would like a human who treats them very gently and sweetly despite not needing too at all because they're fierce hunters.

- They're not the most approachable monsters with their eight beady eyes and venom filled chelicerae. They don't initiate with humans much because they know they can be frightening. It can be isolating for them so they'd love if a human showed no fear towards them and instead treated them as if they were cute rather than scary.

- They'd be absolutely smitten if a human coddled and babied them, calling them grossly sweet petnames like "cutey", "darling" or "baby" while caressing their face gently. Just treating them with such care even though they could kill the human very easily. They might even cry from the affection.

🦇 I think vampires appreciate humans who aren't childish but still have a love for life. People who are lively and curious about the world but still mature and driven.

- I think humans who are exciting and have a thirst for life is what attracts vampires cus it helps them reignite their own love for life which may have dwindled after so many years of being immortal.

- Humans who are reckless with their own lives are a turn off. Vampires already have to experience losing many close ones due to immortality so I don't think they'd appreciate someone who disregards their life or the lives of others carelessly.

- Vampires are harder to categorise because they all come from different backgrounds and stuff but I think if a vampire liked a human most of them would have to know one for a while before bringing up anything serious. They understand the stakes (hah) of falling in love with humans and act accordingly.

🐺 Dog people. Werewolves like dog people. Sorry I know it's basic but I think werewolves are often simple creatures so what attracts them is relatively simple. Nothing wrong with that.

- They see a human walking their dog and they just go "I have a chance!!"

- They like humans who smell like their dog or have dog fur on their clothes, they think it's cute.

- They think it's so cute when humans baby talk dogs while giving them pets. It makes their own tails wag sometimes.

- Now that doesn't mean they like being treated like dogs cus they don't. They just think a dog person is a huge green flag in humans.

- Don't worry, this doesn't mean they hate cat people but they are more likely to flirt and initiate conversation with someone who has a dog or who smells like they own a dog.