#like this is a genuine question on where people get this idea of their relationship

[bemorch]

Tags by @vaguely-concerned

I’ve had a lot of people point out the easter eggs in these (the andraste’s grace, the portraits, the books, etc.), but this is the first time someone actually gets the more abstract messaging 100% right wow

I’ll take this chance to elaborate on the ideas in this a bit because I think the differences between their politics, the ways they view the chant, and their relationships, shape the way (I think) they would choose to depict themselves in a portrait.

Long text under the cut:

Starting with Cassandra, she's a character driven by duty and purpose, which extends to her interpretation of the chant. She views the Chantry as a means to a righteous, just and devoted society (although her interpretation of “justice” might not align with everyone else's). She is more than willing to go against the tide if she sees a violation of what she deems a fair system, even if that turns the world against her. 

These traits are self-evident in the letter Leliana “Nightingale” sends her after the death of Divine Beatrix III:

«“I know that the Most Holy has spoken to you, Cassandra” the letter stated. “She wishes you to be her Right Hand, to serve her as you did the Divine before. What she considers is necessary, yet dangerous. (...) My own agents have watched as you perform your duties. You pursue your own missions for the Seekers with less vigor than you once did. You question more often, show compassion that would get you in trouble if they knew of it, and you rage at injustice that has become more and more obvious to those of us with eyes. I welcome the opportunity for us to work together in what shall surely be our most trying hours”». (The World of Thedas II, p. 223)

This, though, also reveals the differences between the way she and Leliana served as Divine Justinia V’s right and left hand respectively, and most importantly, their relationships to her (which I’ll get to later).

Cassandra is, above all, a soldier. This does not diminish her faithfulness, on the contrary, her belief in the chant is what fuels her morals and principles, and what she sees as her duty as a warrior. This is what made her rise to the position of Right Hand of Divine Beatrix III, it wasn’t only her feats -overthrowing the assassination plot against the Divine, slaying the magically controlled dragons (a feat that she herself insists doesn’t belong exclusively to her) - but her resolve to do so. As she herself puts it in a report to her Seeker superiors: “Yes, I was indeed there when the Grand Cathedral was attacked, and I fought with every ounce of my strength to protect the Divine. (...) I was willing to die to protect Most Holy, it’s true, and I almost did die. But fighting against such evil is my sworn duty.” (World of Thedas II, p. 221) .

This, I believe, would all be reflected in her Official Divine portrait: 

Full armor, of course, not only as an expression of her history as a soldier (which, although lessened, doesn’t end with her appointment as Divine), but also as an extension of her metaphorical armor. Cassandra, although incredibly genuine and honest, is a woman who’s surrounded herself with emotional walls.

A powerful pose, as a way to show authority, strength and discipline, but within eye-level as to not show an arrogant sense of superiority.

Little to no personal decoration. She’s a blunt, no-nonsense person, she doesn’t see the point in displaying her own life in an official portrait where everyone can see it. With the exception of a small portrait of divine Justinia, of course, and “The tale of the Champion” (whether the last one was left "in-frame" on purpose or not, I’ll leave to your interpretation).

Strong Chantry imagery: the drapes, the banner… She does not play the Game or care much for it, so subtle messaging through objects, composition, colors, etc. would not be much of a concern for her (she would probably see the need of a portrait at all as vain). When asked how she’d like to be painted, she’d probably give an exasperated “I do not care, just get this over with” kind of response. By relegating the task to her advisors though, subtle class imagery would sneak in the painting: the orlesian, purple cloth, representing a superior wealth/social status. This would also symbolize how one of her best attributes can be one of her worst: her straightforwardness, and lack of tolerance for nonsense (in this case, noble’s machinations), would make her vulnerable to camouflaged manipulation/influence.

Her portrait heavily contrasts with both Leliana’s and Vivienne’s, because, although each does so from the other side of the political spectrum, both of them skillfully play the Game, even through their portraits. Cassandra’s, on the other hand, has an either boring or refreshing (depending on who you ask) sincerity in her plain depiction of herself.

Continuing with the Left Hand of the Divine; Leliana, despite fulfilling her role next to Cassandra for many years, plays her cards in a completely different way. Shamelessly quoting the Thedas Revolutions wiki: “If the Right Hand of the Divine is her blade in hand, then the Divine’s Left Hand is the one concealed in her sleeve”.

(I’ll be talking exclusively about a softened Leliana here, so as not to overextend this analysis).

Where Cassandra is blunt and inflexible, Leliana is sly and open-minded. While Cassandra does not give nobles the time of day, Leliana, as a former bard, revels in playing their game. Cassandra will rush to the direct and short path, even if more dangerous, while Leliana will take her time finding a roundabout (literally).

Leliana’s devotion to the Maker is, in my opinion, no greater or lesser than Cassandra’s, but it is more unconventional. Even ignoring her “vision” during the events of Origins, her interpretation of the chant of light is not one shared by many. As she explains in Inquisition, when asked about her plans if she were to become Divine: «The Chantry dictated where it should have inspired. It spoke of judgement instead of acceptance. It should encourage the good in everyone, rather than rebuke us for our sins. No one should be turned away from our doors. No one is without worth. Whoever you are, whatever your mistakes, you are loved. Unconditionally. “In your heart shall burn an unquenchable flame.”». She is, to some degree, something of a heretic.  And yet, her devotion to her faith is undeniable.

Her portrait shows these same characteristics:

An approachable look: as @/vaguely-concerned eloquently put it, “I am here with you in this private space, you can tell me everything, I will understand”. From her pose, sitting down in a comfortable chair, looking at the viewer in the eyes, to the space she’s in: a simple, homey room.

Personal decorations: the lute, the portraits, the flower, and the amulet. All to portray vulnerability and connect to the viewer. Even the nug, Schmooples II, is an attempt to seem friendly. I mean, a Divine with such a “dirty” and common animal as a pet? Wow, she's just like me! This, although no less genuine, is a very calculated way to depict herself. She won’t reveal any real secrets or weaknesses of course. If Cassandra’s straightforwardness is both a strength and a fault, Leliana’s scheming can be as well. A person like her, so in love with playing the Game, can get lost in her own machinations even in front of a clear-cut solution.

Even though her priority here is to connect with the viewer -the world-, she is still very much a servant of the Maker -of the Chantry- shown through the Grand Cathedral visible through the window. She serves the people through the Chantry, and the Chantry through the people.

This is a new era for the Chantry, one where everyone’s welcome (“elves, dwarves, even qunari.”), one rid of archaic conventions of what means to be faithful. What better way to show this than with a portrait of the Divine’s elven lover displayed on her official portrait? (I am aware this only applies to a very specific worldstate).

A robe made of beautiful materials and textiles. Elegant and ornamental, but not a vulgar display of wealth. A nod to her love for shoes, fashion, and orlesian customs.

And, of course, a portrait of Divine Justina as well. The position, size and context is different from Cassandra’s as a way to highlight the aforementioned differences between their relationships with Dorothea. In Leliana’s case, the portrait is big, hanged in a high, visible place, just above her, as if watching over her. She was, as she herself says, the one who “saved her”, and who motivated her to dedicate herself to the Chantry. Cassandra, on the other hand, even though devoted to Justinia, had a far more superficial connection with her, more by duty than by affection. She even admits it in a series of banters with Sera:

“Sera: You better yet, Cassandra? Can you tell me what she was like? Cassandra: Who? Oh, the Divine? Yes, I'm sorry. I'm not used to such... unorthodox displays of faith. Most Holy was a visionary. I served as her Right Hand, and would have done so as long as she needed me. Sera: But you didn't know her. Cassandra: I just said, I served as her Right Hand. Sera: Fine, whatever. I'll ask Leliana. You can tell there was something with those two. Family pain, there.” “Cassandra: I... You were right, Sera. I find I did not know Justinia at all. Sera: Shame, right? She was pretty.”

This is why, even though she was an equally influential figure in Cassandra’s life, her portrait is smaller, less visible, looking in the opposite direction as her. They worked together, she would’ve sacrificed herself to save her life, but they didn’t really know each other.

And lastly we have Vivienne, equally subversive as she is conservative. The first mage Divine, but also the most traditional out of the three candidates. A deeply complicated woman.

I find that Vivienne is often misrepresented in fandom spaces, oversimplified as just "the conservative mage". She's not afforded the same complexities as her mage peers, for whatever reason (I think we both know the reason). The thing is, Vivienne loves control, loves power plays, but her politics on mage freedom don't come from that, but from a genuine wish to protect her fellow mages. She is, in my opinion, one of the characters most empathetic to mages, even if her ideas of what's best for them are widely different from most. Even if subtle, her reaction to finding the rebel mages left the tranquil behind (and were subsequently used by the venatori to make the ocularum) is one of absolute outrage. Her worry for mages doesn’t end with the “useful” ones, so it’s not about controlling a potential asset, it extends to those most overlooked by the Templars, the Chantry and the rebels.

I’d divide Vivienne's opinionated dialogue in 3 layers:

Her opinion is backed by rational arguments, she’s sincere about what she's saying.

Despite her arguments being factually true, her opinion is motivated by emotional ones. As in, her real reasoning would be indefensible, so she disguises it with a factual argument. The tried and true method used by real life conservatives. (She *is* nicknamed the iron lady, an alias for a real-life certain someone…)

Although at first glance, it might appear that she's using the strategy from the previous point, she genuinely believes what she's saying. So like layer 1, but with the cadence & condescending language she would use for nº2.

The fun part of her portrait is figuring which parts of it belong to which layer:

The mirror: either a representation or her arrogance/narcissism, or a symbol of watching one's back. She is in fact in a very delicate position. Not to repeat myself too much, but Vivienne's greater strength, her ability to take the bourgeois’ wants and desires and twist them into power for herself, is a double-edged sword; her loyalties are fragile, she has to align herself with their interests lest she lose influence. She has (almost) no truly loyal allies.

Reading the chants of light, a so on the nose depiction of her faithfulness, you wouldn't be wrong to think she's making fun of you. I also wonder to what extent she is religious, this could be a facade just to gain power in a world where religion is at the top of the pyramid. (I strongly doubt that is the case, but I do think she’s not as religious as she would make herself seem). Again, she's in a very very difficult situation as the first mage divine, so she has to do everything perfectly. Any slip, no matter how small, could be fatal.

Three colors: blue, red and green. The blue is a symbol of class, and her life among the orlesian nobility (she does love their decor). The red, a symbol of the chantry, this one's pretty straightforward. And then, almost hidden, the green circle tomes. Both a throwback to her first personal quest, and her dedication to the circle.

Gold everywhere. Fully undisguised ostentatiousness. From the purple stool (class symbol), to the mirror, her wand and her clothes. This one is a vulgar display of wealth, but a very intentional one. If Leliana appeals to the farmer, Vivienne does to the noble.

Anyways, that's about it, I don't really have a big conclusion here beyond the fact that all three Divines are different enough to be interesting on their own, and similar enough to complement each other. This is even further driven home by their canon portraits clothes colors: Cassandra has red and black, Leliana has white and red, and Vivienne has white and black. All of them share one color with each of the other two candidates, with gold as the unifying color.

Thanks for reading if you got this far, and thanks to everyone's tags on this post (and every post I make), I rarely reply, but I read them all :)

The three Divines

Prints available here

[ysaefinn]

okay but after reader tries to dump suguru and he doesnt allow it, how does he react to reader cheating as an attempt to escape the relationship

Cheating, toxic relationship, yandere suguru

I KNOW WHO THIS IS BTW???????

W question, bcuz i will pounce at the first chance i get to make him look as yanderish as possible...

First of all yeah you clocked it, he's not letting you go 💀 and you would be well within your rights to get you some ass cuz wtf do you mean "No darling, we're not breaking up. You belong with me, now hold on dinner's almost ready"??????????????

He will find out you cheated EVEN if you don't tell him you did literally the second you step back into your shared home, he doesn't even pester you with questions. Will only ask you where you've been and give you a quiet little "ok" regardless of your answer then immediately drop the subject. Mind you he is VERY clearly hurt, eyes glassy but he won't cry while you're there watching (to further push the narrative that everything is ok, mostly to himself) and then it's just eerily quiet, pretty creepy actually. He's (obviously) immediately targeting the person you were with btw, then comes home all smiles and giggles FULLY BELIEVING THAT HIS PROBLEM WAS TAKEN CARE OF, he really does give you the benefit of the doubt, it was just a lapse in your judgment, THEY seduced YOU, you were drunk or tired or something???? Lies on lies on lies, of course, he knows he's just clowning himself. The one thing he knows to be 100% true is that he's just fighting for his relationship/future marriage and has nothing to be guilty about.

(He holds you a little tighter at night after each kill, its like a pride thing really)

You're probably going to reach into your infinite wisdom and come up with the brilliant idea that cheating again is the solution to your dilemma (diva), and he's just gonna keep fucking murdering the people you keep seeing 💀 he can genuinely keep doing this all day anon. However, murder after murder, body after body, the illusion starts to crumble, and he can't keep deluding himself, you've made how many... 8 "mistakes" now?? No, no way, you're going out of your way to meet these people solely to hurt him, and yet his anger is still never aimed at you. Once the realization sinks he just breaks, and completely submits, you can do whatever you want atp as long as you're still coming home to him.

In canon JJK verse I see him being driven to madness from love and borderline grief and haunting you in typical Rika fashion lol (dream life) its so on brand for him really, not even death doing us part

[silent-sanctum]

Hi! I'm a huge fan of your Jotaro writings, it's super refreshing to see someone else interpret him the way you (we?) do :'> Anyhow! If you still have requests open, I've had an idea rolling around; Eyes of Heaven timeline, so Jotaro is still trying to balance being a father with all the Stand nonsense, but he and Jolyne's mother are just too incompatible to work as a couple. Following the divorce, he meets Stand User!Reader and the two of them occasionally work together with the Speedwagon Foundation. After some time as friends, he starts getting caught between wanting to be in a relationship again and feeling like he shouldn't get any more people involved in his life. How do you think a love confession would go down in this scenario, and what would really push him to pursue someone he likes after all that? :D

Hello anon! Thank you for being a fan of my stuff :'D I always appreciate your lovely compliments. Helps motivate me. So, this prompt you sent is actually one that has been stewing in my mind for a while now, and you pushed me to write something out of that. Thank you for that as well ^^ This took a while to make, and it's pretty lengthy (mostly because it was an idea I really liked to explore, and I had to scrap one draft because it deviated from your prompt). But here it is now! Tags include: Banter mates to lovers, mild angst, hurt/comfort, drunken confessions Anyways, I hope you like this anon. This one's for you!

Partners - Jotaro x Reader

word count: 14.9k

What comes next after knowingly resetting the timeline? The question lingered in Jotaro Kujo’s mind for as long as he knew since the event.

After a life-altering fight against an overpowered vampire, he was given the choice to go back in time to undo one mistake in his life. For him, the answer came in the form of a memory: Of a little girl not older than 7 with space buns and a bright smile that had yet to fade as a result of his neglect.

And so he stepped back in time and inserted himself in the past, and he vividly remembered the utter joy on his daughter’s face when he stepped through the door with his luggage in hand- her small arms wrapped as much as they could around him, her excited chatter, her rosy cheeks. There, he knew that this decision was worth it.

Enemy Stand users be damned.

A few months have passed since then, and a lot has happened within that time frame, mostly stemming from Jotaro’s conscious effort to right some wrongs the way he could with the help of future hindsight. Most of the said changes were how his family would move forward, starting as early as possible at the age of 28.

His priority was always his child. Jolyne was the sole reason he rewrote reality, the guilt of being the reason behind his little girl’s miserable path to delinquency and hatred, weighing heavily in his heart that pushed and yelled at him to make amends and be there for his daughter. To not throw away the second chance he was blessed with.

But unfortunately, even if he did manage to maintain the relationship he had with his daughter before he could mess it up, the same couldn’t be said for his wife… or ex-wife at this point.

Jotaro tried. He genuinely did. The day he returned to the past and back at the doorstep of Madelyn's house where Jolyne stayed, she had greeted him with the same open arms but unlike the one with his child, he couldn’t feel the heart in him to fake the same enthusiasm back, which ended up in him giving her a half-armed embrace and a small smile.

Did anything change? He married her for a reason, right? The spark must be there somewhere… All that stormed his thoughts during the entirety of his attempts to catch up with her, to make up for lost time. He went along with her on dates (just like before), accepted her displays of affection (just like before), and somewhat returned her conversations (just like before).

Eventually, he concluded that it just wasn’t working. That “spark” he felt during his younger years was simply him looking for a semblance of normalcy, and he just so happened to latch onto the first person who wasn’t checking him out or screaming into his ear on the daily. But beyond that youthful romance, whatever fire he had for this relationship had dwindled into embers.

And he had to let her know truthfully.

It wasn’t emotionally charged nor did it hold as much resentment like it was when they ended things off at an older age. This talk was more civilized, speaking from the heart about him no longer having strong feelings for Madelyn and that she’d deserve someone who reciprocated her love the same way, instead of clinging to one that barely had any charge.

Jolyne, as he would have expected, wasn’t happy at the news, but with enough explanation from both parents, she would reluctantly have to adjust to the change. After the divorce, both he and Madelyn agreed to share custody of their daughter- she would have her from Monday to Thursday, and he would have her from Friday to Sunday. Another change from the previous timeline wherein his ex-wife had full custody of her.

Here he was now- sitting alone in his seaside villa’s manor office room, reviewing stacks of research articles and reports under the dim lighting of his lamp. On his desk were two picture frames: One was the group his grandfather formed- his friends- that banded together to defeat DIO, and the other was of Jolyne. He used to keep a frame of him and his ex, but there’s no point in keeping up images anymore.

The ring finger of his left hand never felt so bare, devoid of the silver band that used to adorn it.

Jotaro put down the pen and sighed, leaning back against his office chair. He pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed his eyes. The place outside him was so quiet that even if this was what he wished for, he may perhaps have started to get used to a little bit of chatter. The silence always fucked with him, letting his head run a million miles into unwanted memories of loss and near-death experiences.

He needed to move. He needed to do something. Anything. just to keep him busy. And in perfect timing, his office telephone rang and he answered. “Dr. Jotaro Kujo speaking.”

”Good afternoon Dr. Kujo, your presence is required at the Speedwagon Foundation for another pressing Stand user case. It’s vital that you be here as soon as possible. Reception room A.”

He looked at his calendar and stared at the current day. A Monday. At least Jolyne’s with her mother today… “I’ll be there.”

Perhaps this was his fate. This was his new life and he had to get used to it: A life of doing his professional job and investigating Stand users of all varieties, all while he returned to an empty home and an overwhelming feeling of solitude. A lonely life in exchange for everyone’s safety.

Jotaro fixed his office, filing away the papers into folders before standing and getting his keys, promptly leaving his residence and getting into his car.

The drive to the Speedwagon Foundation felt like it had gotten shorter with each visit and it was almost routine by this point from the number of times he went back and forth from the place, but before he could dwell on that thought, he arrived at the familiar establishment of the private organization.

The security greeted his arrival as per usual and he nodded once in greetings before stepping inside to the meeting room told to him.

With a twist of the knob, he opened the door expecting to be met with the same agent with his glasses and folders in hand. What he was met with was not only the aforementioned man, but a woman sitting near the head of the table, wearing a pair of sleek shades and a 2-piece black cropped suit, holding a glass of red wine.

“Greetings. You’re on time.” Jotaro nodded once to him before glancing at the newcomer casually lounging in the space they were in. “Ah yes. My apologies. I had forgotten to introduce the new member to our on-field team. She’s-”

“I can handle the introductions myself, Agent Townsend,” you said with a raise of your hand. The agent in question immediately complied, his mouth clamped shut at your words. “I believe I told you that before contacting him.”

You took one more sip from your glass before you stood and strode over to Jotaro with an unsettling mix of confidence, intensity, and neutrality to your stance. You stopped a few feet away from him and allowed a quick second of silence for him to process your sudden appearance. And even he didn’t know he needed that one second of “who are you” until you did it for him.

You took off your shades and let them hang on the collar of your button-up dress shirt, staring up at him with a smile comparable to a businesswoman offering a lucrative deal. “Pleasure meeting you, Dr. Kujo.” You held up a hand to him. “Y/N L/N.”

“Jotaro Kujo,” he said in return, shaking your hand. “Though you already knew that beforehand.”

You nodded and shoved your hands back in your pockets, turning your head to the side. Without looking, you addressed the other person in the room: “You may continue with the rest of the introductions.” You looked back at him as the agent spoke behind her.

“Y-Yes. I’ll do just that,” Townsend stammered but with a cough and a clear of his throat, his professionalism slipped back on. “She’s one of the Foundation’s top beneficiaries that has been supporting us for 4 years now. It was only 2 years ago that she decided to be an active member of the organization.”

“Slight correction,” you started. “I decided to join because apparently, this organization’s leaders refused to branch out into more progressive paths, more specifically investing in improving this whole Stand investigation business. It appears you guys are short on agents dealing with this specific issue. Alas, I’m here.”

“W-Well to be fair, we can’t exactly find willing civilians with Stands who’d join our private organization-”

“I have contacted friends who also have Stands. They’ll be finalizing some local work and they’ll inform me of their transfer to the Speedwagon Foundation. I can start figuring out how to recruit for more after their adjustment.” Townsend, once again, zipped his lips shut and nodded.

“But for now,” you redirected your words to Jotaro with a light curl to your lip. “You and I will be handling these pesky Stand users. You can thank me if, at some point, you wondered why your workload in the Foundation has been halved.”

Jotaro was at a loss for words as he remained silent, staring at the new face in front of him with disbelief and confusion. This… this wasn’t the case in the previous timeline. Where were you then? Why didn’t you volunteer your services when he needed it before? Did he do something new that he wasn’t aware of?

“You…” He started. “You’ve dealt with Stand users?”

“I wouldn’t be investing my money and time here otherwise,” you said, matter-of-fact. “Nor would I be this annoyed, again, for the executives in this place for using my funding for medical use or research purposes instead of-” You cut yourself and took a deep breath. “Whatever.”

As much as Jotaro appreciated an extra hand, he had mixed feelings about having someone else help him. Stressful as his job was, at least he got used to it and managed to finish each case independently without having to worry about anyone else’s safety.

“Mr. Townsend, with all due respect, I can handle these cases by myself,” he said. “I have no doubts she has the capabilities, but my assignments are mine to deal with.”

You cocked a brow up at him and let out a drawled “ahh”. “Afraid I might get hurt, big guy?”

“I-” His brows furrowed at that unnerving guess because that was exactly it. He kept his calm and crossed his arms. “It’s not like that.”

“Then I don’t know what other reason you possibly could have for declining assistance,” you said, crossing your arms as well. “Unless you’re that type of man.”

He scoffed. “You’re putting words in my mouth.”

“You aren’t exactly giving me clear answers either.”

Jotaro glared at his supposed new “work partner,” who stared back at him with nonchalance, unaffected. If he was 11 years younger, he might’ve called you a “bitch” out of teenage pettiness or spite. Age does wonders for his patience.

Townsend cleared his throat the second time. “I apologize, Dr. Kujo, but the higher-ups have agreed that having someone to help you in the Stand investigation might garner quicker results for our research team to study.” He adjusted his glasses and continued. “The faster the Stand users are dealt with, the less you have to worry about your family being harmed.”

His family may be his top priority, but the allies surrounding him were a close second. If anything were to happen out of the blue, and you get injured or worse- “Kujo-ssi…” His train of thought halted at your sudden shift of tone. “Like Agent Townsend said, I took up half your workload and came out unscathed. He can attest that I delivered the needed results with time to spare. Trust my words when I say I can handle it. This isn’t my first rodeo.”

Jotaro warred with himself on what to do, his hands clenched in his pant pockets.

“If it helps, Ms. L/N comes from a convenient background that has been useful in this field. A former member of law enforcement, and has extensive knowledge of criminology and criminal justice.”

In all honesty, it should, but whether you were skilled or not, he still couldn’t help but be hesitant. His old friends were skilled. They knew how to use their Stands, and he knew they were strong allies. That didn’t stop death from taking them regardless.

But just like him, you were stubborn and didn’t know how to back down. “Let’s compromise, then. Just one case, and you can decide whether we continue our partnership.”

“Why are you so adamant about teaming up with me?” He gritted his teeth.

“Efficiency,” you shrugged. “You’re quite popular in the Foundation, and I’ve learned a lot about your skill set and competencies. If we put our skills together, we can breeze past several cases in comparison to a slower, one-man expedition. Don’t deny it. You want assistance.”

“How about you learn how to mind your damn business?” Jotaro said, both frustrated at your adamant choice and embarrassed with himself, knowing deep down you were right. He wanted to spend time with his child, and this new timeline gave him the human incarnate of volition who could help him with this job.

You crossed your arms and maintained eye contact with him, unperturbed by his intimidation. “This is my business, and I think you should learn how to trust in others and reinvest in new win-win deals, hm?”

At that moment, his youthful bite sparked and it took a great amount of restraint to filter “You’re such a bitch” into “You’re so annoying” but of course, you smirked at his retort. “I’ve been told.”

“Should… should we proceed with discussing the cases?” In the background, Agent Townsend interrupted the two, uncomfortable with the tension in the room.

“I don’t agree-”

“Yes, we should,” you said at the same time he spoke. “I believe introductions are over, and we have yet to be briefed about who we’re dealing with.” You took your seat, and with no other say in this, Jotaro took his spot with irritation and an inkling of concern.

He grumbled to himself under his hat and muttered a quick “Good fucking grief…”

---

Jotaro could’ve gone to the next assignment and left the first to you, but damn you for pitching the idea of keeping the documents in your possession.

Their first assignment was to investigate an unusual pattern of events in Jacksonville. Details of the occurrence traced back to a shaggy man in his mid-20s who had a habit of moving from a cheap apartment or motel room to another, each place of residence he left now covered with corrosive acid that burned not only furniture but nearby civilians as well.

Usually, he would just go to the different sites that the Stand user had been through, sweep the area to gather anything that the person left behind, and work with what he had to track down the target. It was time-consuming and more of a brute force type of method, but it worked for him every time, so he never deviated from it.

You, on the other hand, took the more proactive approach that proved your background as a former detective.

You took note of whatever details he found in each site, and spoke with witnesses about what the guy was like and whether he shared details in any conversations. You coordinated with other professionals (SWF researchers, local officers, security personnel, medical staff, etc.) and gathered more intel to formulate a pattern in his path of trouble.

And in the span of three days, all the information led the duo to another rundown motel by the edge of the city. Jotaro refused to believe your tactics worked just for the sake of breaking connections with you, but when you reached the location, the place was in the process of being corroded by neon green acid, other residents fleeing the scene screaming for their lives, leaving behind the young man stepping through a newly corroded door with unsteady feet, patting his stuffed duffle bag.

Well, I’ll be damned. Your approach was faster. You spared him one glance that said “I told you” before heading to block the Stand user’s next path. He held back a groan and followed after you.

“Hey!” The man stopped and stared at you with surprise like a deer caught by headlights. His pupils were unnaturally dilated. He stood a couple of feet away from where you were. “Where do you think you’re going?” He shrank in on himself and was about to turn to the other direction, only for Jotaro to block that path as well.

“You have some questions to answer, Mr. Deville. I’d rather we talk it out like adults,” you said. “Or are you too high to even care?”

Deville snorted and pointed at the two. “Who do you think you are, huh?” He spat on the pavement. “Don’t you see all this? I made that! And I can show you more if you don’t move!”

“You’re not convincing anyone with that bravado, so drop the act already,” Jotaro said.

The young man looked at you with confusion before it warped into another snort and then into a series of cackles. “Oh, you really want to end up as fleshy goop! Okay! I can show you!”

Jotaro tensed as Deville reached into his bag to pull something out, Star Platinum ready to attack, only for a gunshot to ring into the air, followed by the guy shrieking in pain as a bullet lodged itself into his bicep. Stunned, Jotaro turned to you as you walked over to him, a revolver in hand, still aimed at Deville.

You had a gun? “Hey, a woman has to be prepared,” you said. If she had a gun, then does that mean she was just a regular Foundation agent without a Stand?

Deville gripped his bleeding arm and sneered at you. “You dumbfucks actually fell for it. Every cop does, and now you get to see my cool acid in action yourselves!”

He braced himself for the young man’s Stand ability, and he heard an audible hiss flying through the air behind them. Star was already out, ready to deflect the incoming acidic projectile. It’ll burn his knuckles and it’ll hurt like hell, sure, but he had experienced worse injuries.

However, before his Stand could do so, a shimmering wall of rose gold had zipped behind them just in time to shield both of them from the acid, taking no damage from the corrosive substance. Jotaro furrowed his brows and trailed the length of the fabric, and when he found its end disappearing into your body, his eyes widened in realization.

You had a Stand.

A SWF agent with not only the skills of a seasoned detective but also the ability to wield a whole supernatural entity.

Deville stepped back in shock. “N-No way. No fucking way. That’s not fair! How?!”

“Kujo,” you started. “You get close to him and knock that guy out. I’ll cover you by dealing with his Stand.” On cue, the humanoid blob Stand gurgled with displeasure as it quickly moved closer to regurgitate another spew of acid. With no second thought, Jotaro followed your instructions and took off as your Stand shielded you from the corrosion.

The culprit cursed and turned to flee in a panic. In response, his Stand redirected its attention to him. His heart raced as soon as he knew that the blob was after him, but before it could touch him, your Stand’s fabrics had already stretched forward and wrapped themselves around the slime and yanked it back and away from him.

He shouldn’t waste any more time. With a silent command, Star Platinum froze time, halting the world around him as he continued to sprint toward the fleeing Stand user.

By the time everything began to move, he was already in front of Deville. In a split second, Star delivered a solid jab and two before launching into its signature fist barrage. With the man rendered unconscious, his Stand dissolved back into the concrete.

Jotaro took in a couple of breaths after all that running and went over to make sure that the Stand user was out cold. “Ah damn. A bit of acid got on my sleeves. Ruined it.” You said with a click of your tongue as you joined him a few seconds after, pulling out a long silver pin from your hair clip. “Just one more thing before closing the case and reporting to HQ.”

“What are you doing?” You didn’t answer as you quickly punctured the side of Deville’s throat with the sharp steel. “L/N! What the hell?! We’re not supposed to kill-” You stopped him with a raised hand as you withdrew the pin. The wound closed in by itself, and at the blunt end of the steel, a feathered quill emerged.

“A druggie shouldn’t have the possession of a Stand. I highly doubt he’d listen to any persuasion if we simply brought him back to the Foundation.” You tucked the quill into your pocket and slid the hairpin back into your hair. “So, might as well nip it in the bud, and then send him to rehab.”

“What… the hell did you do?”

“You know the whole Stand Arrow business? How they gift lucky people with Stands?” You started. “A colleague of mine has a Stand that just so happened to procure a secondary ability to extract other Stands without harming the individual, and convert them into these inked quills for documentation.”

“So what you did was-”

“Remove Deville’s Stand. He’s still alive, too, so you don’t have to worry about him dying due to blood loss.”

“You… might honestly be a little insane.” Jotaro sighed, tipping his hat over his face. “My god, you can’t just stab people out of the blue. At least warn a guy.”

You shrugged. “Alright. I’ll admit… I forgot to tell you about my closing process. I offer my sincerest apologies.” He cast a deadpan stare at you. “Let’s contact the guys back in the Foundation so they can deal with him.” At that, he nodded. “And after that, how about we treat ourselves to a little celebration before heading back?”

“A celebration?” He crossed his arms. “Isn’t that a bit too excessive? Or too early? This is just the first case after all.”

“There’s no harm in giving yourself a reward for a job well done, right?” You smiled, eyes glinting. “Let’s eat out. I saw this small sandwich restaurant, and the selection looked too good to pass.”

Jotaro grunted in response and spent a second looking at his watch. He’s supposed to head back by now, hand in his report, and return to finishing paperwork from his day job as a biologist, but then his stomach growled at his inconvenience. It just occurred to him that he hadn’t eaten properly for the past three days. A bad habit he developed out of stress. Damnit. Damn it all. “Fine, but let’s freshen up first and we can eat.”

You cocked your head and look down at your dust-covered clothes then back at him. “Good idea. Let’s do that.”

---

“You’re that good with firearms?”

“I’m one of the top marksmen of my batch. It may or may not also be a compensation for my shit grade at hand-to-hand combat. How about you? You look built. I’m sure you’ve put your physique to good use.”

“You could say that. After all, one has to be in good shape when you have people consistently after you.”

“Hm, you’re quite resilient. I like that. It’s no wonder the Foundation likes sending you out here to do their bidding.”

“Being recognized as reliable is a huge pain in the ass though. It has gotten me feeling like a war veteran in my late 20s.”

“Touché, but some people get used to it. Perhaps even use it to their advantage.”

“People like you?” You smirked and took a sip of your coffee. Intrigued, he kept his focus on you as he drank his cup.

Honestly, Jotaro never expected anything to come out of your suggestion to eat at a small restaurant. At first, he envisioned the whole night to be awkward, loaded with uncomfortable tension, considering how you and he were introduced. Hell, he dreaded the moment you might start small talk with him just because they were work partners.

But after a change of clothes, both of you entered the sandwich shop, and you immediately accommodated him as if he were an old colleague for months instead of days, which caught him off guard.

The moment you and he took your seats, you made sure to keep the mood light by naturally launching into conversation topics that he was familiar with- Stands, the Speedwagon Foundation, a couple of experiences working for them, etc. He’s supposed to hate casual conversation like this, but there was something in the way you talked with passion and depth, and how you responded to his thoughts with equal depth that kept him engaged.

It was a breath of fresh air when most of his life consisted of him having to be mostly the receiving end of a variety of small talks (most of which had people talk about their interests and something adjacent to that, while he could only give off some sign that he was listening), or be the other half of a formal discussion at work.

He didn’t mind being a listener, but it did get annoying and lonely sometimes.

You were a rare case when he realized that he reciprocated your every thought and opinion about Stand users and the system behind the Foundation. For once, he wasn’t hesitant when voicing out his frustrations and knowledge about this whole shadow job he got himself into.

Even as your sandwiches arrived, you somehow still managed to slip in interesting topics for them to talk about over dinner and coffee. He liked listening to you.

“Huh. So, you live something like a double life, sort of? You work as a marine biologist on the daily and as the Foundation’s favorite agent for half a week?” He nodded. “Don’t you have any spare time in that tight schedule? You must’ve.”

“I’d rather keep myself busy,” he said, not looking at you. “It helps distract me from… my thoughts. Besides, both jobs require me to work full time, and, fortunately, I’m able to use intimidation to just get by and do the tasks I want to focus on.”

“As a fellow workaholic, you should at least get some time to yourself. Work with no play can lead to misery.”

“Is it?” He huffed out a poor imitation of a chuckle, empty and a tiny bit self-deprecating. “It isn’t exactly miserable when I don’t think it to be.”

“My god,” You stared at him, dumbfounded. “That’s… masochistic.” You cocked your head. “Yeah, no. I am sure I'm going to drag your ass with me to my food stops after every assignment.” He scoffed but wasn’t completely against it.

Once sandwiches were consumed, Jotaro couldn’t help but share that observation about you. “Can I just say… You do know your way of getting people to pay attention to you. It’s also remarkable you kept finding new things to talk about to someone who initially didn’t want your help.”

“First impressions are not supposed to be a judge of character.” You dabbed your lips free from any sauce and shrugged. “I’ve learned how to build rapport over the years, and from that, I don’t see why I have to keep up any hostility around you.” You smiled.

At that reply, Jotaro paused. There were a lot of things he didn’t expect from you. He was ready to just bear a night of sass and passive-aggression and go home before his ex could drop off Jolyne into his care. And yet, here he was sitting in front of a surprisingly accommodating, sharpshooter SWF agent with a Stand, wanting to listen to more of your ramblings.

With a clear of your throat, you switched back to work mode and said, “Now we had our fill, I believe we still have 2 more cases to investigate. None of which has a set deadline so we can be flexible with the scheduling.” He nodded. “Are you down to starting the second case the day after tomorrow?”

Jotaro shook his head. “I have to watch over my kid for the next 3 days. That and I have to do some work with my day job.”

You raised a brow. “You have a kid?”

“A daughter. She’s just 7, and I’ve been wanting to spend more time with her when I can.” While she still accepted and trusted her father, that is…

“I assume you hire a babysitter when you’re out and about doing work?”

“She’s with her mother,” he said. He should stop revealing more information about himself, but being with someone willing to listen to him in return had urged him to just continue spilling them out. “I arranged all the heavier aspects of work on the days she’s with her, so when she’s with me, I can attend to her more.”

You didn’t answer for a second, choosing your words right most likely, before you spoke. “Shared custody?” His eyes lowered to his plate and nodded. “With your… ex?”

There was that hesitation before the “ex”, a side of you that didn’t want to assume, but you weren’t wrong, so he replied with a curt “Yes.”

“I see,” you hummed. “Well, I don’t see a problem with postponing duties. We can deal with our next assignment on Monday, then.”

“You’re easily swayed. Aren’t you supposed to be all about dealing with the issue as early as possible?”

“Like I said, there are no deadlines set. I don’t see why I have to be an asshole about ruining your schedule.” He had nothing to say, but he was grateful for your understanding. He looked at his watch to check the time. 8:00 PM. There was still a little bit of time before they’d temporarily part ways.

Jotaro low-key hoped you noticed the spare time and waited for you to enter into another conversation, but to his disappointment, you stood and got your things in order. “It’s getting late, and I know you’re itching to go home and rest.” No… I don’t mind staying a little longer… He kept those words to himself and just stared at you with a slight furrow of his brow.

“I have other matters to tend to, so let’s call it a night, yeah?” She smiled at him. He swallowed his feelings and masked nonchalance as he stood after you with his hands in his pockets, nodding. “Doesn’t feel all that bad having assistance now, does it?”

He huffed. “I suppose the whole ‘having a work partner’ doesn’t seem too bad…”

“Then, is it safe to assume I’ll expect to meet up with you again next week for our next case, Kujo? She raised a hand to him.

A ghost of a smile graced his lips as he shook your hand. He can’t wait to talk to you again. “Yes. I’m looking forward to it.”

---

“And that’s how the life of a beluga whale plays out…”

The little girl sitting on his lap pouted and looked up at her father, taking the storybook from his hands and furrowing her brows, “But Papa, how come Benny had to leave his pod at the end? Why not make friends with Blubber?”

He petted her hair with a low hum. “That’s just how nature works with species like belugas. Sometimes, there will be times when other animals are not that trusting and will hesitate to accept strangers into the group. This leads to the two fighting, and whoever wins gets to be in the group.”

“That’s so sad…”

“Did… did you want to hear a better story? I’m sorry I picked this-”

“No! I did like the story, Papa! Just like the stories of Ollie Orca and Penny Penguin! I learned a lot about the squishies!” Jolyne exclaimed, dropping the book to turn to him and press his cheeks together. “You make learning about sea animals nice!”

Jotaro smiled and nodded with a hint of bashfulness, his daughter’s encouragement never failing to make his day better. “I’m glad to hear that.”

Night had dawned on the father and daughter duo rather fast without either realizing. It took the ending of Benny Beluga for the child to realize that it was her bedtime and another day with her dad had gone by. Jotaro never felt confident in his parenting skills, but from the way her eyes glimmered at him and her smile widened with every laughter, he could almost feel proud that his efforts were coming to fruition.

Jolyne was her father’s little girl and she always made sure to remind him of that.

“Alright. You know what time it is,” he said as Star Platinum lifted the pouting girl off his lap and tucked her into bed. For Jolyne, she was used to the invisible ghost friend her father had and treated Star as her guardian angel. “Lights out, kiddo…”

“Will you stay up overnight again?” He offered a small smile and nodded. “But you always work overnight… you’re gonna get sick.”

“It’s fine, Jolyne. Papa’s used to it now.”

“But you look very sad when I see you working,” she muttered with a pout, gripping her blanket close to her. “I don’t like you being so sad…”

“I’m not. Trust me,” he said half-heartedly. He didn’t want to dump his adult issues onto his young daughter. Star handed her dolphin plushie and he adjusted the sheets over his daughter. “I’m feeling fine. You don’t have to worry about your old man because you’re here to make my day…”

“But what if I’m not here?” Jolyne pouted. “Who’s going to make you happy?

He averted his eyes and stared at his hand, still holding onto her blanket. He won’t admit it, but he could feel the loneliness start to drive him crazy. “I can manage those days.”

“Are you sure you don’t want Mama to come back and help you?”

He nodded once. “I’m sure and… I’m sorry…” Jolyne didn’t answer after that and settled into her pillow, hugging her stuffed toy, slightly saddened. He reached down to give her one more head ruffle and stood. “Get some sleep now. I’ll make your favorite breakfast when you wake up.”

“If not Mama… then can it be anyone else? I won’t mind… I swear…” He paused and looked back at his little girl, half-asleep. “I don’t want Papa to be alone…”

His heart clenched at her words. For his child to be open to him finding another partner just so she wouldn’t have to see or imagine his tired, overworked father alone, did a lot of emotional damage to his psyche, and made it hurt even more knowing that he had sacrificed this amount of love from his daughter in the old timeline.

“I have you and that’s enough for me…” Jotaro knelt one more time by her bedside and kissed the top of her head. “Don’t worry too much…”

At this point, Jolyne had already fallen asleep. He smiled and fixed her bangs before standing and leaving the room as quietly as possible.

---

A few months flew by, and working with you was probably one of the better decisions he reconsidered in his lifetime.

What felt like a slog to get through almost turned into a breeze with your added help. You proved to him countless times that tracking and catching criminals and suspects was your specialty. That your skills and methods worked well with his- his keen observation skills with your intuition, his grounded assumptions applied to your tight networking, his close combat prowess with your sharpshooter aim, his powerful Star Platinum paired with your impenetrable Silent Sanctuary.

Going with this rate, when 10 cases would take several months to accomplish, were finished within at least 5.

Outside of work, he surprisingly grew to like your rather no-filter, sharp attitude when he shouldn’t. It was never explicitly shared, but it was safe to say that you two grew to become close friends.

You automatically settled into a natural dynamic where he would more often follow after you while you were doing your own thing. When you had something in mind, he was there to lend an ear, and sometimes an opinion. There never was a quiet day when he was with you, and for the first time in a while, he didn’t mind the endless chatter you had. They piqued his interest, and you always had food or drink on the table whenever you had your tangents.

Then, to his unfortunate realization, he found out that all the traits you had that irked him in the beginning… were attractive. It wasn’t that the feeling brewed overnight. The moments of him stuck in his office after an assignment had left him mulling over a series of consistent interactions with the shameless agent, and how all of it wormed its way into his brain like a temptation.

Your authority and assertiveness:

”Care to answer why you chose to break the rule of ‘no stalking’?”

The former Stand user, tied up and heavily bruised, whimpered under the scrutiny of your gaze. His case involved having a Stand that was able to make him incorporeal, and with such an ability, he had multiple instances of stalking and harassing young women. But now, Jotaro doubted he would do any more harm, considering his Stand was extracted and he was under your intense interrogation.

The two victims stood behind Jotaro while everything unfolded before them and the eyes of law enforcement. “I-I didn’t mean- I only wanted- I mean- I should have-”

You grabbed a fistful of his hair and spat directly at his face, “Stop crying and talk properly, you degenerate.” You tilted your head and tugged at the strands of his hair. “Let me repeat myself in a more literal manner: What made you think it was alright to torment and stalk these ladies with such perversion?”

”I-I just wanted affection!”

Jotaro gritted his teeth and clenched his fists at the cheap excuse, more so when the girls behind him still cowered. You harshly let him go and made it clear you were not buying it either. “Pathetic. And knowing you’re married too?” You showed the man his silver ring. “You disgust me, and your wife should be too.”

One of the officers who arrived on the scene butted in. “We can take over from here-”

”No, the hell you’re not,” you snapped at him. “Not with you having the audacity to take your sweet time after these ladies have called for help. My partner and I will be dropping him off at the station ourselves and making sure he stays behind bars.”

”Now hold on. You dare speak to an officer of the law like that-”

”Girls, did I hear right that you said the cops usually disregard your calls and even heard them scoff through the phone?” You addressed the two women standing behind Jotaro, who nodded frantically. “And that he usually just lets creeps like him go for some reason?”

”We had to! There’s not enough evidence-”

”There are security cameras in the areas they went and people who saw it happen. You couldn’t go over the footage or ask anyone around? You couldn’t recognize a repeated pattern after many calls? Couldn’t you do your job better?” The cop fell silent. “Exactly. Like I said, I’ll be making sure he gets his due. I don’t care if I have to talk to your superiors, because I will if it means giving these ladies peace of mind.”

The officer bristled and turned to Jotaro. “What the hell are you doing just standing there like a bystander and letting your partner talk shit to us. You ignorant or what?”

He couldn’t care less getting berated out of the blue since it was stupid, but then, ”Hey!” You butted in, and his heart might have skipped a pulse. ”You don’t get to talk shit to him when I'm the one talking while he did nothing wrong.”

You pulled the tied man up to his wobbly legs and strode to the officers, staring them down as you shoved the man in the direction of your car. “Officer of the law,” you scoffed. “Earn your title first before flaunting it to my face just to get paid. A disgrace is what you are.” Again, the cops said nothing and avoided eye contact with you, cheeks slightly tinted with embarrassment.

Your care and protectiveness:

”You can be so reckless at times, you know that, right?”

”These aren’t that bad. I’ve dealt with worse…”

”The fuck do you mean ‘not that bad’?! You’re blood’s actively still soaking most of your clothes!”

Another case had been resolved involving a woman with a blade-based Stand. The whole investigation could’ve been better if she wasn’t neurotic and thought that everyone around her should bend to her whims. The encounter, in general, was nothing too unique in how she utilized her Stand to attack.

That didn’t stop her from landing a few deep gashes on his body when she managed to separate you from him momentarily.

But just like any other Stand encounter, he had the same pain tolerance from when he was younger and just brushed off his injuries as yet another common recurrence in his life. Even if, at times, said wounds would cause him to collapse and faint from blood loss.

And yet here you were, making sure he wouldn’t let him have another near-death experience by having him propped up against the headboard of a motel’s bed, and stripping him off his torn white coat and shirt, ripping it in some areas, if necessary. Despite feeling like he could pass out at any point, his cheeks warmed, almost feeling… shy as you exposed his skin and tended to his injuries with urgency and your classic intensity.

”You’re worrying too much. I said I’m fi-” You hissed at him, the sharp sound clamping his mouth shut immediately.

”You better stop downplaying your wounds or I might just leave you to die.” He was about to speak, only for him to wince from reflex as you poured streams of water on the large gash on his torso and the laceration up his arm. “Honestly, with the way you’re going about this, I think I’m growing more concerned you’re finding these injuries normal than the actual injuries themselves.”

Jotaro shrugged, looking elsewhere. “It is what it is. I got used to it… I even learned how to perform first aid by myself on the spot.”

”Shit,” you cocked your head with furrowed brows, your hands still cleaning his cuts with careful touches. With it still bleeding, you had Sanctuary lend her fabric to wrap around his gashes. “You call me insane, but I think you’re just as insane as I, but in a different way.”

At that, he let out an empty chuckle that sounded like a half-hearted scoff. “I don’t think resilience should be compared to being a bull in a china shop- ah!” He shut his eyes and yelped as your Stand tightened its cloth around his cuts, effectively preventing even more blood loss.

”I’m not that aggressive! Nor am I that brutish!” You said, and even with narrowed eyes, “At least say I’m like a rabid cat wrecking all her owner’s porcelain. At least I’d still look classy as I wreak havoc…” Jotaro looked down at you, and he could see your lips purse into a pout as you monitored his wounds. He could feel his lips curl into a smile. Cute… Wait.

”But that’s beside the point,” you huffed, removing your Stand’s fabrics and unfurling a roll of bandages to properly dress his gashes. “What I’m saying is that you might need further help if you’ve been this desensitized to severe wounds like these.”

”Oh? Suddenly, you’re a psychology expert?”

”No… but,” you gazed into his eyes as you tightened the bandages until it’s firmly secure, your hands holding his waist. “I am your partner. And partners look out for each other if they’re going to be together for the long run. And I’ll be damned to hell if I’m going to pretend you’re invincible or some other bullshit like that.”

Jotaro couldn’t say anything after that, speechless. If anything, his breath turned shaky when he could feel the rapid beat of his heart thumping in his chest as a swirl of emotions bubbled to the surface. “I am your partner”. He didn’t know why that struck a chord in him, but those words had formed a lump in his throat and a slight blur in his vision, even if he knew you meant it as work partners.

God, he wanted to hear that so bad…

You got up with a heavy sigh after his wounds were dressed and pulled the sheets over his abdomen. “Let’s rest here for the night and head back to HQ tomorrow. I’ll take the couch and…” You rubbed your arms from the chill and picked up his ruined coat, still stained with red. “Make your clothing still useful, I guess.”

”Don’t be stupid. The bed’s big enough for two,” he said, smoothing over the empty spot beside him. “And no, I don’t need all the space for a good night’s sleep even if I’m injured or a big person.”

You widened your eyes and spluttered with a hint of a blush on your cheeks, “You serious? I didn’t peg you to be a bed sharer, Kujo.”

The more you resisted, the more his cheeks warmed from embarrassment. He averted his gaze, turning flustered. “I’m just being practical. It’s a big bed designed for two. Might as well make use of it instead of toughing it out with my tattered coat as a blanket…” There was an awkward silence between you. “My god, just get in the damn bed already. It’s fine.”

You ended up under the covers with him, lying apart from each other. However, instead of facing away as they would’ve expected, Jotaro couldn’t help but face you, and you did the same, neither falling asleep. “Hey…” He hummed in acknowledgment. “When we’re together like this, I want you to promise me one thing…”

”… What is it?”

”Promise me you won’t hide your pains from me again. You have to tell me so I can do what I can to help you…”

He paused, his hand closing slightly from where it rested on the pillow. “And what if you can’t?”

You closed your eyes and muttered. “I’ll figure something out, but I’m not going to leave you to rot… that’s the least I can do…"

Jotaro pressed his cheek on his pillow and nodded once, his heart swelling with emotions. “Okay…”

He groaned and rubbed his face behind his hands, cheeks heating up significantly, more so remembering the day after. He couldn’t forget the second he had woken up, he found himself huddled close to you, both bodies curled against each other to bask in each other’s warmth.

What was he doing? This was dumb. He shouldn’t be thinking about this when he’s made peace with himself about being alone, and you had better things to do than to accommodate his tired ass. But at the same time, he couldn’t help but want more from the dynamic you and he had.

“Papa!” Jotaro snapped out of his thoughts and turned to look at Jolyne clutching his pants, looking up at him. “You’re in your deep thinking head mode again.”

“Oh… am I now?”

“Yeah! Your eyebrows do that thing where it gets close and it looks like you’re angry, but you’re not. That type- Like this!” She demonstrated by doing an exaggerated furrow of her brow, mimicking him. “You always do that.”

“Your Papa just has a lot of things going on in his mind, alright?” He stood and ruffled her hair. “It’s dinner time. Want to help me and Star in the kitchen? We’re making one of your favorites.” Of course, she already knew that. He always made her favorite meals when she was with him.

Jolyne beamed and nodded excitedly, her fists clenched and eager. “Which one?!”

“Which do you think?”

She hummed and said the first thing on her mind. “Ramen! The one in the big bowl!”

Jotaro cocked his brow as the duo stepped into the kitchen. “Again? Didn’t I make that for you last night?” He said that, but he had already opened the cupboard to grab the flour needed for the noodles. “You know, eating the same stuff over and over again isn’t good for you.”

“But it’s yummy!” Jolyne whined, bouncing on her feet with her hands on the countertop. “And Mama always cooks the same stuff all the time…”

“Are you saying her cooking’s bad?”

“No… It’s not bad… I just like Papa’s cooking better!” He chuckled as he gathered the ingredients together. Perhaps tolerating his mother’s cooking lessons throughout his younger years paid off.

But before he could start, the home phone rang. Jotaro furrowed his brows and placed down the pork. What the hell? I shouldn’t be receiving new assignments during my weekends. He walked over and lifted the phone to his ear. “Dr. Kujo speaking.”

He listened to the speaker, and his heart started to grow heavy. “Fuck. Again? Another emergency at the facility? Can’t you call someone else?” Jolyne watches on from the background, her face already despondent when she picks up on her father’s conflicted expression. “I can’t just leave my child by herself. I’m watching her. I’m cooking her dinner for god’s sake.”

I shouldn’t be working on my weekends. Damn it. “You swear this won’t take long?”

I don’t want to leave my daughter again. Not this time. “Fine. I’m going home as soon as this problem is dealt with. Don’t bother requesting my assistance again after.” He places the phone back down.

“Are you going back to work again…?” She muttered, gaze turning downcast to her hands fidgeting with the green onions. “I really wanted to play chef with you and Star again…”

Jotaro swallowed the rising guilt in his throat and approached his daughter, kneeling before her and taking her hands in his. “This won’t be one of my heavier duties. It won’t take long. It’ll only be for a few hours. I promise.”

Jolyne pressed her lips together, willing herself not to cry because she was a big girl now. “B-But what about dinner? You were supposed to make dinner with me…”

“I know. I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.” He looked at the nearby wall clock and cursed to himself. A babysitter was an immediate solution that came to mind, but he saw his fair share of those people, and he refused to put his only child under the supervision of some teenager who’s only in it for the pay, especially for parents as wealthy as him. Calling his ex was also out of the question. It just made him uncomfortable.

Leaving only one person in mind, though he doubted it would work out.

It took him by surprise when 30 minutes after he sent the text, of him trying to figure out alternative solutions, the doorbell rang. He opened the door, and you were there to greet him casually. “Hey. You have impeccable timing to text me just as I was finishing up my meeting with my company’s human resources committee. Hope I didn’t take too long.”

I thought you were too busy even to bother, but you came… “No, you didn’t.” He stepped aside for you to enter.

Jotaro watched you look around the house. “The Foundation wasn’t kidding when they said the Joestars had money.” You set your bag on one of the couches in his living room. “Spacious, a mix of modern West and traditional Eastern design, and I can imagine it must be scenic when it’s daytime, having it by the sea. It sets a nice ambiance for your home,” you said. “I like your style.”

His cheeks flushed at the compliment. “It was mostly thanks to my mother. I don’t pay too much attention to that kind of detail.” He shrugged. “My daughter loves it though, so I’m glad that worked out in the end.”

“Oh! Speaking of your daughter, where is she? May I get to know her?”

Jotaro nodded and left for the kitchen to bring his 7-year-old girl to you. She wasn’t the type to be shy around strangers, and to you, she merely tilted her head and stared at you with curious eyes before looking back at him, confused. “Y/N, this is Jolyne. Jolyne, this is my work partner Y/N.”

You squatted down to level with the child and smiled. “Why hello, Jolyne. It’s nice meeting you.” Jolyne watched her with wide eyes, never once breaking eye contact, even as you offered her a hand to shake. “I heard you’re quite adventurous. I feel like you and I will get along just fine.” She grabbed your hand with both of hers.

“Y/N will watch over you while I’m out,” Jotaro said, petting the little girl’s head. “Try not to cause too much trouble, alright?” Jolyne furrowed her brows and bit her lip, still upset that he had to leave, but she nodded reluctantly. He patted her shoulder twice before standing to prepare.

He sighed and went to retrieve his bag and car keys. “I appreciate you coming over. I owe you one…”

“We can talk about that when you get back. You handle your business first,” you said.

He nodded once. “Alright. I won’t take long.”

---

You saw him off as he drove to work and closed the door behind you. “Okay. Let’s see…,” You muttered to yourself. “It’s dinner, so I should deal with that first.”

Stepping into the kitchen, Jolyne sat on one of the island stools, holding onto the box of flour among the many other ingredients on the counter. She caught you staring and waited for what you had planned. “Planned to cook with your dad, huh?” She nodded. You rolled up your sleeves and approached the counter. “What was on the menu?”

“… Ramen,” she muttered. “I was supposed to help him make a big bowl, but he’s back working late again…”

“Well, we can still make that big bowl of ramen if you want.” Jolyne looked up at you with wide eyes as you examined each ingredient your partner had left. “Of course, it won’t be on par with your dad’s recipe, but I promise mine won’t be too bad. Is that fine with you, young lady?”

Jolyne puffed her cheeks and hummed, giving it a thought. She pouted and crossed her arms. “It’s fine because I’m hungry.”

Aside from the given ingredients, you looked in the cabinets and fridge to check what else was there to use. “Your dad stocked up a lot of food,” you commented as you took in the number of produce, meat selections, and spices in his kitchen.

“Mhm! Papa said it’s all for me!” Jolyne exclaimed. “He always makes sure to have plenty of food for when we cook together with Star!”

You smiled at the thought of this big, scary man preparing meals for his energetic little girl, with a bulky purple ghost helping him out. “That does sound lovely. Say,” You plucked a couple more ingredients from the fridge. “Would you like me to prepare some side dishes to go with your ramen?”

She tilted her head. “Won’t that take too long?”

“We can multitask together, Jolyne,” you said with a cheeky smile. “Because like your dad, I also have a friend who can help us with dinner.”

Jolyne’s eyes sparkled. “You do?!”

To show off to the little girl, you had your Stand simultaneously grab several items, utensils, and equipment with its many fabrics and let them hover around her. If you could recall correctly, to his daughter, Stands were invisible, so all she saw now were floating objects. She watched them fly about with childlike awe, her smile wide and infectious.

You chuckled and went over to the aprons you found hanging on the wall. “Ready to make a delicious bowl of ramen?” You handed her the smaller apron, and with renewed enthusiasm, she nodded with a determined smirk.

Over time, you two hustled and bustled around the kitchen, helping one another to put together a savory meal for both of you. While you did more of the heavier parts of the cooking, you taught and supervised the child with the lighter ones, and she was more than eager to listen, happy to just be involved. Silent Sanctuary assisted in handing you and Jolyne what was next in the recipe.

Of course, you weren’t one to make the scene settle into awkward silence. With a similar approach you used on Jotaro, you opened up a conversation topic that might trigger the young girl to start sharing her interests. At first, you talked about her favorites while preparing to simmer the broth and braise the pork belly. By the time you began plating the dish, it was Jolyne’s turn to open up about your work and what you did.

You entertained her questions and kept the conversation light and digestible for a child when talking about your job that involved catching bad guys with her father, all while you proceeded to do the side dishes next. She listened to your many stories with full interest, butting in at times to fire a multitude of questions.

By the time everything was done, Jolyne was more than happy to chow down on her dinner. And you watched the little girl scarf down your meal, making a mess on the table and on her face. You shook your head with fond amusement, grabbing a tissue to wipe everything down. “Well? How do you like my recipe?”

With stuffed cheeks, Jolyne spoke with glimmering eyes. “Yummy! Just as yummy as Papa’s!”

“That’s good to hear. If your father asks me to watch over you again, I can show you more dishes that taste like the ramen we made. Sounds good?” She nodded vigorously.

After swallowing, she wanted to talk more about your profession. “So, you mean the bad guys also have invisible friends to help them do all that bad stuff?”

You hummed in agreement. “That’s why your father and I have to work so hard to fight these people. Because getting rid of them makes the world feel safer for innocent civilians like you.”

“I want to be like you and Papa when I grow up!” Jolyne mimicked a boxer’s stance and jabbed the air once. Twice. Thrice. “It also sounds fun! I want to kick their butts and show them who’s boss!”

“Fighting these bad guys isn’t a game, Jolyne.” You grabbed another tissue to wipe her cheeks. “They’re dangerous and can cause big wounds. I may not mind it that much, but your father hates dealing with them because it’s that tiring.”

She puffed her cheeks again and furrowed her brows, her spirited determination flaring once more. “Then… I want to help him! I want to learn how to fight and help Papa so it’s not tiring!”

“Well,” You chuckled. “If you’re older and able to have a ghost friend to help you fight, then you can find me and I can take you under my wing and help you with that.”

The little girl widened her eyes and smiled widely. “Really?!”

“You have potential, young lady. With enough experience and exposure, I have no doubts you can do so much not only for yourself but for your father as well.” You huffed. “But then again, that’s only when you have a ghost friend. So, I can’t guarantee it would happen.”

“I’ll find a way!”

You smiled. “Of course you will.”

The rest of the evening was spent with the two engrossed in a non-stop conversation about each other’s lives. When Jotaro had told her that his daughter was too much of a curious kid, he wasn’t exaggerating. While watching her favorite shows and taking care of her, Jolyne would begin to open up more and more, wanting to know more about her father’s colleague and the job you and he found yourselves in.

She was a sweet child with a soul that yearned to explore the world, and you admired the young girl’s youthful energy. It wasn’t long until you grew fond of her, wishing nothing more than to help her reach her dreams and guide her along the way.

Likewise, Jolyne would grow a liking for you. You knew how to make delicious food, you were invested in her many ramblings, never once annoyed by the number of questions she’d ask, and she found you cool and fun to be with in general. And when you said about potentially returning to babysit her, she’d rather want you than some other babysitter.

Eventually, the night would come to a close, and you tucked Jolyne to bed after telling her one of your bedtime stories from memory, handing her favorite plush toy and drawing the sheet over her. “Do you sleep with the lamp on or off?”

“On…”

“Okay,” You said, gently brushing her hair. “Get some sleep. I’m sure your father will be here to make you breakfast when you wake up.”

“Can… you marry my Papa?”

You froze, your cheeks heating up as she muttered those words in her sleepy trance. “Huh?”

“Papa’s sad… when I’m not here… I don’t want him to be sad…”

You thought back to the times you spent with him post-case, where it was supposed to be two colleagues taking the load off their shoulders and unwind with a simple talk, and in the midst of all your talk with him, there was a consistent pattern of Jotaro purposely making his day job and personal life vague, often dismisses it even if the topic wasn’t being intrusive.

It wasn’t out of character for this man to do his work diligently, but there was something in the way he spoke about himself that sounded…defeated? Like he gave up on something he wanted when he was younger. You picked up on this, and his child did as well.

And as much as it shouldn’t be your problem, you just couldn’t find it in yourself to let your work partner wallow in self-imposed suffering.

But for Jolyne to ask a suggestion so casually caused you to reflect on yourself and your feelings towards your colleague. Was this whole support each other supposed to just be an obligation as partners? Or did you actually feel something for him? You had a genuine interest in the guy, found his subtle mannerisms and underlying values endearing, the times when he did smile and chuckle at your words sparked pride and joy in your conscience…

“I am your partner.” You had said that to him, and in the moment, you hadn’t thought too much of it, but in retrospect, you found out how that sounded more intimate than it should have. Just like the time he had offered to share the bed with you in the guise of practicality.

You turned back to Jolyne, who had fallen asleep during the entirety of your introspection, and sighed.

“We’ll see how all this will turn out, little one…”

---

One night. One night of undesirable circumstances was all that was needed to get some answers from him.

You finished yet another investigation and took him out to a quaint, rustic bar not too far from their target’s location. There weren’t many people occupying the area, except for the handful of loyal patrons and nomadic tourists who were in for exploring niche places. After battling with another non-compliant Stand user, both of you needed some peace of quiet.

The bartender stepped in to slide you both glasses and placed a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon red wine and a Jack Daniel’s whiskey for Jotaro. “I assume you can handle your liquor well, hm?”

He made a low sound as he poured himself a drink. “I’ve been making sure to dial down my alcohol nowadays and stick to caffeine. But… I did like beer during my youth.” He sighed. “Tonight? I just had to… pour myself one for now…” He took a shot.

You nodded, pouring for yourself as well. “During your youth, huh? Are we talking early 20s? Or I-hit-18-and-I’m-legal-to-drink-now age?”

Despite the tiredness in his eyes, his lips quirked up into a slight smirk. “A year before that…”

“Underage drinking?” You cocked a brow and sipped your drink. “How bold of you. Got curious?”

“Not really. It was mostly an act,” he said as he poured another shot. “I was a teenager. I had to look cool and so… did some rebellious crap that I stopped once I graduated: Be an asshole, smoke cigarettes, and drink beer to show off. That stuff…”

“You must have been a pain to everyone around you in your rebel days, huh?”

He kept his gaze on his glass and replied, “In a way, I still am.”

Your chest had a minor pang at that, but you kept that to yourself and held your head in your hand and looked at him, dubious. “Mm, doesn’t seem like it. Sure, you still got that menacing vibe around you, still stoic obviously, but in all honesty, you’re not all bad. You seemed mellowed out and definitely a better person than I.”

He scoffed and took another shot. “Shut it with the flattery.”

“It’s called a compliment, Kujo. Offering flattery isn’t in my dictionary,” you replied in that playful tone you’d use. “Here I thought you knew me already.”

“Oh? Was I supposed to study you, L/N?” You shrugged as you finished your first glass. “Are you implying that I should start analyzing my colleagues now?”

“Keep your friends close. Your enemies closer.”

“You’re not my enemy.”

You stared at him with mischief. “I might. You never know.”

He paused for a moment, and for the first time today, Jotaro huffed out a soft laugh. “Cheeky, but fine.” He shot another glass. “Since you’re so goddamn persistent, I’ll play your game.”

And it all snowballed from there. Unlike most instances of you being the instigator of your conversations, he was the one who asked the questions. You told your answers and hurled the question back at him. From one question would stem many more, and both of you would lose yourself in a night of GTKY and alcohol.

It hadn’t occurred to you immediately, but you hadn’t noticed that hours had passed until the bartender told you they were closing in 15 minutes. On your side of the counter was an empty bottle of red wine, and on his side were 2 empty Jack Daniel’s.

Jotaro leaned heavily on his elbow, holding his head that was on the verge of dropping face-first onto the counter. You furrowed your brows and lightly nudged his shoulder. “Hey, are you doing okay?” You always thought he could handle his alcohol just as you could, but his sluggish movements combined with the flushed cheeks told you otherwise.

“Okay?” He scoffed, smiling bitterly behind his hand. “Hardly. None of what I’m doing feels okay. Can’t even drink damn alcohol now. I’m just getting tired of it…”

“Oh my god, you’re drunk.” He shook his head, slurring something about how he wasn’t and he was just sleepy. You thanked the bartender for his services and stood to approach your colleague. “Alright, big guy. Let’s get you back to your place.”

You managed to get a good grasp on his arm and, with some effort, not crumble to the floor as you hauled him off the bar stool and on unsteady feet. His arm remained slung over your shoulders, his head lolling to the side and hanging low. “I need you to cooperate with me here.”

“Why bother helping me?” He said, groggily. “I can go home by myself…”

“Ahuh. Sure, you can.” You fumbled around in his pockets until you fished out his car keys. “I’m driving, though.”

You half-dragged Jotaro out of the bar and out onto the sidewalk where his car was parked nearby. He stumbled along with you, often wobbling to the side and occasionally pulling you with him due to his weight. He continued to slur out complaints and proclamations about how he was fine, that he just felt sleepy, and he could drive fine.

“Don’t be stupid, Kujo. You gulped down more whiskey than you intended. You’re drunk and I’m not.” You heaved and readjusted his arm around your shoulder. “It’s obvious who should be behind the wheel tonight.”

“I can do everything by myself!” He said, his muddled voice rising with tired frustration. “I’ve always handled my shit alone! Leave me!”

You sighed. “We’ve talked about this months ago. No backing out of an agreement now.”

“I don’t want to burden you…” You stopped in your tracks and turned to him. His head still hung low, cheeks flushed red. “All this Stand bullshit is all his fault. All my fault. I should fix it. I need to fix it…”

“Hey…”

Jotaro raised his head to look at you with squinted eyes and tight brows. “And I don’t know how. Isn’t that a fucking joke?” He laughed an empty laugh, his head leaning heavily on your shoulder. “My successes and for what? More stress? More attention? More ruined relationships? I can’t even be with my own daughter properly without my day job draining all my spare time down the drain.”

“And who needs friends when they all just leave and die in the end?” You stayed silent as he continued, his ironic chuckles now bordering on despairing sobs. Not quite on the latter yet, but even then… it still hurts to hear. He pressed his cheek to your shoulder and smiled at you with dull, wet eyes. “You chose to be with me and now tell me- when will you leave for greater things, or better yet… when will you die, hm? ‘Cause I’ll still be here, just ready to soak up all these bullshit feelings.”

Despite the uncharacteristically excessive and pessimistic talk, you knew there was no insult to his drunken speech. You knew what you were capable of, and your Stand’s primary ability prevented you from suffering any injury, and Jotaro knew that too. He wouldn’t have agreed to continue partnering with you.

When will you leave? When will you die? It was as if he was already bracing himself for the inevitable to lessen the pain. To expect the worst so he wouldn’t get his hopes up and get hurt when it comes.

He lazily pulled his head away from your shoulder and hung it low again. “Now, if you really want eff… effa… efficiency, you should just ditch me… and work on other projects-”

“Shut up and get in the car.” You didn’t know when you started walking while he continued to ramble into the night, but you did and found yourself standing beside his car. You opened the passenger’s door and nudged him to get in.

“I can-” You hissed at him, and he nodded. “Okay…” He begrudgingly stepped into the vehicle, bumping his head a little by accident on the car roof, and you closed it after he settled in. You walked around, entered the driver’s seat, started the ignition, and drove off.

The road back to his place was silent. You chose to keep the radio silent, thinking it might just irritate him. Throughout the trip, he remained slumped on the car door, half-asleep and the other half gazing out the window to watch the world pass by them under the evening sky.

Once you arrived, you parked the car accordingly and got off. You made quick work pulling the drunken man out of the passenger’s seat and dragging his ass through his front door. Struggling to get both your shoes off was one thing; getting him up the stairs was another challenge in itself. Eventually, you managed to reach his bedroom and dropped him onto the sheets. He went down easily enough like a toppled, semi-conscious tree log.

You exhaled a sigh of relief that you got to deliver him back to his room in one piece, but you didn’t know what to do next. Should you just leave him be? Or make sure he was comfortable enough? He groaned and used whatever energy he had left to rub his eyes, grimacing from how shitty he must be feeling.

Next thing you knew, you had already made up your mind. You rearranged his body and limbs so he lay properly with his head on the pillow and his feet on the foot of the bed. You paused in your caregiving and took a seat on the edge, sparing a few seconds to just watch him.

Jotaro might as well be already asleep by the time you get him on the pillows. You didn’t know the exact details of what you thought, but there was something about how he seemed more vulnerable when he was in his slumber. There was no trace of that stoicism he always had on, nor any of the more focused or sharp aspects that made him professional.

Instead, in his vulnerability, there was the defeat- his relaxed brows, the shadows under his eyes, the sad tilt of his lip, the subtle glint of a tear or two in his lashes. “How much did you have to suffer…? Since 17?” Your heart ached for the man whose life changed for the worse, where his attempts to make it seem normal just didn’t work. “You never wanted to be a part of this, huh?”

Without realizing it, you reached forward to brush aside the short curls off his forehead. “If you’d let me, I’d take over most if not all of your cases. Use the time for yourself.” He furrowed his brows and leaned his head into your hand. With a newfound sense of worry, you softly pet his hair. “You don’t have to shoulder everything on your own…”

Of course, he was asleep. He couldn’t have heard you. And he was still in his work clothes, which must be uncomfortable to sleep in. You leaned forward to lift his upper body so you could take off his white coat. And you did just that and pulled him up to lean him against you.

However, as you pulled the coat down to his biceps, you stiffened as his arms encircled you in a warm embrace, and his face buried itself on your shoulder. “K-Kujo! What are you-”

“You… mean that…?” He mumbled. “You’d… help me… that much?”

Your eyes softened. “When have I ever lied?”

“We’re partners… who got each other’s backs…” He gently tightened his arms around you and nuzzled closer to your neck, needing comfort. “Being your partner… was the best decision I ever made… in this new life…”

The tension in your body left, leaving only an immense amount of empathy and fondness for him. You returned his hug with a hand around his back, and the other cradling his head. He sighed shakily at the reciprocation. “I’m sorry… for being selfish… but… please…” He whispered. “Don’t leave me… alone…”

“I won’t…” You pressed your cheek on his and held him tighter, combing through his curls. “You know I won’t…”

As if he were reassured, his arms dropped limp onto the sheets, and his breathing evened out. You glanced down at him and confirmed that he had passed out. You returned to your task and pulled the coat off his body, and with that done, you eased him back on the sheets, got him comfortable, and drew the duvet over him.

“You’re lucky I like you,” you said under your breath. “Otherwise, I would’ve just dropped you off and left. You know that, right?” Jotaro remained asleep, turning his head slightly to the side. You contemplated what to do next as you kept watching over him, idly petting his hair.

An idea struck, and it was an impulsive one. But you already said you liked him. Was it that impulsive? What’s this going to matter anyway?

You stood and bent down, getting close to face. You gently cupped his cheek and thumbed the skin before leaning down to press a soft kiss on his forehead. He didn’t respond, obviously, but your heart did. Once you slowly withdrew, your heartbeat thundered in your chest, and your cheeks significantly grew three times warmer.

A hushed curse fled your lips. “Oh my god, what am I doing?” You stepped back and walked over to his drawers to find the nearest pen and paper. Keeping it short with a few words, you left the note on his nightstand before taking your leave and letting him rest.

Something came to mind just then. At that, you glanced one more time at him before heading out to do one more thing for him when he wakes tomorrow, already getting the pen and paper for a new note.

---

Jotaro woke up to a splitting headache.

Other than catching the Stand user red-handed and going out with you on one of your dine-outs, he could not for the life of him recall what happened last night. One moment he’s invested in talking with you on the topic of shorelines, and the next, he’s sitting upright on his bed in the same clothes with a throbbing head.

But it occurred to him that you were also there to witness whatever the fuck he had done during his lapse of memory. He held his face, groaning as his cheeks warmed at the thought of your fellow no-nonsense colleague watching him act out without inhibition.

“Good fucking grief…” He tossed his legs over the edge of the bed, and before he could stand, the savory aroma that wafted into his nose and the neon yellow sticky note standing out on his nightstand grabbed his attention. Looking over at it, the note was stuck onto a covered bowl of… soup? Sitting beside it was a spoon and a bottle of water.

He plucked the paper off the lid and read:

Rise and shine, lightweight!

I’ll have you know you were heavy as hell when I dragged you back here.

And no, you didn’t embarrass yourself in front of me. That’s if “being cute and sleepy” isn’t embarrassing.

Anyway, I left some hangover soup and something to hydrate yourself with. Just heat it when you wake.

I’ll drop by sometime tomorrow for updates, but in the meantime, take the time to freshen up.

Y/N

That warmth in his face intensified after reading it, setting the note aside and holding his face with both hands. “Cute and sleepy…” He scoffed. I shouldn’t have drunk that much whiskey. Never drink with others again, Kujo. Stick to caffeine.

Jotaro reached for the bowl and uncovered the lid, revealing a nicely made homemade beef broth soup. Even though the contents had turned lukewarm from being left overnight, it still smelled good. He grabbed the spoon and took a sip of the dish, and a soft moan was made.

Damn. It tasted good too, and to think that you made this for him? Jotaro’s cheeks would remain heated throughout breakfast.

He got into his morning routine right after he finished heating the soup and consuming all of it in a few minutes. He brushed, showered, got into new clothes, and stepped into his office to accomplish some pending tasks yet to finish for the upcoming research program.

Though he couldn’t fully focus on his work when all he could think about was not only the headache mildly being a nuisance, but also you.

He lost count of how many times he’d stopped writing or typing the second his brain flashed him a memory of you smiling at that bar, chuckling at an unintentional one-line he uttered with the faint blush on your cheeks, or you caging his bigger body against the wall earlier that day to protect him from an incoming projectile, or when you gazed at him under the dim moonlight of that motel room as you lay beside him on that bed-

He put down his pen for the nth time and leaned back on his chair, palming his heated face in frustration. It didn’t help that his heart would start to run a marathon at the mere thought of your snarky and unbothered banters, your face that had the right amount of audacity, and the number of your genuine caregiving gestures that never failed to set the butterflies in his stomach aflutter. “I am your partner.”

And you planned to visit him again within the day. How the hell is he supposed to compose himself when his feelings for you have gone awry?

With the devil’s timing, the doorbell rang in the middle of his attempt to get himself together. He schooled himself into nonchalance and headed to the front door, bracing for whatever physiological effect his body would brew at the sight of you on his doorstep.

Jotaro opened the door, and you greeted him with that smile that bordered on a smirk and a small wave. “Hey,” The butterflies flew wildly almost immediately, and his chest was on the verge of bursting. Yet his face remained neutral, save for the faint blush on his cheeks.

“L/N… You’re here.”

“I did say I’ll be dropping by today,” you said as you pulled out three folders from behind your back. “With updates. Remember? Unless you completely missed my note, then surprise! We have updates.”

“No. I got your note… and the soup.” He opened the door wider and stepped aside. “We should discuss this inside.”

You nodded and took off your shoes before entering his home. “By the way, how’s the hangover? Was it as bad as I assumed?”

He followed you into the dining room, tipping his hat over his face. “It’s nothing new, but it’s painful as hell. I can still feel it until now,” Jotaro grumbled and continued with heated cheeks. “But the soup helped… if that’s what you wanted to hear.”

“Just as I thought. I brought you a hangover relief drink to help with the lingering aches.” You placed the folders on the dining table and pulled out a small glass bottle with white and orange labeling from your bag. “This is newly imported, by the way. So, the effects should be at their best.”

Jotaro swallowed and nodded, reaching over to get it off your hand without looking at you for long. He gestured for you to take a seat, and out of the many empty seats, you settled for the one that was adjacent to him. To be fair, it wasn’t that close to him, but it was the nearest.

He fixed you a serving of the tea he had left in his cabinet, and you began detailing all the progress notes the Foundation had sent about the caught Stand users and their Stands- From how they reacted when they woke up in confinement, to present user background, down to what their choice was moving forward after being apprehended.

Unfortunately for Jotaro, he was still hung up on his newfound realization that he felt some way or another toward you like a dam of denial and denseness had been demolished. While he did listen to every piece of information you said, he’d chalked up half of his attention to the way you spoke with dedicated professionalism and the way your eyes glinted and lips smirked whenever you were pleased sharing a piece of intel.

His body’s physiological state is going haywire yet again, and his head throbbed. He uncapped the hangover cure and drank the tonic in a feeble attempt to distract himself from the irritating ache and his thoughts. And if it couldn’t get any worse, he drank too fast and ended up choking in front of you.

“Woah, hey now. You okay?”

Jotaro coughed behind his hand and nodded, waving a hand to dismiss your concerns. “F-Fine. Just choked is all.”

You chuckled and closed the folder to set aside. “Maybe slow down when drinking any other beverage that’s not water. That technique always helps prevent another choking episode.”

His cheeks flared. “I know that. I’m not stupid, L/N,” he said and cleared his throat. “I was… busy thinking.”

“Busy thinking?” You smirked, leaning on your elbow with your head in your hand. “Or distracted with something else?” Jotaro glared at you and grumbled to himself. “About last night, perhaps?” That… and the many other things about you. None of that was said, but did he even have to when you already knew?

At his self-imposed frustration and bashfulness, your teasing smirk softened into a smile. “Believe me when I say you didn’t do anything stupid last night. Well, to me at least. If anything, I felt privileged when you showed me a window into who the man responsible for DIO’s defeat was. A sneak peek into who Jotaro Kujo is now.”

He remained silent, watching you with a somewhat touched expression on his face. “And I found that brief moment of vulnerability fascinating and worth knowing.” His heart raced a million miles per hour the more you shared your thoughts. The playful gleam was still in your eyes when you continued. “There was nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I…You…” Jotaro was at a loss for words. What could he say? You telling him this was enough for him to shy away from your gaze in a mess of tinted cheeks. He’s aware of what he needs behind the walls of nonchalance and outward strength, and for you to learn said needs because of several shots of whiskey?

It was almost overwhelming. “You were never meant to know all that. They’re just… wishful thoughts.”

“And what if I said I can help make those thoughts real?”

He paused and stared at you with surprise. “What… what do you mean?”

“Let me rephrase that.” You sipped the warm tea and set it down, your smile still on. “I’ve said we’re work partners, and that we should always have each other’s backs, through thick and thin. Even if we met under ordinary circumstances unrelated to work, I think I’d still hold the same sentiment toward you.”

“Your reservation and stoicism can be frustrating, yes. But looking past that,” You swirled the half-full cup and tilted your head to him. “You are a delight to be with, in all your subtle acts of service, sudden bouts of humor, and fierce loyalty to those you hold dear.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I like you, Jotaro Kujo, and if you allow it, I’d want to get to know you more.”

His eyes widened. All air had left his lungs from your casual confession, blood rushing to his cheeks as every organ in his body went into ecstatic overdrive.

He genuinely had nothing to say, stunned to silence. He had spent the entire morning- no, the past few months battling with his feelings about whether to act on his pining toward you, or toss it away so you wouldn’t feel obligated to tolerate the dangers that came from being with him.

Every moment of overthinking, insecurity, and unwarranted pining… washed away with that simple sentence.

At his lack of response, you chuckled. “Cat got your tongue?”

“I… ah…”

“Here… let’s put it this way then. How about, for one time, I take you out somewhere nice for dinner? Then you can decide if you want to continue our partnership,” you said, just like the first time he had met you. “Sound good?”

“Good grief. Here I thought I’d be the one initiating, but…” From the depths of his heart, his lips curled into a smile, and he softly laughed behind his hand. “Always the professional, even when asking me out on a date, huh?”

You laughed with him, a faint pink tint blooming in your cheeks. “Old habits die hard. You don’t seem to mind though.”

He shook his head. “No… I don’t.”

You held out a hand to him, your palm open for him to hold. “Well? I’m still waiting.”

Jotaro looked at your hand for a minute. There were still parts of his mind that kept whispering to him about being a burden to you and how he’d only be led to more suffering when the inevitable threats would strike you down. But your determined eyes and the passionate fire held within them responded to his anxieties with a firm:

“I can handle it. Trust me and I’ll protect us.”

At that, he huffed and smiled as he reached forward to hold your hand, his chest surprisingly light. “I didn’t regret accepting to be your colleague. I don’t think I’ll regret this either.”

“Then…” You smiled and gently held his hand with both of yours. “I’m looking forward to being your partner, Jotaro.”

He returned the sentiment with a smile and nodded once. “Likewise, Y/N.”

[cosmicredcadet]

Genuinely why do people think that Wagstaff created WX-78 when it looks like, from WX's own video, that they created themselves? Like their human form looks to have been the one who made the robot body and came up with the technology to transfer their conscious into the robot. the most Wagstaff did was probably wake them up or oversee the transfer? Why do people act like Wagstaff is some creator/father figure to WX when it seems like he barely played a role in their creation and was at most a business partner with them when they were human???

[foldingfittedsheets]

A friend I had briefly in my teens years was this girl in Arizona. She was a junior when I was a freshman, and as I was socially awkward and very lonely she kind’ve pulled me under her wing for a while. I don’t remember how we met, but I remember riding in her car and meeting her cute miniature Doberman.

But the thing I remember most about this girl was that she loved lying to me. And I had a massive but unacknowledged crush on her so I adored being lied to. Her natural charisma and storytelling was hypnotic.

It’s not what it sounds like because it wasn’t malicious but she came up with this in depth lore to tell me about this fake job she had. I know autistic people are meant to be credulous but I truly never believed her stories, I just adored her storytelling and was very ready to listen to whatever tale she spun that day. Another of her friends chided her once for teasing me but I genuinely never minded.

In her lore she moonlighted as a Professional Liar. People would hire her to get close to a target they wanted rattled. She’d make friends, develop a strong relationship, foster a dependency on her, then disappear. Then when they were confused and missing her sometime when the employer needed their target rattled she’d show back up as a glimpse to knock them off balance. Often it was implied she’d faked her death in the interim.

That itself was fine, it was an okay story. But in order to maintain that lie she’d make up tons of supporting details that were way more fun. She had this fake boyfriend who got high as balls on a mission and ended up seeing a sheep in a field and carrying it to a farmhouse to try to buy it because he wanted a puppy. I liked that one but suspected she didn’t know how big sheep were.

She’d IM chat with me as this made up boyfriend sometimes; once she had him ask me if I noticed her limping and he told me she’d just lost a toe but was covering for it like a champ. That one was fun.

She told me about something she called “purple charge” which was a way to get instant night vision. I did try looking that one up on the off chance, but was sadly disappointed there.

She said that Professional Liars had such high stakes jobs that they needed a week of insane time where they just partied so hard it was like a Dionysus rave and her IM boyfriend persona implied she’d killed someone during one of those stints.

I had such a fun time with her elaborate fiction that I’d often ask follow up questions and she had to do a lot of world building to keep up with my fascination. We’d get to class and I’d have three or four new questions which I think is why her friend thought her teasing was too far. They genuinely thought I believed her but I was just loving the fiction.

If any of this sounds malicious I’ll also add that when I got harassed on a roleplaying board she went out guns blazing to go after the guy who’d been harassing me. She genuinely enjoyed my company. She also complimented my art, sometimes as her made up boyfriend which I appreciated.

I find myself looking back on our friendship very fondly. I can’t remember her last name or have any way of looking her up, but she really was a professional liar to me. The only downside is that I’m completely faceblind so if she ever wanted to pop unexpectedly into my life I’d have no idea it was her.

[vettelsvee]

Hi love! For your tortured poets department, can I request endgame from the reputation album, lando being the driver please please 🙏

END GAME | Lando Norris

Lando Norris x Friend with benefits Piastri!Reader

SUMMARY: You were used to have random hookups just for fun, including with Lando Norris himself. It's not until he decides to lock both of you up on his driver room and talk about your weird relationship that you don't realize that, deep down, you're willing to settle down your mind and start a dating him ↳ REQUESTED: Yes! Thanks for requesting and hope you like it 💖 Part of REPUTATION in MY TORTURED DRIVERS DEPARTMENT

WORD COUNT: 2745

WARNINGS: Slightly +18 at the end (sorry for leaving it there ☺️), mentions of friends with benefits, spelling with multiple people, angst, curse words

VEE'S NOTES: Haven't written Lando in a very, very long time, so hope you like this one! University and my mental health are killing me but you know what? Writing is what keeps me going (and specially your comments have been a boost of serotonin for me lately). Also... the 2k special is already living rent free in my mind and I can't wait to achieve the goal to post it 😭 I wanna give spoilers now so... you know 🤓 ↳ TALK TO ME / REQUESTS! | FORMULA 1 MASTERLIST

© VETTELSVEE (2025). please, do not steal, copy or translate my works. thanks for reading!

"You finally decided to show up at a race. I was starting to think you only liked having me naked in your bed behind your brother’s back."

You smiled at the screen, playing with your fingers as you thought how could you answer Lando. Your relationship was based purely on sex, moreover sexting, with barely any real conversations whenever you met, moans and orgasms speaking for you both instead.

You had never felt the need to go beyond that, to involve feelings in your relationship, or at least that’s what you had made clear to Lando before sleeping with him the very first time. You also let him know that, besides him, there were other guys with whom you had no commitments whatsoever.

However, it was with Lando that you spent most of your time. The others were nothing more than a safe escape, an easy way out when the Brit wasn’t around.

"Be grateful that I even came," you finally replied. "And don’t flatter yourself. I came to see my brother, not to make you come before a race."

You hesitated, wondering if your reply was harsh enough to keep him from getting any ideas and, more importantly, to stop him from insisting on meeting up. You weren’t sure how, but you wanted to end that strange relationship before it spiraled out of control because, whether you wanted to admit it or not, you had started to feel something for him.

Yes, just a few weeks ago, you had one of your usual encounters with a friend of one of your best friends. But everything fell apart when, right before reaching your climax, you couldn’t help it: you moaned Lando’s name instead.

That was what made you question what exactly you felt for Norris and why the label of friends with benefits seemed to be fading away.

"Don’t play dumb, Piastri. See you at the motorhome. You know exactly where."

You huffed. Of course, you knew exactly where you’d be meeting. After all, ever since your brother became a Formula 1 driver, you had visited his teammate’s personal room more than Oscar’s.

With a sigh, making sure neither your mother nor your sisters were nearby, you got up, grabbed the plastic cup that still had a bit of coffee left, and walked with as much determination as you could muster toward McLaren’s motorhome, finishing your drink along the way.

As you walked, mentally preparing a script in case things got tense with Lando, you greeted the people you knew, or at least those who knew you as Y/N Piastri. Lewis was genuinely happy to see you and even stopped to chat, but you excused yourself, saying you had already made plans. Fernando gave you a knowing look, as if trying to figure out what exactly you were about to do with a certain driver.

Even your brother crossed paths with you at the entrance to McLaren’s motorhome. You managed to lie to him, partially, saying Lando had asked you to take a few pictures of him before the race.

Oscar gave you a strange look, then rolled his eyes, offered a small smile and told you to enjoy whatever it was you both were about to do.

You said nothing, but you knew your twin brother well enough to realize he already had a pretty good idea of what you were up to with Norris. Not that you tried too hard to hide it.

When you reached Lando’s room, you didn’t even have to knock. The door opened instantly, revealing a slightly tired-looking Lando with a cup in his hand. His race suit was already on but zipped only to his waist, leaving the top half hanging loose. His team cap was still on, though it didn’t last long since he took it off and tossed it aside within seconds.

He grinned from ear to ear, like he had been waiting for you with far too much anticipation.

"Come in. Make yourself at home," he said with that mischievous tone you were so used to hearing, though something about it felt slightly different this time.

You walked inside without hesitation, crossing your arms and ignoring him, except for the occasional sideways glance to see if he would do or say something before you did. Unfortunately, he didn’t.

"If you wanted a quick fuck before the race you could’ve just said so, you know?"

"I don’t think today’s the best day to fuck you and let everyone hear," he replied. "At least, not yet. Today, we’re going to talk."

"We don’t talk, Lando," you shot back, feeling an internal alarm go off. "And when we do, it’s just to ask about the safe word of the day, what we want to do to each other, and how close we are to coming."

"Well, maybe it’s time we started talking, don’t you think so?"

His answer took you completely by surprise. Your gazes remained locked on each other, and you felt the atmosphere grow tense.

For the first time in a long while, there was no excuse you could use to avoid that conversation with Lando. Maybe the fact that you had been ignoring him for the past few weeks was enough to make him realize that there was a chance—however small—that things had changed between you two.

You took a deep breath, trying to calm the growing sense of unease settling in your chest. Lando kept looking at you with that same intensity he always did, except this time… it was different. It wasn’t the first time you found yourselves in a situation like this, where there were a thousand unsaid things hanging between you, waiting to be voiced. But it was the first time, at least on your part, where feelings were involved beyond pure physical desire.

"I don’t think there’s anything to talk about," you said as nonchalantly as possible, but your tense posture betrayed you.

Lando set his cup down on the table beside him. Then, he sat on the edge, crossing his arms again, and reached for your hands only for you to pull away and take a step back.

"I think you know exactly what we need to talk about," he replied calmly. His voice was lower than usual, and you felt the heat grow between your legs. You shook your head, feeling guilty and doing your best to push away that sudden, but familiar, awakening in your body.

"You’ve been avoiding me, Y/N. And don’t tell me you haven’t, because you were in Monaco and never called me to meet up… to see each other," he added, his voice laced with something unreadable. "In fact, we usually sext almost every day, and you didn’t even bother to tell me what  new lingerie set you bought for when you came over."

"I didn’t tell you I was coming to Miami either."

Your reply, rather than making you sound indifferent, exposed you completely. Lando raised an eyebrow, as if he had caught you red-handed. That was when you realized you had seriously screwed up.

"I haven’t been avoiding you, Lando. I’ve just been busy," you insisted.

"Busy? You mean busy by ignoring me?" He scoffed, ironic. His expression turned much more serious now, and you started to worry about where this might lead. "Tell me the truth, Y/N. What’s going on? What’s happening with you?" he emphasized.

You averted your gaze, pretending to take interest in the room’s decoration, a room you already knew by heart. You knew you couldn’t keep dodging the topic, but you also had no idea how to confront it without changing everything you had so far. It was impossible to put into words what you felt for Lando, not when your relationship had always been purely physical. And especially not when there was a real chance you were just confused… and, well, you couldn’t forget the possibility that he might only see you as his hookup.

"Nothing’s wrong," you finally responded.

"I thought we were always honest with each other," Lando sighed, running a frustrated hand through his hair.

You felt your throat tighten. It was hard to breathe. You had been honest, at least when it came to the unrestricted desire between you, to touching each other without attachments, to seeking comfort in one another without questions that went beyond your wildest fantasies. You had avoided anything personal.

But now, you were slowly breaking the unspoken rules that had kept you in perfect balance until this moment.

"I’ve been busy, Lando, and the last thing I wanted was to deal with you, alright?" you insisted, trying to sound as convincing as possible. "Things should have stayed the way they were until, according to you, I started ignoring you."

"No, Y/N, things aren’t like that," the Brit denied, shaking his head. He stepped closer, cornering you against the wall. "If you don’t want to face something because you’re afraid of rejection, just tell me. But, for fuck’s sake, don’t act like I did something wrong, because you’re killing me."

"Lando…"

"Stop insisting that nothing is happening between us, when that’s exactly what makes me think the opposite."

His confession caught you completely off guard. His words—clear, direct, and without a hint of sarcasm, threw you off… especially because you knew he was right.

You felt the urge to run, to disappear, to pretend none of this had ever happened. Most of all, you wanted to deny yourself any romantic thought you had ever had about Oscar’s teammate.

When you lowered your gaze, Lando moved back slightly, giving you space and making sure he didn’t overwhelm you more than you already seemed to be. You sighed, trying to relax once again, but before you could say anything, he spoke first.

"Tell me nothing’s wrong between us, Y/N Piastri," he said softly. "If nothing has really changed, if everything is the same between us… dare to look at  me in the eyes and say it."

Your chest tightened. You couldn’t run away, not when Lando had you emotionally cornered, teetering on the edge of an explosion. Your breathing was unsteady, heavy. Your mind screamed at you to find an excuse, anything that would let you stay true to yourself regardless of what happened next.

Lando waited, unmoving, his blue eyes locked onto yours with an intensity that made you tremble for the first time in your life—without him even touching you. It was the first time he had shown himself to you like this: so vulnerable and yet so determined at the same time.

"Nothing is wrong between us, Lando Norris," you finally whispered, forcing the words out, ignoring both your heart and the boy standing in front of you.

"Say it again, but this time, look me in the eyes."

He didn’t move an inch. He knew you were lying; your posture gave you away—the way you avoided his gaze, the way your fingers toyed with the hem of your shirt and your accreditation pass…

You squeezed your eyes shut tightly. You had no choice… at least, not entirely.

Lifting your gaze, you met his blue eyes once again. Your lips parted slightly, ready to try and let out a lie convincing enough for both him and yourself.

But it was impossible. You couldn’t keep doing this, not when, deep down, and no matter how hard you tried to deny it, you felt something more than just pleasure for Lando Norris. The fear of rejection… it terrified you. The thought of him turning you away, of losing what you had with him, was unbearable.

"Lando…"

"You don’t have to say it if you’re not ready," he interrupted. "But please… stop pushing me away. Stop making this to us."

"It’s just…"

Nothing. No matter how much you tried to explain yourself, to find a logical enough reason for your sudden ghosting, you couldn’t.

"It’s just what, Y/N?" the Brit pressed. "Are you afraid to take a risk? To admit something because you’re scared of what might happen next? Because you don’t want to change the life you’ve had until now? Because you want to…?"

Lando forced himself to stop. He ran his hands through his hair, exasperated, turning his back to you. Guilt hit you immediately, your body trembling as the storm inside you began to break free. The driver rubbed his face, frustration radiating from him. This was exhausting him. You were exhausting him, to the point where he was starting to doubt his own feelings. Feelings that had started to grow the moment he realized it hurt when you ignored him, when you didn’t even send him a simple "Hey."

"I wish this were different, Y/N," he finally murmured, his voice thick with emotion as he turned to face you again. "I wish you didn’t make me feel like this. I wish I could just be content with what we had before and pretend none of this was happening…"

Your stomach twisted painfully. That was exactly what you had been thinking, the very reason you had pulled away from him and from whatever this was. You had ignored the fact that your feelings for Lando Norris had become something much stronger—maybe they had been there for far longer than you were willing to admit.

"Lando, listen" You tried to step closer, but he pulled away.

"No, Y/N, no," he said bitterly. "I tried convincing myself there was a reason you were ignoring me, acting like I was nothing to you, and then it hit me that I really want you as more than just someone to fuck."

"That…" you struggled to say, stepping toward him. This time, Lando didn’t stop you. The sincerity in your eyes, the way you looked both calm and nervous at the same time, made him realize he had to trust his instincts. And that was exactly what they were telling him.

"That’s what I wanted to tell you," you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper, but Lando still heard you. "That’s why I kept you on standby for two weeks… I knew this would change everything, that you’d react badly, that we’d end up fighting, and I… I didn’t know how to face the possibility of you rejecting… this."

Lando stared at you in surprise before a sad smile crept onto his lips.

"Y/N… I’ve always been good at reading signals, but this has been driving me fucking crazy."

"And you think it’s not been making me feel the same?" you shot back, feeling a weight lift off your shoulders.

Lando stepped closer, taking your hands in his. You didn’t resist, feeling how the both of you tensed at the contact. His lips inched toward yours, and when they finally met, the kiss was so fierce, so full of passion, that you ended up straddling him on the couch, moving against him, desperate to feel him. Even though you both knew there was still a race in two hours.

"I don’t want to touch you like this, Y/N," Norris whispered against your ear as you left small bites along his neck. "Y/N, stop it babe…"

"I don’t wanna be just another ex-love to you, Lando…" you murmured between kisses, still searching for friction between your bodies.

"And I don’t wanna miss you like your other lovers do, babe…"

This time, Lando gripped your waist firmly, flipping you onto the couch beneath him. His eyes never left yours as he carefully lifted your shirt and started massaging your breasts over your bra.

"I wanna be your end game, Y/N," Lando breathed, unable to tear his gaze away from you.

Your breath came out in shallow pants, and you felt like you were teetering on the edge. Your hands gripped the unfastened gear around his waist, tugging lightly to keep him close.

"Then prove it."

"I have a race in two hours, love…" he murmured, his voice rough as he pressed his forehead to yours, his arousal growing.

"Then you better be quick," you teased, running your hands over his abs beneath the fireproof. "Especially if you don’t want Osc to hear us…"

"You’re gonna be the death of me one day, Y/N Piastri," Lando groaned as he trailed his fingers up your thighs, lowering himself before you. "Now, open your legs for me... You deserve a punishment after being such a bad, bad girl these past few days…"

[bweirdart]

EVENT OVER! THANKS EVERYONE WHO JOINED IN U ALL DID AN AMAZING JOB <3 SEE YOU AGAIN NEXT YEAR IN MARCH FOR #mARTch OR NEXT OCTOBER (2024) FOR A NEW SET OF PROMPTS!!!!!

OC-TOBER 2023 PROMPTS!!

general tag: #oc-tober / my prompts: #bweirdOCtober

F.A.Q:

Do I have to draw EVERY DAY?

NO! I highly encourage skipping as many days as you need to avoid burnout! There are 10 main days in the event (marked with a ⭐ star) that you can focus on if you don't feel up to doing every day, or you can choose your own adventure and just do the prompts you personally like!

Do I have to DRAW?

NO! You can also write fanfiction snippets, repost older art that fits the theme, tweet headcanons/backstory, roleplay in-character as your oc ... genuinely anything that fits the theme is OK!!

Can I start early?

YES! I understand some people work at a slower pace and might need a head start! So long as you wait until October to post it, you can start working as early as you need!

I missed the start of the event .. do I have to catch up?

NO! Please don't stress about days you missed, you're allowed to just skip to the current prompt!

RULES:

1. MAKE FRIENDS! The community is the best part of this event .. please try to follow new people, ask questions about ocs you like, compliment people's styles, ask friends to create with you, etc!

2. TAKE IT EASY! Skip a day if you're tired, busy or just not interested in the prompt. You don't have to catch up on it later. This is supposed to be fun, not work!

3. BE KIND! Please think about the people around you - don't give people unwarranted harsh criticism, content warn for themes/imagery in your work that could trigger someone, don't create anything hateful, etc

MORE:

text version / tips and ideas on bweird.art or below ↓

star = main prompts | no star = optional

INTRO WEEK

1: FAVE OC ⭐

-Which of your characters is your favourite right now?

2: NEW OC

-Who is your newest OC?

-Design a new OC right now

3: OLD OC ⭐

-Do you remember the first OC you ever made?

-Is there an OC you haven't drawn in a long time?

4: RE-DESIGN

-An OC who has changed a lot over the years

-Take an old OC and update their design right now

 

BACKSTORY WEEK

5: RELATIONSHIPS ⭐

-Who is important to your OC?

-Do they have a partner?

-Do they have a best friend?

-Are they close to their family?

6: SYMBOL

-What imagery do you associate with your oc?

-Are there any colours, flowers, animals or concepts that symbolize them?

7: PERSONALITY ⭐

-How does your OC behave?

-What are their positive traits?

-What are their negative traits?

-Are they extroverted or introverted?

8: PAST

-What was your OC like as a child?

-Where did they grow up?

-Are there any significant moments from their past that shaped who they are?

9: FUTURE ⭐

-Does your OC have a goal they're working towards?

-What will your OC look like when they get older

-Do you have a planned ending for their story?

PALETTE WEEK

10: pumpkin patch palette

#251604 #1E3807 #5B5E1A #A2A657 #EBA00F #F3ECCC

11: hot cocoa palette

#520B13 #BB382E #E27E6D #88392C #AF5D40 #E1AFA4

12: midnight zone palette

#000007 #000049 #183885 #004D4F #0E8788 #FFF1C0

13: peachy palette

#DE6450 #DB9171 #FFC1AE #FEE1AD #FFF2E0 #D9D8D8

14: haunted house palette

#552506 #6E25AA #ED690B #F925A0 #8F8BA7 #A6C1AA

FUN + GAMES WEEK

15: MEME ⭐

-Post memes that remind you of your OC

-Draw your OC as a meme

-Fill out a character meme (classic deviantart style)

16: FOOD

-What is your OC's favourite food?

-What is their least favourite?

-Can they cook?

17: EYES-CLOSED ⭐

-Draw your OC with your eyes closed! No cheating!

-Write a scene without looking at the keyboard! Keep the typos in!

18: SWAP

-Swap the style or aesthetic of two of your OCs

-Species or gender swap AU

-Invert an OC's colour scheme

19: INSPIRATION ⭐

-Is your OC inspired by any pre-existing characters?

-Are there any particular songs/lyrics that inspired something about one of your OCs

-Do you have a dedicated pinterest moodboard for your character?

20: INVENTORY

-What does your OC carry around with them on a daily basis?

-Are there any objects that have sentimental value for them?

-Loot drop for your DnD OC

 

FRIENDS WEEK

21-25:

There's no specific daily prompts for this week, but here are some ideas you can try ...

-Art trades with friends who are doing the event with you

-Your OC interacting with a friend's OC

-Gift art for someone whose OCs you like

-Work together and collaborate on something with a friend

-Roleplay an OC scene together with someone

 

HALLOWEEN WEEK

26: FEAR ⭐

-What is your OC scared of?

-Draw one of your OCs trying to scare the others

27: MONSTER

-Do you have any monster OCs? (eg: vampires, werewolves, creatures, ghosts...)

-Draw a human OC as a monster

-Design a new monster

28: TRICK

-Play a trick on an OC

-Do you have an OC who would play tricks on people?

29: TREAT

-What is your OC's favourite halloween candy?

-Give an OC a special treat to make up for yesterday's trick

30: MAGIC

-Do any of your characters have magical powers?

-Give an OC a magical or cursed artifact

-Create a magic-using OC like a witch or wizard

27: COSTUME ⭐

-What is your OC dressing as for halloween?

[hedwig221b]

hello! are you still doing sterek recs? if so do you know of any good ones where stiles has no idea how gorgeous he is/has no idea how obsessed derek is with him and genuinely thinks he doesn’t stand a chance in hell??? my heart burns for the drama

Sure! May I offer you these?

Gorgeous by Asterekmess (Livinginfictions)

Derek didn’t actually notice anything strange until the middle of the pack’s second year, but once he realized how many layers of clothing Stiles wore all the time, he couldn't stop noticing it. Curiosity and worry ate away at him every time the weather turned warm, until he felt he had to do something about it.

The Courting Dilemmas of a Spark and a Werewolf Prince by greenleaf

Talia smiled calmly. “I am well aware that you are not a werewolf, my darling, but I thought this would be the best reading material for you to use as reference. After all, how would you know how to act during a courting ritual if you do not study it?” “But I don’t… I’m not…” Stiles narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you setting me up with someone?” Talia rolled her eyes at him. “Don’t be obtuse, my darling. Why would I set you up with someone –” “Oh, well, that’s good, because–” “–when I have a son who is already perfectly enamored with you?”

There's a Wolf in My Bed by halcyon1993

Three weeks after helping Derek stop his uncle, Stiles returns home from school to find the new alpha fast asleep on his bed. He doesn't know what to do about it, especially when it keeps happening.

What's Held on Our Shoulders by chameleonoverhere

Derek drops Stiles off at school, and this attracts the unwanted attention and harassment of some kid. He exploits Stiles' greatest insecurity, has him asking questions about his relationship with Derek that he never had before.

Pack nights are not for getting laid by igotdamn

Stiles goes out clubbing, Derek doesn't like that very much.

Unknown Power by LadyDrace

Stiles never really understood what Derek actually saw in him. But thanks to some filth and the scientific method, he finally starts getting the hint

Stiles is a Hottie series by dragon_temeraire

A series of unrelated fics where Stiles is just too hot. (I love this trope, so I will probably end up writing a lot for this)

it's obvious, you're oblivious by EvanesDust

Derek’s new roommate is alpha bait but seems disinterested in everyone—especially Derek. Stiles is suddenly popular, but can't seem to catch the interest of the only alpha he actually likes. …or the one where Stiles and Derek get paired together in room assignments and are secretly in love with the other.

Oh. . . you love me? by yeemo_crack

Stiles is bait. . . again. Stiles is injured. . . again. His wounds are so bad he ends up in hospital, and is shocked to find Derek there when he wakes up. What follows is a very interesting conversation with said Sourwolf where feelings are revealed and Stiles says some very dumb things. Excerpt As he traced the lines on his palm he also gradually drew away Stiles’ pain. The relief was dizzying, so as a result Stiles said something dumb. “Careful Dramawolf, if you carry on like this people might start to think you’re in love with me or something.”

How to Woo Your Local Omega by alocalband

Stiles knows a pity gift when he sees one. Mostly because that’s all he’s ever gotten from anyone since the moment he hit puberty.

erroneous manoeuvres by slippingfromreality

"Hey, Stilinski!” Stiles clenches his teeth. “What do you want, Hale?” he shouts back, not bothering to turn around. The smug smirk that’s most likely waiting for him is already seared into his mind from overexposure. “A date!” the answer comes, still as loud, and most of the bystanders giggle or snort in Stiles’ direction. Stiles rolls his eyes. This is the third time this week. He’d complain that Hale’s jokes are getting pretty stale, but he’d probably be milking this situation for all that it’s worth, too, if their roles were reversed. “Wrong aisle,” he grouses back, “try the bakery section. I hear they have fresh tarts.” Or, in which Stiles grievously misjudged his bullying situation.

[masterlist link]

[fear-is-truth]

wow i love the way you write nam-gyu! would you mind writing his attempt to make things right if he was given a second chance in a relationship? I’m basing this off of your last post with him where you said if he was given a second chance he would at least genuinely try. Have a great day! ❤️

NAM-GYU ❝ TRYING ❞ TO BE A GOOD BOYFRIEND. . .

content — gn!reader ・nam-gyu is still toxic & overall a shitty boyfriend・headcanons

a/n — i love this horrid man.

he starts overcompensating in small, almost pitiful ways. buying you gifts you didn’t ask for, running errands he wouldn’t have done before, doing the dishes without being asked. it’s as though he thinks he can earn your forgiveness through sheer persistence.

and it works because the bar is so low to begin with, it’s practically a tripping hazard in hell.

he’s not above love-bombing if it means keeping you. but it’s not entirely manipulative—there’s a small part of him that genuinely believes he can be better, even if he doesn’t know what that looks like.

he doesn’t like when you talk about the breakup. he’ll deflect, change the subject, or turn it into a joke. the idea of revisiting that time makes him feel pathetic, and he absolutely hates that.

keeps asking you if you’re happy. the question comes out of nowhere—he needs constant reassurance, like your happiness is the only proof he has that he’s not screwing this up again.

no matter how much he wants to try and fix things, he can’t completely shake the bitterness. deep down, he hates being the one begging for forgiveness. sometimes it slips out in muttered comments or passive-aggressive digs when he feels like he’s not being appreciated enough for trying.

gets this haunted look when you mention any moment from the time you were apart. it doesn’t matter if it’s innocent or unrelated to him—he’ll start overthinking it. where were you? who were you with?

paranoid about losing you again, and it shows in the way he checks your phone, asks too many questions about where you’ve been, or sulks when you spend time with other people.

if you call him out, he’ll switch gears fast. nam-gyu knows exactly what to say to deflect blame or make you second-guess your own feelings. he’s silver-tongued in a way that makes you want to forgive him, even when you know you probably shouldn’t.

despite his efforts, nam-gyu has a habit of reverting to old patterns. he gets frustrated when things don’t improve immediately and lashes out verbally. but as soon as he sees your hurt expression, he’s quick to backtrack, softening his tone and apologising—but the authenticity is up for debate.

there are sporadic bursts of effort. maybe he remembers a small detail you mentioned in passing and surprises you with it, or he takes you somewhere meaningful to “start fresh.” these moments feel real because, for a fleeting second, they are. but they’re often short-lived, drowned out by his issues.

he tries to hold back when you fight, but sometimes he just slips. the venom comes out before he can stop it, and the second he sees your face fall, he’s begging for forgiveness. the cycle exhausts you both.

tries to make up for his outbursts with affection. his hands are always on you—your waist, your wrist, the back of your neck. sure it’s possessive, but there’s a desperation to it too, because he’s trying to prove he still has a right to touch you.

there’s a subtle change in the way he looks at you now. before, there was always the arrogance of knowing you’d stick around no matter what. now, he’s bracing himself for the moment you’ll tell him it’s over for good.

he convinces himself that as long as you’re still there, things can get better. even if he doesn’t fully believe in his own ability to change, he holds onto the idea that you believe in him. it’s a crutch, one that keeps him from truly taking accountability but also keeps him trying—and he is. but there’s also a part of him that still believes he can’t fully change, that this is just who he is, and it’s up to you to decide if you can live with it.

[dahlibae]

— ౨ৎ : how would wanda react if you wanted to call her mommy?

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

Well at first, Wanda might be a little taken aback, not because she’s judgmental or anything, but because she’s such an emotionally intuitive and deeply caring person that she’d want to fully understand where you’re coming from. She knew you had a complicated relationship with your mother, you still do, and she knew how you could be in your relationship. You were innately submissive; always willing to follow or do whatever she said with little to not questioning. It was clear you trusted her. She had also noticed whenever you were struggling, you’d rely on her comfort and affection to bring you out of your funk. No self comfort would work, just Wanda’s soft touch and sweet words.

Her initial reaction would likely involve a lot of gentle questions—her Sokovian accent softening as she asks, "what makes you want this, my love? … does it make you feel closer to me?" She’d want to ensure that it’s about trust and intimacy rather than anything that might make you feel uncomfortable or disconnected. And to be honest, Wanda wasn’t opposed to the idea of being your mommy. She loved taking care of you, and she loved to baby you. Being the oldest sibling and only daughter, it was in her nature to be the more caring partner.

Once you both come to the conclusion that this was something you genuinely wanted to explore together, she’d approach it thoughtfully and tenderly. For Wanda, it was all about the emotional connection, so she’d take the time to research this kind of relationship. She’d even sit you down one evening, and ask you your opinion on this, what you like and don’t like, ensuring everything is consensual and safe. You had told how her you wanted her to be your mommy during bedroom activities and also outside of sex, but you didn’t want it to be as routine as it usually is for people partaking in this. You didn’t want to always call her mommy, just when you were feeling small and needed her to comfort you. She understood immediately, having researched on MDLG as well as other people’s boundaries with the kink. She noted this thought down, a reminder to always be careful and patient during a vulnerable moment like this, making sure she doesn’t mistaken your behaviour as a call sign for this kind of play.

No matter what, she’d want you to feel safe.

Don’t get me wrong, she’d likely be shy about the idea at first, blushing subtly as she tries to have a straightforward conversation with you who was always blushing, but her curiosity and desire to make you happy would win out. She wanted to do this for you—and for her. Plus, the images that would flash through her mind of you underneath her, unable to form coherent sentences as she fucked you silly or the ones of her held you close in her arms, cradling your head as you suckled on her chest helped.

But in practice, Wanda would strike the perfect balance of playful experimentation and her inherently nurturing side. She might even tease you with a flicker of her magic—a gentle red glow brushing against your skin—while whispering those familiar soft reassurances that she loves how good you are for her, and how mommy loves her little girl. Wanda’s ability to multitask with her powers would definitely add a unique layer of creativity, but only in ways you’re both comfortable with and have discussed beforehand.

Ultimately, I think her priority would be your emotional and physical well-being, and she’d by either Wanda, your girlfriend, or Wanda, your mommy, whenever you needed. She’d make it clear that if at any point it became too much or you felt uncertain, you could stop immediately. Or if you needed more from her, more of mommy, you could have her. Always. “You’re my everything,” she’d say, holding you close as she guided your face into the crook of her neck, “and mommy loves you so much.”

[revolutionsingingintherainnn]

Hi.. don't know if you do part 2 but if you do.. can you like write a sequel to curling iron where fans are really eager to know why the girls call him "curling iron" so they lando during signing and meet and greet but he just shakes his head and diverts the topic till during one of quadrant video, max f asks lando what's the curling iron as everyone is asking so lando tells him (while they were recording) and when interview is released media goes crazy.. maybe little SMAU too.. thankyou and sorry if this is too complex.. xoxo

Curling Iron pt. 2 ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

⌗ ln x reader 🦋⃟

⌗ fluff + humour (?) 🦋⃟

masterlist ☾☼

curling iron pt.1

lily and carmen's comment on her last instagram post blew up. while everyone in the inner circle only referred to lando as curling iron, none of the fans had any idea what it meant.

some speculated that lando doesn't actually have curly hair, and used a curling iron everyday. that became a joke amongst all of lando and y/n's friends. some speculated that lando just did something stupid, and it was a running joke between the 2019 rookies and their friends.

y/n did kind of agree with that, since she was the something stupid he did. when she'd said that out loud, not meaning for anyone else to hear her, lando had laughed and then pulled her to the bedroom to do her again.

the las vegas grad prix had organised a little meet and greet, where fans could come and meet the drivers, take pictures, just chat for a minute or two. lando loved doing such things. it always made him feel a lot closer to his fans, and he got to meet genuine people.

it was inevitable really that the question would come up. lando should have expected it, but he hadn't been prepared.

a group of girls were at his table, where he was seated, and signing all the things they gave him. one of them had the courage and finally asked him, "can we ask you something?"

"of course," lando was more than happy to answer any question.

"um, why is your nickname 'curling iron'? george and alex mentioned it in the compliments video too,"

george sitting at the next table burst out laughing, and lando muttered a small, "shut the fuck up," as he smiled and tried to answer.

"i just did some...thing. it was just like, a little joke between us." lando stammered.

"say it, say it, say it!" george was chanting from the table beside him.

lando threw a pen at his friend, "shut up!"

turning back to the girls, he quoted his girlfriend, "i just did something stupid, and that became a nickname. it's not anything important, really,"

he diverted the topic quickly, talking about the mini helmet that the girl had given him to sign.

the teasing hadn't stopped, on social media and otherwise. george, alex, lily, carmen, and his own girlfriend had officially renamed him as 'curling iron'.

during one of the williams video that alex participated in, the question of how close the 2019 rookies were, and how their relationship had changed over the years.

alex, the ever smiling man, said, "no no, i think we're all going really strong. like, we're amazing friends off track. we're hanging out all the time, and just sending each other memes and stuff. and, like, our girlfriends also get along really well."

"we take it george has a group chat for that as well?" the interviewer asked.

alex laughed, "we actually do! it's us three and our girlfriends. and, in the beginning, the girls sent in a lot of links to edits of like george and me, george and lando, or lando and me. i mean, they still do, but like, because of that, the group chat is called, um, 'curling iron's harem,"

the interviewer begged him to explain further, but alex laughed and diverted the topic, like they were all trained to do.

the fans went wild after williams posted that video on instagram. new edits of george, alex, and lando began trending, everyone leaning into the 'curling iron's harem' thing.

y/n, carmen, and lily had a field day with it, and sent in edits constantly. the boys had decided to then rate each edits that were sent in, because what else could they do.

the truth was revealed after the season got over though, when max and lando were streaming.

the chat was filled with people asking what 'curling iron' meant, and every time max read out the question, the two men couldn't stop laughing. they couldn't stop giggling.

"alright, alright. it was after one of the races, i made out with my girlfriend, left a hickey on her neck. carmen and lily noticed it, my girl said it was because of a curling iron-"

"very obvious lie, by the way,"

"yeah, and then i walked in after the interviews or something, and lily and carmen just started calling me 'curling iron' ever since,"

max was laughing, unable to stop.

"shut up, it's not that funny!" lando said, laughing as well.

"yeah, it is!" a distant voice was heard from lando.

"baby, you have to be on my side!" he whined to his girlfriend.

"aw, my poor curling iron," she cooed mockingly.

max only laughed harder.

"fuck off, all of you."

`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹✩°｡⋆⸜ 🎧✮

hi! sorry, this was kinda short. i never really planned to make a part 2 for this. but, i hope you enjoyed this! this is my prompt list, so y'all can select a number, give me a driver and i will write it as soon as possible! i also have a google form for a taglist if anyone's interested! you can sent in your requests here :)

taglist: @maketheshadowsfearyou; @anamiad00msday

[alasthegeese]

reid x reader fluffy fic where they’re at readers place on the couch after a case and get to talking about relationships and love - reader can’t believe spencer has trouble dating because he’s attractive and maybe spencer is confused as to why reader isn’t in relationships with men like derek etc

a heart full of yearning (i just don’t know it yet) spencer reid x reader

summary:

during a repose from a case, reader asks about spencer’s relationship status. spencer gets insecure and has questions of his own.

tags: pre-relationship, fluff, probably incredibly awkward, lots of hand holding, possibly unrealistic long dialogue, maybe rushed ending?, oneshot, use of y/n (one time), there may be grammatical issues

a/n: omg this sounds so cute, hello??? i hope i do you justice, this is my very first request and my first complete fanfic / oneshot that i’ve done in a while. i changed the plot a little, but i hope it still suits your tastes, anon <3 P.S. the hands are meant only for aesthetic, they are not meant to depict the race or size of the reader. special thanks to @lesbianvampirefanatic for helping me with the ending <3

It’s silent.

Not the trapping, anxious filled kind. The kind of silence you would expect after a case as grim as the one that we were taking a break from for the night. It was just a comfortable silence, only ever being interrupted with a small sip of tea or the wind pushing against the window that was beside the couch we were sitting on.

I should really get that prepared. Maybe the next day, or the day after.

Most definitely did not tell myself that a week ago. Totally not.

A cough interrupts me from thoughts of reading into silence and of needing to repair a broken window that most likely won’t be repaired until it’s falling off of its hinges. Setting my cup of tea down on the table beside me, I look up and stare at Spencer.

Oh no. Now my thoughts are full of doe eyed deer and of the need to run my fingers through his hair. Maybe even braiding the front of his hair in a cute little braid.

Shaking the thoughts away, I hum a soft, “Yes?”

Spencer pauses for a moment, then breaches into what he was planning to say, “You were acting as if me not being in a relationship is, objectively speaking, like if I were trying to explain how unicorns are an existing species. I don’t understand how it’s to that level of surprising. I am not that attractive, especially if compared to other guys,” he finishes quietly but assuredly, as if this is some statistic that was studied for years and proven to be true.

I grab onto his hands, his eyes widen for a moment then soften. I take a deep breath, preparing for the rant I am about to do, then start.

“Look, I have no idea where that root of insecurity came from, but that cannot be the furthest thing from the truth. You’re genuinely one of the most attractive men I have ever met, let alone person. You have the most beautiful of hair, do you know how many people most likely have looked at it and longed to have even one touch? Those eyes, too, they’re the most softest of browns,” I let out, maybe a tad too quickly as I feel myself lacking air. I give myself time for the much needed air and to examine Spencer’s face.

I pause, removing my hands from his.

His face looks as if its frozen in place, his lips parted and eyes wide yet again. Should I be worried of the amount of times Spencer’s eyes went wide? No, not the time.

“You think I’m attractive?” Spencer questions, awe evident in his tone of voice, which completely derails my thoughts.

It feels incredibly warm, uncomfortably so.

Glancing away, I never noticed how interesting a couch’s texture could be, I argue, “I mean, of course, anyone with eyes could tell.”

Spencer chuckled nervously, looking at me as if he was looking at me for the first time. He hesitantly moves even closer to me, waiting for any notice of me being uncomfortable. Whatever I did must have answered his question, as the next thing I know my hands are intertwined within his again.

“Then should I bring up how you confuse me just as much?” he inquires, smiling softly.

Gazing at him quizzically, I reply, “I confuse you?”

Spencer’s lips lift a little. “Well, for one, you could be spending time with any man in the world right now. Those even better than me, take Morgan for example,” he trails off, his irises looking away from me.

Well. That won’t do.

“Morgan is an amazing person, do not get me wrong, but why would I rather hang out with him when you’re right in front of me? He doesn’t give me random facts or statistics, he doesn’t give long rants of things that I would have never noticed without you pointing it out,” I waver, “He isn’t you. You’re amazing in your own right, and I would never even think of ever replacing that,” I finish, letting my eyes map out his reaction.

Spencer’s face is pink, his pupils dilated. His mouth opens and closes, before finally being able to form words.

“You-” his voice cracks, which makes him instantly pause for a moment. He squeezes his eyes shut, most likely from embarrassment. I wish I could tell him that it’s adorable, but I don’t want to interrupt and make him lose the confidence to finish his sentence.

“You really think that?” he stresses.

I smile warmly at him, squeezing his hands before responding, “Of course I do, Spencer. I cherish you.”

Relaxing, he airily answers, “Me too. I cherish you, that is.”

We look fixedly at each other for a moment, our brains processing the discussion.

Opening my mouth to continue the conversation, a sharp ringing popped the peaceful bubble that had surrounded us.

It was coming from Spencer’s phone.

There’s a vexed look in his eyes before he’s pulling away and grabbing his phone from his pocket, “Hello?”

I tone him out after that, trying to fully wrap my head around what just happened. What would have happened if we weren’t interrupted? Would the bubble that had surround us gotten even smaller?

“Hey, Y/N? That was Hotch. There’s been a new report with the case, he’s said that it’s important we all gather together,” Spencer announces gently, cutting me away from bubble filled what ifs.

“Right, of course. We should get ready to head out, yeah?” I suggest, feeling caught even though there’s nothing to even be caught with.

Ignoring the warm feeling in my stomach, I haul myself up from the couch.

[plumipal]

AAAAAOMG UR TWST OC IS SO ADORABLE?? i'm absolutely in love with eden sm (+ his design?? the star eyes and the wings are my favorite,, i wanna smooch all his tattoos!) and i hope it's okay to ask a few questions about him... (I KNOW U SAID IT WAS OKAY BUT I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE 😭 i'm genuinely interested in knowing more!)

1) does he have anyone in the twst cast that he tolerates/likes? i know he's part of the whole harem thing but is there anyone he doesn't necessarily mind being around (or even sharing with the prefect?)

2) do grim and eden have a good relationship? i would assume so since they're living both with one another but do they just get along with each other for the prefect's sake or are they actually best buds? (๑ > ᴗ < ๑)

(little dumb idea but i think it would be so cute if the prefect treated the two as if they were all like a little family! eden and prefect being the two parents and grim their rambunctious kid lmao,, i would imagine the others not being so happy about it (っ‘ω`c))

3) is he okay with physical affection/pda? is he totally chill about it or would he rather shy about the whole thing? is he open to having the prefect touch his wings or his tattoos?

4) oooo any funfacts that you have about the new ramshackle resident?? just in general really if that's okay with u ofc!! ☆

aa okay that's it!! i hope my questions weren't annoying or anything! (っ‘ω`c)

Had to get one of those wheels ive seen going around where you put the oc and how they feel about the character and how the characters feel back about them, but with a twist lol (most of them are haters).

The ones he are most tolerant with are grim, ace, deuce, jack and kalim. Only one he could possible share with would either be kalim, jack or deuce, because of how he sorta is annoyed by ace.

Of course cant forget how he feels about you :) he thinks you are very very very special and he loves you a lot <3

He likes grim a lot, seeing as grim isn't one of the students that is oh so annoying. He warms up to the monster, seeing how gently you take care of grim, wanting to do the same. It feels, domestic, in his opinion.

Grim likes Eden a lot too, he has never belittled him, he has always made sure to feed grim along with Eden being very warm (and therefore very nice to sleep on). In grims opinion, he thinks you should go with Eden, cuz he is a good candidate for marriage (grim has been bribed with love, affection, and tuna).

He takes good care of the cat son, making sure he is healthy and happy.

Now onto pda. Eden are only okay with you touching the wings, the tattoo and the core, being as they are quite sensitive. The scar is still off limits, but maybe if you make him warm up to you even more you might be able to-

He loves when you help him with his wings, it's one of the best feelings out there. Fo mind that only you (and grim) can touch the wings, anyone else is off limits, ESPECIALLY ROOK HE IS FORBIDDEN TO TOUCH THEM.

Eden facts!! He has lil "ear-holes" like birds, just behind the feathers. Be careful around that part when you help him with his feathers, otherwise you might have a pouty and angry Eden on tour hands.

His eyes also glow in the dark! It's the scariest during the nightly snack runs down to the kitchen, seeing him suddenly stare at you, but you slowly get used to it!

You don't know where the extra eyes sometimes come from tho...

Also some general facts about Eden!

Dorm: Ramshackle

Birthday: 1/1

Age: ???

Height: 185cm

Fav subject: alchemy

Hobby: cleaning in ramshackle, birdwatching

Likes: you

Dislikes: Loud noises, blond 3rd year hunters named rook hunt, people trying to grab onto his wings that aren't you

Fav food: he don't need to eat to gain sustenance, bur he likes mashed potatoes with gravy

Least fav food: soup, any soup, he hates it

Btw if anyone were to write for Eden I would explode it would mean the world to me

[hvlcy0n]

being in a relationship with chika takiishi would be interesting, because in my brain, he doesn't see it as an equal-footing relationship but more as an opportunity to possess you. all that matters in his mind is that you're his. he never really considered being yours, but truthfully, he is, since you're one of the only two people in existence that intrigues him and he would give the time of day to. now, that's not to say he treats you horribly. in fact, he treats you better than anyone else--although, that's not particularly difficult to do, considering how he treats everyone else like a chewed wad of bubblegum stuck to the sole of his shoe.

you're the only person who can get away with touching him without being pummeled into the ground or receiving a cruel backhand to the cheek. he doesn't flinch when you reach to hold his hand or glide your fingers through his fiery ombre. endo almost pities you when he first sees you wrap your arms around chika's waist or throw your arms over his shoulders, fully expecting for you to be shoved to the ground or have your arm twisted behind your back until your shoulder pops out of its socket. but, he's rightfully stunned when chika remains still and lets you cuddle up to him, the only acknowledgement of your presence being a mere glance at you or a hand briefly placed on whatever part of your body he can reach first.

he knows how much chika loathes being restrained, so how you're not only still upright but now pressing your cheek against the wiry muscle of his shoulder, endo doesn't know. but i'll tell you one thing. baby, when chika says let go, you LET GO😭 he may not strike you, but if you don't listen the first time, he'll resort to physically prying you off him or shaking you off so that he can do whatever it is that he wanted to do.

to touch on the possession thing i first mentioned, he'll do whatever he pleases with you. it isn't often that the desire for sexual gratification or even just physical affection strikes, but whenever it does, he doesn't think twice about indulging. if he wants you cage you against a filthy alley wall and kiss you stupid, he will. if he wants you to sit in his lap instead of standing behind him or sitting next to him, he'll beckon you over with a jerk of his chin. if you're moving too slowly for his taste and he doesn't feel like listening to you whine when he abandons you, so he has the idea to yank you up and toss you over his shoulder, he will. he'll be silent unless you ask questions, and even then, he might stay quiet, depending on whether or not he feels they're worth answering. don't think of trying to get down, either.

if he wants to do or say something, he'll do it. because who's gonna stop him? who's gonna whoop his ass? who's gonna be bold enough to see chika with his hand on you and think that trying to approach or kidnap you would bode well for them? exactly.

he's still not super talkative, but you're more likely to get a response or be approached of his own volition than the wide majority of people, so that counts for something, i suppose. he just kind of exists in your vicinity--or rather, you in his. if you were to tell endo that a day would arrive where someone is genuinely comfortable and unguarded when in chika's presence, he would've thought you were full of shit. but, here you are.

he doesn't get jealous, per se, but he does get possessive. you are his, and the wide majority of people are aware. however, that doesn't mean that you don't have the occasional guy who've either never heard of chika or don't know that you two are together.

chika has never been one to meddle in other people's affairs, often passing by conflicts or shady behavior without even batting an eye. and at first, when he hears the usual spiel of some guy trying to chat up some girl around the corner, he ignores it, uncaring. but, just as he's about to tune out the background noise, the man says something that piques his interest.

"that's a pretty necklace ya got there. what's it say? chika? lemme see."

"don't fucking touch me! that's my boyfriend's name!"

chika's footsteps pause, his attention drifting in the direction of the sound. it's you. that's all he needs to know before he's rerouting himself and making his way toward the source. his blank expression doesn't waver even as he rounds the corner and comes face to face with a broad, muscular back clad in a faux leather jacket. whatever guy is speaking to you hasn't noticed him, preoccupied with towering over you and trying to weasel his way into pawing at the sparkling pendant resting on your chest. you're shuffling backward, forehead creased apprehensively and hands drawn up to your chest protectively.

"hey."

it's only one word, yet it shatters the atmosphere like a whip crack, splitting apart your harasser's control at the seams. chika can see the goosebumps that prickle over the back of his neck as he whirls around to face him.

"the fuck do you want?" the stranger, still attempting to save face and scrape together his dignity despite having been rattled by chika's aura, brazenly steps up to him. "can't you see we're talkin' here?"

but, chika isn't even looking at him, his attention focused just past his shoulder at where you're standing. at the sight of your boyfriend, your eyes gleam with relief, and your muscles visibly relax. "chika!" you beam.

"ah, so you're chika." your harasser muses. "stupid move, lettin' your bitch wander off on--"

chika breezes forward without bothering to let him finish. in the process, his shoulder collides with the man's, knocking him off balance and leaving him teetering haphazardly on one foot before he quickly steadies himself.

"hey!"

his objection falls on deaf ears as chika clutches your wrist and tugs you toward him, his grip so tight that it's nearly bruising. you stumble, narrowly avoiding bumping into him.

"i'm fine--" your reassurance is cut off when chika abruptly seizes your face, fingers dimpling the skin of your cheeks and consequently puckering your lips as he angles your face this way and that. his eyes roam your face, dark with that same unreadable shadow you've grown accustomed to seeing. you whine in protest, hands lifting to rest on his forearm, but you don't push him off.

the strange man reaches for chika, eyes alight with flame. "what the hell do you--"

you don't even have time to process chika's arm being ripped away from you before there's a sickening, dull crack and a spatter of blood sailing through the air. all you can do is stand there in shock while your harasser slumps to the concrete in a pitiful heap, eyes fluttering as his consciousness slips and scarlet pouring from his smashed nose. chika casually lowers his hand back to his side as if nothing were amiss. he spares his handiwork a single glance before calmly stepping over it and heading back in the direction he came.

"let's go."

you don't hesitate to follow.

[lovemaybankk]

secret boyfriend: jj maybank x pastorsdaughter!reader (18+)

pairing: jj maybank x pastorsdaughter!reader

summary: jj maybank had been quietly drawn to you for weeks, his admiration growing with each passing conversation. what started as simple chats after church turned into something more meaningful, as he found himself captivated by your warmth and innocence.

word count: 1,837 words

author's note: thanks for reading guys :) i thought this was a super cute idea and i also wanted to write at least one one-shot during this super busy week of mine where i can't work on any series!

warning: mdni, all fluff, established relationship, cursing, making out, groping, touching, suggestive comments

every sunday after the morning service, your family followed the same tradition: an afternoon at the country club for lunch and a leisurely round of golf. but lately, it hasn't been the savory belgian waffles or your father’s golf swing you paid attention to.

it was jj maybank.

he worked at the club, weaving between tables with a natural ease that didn’t quite match the prim-and-proper atmosphere.

his sun-kissed blonde hair made you stare, and those striking blue eyes had a way of locking onto yours, making your breath hitch every time. he was so charming to you, always giving small compliments while still being respectful. his laugh was a carefree, warm sound that cut through the stuffy ambiance of the country club. his sleeves were always rolled up, revealing his strong arms that revealed his hours of hard work.

he intrigued you even more when your father convinced him to start coming to sunday services. knowing your dad, it probably involved a mix of persistence and his usual heartfelt assurances about redemption and second chances.

week after week, you’d catch jj in the back, sitting with his legs stretched out and his arms casually draped over the church pew. his blonde hair was always a little messy, as if he’d just rolled out of bed, and his blue eyes would flicker between the pastor and the stained-glass windows, half-listening, half-lost in thought.

he never dressed like the rest of the congregation—baggyish jeans, scuffed sneakers, and a plain t-shirt or flannel that clung to his lean, strong frame. he radiated that same effortless confidence you noticed, like he did not care if he belonged to the rest of the island.

and it was during those quiet moments after the service, when the congregation buzzed with small talk and your parents were busy greeting members, that he’d find you. his usual charm softened into something more genuine as he spoke to you, asking about the sermon or making quiet jokes about how out of place he felt.

those conversations became your favorite part of sunday mornings. because no matter how loud the room was, when jj talked to you, it felt like you were the only two people there.

jj would follow you and your family after the sermon to the country club to start his shift, and it became your routine to pick up your conversations where you’d left off. as he cleared the dishes or refilled glasses, he’d find ways to talk to you without drawing attention, his voice low and warm, meant only for you.

one afternoon, as he placed a plate of food down in front of you, you looked up at him with a curious smile. "so, what do you actually like to do when you're not working here?"

jj raised an eyebrow, clearly caught off guard by the question. "uh, well, i like to surf when I get the chance," he said, a bit of pride in his voice. "there's something about being out on the water, y'know?"

you nodded, intrigued. "that sounds amazing. i can’t imagine being that close to the water like that. do you ever get tired of it?"

he shook his head, his grin widening. "nah, it's my escape. and that makes sense, i mean, you seem like the type who’d rather stay inside with a movie or something."

you laughed, caught off guard by his accuracy. "yes, but that still sounds pretty great. do you do anything else when you're not surfing?"

"not much else, honestly," he said with a shrug. and although there was much more to his life, he wanted to keep it safe from the pastor's daughter and keep his responses calm. "i keep things simple."

"simple’s good," you replied, smiling softly.

he shot you a playful look. "maybe one day you’ll come out with me."

as the weeks passed, those fleeting conversations grew longer and deeper. jj would linger at your table longer than he should, finding excuses to bring extra bread or check on your drink. the walls between you began to crumble, piece by piece, as he opened up about his life and himself like his adventures with the pogues.

jj always noticed the innocence you emitted. that’s what caught him. it wasn’t just the way you smiled, soft and genuine, or how your eyes lit up when you talked about the things that mattered to you, it was something deeper.

there was a purity in you, an untouched quality that made him want to protect you from the world he knew too well. he’d never met anyone who looked at life the way you did, who could still believe in the good in people despite everything around them. he was drawn to it, to you, as if you were the last piece of light in a world that had grown too dark for him to believe in.

your kindness, your gentle nature, the way you saw the best in people, even in someone like him, it all pulled at him in ways he couldn’t explain. it made him feel like he was worth more than the life he’d led, more than the boy who’d always been on the edge of things, never quite fitting in. that innocence you emitted became his anchor, his reason to keep coming back, week after week. it was the thing that kept him hanging around after church, the thing that made him linger just a little too long at your table at the country club, always trying to get closer to you, hoping you’d let him into your world, even if it meant hiding the truth from everyone else.

the world you came from and the one jj lived in were not supposed to overlap. your father’s stern voice echoed in your mind every time jj’s hand brushed yours or his smile lingered just a little too long.

you hid your growing connection in stolen moments. behind the shelter of the church pews, in quiet corners of the country club, or during whispered phone calls late at night.

your relationship grew slowly, built on moments like that. jj loved the innocence you carried, the way you seemed to trust so easily and see the good in everything. and he never wanted to be the one to ruin that for you, no matter how much he wanted to be closer.

one evening, you felt your phone buzz and saw a text from jj.

jj: hey, how was ur day?

you smiled as you typed back.

y/n: it was good! pretty normal. church, the usual sunday stuff. how about u?

a few moments later, the phone buzzed again.

jj: same here. worked all day, but it wasn’t too bad. kinda nice, actually. got to clear my head

you leaned back, thinking about how calm he sounded in his text.

y/n: sounds like a good way to spend the day

jj: yeah, it’s peaceful. but honestly, i was just looking forward to talking to u. makes the day feel a little better

your heart skipped a beat at his words, and you quickly typed back.

y/n: i’m glad u feel that way!! it’s always nice to hear from u

jj: same here. ur the best part of my day, u know that?

you smiled, your cheeks heating up.

y/n: you’re too sweet, jj. but it’s good to know we both feel the same

jj: goodnight angel

y/n: goodnight jj, talk soon?

jj: ofc, always

you smiled, setting your phone down, feeling a warmth spread through you. even after a simple conversation, everything seemed just a little bit brighter.

but you both knew the risks. when he’d brush past you in the hallway at church or linger a little too long at your table at the club, you’d glance around, paranoid that someone might notice. you hid it all—your stolen smiles, your quiet talks, the feelings that had grown into something undeniable.

"you’re worth all of it," jj told you one evening after a particularly close call with your dad. he leaned in, his voice barely above a whisper. "the hiding, the waiting, all of it. you’re worth every second."

and no matter how much you tried to push it away, you knew you felt the same.

there you were, behind the church building, bells ringing. you and jj were in his truck, and you were sitting on top of him, amidst making out with him with his hands all over you.

you backed out, a small string of saliva falling from the connection of both your mouths and both your breaths ragged. you still felt jj's firm grip on your plump hips as well as his grope on your breasts and he was staring deeply into your eyes, hungry for your touch.

jj started to chuckle, and with a wide smirk on his face, said, "what's wrong angel? are you afraid we'll be caught?"

you exclaimed to hm, "yes, jayj! let's go inside before my parents wonder why i've been gone for so long!"

his grin only grew wider, but there was a flicker of something else in his eyes, amusement mixed with a hint of mischief.

"you’re really that worried, huh?" he teased, stepping closer as if testing the line between playful and too dangerous. he started to gently rub your clothed clit, making a wave of pleasure run through your body and a gentle whimper come out of your mouth. "worried that your parents will see that their sweet and beautiful daughter isn't as innocent as they thought?"

you shot him a nervous glance, your heart racing, knowing you both couldn’t afford to take the risk but at the same time, you felt heat rising through your body and wetness soaking through your panties. "stop it, we can’t," you whispered urgently, your voice shaking ever so slightly as you gently cup his face.

he chuckled softly, clearly enjoying the tension, "i want you all to myself..." he took a glance up and down your body, from admiring the way your hair wrapped around your face to the curve of your breasts out of your white dress to the plush thighs that were wrapped around him to the fresh pedicure on your toes through your short heels.

but his expression softened when he saw the seriousness in your eyes. "alright, alright," he said with a sigh and releasing his hands from your hips. "we’ll go inside. but i don’t plan on making this the last time."

"what are you going on about now?" you teased, a playful smile tugging at your lips.

"you know how tonight we plan to sneak me into your room? well, i'm just thinking about how we will continue this and how i'll be doing more than only this, angel."

you gave him a nervous smile, your heart skipping a beat as you turned to head back toward the building. you knew this was only the beginning, but how long you could keep the secret between the two of you was anyone’s guess.

taglist! - @purplerose291, @o0itsjustme0o, @gillybear17, @l1ttlesstar, @10ava01, @frankoceanluvr11, @mattyskies, @my-name-is-baby, @ironmakerperfection, @cherry-coloureddfunk, @hoelesslyt, @crazylady20, @itsyourmanjuno, @wtfdudesblog

[nickssidewitch]

🌪️ ❓ What Is Going On W/ The Sturniolo Triplets? - A Tarot Reading & Honest Conversation 🤔

In this post, I will be answering common questions and tackling misconceptions and assumptions of who they were/are, where their careers are going, and why they seem to be losing some part of their audience. 🥰

While this is mainly based on me channeling their energies (as long with the energies of their general fans / ex-supporters), this is also based on things I have heard them speak on before. If you don't believe in spirituality in this way, that's okay! It ain't for everyone!

I will also include advice for the fans and for the boys within this post, so you can take these into consideration!

This is such an important conversation to have. I feel like as a community, we do not talk transparently in fear of adverse reactions and judgment. We need to be open, honest, and transparent. And yes, this involves the Triplets themselves as well because they are the leaders of this community, and whatever happens within our community should also be tackled by them as well.

I REALLY want the boys and other fans on other platforms to see this. Hopefully y’all post this on other places because I feel that it is veryyyy important for growth, honesty, and transparency. ✨💖💞

“They are losing interest in their YouTube career / fame, or they do not love their jobs anymore.”

This is not true. They love their jobs. They've been dreaming of doing something similar to the YouTubers and streamers they grew up watching. They love to entertain and see smiles on people's faces when they do so. They have a natural need to connect with people through art and encapsulating almost every bit of their lives through a lens.

The reason people may feel that they've lost interest is more related to the fact that they don't post intimate aspects of their lives anymore. In the beginning of their careers, even when it was mainly Chris posting, they would post and include everything and anything in their content. They'd go anywhere and vlog anything. They'd post silly things and post unserious things. They'd even post about their relationships and interests (platonic and romantic). They look back at this period and realize that yes, it helped them gain a significant following, but it also harmed the expectations that fans have of the content they expect now. Fans who were around in pre-2023 may hold the old content near and dear in their hearts because it was every part of their lives shared 2-3 times a week, with other social media apps included. All of their friends were involved and included, even those that are the closest to them. The triplets realize that if they were to do this now with the surplus amount of fans they have currently, it would do their careers more harm than good. I will explain more of what I mean by "harm" further in this post.

They also post not just for the entertainment aspect of it, but also for the nostalgia and comfort it brings them. They grew up in a household where photographs and videos hold every single memory for them. Almost all of their lives have been captured on media, and they would like to keep that going for when they get older, and for their future children. They embrace their youth heavily. They value their inner children deeply. Their inner children feel satisfied and loved when they look back at old content and relive those times. Whether it's a silly moment or a moment where they're fighting, those moments are memories that they can look back on, relive, and reminisce. So posting on YouTube brings their inner children immense satisfaction and comfort.

"They don't interact with fans anymore. This means they do not love their fans."

Part of this is wrong. They do not interact with fans as much as they used to because, for one, there is a higher quantity of fans. It is genuinely hard and stressful to keep up with so many ideas and opinions. They are only human, and they can't handle interacting with so many people.

Secondly, they experience threats, harassment, and stalking a lot more. The new influx of fans has unfortunately made them feel a little bit more unsafe. They have had experiences that they do not share with their fans because they don't want to add onto those experiences. They've shared one that has happened on their Versus Tour where someone threatened to physically harm them (mentioned in the podcast episode but I forgot which one). I can feel that even recently, they've had to deal with someone stalking them online and in person. SO while they will want to establish a better connection with fans, it is harder to do that now because they can't trust everyone and have to protect themselves and their loved ones.

They really want to establish a community. This is a big goal of their careers. But they just don't know how to fully do that, especially with the first two things I mentioned. They want the fans to create a safe space for each other, but they see the fights that occur online and pull back a bit. And again, I said a community, not a fandom. There's a difference. A fandom will all like the same things, but they are more susceptible to full-on fights due to their obsessive or possessive nature. A community supports each other, even when they disagree on certain things, and they also make each other feel accepted and safe. The triplets would love a community, but it's difficult with some of the "fans" or "supporters" they have (quotation marks for a reason lol).

They do have a problem with not listening to the fans, and even if they do listen to them, they aren't transparent with it and sometimes don't even show it. They sometimes turn a blind eye to some ideas. Sometimes, it's because they are focused on one idea that they begin to have tunnel vision and block out everything else. But sometimes it's because they judge it before they try it. This isn't just in YouTube videos, but also Twitch streams. The triplets need to take some suggestions into consideration a lot more. Even if it means doing a trial run of a suggested game on stream and then coming to the conclusion of "This isn't for us, but hey, at least we tried", that will be good enough for the fans. Watching only one form of content from YouTubers who have promised switching things up at times can be exhausting (Yes, I am referring to watching just Fortnite streams).

"Their management is terrible."

Yes, I would agree, but managements always change. And to be honest, they've been looking for a change for a while. They love their manager deeply. They've known her for a good amount of time in their transition between amateur YouTubers to social media stars with fame and recognition, so that love will always be there. But, they also do recognize that in order to grow, they need to change things up and rearrange things. Whatever this translates to, whether its getting a new team altogether or changing who does what within their teams. they are doing their best to do better, even outside of their team.

But fans should also not just blame things on their management. The boys also manage themselves. They have to recognize and be transparent with their audience about whether they are lazy or not, whether they are losing interest in certain things or not, whether they like certain things or not, what they want their schedules to be like, if any schedule at all, or if they are themselves unclear about what they are doing or what they want to do. They do this sometimes, but not all of the time. Transparency is key for a YouTuber's relationship with their fans. Even some gaming YouTubers (who aren't even recording their real lives) are more successful in their careers than others because of their transparency with their supporters (Markiplier, CoryxKenshin, etc.).

“Matt and Nick are rude and judgmental. Chris is the only "good" brother.”

From what I can read on their energies, this is not true. Matt and Nick are as lovely as Chris is in terms of their intentions and hearts. They are warm and accepting people who do care a lot for others. But sometimes they fall into scenes where they will snap and project if they have been particularly triggered by something. Matt and Nick don't trust many. Chris trusts too much too fast.

What I'm saying is not an excuse for poor behavior though. I, and other fans, will not sugarcoat shit just for the sake of saving them. But this is a time where they have to recognize when they say things that are a little too far, not only about the fans. Even if they're telling a silly story about people they'll never meet again, it's not necessarily just about those people. It's about the rhetoric. That way of speaking can just translate to others unintentionally. It's a psychological thing where if you say/phrase something for a long time, it starts to slip in your everyday vernacular and will unintentionally be said to people you didn't mean for it to be said to, and they will take it personally.

And to add onto that, parasocial relationships can make this effect worse. These fans do not know them off camera. So when they say certain things in a certain way, of course the fans are going to take it as rude even if it is not intentional. There is a natural disconnect between them and the fans that can only be mended by fixing the way they speak to the fans, or clarifying with every sarcastic or fake-rude thing that "Hey, I'm joking" or "Don't take this seriously because ..." They do that only sometimes, not every time, and that's why fans get antsy sometimes when they speak. There are also fans who cannot pick up on tone easily (neurodiverse people exist!), so when talking directly to fans they will have to clarify themselves more or just be more direct in their speech.

They all have their shit to work on and get through. This period between 2025 and 2027/28 will be a huge shift in how their personalities and behaviors develop. To the fans, you can stay for the ride and see that journey. But if you don't want to just for the sake of preserving your energy as a fan, that is valid!

“The triplets aren't the same anymore. They have changed.”

Yes, they have. But people also change. That's how humans work. The fans and the triplets lives are on a parallel trajectory where they are constantly evolving. Think of it as two parallel lines. They are both going the same direction. But then something happens and the lines may change angle and intersect. That intersection may be an interaction with them, seeing them on tour, meeting them in person, finding a community of fans that you interact with, creating edits, and so on. But then another change happens down the line where the lines do not intersect anymore. They become parallel again, and may even diverge from each other. But they are still growing. I use this analogy to paint the picture that sometimes people disconnect when change occurs because their values, humor, outlooks on life may not align anymore. And that is totally okay. If a fan feels disconnected to them due to change, that is valid. Their lives are going in completely separate paths that the triplets' and their content aren't compatible with.

People are afraid of change. It's uncomfortable for many, especially the younger or less mature/experienced they are with changes. The triplets have grown up so much, but are in that transition stage between teenager to adult (they are 21 turning 22 this year; still young but definitely getting older and their frontal lobes are still developing and shifting with new traits and ideals). Change is expected.

Don't bash them for natural change. You can totally call them out on bullshit. But if it's Nick standing up for himself and his brothers or being more vocal about his opinions in a way that isn't rude, or if it's Matt being more loud and energetic, these things just happen. If it doesn't align with the personalities or behaviors you like or feel comfortable with, it is okay to not follow them anymore!

"The tours are cash-grabs."

No, they genuinely do want to connect with their audience live. They want to see people's faces in the crowd. Their smiles, their laughs, their snorting even, are all infectious and a great morale booster. They definitely find enjoyment in other people's enjoyment.

Of course, money is going to be earned from this. But that's just a part of the process. To be honest, they'd even do this without the money, but obviously a venue ain't gonna give them their stage for free. They're not trying to rob anyone or make people's pockets hurt. They want people to have a good time.

But they do accept criticism. If something isn't working, they'll take that as a learning experience and won't do it for the next tour. This is a community, and this will work if the community is transparent and honest with each other.

"The triplets are one-trick ponies. They promise better content and preach 'quality over quantity', but aren't showing that. They don't live up to their promises."

This adds onto my previous point of them not listening to fans because they simply just give off the energy that they are one-trick ponies based on their behaviors. I don't personally think they are one-trick ponies, but I can see how people translate them to be this way.

They don't switch up editing styles. Their editing is boring. It is unique, but it's boring unique. That ain't even subjective. This is objectively why their content doesn't seem better in quality. Where's the little cuts and funny sounds in almost every video? That keeps people engaged. We're in an era where if people are consuming long-form content, it has to be engaging almost every minute. It isn't like mid-2010s YouTube vlogging where people didn't really have to do that. We're in a TikTok era where YouTubers have to keep up with that sort of engagement and humor. The triplets don't serve that at all.

I'm not bashing Nick's editing style. Just saying that they can level up the quality of that, especially since they're talking about improving quality all the time. I'm speaking from a technical and business side of this YouTube career. They can hire an editor who they can communicate with if the editing is becoming an issue (idk if it is; I'm just spitballing).

Quality over quantity isn't being shown. Their content as of lately (not referring to the videos where they are obviously posting just to post because they are preparing for tour) is pretty mundane. They just talk and use certain props and topics as vehicles (not actual cars lmao) for conversation. That isn't entertaining all of the time and gets long-winded. Do some challenges outside! Do that little gameshow thing like how they did it in that one Christmas video where Nick was some gameshow host named Barry. Do a little gaming video every now and then (they don't have to do series). Pranks? Trying new things that aren't just food and cooking and toys? More exploring and travelling? Individual channel content? Doing things outside of your comfort zones? Even videos that are heavy-hitters where you talk about some real and deep shit. Idk. Just think of something.

"The Sturniolo Triplets are in their downfall."

There's some saying that says "in order to gain something, you have to lose something". This applies to the triplets 100%. They are losing a good amount of their audience and viewership, which you can obviously see in their statistics.

However, would I call this their "downfall"? Not quite. This is a wake-up call if anything. Losing these fans and followers allows them to get a reality check of what is working and what isn't working in the most obvious way. I'm not telling people to mass unfollow so they can get better. That's not how this works. I'm saying that when there is an obvious decline of numbers, it is surely an eye-opener.

These are the ones I can think of for now. If you have any other things you would like me to tackle in a post like this, whether it be the Sturniolos as a group or individually, leave those assumptions or questions in the replies of this post. 💕💕

I REALLY want the boys and other fans on other platforms to see this.

Again, this obviously isn't hate, nor is it me coming up with excuses for them. Just a little something-something. 🤷🏾‍♀️🫶🏾