#meaning that there’s so much stuff to figure out

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Idia Shroud - Room Relaxation Vignette

"Happy Birthday"

[Mister S's Mystery Shop]

Idia: …Hrrm, I can't find the 15th Anniversary special Star Rogue diorama.

Idia: I told Sam-shi I'd look for it myself, so I wouldn't have to deal with him talking to me, but… There's way too much stuff here to look through!

Idia: And I came all this way 'cause I wasn't fast enough to get it online.

Idia: I can't go back empty-handed after telling Ortho that there's no way I wouldn't get my hands on one as a number one fanboy!

Idia: Oho? This shelf over here has a ton of specialty figures and other hobby stuff… EEHHHH!?

[products fall of shelf]

Idia: OUCH! OW OW OW!!

Jack: Woah!? That was close! Some of the falling goods almost scraped by my nose…

Idia: I-I-I didn't do anything! They just fell off on their own since they were thrown haphazardly onto the shelf!!

[Idia runs away]

Jack: Huh? No one said it was your fault or nothin'…

Jack: …What the, he's already gone! Idia-senpai… He looks slow and frail, but is he secretly actually pretty nimble?

Jack: Oh, man, and he just left everything on the ground. Ugh, I guess I'll have to…

Jack: …Hm? Isn't this box the one Ortho mentioned today…?

[Ignihyde Dorm – Idia's Room]

Idia: …Haah. And in the end, I just ran away… Without a Star Rogue diorama…

Idia: It's all because they sold it first-come-first-serve, instead of pre-order... Not my fault what happened earlier…

Idia: If I went back now, that terrifying beast of a man from Savanaclaw might still be there. I'll try again tomorrow…

Idia: K. Now that I've decide that, time to get all the annoying dorm work stuff done!

Idia: Uhhh, so, the notices I have to give the other dorm students are… Oh, right, the equipment replacement schedule, and the AC inspection time.

Idia: Just in case, I'll add "Important", "Good News", "Response Required", and "Read Immediately" to the subject… K, sent.

Idia: It sure is hard work bein' a Housewarden. Thought it's not that bad since I implemented a chat app once I became Housewarden.

Idia: Efficiency above all! No face-to-face meetings! Conserving my own energy is the best way to do things!

Idia: Finished all my Housewarden tasks, and even took a shower, as annoying as it is. I'm awesome. I'd give myself 100,000,000 points out of 100.

Idia: Nice, so… It's finally me time!

[Ignihyde Dorm – Idia's Room]

Idia: Ah, I got a message from Ortho… He's spending the night with the other first years, huh.

Idia: Then, I guess I can just game all night by myself! Fheeheehee!

 [beep, beep!]

Idia: Hm…? What's with this reminder…? Man, right when I was getting into things.

「Survey on Quality of Life Improvements for the Student Body」

Idia: Ugh.. Right, that was a thing. You don't really see paper surveys anymore. Let me think, it should be around… Yep, here it is.

Idia: Uhhh, so what, they want to know what I'd like improved? I mean, kinda late to ask a third-year, isn't it? I can't really think of anything.

Idia: Sides, there were stuff I used to not like about the dorm, but I already made upgrades to all that stuff.

Idia: We soundproofed the walls and floors, installed commercial-grade AC, and the dorm-wide servers are of my own technical specs.

Idia: To live the perfect shut-in life, we can't not have walls that can't take loud shouting, or ACs that can't keep overclocked PCs cool, so～

Idia: …Ah, wait a mo'. I just thought of one issue I got. "There's not enough electrical outlets"!!

Idia: This kinda stuff needed specialized qualifications to do, so it's not like I coulda bought the parts and DIY it.

Idia: I'm using a power strip for now 'cause I have to, but I hate how the wiring just looks like spaghetti. Even a master wiring tech like myself can't stand a sight like that!

Idia: Oh, I just thought of one more thing. "I want to have the low-capacity breaker replaced"!

Idia: It's so weak that the breaker flips just 'cause I try to have 4 computers, the server, a 3D printer, microwave, and electric kettle all plugged in at once!

Idia: I mean, I'd set up a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) system in case of emergencies, so my computers and server was fine, but...

Idia: Because of that, my plan to add an AC unit and a refrigerator in my room went out the window. That was a nightmare. Oh, and…

Idia: …Dyehehe. I said I couldn't really think of any, but it's hilarious how the ideas keep flowin' out.

Idia: I'll attach some of the numbers we have on the cost of estimated damages by having Ignihyde students continue to use those useless breakers.

Idia: The Headmage is pretty much influenced by profits, so. If I explain how it's necessary to get better equipment, then he might listen to improvement suggestions.

Idia: Nice, mission clear. Time to watch some new anime episodes while grinding levels in my gams.

Idia: See, nothing beats watching anime while mindlessly leveling… Ooh, I pulled a rare one!

Idia: I thought I'd be bored of this anime 3 episodes in, too, but it's actually starting to get interesting!

Idia: Well, now that the mood's getting good, I just gotta let loose! TIME FOR A SNACK PARTY!!

Idia: …Huh? I'm out of my favorite snack. Ugh, I completely forgot to re-order some more when I ate all of it last time.

Idia: If only the Mystery Shop had 24-hour delivery service… Maybe I should add that to the survey?

Idia: Nah, nevermind, I should just focus on the anime. NOTHING'S GONNA BRING ME DOWN!

Idia: Woah, the animation's clean…! They're all movin' so smoothly… Maybe the production team changed this week?

Idia: I'm getting pretty into the main theme song, too! Heehee, fheeheehee…!

[Ignihyde Dorm – Idia's Room]

Idia: Urrghnn… Aaarghh…

[～♪]

Idia: Gah! Urgh, what's that noise…? What time is it right now…?

Idia: Urk! Everything's so bright, I can't see anything… How's it morning already…? Wait, before that, where'd that noise come from…!?

Idia: Huh…? Ortho…? Weren't you spending the night with the other first years…? Oh wait, is this just a message…?

Idia: "HAPPY BIRTHDAY"…? Oh, right, today's my birthday! I completely forgot, since there wasn't anything to look forward to…

Idia: I'll just write back… Thanks, Ortho.

Idia: Urp…! But now I feel a bit sick…! And my whole body hurts…!

Idia: I fell asleep running my games, and I'm just stiff all over. Can't I just go move to my bed and go back to sleep?

Idia: Nah, if I end up crashing and forget to login and get all the birthday login voice lines, I'll never recover. Gotta wash my face or something…

Idia: Woah, I can see how crazy my bedhead is reflected in the monitor! I think this every time, but why does my hair end up this bad whenever I fall asleep at my desk?

Idia: Kinda looks punk, but that's totally a different vibe from my usual, lawl.

Idia: Meh, my hair can be whatever. Not like anyone looks at me, anyway.

Idia: It's a pain to go all the way to the washroom… I'll just use magic like I normally do. I'll chill the water, then.

[splash!]

Idia: WHEEEEW, THAT COLD WATER HITS JUST RIGHT!!

Idia: Normally, I'd just leave it here, but… My face feels so dry after pulling that all-nighter.

Idia: But I'm all good. I'm a functioning nerd, so I know how to fix it.

Idia: Ta-da～ I don't really get it, but here I go with the number one most popular all-in-one cream～

Idia: Putting on lotion and moisturizer one at a time is a waste of time. Just plap it on, and ta-da, done. Next is my clothes…

Idia: Nah, nevermind, I'm not gonna change. Now all I have to do is to jump into all my games and collect the birthday login voice lines. Fheeheehee.

Idia: Perf, I've gotten them all for now. …Huh? There's another message from Ortho…

Idia: …HUH!? HE GOT THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL STAR ROGUE DIORAMA!? SERIOUSLY!?

Idia: "I was planning on picking it up in the Mystery Shop after classes, but if you can't wait, you can go pick it up whenever"…?

Idia: Well, I gotta go right now, then! That means I have to finish getting ready.

Idia: I don't really wanna go outside, but… I can't keep my poor Star Rogue waiting! Hyah!

[Idia magics hair and clothes]

Idia: K, bedhead fixed. And now, onwards, to the Mystery Shop!!

[Main Street]

Idia: Fheeheehee…! Look at this craftsmanship…! It looks just like the scene I imagined as a kid!

Idia: Ortho… Did you look for this Star Rogue diorama because you knew I was sad I didn't get it?

Idia: Wheew～ The best thing in the world is a little brother who thinks the world of his older brother, and is really good at search functions～!

Jack: Hm? Is that… Idia-senpai? Good morning.

Idia: GYAAAAAA!? J-Jack-shi…? Why are we making contact two days in a row…?

Jack: I mean, it's not really anything, but… I heard from Ortho yesterday that today was your birthday, is all.

[Idia runs away]

Jack: Happy Birthday. So, uh, did you get what you were looking…

Jack: Huh, he's already gone! Ugh, I don't get him at all.

Requested by @farfalla049.

[low-budget-korra]

Arcane Hot Takes

1. The hate on Jayce is mostly for no reason. He was a good guy, genuinely nice and with no toxic masculinity. He never created Hextec to be a weapon or to destroy the world. And only got really mad when Jinx stole his creation and honestly? He had the right to be mad at that. He ain't perfect, he made mistakes but c'mon guys.

2. If you hate on s2 Caitlyn but idolize Silco, you're a hypocrite. The difference is that Caitlyn did all blinded by grief while Silco did blinded by the thirst for power

And speaking of Silco…No, he is not this revolutionary man some of the fandom make him out to be. He was a Mafia boss who filled the streets with drugs, divided and weakened his own community and even used child work in his factories. Yeah, he was not some Che Guevara freedom fighter. All he had was beautiful speeches abt it.

And also not this perfect father figure for Jinx, as he kept filling her paranoias and manipulating her

3. The writers made a miracle managing to end the show in a nice way, but the truth is that Arcane needed at least one more season to be perfect. 

In s2 they rely too much on characters' micro expressions and subtext. Which is not a bad thing at all, but in a first view a lot of things get missed

I already saw s2 three times, so if you think things were poorly explained, try to watch a second time. Better, binge s1 and s2 and I guarantee that a lot of stuff you think was outta nowhere, will make sense.

4. Caitlyn had the best character arc in season 2. Experiencing the phases of grief, getting radicalized and manipulated, opening her eyes and realizing what she was doing, a subtle yet important redemption.

And I Say "subtle" bc even if for me it was obvious, I know for a lot of people, it wasn't.

Also, the haters don't want her to recognize what she did wrong bc she already did, just not with those on the nose dialogues. The haters wanted her to be punished, which she also was. Girl was stabbed in the abdomen, betrayed by her right hand, was almost executed in front of her men, got beat up with a knife still in her abdomen and lost an eye. Yeah, I think she was punished enough and if you wanted more, just admit that you are a bit sadistic and move on

5. Arcane is fiction. Sure, it takes insp in real life problems but is still fiction. Its cool to be able to recognize the themes but project our world problems, anger and frustration towards the characters is stupid and makes you miss a lot of good stuff in the show. If you act radical abt the show, you don't have the right to judge someone that goes radical after losing her mom to a terrorist attack.

It doesn't matter if her mother was rich or something. In fact, Cassandra was one of the few council members, maybe the only one, who actually did something good for the Zaunites as she was the one that created those air filters for people in Zaun, the workers, be able to breathe without getting cancer or smt.

Yes, I know it's the bare minimum but she was the only one doing something. Heimerdinger in his 200y never did something like that and only tried to help Zaun when he was expelled from the council.

6. Vi didn know Jinx was wanting to off herself. Jinx already tricked her a couple times before and “breaking the circle” , from Vi’s pov could mean a lot of things. From offing herself to explode things again. She doesn't watch Arcane guys, she doesn't know Jinx as well as we do.

7. Having Zaunites helping Piltover in the battle wasn't lazy writing or disrespectful. It was literally about the fate of their world, y'all thing Ambessa and Viktor would stop with just Piltover? Who y'all think would be the next target? 

They also used the enforcers uniform because it is a tactical one, useful in a situation like a battle. I can hate on the police all I want but in a situation like that, I would rather go to battle with that stupid uniform and bullet proof vest than go on a simple tank top, jeans and converse.

And this shows how better the Zaunites are compared to Piltover and it's enforcers. They were willing to shallow their hate, their pride and help their oppressors for the greater good. That's a good heart, maturity and emotional intelligence.

[blueraith]

It's wild to me just how badly Vi's arc is misunderstood in S2. The claims I've seen that it was bad because she didn't join up with Ekko to help liberate Zaun or didn't "have enough stuff to do."

Big 'ole S1 Vi analysis under the cut because some "hot" takes seem to forget that Vi's S1 arc even exists.

Like, sorry, but that was never the direction her character was going to go. This was spelled out for us in the very first episode of the show when Vander is giving her that lecture.

"When people look up to you, you don't get to be selfish."

"Whatever happens, it's on you."

This is the first conversation in the show that carries an impactful character building statement. We are effectively being given the start of Vi's character arc verbatim.

She is not allowed to be selfish.

And as S1 Act 1 progresses, and Vi expresses a will to fight, to rebel, to revolt, she is constantly and consistently shut down and discouraged from that way of thinking by her father figure. She's fifteen years old or so, Vander is the only authority figure in her life that she respects. Why wouldn’t she internalize any of this as is, let alone after all the tragedy she's forced to endure at the end of this act?

Then we get to tragedy. Vander tells her two very specific things before and after the showdown with Silco.

"Take care of the family."

"Take care of Powder."

You know. Not, "hey, take over my mantle as Hound of the Underground."

Or "lead Zaun to freedom" or whatever the fuck.

He tells her to look after their family. The people closest to Vi.

And I don't know how many of you are older siblings. Or even older sisters. But I question if some of Vi's most heated critics are either neither of those things or lack any knowledge of sibling dynamics, period. When you are handed this tiny baby from a young age and are told "this is your baby sibling, you have to help take care of them, we won't always be here but they'll always have you" by your parents, that shit sticks with you forever. For better or worse.

If you're parentified on top of that through either circumstance or abuse, then that sentiment turns toxic. Vander, as well-meaning as he is in his talks with Vi, inadvertently presents a pretty black and white viewpoint. When paired with Vi's reaction to his (first) death and learning what Powder did, it becomes even worse.

Think about it. Most people seem to focus solely on Vi's anger issues when she strikes Powder for obvious reasons. But there's this selfishness that Vi temporarily succumbs to when she hits Powder as well. She's not thinking of Powder's emotional state or devastation as she realizes what she's done, Vi is mired in her own grief and anger.

She then walks away from Powder to take a moment to herself and presumably recollect her own composure, also a selfish move.

Now, when I call these actions selfish, I'm not assigning any negative connotations to them. Selfishness is not always a bad thing, putting yourself and your own needs first does not make someone a bad person by default. It can be healthy to take some time for self-care.

The "issue" is that Arcane is a tragedy. The narrative punishes Vi for lashing out and temporarily leaving Powder by having Marcus kidnap her and Silco adopt her sister. Not that Vi even knows that much when it happens. For all she knew, Silco murdered Powder.

So, then Vi spends something like seven years in Stillwater in constant limbo wondering if Powder is even alive. The sheer guilt she must have felt at "failing" to protect her baby sister would have likely been agonizing.

Seven.

Years.

Then she gets out. And all Vi cares about is finding her sister. She doesn't care about the Hexgem besides the fact that it's directly related to Jinx, and Caitlyn lied to her by ommission about it.

She's not trying to retake the Lanes in Vander's name. She only cares about bringing Silco's empire down because of what he did to her family. She wants her sister back first and foremost, she does not care to stick with the Firelights and even leaves Ekko and Cailtyn on the bridge initially to go after Jinx.

It's really her burgeoning feelings for Caitlyn that ever cracks this near obsessive compulsion to chase after her sister. Vi was going to choose Jinx until the point Caitlyn was injured and then the both of them were shot at by Jinx.

Even the moment she falls in love with Caitlyn is tied to her guilt about leaving Powder. The story she tells while they're on Caitlyn’s bed, her obvious grief and guilt over her sister. She's mired in this moment of pain until Caitlyn reaches out to comfort her. Like, Jinx and Caitlyn have always been intertwined in Vi's arc after she meets Caitlyn. There is no overarching thread to connect Vi to any of the political plot points in this story.

Vi's arc is character driven. Always has been. She's motivated by her warring desire to protect those she loves with EVERYTHING she has, and this by now guilty pleasure to finally develop something purely for herself.

It's why she pushes Caitlyn away during the infamous Oil and Water breakup. The class differences she's citing are an excuse, an easy thing she can point at to push Caitlyn away. What's really going on is that she failed to get the Council to decisively act against Silco. She's failed Jinx again in her own mind, he's still out there poisoning her mind, and now she needs to take care of him herself. Caitlyn proved to be a distraction from her goal, and so must be removed.

Even after teaming up with Jayce and then going her own way, Vi does not go after more shimmer factories. She's not rallying the Lanes to revolt with Hextech weaponry in (on) hand. She immediately goes to the Last Drop to challenge Sevika, someone she hates specifically because she'd betrayed Vander. She had every intention to confront Silco right after that.

Then we get the tea party, and Vi has to come to terms with the fact that the sister she loved is fundamentally changed in more ways than one. She's given an ultimatum to choose between her self-imposed duty as an older sister and Caitlyn. The only relationship Vi has ever formed purely for herself.

And she can't do it. It's an impossible choice. Jinx ends up triggered intensely, Caitlyn is struck by indecision and doesn't take the shot because of Vi's pleas, and Jinx goes on to fire that rocket.

Like this is just Season. One. Every single important character moment Vi has is tied to either Jinx, Caitlyn, or both. This is not a new thing S2 did with Vi's character. Her arc was always about how much she was giving to other characters without much thought to herself.

I just don't get how some people expected that to radically change in S2. It was never going to happen. I'll probably make an analysis on S2 Vi as well, but this is already getting very long. It's also a good way to remind some folks that each season of this show does not exist in a vacuum. I've read a lot of takes that seem to just... ignore S1. It's pretty bizarre.

[lace4forest]

The Chains Ages in Linked Universe.

I saw people talking about the Chains age in Linked Universe, and I have my thoughts on them.

I've done a LOT of research on the Links and how old they were, I even tried to figure out how long Legend was in Koholint for. (We go with old Canon because new Canon doesn't make since,(Footnote 1) but basically that's the last time we see Legend in normal Zelda Canon)

Anyways-

This is from Jojo's QnA doc on the Linked Universe Discord- ^^^

And this is my thoughts on their ages. Side note, I'm not going off of looking up their ages through google, I'm going off info you can find in game and cross referencing it with other games and the Hyrule Historia and Encyclopedia. Time was 9 in his game and that's about 20 years later so he would be 29. (Unless if we counting Majora's Mask, then he could be 30-32)

Twilight was a "Late Teen" (Also it does state hold old he is) so 17 making him 21 to 22.

Warriors is also "Late Teen" (He was a trainee at the beginning of the war) making him 22 to 26

Sky is also stated to be around 17 making him 18 to 19

Wild is 117 and this would make him either almost 118 or just turned 118.

Legend just became "Of age" in ALBW and that's 16 in his era making 17.

Hyrule we know is 16 making him 18.

Four is 15 or 16 in Four Sword, but he isn't "Of age" so probably 15. making him 17.

And we know Wind is 13 almost 14. (He said it himself)

I just find it very funny the Toons are the youngests. Age explanation and footnotes below cut.

Time - He is 9 at the beginning of his game and becomes an "Adult" 7 years later at 16. This is one of the times it proves that 16 is "Of age" in the Zelda series. We aren't sure how much time has passed between Oot and MM, so we can guess he's 29 to 32 (Making Link in MM 10 to 12 as a good guess.)

Twilight - It's stated in a guide that he is 17. His game also was originally supposed to be a continuation of Oot and MM in the Wind Waker style, with Time all grown up and living on his own. But they changed it to what it is now. So it's just 17+4 or 5 making him 21 to 22.

Warriors - There is no official age and you do NOT need to be 17 to wield the master sword. All we know is that he's "Late Teens" making him between 16 to 19. Making his age in LU between 22 to 26.

Sky - He is stated to be around 17. Making him 18 or 19 (Even if we say he's 16, then he would be 17 to 19.)

Wild - he is 117 years old. We know this. it's been "Less than a year" so he could be almost 118 or already be 118, he probably doesn't remember his Birthday, so there is no saying exactly. (His Zelda should know though. Maybe.)

Legend - SO. I feel like people are gonna fight me on this, but I got the math and hours of research to back it. At the beginning of ALTTP, some guards say that Link shouldn't be out here or that he's too young to wield a sword (Or even start learning to) In BOTW Wild got the Master Sword at 12-13. And people said he was still very young and a prodigy, which means he was already learning the sword by that time. and we also know that in BOTW they think of "Of Age" as 17 instead of 16, meaning they probably make them learn stuff when they are a little older. There's also the connection to Oot, In Wind Waker its stated that Wind is the same age as Time when he Defeated Ganon (Making Wind Canonically 16) And Twilight is the age of what Time should have been when he decided to settle down, making him 17, which leaves us with Legend's age. Most likely taking Times age from the beginning of his game. LONG STORY SHORT- In ALTTP Link is between 9 to 10. NOW. The Oracle games, Link is still a CHILD, so before "Of Age" (Aka less than 16) A LOT of people call him a CHILD and wonder why he has a sword! making him most likely around 11 or 12. Same things with Link's Awakening. (FOOTNOTE 1). Then we have ALBW. Link has a job now and is learning to become a smith. so most likely after his return home, as well as he needs to learn this stuff before becoming a full adult, but then again he lives alone, so we could accurately say 15 to 16. SO LONGER STORY SHORT. We can say 16 and be GENEROUS. Making Legend 17 in LU (but probably closer to 16).

Hyrule - It's literally a plot in his game he is 16, making him 18 in LU.

Four - He is a Child in Minish Cap (So less than 16) and same with Four Swords. He has to be older than 12 because he was given a sword willingly. So between 13 to 15, but we can be nice and say 15 in Four Swords, making him 17 in LU.

Wind -

I do want to say, it's literally stated in his game he is the same age as Time when he KILLED Ganon as an ADULT. It's just the art style of the game.... He JUST turned 16, so people are still calling him a child. (Like how people call 18 year olds children in rl) But also he does look 12 in game... ART STYLE WHYYYYYY (also thats what Twi was supposed to look like lmaoooo)

---

FOOTNOTE 1 - The Encylapedia has wrong information that's easy to disprove and I want to throw it out a window. It also switched the order of the Oracle games and Link's Awakening, even though Oracle of Ages LITERALLY ENDS With Link taking the boat out to sea to head home, and LITERALLY Transitions to Link's Awakenings Opening. ITS THE SAME BOAT. I'm Gonna Cry- NINTENDO WHYYYYY.

[h4nj1sunggg]

𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒 ( l. minho x h. jisung ) - 05.

words: 1.3k

"It's been a while."

Your best friend raise her head from the laptop, stopping her painted fingers from typing down her essay, English to be precise. Her eyebrows raise lightly in confusion, but ready to give you all the rights to be right. "yeah I mean, but from what?"

You shrug your shoulders putting down the cup of tea that you made for yourself during that cold day, snow landing on the buildings on the window. "I didn't heard from them, since that night. Do we pissed them off? maybe.."

"maybe they are busy, or maybe they found out that we are stays," the thought made you shiver. After a moment of quiet your phone starts to buzz and you and your friend almost rush to see the screen.

Her smirk grows wider, "we manifested it."

You had no idea how you ended up here—again.

You sat on the worn couch in Minho and Jisung’s living room, cradling a mug of tea they’d practically forced into your hands when you arrived. You weren’t even sure why you’d come over in the first place. Well, that wasn’t entirely true.

“Just for a little bit. Minho’ll be there too. Promise we’re not being weird.”

Which, of course, was Jisung’s way of being exactly that—weird. But for some inexplicable reason, you’d agreed to come over, dragging Y/Bsf/N along for moral support only for your friend to bail at the last second with some excuse about work. Typical.

So here you were, alone with two of the most confusing—and admittedly attractive—neighbors you’d ever had. And it didn’t help that you could feel both of their gazes lingering on you every so often, like they were waiting for the right moment to drop some kind of bombshell.

What is going on with these two?

“You’re staring,” you said suddenly, breaking the silence that had settled between them.

Jisung nearly choked on his drink, scrambling to sit upright and wipe at his mouth with his sleeve. “We’re not staring!”

Minho, sitting far too casually in the armchair across from you, shot Jisung a pointed look. “You’re staring.”

“Am not!”

“You are,” Minho deadpanned, turning his sharp gaze back to you. He cleared his throat, his usual confident demeanor softening just slightly around the edges. “Ignore him. There’s something we… wanted to talk to you about.”

You raised an eyebrow, cradling your mug closer to your chest as if it could protect you from whatever this conversation was about to be. “I figured that much out. You two are acting weird.”

“We’re not weird!” Jisung insisted, though his voice cracked slightly, betraying him. He glanced at Minho for help, only to receive a silent glare that screamed stop talking. “Okay, maybe we’re a little weird,” he muttered, slumping back against the couch cushions. “But it’s not bad weird. It’s, like… good weird?”

You blinked at him. “That’s not a thing.”

“Can you let me finish?”

“Enough,” Minho cut in smoothly, pinching the bridge of his nose like he was trying to find patience in a hopeless situation. He sat forward, his gaze settling on you with a seriousness that made your heart jump unexpectedly. “baby—Y/N—whatever you want us to call you… we’ve been thinking.”

“That sounds ominous,” you replied cautiously, though you couldn’t stop the teasing smile that tugged at you lips.

Minho sighed, though his expression softened slightly. “We want to get to know you better.”

You blinked. “Okay…?”

Jisung piped up then, practically vibrating with nerves and barely contained energy. “Like, really get to know you! Not just ‘hey, you’re our neighbor’ or ‘hey, you brought over a casserole’ kind of thing. Like… you. Who you are, what you like, stuff like that.”

For a moment, you could only stare at them, you brain struggling to keep up with where this conversation was going. “So… you’re saying you want to be friends?”

“Not exactly,” Minho said slowly, choosing his words carefully.

“More than friends,” Jisung added bluntly, earning another withering look from Minho.

Your heart skipped a beat, your fingers tightening around your mug. “I… don’t think I’m following.”

Minho sighed again, though there was a certain gentleness in the way he looked at you. “We’re saying we want to take you out. Both of us.”

“Separately!” Jisung interjected quickly, waving his hands in the air like he was trying to smooth over the entire situation. “Like, I’ll take you on a date, Minho’ll take you on a date, and… we’ll go from there. You know? To figure things out.”

You blinked at them again, your brain short-circuiting. “You want to what?”

Minho leaned back in his seat, his gaze steady but uncharacteristically soft. “We’re not idiots, y/n. We both… want to know 'you' you. And we both agreed that the only fair way to handle this is to give you the chance to figure out how you feel about us, too.”

“You both like me?” you asked faintly, your voice barely above a whisper.

Jisung scratched the back of his neck, his cheeks tinged pink. “I mean… yeah. You’re cool, and you’re funny, and… honestly, you’re just—you’re you. And we don’t want to screw this up by making it messy or confusing. So we thought…” He glanced at Minho for confirmation before finishing, “Why not just be honest and see where things go?”

You stared at them, your heart thundering in your chest as their words slowly began to sink in. They both are interested you. They wanted to take you out on dates.

Dates. Plural.

“Is this… normal for you two?” you asked finally, your voice a mixture of disbelief and amusement. “Do you always go after the same girl?”

Minho snorted softly. “No. You’re the first.”

“The only!” Jisung added quickly, throwing Minho a panicked look. “We’re not, like, weirdly competitive or anything. This just… happened.”

"Also that couldn't happen since we are together," Minho raise his eyebrow as he speak, glancing at his boyfriend that smiles softly at the words that hangs in the room.

Jisung reaches for the older's hand, "we are."

Your mind is all over the places, did they just confirmed their relationship? You stared down at her mug, trying to process everything. your heart was still racing, your cheeks felt like they were on fire, and yet… your couldn’t bring yourself to feel weird about it. If anything, the idea of getting to know both of them—of really getting to know them—made something flutter in your chest that you weren’t ready to name just yet.

“So…” you said slowly, glancing up at them through your lashes. “You’re telling me I get two dates? Like, double the food, double the fun?”

Jisung beamed, his smile lighting up the entire room. “Exactly!”

Minho rolled his eyes, though the corner of his mouth twitched into a small, fond smile. “Something like that.”

You let out a quiet laugh, shaking your head as you set the mug down on the coffee table. “You two are ridiculous. But… okay. I’m in.”

“Wait—really?” Jisung blurted, his eyes going wide with surprise.

You shrugged, your smile soft but genuine. “Yeah. Why not? You’re both right—I don’t know either of you that well yet. So let’s fix that.”

Minho’s expression softened, his gaze lingering on you for just a moment longer than necessary. “Fair enough.”

Jisung practically leapt off the couch, pumping his fist in the air. “YES! I call dibs on the first date!”

“You can’t call dibs,” Minho replied coolly, though there was a hint of amusement in his tone. “We’ll figure out the schedule later.”

You laughed, the sound light and unrestrained as you watched them bicker back and forth like an old married couple. Whatever you'd gotten yourself into, you had a feeling it was going to be anything but boring.

ᯓᡣ𐭩　  ( masterlist )  . ᯓᡣ𐭩　  ( masterlist roommates )  .

taglist ! @estella-novella @fackeraccount @ihrtlix @hanji-coffee

[the-clock-of-the-time-dragon]

[Addendum 3]

Okay now for some of the other things in the CinemaCon trailer; some relevant to previous addenda, some miscellaneous interesting stuff.

We seemingly have a shot of Fiyero picking up and whirling Glinda around? She's in a big gown but the video quality isn't really enough to see if it's one we know from other scenes yet. They're seemingly in an open lobby-type area? I assume this is where we get some version of that scene in Thank Goodness where Glinda and Fiyero go aside and discuss their engagement (maybe the twirl here is "if it makes you happy, of course I’ll marry you"?).

We got a very brief clip of what a lot of people are assuming is the exterior of the wedding scene — I think that's plausible, but we did also see that the Wizard's palace had lots of these pink flowers in it in the first film, so tbh it could be almost any scene in Emerald City. I think it's safe to assume that whoever is falling down the stairs is Glinda, but without more context it isn't clear why, when, how, etc.

The trailer showed brief shots of Fiyero pointing his gun (seemingly in the Wizard's palace), and — more interestingly — what looks like Madame Morrible rising out of some kind of mechanical apparatus?? I could see this possibly being her rising up to summon the Twister, but it's just as possible that this is a totally new scene showing how threatening her powers are. I'm wondering if she's trying to fly like Elphaba? Or if she gets into a witch battle with Elphaba trying to stop her from escaping the Emerald City with Fiyero? Not much to go off of, but very interesting still.

We get a few shots of the monkeys flying, and I suspect this particular one is after Elphaba has freed them and they're showing their allegiance to her?? It's hard to tell because a lot of the early renders we see in the CC trailer are green since they haven't been textured yet, BUT it's possible this particular shot was still in the Emerald City (the balcony isn't identical to the one from that other scene we looked at, but it's architecturally similar). If it isn't the Emerald City and the green is just due to it being unfinished CGI, then it can also potentially be Kiamo Ko — we'll have to see.

WE SEE ELPHABA DISCOVERING WHERE THE WIZARD HAS DOCTOR DILLAMOND. Like, it's a quick clip, but this is actually so fucked up — it's like a pitch-black dungeon with SO many cages. Like I of course figured they'd do it much better than the stage show ("hey don't look under that random blanket!" Lol), but I LOVE how dark they went with this scene. Literally. The Wizard keeps Animals not just in cages, but in the dark: it's so chilling. Elphaba is seemingly alone when she's discovering this, so the how and when is unclear — presumably it's after Wonderful, but since we know Glinda was apparently added to that song, does that mean there are new scenes after that but BEFORE Elphaba finds Doctor Dillamond? I wonder if we actually get to have a few minutes where Elphaba has accepted the Wizard's offer before she ultimately turns against him again??? Still no clue how Elphaba finds this place, but I really love the idea that before doing so she has a moment to breathe and process her apparent victory and freedom before having to sacrifice it all AGAIN. The PAIN. It also makes sense to have this be separate from the monkeys being let out — hell, maybe after they're free and grateful for Elphaba's help, Chistery shows her to this room!

Finally, there's a shot of Elphaba putting on her hat in a large chamber, seemingly about to fly away or something. The walls remind me of the fire spouts in the Wizard's chamber, although it isn't lit the same way and the ceiling looks like it may be open. This could be another instance of unfinished post-production (maybe blue-screen background, although if so then what are those things in front of it?), or maybe this is a scene in a location we haven't seen yet (like Kiamo Ko). It doesn't give us much, but I thought it was worth including here.

[Wicked: For Good speculation/predictions]

[obviously spoilers + wild conjecture + musings]

Okay so I have many thoughts about what we might get in the second film, and decided to put them all in one place; so here we are.

1.) I've heard a lot of people mentioning that the movie might choose not to jump straight into Thank Goodness, and instead opt for some sort of buffer opening to establish the time-skip and whatnot. I think it would be amazing to actually see Elphaba flying around Oz saving Animals and being harbored as a fugitive and stuff; maybe we could even get reintroduced to Brrr briefly! He's obviously able to speak, so maybe that implies Fiyero took him to an Animal resistance group or something for safety? The map of Oz shown in Something Bad does imply that there might be such groups around, plus of course Doctor Dillamond mentioning protests. Maybe we'll get to see some of that on-screen; I think that would be fascinating. Maybe as kind of a soft adaptation of Elphaba's domestic terrorist phase in the book. This is possibly all supported as well by the shots we've seen of the Yellow Brick Road under construction; presumably this will be early in the film, since obviously it must predate Dorothy's arrival, so I suspect these might be the opening scenes before we get to see how Oz is reacting to Elphaba's activities at the start of Thank Goodness.

2.) I suspect we'll find out that Madame Morrible is not only the one who brought Dorothy to Oz, but also the Wizard — and maybe even more interestingly, caused the Great Drought (which I think is quite heavily implied to be the Dust Bowl, based on the time period and a scrawling on one of the chalkboards in the background; which I think is meant to be Dillamond's research). (My current headcanon is that Morrible accidentally caused the formation of the Impassable Desert (since it is also mentioned on the same chalkboard), which caused a ripple effect out into Kansas and started the Dust Bowl.) If we do get more background on Morrible and her earlier magic experimentation (and maybe even the Grimmerie), I suspect we'll learn that her heart's desire was always to be the prophesied magical savior of Oz, and the Grimmerie based on those vibes (since it seems to read the hearts of the ones using it and flip to pages that will give them what they want, like how it heard "birds" and went straight to relevant pages) brought the Wizard (and by extension, Elphaba) and Dorothy into Oz. In a way it feels like the Grimmerie is sort of the dark magical inverse of what the Wizard does: they hear the desires of people's hearts, and "grant" it in a deceptive way. The Wizard "grants" wishes through bullshitery and spectacle (and the people who come to him for help always end up having to get what they wanted themselves), while the Grimmerie "grants" wishes using real magic (and so can actually give things that the wisher didn't already possess) but always in a fucked up way that they'll end up regretting. I've already made a post about the theme of "the heart's desire" and how it's explored in the original Wizard of Oz and in Wicked — and maybe at some point I'll do a longer analysis of that (for instance, the fact the Wizard was in possession of the book and got his heart's desire to be a father in the most catastrophic way imaginable) — but it's really interesting if we consider that Morrible's desire seems to be to essentially be the Witch of Oz, and the answer given by the Grimmerie might basically have been the giant magical backfire that brought all three of the most plot-important characters into Oz in the first place. It's possible this won't actually be explained and will remain in headcanon territory, but with the way they've been focusing more on Madame Morrible I think we'll probably get at least a little something exploring her background and connections with the Wizard (and it would be really interesting if we got more stuff relating to the Grimmerie in the process).

3.) In the frames we've seen of Dorothy, the slippers are still silver! Not ruby! We know from interviews that the production team read the original Wonderful Wizard of Oz and took heavy inspiration from it, so I assume keeping the shoes silver was an executive decision on their part. But it has some really interesting implications about what sort of changes might've been made to Part 2. We already knew that we're getting major alterations to Nessa's narrative — groundwork for that was already laid in the ways they changed her in the first movie, particularly surrounding her relationship to Elphaba and her agency regarding movement, which I think is great — but regarding this I've heard some people asking if this means we might not get Nessarose standing. Marissa Bode who plays her is capable of limited standing and walking, so I doubt that part will have been cut entirely; but I'm really curious about the ways in which Nessa's story might have been rewritten. The point of her independence has been emphasized a lot thus far, so I think we might get some tweaking (or outright cutting) of the "hideous chair with wheels" bit; and with how we got the lines about Nessa wanting to make a new start and Elphaba getting in the way of that, I think it's likely we'll get less of a focus on "why haven't you used your powers to help me walk Elphaba?" and more on "wow, you ruined my life again Elphaba". I am curious about whether Nessa will still be able to read the Grimmerie (which always felt a little like a plot hole/contrivance in the original show, so it would need a proper explanation at the very least), or if perhaps — since I believe it's being set up that the Grimmerie can "read" people around it and give them a fucked up version of what they think they want — Nessarose's dark desire at that moment is to not have a heart (kinda like that line from the 1939 movie: "As for you, my galvanized friend: you want a heart. You don't know how lucky you are not to have one. Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable") and gets Elphaba to read it: but neither knows what it will actually do until Boq's heart starts shrinking away into nothingness. (Also I'm fairly positive that the still we got of Elphaba below is from the Colwen Grounds scene with Nessa and Boq: I've heard some people presuming it's from No Good Deed, but the background, her expression (which seems to me to be obviously her trying to get Nessa/Boq to calm tf down), and the fact she seems to be in the same costume as in the Yellow Brick Road scene, tells me it's almost certainly from Wicked Witch of the East.)

4.) We're told to expect two new songs from Stephen Schwartz! I'm extremely curious what these might be (and naturally, Gelphie simp as I am, would like at least one one of them to have some more good ol' gay goodness from our girls), but we don't have a whole lot to go on for clues yet other than (as far as I can tell, unconfirmed?) reports that one is an Elphaba solo and the other is a Glinda solo. This is very exciting of course, but until we have more insight it's still too early to make deep predictions. Although as for hopes, I'd obviously like for a new Glinda number to involve her grappling with her feelings more — a much-needed addition — and for Elphaba to perhaps get some of that as well (it would help the lead-up to Wonderful make a bit more narrative sense, if nothing else). And if it turns out they aren't Glinda or Elphaba songs, then I think Fiyero or Boq deserve to get a little bit more to sing. All Schwartz has said thus far is that the new music was made to meet the needs of the story: so (since the two songs DON'T seem to just be reworkings of existing ones, and are actually all-new, film-only material) that further supports the fact we'll be getting fairly major changes to the plot.

5.) The Glinda-Fiyero wedding seems to either happen or very nearly happen??? Extremely interesting expansion on the original material, I can't wait to see what they do with it. I've heard some people saying it might just be a fantasy sequence or something — and I suppose it could be — but I don't think so; the style of filmmaking and writing is deliberately "grounded" to make Oz feel real, and the first film didn't have any imaginary scenes. I think the wedding scene will happen at the same time as (or directly before) Wonderful, and will probably be interrupted: maybe by the release of the flying monkeys, the Wizard rallying the guards after Elphaba, or — scandal! — even by Elphaba herself! (No, I don't think we'll be getting the "I object!" sequence out of Shrek, even though it would be hilariously apropos, lol.) We've seen an image of what looks like Elphaba back in the Emerald City (maybe right before Wonderful, perhaps sneaking into the Wizard's palace to free the Animals; or perhaps just after Wonderful, after finding Doctor Dillamond and deciding to remain the Wizard's enemy?), and judging by when these events would have to line up based on the story of the musical, I think these are almost certainly within the same section. It seems like the wedding sequence might be a decent spot for some of the new music: or maybe a beefed-up version of Glinda's I'm Not That Girl, if she got left at the altar or something.

6.) We've seen this image of Glinda running up a staircase (with the Grimmerie in hand, and in her Bubble Dress): this seems very likely to be immediately after For Good and the Melting — I suspect Glinda is heading up the stairs to see the aftermath, recover Elphie's hat, and receive the green bottle from Chistery. OR, it could also be related to the Wizard — the wood reminds me of the tower in the Emerald City palace where all of Oscar Diggs' old stuff from Omaha was stored at the end of the first film, so I'm wondering if this is Glinda going up to confront him after realizing that he's Elphaba's father, maybe.

7.) Will the ending be changed?? It seems all but confirmed that the cloaked figure riding away out of Kiamo Ko at the start of Part 1 was Elphaba: this costume concept for the second film looks identical to what we saw the rider wearing. Add to that (as I've talked about in a prior post) the fact the Scarecrow is shown alongside Dorothy on the Yellow Brick Road, implies that at the very least the events of the last few minutes of the musical have been revised. My earlier post listed four different possible alterations (from Elphaba leaving Oz alone, to her still meeting with Fiyero somewhere else after everything, to her somehow letting Glinda and/or Fiyero know she's alive before leaving, or (hope against hope) that she takes Glinda with her), but it's still far too early to tell what they might've gone with. I just hope that at least wrote it better than it was originally. The image of Elphaba riding out of Oz on horseback across the desert would certainly be striking, no matter which option they chose.

[neosprites]

Digital Stamp Making Tutorial

Hello, and welcome to the long-awaited(at least on my part) digital stamp-making tutorial from neosprites! I’d like to preface that I learned what I was doing from this tutorial so it may be a bit redundant, but if anything I get a bit more specific. Thank you so much to @graphic--horde for your work, it changed me as a graphic maker. This is gunna be a long post so feel free to bookmark it for later. Now, onto the show!

The frame I will be using for this tutorial (which is the frame I use on 99.9% of my stamps) I found from the above linked post, which I believe is from a creator that OP lost track of. Its inner dimensions are 94x50 pixels and its outer dimensions are 99x56 pixels. Here it is!

Find your material! - I recommend using websites like Tumblr and searching with the “GIF” filter only on, or alternatives such as Giphy or Tenor. Your browser may let your directly save the .gif file; if not and you are noticing it restricts you to save it as a .webp file you can try an extension like “Save webp as PNG or JPEG” (for Firefox but I image other browsers have similar functions, but I really recommend you switch to Firefox). To use this you will right click on your source .gif like normal but instead of clicking on “Save image as…” click “Save webP as…” and then click “GIF”. You should be redirected to the website ezgif.com where we will actually be doing all of our editing! Here’s the .gif we’ll be working with.

Convert to GIF (optional) - if you used the extension from the above step you should already be ready to click the blue “Convert to GIF” button. If not, go ahead and open ezgif.com and click on “webP” and then “WebP to GIF”; then convert to a gif with the blue button.

Resize the GIF - now that we have a gif ready to edit, let’s make it the right size. The easiest method I have found is to change it directly to the frame’s inner dimensions, 94x50 pixels. Click “resize” and then type [94] in for the width and [50] for the height. Next press the blue “resize image” button.

Add the frame - next click “overlay” then click the thin blue button that says “Extend canvas size(use if overlay exceeds GIF sizes)”. This will give us some extra room to add the frame onto the design. Next click “Browse…” and find the frame you have saved onto your device, then click the blue “Upload image” button.

After that it’s going to be misaligned, that’s normal! It will say you have the option to drag it into place, but don’t bother. That’s one of the reasons my old stamps look wack, it’s just harder to do. Instead type [44] in for the Left box and [22] in for the Right box. It took me a while to figure out these dimensions to be honest, and I’ve only tested it with this frame so I don't know if it works with others. Then click the blue “Generate image” button.

Crop the transparent edges - click on “crop”. You will have the option to check a box that says “trim transparent pixels around the image” however, I don’t recommend this as it tends to crop a few of the frame’s pixels with it sometimes. Next, set the Left position to [44] and the Right position to [22]. For the other dimensions we will use the outer dimensions of the frame which are 99x56 pixels, this will trim everything except the tiny spaces in between the stamp frame’s spikes. Type the width as [99] and the height as [56] and click the tiny blue button that says “set”. After that click the blue “Crop image” button.

Save and use! - all that's left is to click “save” and upload the graphic to your liking. (best seen on dark mode obviously)

If you’d like to tag me in stamps you’ve made using my tutorial I would love to see them, but it’s not required!! Make sure to always give credit for pictures/gifs when you can and try not to make stuff out of personal/fan art. Thank you to the person in my inbox who requested this tutorial, I had been meaning to for a while but it was just the kick I needed. :)

[em1i2a3]

Pieces of You (Bjorn One Shot)

Bjorn x fem!reader

Summary: After a night of confessions you and Bjorn stopped speaking to one another, but during one fateful get together when the both of you reunite things change significantly for the both of you, for better or for worse.

Author’s Note: Hey peeps. I am finally finished college, and thankfully I am going to be taking a bit of a break before going back and continuing my education, meaning I’m going to have so much more time to write! As a celebration I made this One Shot extra long. It was supposed to be out yesterday but I wanted to add more to it, and evidently it got out of hand lol. I hope that everyone enjoys this!

Warnings: 18+ NSFW, DNI if you’re a minor! There’s dirty dancing in this, smoking of the devils lettuce (weed), P in V sex (unprotected, wrap it before you tap it though, this is all fantasy here), swearing, oral sex (female receiving), and a little bit of best friends to lovers tropes but not really, you’ll get what I mean when you read it. Hopefully I didn’t miss anything.

A p.s from the author: Fucking love 070 Shake, and this song was so fucking good in setting the tone for the writing of this one shot! Such an underrated song.

Word Count: 8,734 (told you it was a big one….That’s what she said btw lol)

The club was electric that night. The smell of sweat, perfume, and cigarettes intermixed, and the air was thick with heat, combining with the hypnotic bass that shook the core of your chest as you nursed a drink at the bar. You stirred the ice around in your glass, taking a sip, allowing the sweet and bitter liquid to burn down your throat, watching the crowd of bodies move rhythmically to the music. The lights strobed in sync with the beat, pulsating streaks of neon blues, pinks, and greens bounced off the mirrors surrounding the dancefloor. The DJ had turned on the smoke machine, which caused the entire scene to have this haze over it, so all you could see was the shadows of the people who moved against one another, and the sporadic arms that popped above the crowd once in a while. A finger tapped on your shoulder, interrupting your observations, your eyes shooting over to your side where Tyler was standing, a smile draped across his lips as he leaned in.

“Sorry, we’re late! Got caught up!” He yelled over the music, motioning behind him. You peeked over his shoulder, seeing Navarro, Rain, Kay and Andy looking around at the crowd, enamoured by the action that was happening, and the buzz that was palpable in the space.

“It’s alright! I’m only one drink in!” You responded loudly holding up your glass and using the step on the stool you were sitting on to give yourself a little bit of height. He was looking down at your outfit, taken aback by what you had worn tonight. The top you had chosen was skin-tight, black and strapless with sheer lace detailing that left nothing to the imagination. The material hugged you in all the right places, showing off the figure that you hid under your work clothes most of the time, and it didn’t end there. The bottoms you chose were a pair of leather shorts that had silver zippers going down the sides and the front, with leather buckles along your thighs to simulate a harness effect. It was an interesting look, to say the least, and it was certainly eye-catching.

“You didn’t give me the memo that we were wearing BDSM stuff tonight, I would’ve busted out my assless chaps.” Tyler joked, causing you to playfully slap his arm, laughing loudly at his comment.

“Just wanted to try something different, that's all.” Tyler raised his eyebrows at the comment.

”Well this is definitely different, a good kind of different, but still a bit surprising coming from someone who bundles into those oversized sweaters all the time.” He responded, glancing down one more time at you with a little smile. He liked when you let yourself go, typically you weren’t one to be the life of the party, not one bit, ever since you guys were preteens you were this rule follower who didn’t want to disappoint anyone, but this change was definitely welcoming. Too bad your upbeat mood was going to change. You were about to say something, when suddenly a pair of familiar hands grabbed Tyler’s shoulders, the ring on the person's pointer finger that you had a matching one of gave it away, and your stomach lurched just at the sight. It was Bjorn. Your face fell, as all the joy was sucked out of the room, you didn’t want to see that guy, and you were going to make sure it wasn’t going to happen.

“For fuck sake.” Was all that came out of your mouth before you grabbed your drink and walked towards the smoking patio. You pushed open the door, and joined the small crowd of people who were leaning against the wall either getting some air or actually having a cigarette. You downed the rest of your drink, the burn of the alcohol now nonexistent at this point, a sigh escaping your throat as you put the glass down on the ledge beside you. The door opened again, revealing Tyler, his hands deep in the pockets of his straight cut pants, a remorseful look gleaming in his eyes. You were about to say something, but he raised a finger up, causing you to pause.

”I know you told me not to bring him…I get it. But y/n…We couldn’t possibly leave him at the trailer. It’s unfair what he’s been doing but we also live with the guy, we wouldn’t hear the end of it.” You crossed your arms over your chest.

”It’s more than unfair Tyler. I know I said some hurtful things but he fucking ripped my heart out and then decided to ignore me when I tried to make amends. Now he gets to intrude on plans and pick and choose when he wants to bite his tongue and come along with you guys?” You questioned, your throat tightening slightly “How is that right, and how the fuck is that fair to me when he refused to be honest with me?” You added, remembering the last time you spoke to him.

————

You had sat beside Bjorn on the couch as the both of you were watching some weird action movie he had chosen from the little collection he had built over the past few years. You weren’t really into it, you were just there because you wanted to be around Bjorn, that was the motivation for hanging out around him. You liked being in his presence, the way he made you feel, and of course the way he held your hand out of comfort, he used to always pay you a compliment on how warm or soft they were before intertwining his fingers between yours and it always made your stomach turn.

The both of you had been friends for so long that you knew everything about each other, if someone asked you to name off any fun facts about Bjorn you would have a never ending list. There were so many things people didn’t know about him, and if it wasn’t for how close you were to him, you would’ve never been able to see what he was truly like beneath the hard exterior he put on.

That night though you were determined to talk to him. Your feelings had been eating away at you bit by bit, and you couldn’t handle it anymore. You were starting to think about him throughout the day, and every time you did you could feel your palms become sweaty and you visually looked flushed with a permanent blush red plastered on your cheeks. It was hard to power through your feelings, and you had high hopes that once things were out in the open it would allow the both of you to move forward together hopefully, that was not the case though, and you would come to regret the decision you made in telling him.

The credits rolled and he leaned back against the cushions with a sigh, one arm draped over the edge of the couch, looking over at you, seeing that you were deep in thought. He reached over, and grabbed your hand, running his calloused thumb over the smooth skin, over the little blemishes that were barely noticeable without feeling, which drew your attention to him.

“You alright?” He asked, shifting closer to you, “You seem like you’ve got a lot on your mind.” He added, his thumb drawing ovals around the skin on the back of your hand now, the heat slowly creeping up your chest. You took in a shaky breath.

”I…I need to tell you something.” His relaxed expression shifted, his eyes filling with concern, making your heart squeeze. He sat up a little bit more, his whole body now turned to you.

”You’re worrying me y/n…What’s going on?” Your stomach was churning. Yes, you had planned to tell him everything tonight, but now you were starting to grow anxious under his gaze, your throat feeling like it was closing around a giant lump that was beginning to form, pulling your eyes from his for a moment, letting them go down to his hand. You looked at the ring on his pointer finger, the engravement of Roman numerals of the day you guys had your first scavenging trip together glistening in the dim light,

“I…I like you…More than this.” You hesitated, feeling the air being sucked out of the room when the words left your mouth. A few minutes passed, until you decided to look at the frozen and unreadable expression that was plastered on Bjorn’s face. “I thought I could ignore it or that I would get over the feelings, but I can’t. It just kept getting more and more intense.” He looked down at your hands, there was a hint of hesitation that flashed from behind his eyes, his lips pressing into a thin line. The silence was overtaking the both of you again, every second breaking down the remaining composure you had.

“Can you please say something…” You pleaded, your voice cracking, feeling the warmth of his hands leave yours. There was a pang in your heart, realizing that this was not going the way you expected. You watched him closely, seeing the cogs turning behind his eyes, trying to choose his words carefully. His voice was quiet when he replied.

”I don’t feel the same way.” It felt like a blow straight to your chest, your gaze tore away from his, trying to process his response as level headed as possible.

”You don’t?” Your volume was just above a whisper, as tears began to brim your eyes, looking back at him, now focusing on his expressions.

”No,” He replied quickly, his bottom lip shaking a bit, not because of any overwhelming emotions, but because that was one of his tells. You knew him well enough, there were just things that he couldn’t control and that was the way his body involuntarily reacted when he was lying to someone. It made your heart break even more, knowing that he wasn’t telling you the truth, you thought you were friends, and friends don’t lie to each other.

”You’re lying…” Your voice was steady, and somewhat stern. It surprised you that even though you were going through your own set of feelings you still chased for answers. Bjorn’s brows furrowed.

”What?” His tone was laced with disbelief.

”You’re lying.” You repeated, you were hurting, and you could feel the anger bubbling in your stomach, burning in your chest, begging to be released. “You do feel the same way, you’re just too scared to admit it.”

“That’s not true,” He snapped back, scoffing at your accusation, standing up from the couch, now growing defensive. You raised to your feet as well, wanting to even up the playing field.

”I can see it in your fucking facial expressions. You can’t even look at me Bjorn!” You saw his fists clench at his sides, you could see the way all the emotions in him began to converge, brewing a storm over his face.

“I said I don’t feel the same way.” He repeated, his voice now cracking, another betrayal gifted from his own body.

“Bjorn…Why are you lying to me…Why can’t you just be honest with yourself and tell me the truth.” Your voice trembled, gulping, trying to get rid of the lump that still resided in your throat.

“Because it doesn’t matter y/n!” He shouted, the aggression making you jump in your own skin, flinching at the frustration, “What the fuck do you want me to say? That I fucking care about you? That I’ve thought about being with you? Fine. I have. But it doesn’t change the situation y/n.” The tears now welled up in the corners of your eyes, threatening to fall down your cheeks, your heart fracturing into a thousand cracks.

”You thought about it,” You echoed his words with bitterness lacing your voice, “And decided what? That I’m not worth it? That I wouldn’t stick with you? We’ve been friends for years Bjorn.” He watched as you brought your hand up to your puffy eyes, pressing against the corners to wipe the tears that were forming.

”You d-don’t understand-“

“No, I don’t,” You interrupted, “I don’t understand why you’re running away, and I don’t understand why you’re fucking lying to me.” Bjorn didn’t continue with what he was going to say, his silence was louder than any excuse he was going to offer at that point. You shook your head at him.

”You’re a coward,” You said quietly, watching his face twist, guilt flashing in his eyes, as he watched you collect your things, stuffing them into your backpack, before pushing past him. By the time you reached the door tears were gushing down your cheeks, and as you opened it to leave you could hear Bjorn sniffle.

“I’m sorry y/n.” Was all he could say, but it wasn’t enough for you at that point, you slammed the door behind you, and he let you go.

———-

Tyler grabbed your shoulders, tilting your head up so he was in your line of sight.

”I know he hurt you, and I’m sorry y/n…I really am, but you can’t let this get you down, you have been so tough, you’ve been recovering and putting yourself back out there, and hey, look at where you are right now and how you’re dressed! Ignore that moron for the night, okay? Go have fun.” His words were encouraging, Tyler always had that sort of energy to him, he would take situations like this and make it easier to handle, and you were thankful for his words at that point. You leaned against him, wrapping your arms around his torso to give him a hug. He returned the gesture.

”Thanks Tyler.” You mumbled against his shirt, his hand giving you a gentle pat on your back as he pulled away.

”Now let’s get back in there huh?” He suggested, with you nodding in agreement. Tyler held the door open for you, allowing you to go back into the club first, letting the deep, chest thumping bass surround you again. The both of you walked back to the bar, and Tyler ordered you another drink as you slipped a few greetings to the group, avoiding Bjorn all together even though you could feel his eyes on you, watching you closely. He was shocked that you didn’t leave the building, apart from the little scene you had pulled just a few moments ago, but there was something in him that was glad you didn’t bail on everyone. He wanted to see you, it had been too long, and he needed this opportunity to try to mend the burned bridges.

For those two months of not talking you were diligent in following your plan of not being around him, and you had pulled away from the friend group because of that choice. Tyler was the only one who reached out and stuck around, but he did pass on the information to the rest of the group so they understood that it wasn’t something they did that caused the rift, you didn’t want them blaming themselves on the account of Bjorn’s lack of communication. You missed the dynamic though and you were glad that they accepted the invite you gave them even on such short notice.

”You’re looking really good tonight!” Kay yelled over the music, “It’s very…Different!” She exclaimed, looking down at your outfit. You smiled at her compliment, a blush forming on your cheeks as you took a sip of your drink.

”I thought I’d try out a new look.” You responded, “I’m glad it’s a hit.” You could see her laugh but you couldn’t hear it through all the bass that was drowning the high pitched noises out of the room.

“Well maybe you should test it out on the dance floor, I’m sure there’s a lot of guys here that are wanting to take you home tonight.” Your goal wasn’t to hookup with anyone but you were willing to step out of the box and see where the night took you, so you tilted your head back, and guzzled the remnants of your drink, wiping your wet lips with the back of your hand and shuddering at the sheer intensity of the alcohol that burned down your throat. Everyone was looking at you at this point, shocked by the way you had downed the filled glass that quickly, aware that tonight a different version of you was coming out to play.

“Guess there’s no harm in trying hmm?” You shot back, putting the glass down onto the bar, the person behind the counter taking it away quickly. You felt nervous staring out into the packed crowd, the way the women moved, and swayed, how they let themselves go, the rhythm overtaking them and their bodies. You took in a deep breath, before moving towards the sea of bodies, stepping down the set of stairs and sewing through the crowd to find a spot that was barely visible to your set of friends. You felt like you were swallowed whole as the people took you in, a mix of sweat, spilled drinks and sweet smelling perfume surrounding you like a warm hug, the bass a throbbing pulse against your chest.

You started off by swaying your hips to the music, your head rolling back exposing the sheer lining of sweat that was already glistening on your skin, as you moved your hands up the lace top letting them go above your head, like you were trying to seduce yourself in a way, twisting your torso to the beat. On the floor you didn’t blend into the crowd, you painted yourself into existence, and the people around you welcomed that willingly. Your back arched, and your hair caught the colours of the strobing light, like it was a spotlight on you. In those moments you didn’t feel eyes on you, you just felt alive.

Then you felt the presence of someone behind you, a faint brush of warmth running over your back, they didn’t touch you at first, they were taking caution, which was something you were surprised about. You smirked at the thought of being so tempting to someone that they wanted to be careful not to scare you off, and in turn you didn’t glance back at them, you wanted them to be sucked into your orbit, as you continued to sway your hips. The figure moved in sync with you, mirroring your rhythm, you could see the movements in the shadows the strobe lights caused, noting the build of the person.

He now stepped closer to you, the heat from his body practically radiating against your bare shoulders, the subtle pressure of his presence being felt as he continued to match the pace your hips moved at. His hands still didn’t touch you, but the close proximity was making your skin tingle, you felt electrified, and you couldn’t deny the energy that was flowing between the both of you.

The stranger brushed up against you, it was a subtle move, but you could tell it was deliberate, regardless of the intention it made you inhale sharply, a gasp escaping your throat. You were happy that the music was deafening at this point so they wouldn’t be able to hear your reaction. You leaned back against him, allowing your bodies to close the space the both of you had purposely left, arching your body against the sturdy figure.

Your hips rolled with the beat, teasingly slow, your bottom dragging against the front of his pants with a friction that made your breath catch in your throat. Finally, he placed his hands on your hips, the delicate touch searing its memory onto your skin, his thumbs brushing slow circles into your clothed flesh, the tips of his fingers teasing just beneath the hem of your top, testing how far you’d let him go until you pulled back. To the strangers surprise you leaned into the touch, allowing his fingers to ghost over your belly button without hiking the top up too much, your head tilted to the side inviting him to get even closer, feeling his hot breath against your exposed shoulders. He took the chance, sliding his hands up higher, his fingertips brushing against your waist, the touch sending shivers racing down your spine. In that moment, the both of you moved together, perfectly in sync, and you could’ve sworn you were one entity at that point.

The sway of your hips matched the grind of his, the connection between the both of you becoming electric as the dance floor went completely dark, the only thing lighting the room being the bar, but that was so far away by this point you were practically blind. The man’s arms wrapped around you loosely, continuing to feel your skin beneath the top, his hot breath ragged against your neck now, the faint smell of whiskey hitting your nose. You took the chance to reach your hands up behind you, tangling your fingers through the mysterious figures' hair. The length was short from what you could feel, but it was dense, good enough to pull, you thought to yourself, continuing your intoxicating movements against him as his fingers explored the curve of your ribs. The way he touched you wasn’t hurried, not in the slightest, it was like he wanted to memorize every inch of your skin like a map.

Neither of you spoke, afraid that words would ruin the moment, as the heat of him pressed into every inch of your skin. Your breathing was shallow, and you could tell the both of you were getting worked up. There was no denying that there was tension building, your stomach felt like a jar of butterflies had been crushed within it, and mixed with the alcohol you could feel your head spinning.

He unraveled his arms from around you but kept your body close, as the tips of his fingers ran down your stomach, trailing to the front of your thighs, his hands having a slight tremor while doing so, the touch stopping just above the harnesses on your legs. He settled them there for a second, your chest rising and falling at an irregular pace, his breath sticking to the curve of your neck as your hips rolled against him, earning a groan from his lips, his chest vibrating against your back. He dragged his fingers up your thighs again, settling one hand between them as the other went back to the waistband of your shorts.

You wanted him to take advantage of the darkness of the dance floor, nobody would see, nobody would even know, but you could sense there was some sort of hesitation behind his actions, and you didn’t want to pressure him, so you allowed him to be in control instead. His fingers traced just below your belly button, drawing circles gently, as you felt a pair of wet lips graze over your shoulder, eliciting a gasp from you. It was so soft you could barely feel it but the fire that it lit on your flesh almost brought you close to passing out, it was too intimate, but you couldn’t help but love the feeling it brought you.

The hand that was caressing your stomach slid around your waist, slipping into the back pocket of your shorts, as the other hand trailed up the soft skin on the inside of your thighs, not travelling up any higher, even though you were tempted to shift yourself down onto his touch. You were going to allow him to do anything to you at that point, there was no denying you would go home with him once the lights turned on. Then suddenly after one more open mouthed kiss against your neck, his touch disappeared from you, breaking the heat that was pooling between your bodies. You spun around on your heel, trying to catch a glimpse of him, but the crowd had eaten him up and the darkness wasn’t helping at that point either. Your body was still burning from his touch, but the feeling of disappointment was beginning to cool everything down, the memory of his hands on you fleeting. You reached up, pushing your sweaty hair out of your face, realizing how hot you had become from the interaction.

The quick escape had ruined everything, so just like the stranger you decided to retreat from the dancefloor, seeing Tyler, Navarro, Andy, Kay, and Rain sitting at the bar, a look of concern plastered on their faces as they yelled to each other over the music.

“We can check on him afterwards!” You caught Tyler’s words, now joining their confusion.

”Check on who?” You yelled, catching their attention. They glanced over at you, and Navarro replied.

”Bjorn, he just ran out of the place, I don’t know what’s going on with him tonight.” Your eyebrows knitted together, pulling up one of the stools between Tyler and Navarro.

“He probably saw me dancing with that guy out there and ran off.” You commented, sitting down on the seat, immediately feeling something in your back pocket. You pressed your feet against the bar, standing up momentarily to remove whatever was causing the discomfort, pulling out the all too familiar silver engraved ring with the roman numerals.

You could feel your heart stop. The stranger, the one on the dancefloor was Bjorn. You didn’t know if you should feel sick, or angry. You felt embarrassed at the fact that you hadn’t thought to look at who it was behind you, but at the same time you couldn’t believe the audacity he had to do such things to you after months of ignoring you.

“Isn’t that Bjorn’s?” Tyler asked, snapping you out of your trance, as you put it into your palm, folding your hand into a fist.

”Yeah. I better go return it to him. I’ll see you guys later.” Before Tyler could say anything in protest you left the club.

————

You walked to the trailer from the club, it wasn’t that far thankfully, but by the time you had made it to the front door you had your anger from the two months built up inside you, ready to explode. You used the side of your hand to bang on the hard metal of the door, standing on the steps with your arms folded over your chest. It took a few minutes for Bjorn to open the door, surprisingly he looked calm, cool and collected, as if he was ready for this confrontation. He had a joint hanging out of the corner of his mouth, the tip of it glowing a hazy orange while he took a deep breath, removing it from between his lips to blow the smoke out towards you, a smirk appearing on his face.

”Well, if it isn’t my favorite person, come to thank me for that dance?” You pushed by him, entering the trailer with such fury that you could imagine a string of smoke following you, not waiting for an invitation from him to come in.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” You snapped, hearing Bjorn close the door behind him.

”What? No ‘hi’, no ‘how have you been Bjorn’? That’s not nice.” He mocked, as you spun around to race him, the ring tightly clenched between your fingers, holding it up to show him.

”Two months Bjorn. Two fucking months of silence, of you ignoring me, and you think now is the time to fuck around and make jokes? You’re un-fucking-believable.” His gaze stared at the ring, bringing his joint back up to his lips, taking a slow, calculated drag, his expressions unreadable. He crossed one arm over his torso, leaning against the wall behind him as he breathed out the smoke.

”I’m not joking.” He said lightly, “You looked like you needed a good time…I thought I’d oblige.” Your mouth dropped open.

”Oblige?” Your voice rising with incredulity. “You danced with me like-like-.” You gestured wildly, trying to find words to express your thoughts, as heat rushed to your cheeks, “And then! Then you just walked away and disappeared and left me to find this fucking thing.” You raised the ring at him, your hand now trembling with nerves.

”You kept it…How sweet.” You could feel the rage pumping through your veins at this point, searing your blood, making it boil.

”I didn’t keep it,” You snapped, “I came here to give it back and to ask what the fuck is wrong with you.” He scoffed.

”Wrong with me?” He pushed off the wall, pointing to himself while he stepped closer to you. “How about you? You seemed to be enjoying yourself just fine when you were grinding up against me.” Your breath hitched in your throat as he moved into your space, his familiar scent of smoke wrapping around you.

“I didn’t know it was you.” You hissed through gritted teeth, trying to restrain your anger, looking up at him, shooting daggers, his body leaning closer to you.

“You didn’t stop me though, did you?” His tone was teasing and dark, he was baiting you, and all you could do was bite, blinded by the rage.

”That’s not the point!” You shot back, throwing the ring at him, his reflexes allowing him to catch it in midair, “You don’t get to waltz back into my life, play your stupid little mind games, and then pretend like nothing fucking happened!” For a moment Bjorn’s smirk fell from his lips, his mask slipping just a little bit, a hint of sensitivity flicking through the cracks.

”Nothing happened huh?” He said quietly, “Funny…It felt like something to me.” You could feel your heart thumping against your chest, your palms growing sweaty.

”Stop trying to twist this around. You ignored me for months, Bjorn. Months. And now you think you can just…Just-”

”Just what?” He interrupted, his voice raising, the space between the both of you closing even more as he took another step towards you, putting his joint out in the process. His breath could be felt against your body at this point he was so close, “Just touch you? Just kiss your neck? Just tell you what I’ve been trying to bury within me since we’ve become friends?” His words hung heavy in the air, your eyes widening at his confession.

“What are you talking about?” You whispered, your voice barely audible to him. Bjorn ran a hand through his hair, a frustrated grunt escaping his throat.

”I’m talking about you, about how you’re always on my fucking mind…In my body…How you’re in everything I fucking see. About how I’ve tried to push it all down, ignore it, because…I don’t want to fucking lose you y/n, it scares the hell out of me. But it doesn’t matter at this point does it? Because even when I’m trying to do the right thing by trying to let you go…I can’t fucking stop thinking about you.” Your anger extinguished at his confession, and disbelief overtook you.

”Why did you lie to me then…Why did you act like you didn’t care?” Your voice was trembling at this point, as your heart raced in your chest.

”Cause like you said…I’m a coward.” He admitted, his voice rough “I shouldn’t have let you leave that night.” You looked up at him, feeling bad for what you had said to him, but still unsure of where to go from there.

”Bjorn I-“ Your words faltered, as Bjorn’s calloused hands reached out to cradle your face, holding it as if you might vanish if he were to let go. His lips crashed into yours with a hunger that was all consuming, it sent a jolt of electricity through your bodies. Your gasp was swallowed by him, the searing heat of his mouth moving against yours in such a way that you could feel every inch of your skin light ablaze. The kiss wasn’t soft nor hesitant, it was devastating, Bjorn kissed you like a person starved for touch and attention. His hands slid down your jaw and held your neck, feeling the pulse points that thumped against his thumbs.

Your hands went to his shirt, feeling the steady thrumming of his heart against your palms, as your hands fisted the fabric of the top he was wearing, pulling him even closer, kissing him back with equal fervor. One of his hands travelled down your side to hold your waist, as his lips moved with a desperation that made your knees weak, you were shocked you were still able to stand at that point. Your fingers laced into his hair, mirroring what you had done on the dancefloor, earning a groan that vibrated through you. His teeth scraped against your bottom lip, a soft, involuntary sound escaping from you, igniting something even more hungry in him. He pulled away briefly, his lips trailing down your jaw to the sensitive spot just below your ear.

“God I’ve wanted to do that for so long.” His voice was strained, like he was barely holding himself together. You shivered, feeling his light stubble brushing against the skin of your neck.

“Bjorn…” You managed to squeak out, your voice a breathy mix of plea and protest, as he pressed open mouthed kisses to your throat, his tongue trailing across the sensitive flesh, tasting your sweat. The air between the both of you grew heavy, your breath intermingling with his, fighting to get closer, to consume each other. His hands slipped under your shirt, holding onto your sides, his lips returning to yours, hungrier than the first kiss that he had given you, a need so overwhelming that it was lighting the both of you ablaze. He pulled back, breathless, resting his forehead against yours. His lips were swollen, and his pale skin was a crimson red.

“You made me feel like I meant nothing to you.” You whispered, “And then you came at me with something like this…And made it so hard to resist you.” Your fingers gripped his hair lightly.

“It killed me every second I chose to stay away, and it hurt me as much as it hurt you.” He replied, his hands coming up again to cup your face, his thumb brushing up against your cheeks, looking into your eyes, searching them for answers. “Tell me to stop y/n…Tell me to stop and I will.” His voice was barely audible at this point, almost pleading with you in a way to not tell him such things. You could feel your heart pounding in your head as you surged forward, crashing your lips into his once again, giving him the answer without words, melting into him again, getting sucked into the black hole that was your love for Bjorn. You pulled back.

”I don’t want you to stop…Please don’t stop.” He shook his head, thumb trailing under your eyes.

”I won’t stop until you tell me to.” He replied, sliding one hand down to intertwine your fingers with his, “Come with me?” He asked, his eyebrows raising, his blue eyes glazed over, the weed beginning to run through him. You squeezed his hand and nodded, untangling yourself from him as he led you down the hallway where the bedrooms were. You hadn’t been in Bjorn’s bedroom, but you assumed that’s where he was taking you. His strides were unhurried but there was intent behind every step, his thumb running over the back of your hand trying to ease his own nerves. When the both of you stopped in front of his bedroom door he took a moment to breathe, before pushing it open.

Your eyes roamed over the dimly lit disarray. A large unmade bed was in the center of the room, it’s dark grey sheets half-tangled and rumpled, you assumed he was a restless sleeper just from the status of the linen. He had a wall of photos on a corkboard near his bed, all his memories pinned randomly, you could see a few of the two of you taken candidly by Kay. The scent of him lingered faintly in the air - warm, smoky, leathery, with a light cedarwood combining everything together in a musk that was distinctly Bjorn. A pile of laundry sat in the corner of the room, not overflowing but teetering on the edge of being chaotic for one person. A mirror leaned against the far wall, tall, and rectangular, it’s frame matching the dark wood of the headboard his bed had, it seemed out of place, but it was fitting for Bjorn. All in all you could say the room looked lived in, and every detail of it carried a hint of his character - uncomplicated, rough around the edges, but magnetic.

You moved into the room more hearing Bjorn close the door behind the both of you, locking it so there would be no interruptions. You turned on your heel, looking over at him, his hands slipping into his pocket as he kicked off his boots, pushing them to the side with his foot. You did the same, your eyes staying on his, watching him step closer to you. His arms wrapped around your waist, and you could feel his hands begin to work on the latches that held your top together, his trained fingers figuring out the mechanism without even looking.

“Do you trust me?” His breath hitting the shell of your ear as he spoke, his voice low. You tilted your head to the side, looking up at him, your hand pushing his hair out from his face, cupping his cheek as you nodded. He gave you a soft kiss on your swollen lips, his hands splitting the back of your shirt apart so he could ease it off of your body. Your skin prickled in the cool air of his room, as he threw the lacy fabric to the side, his eyes roaming over the expanse of your bare flesh, taking in every detail, every blemish, every mark that your skin had displayed.

“You’re so beautiful.” You could feel your heart seize for a moment, his head leaning down to gently kiss the crook of your neck, “So so beautiful.” His lips return to yours for a brief moment, your nipples pebbling against his chest as the cool air begins to nip at your exposed skin, “Go lay on the bed.” He whispers against your ear, his fingertips ghosting along your hips, your cheeks turning hot at the instructions. You glanced over your shoulder at the bed, making your way over to it, letting yourself fall onto the memory foam, the sheets puffing around you. Your arms extended out over your head, your gaze trailing over to Bjorn, watching him remove his shirt, throwing it to the side to allow you to take in his pale skin under the yellow hue of the room. He walked around the bed, kneeling down on it, his hands sliding up your bare smooth legs, over the harnesses on your thighs, up to the waistband of your shorts.

“Move back a bit more…I want you to be able to watch me in the mirror.” He commented, helping you move yourself up towards the edge of the bed, your head hanging off slightly so your gaze met your own reflection. The angle gave you a perfect view of yourself and Bjorn, as his fingers hooked under the waistband of the shorts, tugging them down your legs, his knuckles dragging down the skin of your thighs. You helped him out by lifting your bum off the mattress, showing off the little flexibility you had, as the fabric was removed and thrown over his shoulder, “I want you to see everything I’m going to do to you.” He murmured, his body settling between your open legs. Your stomach tightened at his words, your eyes darting to the reflection, seeing his body atop yours. His lips brushed along your neck, trailing over your collarbones, his hands moving with such ease, sliding up the back of your legs, and up your thighs, tracing along the skin of your hips, goosebumps chasing the touch. His fingers hooked under the thin waistband of your black lacy panties, pulling them down slowly, looking at the skin that became exposed to him, his mouth watering at the sight, leaning down to kiss the soft skin of your hip, crumpling the underwear in his hand, his touch returning to your thighs moments later, holding them gently.

”God look at you.” He whispered, his lips trailing lower, peppering wet kisses down your thigh savoring each gasp you took. You arched into him, spreading your legs a little wider for him, your eyes locking in on the reflection, seeing Bjorn’s gaze shift to the mirror so he could look back at you, a smile coming up onto his face.

”Bjorn…” Your voice was trembling, surrendering yourself to him, feeling his hot breath fanning over your skin, his mouth brushing against your inner thigh, your hands running across his shoulders, trying to find something to ground yourself as he got closer and closer to your hot core. The image of him between your legs reflected back at you, a gasp escaping your throat as his tongue ran up between your folds, his lips wrapping around your clit, your fingers grasping his hair. His mouth worked expertly against you, his hands gripping your body as if you might disappear, your hips writhing beneath him, grinding yourself on his face, craving more pressure. He obliged, pressing his tongue harder against your soaking core, both of his hands reaching up to hold onto your wrists gently. You could see your skin begin to flush red in the dim lighting, the blood rushing to your head. The room was filled with your breathy gasps intermixing with Bjorn’s deep vibrating moans, sucking gently on your sensitive clit, moving his mouth down to lap at your soaked core, collecting your juices on his tongue, his eyes now looking up at you. His pupils were blown out, his face beet red as he watched you chant his name like a prayer, your body bucking up against him, chasing the release that was beginning to coil inside you. He intertwined his fingers between yours, holding your hands at your sides so he could continue to watch you in the reflection, his nose bumping against your clit with the way he pushed his face into you, slipping his tongue in your fluttering entrance fucking it with the firm muscle. You squeezed his hands, now bending upwards to look at him, amazed by the way he knew your body already without even exploring it, your gasps now growing in volume as your hips began to move involuntarily, your thighs twitching against his neck. His gaze met yours, lust, hunger, and passion burning behind his eyes.

”Please…Please Bjorn.” Was all you managed to get out, as you let your neck hang off the side of the bed again, giving yourself a headrush, the begging encouraging his assertive and meticulous movements, the wetness of his tongue moving in and out of you. Heat crawled up your skin, as your thighs involuntarily closed around his head tightly, your hands squeezing his, the warmth crashing down on you, leaving your entire body trembling. He kept his face against you wanting to get every last drop from you, every bit that you were willing to give over. You relaxed against the mattress moments later, out of breath, your chest rising and falling rapidly, your hands untangling from his, as Bjorn lifted his head, placing one final set of kisses against the inside of your thighs. He made his way up the bed slowly, his lips trailing along your body - your stomach, the slight curve of your ribs, the delicate line of your sternum, his rough hands never leaving your skin.

”You’re so beautiful,” He said, his voice a hoarse whisper, his face hovering above yours, your breaths mingling together. His expression was so soft you melted into it, his blue eyes searching yours slowly, your hands coming up to cradle his face, your fingers brushing against the stubble on his jaw.

”Bjorn…” You murmured, your voice trembling, still trying to bring your heart rate down. Your hooded eyes looked at him. You didn’t know what you wanted to say - a thank you, an I love you, something to encourage him to continue to ravage you- nothing felt enough at that point. He leaned down, kissing you slowly, letting the connection deepen as if he was pouring the unspoken words into the intimate moment, your body arching towards him, tasting yourself on his lips. Your hands slid from his face to his shoulders, wanting to explore more of his skin.

”Are you okay?” He breathes against your mouth, your legs wrapping around his waist to draw him in closer.

”I’m okay.” You whispered, tilting your chin up to kiss him again, as your hands slid down the front of his chest, feeling the faint line of hair below his belly button that led to the waistband of his jeans. Slowly, you undid his belt, teasing him.

”You’re so patient.” You giggled, a smile playing on your lips as you unbuttoned his jeans, and tugged the zipper down.

“And you…” He countered softly, leaning in towards you, breathing against your mouth “Drive me insane.” He shifted back onto his knees, pushing his jeans and boxer shorts down, kicking them off the side of the bed to join the rest of the abandoned clothes. In the golden light your eyes roamed over him, looking at his already erect cock, the tip red and glistening from the precum. He was huge, there was no denying that, and you were shocked to find out the rumors were actually true.

“Y/n…” He called, drawing your attention back up to his face, a grin appearing on his lips, catching you in the act of admiring him, “See something you like?” He added, his hands on your knees, rubbing them gently with his rough palms. You nodded, spreading your legs for him, his jaw clenching at the sight.

”Christ.” He muttered under his breath, his fingers pressing into your skin, heat pooling behind his ice blue eyes.

“Come here.” You instructed, and without hesitation he leaned down, pressing his palms against the mattress on either side of your head, his body folding over yours. His weight was warm and solid, as his mouth found yours again. The pressure of him made you sigh against his lips, as your hands glided down his back, feeling the tension in the muscles that held him up, his hips grinding towards yours, his cock twitching against the wetness between your legs.

“Fuck I don’t have condoms…” He groaned, realizing he had not restocked on them. You shook your head, pointing to a scar on the back of your arm.

”I have an implant, don’t worry about the condom situation.” The thought of being inside you with no barriers, the feeling of your velvety wet walls gripping his cock almost made him cum right then and there. The fact you trusted him enough to allow him to do that turned him on even more. He leaned forward, taking your bottom lip between his, tangling himself up in you, pulling away.

”Look,” His fingers pressed against the bottom of your chin, tilting your head back so you could look at the reflection, your eyes watching as he pressed open mouthed kisses down your neck, nibbling on your collarbone, the overwhelming stimulation making your heart race. “So perfect.” His breath was hot, and it stuck to your skin, as one hand began to trace the curve of your waist. You reached down between the both of you, your hand wrapping around his cock, feeling desperation as you slid the tip up and down the slick your cunt had produced, gasping as his hips moved forward. In the reflection you could see his head dipping lower, his eyes closing briefly, savoring the moment he slipped between your folds, trying to keep himself steady so you could adjust to his size.

“Bjorn.” You whined, “Please…” Was all you could get out, his focus coming up to you, his free hand cupping your cheek.

”I’ve got you…” He whispered, his thumb brushing over your bottom lip. Your heart clenched at the softness of his voice, the hand on your waist trailing down to hold your thigh up against his torso. You swallowed hard, your hands sliding up his chest, his heart beating against your palm, “Look at how good you take me.” He complimented, his hips moving slowly towards yours. In the reflection it was as if you were seeing yourself through his eyes, watching the way you writhed beneath him as he stretched you out slowly. He slid his thumb into your mouth, dragging the saliva down your chin, his lips meeting yours in a sloppy, heated kiss, your tongues battling for dominance, taking the opportunity to swallow your gasps as he pushed fully into you, bottoming out, your nails scraping down his back at the stretch. Bjorn hissed softly at the sensation, but the look in his eyes was welcoming. The both of you stilled for a moment, wanting to adjust to the new feeling of being so close together.

”Breathe with me.” He instructed, his forehead resting against yours, his hand finding yours, threading your fingers together. You did as you were told, breathing deeply, relaxing into him. Slowly, he began to move his hips, watching your reaction to gauge what made you feel good, trying to memorize it.

”Every part of you….Feels so good.” You whimper, arching into the thrusts. Your words sunk deep into him as his hips snapped forward rhythmically, finding a pace that made your eyes roll into the back of your head. He held your neck, helping you shift down the bed so you had more support for your head, so the both of you can look into each other's eyes. The quiet groans he made mingled with the sounds that escaped your lips filling the air between you, his forehead meeting yours.

“You’re so fucking perfect y/n.” Your cheeks burned at his words, his tone stealing the breath from your lungs as he held you closely, his body moving with such a gentle force it made your head spin. His arm slid behind your neck, propping you up, his lips pressing against your temple, his thrusts slowing down and getting deeper. A knot coiled low in your stomach, another orgasm building in you, the wetness now audible in the room. Your eyes fluttered shut, allowing your body to give into him, his urgent and tender movements burning for you.

”Bjorn…I-.” He held your cheek,

”I know, I got you…Let yourself go.” He continued to thrust into you, your walls tightening around him, whimpering at the overstimulation, his forehead meeting yours as his movements and breathing became ragged, his cock sinking into you just a little more deeper before he stilled above you, warmth filling your tight pussy, his hand squeezing yours. The world outside of his room felt far away in that moment- absolutely insignificant to what you had both done. All that mattered was being with him, entangled on top of the sheets, holding each other as you came down from the high. He pressed a kiss on your forehead, the both of you letting out a content sigh together, savoring the afterglow. He looked down at you, a quiet affection playing behind his blown out pupils.

”You’re incredible.” He whispered softly, his voice was tender, “I never want to forget this.” You smiled at his words.

”I don’t think I could forget it even if I tried.” You replied back, the both of you giggling together, settling down a bit, legs entwining together, feeling him soften inside you, but keeping him inside.

”Stay the night?” He asked, burying his face into the crook of your neck.

”I was planning to.” You responded, a lazy smile engraved on your lips, letting your body relax against his, your hands still tracing along every inch of his skin, knowing that it was just the start of something new.

[yooniesim]

ok unfortunately for yall the dash made me have a thought so now I gotta ramble lol

but ya know. maybe it's bc I've had so much time away from here and all the bitching (/affectionate) but over the past couple years, I get less angry about this shit and more solution-minded. and I don't mean for the community as a whole (that's impossible lol) but in a sort of... personal circle/responsibility type of way. like what we can do among ourselves without the confrontation aspect bc, just being honest- from my perspective & experience, the anger and the bitching doesn't really accomplish shit. not to say it ain't justified, & it's important to raise awareness for sure, but i swear me & a lot of others that have been talking about this for a long time have just been barking in circles without anything budging one way or another. which leads to burnout/emotional exhaustion not just for the ppl in question but for followers/mutuals/friends. I spent far too long and waaaay too much mental energy thinking that being the loudest and the boldest would get something to change. but the scammers keep scamming and the shit just keeps going. and sure it's fun as hell to shoot the shit and pick and bitch and laugh with your mutuals. baby yall know I love a good simblr circlejerk. but ya know, when you sit down and think about it it's a lil depressing. and the ppl you're talking to/around are already Aware and eventually the anger wears off and they're just tired of hearing about it. you're preaching to the choir and everyone is just pissed and tired with no clear goal to work towards.

Part of that exhaustion is why i made @alwaysfreecc as a positive way to boost always free creators, without focusing on the paywallers. as well as always supporting alternate ways of getting paywalled cc. but I think it takes a lil more than just that. I think, like the post I just reblogged was saying, people need to learn how to make their own content too. I know there's a learning curve, but so many things paywallers make are outright easy to do yourself. Some aren't- there are paywall creators that put great effort into their content and make it worth your money- but a lot of them are. And that isn't to say you should make everything yourself, there's nothing wrong with supporting creators that make content you find interesting or wouldn't want to do yourself, but it can be really rewarding to learn how to make simple edits and recolors on your own. And, image editing and 3d modeling skills can also benefit you elsewhere in life! Whether professionally or when modding other games. Knowing how to make cc in sims helped me figure out how to make certain things for skyrim and fallout, for example. Hell, it's just plain FUN to figure out and do, and I think the community could always use more of that.

Also, sometimes it's freeing to just, stop using certain creators' content. Like, i used to be bitching yet downloading stuff off dhm and shit, out of spite mostly cos half the stuff I didn't even like. But since I cleared out a lot of paywallers' stuff, besides a few I think are worth it/doing things honestly, it just feels better. I don't even think about those mfs anymore until I see something about them on my dash and then I can barely remember who they are lol. You don't realize how much you really don't NEED any of that shit & how you were kinda just downloading it to be downloading it, until you toss it. AND it feels great to have mostly always free creators' content & support them. Liiike i feel proud of ppl i saw get started and are STILL FREE and making awesome stuff, it's exciting! even when I'm not playing the game, I see their posts and be like "dang I need to grab that when I update" or "man they've gotten so much better in so little time" or "wow I never thought of that idea/seen that before". Bc always free peeps get to be so damn creative bc they don't have deadlines or turning off their paying audience to worry about. Like it's so cool and positive and I love that.

idk, just. based on what I've experienced here, i feel like it's kinda time to focus less on what the assholes are doing now (aka the same exact thing they've been doing for years) and more on what to do to make our own personal experiences better. which I know a lot of us are doing! I just wish I personally had done it earlier lol so maybe someone else needs to hear that too. like toss these dummies to the curb and replace them is what I'm sayin. If not in the whole community but just your personal circle. raise awareness as needed sure but don't let em take any more of your energy. cos if you are petty like me (😂) it'll hurt em way more to cast em out than yell at em. all the ppl that have bitched at me yet still have my cc in their folders come to mind lmfao, cos personally that gives me more satisfaction than anything else so I know it's probably the same for the scammers! Like a "you hate me but you can't bear to not use my shit huh 😏" type of deal. Don't give em that sick pleasure! (/projecting) Just focus on you and yours and make some sick ass content for yourself, then share it to me thx 💅

[rose24207]

hey lovely! can i please request more nerd!lando? not anything specifically except the nerd!lando but maybe lando slowly getting more confident however he still has his shy and insecure moments? have a lovely day!

Sounds fun

Summary: Lando, the shy and self-doubting "nerd" at school, slowly gains confidence as he bonds with you over shared interests, despite his moments of insecurity.

Genre: nerd!Lando, fluff

TW: None!

A/N: I received many messages, saying that they love nerd!Lando! So there you go!! Thank you for all the kind words and support 🫶🏻. English is not my first language. I hope you enjoy it though! Requests are open and welcome!

Masterlist

Lando had always been the quiet kid in class, the one with his nose buried in a book or his laptop. Sure, he had a natural charm that made people like him, but he preferred staying under the radar, not drawing too much attention to himself. His oversized glasses, a few sizes too big for his face, often slipped down his nose as he scribbled notes during lessons or solved problems on his laptop during free periods. He liked it that way, focusing on his passions—whether it was math, science, or his latest obsession with racing simulators.

You first noticed him in your shared history class. While the rest of the class struggled to keep their eyes open during the lecture, Lando sat at the back, completely absorbed in his notes, writing with a neat, precise hand. His concentration was almost admirable. He was, undoubtedly, the smartest kid in the class, but he never boasted about it. In fact, if anyone noticed, he’d often downplay it.

Today, you saw him sitting by the window during lunch break, his laptop open in front of him. His headphones were in, and he was completely lost in a racing game, tapping furiously at the keys. You couldn’t help but smile. Lando was cute when he got like this—totally immersed in something he loved. You’d been wanting to talk to him for a while, but whenever you did, he always seemed a little shy, like he wasn’t quite sure how to handle attention.

With a bit of hesitation, you walked over to his table, your shoes softly tapping against the floor.

“Hey, Lando,” you greeted him, making him jump in surprise.

His eyes widened behind his glasses. “Oh! Hey, uh, hi,” he stammered, quickly pausing his game and adjusting his glasses, though they slid down his nose again.

You grinned, leaning against the desk. “What’s up? You in the middle of a race or something?”

“Uh, yeah. Kinda,” Lando said, his voice still a little flustered. “I’m just… well, practicing for a race. You know, like a simulator thing.” He gave a nervous chuckle, clearly uncomfortable now that he wasn’t hiding behind his game.

“Sounds fun,” you said, your voice soft and teasing. “You always this focused?”

Lando nodded, his cheeks tinging pink. “Yeah, I guess so. I really like it. It helps me… focus on stuff, y’know? It’s like, my thing.”

You smiled, watching as he fidgeted with his hands, clearly a bit shy. “That’s cool. You’re really good at it, aren’t you?”

Lando shrugged, glancing at the screen, his eyes not quite meeting yours. “I mean, I guess? I’ve been practicing for a while, but it’s nothing special. I’m just a bit of a nerd about it.”

“No, I think it’s awesome,” you said, sitting down next to him. “I can barely figure out how to drive in the game. You must be a pro.”

Lando’s face lit up a little, but the shy smile quickly faded into self-doubt. “Nah, I don’t know about that. I’m probably not as good as, you know, some of the other guys.”

He said it so softly, almost like he didn’t want to be heard, but you caught it. He always downplayed his skills, as if he was too afraid of seeming too confident.

“Lando,” you said gently, nudging him. “You’re amazing at it. Seriously, you could probably race professionally if you wanted to. You just need to believe in yourself a little more.”

His eyes widened, and he looked at you, caught off guard by your words. “You really think so?”

You smiled warmly. “I do.”

Lando’s cheeks flushed slightly, and he looked away, adjusting his glasses again. “Well, thanks. I, uh, I guess I’ll take that as a compliment.”

You watched him for a moment, realizing that while Lando had all the potential in the world, he still had his moments of uncertainty, like he wasn’t sure if he deserved the praise or the attention.

“Okay, next question,” you said, changing the topic to keep the conversation going. “If you could have any superpower, what would it be?”

Lando grinned a little, his confidence coming back in small bursts as he warmed up to you. “Super speed, obviously,” he said, his tone a little more confident now. “I mean, I could race anywhere. And I’d be unbeatable.”

You laughed, teasing him gently. “Just don’t get too cocky. You might run into trouble if you get too fast.”

“Pfft,” Lando said, playfully brushing it off, though a small smile tugged at his lips. “Who could catch me?”

The two of you spent the rest of the lunch break chatting, Lando slowly becoming more comfortable as the conversation went on. He still had his shy, insecure moments—like when he’d second-guess himself or nervously adjust his glasses—but with each compliment and bit of encouragement from you, Lando grew just a little bit more confident.

By the time the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, Lando’s smile was genuine, and his posture a bit straighter.

“Thanks for hanging out,” he said as you both gathered your things. “I don’t usually… talk much. But it was nice.”

“You’re welcome, Lando,” you said, giving him a warm smile. “We should do it again sometime.”

“Yeah, totally,” he replied, his voice still a little shy but much more confident than when you first sat down. “I’d like that.”

As you walked to class together, you couldn’t help but feel that, while Lando still had a lot of growing to do in terms of his confidence, he was well on his way. And maybe, just maybe, you’d be the one to help him get there.

Thank you for reading!

[jess-the-vampire]

For any of your ocs, we're there any What Could Have Beens? Like some stuff that changed over time or an idea you had for them but you changed it because you didn't like it or something?

Sorry, I just like going Behind the Scenes with some things!

Oh there's a lot of that! When you have as many characters as I do and have worked on them for many years, there's bound to be changes and evolutions as you continue to develop them and work on your creation skills.

I guess a good starting point is romantic relationships? Sometimes when I make characters I do design them with the mindset that certain characters will get together with a planned romance arc, and other times I don't plan for it at all and two characters of mine just have such fun chemistry they just kinda....become love interests now??!!

There's a few examples of that, though a notable one is Ashton and Luna, who are kinda beloved by people who enjoy my sky au. When I made Ashton and Cole I didn't even know where to put them (They weren't made with a au in mind, they were put into this au), much less make them into love interests, but everyone loved their chemistry with luna (especially ash) so they have fanart???!! People love them??!!!

I also equally have examples of planned romances that I end up ditching entirely for something else, like another better couple or plotlines outside of romance. A good recent example is currently Dusk has evolved into a bit of a love interest for Archie, giving them a friends to lovers kinda vibe.

But during the process of figuring out these new characters, I first had considered Dusk and Grady to be romantic interests actually. This changed because boy did it not take long before people became endeared with dusk and archie's relationship. (Although really you could still ship them anyway)

Now I also have design evolutions, where I'm not satisfied with a design and they get a nearly complete makeover (edith, melaine) or i add new details to their design over time (once tom was revealed to have a tail in star vs, a lot of his fan kids got them added/ angel was originally created without the spider legs, they were added later)

Though story stuff happens too, like chloe (main character of my original project), was originally a character i made for my video game class in college, and in that game she fought these little slime creatures I called ghouls.

This has.....very little relevance to her story in the project and while I had it in there originally I've basically ditched it because it conflicts with new info I added later. I did kinda evolve it into her fighting escaping creatures on earth before she is returned to the underground tho.

There's also like, stefan, whose plot lines around finding out he's a prince and going to his kingdom to reclaim his crown after his mom kept him traveling with her his entire life and never telling him about his dad. Like he's supposed to just show up and suddenly take a bunch of responsibilities he's not prepared for because he only reclaimed the crown to live a more lavished life. With the royal family having no idea he existed.

And that's all interesting in itself, but I had the concept of him coming home to find out his dad had ANOTHER kid, and stefan showing up means he basically took her place as next in line.

Obviously I've never made any art of this concept, so yeah.

There's a lot of others I could get into but let's get into archie, because his story was ENTIRELY redone rather then partially like those examples.

So all my earlier archie art and content was VERY different and anyone who was there knows it. Originally, hunter created him due to some unfortunate still lingering attachment to belos, seeing archie as a way to almost "give him a second chance at life" kinda way. Hunter was also a single dad still pining over willow, and had a very different job.

However, this is mostly because this early stuff was made during s2, so you kinda had no timeskip ending to build upon.

Archie also wasn't cursed and in fact he had almost an admiration for the golden guards, kinda wanting to be a fighter like them, a symbol of good.

Obviously this is pretty much all gone when I rebooted him after the show ended, archie is now the product of cultists looking to revive belos and was taken in by Hunter, he has both willow and hunter as parents, he's dealing with the effects of his ortets curse, and all stuff relating to hunter's past is...conflicting to say the least.

Though archie is a bit unhealthily obsessed with researching the brothers, obsessed with knowing about them to separate himself. He doesn't want to be compared to belos and yet can't stop looking into them.

There was interesting aspects of his original concept, but i do think this new draft is a lot more interesting for multiple reasons so I'm happy with the change.

So those are just some of the changes and developments of some of my characters! There's certainly more i could discuss but we'd be here awhile, so I hope you enjoyed this insight!

[rustedleopard]

"What if Chujin's Boss Monster Serum worked when Ceroba used Clover's 'pure' SOUL to make it?"

First of all, I very seriously doubt the serum would have worked. SOUL science isn't as straightforward as it seems. Alphys injected Fallen Down monsters with Determination in the hopes that it would make their SOULs persist after death because Determination is what allows human SOULs to linger after the body dies. The logic was sound. But instead the monsters woke up then fused together into Amalgamates. The devs said that Chujin's logic for a "pure" SOUL being needed was because the "impurities" of the Integrity SOUL he used wouldn't mix with a monster SOUL, which is made of love, hope, and compassion--like oil and water. A human SOUL "uncorrupted by violence," meanwhile, shouldn't have the Level Of ViolencE and hate and emotional distance in it that would cause the monster SOUL to reject it. But, again, SOUL science isn't as straightforward as it seems, so there's a good chance that that wasn't all that was needed/if the serum is even possible in the first place. Maybe Ceroba screwed up extracting the impurities from the leftover Integrity SOUL extract she had (pretty likely considering she doesn't have a scientific background). But if she didn't mess up and the serum used "purified" SOUL extract, then it still made Kanako Fall Down from one dose alone. If that's the case, then that would prove that there's more to using human SOULs to make this serum than just "purity."

BUT! Let's throw all of that out the window for a second! Let's say that Chujin had it all figured out and all that was needed was a "pure" human SOUL. Who's going to accept it? The premise of a super serum that can turn ordinary monsters into powerful Boss Monsters sounds like something straight out of a sci-fi story. Most monsters would rightfully have reservations about injecting stuff into their SOULs (which, for monsters, are the center of their being since they're composed of magic and dust)* to make them stronger. "What if something goes wrong and I end up dead or changed forever in some terrible way?" Y'know. Normal things to be worried about when someone tries to offer you something that seems too good to be true.

Besides having reservations about the outcome though, who's going to be happy with what had to be done in order to achieve it? Ceroba had already committed herself to fulfilling Chujin's legacy so she wouldn't (and didn't try to) stop just because she doesn't like the idea of taking Clover's SOUL and using it in a science experiment. But what about all the friends Clover made along the way? All the common enemy monsters that they befriended wouldn't like the idea of their SOUL being experimented on and used for these means because Clover was nice to them, why do they deserve their fate? Dalv would be saddened to hear that the person who was so kind and got him to come out of his shell was killed explicitly because they were so kind. Starlo would be heartbroken to know that his deputy was killed by his best friend to be used for her husband's twisted science project. Axis would be upset to hear that the Hatted Human was terminated (though considering his speech when he meets Clover in the No Mercy Route, perhaps not surprised). And Martlet would be both deeply saddened at the idea of losing her friend and outraged to know that it was their innocence that had painted a target on their back, that choosing to be a good person despite all the pain they were put through made them worthy of death.

But there are more monsters in the Underground than just the ones that Clover met. Surely one of them would see the sense in Chujin's serum? Well, for starters, Asgore and Toriel would flat out reject it and would also be disgusted by it. Toriel loves and tries her hardest to protect the human children that fall into the Underground, entirely innocent or not. Asgore may have killed the fallen humans, but that's because he's too much of a coward to go back on his war declaration. In canon Undertale, he hates the position that he backed himself into. Despite having a staggering 80 ATK and 80 DEF, Frisk can easily take hits from him (even at LV 1) and dish out attacks that can do over 100 points of damage because the strength of a monster is heavily tied to their state of mind. He doesn't want to hurt humans, he just does because he feels like he has to for monsterkind. For god's sake they both raised a human child! Do you think either of them would be happy to know that someone made a serum by targeting, killing, and experimenting on an innocent human child?!!

What about Alphys? Well, I doubt she'd want much to do with SOUL experiments after what happened with her Amalgamates and, again, the serum requires experimenting on an explicitly innocent human to make it. Even Undyne, Número Uno human hater (that Frisk meets in the Underground), would have reservations because 1.) She wouldn't feel like she needs some damn serum to make her stronger when she's plenty capable of kicking a human's ass on her own and 2.) She doesn't hurt the innocent. Monster Kid outright states this. The only reason why Frisk is able to date and befriend Undyne is because they gained no EXP or LOVE up until that point. She has a soft spot for the innocent. Just look at the end of her date with Frisk when she challenges them to hit her and when she realizes that they don't want to hurt her, she comes around to liking them. No matter how much she might tout about how humans suck, the premise of a serum made by harvesting the SOUL of an explicitly innocent, non-hostile, "pure" human would make her skin crawl. Maybe a few monsters here and there would be willing to get behind the serum, but most wouldn't.

The problem with the Boss Monster Serum** is that it's antithetical to what monsterkind stands for. Monsters are supposed to be made of love, hope, and compassion. Targeting and killing innocent humans because they're innocent and extracting power from their SOULs and using it to engineer super soldiers crosses the moral event horizon. If it were used, it would turn monsterkind into actual monsters. And because of that, it never would've caught on.

*Minor Tangent: I'm not certain if this is an appropriate comparison, but if monster SOULs are the scaffolding that the rest of the monster's physical being is built on, wouldn't that make Chujin injecting himself with the Integrity SOUL extract several times the equivalent of performing multiple surgeries on his own vital organs? I'm already aware that Chujin was stupid for doing that to himself, but thinking of it that way makes it sound straight up moronic! Chujin Ketsukane, you're not Leonid Rogozov, why the hell did you do that to yourself?!

**(besides if it's even possible/if monsters would want to risk their SOUL on it)

[valentine-cafe]

hello!! can i have denara and xiyang 9819 taking care of a badly sick reader?

(fem reader)

reader has a weak immune system and just gets sick reallyy often, usually its not too serious but.. today reader has the highest fever temperature!! when xiyang and denara need to rush out to get medicine, reader just whines for them not to leave her alone!! and when denara and xiyang want to get intimate reader just stares at them sadly like a sad puppy !!

˖⁺. ﹙ grim reaper mercenary boyfriend  x fem reader x sorcerer nurse girlfriend. ﹚ .𖹭 ݁

. . . we won't leave you !! 🍒 :  xīyáng: mercenary ˖ mercenary leader character ˖ denara: sorcerer ˖ nurse character﹙ verse 9819 xīyáng & denara. ﹚

“Please don’t leave. I don’t want to be alone.”

Coughs fill the room, as you turn to look at your two beloveds. Who have been working through hell and back to help assure that you feel better soon. It’s the worst slew of sickness you have caught onto so far—

Denara has been working non-stop to try and figure out a way to cure your ailment, while Xìyáng is out and about trying to balance mercenary work and home, to assure you and her are both doing alright as well.

“Darling it’ll only be a few minutes. . .” Your girlfriend murmurs gently, smiling down at you. They mean you no harm or malice at all by needing just a few minutes together. It doesn’t make them feel good that you aren’t either.

But maybe if they could have something out. They would feel less pent up and be able to help you even better! Return the favour the second you were easing out of the sickness too.

“Can’t you staaaaaaaaaaay” you whine and grip onto her hand, putting it on top of your heart, only to look up at your boyfriend with puppy eyes when his long white hair curtains your face, along with the feel of his hands stroking across the heated skin.

“It’ll be a minute, then we will be back and sit here with you. For as many hours as you’d like us to.” He chuckles quietly. It’s rare to see him in particular look upon someone with fondness and soft undertones of guilt. unless it is Denara or you.

A sharp whine leaves you, the feverish state of mind making you feel more dependant on them than you ever have felt. It agitates you deep down. If they want to go and do their thing and then come back to you and be with you and have a nice time too then so let them. You can’t hold them back, even if you want them to stay.

You attempt to take in a deep breath and cry out when the cough cuts away at one of your lungs, making you lightheaded and forcing you to slump back into the pillows with wide eyes and rasps following after.

It makes the both of your lovers look down with worry.

“I understand, you can go. Just. Just please come back when you’re done.”

“We will. We promise, darling. Oh, gods. Here.” The sound of rattling catches in your ear, as a medicine bottle is opened and you are handed a pill to swallow with a glass of water, along with some odd substance that your girlfriend has been giving you for the past few days to help your cough a bit.

“Don’t forget your medicines okay? Call us if there is anything. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing, just please?”

The mercenary beside her perks his head up from his hands and squeezes yours gently. “You’re sure it’s alright?” He whispers, brows staying knitted, even when you nod and give affirmation.

They need to get the pent up stuff out but it also feels so wrong to just leave you here.

Alas, you are the one who end up chasing them out with small: “just go, please, it’s fine. Just come back after.” Even when you look after them long since they’ve gone with that heartwrenching frown and big puppy-eyed looks that make you look as lost as you feel.

Oh but they couldn’t go on for long knowing you are sick. Denara would have leaned up against Xiyang, while his arms wrapped around her waist. They didn’t get to much other than that, throwing it all out of their hands to make it back to your room.

You’d insisted it was okay, even though you wish you could join. You were sick, yeah, but, that shouldn’t stop them from having a good time, right?

You’re seated in your bed still. Eyes pointed to the outside world, to try and ignore the melancholy that blends together with your feverish state. It’s taking forever to go down. You wish you weren’t alone right now. Well they did tell you that you could call but. . . Eeeeh it felt awkward.

“I feel like I’m gonna fuckin’ die at this rate.” You whine to yourself. The ache in your body persisting and allowing you no rest.

“Maybe I should try and sleep?” The thoughts run around over and over again. Hands fiddling with each other in attempt to put your mind at ease with smaller distractions.

Sighing out, the time has come where you just close your eyes and try to rest. Yet it is hard to ignore the odd quiet that lingers within the surrounding areas of your bedroom. They couldn’t have gone that far to do anything could they?

You hope they aren’t feeling guilty, that’s the last thing they should.

But then.

“Are you sleeping?” The door creaks open, letting the sound of your girlfriend’s question in a bit clearer.

“No.” You respond flatly, not out of malice, more because you’re caught off guard by the footsteps nearing your bedside.

The weight shifts, and you feel two pair of arms hug you from each side. Denara taking the spot of your front, while Xìyáng takes your back and rubs gentle and soothing circles into your side with his cold hands that easily take away the uncomfortable heat of the fever away.

“Nooo! You’ll both get sick- please.” You protest. Yet there is nothing you can do to get them away. You have a 6 ft something tall boyfriend who works as an assassin and mercenary leader and a sorceress girlfriend who could easily hold you still with some magic.

“You kept telling us to stay, so just let us.” She murmurs against your neck and huffs.

“I told you to stay! Not get sick with meeee!” You sing out, the pounding in your head disappearing so suddenly. You don’t think you’ve ever felt your brain lock down that quickly. You’re asleep before you know it.

“Denny.” Xìyáng sighs and looks over your shoulder to look at yours and his girlfriend. Eyebrows raised at the suddenness of the situation.

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? I didn’t do anything.” She pretends, though she was definetely cause of the sudden sleep. As she hits Your boyfriend with it as well.

[kabutoden]

Fan classes? Uh, judge of Void, dose that mean they can like, rule it or lock it away or?

YEAH! Fan classes. From left to right, the rogue here's from cannon but the Dunce of Blood and Judge of Void are not. I only have 2 fan classes out of the full set of 36 trolls, mostly because I didn't want to dupe any cannon classpect combos so these guys were a kind of 'get out of jail free' card or way for me to experiment more when I just had a funny idea. Below the cut is some writing on the subject:

Dunce of Blood. Orthid, once much more judgmental and skeptical, has graduated from getting involved in others business. Instead she acts with blind faith, relaxed and confident. Her support is invaluable, and she doesn’t need to know anything for her bonds to stay strong. Dunce is class empowering blind faith. Where as a mage suffers the consequence of knowing, a dunce needs to know nothing and suffers not. It’s sort of an ‘idiot savant’ type ability.

Judge of Void. As a jadeblood believer of culling, Themis judges the ways in which others are inadequate and wishes to impose fate on them. A judge is a leadership position who excises control over players and their aspect. Essentially, she judges about them what is VOID, what is WORTHLESS. Themis can create black holes and dismiss other player’s powers for some time. However, perhaps the void aspect of her powers mean her ‘judgements’ themselves are what mean truly nothing. When their judgments are denied or made obsolete by others, the judge loses their control.

When Orthid learns that her hemoanon best friend is a purpleblood, she has a bit of a crisis because she didn't expect that. She's also struggling as a former hemoanon herself being forced to represent her own bloodtype and being seen that way by others. To make matters worse, society is pushing the two apart. Orthid's godtier represents her moving past worrying about stuff like that so she can once more embrace her friendships, and as a dunce, everything just sort of 'works out.'

Themis on the other hand was intended to be a villain leader character, who's irritated by the blatent disrespect for the hemocaste and society itself put on display by her fellow players. She believes one job of jadebloods is to cull grubs showing signs of being too weak to live or not contributing to the empire--this is conflated with Artemis, the greek god of the hunt, as one of the god's domains was killing young girls and babies. Essentially, she held dominion of both the life and death of girls. There's a metaphor conflating deadly birth defects with invisible arrows--doing just enough, highly precise damage to take the little one's life. Additionally, jadebloods are expected to be a group of virgin nuns, not unlike Artemis's hunters. I know lots of people like Artemis, but it's important to remember she was a complex figure. I think Themis can represent that in a really interesting way, as she carries with her a cruel responsibility she believes is incredibly important.

[sammy8d257]

hey there! im kinda new to your works, and i cant find the full CV!universe qwq

i dont mind an info dump lol

OH MAN ANON YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'VE JUST DONE 8D

The main reason why you haven't heard much about the AvA Cartoon Villain verse is that I'm horrible at actually updating any of my AUs here on Tumblr

But you've handed me a perfect opportunity to info dump and info dump I shall

Okay so, as a recap, the Cartoon Villain verse (aka the CV!verse) is an AU I created back before the start of AvM season 3 started where I wanted to be incredibly self-indulgent about the possibility of the Dark Lord ever returning so me and a couple of others on the Enthusiasts server started listing off funny saturday morning cartoon villain tropes we liked. And lo and behold, the CV!verse was created

As it stands now, the CV!verse is an AU where after the events of Showdown, Dark wakes up from being blasted into the side of the mountain and literally stumbles his way onto Purple's MAC. At this point, Purple has already made up with their villagers and is back being their king. So when Dark arrives, he sees Purple wearing a crown, decks them in the face, declares himself ruler of the castle, and them promptly passes tf out.

Purple in their utter confusion, takes Dark back to the castle and nurses him back to health. As thanks, Dark offers Purple a job as his henchman, and Purple is so amused (and quite literally has nothing better to do) agrees.

So now they're a Villain and Henchman duo who's goal is to take over Alan Becker's PC and the Color Gang (also known as the Color Lames, Dark's nickname for them) has to stop them. Additionally, despite this being created before AvM s3, I still have incorporated some elements, particularly the characters, from that season. Although, nothing is canon past AvM Lucky Blocks and that includes the current AvA arc with Victim.

Essentially, I've taken these sticks and I'm playing around with them like dolls. Some characters I've changed in terms of backstory pretty drastically because it fits in better with the AU and frankly, its funnier.

Also because of the cartoon influences, I like imagining the AU takes place in like episodic seasons.

So Season 1 would be where Chosen (whose been going around the Interweb as a Virus Hunter) ended up back on Alan's PC and after finding out Dark is still alive, agrees to mentor Second. Dark is absolutely THRILLED that Chosen is back because that means he can have his nemesis back (and he does genuinely miss him but he'll never admit it). The season would be about introducing the characters with the overarching plot being the struggle of accepting change and whether or not it's okay to accept a role that was placed upon you.

Season 2 is where we meet Victim/Vic (also known as L!Vic whose is based off of @iluvylalevu Victim) who at the end of the season is revealed to be an Alternate Dimensional Traveler. So he's not this AU's Victim. Vic ends up joining Dark and Purple on their adventures because tbh, their shenanigans are a lot of fun and he looooove silly stuff. This season is also where we're introduced to King MT, a evil genius inventor in the field of robotics (who is also very divorced and sometimes Gold will stop by to help out). King doesn't actually appear (aside from a few mentions) until the end of the season. This season would focus on expanding the world of the AU, going over some sticks new backstories (Purple's parents are still alive and the family is not broken!!) while the overarching plot would be dealing with the feelings of not belonging and of being replaced.

Season 3 is where we get into dabbling with Alternate Universe stuff. Because at the end of Season 2, Vic goes back to his own universe and that inspires Dark to start looking into how to travel into other universe. Due to this tampering with reality, a new character appears on Alan's PC who happens to be a ghost stick figure named "Shade". So while Dark is doing AU theory, the Color Gang is looking for clues as to who "Shade" is and why xir bound to the desktop. By the end of the season, Dark figures out dimensional travel and its revealed that "Shade" is this AU's version of Victim who at remembering xir past, pulls an "Aggie Prenderghast from Paranorman" and starts destroying the desktop. Dark, Purple, the Color Gang, and Chosen have to escape into L!Vic's dimension to avoid the fallout. This season's main theme is the yearning for something new and the grief of the past.

Season 4, the group heads back and through the power of friendship (and promises of forgiveness and second chances), they manage to calm Victim down, who decides xe like the name Shade better. And honestly, that's as far as I got. This would also be the point where CV!Dark starts visiting other AvA AUs for fun (like how the CV!Trio visited my AvA Mafia AU ^^)

But yeah, that's about it. An overview of the AU!

Honestly, if anyone wants I'd be more than happy to info dump about any specific things about the AU. Like characters, character relationships, any episode ideas. That kinda stuff

Cuz it's all trapped in my head rn and I just haven't had the chance (or time) to actually do anything about it alskdjlgdsg

ALSO BONUS:

Heres my ref I have for specifically the CV!Trio!

[collapsedsquid]

But by insulating their films from failure, the streamers have destroyed the meaning of success. Thierry Frémaux, head of the Cannes Film Festival and a vocal critic of streamers, understood this well when he presented the dilemma at a Cannes press conference in 2021. “What directors have been discovered by [streaming] platforms?” he asked. It wasn’t a rhetorical question. Frémaux began calling on journalists to name an auteur whose career had been launched by a streamer. By this point, Netflix had released more than seven hundred films in the US alone, with hundreds of directors attached. Yet as the Guardian later reported of the scene, “nobody could name any at all, in fact.” Here, streaming platforms have achieved a strange paradox. Never has a group of studios gained so much control over the production, distribution, exhibition, and reception of movies by making movies no one cares about or remembers. Having not only failed to discover a new generation of auteurs, the streamers have also ensured that their filmmakers are little more than precarious content creators, ineligible to share the profits of any hit. It’s a shift that has induced a profound sense of confusion. “What are these movies?” the Hollywood producer asked me. “Are they successful movies? Are they not? They have famous people in them. They get put out by major studios. And yet because we don’t have any reliable numbers from the streamers, we actually don’t know how many people have watched them. So what are they? If no one knows about them, if no one saw them, are they just something that people who are in them can talk about in meetings to get other jobs? Are we all just trying to keep the ball rolling so we’re just getting paid and having jobs, but no one’s really watching any of this stuff? When does the bubble burst? No one has any fucking clue.”

How can we tell what movies are popular? Sadly we don't have the technology to figure that out