#thank you so much for the ask dearest!

[softquietsteadylove]

Hiii, how are you?

I had this little idea in my mind, that i wanted to share with you.

Thenamesh 10 things i hate about you AU.

Dane the new guy at school, wants to go out with his beautiful classmate Sersi, but there's a little problem with that. Sersi can't go out unless her cold and scary older sister Thena does. So Dane does the most sensible thing, and hiers Gilgamesh a mysterious boy with a bad reputation, to date Thena.

- Btw thank you sooo much for your works, they are so cute and perfect, and always make my days better. 🩷🤍

"Hi Dane!"

"Sersi!"

The two bounded over to each other like puppies, or fawns with a little kick in their step. Thena did smile faintly as she watched her sister excitedly greet this equally sweet, equally nerdy boy she had found to her tastes.

It was the only reason Thena had agreed to this charade of a 'date'.

It was the only reason her 'date' had agreed as well, as far as she could gather. Dane had heard that she and Sersi could not go anywhere unless it was together, their father taking advantage of Thena's naturally repellent presence to keep people away from his more sociable daughter.

Gilgamesh was - according to reputation and rumour - a juvenile delinquent allowed to attend school for a last attempt at graduating before he joined a mob or gang for the rest of his life. He was quiet, certainly looked tall and big enough for it to be believable that he had been in some trouble with authority. He wore only dark t-shirts and jeans with unintentional tears in the knees and heavy boots. And he smoked.

"Ready for this, or what?"

Thena let some bemusement show on her face as Sersi and Dane galloped up to the snack counter, arm in arm. She drifted vaguely in Gilgamesh's direction. "You seem even more displeased by this arrangement than I could have anticipated."

He gave her an equally shrewish look, both of them in a standoff in the theatre lobby. He made the grand effort of pulling his hands out of his pockets and relaxing his posture. He really was big. "Is that how I seem?"

Thena crossed her arms at him, "you need not pretend for my sake, Gilgamesh. What did you get paid?"

He blinked.

"No one does anything with me willingly," Thena said lightly, looking towards her options for food while Dane counted out his pennies to pay for a combo to share with Sersi.

He slid a little closer to her, both of them hovering just outside the bounds of being in line. "Is that what this school is like? Guys bidding for the privilege to go out with your ladyship?"

"They have attempted it before."

"Well, that's disgusting."

Thena blinked at him, this time.

He looked over at her with his arms crossed, "you don't seem like the type who would tolerate that. For you or your sister."

"I don't," she scowled, happy to resume her previous frostiness. "But it is not that original a tactic, is all I'm saying."

"You mean this?" he pulled a few bills out of his pocket, crisp and brand new.

Thena shrank somewhat.

"Dane told me he was trying to ask out Sersi but she wasn't allowed to go anywhere without you. I told him I don't exactly have the spare cash to be taking out anyone," he raised a cool brow at her with that stupid smirk on his face, "her ladyship or otherwise."

Thena's shoulders rose, "so Dane paid you off."

"He lent me the cash to actually buy the tickets and some popcorn, Princess, so put your axe and noose away."

"Prin-"

"So, you wanna see a movie or what?" Gilgamesh stepped in even closer, leaning his head down when the thickness of his arms stopped him from encroaching more.

She eyed him. "Do you?"

He chuckled, "y'know, I really am strapped for cash. I could have just taken this and fucked right off."

Thena continued to regard the cash in his hand with disgust. She must have been feeling generous when she looked at him again, "why didn't you?"

His eyes were very brown, but warm, in a way. "Maybe I wanted the chance to figure out why everyone calls you the shrew."

"Ah," Thena scoffed, finally moving into the snack line for herself, "so you have heard."

"You seem to have heard about me."

"Everyone has heard about you," she both argued and defended, lest he think she had asked about him at any point.

"And what you think?"

It came out soft, hard to hear over the popcorn and the pretzels and the teenagers screaming at each other behind the counter. She looked over at him, but his face didn't match the almost vulnerable tone of the question.

She straightened her posture again and held her chin high, "you are not as frightening as you think you are."

His eyes slid over to her again, a grin on his face, "you're not as mean as you think you are either."

The two stared at each other, digging as deep as they could without exposing too much of themselves, either.

"Uhm, would you like-"

Gilgamesh slapped the cash on the counter and glared at the kid, "whatever the lady wants."

Thena rolled her eyes, but it couldn't be said that she wasn't laughing just a little. She sighed, looking at the LED screen menus again. "Pretzel bites and a medium iced tea, please."

"Iced tea?"

She glared at his loud and amused scoff. "What of it?"

"Even your drinks are uptight," he snickered at her, although he wasn't arguing against the choice as the employee filled up the soda fountain cup in front of them.

Her eyes narrowed, "I like iced tea."

Gilgamesh held up his hands and leaned off the counter, "I did say whatever the lady wants--the old lady, apparently."

Thena met his sardonic chuckling with her own, "if I am an old bitty then perhaps I should not be dating such a young specimen, then."

"Oh, so we are dating!"

She whipped around, ready to glower and snipe and insult him into leaving. But he reached over her shoulder to accept the drink from the kid and take a sip for himself--the first sip! "Hey!"

Gilgamesh made a display of licking and smacking his lips before slipping the cup into her hand from above and behind her, "I guess it's not vile."

Thena huffed, holding the cup protectively, soiled straw and all. "This better not taste of smoke now."

"Relax, I haven't had any today," he assuaged her, also reaching around her - rude - again for the paper cup of pretzel nuggets. He offered her one, "heard you're pretty repelled by the stuff."

"Oh." Thena accepted a pretzel bite (although, really, weren't they hers?). She turned, still somewhat pinned between him and the front counter, "well...yes."

"I do brush my teeth too, y'know," he gave her another devilish look and leaned closer again, "care to test?"

"Hm," she mused, eyeing him again. She let him drift closer until she could jam a pretzel bite between them, "no."

Gil caught the pretzel bite in his hand as she slipped away from him, rejoining her sister as Dane claimed his and Sersi's seats. The sisters traded a few, quiet words, glancing in both directions as they did. Sersi was visibly charmed by Dane.

Thena glanced briefly in Gil's direction, but that was definitely a smile on her face, "perhaps."

He took that as a good thing, walking over with the pretzel bites to her iced tea. "Well?"

Thena merely held her hand out for him to approach the counter himself.

He smirked again, dragging her with him by the wrist and then throwing his arm around her much smaller shoulder when he got up front. "Two for the same movie as them."

The young man eyed them, nothing short of confused at the display Gilgamesh was putting on. He scanned the tickets, "enjoy the movie."

Gil angled Thena to look at her again. She glared at him for man-handling her. He grinned, "I think I will."

[willowser]

you don't know how much comfort your dragon king bkg drabble has given me ever since you posted it!! i keep reading it i love it sm 🥹

as it turns out, the man bakugou is — a bit harder to handle.

he sleeps like a heathen; you once thought the dragon bakugou to be a bit lazy, with how often he tended to curl up in the fields of grass, warm under the sun, but now — it would seem his little human form needs significantly less rest.

almost up all hours of the day, and when he does finally lay down, he's everywhere. a mess of limbs: one thrown carelessly out to the side and the other bent at an angle you can't believe doesn't hurt his joints. his head stays tucked into you somehow, either buried in your neck or pressed against your ribs — or you'll wake to find him nose-to-nose with you. he still snores like a dragon, however.

you're also beginning to wonder if there is a bottom to the pit of his stomach. he ate much before, whole fields of things, but you expected that appetite to dwindle, at least a little, now that his stomach has decreased considerably in size. and in number ? you're not even sure how many stomachs a dragon has; that's not something that was mentioned in the fairytales.

it burns through him quickly, gives him more energy than he needs, and it doesn't ever seem to affect his weight much. already, he's huge and thick with muscle and eating as much as he does never dulls the severity of his cut abdomen. not that you're looking all that much.

— not that you have a choice not to, as he seems to have little-to-no understanding of —

the door to the bathhouse kicks open, with enough force that you already know who it is without ever turning to look. you try not to shriek when you see him, because he seems to like that in some evil, impish way.

you've been alone to wash so far, thankfully, as the inn you'd managed to find was small and far enough out from the nearest kingdom that the occupancy was low — enough for you and your little brute.

the man bakugou comes to stand in front of the bath, blinking and huffing against the steam. finding clothes for him was — nearly impossible, and so the trousers you'd found hanging on someone's line outside fit above his ankles, a bit too tight around his waist. instead of a shirt, you've wrapped him in a scratchy linen, swaddled him up like a baby to cover the small smattering of scales that decorate his body, almost like freckles from the sun, though they gleam just as bright and red as they ever have. no matter his form.

a horn has started to sprout, on the right side of his forehead, and you've done your best to cover that, too.

you have no idea how long this man thing will last. if it's permanent or if he even has control over it. the last thing you need is for him to switch back, somehow, while you're in the middle of feeding him, absolutely demolishing whatever tavern you're in and calling all of king todoroki's guards to attention.

bakugou grunts, almost sleepy, and tosses a fat, weighty sack onto the edge of the bath. it jingles a certain jingle that makes your heart stop.

"oh, allfather—" you move for the edge, awkwardly keeping one arm against your chest despite the fact that he's seen it all by now. when you peek inside and confirm your fears, you lob it back to him furiously, as if it were a steaming potato. "where do you keep getting this stuff?"

things have started to turn up, miraculously. shiny things — like coins and rings and gems. things he could not have simply found rolling around in the dirt.

"go put it back!" you hiss at him, and the tone of your voice makes his frown deepen. you never realized how pouty he was, when he was still a dragon.

you think he understands you, and you're pretty certain he just chooses not to listen; instead of doing what you've told him in the slightest, he simply dumps the coin-purse to the floor, and then lets his linen and stolen trousers cover it as he unceremoniously undresses.

the biggest issue that you would say the man bakugou poses is — his complete lack of understanding of personal space.

"bakugou!" your voice wavers, shocked again by his nakedness. as if you haven't seen it all by now. "no, you — get out!"

but he does the exact opposite, which is hop into the steaming water, ignoring the arm you hold out to keep him away as he saddles up beside you. skin against scales, pressing a nose into your hair to huff out his annoyance, to make it something you can feel.

if anyone were to walk in right now, they would — probably think the lie you'd told the innkeeper was true. that you are a simple traveler and this is your mute, over-sized husband.

regardless, you think this behavior isn't polite. especially in a public bathhouse.

"bakugou," you try again, turning your face away as you speak to the wood-paneled wall. "i'm taking a bath, you have to wait your turn."

all you receive in response is another huff against your ear and a low rumble of disagreement from his chest.

he has yet to speak back, and has only used inhuman sounds as his points of conversation. the only word you've ever heard him utter is oi, which he does when he really thinks he needs your attention. you're starting to wonder if he's named you that in his head. oi.

curiously, you turn back to him and the movement has him pulling his face from your hair, just enough that he can look down at you, too. watch you, with the red-rippled sea in his eyes.

they're — amazing, you will admit. just as bright and detailed as they always have been. fit for a fairytale told by the fire, veiled by the soft-ash of his lashes. he watches you through them, half-lidded, and you wonder if it's something other than fatigue that has them so heavy.

"do you know what i'm saying?" you ask quietly, voice lacking the firm heat you want it to. instead it's heavy, too, weighted by something soft and unfamiliar and frightening. "can you even understand me?"

bakugou doesn't respond, not with a huff or a rumble or ever a purr, like the one he let out on the night he lay over you by the lake. you've only heard it sparingly since then, oftentimes in his sleep when his face is pressed into you.

you try not to frown at his silence, try not to let it disappoint you because it shouldn't; he's a dragon afterall, and you're not sure what it matters. the little horn protruding from his forehead catches your eye and you reach up to touch it gently, watching him blink away the water that drips from your wrist — and then he's turning into you again, too close.

beneath the water, you feel his hands skate up your bare thighs, wrap around your waist until your chest is pulled flush against his. you feel his huff, again, against the damp skin of your neck but it's slower, lighter. not laced with his frustration. some unknown thing you feel guilty for liking.

you drop your hand to his hair, rushing full force into all the damned things you've thought about doing but have been too afraid to. he's soft between your fingers, and you trace your nails lightly against his scalp until he groans quietly; a new noise, one you don't know how to translate.

your fingers stop when they brush upon little spines that have grown at the base of his skull, that have started to trail down the center of his back.

suddenly, tangled up in the bath with him, you wonder how much time you have left.

bakugou huffs again into your skin, a little fiercer this time, and it's because of his light jostling that you realize how rigid you've gone. you try to relax so that he will, too, though you must not do a convincing job, because a sharp nip comes to your earlobe.

"ow!" you squeal, but he doesn't let you go far, not even as you try to jerk away from him. in fact, the harder you try the more his teeth show: into your cheek and the point of your jaw and then dangerously low on your neck.

it's not until you finally freeze that he stops, huffing again, with a warmth that burns more than the steaming water.

and then, very quietly, he grumbles, "shitty wife," into your collarbone, just before biting you again.

[mandarinmoons]

I am so speechless.

I'm practicing on you for when I get a special someone one day, feel special 😔

[thepaladinstrait]

bilibili.com/video/BV16W4y1673u/?spm_id_from=333.337.search-card.all.click <3

ANON OH MY GOD DO YOU REALISE HOW MANY TIMES IM GONNA ABSOLUTELY DIE WATCHING THAT STOP OH MY GOD 😭😭😭😭😭😭

[relicsongmel]

Tell me the Pokémon music thoughts??? :000

TWO whole Pokemon music asks WOOHOO!!!!! These past few days I’ve been on a kick of listening to Scarlet and Violet’s OST and downloading my faves (since I wanted to wait until the DLC had been released and then play through it fully before doing so) and it might be one of my favorite soundtracks to date. That being said here are the tracks I’m currently the most feral about:

Battle! (Team Star Boss)

The loop for this one is almost SIX MINUTES LONG which is a smart choice for how long and difficult some of these fights tend to be—and it’s six minutes of pure unadulterated musical goodness. Obviously the killer synths and guitars are a highlight here, but what really makes this theme (and the rest of the Team Star themes) special is how the harsh instrumentation is contrasted with sections containing emotional melodies and harmonies that give a sense of determination and hope—which fits in with Team Star’s storyline as former victims of bullying and doing their best to persevere in spite of that. All their themes are also composed by one of their bosses in-universe which is a fun lore detail (shoutout to my boy Giacomo I love him <3)

South Province

This one basically functions as the theme of the Paldea Region—this leitmotif (composed by our beloved Toby Fox) appears a LOT in various places within the soundtrack, particularly in cutscenes. It’s a great theme for exploring out and about in the game’s open world, and the sunny A major is a great key choice which is always a win in my book. I’m also a big fan of the piano version that plays while you’re walking in the overworld (as opposed to using your mount Koraidon/Miraidon) as well as the beautiful arrangement used at the end of the main story (if I had a nickel for every time a piano theme at the end of a Pokemon game made me cry I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice).

Showdown! (Champion Kieran)

I haven’t had a lot of time to get myself acquainted with much of the DLC soundtrack, but I wanted to include at least one in this list because there’s a lot of quality stuff worth shouting out. This is the last of Kieran’s three battle themes (technically there’s four but the final one isn’t a full battle and is mostly comprised of Terapagos’ motif as opposed to his own so I’m omitting it here) and there’s an interesting transformation that happens across each of them—it starts out mostly with traditional instrumentation and only mild chromaticism (which almost all battle themes have at least a little of) but transforms into something harsher by adding electric guitars/synths and more dissonant, darker harmonies (this one makes heavy use of Phrygian and Locrian elements—Phrygian is a mode that’s very similar to the minor scale but uses a flat 2nd scale degree, so for a piece in E minor like this one that would mean using an F natural as opposed to an F#. Locrian is the same as Phrygian but with a flat 5 added as well, meaning B♭ as opposed to B natural. These flat notes serve to darken the overall sound), which corresponds to Kieran’s arc of becoming bitter and resentful as he suffers repeated losses at the hands of the player. I’m also tickled by the fact that his battle themes are all in E minor which is the softest and gentlest minor to my ears—you can hide under those edgy guitars all you want Kieran but we all know you’re still baby :3

Area Zero

And we’ve saved the best for last because this is hands down my FAVORITE theme from this game; it’s not even a contest. I have such a vivid memory of playing through Scarlet for the first time a year ago and being incredibly intrigued about what was hiding in the massive crater at the region’s center (I tried flying/leaping in with Koraidon and lurking outside the Zero Gate yelling “LET ME INNNN” more times than I can count lmao)—and I was not at all disappointed when I got there because this is straight up one of the prettiest areas in the whole game. However. HOWEVER. NOTHING could have possibly prepared me for the breathtakingly beautiful music that accompanies this place—I remember stopping in my tracks as soon as I heard that low brass kick in, and then the chanting. Oh my lord the CHANTING. Honestly I was sold right then and there but WE’RE STILL NOT DONE MAKING THE MUSIC OF THE GODS BECAUSE SWEET MOTHER MARY THAT SYNTH????? TOOK ME THE FUCK OUT—I lose my everliving shit at anything even resembling an erhu in music because its voice-like timbre is so…raw and emotional in a way I really don’t know how to describe; all I know is it rocks me to my core to the point that I have to watch my breathing when I listen to a piece that has one lest I start hyperventilating (because it’s powerful enough to literally induce a physiological response out of me). Needless to say I was frozen in place for at LEAST ten minutes just to take it all in; that initial experience was utterly magical and I wish more than anything I could go back in time to live that feeling again.

But that very long preface aside, there are a couple other things about this piece worth noting—the first being that E♭ minor is an IMMACULATE key choice in my opinion. In my synesthesia it primarily represents what I call “the crushing black weight of despair,” but it also functions very nicely in any intense, high-stakes situation, which fits beautifully with the circumstances surrounding Area Zero in-game. It’s a walled garden filled with invasive wildlife from the distant past/future that poses an imminent threat to Paldea’s ecosystem should they find a means of escaping to the outside; in fact, we learn from the professor that some species have already managed to do so. I also quite like how the instrumentation is vastly different from every other piece of music you’ll hear in Paldea’s overworld, which has primarily been orchestral arrangements up to this point—but here, it’s a blend of primal and futuristic sounds that perfectly captures the collision of the present and the past/future. So yeah if you couldn’t tell I am so so so so unhinged about everything this theme represents and I fully expect to be just as mentally unwell about it YEARS down the line (because believe me, I’ve certainly got the track record for it).

Scarlet and Violet’s music is just so so good—and again, obligatory “this is just the tip of the iceberg that is everything I love about this soundtrack” but I hope you enjoyed my insights into what makes this music so special!

[agentnatesewell]

Nat with a transatlantic accent is 💙💙💙💙💙

Isn’t it though 😍😍 Especially with her voice deep and light and smooth and lovely. I have the accent in mind when I read her in the books!

[singsweetmelodies]

hiii, super random coment: i was going through my history in ao3 and saw that the last update on love’s a game, wanna play? was in december 2022?????

i was SHOCKED bc i swear to god that TIL THIS DAY my first thought whenever i open ao3 is ‘that bffs fake dating their way to lovers au, i hope there’s a new chapter’ HAHAHAHAHA or that one where they are sure they’ll just kiss for stress relief hahahah

i think about it so much that i was sure the last update was like just a few months ago, i swear, anyway just wanted to let you know that this the chokehold your writing has over HAHAHAHAHAHAHA everything you write = masterpieceeee, PIARLES QUEEN FR

oh my gosh 😭❤️ so, i've been on-and-off tumblr a bit lately (because most of my fandom time has been taken up by mod stuff for the PWFE exchange) but i saw this earlier today and just... i haven't been able to stop smiling whenever i think about it 🥺 <3333

this is just SO incredibly sweet??? i don't even know what to say except that you really have made me grin like an idiot 🤭❤️ the fact that you enjoy my writing this much just means the ENTIRE WORLD to me, really it does!!!!

and if it helps any... i cannot BELIEVE that it's been over a year since the last fake dating au update, either 😭 in my brain, it's *also* only been a month or two... 🥹 (time is an illusion, etc etc.) HOWEVER: i have officially put it in my fandom new year's resolutions that both those fics WILL get updates/attempts to be finished this year 🤞 so maybe one time when you're opening that Piarles tag on AO3, there will be the best kind of surprise waiting ❤️❤️

[shark-myths]

✏️🌙

✏️ Do you write every day?

I don’t think there’s a single thing on earth I do *every* day, but I write most days, either fic or in my journal

🌙 is answered here!

[pretentiouswreckingball]

hiiii hi loopsie my love!!!! i’m so sorry this is a bit late but HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DARLING MWAH xx hope u had the best day i love u so so very much you’re an absolutely gorgeous person + you brighten up my life very much <3 so so glad to be your friend iluuu xx here is a bouquet of gardenias and jasmine for youuu <333

Thea 🥺 I still have your mango’s from last year but this bouquet,,,,, oh this beautiful thing,,,,, can’t believe you remember gardenias and jasmine’s are my favorites 😭❣️ thank you so much for always taking the time to do such marvelous work I am in awe of your talent and your kindness, I am going to treasure this forever I love you so very much, thank you 😭🥹❣️❣️❣️❣️

[selfconsciousfangirl]

Things that grow 🙏🙏🙏 <3 for the wip game (am I allowed to ask having tagged you? I CARE NOT)

you are allowed, nay, encouraged!, to ask having tagged me.

Things that grown is basically a Sol/Tommy post expedition AU. They deserve nice soft things as they rebuild their lives. Gardening is involved. Plot? I don’t know her

[karinasbaby]

GUESS WHOS ALIVE😭😭😭 HOW ARE YOU BABYY???? ITS BEEN SO LONG

-jay anon🐈‍⬛️ [pls tell me you u remember me]

OH MY GOODNESS :O !!! HIII MY DEAREST JAY ANON !!! pls how could i forget u !! 😭😭 it’s crazy cuz i was going through ur asks and wondering where u went just a few days ago i manifested u baby 😞 i missed u so so so much i hope you’re doing well my beloved :D !! ♡♡♡ (and dw i got ur other ask where u were concerned if u turned off anon or not dw you’re on anon my baby 😭😭) (also this is me hugging u rn)

[softquietsteadylove]

More from the lawyer au please? Maybe Thenas sister sending him a thank you card? Something sweet? :)

"What are you doing friday?"

Gil nearly choked on his gulp of soda. That would be a sad way to die--aspirating a fastfood straw. He blinked. "Sorry?"

"Friday," Thena repeated, tilting her head a little to convey that she was baffled as to why it would bear repeating. "Do you have plans?"

He still felt ready to choke on his bite of sandwich. But he dusted off his hands and pushed away from his desk. "Uh, n-no--no, I'm free. What's up?"

"Would you be able to come over on friday night?"

Now, he blushed. He knew this wasn't the case, but he really did feel a little like this was sounding like a date. Maybe it was just how she was asking it. It wasn't beyond Thena to say something plainly and not really know how someone else might take it.

Thena's eyes darted downward, looking at the case files she was carrying (despite it being their small and precious lunch hour). Which, in anyone else, he would take for a sign of nerves. But there was no telling when it came to Thena. "I know it's rather sudden."

He didn't know what to think. They were colleagues, and he would even dare to say they were work friends. Maybe more than work friends, possibly, since he'd made a home cooked meal with her for her sisters. But not only did the firm have issues with colleagues dating, for obvious reasons, but he wasn't sure what brought this on.

He didn't really take Thena to be interested in dating. For all he could see, her only concern was taking care of her sisters. Which would make sense, of course. And he didn't want to be responsible for making her uncomfortable at work or anything.

"Gil?"

He blinked again, realising he had zoned right out and missed what she had asked. "S-Sorry, I, uh-"

"Sprite's birthday is on friday," she sighed, no longer beating around the bush. "She asked me if I would invite you."

"She asked," he paused, craning his neck faintly, "if I could come?"

Thena smiled, though. "Sprite has become quite fond of you, as has Sersi."

"Well, I gotta admit I'm flattered," he smiled as well, swayed by the warmth that took over Thena whenever she talked about her sisters. "I get the feeling that they don't take to people easily...at least not Sprite."

"You're right about that," she conceded. Her posture loosened and she leaned against his desk a little. "Sprite has never been the most social. Unfortunately, she is quite like me, and our father, in that way. Sersi got our mother's warmth and inviting presence."

He raised his brows at her, "you can be warm."

"Gilgamesh," she rebutted with a look he recognised from when she was in court.

"Hey, it's true," he chuckled, pushing aside his lunch and leaning comfortably in his chair. "You just need to defrost a little, but once you're there, you're there."

"Funny," she murmured, although it sounded less cutting and maybe even a little humoured.

"So, Sprite doesn't want a thing with her friends?" he asked more quietly--more gently. He watched as Thena cast a cursory glance to the rest of the office floor before moving around his desk. She pulled up a chair for herself, folding herself into it stiffly.

"Sprite, unfortunately," Thena grimaced (it really was bad), "fell out of touch with some of her friends after our parents' passing."

He frowned. He would have thought she had found herself making stronger bonds, not losing them. "I-I'm sorry. Is she okay?"

Thena's deeply concerned expression didn't lighten. "They were nice, but I believe Sprite has held onto a lot of anger regarding things. And her friends...they were kind, but I don't think their bond was strong enough to endure the true weight of Sprite has been through."

So, they were friends but they weren't any true friends of the kid's. Gil nodded with his own sense of regret to it. "Shit--did this happen right around that time, too?--if it's okay for me to ask that."

Thena managed a faint pull of her lips at his consideration. She stared down at her files again, running her finger along the edge to occupy her mind. "I suspect that Sprite was largely responsible for their growing apart. They attempted to reach out but she wasn't in a frame of mind to accept their efforts. And so the bridge wasn't so much burned as it simply crumbled away from disrepair."

That was a good way to put it, all things considered. But that was tough for a kid to go through what she had at such a young age, and not have friends to support her through it.

"I asked Sersi what I should do," Thena confessed to him. She said it easily, but it didn't escape him that it was a pretty big confession to make for her. There was a time when he was too scared to ask her what she'd had for lunch that day. Now they were talking about her sisters' grieving processes. "She said that Sprite doesn't want anyone she barely knows, which accounts for many of her school acquaintances. So, she wants only people she knows. I'll order whatever she likes, Sersi will be there of course, our cousin Kingo whom she has always adored. And she asked if I would invite you."

It was enough to warm a heart, certainly. And he was already a sensitive enough guy, so he didn't need much to be moved to tears. "Really? I mean I'm honored, really, but is she sure that she knows me well enough to invite me to something like this?"

Thena laughed at his reluctance though. "You underestimate her fondness for you."

"Maybe I misunderstand it," he excused for himself with a sheepish wince. He drew in his shoulders, although he kept rumpling his suits that way. He tugged at his jacket, remembering how Thena had done so for him at the courthouse not long ago.

Thena looked pensive, selecting her words carefully. She pursed her lips faintly; he had seen her do that in court too. "Sprite has very good intuition. She decides very quickly if someone is trustworthy or not, let alone if she likes them. And immediately after you helped us with the lasagne, she has asked me nearly daily when you are coming over next. She said you seem fun, and nice, and-"

He was startled by the way she paused in the middle of things. But to his delight, she made a somewhat annoyed expression he definitely recognised from when Sprite had whined about having a diet coke.

"I don't make friends much either, so as much as she was surprised, if I am fond of you, then you must be someone good to know. That is how she phrased it to me," Thena sighed, equal parts exasperated and fond. She raised her plucked, sandy coloured brows at him. "So trust me when I tell you that you have my entire family's approval."

Except for this cousin that was coming, but still, it was nice to hear. Gil grinned, "well, then, I'll be more than happy to come. What can I bring?"

"Just yourself," Thena assured more like her usual cool and strict self. "I will take care of any and all gifts. Consider your company a gift in itself."

"If you say so," he conceded, although he was already thinking about what he might be able to 'just happen to pick up' at the mall or something.

"I'll tell Sprite and Sersi the good news, then," she concluded, standing from her chair and smoothing down her skirt. "I can text you more specific details tomorrow, but for now, expect to come over friday after work and enjoy dinner and perhaps some movies."

"Sounds fun," he promised happily, although he could still feel the lingering foolishness for thinking she was asking him out.

"Also," she opened up the folder on top of her stack and retrieved a small envelope. "This is from Sprite. I was asked to give it to you, but only if you accepted her invitation."

"Ah," he blinked, accepting it delicately. It was a plain white envelope with GIL written on it in pretty cursive. "Well, thank you."

"I don't know what it is, so you can't ask me," she disavowed with another laugh. "Nor are you allowed to show me afterward, either. It is just from Sprite to you."

He smiled; well, now he really had to pick out something for the kid. "Thank her for me."

"I will."

He smiled at her as she left his desk to go back to her own again. She was indeed working through her lunch hour, but he would have to hope she had a power bar or a protein smoothie somewhere. He looked down at the envelope again, excited in a way he hadn't been in a long, long time.

"Hey Gil, what did Ice Queen want?"

"I don't know if I've ever seen her smile."

He ignored his colleagues and their suggestive tones, opening the envelope carefully.

"Did she sign it with a kiss? Those lips-"

"Piss off," he barked at them, easily sending away the absolute pricks who both liked to disparage that Thena wasn't a 'team player' but also loved to insinuate that they had a shot with her.

Dear Gil, it's me, ya boi

I guess Thena asked you, and that you said yes. I hope she didn't pressure you or whatever. It's just gonna be a chill time. Kingo is nice, you'll like him. And Thena likes you, even if she's never said it. She doesn't like anyone, so it's really something.

Thanks for always being nice to my sister,

Sprite

It was a funny contrast--the elegance of the calligraphy and the overall tone of the note. But he blinked, feeling that feeling in his eyes. It was just so sweet, no matter how funny and sarcastic she tried to make it.

The comment about being nice to her sister spoke volumes. It was no surprise to him that the sisters were worried for their guardian, even - and maybe especially - the youngest one. Perhaps Sprite had anxieties about her sister being in a hostile work environment. Maybe she had heard that many of their coworkers were sexist asshats. And maybe Sprite just wanted to look out for her sister in whatever way she could.

Gil slipped the card away, happy to take it home so he could put it in a safe place of honour in his apartment. It was a sweet gesture, and he was determined to do right by it. He would find a card that suited Sprite's humour, he would find a thoughtful but casual gift to bring, and maybe he would even bring cupcakes or something, if Thena wanted it. And he would take it seriously as a guest to a very exclusive party.

This was far more pressure than a date.

[the-judicial-assistants-notebook]

Hi! I've been on Tumblr for a little while and most of the time I've been searching for some interesting AA/TGAA analyses. And I want to say, I really like your opinions in particular! I like your takes on T&T and Iris in particular (she's such a good and underappreciated character), and your Homumiko ship bingo was really revealing and I still haven't recovered from it I don't know if this may be untimely, but I'd like to say it anyways :) have a good day

I saw this right as I got back home from work, and I just. Thank you so much!!!! I'm so glad my ranting and raving about the women I'm in love with has resonated with you, especially the hmmk (aka my Susato propaganda) one. That's lovely. Thank you so much for sending in such a sweet message. I hope you have a great day, too! 💞💘💞❤️💓💗💗💖💞❤️💓💕💖♥️💞❤️

[lifemod17]

Have my first ever attempt at a watercolor sunset. Do with it what you will. Gentle timezone <3

First attempt are you keeeeddeeennggg me Will this is BEAUTIFUL!!!! Issa pretty sunset 😭😭😭💛💛💛

Cuteness aggression kicked in so hard I gotta take a bite out of it that's what I'm doing RRRAAAAHHHHH

Actually so very important to me, I will treasure this and keep it safe in my pocket at all times!!! I am gently cupping your face with both my hands while I shower your face with kissies all over 😘😘😘😘😘

[zombiequeenblog]

Having courage to ask about Sadglo. I wonder about Secondo and Copia. Copia confides in Secondo it seems. I wonder to what extent and how their relationship is.

When I started writing Sadglo, I didn't necessarily want to focus on these satanic clergymen being absolutely blood-related. The whitened eye does speak to genetics but I don't really address it in the stories. Regardless of Secondo and Copia being half-brothers (and regardless of them being fully aware of it, if true) I think in the confines of the abbey they certainly respect each other. Copia looks up to Secondo as someone more in control of their passions, Secondo is a steady rock and a wellspring of sage advice. He is much needed and admired, if a bit off-putting sometimes! I mean, Copia can be similarly unpleasant lol.

Secondo doesn't often eat and such with the others, he shares a table with his current paramour and is more comfortable keeping himself at a distance from idle chatter. Even so, I think Copia has sought him out, employing Secondo as a sounding board for his troubled thoughts regarding his attractions to sadism and Mouse, how he may keep himself sane and his dearest love safe.

Secondo is haunted as well, I think, though I've yet to explore that fully. He is a wonderful character to work with, a contrast to playful Terzo and an important part of this little world. A stoic comfort to Mouse and Copia both. I'm so glad you are enjoying him as well!

[conjectureand-gloom]

betty/james/augustine = eliza/hamilton/maria ?!?!?!?!?!?!?

anon. you are an absolute genius. i saw this at like 3am this morning and i just fully went 😮