#the way I alr have some of it written

[pretty-emo-dad]

The way I’m so close to writing a Erica x Tina fic rn…..

[microwaving-tesilid-argente]

wonder what will happen first. me finishing the (first) teshes fic and publishing it, or tapas reaching That Chapter.

[going-to-ikea-for-the-fries]

It's a Match! || 141 x reader

[ Chapter 4 ] || [ Chapter 6 ]

Pairing: 141 x gn!Reader Words: 1.3K~ tags: a little bit of angst in this one, mentions of infidelity, also, Price is divorced. Summary: While overcoming recent heartbreak, you decide to join Tinder in search of a rebound. Your friends advise to just Swipe Right indiscriminately... What happens when 4 soldiers from the same squad match with you?

Chapter 5: GET LAID?

[The scolding Price gives is fully inspired by Captain Holt from B99]

“YOU. DID. WHAT?!” Price’s voice was so loud it bounced off the walls and Soap could swear the door was rattling.

The environment inside of Price’s tiny little office was beyond tense. Gaz sat across from Price on the arm chair, with his hands clasped over his lap. Soap stood beside him, hands on the back of the other chair, constantly shuffling and readjusting. And Ghost was all the way in the back of the room, arms crossed and one foot scuffing up the wall he was leaning against.

They looked like a group of kids at the headmaster’s office, getting the reaming of a century and waiting for their parents to come get them, only to get reamed out some more by them. Except they’re grown adults and Price is, in a way, both the headmaster and their father.

Granted, they probably should’ve waited until tomorrow morning when they’re not all a bit buzzed from one too many beers…  It seemed tonight was just one of those nights where they have little to no restraint… and are incapable to be reasoned with.

“If it’s any consolation, I told them you wouldn’t be too keen on 'em buttin' in your life.” Ghost spoke up while dipping his head to the side in a lazy shrug.

This earned him a sharp look from Price, who swivelled on his executive chair, turning a bit to properly face Ghost. The man looked seconds away from blowing up, eyes widened and wild.

“And yet you still HELPED 'EM?!” The Captain scolded him, to which Simon replied with a full shrug.

“They made a compelling case. You’ve been insufferable, boss.” He remarked, causing Price to sputter a bit.

“I didn’t wanna say anything, but it’s true, Captain. You need to get laid.” Soap jumped in.

His hackles raised and he stood up, slamming his hands on the desk, causing a rattling in the white mug he used as a pen holder. Gaz couldn’t help but wonder if the Captain didn’t hurt his palms.

“GET LAID?!” Price shouted in a tone almost akin to panic. “MY LOVE LIFE IS NONE OF YOUR CONCERN!” Price scolded them all, rausing a hand and pointing his finger at no one in particular. 

“AND I WOULDN’T BE SO INSUFFERABLE IF YOU LOT DID YOUR JOBS. BUT NO, I’M HAVING TO FIX YOUR MESSES AND DEAL WITH ALL THIS BULLSHIT!” He shouted as he ran his hand over a pile of documents on the edge of his desk, sending them all flying to the floor.

None of the lads shook in the face of the Captain’s shouts. They were all used to it, having heard enough of them from other C.O.s in their careers and, especially, more than enough from John in the last year.

Price huffed through his nose and hung his head for a moment. Then, he tossed himself back in his chair, leaning it back and grumbling under his breath.

He sat with his legs parted, left arm over the desk top, the right one hanging limply over his lap. He grumbled under his breath, his mustache scrunching a bit as he raised his right hand to rub his eyes.

“Bloody fuckin’ hell…” Price grumbled and swiveled his chair back toward the desk, inadvertently toward Soap and Gaz as well, setting his elbows on either side of the black desk mat.

He held his head up with both hands, his blue eyes sliding downward to the phone they had set in front of him when explaining what they did, which now sat between his elbows. 

In it was the Tinder profile they had created, the gimmicky, silly little shite that includes grainy photos of him and a bio written in the 3rd person. What impressed him was the fact that somehow, despite only having been active for an hour, according to them, the account had already seen about 35 likes and a handful of DMs from people.

Most of them were curious about the bio, some of them asking a variation of ‘Does John know you made this account?’, etc.

However, it bothered him that they did this behind his back, never once stopping to ask if he needed or wanted their help (AND HE DIDN’T). “You need to delete this.” He ended up saying after a moment of silence.

He grabbed the phone and set it on the edge of his desk to be taken by either Gaz or Soap, with a bit more aggression than he meant to. “Deactivate it, whatever.” He added.

“But, sir-” Soap tried to say, being shushed by Price raising a hand to signal him to quiet down.

“No buts.” He said directly as he raised his head and glared right at Soap. “And you need to tell that person that you already promised a date to that I’m not interested and APOLOGIZE for leading them on.” He ordered.

“Boss… C’mon.” Ghost called for him from his corner, causing John’s head to slowly turn to face him, eyebrows scrunched when he noticed the gaze Simon was sending him.

Cursed be Simon Riley, the only tosser in the entire SAS other than MacMillan, who can read John like the open book that he prides himself in not being.

But of course Simon knows why he’s so reluctant. He was there 5 years ago… when Price called him from his car in a side road somewhere, so drunk that his words were more so obscene slurs than words themselves, spewing mentions of loss and betrayal and a visceral need to cave a man’s face in, of emptying magazine after magazine on his wife’s lover’s body.

Simon went to get him, took the man home to his own shitty little flat, let him sleep off the inebriation in his bed, looked after him just in case he’d choke on his own drunken vomit, and the next afternoon, when Price was more himself, he drove Price to his marital home and helped him pack his bags.

Price stayed at his apartment for almost 6 months before getting his own place. Not that Ghost minded. Returning to the barracks was embarrassing for the Captain… And getting his own place required time and patience, which Price was lacking. 

Eventually, Price signed the divorce papers, the matter was settled, and Price went on leave. Ghost took his as well and helped him settle into a flat, helped him assemble furniture, brought him meals.

Then started Price’s fuckboy era. Which is how Gaz and Soap heard of his proclivity to hook up with people. Gender didn’t matter, so much as getting momentary satisfaction and some of the shadows out of his bones. 

Then, Graves and Shepherd happened… And Price cut it cold turkey. He was pent up. Point blank. Went from getting regular satisfaction to getting nothing and burying himself in his work. Blaming himself for not noticing the signs earlier.

Sometimes Ghost wondered if the man was going through a mid-life crisis.

“You could use it, boss.” Ghost added as he looked Price right in the eyes. “What’s one night, huh? Just going for a drink with them?”

“Simon-” Price tried arguing.

“Please, sir. We promise you’ll like ‘em.” Gaz pleaded. 

“Yeah, sir, we all talked with ‘em and they’re a right laugh.” Soap added.

Taking a deep breath, John leaned back on his chair again and threw his hands in the air again.

“Alright.” He conceded. “BUT!” He interrupted them before they got too giddy. “None of this… Tinder shite.” He gestured vaguely to the phone at the edge of the desk.

“You set up a meet-up this Friday at a pub nearby. No more after that.” He ordered.

“On it!” Gaz said as he snatched the phone from the desk to dm you.

taglist: @daisychainsinknots , @bunnysdaydreams , @iite-cool , @lahniu , @pagesfalling , @tapioca-milktea1978 , @live-love-be-unique , @thelaisydazy , @littleghosthunter , @bossva , @emotion-no-hot-yes-hotel-trivago , @chamomiletealeaf , @ghosts-hoe , @kariiiel , @ltbarnes , @irregulardongyoung , @spacelia , @hayleybarnesx , @infpt-zylith , @xxshadowbabexx , @frescoisnotinthemilitary , @leeeenistop , @lucienbarkbark , @zombie-freak , @wittleespur , @agoodmoviekiss , @l0lziez , @whos-fran , @greatstormcat , @openup-yourmind , @neoarchipelago

[chocostrwberry]

HAWKMOTH HAS COME TO CHOCOAU

finally.

Alr alr I did go crazy with his redesign BUT I really wanted to turn him into an evil warlock. But a few silly headcanons for him!

He’s very like, Shakespearean and poetic. He talks like he was written by J.R.R Tolkien. You know he has killer villain one liners tho. He’s also got an audiobook voice and hardly ever yells.

Way more interesting as Hawkmoth than Gabriel.

SICK AND TIRED OF PARISIANS LMAOOO. They ask him dumb stuff and are constantly beaten by ladybug and chat noir. Like he has to akumatized someone and they’re just like “woaaaah awesome you’re like Batman” and he goes “I am not Batman.” And he’s just arguing trying to convince them he’s not Batman.

Hawkmoth wishes life was a musical /srs

He does lots of disappointed dad things, like if the akuma messes up he comms the akuma just to sigh loudly. He probably also does a iconic lil “pinch nose bridge when stressed” bit.

His perfectionist comes out sometimes so he nitpicks at the akuma and is pretty judgemental (like he does with everything else in his life). “Why do you stand like that? Your knees are touching, and you have hunched like a squirrel. What is wrong with you?” “Your hubris irritates me. Cease talking.”

Pretty tall too maybe like? 6’4? Idk you gotta look straight up to look at him if you’re under 5’8

Sooooo melodramatic.

And he’s hyper-aware he’s fighting teenagers.

Oh he also WILL comment and cringe on how ugly some akuma designs are.

I was also thinking maybe he has a silly little cult?? And the best part is he hates the cultists and thinks they’re annoying sheeple and they’re grabbing ladybug in the middle of the battle like “FOR HAWKMOTH” and he’s just like “I do NOT know that man 🫵”

And some minis from the first design I decided to scrap

[wcnderlnds]

caught in the act

COLIN ZABEL, PETER MAXIMOFF, WARREN LIPKA, PRE!DEATH KYLE SPENCER, RORY MONAHAN.

・❥・ summary: a series of drabbles on their reactions to someone catching you in the act ・❥・word count: 1.7k ・❥・warnings: 18+ smut, nsfw. unprotected p in v. oral (m & f recieving). swearing. alcohol mentions. female reader. ・❥・ authors note: this was requested by the lovely @bohnerrific69. it was supposed to be headcanons but im an overacheiver. i added rory for my own benefit bc that's my man and there needed to be something sweet so kyle is there too. its badly written smut like always.

COLIN ZABEL

It had been a cold, dreary evening when you’d entered the police station in search of your boyfriend’s office. He had called you earlier in the day to ask you to meet him before the end of his shift so you could easily go for dinner when he was finished. However, when you got to his office, he had stacks of paper piled up on his desk, head in his hands. This man was stressed. Work always did that to him but you had a way to make him relax. It had taken a lot of convincing but somehow you’d managed to make him cave. That’s how you ended up on the floor beneath his desk with his cock in your mouth. Your plump lips moving agonisingly slow against him. Colin’s hands threaded through your hair, guiding your movements.

“Babe, please…. faster,” he said breathlessly. He was really trying his best to be quiet. Who were you to deny his request? First, you had to tease him so you swirled your tongue along his tip, Colin’s hips bucking up into your mouth as you teased his sensitive head. Deciding to put him out of his misery, you sunk your lips back down onto him taking him all the way into the back of your throat. Colin let out a loud groan, your eyes widening as you looked up at him.

“Be quiet!” You hissed, pulling off him. In an attempt to keep him quiet, you moved up his body to straddle him. Grinding your clothed core against his aching cock, your lips found his, messily kissing him. It was just as your hand was sliding between your legs to push your panties to the side when the door to the office opened.

“Everything alr-” Mare started but stopped the second she saw you hop off Colin’s lap. Colin had never looked so alarmed and embarrassed in his life. His hands fumbled as he tucked himself back into his pants, standing up only to hit his knees on the edge of his desk.

“Mare… y-you… need something?” Colin tried to act nonchalant but the redness of his cheeks betrayed him. Mare only smirked, looking between you and Colin.

“Heard a weird noise but… I see now I was interrupting.” She snickered, letting the two of you stew in your embarrassment at being caught as she left the office.

“I’m going to go dig myself a hole now and live in it,” you said, absolutely mortified. Colin grabbed you, pulling you against his chest. His hand resting on the back of your head, soothing you.

“Make it big enough for the both of us at least.”

WARREN LIPKA

“Holy fuck,” you cried out as your fingernails tried to grip into the soft fabric of the couch cushion. Warren had bent you over the arm of the couch, his fingers digging in your hips as he pounded relentlessly into you. The way he was gripping you and holding you in place was sure to leave a bruise but he didn’t seem to care. All he cared about right now was getting off. The moans that left your lips were almost pornographic, the grunts coming from Warren turning you on even more if that was possible. All you’d wanted when you came over was to ask him he’d help you with some problem you were having with your college work. Warren was smart – he just didn’t like to seem it. He was good at solving puzzles, figuring them out so he was always your go-to person when any issues like that came up. But, it had ended how it always did with Warren fucking the living daylights out of you.

“That’s it, baby. Take it, take all of it,” Warrens voice was strained, rough. He was barely holding back. His hand reached up your back to grab your hair, pulling it into a makeshift ponytail in his fingers, yanking your head back. Warren was anything but gentle but he’d hear no complaints from you. 

Just as you felt those sweet, intense feelings coiling up in the pit of your stomach, footsteps sounded off the staircase leading into the basement. Warren mustn’t have heard (or he didn’t care) because he kept shoving his cock deep inside you. It wasn’t like you were in a position to warn him anyway. At this point you were rendered speechless, the only sounds coming from your mouth were moans and pleas of Warren’s name.

“Oh, what the fuck!” Spencer’s voice rang out. 

Warren didn’t stop but turned to face Spencer. “Dude, fuck off. Or watch, I don’t give a shit.”

Judging by the sound of rushed footsteps, you guessed Spencer had taken the first option. Just in time too because Warren buried himself deep inside you triggering your orgasm as he pumped you full of his hot seed.

PETER MAXIMOFF

When Peter had wiped your high score off the leaderboard of Space Invaders, you had stormed off in a huff. The pout on your face was enough to make Peter cave with a promise of making it up to you. Somehow, you’d ended up in the arcade bathroom. It was small, kind of cramped but Peter had you sat on the edge of the small, porcelain sink. Your legs were wrapped around him as he thrust into you. His head was buried in the crook of your neck, your hands tugging on his silver hair as he left wet kisses along your skin. He bit down on your pulse point leaving a nice, red mark there that was sure to turn into one hell of a hickey.

“Nice,” he murmured as he pulled back to admire his handiwork. Peter wasn’t really a possessive guy but he did love to see you all marked up by him.

“Peter,” you whined, urging your hips forward against his. “Stop fucking around and fuck me.”

“With pleasure, m’darlin’.” He pulled out then slammed back in causing the loudest moan to fall from your lips. This new pace was quick, hard and you were putty in his hands. His fingers found your clit, using his mutation to vibrate against it and bring you to your release faster. 

In his haste, Peter must have forgotten to lock the bathroom door because in walked poor Scott who looked like he’d just seen the most traumatising thing on the planet. You pushed Peter off you, the speedster turning with a huff to glare at Scott. “Dude! Occupado!”

“Maybe lock the door next time, Maximoff,” Scott mumbled, slamming the door shut and leaving you both to it.

“This is the most embarrassing moment of my life,” you jumped off the sink but before you had time to react Peter had sped you off back to his basement, throwing you on his bed and sliding back inside you with promises of making it up to you.

KYLE SPENCER

It had been a normal party. Beer was flowing and people were up to all kinds of stupid stuff but you? Well, you’d had your eyes on none other than Kyle Spencer. The two of you had always had a flirty thing going on but neither had made a move. Whether it was the alcohol making you both tipsy or something else, you found yourself in one of the spare bedrooms in the house of the party, Kyle’s cock inside you as you rode him. He sat on the edge of the bed with you on his lap slowly rising and falling on him.

“You look so damn beautiful riding me like this, baby,” Kyle praised, his hands skimming up your sides.

At his words, you moved a little quicker, resting your hands on his shoulders for leverage. He was so deep inside you – he was big so he was hitting that sweet spot most men never found. It was probably the best sex of your life. He was being sweet too and that was an added bonus. Your lips found his, Kyle’s hand resting on your back as he flipped you onto the bed so he was on top now. He kept the slow rhythm, his thrusts shallow and intense.

Both of your eyes snapped to the door when the sound of music blasted through it when it opened and in stepped another drunk couple. They didn’t seem to notice you at first. Kyle grumbled to himself, pulling out of you and throwing one of the blankets over you to cover your modesty.

“Guys, come on. This room is taken,” he tried to be kind as he threw them out of the room but he was still rock hard and all he could think about was getting back inside you. Once they were out, he headed back over to the bed. “You want to continue?”

He was so thoughtful of your feelings and, as mortified as you were, there was no way you were passing up this opportunity to finally sleep with the guy you were obsessed with.

RORY MONAHAN

Your legs were spread wide on the four poster bed as Rory devoured your pussy like a man starved. His tongue licked broad stripes along your slick folds, groaning at the taste of you. He couldn’t get enough – small flicks of his tongue against your clit were sending you into a frenzy, your body writhing under his skilled tongue. His hands gripped your hips, pressing you down into the mattress to say in place.

“Shit, babe. You’re so fucking hot. Could do this all day. Fuck working with Brad Pitt. This is so much better,” Rory grinned up at you from between your legs. The sight of him with your juices over his lips was probably the hottest thing you’d ever seen. He dived back in, his tongue plunging into your entrance. Your hands tangled into his red hair, body arching as his name fell from your lips like a chant. It wasn’t long before you felt yourself teetering on the edge, his lips sucking on your clit.

However, the second you started seeing stars and moaning out, the door opened and in stepped Audrey. You pushed Rory’s head away from you. He narrowed his eyes at you until he turned and saw his ex-wife stood there. “Oh, shit,” he tried to roll off the bed but instead got himself tangled up in the sheets, falling to the floor. As awful as the whole situation was, you couldn’t help but laugh to yourself.

“Audrey, I’m so sorry,” you said, scrambling to cover yourself up.

“Always knew he wanted someone younger.” With that Audrey left. Rory managed to get back to his feet, throwing himself on the bed on top of you.

His lips ghosted over yours, a shit eating grin on his face. “I think she’s mad.”

taglist (ask to be added or removed): @ldydeath @jazz-berry @lemoniiiiiii @bohnerrific69 @lacucarachapisser @evanpetersbf

[beescake]

PLEASE PLEASE MEGADUMP THE ARASOL!!! PLEAAASEE MR BEESCAKE I AM ON MY KNEES BEGGING YOU

HFHGHD GLADLY aaa i’ve been adding notes to it here and there for months but just hesitant to post it bcs im 🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂

also this is just my own takeaway of the events, it doesn’t necessarily comply to the Ultimate Truth of Canon-Alignment or represent the actual facts of what hussie intended! v sentimental smh but hopefully its still interesting to read

i love when characters inform each other by proximity, it's one of my fave things to see in media :') it feels even more significant when two characters deliberately choose to stick together, so that when one operates, you can tell the other is similarly aligned in associative solidarity.

sollux is a keystone of this trope — whoever he aligns with is a wordless statement, a nod of approval. this stood out to me bcs the main four humans were alr friends by default, but once you reach hivebent you realize the trolls can actively choose who they want to hang out with.

and as we all know, after assessing every troll's biases/loyalties, sollux is the only one who maintains his selective preference for innately Good 👍 people.

aradia is such a beautiful character honestly, she evokes such incredible feelings in me. she might not have been consistently written with care but the best parts of her character are truly stunning. i think it's easy to remember sollux as the self-sacrificing one bc he's so open about it (and his friends frequently react to his Moments) but when you compare him to aradia, it's always struck me

how much more. raw it is

to be so alone as an agent of time, having to orchestrate immeasurably harrowing events nobody understands or gives a fuck about

with your role painted in the story as one who must tend to the needs of the narrative, responsible to match every next note

because when you're given the capabilities, it becomes your duty to carry it out.

it becomes expected of you to keep experimenting and arranging the machinations to work for everyone, dusting off hundreds of necessary failures to keep going

and having to be so unwavering in your drive knowing miserably that there's no one who can help you but yourself.

or alternatively: to make things fun! so other people won't think twice about letting you go off on your own.

sure she's had some very good buds, notably thanks to Team Charge v Team Scourge antics.

and yet, at the end of the day, the one friend that kept choosing her time and time again was the friend with the highest standards.

i can see why people like to define arasol as moirails/matesprits but surprisingly i find the nondescript, unlabeled aspect of their relationship more straightforward to understand.

there's no shortage of people who would accommodate sollux. most of the surviving trolls are his oldest friends bcs he’d chosen them well. his transparency with his feelings had built him strong friendships that won’t falter or break, regardless of how much of a dick he can be. they’ve already seen and accepted him at his worst, and they still like him for who he is.

contrast that with aradia, who'd been so approachable, friendly and reliable in her exchanges it was super fun to talk to her. but the moment she became depressed, all her connections broke down.

her friends became hesitant to interact with her (until she became god tier, “happy” and amicable again) because her gloom and resignation didn’t serve them. she dealt with it alone.

there’s def something of note here abt the disparity between the way male & female characters are written+perceived in homestuck (esp parallel arasol with davejade) but i won’t go into that lmaoo

with this in mind i like to think of sollux as a gift to her, a loyal companion given to complement and commend her resolve. she's capable of doing so much alone but hussie took the time to build her and sollux's relationship as one of a unit; a set.

the ambiguity of their status does complicate things, but i do believe it makes sense with their characters. aradia's relationship with romance is a rocky one, the dubious stringalong equius had with her is a pointed reminder that her feelings of attraction are ultimately controlled by the author writing her.

unlike the other trolls who can openly address and own up to their crushes, aradia had romantic emotions forced upon her (especially when hussie implies 'she kissed equius back on her own volition'). and it seems like her character is so intrinsically neutral abt attraction that even when forced by the almighty powers above, she's unable to retain it wholly.

however, looking back to pre-game when she could actually "choose" her own feelings, she did have a crush on sollux.

their soft spots for each other were so obvious to the point where other people could see it.

taunting aside, when vriska comments on their unit as bf/gf it actually informs the audience that arasol's relationship is romantic in nature despite not aligning with the quadrant system.

even while dead, aradia could still describe her care for sollux, expressing that she would like to see him happy. if they had more time to explore their relationship on alternia, it's possible they could've settled in a quadrant once they grew older.

but going back to the lack of labels, their dynamic was affected once more when aradia became god tier.

to me, her ascension was both the perfect culmination and possible closure of her character. it's the light at the end of her journey toiling through countless of timelines where she had to actively assess and participate. that's why it's cool to see her being silly and having fun giving guidance, passively exploring and watching other people do their parts.

and yet the joy of her freedom makes it hard to explore further introspection. if we take her by her word, she'd already come to terms with the hurt she's been through and forgiven those involved.

i can't help feeling attuned to how impersonal and detached it can be, to devote and meld your identity so completely with your designated position as Maid of Time until you've become hard for your old friends (and even some readers!) to personally connect to.

idk post-canon but i assume there’s some degree of similarity to be bridged here with aradia's god tier and how the hs2 humans' Ultimate forms was described as a consolidation of all their possibilities. since aradia's classpect is inherently of service to Time, going god-tier may have elevated her beyond personhood with the "game construct" possessing her entirely. sollux doesn't realize the extent of it bcs he's still mortal, but a part of him may have subconsciously understood this.

i think there is a core aspect to aradia that was lost to the dehumanizing glory of god tier — a core aspect that may have contained an element of why sollux enjoyed talking to her in the first place.

to him, aradia hadn't just been a nice girl, she was a cool girl. despite not having much in common, he's still willing to chill next to her so she's not alone while she does what needs to get done.

back on alternia, they held a mutual and equal-level regard for each other that could've definitely settled into something permanent. but now, he's placed himself in a position where he can be kept around or left behind at will. the parameters of the relationship are largely in aradia's court, so any label she suggests to identify their relationship with he's likely to accept.

but that's why it's so difficult to label it. because god tier aradia may not necessarily Want quadrants or relationship labels. rather than the initial romantic attachment, their commitment to each other had evolved into one fundamentally of companionship.

no label? ok fine. no matter what, he still thinks she's a good soul worth latching on to. the best, actually. aradia > everyone else.

even if it gets stilted at times. there's an unexpected struggle to connect when sollux's go-to default for talking points is his feelings about things, and aradia may not want to talk about emotions all the time.

not to mention god tier aradia became an observer, especially of chaos. but sollux's avoidance of involvement comes partially from his innate pressure to get involved if something goes wrong. and he can't always tell when something goes wrong, because aradia doesn't mind if things go wrong anymore.

it's a non-negotiable preference that causes them to take the occasional time apart, a new boundary that wouldn't have existed before the game and aradia's god tier.

but just like how his friends tolerated his moods, sollux accepts aradia as she is. with no quadrants, their connection doesn't break down because there's no implicit romantic expectations to be disappointed by or resentful over.

sometimes when i see hs content that deliberately distances sollux from aradia, i assume this is the dissonance people might have felt. people might find it "easier" to be cynical about them bcs of this strange tension.

but idc lmao. grab that shit by the neck

lack of easy resolutions and cleanly tied ribbons is pretty standard of homestuck and imo it doesn't make arasol's dynamic any less incredible. with the right affection and consideration, there's still so much potential to develop the nuance of their relationship outside of the popular quadrant-based depictions.

hs has a lot of really great character compatibilities but the way aradia and sollux are in their own special orbit is why i can write this much about them in the first place. it's that frail innocence between first loves that makes it so sweet to me, two kids who grew up too fast playing guesswork without being clear where they're going.

ultimately i do think you're meant to feel a little tragedy for just how much they care for each other, even if they can't quite establish it in simple terms.

maybe they keep taking breaks to progress their own paths. maybe they remain as anchor partners while seeing other people. but even if you decide to separate them, they're still (awkwardly) texting each other updates all the while. and when they reunite it feels like coming home.

and well. more than anything, i like to believe that they do want to be exclusive.

they're just afraid. after all, they're still learning how to love, beyond the projections of the foursquare quadrant system they had inadvertently distanced themselves from since young.

they might not have everything figured out, but they'll get there eventually if you just hold them together and write them there.

optional post-canon segment:

one of the limitations of main hs is that (monogamous) relationships are often written as the go-to solution to wrap up character growth; it's an easy "patch" to imagine characters getting their happy ending because they have a partner, and those who don't end up with someone don't get that closure (most notably jade).

hs2 reaffirms this by suggesting that aradia's character cannot progress without letting sollux go, because happily settling in a relationship automatically locks your potential.

that pathetic panel of sollux staring emptily into the sky is still my fave hs2 spoiler ngl i find the impact of their parting so emotionally provoking precisely bcs they were written in original hs to be each other's forever, coming back together again and again

but now, they're subject to the decisions of the post-canon authors who might choose to deviate from that.

it's not new for them to part, but now there's an underlying worry that her dropping him off this time might be the last time. while i think the prospect of shattering their stability to make them grow separately sounds fun on paper, no amount of me desperately hoping for a good execution is gonna guarantee it

idk. i guess prediction-wise im expecting sollux in classic dramatic-hs2 fashion to tell dave to back off aradia LMAO. otherwise it's just gon be sollux and karkat pathetically watching aradia and dave from a distance swimming in their unresolved feelings for narratively-powerful time players smh obvs it sounds corny as hell but who knows its still plausible

srsly tho i hope they take the opportunity to develop arasol's relationship in a fresh direction that doesn't hurt me too badly...... and i hope they force sollux out of his comfort zone. i like watching him struggle :-)

[adventuringblind]

i’m a sucker for anything with protective charles, i feel like he would always be looking out for his gf or wife…ugh just the thought? 🫣

Car Crash and a Ferrari Mishap

Charles Leclerc x Driver!reader

Genre: hurt/comfort, fluff

Request: yes and I am also a sucker for this.

Summary: even though Charles knows she drives one of the fastest cars in the world, he can’t help but worry.

Warnings: car crash, injury descriptions, protective Charles, ferrari race engineers not doing their job

Notes: written in third person

Masterlist

It had become a typical thing for Charles to worry. He worried more than people thought he did. His lover, however, knee everything about it because he was mainly worrying about her.

He'd lost so many people in his life already. He struggled with separation anxiety and would panic every time she got sick.

It didn't matter that she's a driver for Ferrari. It didn't matter that she's one of the most talented athletes. He worried about her.

Their relationship was public. Mostly because Lando struggles to keep things tight-lipped. It was a great thing, though, as their team had found. Marketing and content wise, they did some things together that everyone adored.

Working in a male dominated field meant dealing with uncomfortable questions. Ones that.nade Charles' skin crawl. He didn't hesitate to jump in and answer them himself. Sometimes, he and Max would use as a way to banter with each other, effectively angering the reporter or journalist.

Races were always terrifying before he got in the car. He made sure that he saw her before every race and kissed her good luck. Reminding her not to be reckless.

This race happened to be ridiculously hot. It felt like he would melt to the floor every time he stepped into the sun.

He found her before the walked to the grid. "Mon amour, are you sure you can race like this?"

She'd already been feeling faint. She hadn't told Charles, but the team had been controlling her water and food intake. They wanted her weight exact, and she had been over that a few days ago.

He could tell she wasn't feeling well. He always knew when someway off. Regardless, she just smiled at him and kissed his cheek.

It took a few laps before she tried for water. Dissapintment flooding her veins as she got nothing.

"Is the water system not working?"

"Negative, keep pushing."

She sighs in frustration but keeps going. Pushing her hardest.

She was almost there. Fifteen laps left. Her mouth terribly dry. Her mind shut down more with each lap. She needed to finish.

She'd stopped sweating. Her body lacks the required liquids to do so. Everything seemed to move in slow motion.

Then everything went dark.

~

"Red flag Charles, red flag." Xavi announces from the radio.

Charles slows down the car. Hot and tired. He was excited to finish the race, and now he'd have to wait longer.

He pulls into the pits. He was expecting to see her there already. As far as he was aware, she was ahead of him.

He climbs out of the car, immediately asking about her. Nobody could give him a straight answer.

Five minutes and still nothing. Then the replay of the crash came on the screen.

Her body going limp in the car. Her foot is still accelerating down one of the straights. She hits the corner, and the car is spinning. Then nothing.

It looked bad. He knew it was bad. Words of frantic French and Italian leave his lips.

It takes Pierre, Max, and Lando holding him back to keep him in the pits. He was screaming at the race engineers. Asking how that could have happened.

He's kicking and screaming like a child as the boys drag him back to his room. His performance coach tried to get him to slow his breathing. Still fresh off the adrenaline from driving.

"I don't understand." He sobbed.

"She didn't have water." Andrea confesses.

Charles pauses. His brain fitting together all the peices. "Have they been trying to get her to lose weight?"

"Yes, which is odd, I was talking to her coach, who said she was already under what she deemed the lowest weight that was still healthy."

Oh, Charles was furious. It made sense now. Why she'd been so exhausted this past week.

He stormed out of the room. Angry words be yelled at every engineer.

Pierre was translating to the boys who don't know French. All of them also getting angry.

"I retire the car." Charles states. Grabbing his helmet and running out to the crash site.

They still hadn't gotten her out. The front of the car has been smashed in. They had cut the halo off, but her body was jammed at a weird angle. A stray peice of metal had found its way into her arm. Her neck already looked bruised.

Charles was a wreck at this point.

The Marshall's used him as a navigator. He was able to get into the cockpit and move things around. It felt like forever until he was riding with her to the medical center.

He pulled her helmet and balaclava off gently. The white fabric dotted with specks of red.

He held her hand and sobbed the entire ride.

~

He wasn't doing much better when people came by after the race.

He was teary-eyed and nauseous. The nurses kept refilling his water. It felt horribly ironic.

He knew he disappointed his fans. They wanted to see him race, and here he was. Crying over his lover in the hospital.

He just needed to see her.

Sebastian came to see him first. Though he was followed by the one person he really didn’t want to see. Seb and Mattia were talking in hushed voices. Seb looked two seconds away from punching him.

“I don’t want to see you.” Charles announced to his team principle.

“I came to see if she’s okay.”

Charles was going to unleash his anger on the Ferrari principal, but the doctor calling her name interrupted him.

“How is she.” Charles voice was definitely more panicked then he would’ve liked but it was to much effort to hide it and there were no cameras here anyways.

“The bones in her calves are crushed. The cut in her arm has been stitched up but we might need to open it up again to check for any missed metallic bits. Just to air on the side on caution and avoid any infections. She has a severe concussion and is severely dehydrated.” The doctor attempts to explain to him, but Charles is trying to stop himself from panicking. “For what it’s worth, it could have been much worse.”

Charles is brought back to earth by Sebs hand in his shoulder. “You should go see her.” His former teammate nods him along.

~

Charles sits on the uncomfortable plastic chair. His mind wanting to stay awake but his body giving out.

She looked so peaceful sleeping. Her chest rising and falling in even motions.

He almost missed her eyes fluttering open and her hand squeezing his. Charles was standing in a second, trying to stop her from moving to much.

She was panicking. Her heart rate increasing dramatically. Charles sat himself in the edge of her bed. His hand running across her hair.

"The race. Oh god- I'm so sorry."

"No, don't think about that. Just rest." Whoever told her to push so hard without water should be fired.

"Did you win?"

"No, but I don't care. I care that you're awake a safe."

She hums at him. The feeling of his hands bringing a calm sensation back.

"Charles, it hurts."

"I'll go grab a doctor. Don't try to move."

He's out of the room in a flash. Only coming back when he has a nurse in tow.

They up the pain meds and bring her some water. The IV fluids are already helping, but her mouth is so dry that she needs to drink it.

Charles is attentive. He barely leaves her side unless it's absolutely neccecary.

~

[enhahooninurwindow]

ENHYPEN WHEN THEIR S/O IS INSECURE

Pairing: enhypenOT7 x reader 🍓MASTERLIST

Genre: fluff

Wc: 250+ per member

a/n: I’ve written a few sentences in third person grammar bc I was saying all this in my head and maybe I typed it in like that sorryyy. Also I wrote this based on some of my insecurities so I hope it helps other insecure people too <3

Tuesday, 19 March. 2024

Heeseung - acne

 "Hey beautiful, what's on your mind? You seem a bit off." Heeseung asked you noticing ur face getting dull. "I can't help feeling insecure about my acne. It's been bothering me a lot lately." you reply, not aware of Heeseung heart getting heavy hearing this. "Baby, please, your acne doesn't change how amazing you are to me. You're more than your skin, you're everything I love and cherish." he gently brushes ur hair back and continues, "Your kindness, intelligence, and laughter light up my world. Don't let a few blemishes dim your shine." Smiling softly, you say "Thank you for always being so understanding and supportive. I'm grateful to have you by my side." “You don't have to thank me, love. It's my privilege to be here for you, no matter what. Together, we'll overcome any insecurities and grow stronger. You mean everything to me, and I want you to see yourself through my eyes. You're not defined by any imperfections; you're defined by your resilience, your compassion, and the love you bring into my life every day. I cherish every moment with you, and I wouldn't change a single thing about you." He wraps his arms around u, pulling u into a warm embrace, and whispers, "I promise to always remind you of your worth and beauty, even on the toughest days. You're the love of my life." Feeling comforted you reply "I love you so much hee. Thank you for loving me unconditionally and seeing the best in me, even when I struggle to see it myself." "Forever and always, my love. We'll navigate through any challenges together, and I'll never stop reminding you of just how extraordinary you are." he replied.

Jay - stretch marks

 "Y/nah are u alr?? You seem unwell." jay asked you taking a seat on the edge of the bed while u faced ur mirror. "I've been feeling really insecure about my stretch marks. I can't help but think they make me less attractive."  "Oh baby, your stretch marks don't change a thing about how beautiful you are to me. They're a part of you, a testament to your strength and journey. I admire and love every part of you, including your so-called imperfections." He gently takes ur hands and continues, "Your kindness, your laughter, and the way you light up a room are what truly make you stunning. Don't let anyone or anything make you doubt that." Tearing up you say “Thank you for saying that. I needed to hear it from you." "I mean every word, my love. I'll always be here to remind you of your worth and to shower you with the love and admiration you deserve. You're perfect in my eyes, stretch marks and all." He softly kisses ur forehead and whispers, "You're not just beautiful; you're extraordinary. These marks are like a map of our journey together, each one a reminder of the moments we've shared and the love that has grown between us. I cherish every part of you, including these marks that tell your unique story." As u hold each other, he plants gentle kisses on ur cheeks and continues, "Let me show you how much I adore you, not despite your marks but because of them. They're a part of what makes you the incredible person I fell in love with. You're my everything, and I'll always treasure and celebrate every inch of you."

Jake - nose shape

As you both cuddled on the couch, Jake noticed a hint of sadness in ur eyes. "Is everything okay, love?" he asked gently. You hesitate before admitting, "I've always felt insecure about my nose. I wish it were smaller and cuter like others." The jake's heart sank, hearing ur words. He pulled u closer, wrapping his arms around u. "Your nose is perfect," he whispered, planting a soft kiss on the tip of ur nose. "It's unique, just like you. I love everything about it because it's a part of you." Feeling ur tense muscles relax under his touch, he continued, "You're the most beautiful person I know, inside and out. Your smile, your eyes, and yes, even your nose, they all add to your beauty. I wouldn't change a thing about you." His loving embrace and words of affirmation melted ur insecurities away. U nestled into his chest, feeling safe and loved. In that moment, u realized that his acceptance and affection were what truly mattered, and his love was the most beautiful thing in the world. He looked into ur eyes with utmost sincerity and said, "You are my everything. Your beauty radiates from within, and every little detail about you is what makes me fall in love with you more each day. Your nose is not just cute; it's uniquely yours, and that's what I adore about it. I promise to always remind you of how special you are and to cherish every part of you, no matter what insecurities may arise." He sealed his words with a tender kiss on ur forehead, reaffirming his unwavering love and devotion to u.

Sunghoon  - bloated stomach

At first, when u told him about u being insecure of ur bloated stomach, sunghoon felt a mix of confusion and concern. He wasn't sure how to react at first, as he hadn't anticipated this vulnerability from u. However, as he saw the distress in u eyes, he realized that what u needed most was his understanding and support. Taking ur hands gently in his, he looked into ur eyes with a reassuring smile. "You're beautiful just the way you are," he began, his voice filled with sincerity. "Your body is incredible, and it's natural for it to go through changes. Your bloated stomach doesn't change how I feel about you. I love every part of you, including your imperfections." He pulled u into a comforting embrace. "You're so much more than your appearance," he continued, pressing a kiss to ur forehead. "Your clinginess, unseriousness, and your loving nature are what truly makes u special." Feeling the warmth of his embrace and hearing his words of affirmation, u felt a wave of relief wash over. U leaned into him, grateful for his unwavering support and love. In that moment, u realized that his acceptance and understanding were the most precious gifts u could ever receive. As the evening came, he made sure to shower u with small acts of love and kindness, like preparing ur favorite snacks and playing ur favorite music. He encouraged u to relax and enjoy the moment, letting go of any worries or self-doubt. With each loving gesture and heartfelt word, he reinforced his commitment to uplifting ur spirits and making u feel cherished.

Sunoo - smile

Sunoo's eyes widened with surprise and concern as he listened to u express ur insecurity about ur smile. "Wait, what? Your smile is one of the most beautiful things about you!" he exclaimed, his voice reflecting genuine dismay. You looked down, feeling a mix of embarrassment and vulnerability. "I know, but sometimes I feel like it's not as perfect as yours or others," u admitted softly. His expression softened as he reached out to gently lift ur chin, making u look into his eyes. "Hey, listen to me," he said earnestly. "Your smile is unique and genuine, and that's what makes it so special. It's not about perfection; it's about the happiness and warmth it brings to everyone around you, especially to me." He pulled u into a comforting hug, planting a kiss on ur forehead. "I hate seeing you doubt yourself like this. You're amazing in every way, and I wouldn't change a thing about you, especially not your beautiful smile." You felt tears of gratitude welling up in ur eyes as u hugged him back tightly. "Thank you for understanding and for always being there for me," u whispered. He smiled warmly, brushing away ur tears. "Always, my love. I'll remind you every day of how incredible you are and how much I adore your smile, no matter what." After a deep conversation, he suggested a cozy evening of self-care to lift ur spirits. You both snuggled up on the couch with fluffy blankets and soothing music playing in the background. He lovingly applied a gentle face mask on ur face, making u giggle at his playful antics.

Jungwon - body shape

As Jungwon noticed subtle signs of distress, he approached u with gentle concern. "Is everything okay, love?" he inquired, his voice soft and caring. You paused before finally sharing ur feelings. "I've been feeling insecure about my body shape lately," u confessed, ur tone tinged with vulnerability. He listened attentively, offering a reassuring smile and a comforting hand on ur shoulder. "You are absolutely perfect just the way you are," he reassured u, his words sincere and heartfelt. "Your beauty goes far beyond any external appearance. Your kindness, intelligence, and resilience make you truly extraordinary." He then suggested you spend some quiet time together, away from any distractions. You both went for a peaceful walk in nature, enjoying the serenity and beauty around you. Along the way, he continued to uplift u with words of encouragement and admiration. With each step, u felt a sense of comfort. You realized that ur Jungwon's love wasn't based on superficial standards but on a deep appreciation for who u were as a person. In his quiet and steady presence, u found the strength to embrace ur body with newfound confidence, knowing that u were cherished and valued just as u were. As u walked hand in hand, he pointed out the beauty of nature around u. He gently reminded u that just like the diverse flowers and trees you saw, each with its unique shape and form, ur body was a reflection of ur own unique beauty. "You are like a masterpiece created by nature," he said with a soft smile. "Every curve and line tells a story of strength, resilience, and beauty."

Niki - not feeling worthy of his love

Niki noticed a hint of sadness in ur eyes one evening as you both strolled through the park. Sensing ur unease, Niki wrapped his arm around ur shoulders and asked, "What's on your mind, my love?" You waver, fiddling with ur fingers before finally blurting out, "Sometimes I feel like I'm not enough for you." Niki's playful grin softened into a gentle smile as he pulled u closer. "Oh, sweetheart, you are more than enough for me. You're the melody to my laughter, the color in my world, and the love that fills my heart." You looked up at him, ur eyes searching for reassurance. "But what if I can't always make you happy or meet your expectations?" Niki chuckled softly, brushing a hair from ur face. "My love, happiness isn't about meeting expectations; it's about being together, sharing moments, and embracing each other's quirks. You make me happy just by being you." Tears of relief glistened in ur eyes as u leaned into Niki's comforting embrace. "I love you," u whispered. "I love you more," Niki replied, planting a tender kiss on ur forehead. Niki continued to shower u with affection and playful gestures, reminding u daily of ur worth and importance in his life. Your bond grew stronger as u navigated challenges together, embracing each other's strengths and vulnerabilities. You no longer doubted ur place in Niki's heart, finding solace in your love. In that moment, you knew that Niki's playful nature came with a deep understanding and unconditional love, making u feel cherished and truly enough.

[lvdr-haze]

SWEET

now playing :

genre : kind of an enemy to lovers

TW : a lil bit of angst, mention of dead peoples, alcohol consumption

this fic is kinda bad written but yeah lol.

english is not my first language !!

comments appreciated and requests open!! :)

Joost had always hated you. At first, you didn’t even know why, but then someone told you: Joost didn’t like you because of your "too active" behavior and because you were known for being somewhat insolent. He wasn't wrong, though.

Indeed, when you were in public places with your friends, you were active and often perceived as insolent or arrogant. Whenever your friends had a conflict, they would call you to intervene because they knew you had a great rejoinder.

It honestly pissed you off that people saw you this way. You were so much more than that.

Today, you had invited your friends to a home party. Every guest could bring an additional person, and you hoped to get along with all of them.

After you finished doing your makeup and outfit, the doorbell rang. You went to open it, welcoming your friend. The last guests arrived an hour later. You and your friends had already had a bit to drink, but not enough to feel completely tipsy. You got up and opened the door with a smile, but when you saw Apson’s guest, your smile slightly faded. You had been friends with Apson for a long time, and he knew you didn’t get along with Joost, so why would he bring him? Anyway, you welcomed both of them and let them in.

While you were preparing some drinks, Apson came into the kitchen and said:

"Listen, Y/N, I know you and Joost can’t really stand each other, but he’s had a really hard time lately, especially today. Can you please make sure he has a good time?"

You felt bad knowing that, and of course, since you weren’t as mean as Joost thought, you agreed to make everything right for him today. You nodded to Apson and went back to the living room with new drinks.

Some chill music was playing on the TV while everyone was chatting. The party was good, and everyone seemed to be getting along well. You felt proud because you and Joost hadn’t fought yet. In fact, Joost was staying to himself and was kind of surprised at how calm and sweet you were at home. But he didn’t talk to you or anyone else, just smiling at some jokes sometimes. You could tell he wasn’t feeling well.

Suddenly, he got up and came to you to ask:

"Uh, could you tell me where I can have a smoke, please?"

His voice was lower than usual, and his eyes seemed tired.

"Yeah, sure, just here on the balcony," you said, opening the glass door.

He thanked you and went out, lighting up a cigarette. You went back to the living room and drank with your friends. Time was passing, and Joost wasn’t coming back, so you decided to check on him. You opened the door and began to ask, "Is everything alr—" but stopped mid-sentence when you realized Joost was crying heavily. You went to him and, not knowing how to react, hugged him. He had to admit it was the sweetest hug he had ever had. He held you tightly and cried in your arms.

"Hey…everything will be alright…shhh…stop crying…”

You always had a caring instinct, and Joost could feel it. His sobbing stopped, and he looked up at you.

"Fuck…I’m sorry for acting like a child…I shouldn’t be crying right now…I’m sorry…"

You sat near him and smiled.

"No, Joost, you can cry if you feel like it, it’s okay. Do you want to tell me what is going on?"

Joost couldn’t stop being shocked by your sweet and calm attitude, wondering how he could have hated you for so long.

"I miss my parents…so, so much."

His voice was trembling again. You knew Joost’s parents were dead because Apson had told you. You hugged him again.

"I’m sure your parents are proud of you, Joost. You’re such a good person, always spreading joy everywhere you go, always caring for your friends, and you’re also such a hard-working guy. I know it’s probably hard without them, but they wouldn’t like to see you in this state, even though it’s totally normal to cry because you miss them…"

You were caressing his hair while telling him the most reassuring things. Joost nodded and got up.

"Thanks a lot, Y/N. I would have never expected so much sweetness from you…"

You smiled.

"No need to thank me."

You both went back to the party. Everyone was trying to figure out what had happened while you two were gone, but you said it wasn’t important, and the party continued. Joost was clearly more into it now, talking, laughing, and singing along to the songs on the TV. You could tell he was feeling better, and you were happy for him.

At the end of the party, some of your friends went home, but some asked if they could sleep over. You, of course, accepted. Apson chose to take the guest room, quickly joined by Stuntje. Two of your other friends decided to sleep on the couch, and you didn’t even realize Joost hadn’t had the chance to choose where to sleep. While you were preparing everything for your friends to sleep, he shyly came to you and asked:

"Um…where can I sleep?"

You realized there wasn’t much space for him on the couch or in the guest room, so you kindly said he could sleep in your room.

"Are you sure? I won’t bother you?"

You laughed slightly and said he wouldn’t bother you.

Once everyone was asleep, you and Joost finally went to your room. You went to the bathroom to put on your pajamas and then got under the covers to rejoin Joost.

"Thanks again for your kind words…"

"I already said you didn’t have to thank me, Joost," you said, looking at each other. For a minute, you couldn’t take your eyes off his ocean-blue eyes, but Joost broke the silence by asking:

"Can I…kiss you?"

Your eyes widened a bit, but you slightly nodded. You felt his lips against yours, and you began to kiss slowly. It was the most comforting kiss you had ever had. You felt butterflies in your stomach, wondering what the hell was happening to you. The kiss ended, and Joost brought your head to his chest, playing with your hair.

"Damn, I never thought I’d kiss you one day…" he said with a smile, making you laugh a little.

"Neither did I…"

"Well, I don’t regret it…"

You straightened up, turned to him, and gave him a peck on the lips. You both smiled.

"I’ll never regret it," you replied before resting your head on his chest. You turned off the bedside lamp.

"Good night, Joost."

"Good night, lieverd."

He kissed your forehead. You both felt so comfortable that you wished this moment could last forever.

[padfootagain]

Love in Verses (XIV)

Chapter 14: ‘Why should I blame her that she filled my days with misery’

Hi! Here is new chapter! Today, we have… Christmas shenanigans, and Andrew’s family! Some misogyny in the academic world. Also, Saoirse’s back!

I hope you like this chapter! Tell me what you think!

****

Pairing: Hozier x fem!reader (professor!AU)

Warnings: slow burn, angst, hurt, hurt/comfort, tooth-rotting fluff in later chapters, some scenes in later chapters will have heavy sexual themes even if it’s not explicit nsfw description, so minors here

Summary: Your life seems perfect. You're engaged, your career is thriving as you become an assistant professor at Trinity College, and this Andrew Hozier-Byrne you're sharing an office with seems to be a nice guy you hope to call a friend soon. Life seems to be smiling at you... until everything goes sour. When your fiancé breaks up with you, your perfect world shatters. And when your colleague also gets his heart broken soon after, your shared office seems to be a curse rather than a blessing. But Andrew seems determined to mend your broken hearts... Will things finally go according to plan?

Word Count: 3578

Masterlist for the series – Hozier’s masterlist – Main masterlist

No Second Troy

Why should I blame her that she filled my days

With misery, or that she would of late

Have taught to ignorant men most violent ways,

Or hurled the little streets upon the great,

Had they but courage equal to desire?

What could have made her peaceful with a mind

That nobleness made simple as a fire,

With beauty like a tightened bow, a kind

That is not natural in an age like this,

Being high and solitary and most stern?

Why, what could she have done, being what she is?

Was there another Troy for her to burn?

The room was quiet as Andrew finished reading the poem. Unusually quiet. The heavy kind of silence that filled a room after art had drawn emotions from the depths of all the hearts who had listened. Even Andrew was uneasy at the thought of disturbing it now that it had settled in, now that it filled every corner.

Saoirse wasn’t sure what was the reason behind such an emotional response to the poem. The words were beautiful by themselves, of course. Her professor had introduced the poem right before reading it out loud, and perhaps the aching came from knowing that Yeats had written this poem for Maud Gonne as she rejected him once more, and was choosing to marry another man. Of course, such sentiment, phrased with such poetry, was emotional. But Saoirse couldn’t help the thought that came to her mind, as she was pretty much certain that such pain came mainly from her teacher.

There was something in the way he read poetry that tugged on her heartstrings every time. The way his deep, quiet voice moved across the words in such an intimate way that she forgot she was in a classroom. But this time, he seemed more emotional than usual. His voice shook in the middle of a verse, his tone was deeper than it should have been. His hand was slightly trembling as he readjusted his glasses upon his nose, his head still bent as he kept staring at the page.

But then he looked up again, a small smile tugging at his lips, as if he hadn’t shattered Saoirse’s world for a moment. He put down the book on his desk, buried his hands in the pockets of his grey pants, leaning back against his desk. Like it was easy to read like this, like life could go by unchanged after such a moment.

There was a flash of mischief in his gaze, and then his smile widened a little.

“Sassy…”

Some students chuckled at the comment, but Saoirse didn’t. She was still struggling to find back her footing into reality. And then Andrew looked straight into her eyes, seemed to notice her distress, frowned a little at the sight. He checked his watch. There was but five minutes left to their class for this week. He moved on.

“Erm… so… this is the poem you’ll have to work on for your essay. I’ll remind you of the specifics I want for this exercise, but I’m already warning you about something tricky with this poem, because… like… there is a trap you must not fall into. As you could be tempted to… erm… focus only on the love side of the text, and you absolutely must focus on that… but it’s Yeats. You can’t dismiss the political context in favour of a purely romantic reading, especially considering Gonne’s own convictions about an Irish independence. So… be careful not to minimise that side of the poem.”

He gave them more instructions for the essay, and Saoirse wrote down all the details, even though she couldn’t shake the thought that the way he had read that poem… there was something so personal in there, something that seemed to echo within him, or maybe it echoed within her…

The class was dismissed, Sean heaved a tired sigh, rubbed at his eyes before he started packing. He was sitting next to her, the way he always did. And she liked that. They were friends…

“I need to head to the library before our next class,” he told her. “I haven’t finished preparing Y/L/N’s class for tomorrow. I need to finish reading the excerpt and write down some notes, or I’ll be too lost during tomorrow’s lecture.”

“I’ll help you if you want. I’ve finished it.”

“Ha, but that’s because you’re so fucking organised… a real pro…”

She rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway at the gentle teasing. Meanwhile, Andrew had walked closer and he was now standing in front of her, a worried expression painted on his features.

She blinked up at him. He seemed a little shy now that he had to talk one-on-one with her, although the smile he offered her was benevolent.

“Are you alright? You seemed upset at the end of the class, I just wanted to check in on you…”

He stared at Saoirse with expectant eyes, and she couldn’t help the surprise that was painted on her features.

“Erm… yeah, I’m good. I’m just… I guess I was really touched by the poem, that’s all.”

“Oh… alright. Good. I thought you were upset over something else like… the workload or something.”

“No, no… I just liked the poem a lot.”

Andrew chuckled at that, visibly relaxing. He hummed, his hands back into his pockets.

“Hmmm… such a sucker for longing, this William…” he joked, making both of his students chuckle.

“Yes, and… I don’t know… the way you read it… I was genuinely touched by it.”

He blinked, tightened his jaw a little, but the same kindness was still written in his eyes as he answered.

“Hmmm… we all find parts of our lives that connect to poetry, and art in general. That’s why we make art, that’s why we engage with it too. We all have emotions to express and understand and process, and whether it may be through our own production or through the work of others… what makes a piece of art worthwhile is how relatable it still is, despite the passing of time.”

Slowly, Saoirse nodded, pondering on her professor’s words. It made her want to dissect every piece of art she had ever encountered through that scope, through that longing for communication, for being understood, for speaking when words failed…

“Well, have a nice week then, and good luck for the essay. And don’t forget to have fun over Christmas despite your studies!” Andrew smiled as they parted.

As Sean and she walked out of the classroom, heading for the library, she remained lost in thought. December had come now with its load of grey clouds, biting cold and the first layers of ice over curbs, rooftiles and windows. There were no leaves left on the trees that grew across the courtyards, but the grass was still as green, even if patches of it were tainted with white. As she breathed, condensation clouded her world, and it made it as unrecognisable as her own thoughts.

Yes, her professor had spoken with emotions that made the text more beautiful than it should be, but there was more to it, a reason behind how upset she still was about the whole thing. Something personal, a reason that was there, in her chest, and yet she couldn’t fathom what it was, couldn’t put a name on the problem.

“Shite! Those fucking steps are so slippery! Jesus Christ!”

Sean laughed as he had almost fallen, walking up the few steps leading towards the entrance of the library. The round sculpture that decorated the space before the entrance was visible behind him, although his body, as he bent over with laughter, was hiding a part of it.

She stared at him as he laughed, the sound infectious enough to draw a smile on her own lips. When she reached the first step, he reached out to her, holding gently the sleeve of her warm coat, with a smile on his lips that told her in silence I’ve got you, I won’t let you fall.

The tugging at her heart told her that maybe, just maybe, a part of the answer was there…

Andrew was humming a tune you didn’t recognise but you didn’t really mind. On the contrary, as you read an article on your computer screen, the sound made you smile.

He was in a good mood, clearly, had been all day. The upcoming Christmas break was at fault, without a doubt. He had mentioned that he would spend a lot of time with his family in Wicklow for the holidays. He would spend New Year’s Eve with you at the party Frank and Sam were throwing though, but Christmas was a precious moment he wanted to spend with his parents and his brother. Only a few days left of work, and you could both take a break from reading articles, preparing classes, grading essays…

You looked at him for a moment, or rather, you stared at him, that was a more appropriate verb for your action. He kept on humming softly, you didn’t care what the song was. It was a soothing sound, one you could have been lulled into sleep with. He was focused on typing something, you had no idea what. He had let his hair loose today, was wearing his glasses that reflected the light of his computer screen. He was wearing a brown shirt that fitted him a little too well to your liking.

Too well, indeed… it wasn’t helping your torturous thoughts.

You had to stop thinking about that kiss. It was nothing special, it didn’t mean a thing. And you didn’t want Andrew at all, you wanted Frank. You wanted Frank and you knew it, so why were you staring at Andrew like this now? Why did you keep thinking about that drunken kiss?

Or… to be fair, kisses…

He let out a triumphant exclamation, turned to you with a grin. You had to pretend that you weren’t already staring at him.

“I’m done! Christ, the exams are going to kill me one day.”

“Finished the questions?”

“For all my classes. It’s done. I’m not touching it again, not changing anything, that is enough.”

He checked the time on his watch, but it was barely 11 o’clock. Too early for lunch break. And yet, his leg was trembling, you guessed he felt restless.

“Want to take a walk?” you asked. “A coffee?”

“Aren’t you busy?”

“I’m sick of this article, it’s not even a good one. Let’s take a break!”

He grinned, the kind of bright smiles he seldom wore. Oh, he often smiled, but this kind of bright grin, of relaxed joy… he seemed to save those only for people he truly felt comfortable with. Your heart felt all warm at the thought that you were one of these people.

“You seem particularly happy today,” you pointed out, unable to refrain the fondness in your voice.

“I am!” he nodded as you walked out of your shared office. “My brother is coming over for Christmas. I’m relieved, he was working on a project in Mayo and wasn’t certain to make it. But he’ll be here to pester me about how to cook meat, and claim that the best Star Wars movie is episode five when…”

“We all know it’s Rogue One.”

“I can’t believe you’ve just said that, I’ll act like you haven’t said anything.”

“Rogue One is excellent, what are you talking about?!”

“It is excellent,” he nodded. “It’s definitely the best one after the original trilogy.”

“Agree to disagree.”

“I’ll ignore your terrible taste in Star Wars movies if you’re free some time this week.”

“Free?”

“You keep on claiming that you’re a killer at Mario Kart, and yet all I hear are words, and I don’t see any proof to back up that claim of yours.”

“Oh, so you want to get your arse kicked, then? Suit yourself, I’m free whenever you want.”

“Tomorrow night?”

“My place.”

“I’ll bring the wine.”

“Deal.”

You hoped he hadn’t noticed that your playful banter had lost some of its strength as he mentioned alcohol. Or more precisely, the prospect of getting drunk with you, which, last time, had led you to…

No! There was no need to think such thoughts! You didn’t want Andrew, you wanted Frank, and that kiss was a drunken mistake. Andrew had agreed, hence showing that he didn’t see you as more than a friend either. He wanted Sam anyway…

You heaved a sigh as you entered the cafeteria though. In front of the coffee machine, Ian and Patterson were chatting together. You tried to ignore them, but they greeted you and Andrew politely before returning to their conversation. They remained nearby while Andrew was preparing coffee for you both.

And of course, they were talking about their favourite topic of conversation… criticizing women.

Or rather, their second-favourite topic, you reckoned. They loved gloating about themselves more…

“Of course, the sources were all over the place, if women were rigorous enough, they would have more access to research jobs…” Ian said, making Patterson chuckle while Andrew was glowering at them over his shoulder, but decided to say nothing.

You threw them a disgusted look as well, one that didn’t go unnoticed. But you weren’t in the mood for arguing today. All you wanted was to escape the room with Andrew and go back to laughing with him…

… and maybe thinking about his lips again.

“Oh, I bet our ‘expert’ has something to say about that,” Patterson said, looking at you with a mocking smile.

“Not today, no,” you shook your head.

“Why not? Too tired? Busy week?”

“Just… not interested.”

“Not interested?”

“In wasting my time on you,” you clarified.

Andrew turned to you, a surprised yet impressed look on his face. Meanwhile Ian and Patterson were stunned by your tone.

“That is barely polite…” complained Ian.

“Oh, sorry… was insulting half of humanity not impolite, perhaps?”

“Now, that’s quite enough, we weren’t employing that tone!”

“God, you’re insufferable, both of you.”

Andrew blinked as he stared, stunned by your sharp tone as well. Although, he didn’t seem bothered by it in the slightest. He was rather… impressed.

“Insufferable… that’s highly unprofessional.”

“And you’re highly irrelevant 99% of the time you open your mouth, so maybe spare us all the boredom?”

Andrew couldn’t refrain a laugh, drawing glares from your two colleagues, but he couldn’t have cared less.

“I hope you don’t have a good day,” you concluded the discussion with a tight-lipped smile, taking the cup of coffee Andrew was handing you, and he followed you out of the room while Patterson and Ian were fuming after you. You ignored them though, merely walked back towards your office.

Andrew was staring at you in silence still, and when you turned to him, you threw him a questioning look.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” you asked, making Andrew finally look away, blushing.

He shrugged.

“Nothing, just… I like that side of you.”

“What side?”

He laughed, gently nudging as you walked down a corridor together.

“Your ruthless side. You’re kind of… terrifying, when you want to be.”

“And you like being scared?”

“I’m not scared. Just… impressed. Intimidated as well. You’re intimidating.”

You tried to hide the way you were smiling by drinking some of your coffee. The fact that Andrew was rolling up his sleeve as he changed the topic of conversation back to something lighter again wasn’t helping…

“Mom!”

“I don’t want to hear it…”

“He started it!”

“I am too old for this…”

“I didn’t start shit, you loser! You’re the one who started this!”

“You have no taste whatsoever… and you pretend to be an artist…”

“Oh, sorry, professor, do you want to grade my essays or are you simply going to lecture me on ‘how to be a boring arse’?”

“I swear to God…”

“Stop it! Both of you!”

Both Andrew and Jon fell silent, glowering at each other from across the table.

“I swear, you two… how old are you both? You’re still bickering like you’re a pair of five year-olds!”

Andrew opened his mouth to protest, but one look from his mother made him fall back to silence.

“You boys are too old for this,” she stated, a final statement that would close any debate, and both of the brothers knew better than to argue. “And I am too old for this.”

Meanwhile, John was looking at the scene from his own spot around the table, trying hard not to laugh. While Raine was pouring herself some water, there was the ghost of a smile tugging at her lips as well.

“Jon, I’m glad your project in Mayo is working out fine, honey,” she congratulated her eldest son. “Tell us more about it.”

And Jon did, he talked about the new short-film he was shooting, talked about his colleagues, about his difficulties and the fun he had as well as their meal went on. Meanwhile the rest of the family listened and questioned and teased and joked around. And it was such a lovely afternoon. Outside, rain was pouring but in the Byrnes’ home, it was sunny and bright. Warm with love; the kind of love that whispered in the quiet that everything would be alright, eventually.

Andrew had missed this. If he didn’t live far away from his parents’ home in Wicklow, he didn’t come that often. Not as much as he would like, at least. He had a busy life of his own, after all. Jon had been away for three months, and he would rather die than admit it out loud, but Andrew had missed his brother terribly. The place felt empty when they were not all gathered together.

It was the day before Christmas, and in a few hours they would all be heading to see their relatives and spend the evening with them. Andrew would be driving, Jon and their father would criticise his itinerary, claiming to know a better route, while Raine would hum to whatever tune would be on the radio, and in the trunk there would be the food they spent their day cooking, enough of it to feed a whole battalion.

But for now, it was still just the four of them. And Andrew basked in the radiance of it all, in the simplicity of an ordinary day spent with the people he loved most on this earth, without adventures or anything exciting happening except creating memories.

He watched his brother babble about his job, his mother pouring everyone some water without asking if they wanted any, his father sneaking a piece of food to Elwood under the table.

Andrew wished he could live this day over and over and over again…

“What about you, Andy?” John asked after a short silence. “Preparing for exam season?”

“Everything’s ready,” Andrew answered with a tired sigh. “Just… busy.”

There was a moment of silence, and Andrew knew the next question that would come before his brother would ask it out loud. He had been expecting it all day, after all.

“And… what about Sam? Are you still in contact with her?”

“Yeah… erm… I’ll see her for the New Year, actually.”

“Is it really healthy to keep seeing her like that?”

“I want to keep seeing her.”

Jon narrowed his eyes as he stared at Andrew, in that way he hated so much. The way that made Jon the big brother judging the bad decisions made by the youngest.

“I really hope you’re not hanging onto her.”

Andrew grew quiet, knowing what would come, he had been expecting it, and in all fairness, his family was right. It wasn’t healthy to cling onto his ex that way, to want her back, to attempt to get her back when she was engaged to another man.

He couldn’t help it though, he just… couldn’t help it…

“Andy…” Jon heaved a sigh that withheld so much unspoken judgement it made Andrew’s blood boil.

“I haven’t asked for your opinion…”

“She treated you so bad, Andy! She broke your heart!”

“I’m not asking for your opinion, Jon!”

The room grew quiet again, until Raine reached across the table to hold her son’s hand.

“You do whatever makes you happy, Andy. That has always been what we have wished for both you and your brother. That you would both be happy.”

“Thanks, mom.”

“Now, that being said… I think you deserve better than her.”

Andrew rolled his eyes.

“You’re my mom, or course, you do.”

“No, your mother’s right,” John added. “Sam is lovely, but… you deserve to be treated better. I think… I think you could be loved better. I think you could be happier with someone else.”

“Alright, let’s talk about something else,” decided Raine. “What about that new colleague of yours? That you keep on mentioning? Y/N?”

Andrew’s face lit up at the sound of your name, but he didn’t notice. His family did though, and they all shared a look.

“She’s well! Adapting, trying to get her footing at Trinity, I guess… but she’s doing okay.”

“You’re becoming good friends, I reckon.”

“Yeah… yeah, I think we can say we’re good friends by now.”

“Hmm… and nothing more?”

“Mom…”

“I’m just asking!”

“Nothing more. None of us is… looking for anything like that at the moment anyway.”

“Hmm…”

“Don’t ‘hmm’ me… There’s nothing there, just… we’re just good friends. Really good friends.”

Why did this answer felt like lying though? Why was his heart dropping as he spoke the word ‘friend’?

For a second, the mere blink of an eye, he could feel your lips on his and…

No! No… it didn’t mean a thing…

“Anyway… she shut Ian and Patterson up the other day, like… it was crazy.”

“Really?”

“Hmm… yeah, like…”

Andrew started rambling about you, failing to realise that he jumped from one anecdote to the next. Raine and John exchanged a knowing glance, smiled.

They merely hoped their son would wake up soon.

[iomoru]

Hiiii! I've been reading alot of your works recently and since your requests are open, I was wondering if you could write Kazuha w a reader who tries to subtly confess their feelings to him by giving him a letter from someone "anonymous"?

Aaaa I'm so sorry if this is confusing or anything like that, I hope you are doing well. Please don't feel pressured to write ^.^

Unspoken Words

A/n: I appreciate you for your concern of my health and for your support of my written works Mercury anon! (Is that alr for me to call you that?🧍‍♀️), and dw I totally understand what you mean so I hope you like it <33!

Genre: Canon Verse, Fluff, Gn! Reader, Kazuha x Reader, Second Person, Proofread

Summary: You leave an anonymous letter for Kazuha, confessing your feelings. As he reads it, you watch from afar, nervous but hopeful. Though he doesn't know it's you, his smile tells you that your words have touched his heart.

The autumn air in Mondstadt was crisp, filled with the scent of fallen leaves and the promise of change. Kazuha stood beneath a golden tree, his gaze following the fluttering leaves as they danced to the ground. He was enjoying the quiet moment when his attention was drawn to an envelope resting neatly on a bench nearby.

Curiosity piqued, Kazuha picked up the letter. There was no name on the outside—no indication of who had left it there. Just a simple, unassuming envelope. He glanced around, wondering if the sender might be nearby, but saw no one paying him any particular attention.

He unfolded the letter, and as his eyes moved over the neat handwriting, a faint smile began to play on his lips. The words were carefully chosen, each one infused with a sense of quiet admiration. The letter spoke of his kindness, how his words were like poetry even in casual conversation, and how his presence felt like a calm breeze that soothed the soul. It ended with a simple line that says “Perhaps one day, I will have the courage to say these words to you in person. Until then, know that someone out there thinks of you often.”

Kazuha's eyes softened as he finished reading, his fingers lingering on the paper. He read the letter again, a gentle smile touching his lips, as if savoring the emotions behind each word.

From a distance, you watched him, your heart pounding in your chest. You had left the letter anonymously on the bench, hoping he would find it and read it without suspecting it was from you. The thought of revealing your feelings directly was terrifying, and yet, seeing him read the letter made you feel both anxious and excited at the same time.

Kazuha folded the letter and tucked it away in his pocket, his smile still lingering. He seemed deep in thought, as though he was cherishing the words of the anonymous admirer. It made you wonder if he felt the same way, if perhaps there was even a chance he might guess that the letter was from you.

Just as you were about to turn and leave quietly, Kazuha's voice carried over to where you stood hidden. "I wonder," he said aloud to himself, though his voice was soft enough that it felt like a secret between him and the wind, "who could have written such thoughtful words? They have a way with their feelings, even if they choose to remain unseen."

Your breath hitched slightly, and you could feel your face grow warm. He didn't know it was you. At least, not yet. But the way he spoke—there was a gentle curiosity in his tone, a hint of hope, as if he was genuinely touched by the words of someone who admired him from the shadows.

Kazuha glanced around one more time, his eyes scanning the surroundings. For a moment, you thought he might have spotted you, but he only smiled to himself, as if enjoying the mystery of it all. "I suppose," he murmured with a hint of amusement, "some things are best left to the wind to carry for now."

You smiled to yourself, feeling a mixture of relief and thrill. Maybe you hadn’t confessed openly yet, but in a way, you had still shared a piece of your heart with him. And for now, that was enough.

As you quietly walked away, you couldn’t help but glance back one last time. Kazuha was looking at the letter again, a thoughtful expression on his face. The sunset painted the sky in hues of orange and pink, and in that moment, with the light casting a soft glow on him, you knew you’d chosen the perfect words for the perfect person.

You’d let the letter speak for you, but one day, you promised yourself, you would find the courage to say those words to him face-to-face. And when that day came, you hoped Kazuha would remember this moment, the unspoken connection that started it all.

A/n: Gang PLEASE don't be shy on sending me any type of requests in general just think of me as a normal person (pls I really love getting requests 😞) (also I think I'm gonna start naming my anons after the solar system or any other space stuff in general atp)

© ²⁰²⁴ ɪᴏᴍᴏʀᴜ ✰ do not repost, translate, plagiarize, use to train ai, or share my work on other social media platforms.

[abbys-wifey]

more than a friend?

request linked here

pairing: mikey madison x female reader

warnings: none really

a/n: i don’t like this one too much but it’s alr cause i’m coming out of writers block (yay)

I don’t get jealous. Jealousy is for people who are insecure about themselves… right?

“Mikey I swear. Punch me again and I’ll push you out of this car.” I threaten, a wide smile on my face as I lean as far as I can away from the black haired girl.

“I can’t help it if we keep driving past yellow cars.” Mikey shrugs, her smile matching my own. I simply scoff and roll my eyes. “I’m gonna have bruises on my arm for weeks. People are gonna start to think your abusing me.” I fake pout earning my own eye roll from the driver of the car.

“You’ll live.” Mikey chuckles before pulling up to the restaurant car park. I mock her playfully before exiting the car and following her towards the front door.

As we enter a chorus of whisper yells call our names. Mason, Jenna, Melissa and Jasmin all sit around a table. Mason waves us over and points to two seats beside one another.

“Thought you might wanna sit next to each other.” Jasmin wiggles her eyebrows suggestively causing my cheeks to flush red as I sit in between Jenna and Mikey. Jenna’s elbow nudges my waist as she too chuckles silently. I don’t dare to glance at Mikey in fear I could give away my feelings. That would not go down well.

Picking up the menu I pretend to be interested in the food until my cheeks return to their normal colour. “What you gonna order?” Mikey turns to me with a smile as the rest of the group chatter amongst themselves.

I let out a hum as I debate between the carbonara or the ravioli (pasta is my weakness). “Probably the carbonara.” I shrug causing Mikey to chuckle. “So I guessed right.” She smiles before Jasmin calls her name to get her attention.

Minutes fly by as the six of us talk and laugh. That is until the waiter approaches our table with a broad smile. “Hi what can I get for you guys today?” He grins, eyes drifting to Mikey who smiles politely. “What can I get you pretty lady?” He bats his eyelashes at the woman beside me causing an uncomfortable feeling to bubble in my stomach. Mikey chuckles softly, her brown eyes gazing up at the waiter. “I’ll take the Caesar salad with a side of fries please, can’t be too healthy.” She jokes.

I almost jump at the boisterous laugh the waiter lets out at Mikeys joke, my eyes connecting with Jenna’s, to confirm I wasn’t the only one who sees this horrendous interaction. “I can do that.” The waiter replies before hesitantly turning towards me, his broad smile now more of a forced grin. “I’ll have the carbonara.” I send him a fake smile before turning away, an awkward silence encompassing the table before Jenna voices her order.

Once everyone’s orders are written the waiter walks off but not before sending Mikey a flirty wink. My insides twist around themselves as my hands grip the table so hard as to prevent myself from strangling the man on sight.

“God that man was into you.” Melissa laughs from beside Mikey, her fingers poking the black haired woman’s side. “Tell me about it. He wouldn’t stop staring at you even when I was trying to tell him I can’t have chicken or bacon on my caeser salad.” Jenna groans.

I resist the urge to get up and go home. Petty yes but I hate watching the one person I adore being flirted with AND flirting back with some random.

“I think I’m going to go to the bathroom.” I feign a smile as I push out my chair and stand up desperate to get out of this conversation. “You want me to come with you?” Mikey’s quick to ask already half way out her chair. I shake my head almost too quickly. “No stay here, you’ll wanna be here for when the waiter comes back.” I reply maybe a little too harshly as Mikeys mouth opens and closes like a goldfish.

Both Mason and Jasmin send me a look but I ignore them instead walking away to the restroom as fast as I could go.

Resting my hands against the porcelain sink, I gaze at myself in the mirror. Although I look normal, I could feel the green eyed monster clawing at my stomach. Thinking about the waiters lingering gaze and his suggestive looks made me want to throw up in general, but thinking about them aimed at Mikey. That shatters my heart into a million pieces.

Blinking back tears, I run an irritated hand through my hair trying to think of an excuse for when I return to the table.

The restroom door opens and I inhale on instinct, brushing my tears away to make it appear as if I’m just washing up.

“Y/N?” Mikeys voice is shy, timid almost as she makes her way towards me. “Oh.” I breathe half grateful shes here and not at the table with that stupid waiter and half embarrassed she’s here while I cry over her.

“Are you ok?” The simple question is like a trigger sending tears cascading out my eyes. “Fuck, I am actually fine I don’t know why I’m crying.” I let out a chuckle but it falls flat as Mikey reaches for my hand.

“Don’t lie to me. We don’t do that to each other. Your my best friend, if somethings up I wanna help you.” She whispers tucking my hair behind my ear with her free hand.

Best friend

The word hurts to hear causing my eyes to squeeze closed as if that would protect the breaking of my heart. “I’m sorry for what I said before. About the waiter and stuff.” I sigh opening my eyes to look at Mikey who shrugs. “It’s ok, I don’t even want him anyway. I kinda have a crush on someone else.” She gazes at the floor. The words cause my breath to hitch in my chest.

So there is someone else.

“Oh. Yeah.” I manage to let out broken words. Tugging my hand away from Mikeys I let out a breath and wipe my cheeks. “I’m gonna head back.” I can’t look at her as I begin walking towards the door leaving Mikey behind me.

“Wait. Please.” Her voice is pleading almost begging me to not walk out the bathroom. Pausing, I turn on my heel and raise an eyebrow. “If I didn’t know any better it would sound like you were jealous.” She breathes slowly making her way in front of me once again.

My breath hitches for a different reason this time as she stops merely inches in front of my face. “And what if I am?” I reply waiting for the inevitable disgust and rejection to appear in Mikeys face.

“Then I would do this.” Mikeys lips connect with mine. Her hand reaching up for my face as I lean into the rhythm of our kiss.

The green eyed monster disappears leaving euphoria in its place.

I pull away only to better understand the situation, my hands still remaining slotted on Mikeys hips with no intention of letting go.

“So this means I’m the someone you have a crush on?” I frown as Mikeys shoulders shake with laughter. “Yes you idiot.” I don’t waste a second after she confirms my suspicions, my lips chasing hers once again.

Sighing into the kiss I can’t help but feel overjoyed, like I could conquer the world so long as my world remains in my arms.

[ccthelee]

hi lovee, hope ur having a good day/night depending where u are!! if ur filling prompts could i possibly have 44 (or 82!), maybe based on the part of your hc list about agatha taking out a village for rio? maybe sfw in their salem era? 💖🌸 i love ur writing so even if this prompt isn't picked i'm excited to see what does get written!!

first of all you are SO sweet. also, this came out a little extra-soft because i just love how soft rio is when it comes to agatha and i am so obsessed with salem!agathario.

"You wouldn’t take advantage of that knowledge when I’m stuck like this, right?"

pairing: agathario (agatha all along) wc: 2.2k content & warnings: sfw, tickle fic, foot tickling, just fluff and VERY soft rio, lee!agatha

Rio felt the rain before the sky darkened. The air hadn't even cooled yet but the petrichor invaded her sinuses and made her feel whole, and clear. That wholeness in her body was dampened only by the ache of responsibility as she headed past the empty barn and farmhouse toward the pen of horses beside the thin, dirt road. Mud turned to sand beneath her dirty feet as she approached the fence and surveyed the scene before her. Horses, half a dozen of them, laid down in their field as if dead. She whistled, smiling when the one nearest her perked up his head to her and then slowly, agonizingly got to his feet. He approached her like he knew her, head hanging low as he came to a stop at the fence and let her brush his snout.

"Not yet, you dumb beast," she cooed at him softly, affectionate in tone despite being insulting in word. She glanced over at the smoke in the distance and then back at the length of road between herself and it. "I just need a ride, this time."

-

She let the creature go before she reached the edge of the forest that separated the farm from the town and wiped the dry mud from her feet and legs before heading off on her own. It still hadn't started to rain but the storm was brewing much more clearly now, the sky darker in warning.

"Took you long enough."

Rio heard the complaint from several yards away, laughing out loud as the ground turned from dirt to cobblestone beneath her feet, then back again. She wandered in no hurry to the massive statue that stood in the center of what she assumed had to have been the town square, and slowed to a stop in front of Agatha Harkness, bound at the base of it. Her arms were outstretched to either side of her, with a length of rope tied to each wrist and joining in the back of the statue out of Rio's view. Her posture was stuck in an L shape, legs stretched out before her on the ground where she sat, though slightly slumped in defeat and likely boredom from waiting around with no one left alive to free her.

"Had to make a few stops along the way. I can't drop everything every time you need some attention. There's an order to these things. What... are you wearing?"

She cocked her head to the side as she finally looked at the other woman properly — her dress was torn slightly, her hair down and wild the way Rio liked it, though definitely not the way she usually kept it while out in public. Despite that bit of indignity, she still wore gloves, her shoes sticking out from beneath the hem of her dress.

"I was... ambushed," The witch admitted.

Only then did Rio notice her appearance even more fully. Her cheeks were tear-stained, her eyes red and lips swollen. She'd been crying, before Rio had arrived. Guilt swirled in the air between them and Rio felt an angry stab in her chest. This hadn't been entirely on purpose.

"Well..." Rio began, coming closer still and then crouching down in front of the other woman. "They certainly picked the wrong fight. This is all very romantic. The gifts, setting the mood." She gestured around and grinned when the witch before her snorted and dropped her gaze.

She reached out and lifted her chin softly to look at her seriously. The sadness was still there, the confusion and the hurt in the aftermath of what she'd done, but it was already being packed away, Rio could see that. She could also see that little spark, the thrill that they were together and that made it very worth it.

Wordlessly, she reached out to one of Agatha's hands and she sat up a little in anticipation of her hand being untied. Instead, Rio removed her glove and kissed the fingers that had just caused so much loss. She smiled against her skin when Agatha's hand twitched beneath her lips, unable to hurt her even if she wanted to. She moved around to the other hand and repeated the gesture, then sat back and hummed. 

"Now you almost look like a witch again," she observed. Leaning in, she kissed her once, softly, and then leaned back and shook her head. "No, not quite."

She dropped her gaze down her legs and then moved to sit at them, pulling the other woman's shins across her lap as she settled in contently in the dirt.

Agatha made a small noise of protest but she was used to the other woman's games well enough to know that letting her continue whatever odd little ritual she had started would be the path of least resistance.

"Stupid things," Rio muttered, tugging her shoes off gently and tossing them aside in annoyance. She dipped her head and softly kissed the tops of each of her feet in turn and looked up in time to see her smile, a gesture that caused her own to bloom across her lips.

"Better?" Agatha questioned, one eyebrow raising. "More... witchy?"

"Much," Rio said decisively. "Which really only leaves the issue of you feeling like one."

She reached up and brushed a little piece of Agatha's hair from her face and then ran her fingers down her cheek and jaw, brushing her thumb over the dried tears there. The other woman was as still as death as she stared back at her, so intense that it made her own breath catch. 

"I do," she replied, and Rio could hear her pained honesty.

"Then feeling like the witch you are, I'll amend," Rio said decisively. 

"You could start with untying me."

Her tone was sarcastic, not truly irritated despite her terrible attempt at conveying so. Rio gave her a grin and shook her head. 

"Nel," Rio turning her attention back to her feet dangling from her lap. "Not until I can cheer you up, amante. Are you still very ticklish? Hasn't been stifled by years of being oppressed into something as pedestrian as shoes, I hope."

She barely touched the sole of her foot when she yanked both of her feet out of the green witch's lap with a gasp, slamming them to the ground between them.

Rio gave her a surprised, amused look and effortlessly picked up her ankles once more, pulling them across her lap and then deciding to scissor her legs around her calves to hold them more still when she started to fight back. 

"So that is a 'yes', on still very ticklish," she confirmed, dusting the bottoms of her feet softly with her palm to remove the fresh dirt and drawing nervous, anticipatory squirms out of her.

"You wouldn’t take advantage of that knowledge when I’m stuck like this, right?" Agatha's tone had lost all of its haughtiness; Rio watched as she nervously wet her lips and then tried as subtly as possible to test her bonds again. She tsked softly.

"Mi amor, I would never take advantage of you. Unless it was for your own good." That was all the warning she gave Agatha before tickling her in earnest, and laughing out loud with her when she was forced to tighten her legs to keep her still.

She considered stopping at the sight of Agatha writhing against the base of the statue, worried she might hit her head or that her back might be sore from however long she had been waiting there but the genuine smile on her face was enough to keep her going. She tickled lightly enough that her laughter stayed light to match it, even with her squirming for her life and tugging helplessly at her feet it was one of the prettiest sounds Rio had heard in ages. 

A far cry from the usual crying from bystanders and victims of loss that she was used to in her day to day tasks, the sight of her lover squealing and giggling her name, disingenuously cursing her and threatening her for daring to scratch and tease her way up and down the arches of her feet made Rio feel drunk with love. 

Giving her just a tiny moment of reprieve she stopped her tickling and then readjusted her grip, pressing her thumb to the ball of one foot and steadying it against her lap, letting her heel press into her leg as she adjusted her position. 

As she caught her breath, Agatha whined and gave another futile tug at her ankle. She nearly freed the foot that Rio wasn't focused on but they both knew it wouldn't matter in a moment.

"Please," she panted. "Mercy." 

It was a playful request; Agatha Harkness did not seriously beg for anyone, anymore, and while the playful torture was overwhelming, it was certainly not where she would draw the line in the sand.

Her dramatics made Rio chuckle to herself. She loved to play with her, but more than anything she loved the way that Agatha loved it - and she knew more than anyone how much she needed it.

"I haven't even gotten to the best part," Rio reminded her, smirking before focusing all of her attention on her toes. The other woman writhed and wriggled so much that she was practically doing the work herself - Rio was pretty sure if she held her fingers still Agatha would just tickle herself on them in all of her struggling.

She came unglued in her laughter, borderline cackling as she slumped in the ropes and lost all ability to swear and threaten.

This was the witch killer that everyone feared - this beautiful woman, crying from guilt at what she'd done that came happily undone at the hands of her lover playing with her like a child, with only the intention to hear her laugh again. The idea burned angrily in the back of Rio's mind but she squashed it down, focusing instead as best she could on the woman before her. They only had so much time, anyway.

"That's not fair, it's not fair!" Agatha's voice was closer to a sob than a scream but Rio could feel her heart; she could feel the way it swelled in happiness and much more importantly, relief. 

"You're right, I think the other one is jealous," Rio agreed, soothingly rubbing the sole of her foot as she left her toes alone and then setting it down in her lap as she reached for the other one.

"No," Agatha moaned, already giggling and turning to hide her face in her bound arm.

"Now, you'll have to remind me which foot was more ticklish," Rio said conversationally, fluttering her fingers up the sole of it as she changed her grip once more to match the previous position. 

Agatha choked on a hard laugh and pulled hard, though it didn't free her. Rio gasped dramatically.

"Oh, don't tell me it's this one. This might be really awful."

She grinned at the defeated groan of protest the other woman let out, then dug her fingers in beneath her toes once more.

Agatha's already wild hair had covered her face again despite Rio's earlier efforts to tame it. She laughed until her voice was hoarse, she squirmed until she couldn't anymore, and only when fresh tears replaced the dried ones from earlier did Rio finally have the previously begged for mercy - even if the request had initially been a joke.

She grinned at the exhausted woman, setting her feet down softly and then tickling the arches of them once more, just briefly like she was checking if she was faking her defeat. When the other woman could only muster a tired laugh and barely even twitch away she stopped, soothing the phantom tingling by firmly rubbing both soles with the palms of her hands. She leaned over and kissed her knees each and then slid even closer still to untie her, and press soft kisses to the redness on her wrists.

"Luckily for you," she told the witch, "I do have a job to do, so you're free to go for now."

Agatha immediately leaned into her, burying her face into her neck and wrapping her arms tightly around her. Rio's own arms slipped around her waist and pulled her closer still, not minding the discomfort of the intensity of the embrace. She only pulled away when she felt Agatha's grip loosening in her own tiredness, standing up and bringing the other woman with her. 

"Come on, we'll start in the town and see if we can find a quicker way back to the farms." She took her hand in hers, leading her around the statue and toward the first building with its door ajar still from the earlier chaos.

Agatha tugged at the ripped material on the skirt of her dress with her free hand, letting a large chunk of it fall to the ground next to her gloves where she'd been bound. She turned back to Rio, then tightened her grip on their linked hands, so the pair of them could walk away together, expensive material, gloves, and shoes unneeded.

[smh-yoon]

hello!! how are you? i have missed you and i hope you’re doing well <3

i recently came across the xfem!reader that you have written about mitsuri and i absolutely loved it!! she’s one of my favorite girls ever and i was wondering if you could write some more mitsuri content pretty please? i love the way that you write and i will be happy with literally anything!!

but please don’t push yourself and make sure that you’re taking care of yourself!!

– 🌷

a/n: hi baby!! i hope you didn't think i was ignoring you i just got very busy over the past few days! i have been feeling very gay lately so you requested at the right time lol. this is gonna be a little diff from the drabbles i alr had of her, so i hope you enjoy! <3 i did a longer, sweeter fic, so here is smth to change it up ;)

genre: romance, smut, wlw

pairings: mitsuri x fem! reader

warnings: dom! reader, praising (giving), petnames (giving), overstimulation?

MINORS DNI - nsfw under the cut

Mitsuri really was the cutest girl you'd ever seen. It was hard to imagine anyone had ever dared to break her heart. She was always so good to you, checking on you, bringing you gifts and snacks when she was thinking of you. Her shyness was always just so cute.

She was always good for you, too. Her eyes were glazed over from the tears rolling down her cheeks, lips swollen and bruised from your kisses.

The fabric of her haori was rippling with every bounce of her tits, already littered with marks that you'd left on her against her whiny protests. Something about the way her skin looked left with remnants of your lustful behavior was too appealing to resist. She often ended up with hickies, teary eyes, messy hair, the whole mix.

"C'mon pretty girl, just like that," you cooed, listening to her whine as she continued to grind against your thigh.

The way she cried out, clutching the front of your shirt, babbling nonsense as she shook her head, trying to push past the burning in her thighs as she continued back and forth on your thigh.

She was soaking your pants through her panties, eagerly letting you slip off her pants when you offered to relieve some of her recent stressed with her missions as a hashira. She worked so hard, she deserved a little reward.

"Don't tell me you're tired? You only came once baby, give me another, yeah? Don't wanna disappoint me, do you?"

Shaking her head, she haphazardly brushed her hair out of her face, looking up at you through her lashes as you smile at her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Good, now move." Your hand gripped the flesh of her ass, pushing her hips as she started to move against you again.

Listening to her gasp and moan, you opened the front of her haori, tugging down her chest bindings to free her breasts. It would've been too much to remove them now, not when she was so close to another orgasm and her tits looked so pretty bouncing like that. Leaning down to capture her nipple in your mouth, you relished in the high-pitched whine she let out, followed by a pathetic sob of pleasure.

"Cumming, cumming, cumming!" Her hips moved wildly against your leg, her voice so high that you though she might lose her voice, crying out and gripping desperately at you.

Once her hips stopped moving, her body shaking, you put your hands on her waist and came up from her breasts, pressing a sweet kiss to her lips. Tears had stained her cheeks, eyes red and shining when you pulled away, smiling at her.

"You did so good sweet heart. Think you could give me one more?"

<3 <3 <3

[taeraeszn]

Hiiiiii! How are you!❤️💫I hope you are well! I LOVE your ZB1 scenarios and would like to request an individual scenario for Hanbin! I would like to please request a suggestive fluffy one where he gets jealous because Yujin gets more attention from his afab foreigner s/o. If you can't that's OK! You can alter it if you'd like. I appreciate it! Thank you! Sending loads of love❤️xoxo

jealousy, jealousy - sung hanbin

characters: hanbin x afab!reader (ft. zb1)

description: hanbin gets jealous seeing his s/o giving more attention to his other members at the party

genre: fluff, tinge of angst lol

word count: 1.3K

warnings: suggestive writing at the end?? kissing/making out, food, lmk if i missed any!

a/n: hi luv! i decided to alter your request a bit if that's okay! i'm not sure how big the age gap is between my readers and yujin so i made the reader speak to the other members as well! btw this is afab reader, i realized that i haven't written something with an afab reader yet! if you guys prefer the gn!reader lmk :)

also be ready for more individual requests that will slowly roll out! (i alr have 2 ricky ones!), i'm happy to be writing individual ones for you guys so pls don't be afraid to send one in my inbox <3

sorry if this kinda sucks i was in a rush to finish it but wanted to publish it today

the party was absolutely packed to the brim. to celebrate the beginning of summer, hanbin decided to gather all his family and friends at his house, including you. he's been wanting you to meet his other members for a while and it was finally time that you got to.

you brushed out your hair and straightened it, as well as choosing an appealing dress. with some heels, you were out of the door. you informed hanbin that you'd be arriving soon and he was thrilled, sending you a bunch of hearts in response.

when you entered, you saw people hanging out in small groups talking amongst themselves. everyone had drinks in their hands and looked their best.

you tried to spot your boyfriend in the crowd and that's when you saw him. he was sitting in between yujin and matthew. matthew was playing uno with gyuvin and ricky while yujin and hanbin were having a conversation.

as if on time, he looked up and noticed you in the dress he bought out himself. he momentarily stopped then excused himself from the conversation, making his way towards you.

his hands naturally maneuvered around your body, "you look stunning tonight." he complimented. your cheeks heated up as you playfully hit his shoulder, "stop! well...thank you."

"i mean it!" he looked back at yujin who was now on his phone and then back at you, "want to meet the members?" you nodded and made your way to the couch they were hanging out at.

"guys! this is (name), my girlfriend." they greeted you and you sat next to yujin as you were squished between him and hanbin.

"hi noona." yujin greeted, "hanbin has told me a lot about you." he joked. hanbin sent him a dead glare but yujin seemed unfazed. you blinked, "like what?"

he smirked, turning to face you. "oh, i could go on forever but hanbin ALWAYS finds a way to bring you into every conversation. like yesterday we were talking about pizza and he kept mentioning how you like pepperoni on yours."

"hey!.." hanbin said to yujin, unable to finish it, "you know what? i'm getting something to eat. (name), you want something?" he touched your shoulder gently.

"oh i'll have the fried chicken!" he smiled taking your order then walking away to the line that was forming by the food. yujin joked, "he got flustered."

"yeah no kidding hanbin always is when we mention you." gyuvin added, still playing uno with matthew and ricky. ricky then announced that he had no cards left, claiming that he won. matthew and gyuvin whined about losing the game since they were "so close" to winning. ricky began organizing the cards for another game.

"really?" gyuvin chuckled, "yup. but then he gets thrilled to talk about you."

"hyung was bosting to us about how great you are and how happy he is that we could finally meet you." yujin added.

as hanbin was waiting for his turn in the line, he unintentionally searched for you in the crowd and found you speaking to his members happily. though he was wanting you to meet them, he felt another way, jealousy.

he poked hao's shoulder who was standing in front of him, "hyung? do you think (name) and the other members seem close?"

hao turned from the conversation he was having with jiwoong and looked at the scene. he shrugged, "they seem just like close friends to me." jiwoong nodded, "their still getting to know each other but already seem like they've known each other for years." he chuckled.

obviously the other members have no romantic feelings for you as they know hanbin is already in love with you, but seeing them laugh with you and you playfully nudging them made him slightly frown.

he quickly got your fried chicken and returned to be near you. the members all acted naïve, as if they weren't telling you about how hanbin is like at the dorms and exposing him.

"here's your chicken." he said, showing off his cat whiskers. you smiled, "thank you love."

as the night progressed, hanbin couldn't shake off the feeling he had earlier. the sense of jealousy remained strong; he was rarely like this and knew he shouldn't be acting this way because his friends were just getting to know you.

he found himself not wanting to interact with the other guests much and keeping to himself. whenever someone asked if he was fine, he shrugged it off as being tired.

as everyone slowly began leaving, only the zb1 members remained cleaning up the mess that was left after the party. while taerae and gunwook were grabbing the trash bags to clean up, hao and jiwoong were in the kitchen washing the dishes and putting the plates in their respective spots while the rest were in the living space.

hanbin noticed you still speaking to gyuvin on the couch and laughing hardly at a joke that gyuvin made. he decided to approach you two and sat down, "hey what's going on?"

you couldn't barely contain your laughter, "gyuvin was telling me how he caught you looking at a picture of me and kissing it." his eyes widened.

"WHAT?" gyuvin put his hands up, "it was too good not to tell."

hanbin shook his head while still embarrassed, but he wanted to speak to you privately and took this as a chance.

"(name)?" you looked up, finally calming down, "yeah?" he grabbed your hand and stood up.

"can we talk?" you nodded and excused yourself which gyuvin was okay with.

you two headed on the balcony where the wind was blowing softly. hanbin sighed and kept holding your hand.

"i'm not sure what happened to me but i couldn't help but feel a bit jealous seeing you laugh with some of the members. i know i was the one who invited you here to meet them but it made me wonder if i was able to make you laugh that much."

you understood how he felt, in the past you have felt that same way with hanbin's girl friend's. this was probably how he felt with you speaking to the zb1 members.

"hanbin...i get it. but you need to remember that i'm with you for a reason. you make me happy, and you make me laugh. you make me feel like the luckiest girl ever whenever we're together. i'll always choose you as mine."

he looked down, smiling to himself. your words reminded him of why you two were together. it was then that you saw his cat whiskers again, meaning that he was happy.

"thank you love. you always know how to make me smile." hanbin pulled you close and pressed his lips onto yours softly. your hands rested on his chest and his wrapped around your waist.

he pulled a strand of hair behind your ear, resting his hand on your cheek. the kiss didn't stop as you were filled with the feeling of love, everything else seemed to faze out as you only focused on hanbin.

but it seemed that hanbin forgot to close the balcony door because he heard, "hey guys, hanbin hyung is kissing his girlfriend!" he could recognize that voice from anywhere to be park gunwook's, taerae was next to him giggling. you two rushed to pull away but a crowd already seemed to form.

"hey! hey! go back to cleaning it's still a mess!" he nagged, switching the conversation out of embrassment.

the members began hitting him playfully, joking of how "passionate" he looked.

"hanbin hyung, i never expected for you to kiss that passionately." gyuvin nonchalantly said while playing with a streamer that was on the floor.

"be quiet!" he exclaimed playfully, "yeah yeah we were kissing so what?"

you watched as the members continued poking fun at their leader but it reminded you just how much you appreciated hanbin as a partner. he was everything you needed. and nobody could take you away from him.

[lyss-sketchbox]

[arlecchino sq rant]

and ALSO the way her story quest predictably but disappointingly had no internal logic. even after the memory wiping reveal she was like "NO ONE can escape this if they betray me hoho hehe this is totally successfully written" UNTIL it came to our three playables!! they get a choice, not even just Lyney as the supposed successor! Why involve them then? Why not make a quest mostly about uninteresting npcs like you so love doing? WHO APPROVED THIS

...at least the other animated short, with the twins, is so good

Tbh i dont have any specific gripe with arle's SQ, it's good enough

What i like about it :

Fatui trio dynamic and quirks when they interact with each other (fist bump, natural role division when they scheme, etc.)

Lyney's conviction about 'this is my family, i will protect them with my life' is SHOWN instead of TOLD multiple times (planned the scheming, trying hard to help clervie, stepping up to fight Arle)

The MAIN FOCUSED character initiated the plot instead of 'oh hello random npc i've never met OF COURSE i'll help you'

Arle and Childe dynamic (talks about family growing up, mutual agreement that regrator sucks), feels natural, childe naturally believing rumours easier and arle cautiously choosing her words to mold how people perceive her even in leisure

Alre's strict principles well established (traitors must be punished, all support/sacrifices will be rewarded) it is obvious she works for her goals alone, she joins factions and alliances because she establishes equal trades regardless of which side you fight for.

She clearly don't want to be like Crucabena because she was once her child, and while that doesn't fully explain why she 'cares' about the House, i can excuse that Clervie atleast influenced her in some way so that her children has the freedom to choose the life they wish to live (referring to Clervie's only freedom then is to choose to die)

What i don't like :

The entire facking backstory spoiled in the animation for pity points and/or marketing

Deux ex machina in the form of khanerian crimson moon descendant so her flames can just... anchor people's dying shadow to the world???? sometimes????? plus clervie died when she is 16 and for some reason the shadow is 10 because.........?

Her flames has memory powers also so that she can just choose to make people forget memories of the House

Also look, i get that it's her answer to children who wants choose the life they want, its a magical fantasy world okay pog. But like... so are you saying that these children who forget their House memories just.... get handed a life? a house? a new identity? are people not gonna question why new people are suddenly popping up in their neighborhood? is the government in on it so that they can basically gaslight people that 'ah yes this former fatui person is now your neighbor, has always been!! mhm yeah'?? This is some irminsul level world deletion but manmade??????????

Look its a good premise, it just.... half-bad execution. I get what theyre trying to tell but they are patching the loopholes with magical tissue paper. Its... a lil too easy i think, too hand-wavy. If it was a magic spell to make them forget then they were set to live in a different area and helped gradually to integrate to society, its a lil better. But like... EVEN in the story quest those people who took the bottled flames took a full 2 DAYS to reintegrate to society the SAME society they operated as fatuis in, no issues whatsoever.

While my original gripe is just that the animations shouldve dropped a couple days after the SQ (like how genshin usually post cutscenes a few days after the quest), the more i look into it the more im just squinting at this