#they’re just best friends platonic soulmates your honor

[horseshoemybeloved]

Lmfao this bitch so emo🙄!!!

Why does this have so many notes it Sucks lmao

Edit again I fucking hate this drawing it’s so UGLY the only reason I keep it up is cus y’all seem to like it

[feetoffire]

gay pilot movies, the rec list (cont’d)

part one

Ongoing - the fic is complete, but not all chapters are posted

WIP - fic isn’t finished

Incomplete - last-updated-more-than-a-year-ago WIPs

where i can, i’ve tagged the tumblr’s of the authors. recs under the cut; spoilers (of all types) abound

Widower!Mav

General Warnings for this whole subsection: major character death, loss of spouse/partner, suicidal thoughts. This is not the lightest subject. Also: in this house we respect Sarah Kazansky.

i’d be home with you by thegeckbros. Ice and Mav cuddle and have one last conversation. Jewish!Ice. This one is very soft and sweet and sad. Vibe and title courtesy of Hozier’s “In A Week”. 1.5k oneshot, T. Complete.

Guardian Angel by vaelsworld. Ghost!Ice sees Mav through the mission, and manages to offer a little comfort as well. Protective Ice. 3.1k oneshot, G. Complete.

Lifetime by LadyLanera. Mav tries to figure out how to keep the Daggers alive while grieving Ice. Set more-or-less immediately post-funeral. Lavender marriage IceSarah, romantic life partners Icemav. 2.9k oneshot, G. Complete.

What they don’t tell you by ChicaBae. Mid-to-post TG:M. Mav has to go into work even though Ice is dying (Sarah and Slider stay home in his stead). To no one’s surprise, he breaks a bit when Slider and Warlock give him the news. Sarah is Ice’s sister, Slider is the Best Bro. 1.3k oneshot, M. Complete. 

May There Be Abundant Peace by Saturn. After the mission, Mav finally gets a moment to think and breathe and grieve. The world’s on a new axis, and he has to figure out how to settle in it. Title from the Jewish Mourner’s Kaddish, so I imagine the author headcanons Ice as Jewish. Bradley is the best in this. 1.5k oneshot, T. Complete.

the recipe of you by cupcakedragon12. Hurt No Comfort, and the memories we attach to food. Mav tries to cook after Ice dies. (Ice was the cook of the two of them.) 1.5k oneshot, G. Complete.  

mavdad by harddexk. The Daggers have a sleepover and invite Mav to join, only to find out that he gets nightmares every night, has lost the vast majority of his friends and family, and that Ice was his husband, not just his wingman. 3.5k oneshot, G. Hurt/comfort, naturally. Complete.  

Reasons to Stay by Ren_Anders. Warning for suicidal thoughts. Mav doesn’t know how to survive Ice. The universe keeps throwing reasons to hang around at him. Jewish!Ice. Again, warnings for suicidal thoughts (and Mav’s general self-destructiveness). This is not a death fic, but Mav is really having a hard time coping. 2.7k oneshot, T. Complete.

Honorable Mention:

Goodbye, Old Warrior by thesanctuary. The Icemav in this one is platonic, hence the ‘honorable mention’, but that doesn’t mean Mav is any less distraught. He and Sarah also have a beautiful friendship. Picks up at the end of the argument in the classroom and has continued through to post-mission. Ft. men crying, Mav desperately needing all the hugs, sort-of early Mav-Rooster reconciliation. Also, the ‘86 crew appears and Mav is smol. Nine chapters, 61.5k, G. WIP. 

Soulmate AUs

Your Damnation, My Salvation by Fuddlewuddle. Soulmarks AU, specifically the names variation. Roosmav. Mav pulls Bradley’s papers, they fall out, and then they find out they’re soulmates. It‘s...less than ideal. Angst and (now) hurt/comfort. Mav is tired and sad and lonely and a bit of (totally) a mess. Going by the tags, there will be smut in future chapters. Ten chapters, 31.9k, E. WIP.

Misery’s Companion by BeccaWrites. A/B/O dynamics, specifically Omega Mav and Alpha Rooster. Roosmav. This isn’t properly a soulmate fic, but it’s also not not a soulmate fic. I decided it can stay. When Goose dies, Mav suddenly has to deal with everything about being an omega again. He hates it. The first several chapters focus on Mav, Carole, and Bradley until the pulled-papers, and then there’s a time skip to the events of TG:M. The author freely admits that Mav is traumatized (for a variety of reasons) and he’s so lonely it hurts. Very good Mav angst in this one. Smut as of/in chapter 21. Twenty-one chapters, 50k, E. WIP.

Shifting Lines by DietTonicDaughter. Soulmarks and reunion AU.  Roosmav. They just miss each other in an airport bar. Luckily, the bartender is high as fuck and has no filter. Poor lonely Mav goes looking, because he just wants to see his boy again. Rooster spots him. Cue realization/confirmation and crying and h/c. I love the emotional maturity that Bradley has in this one (he did some off-screen growing). The whole fic is very sweet. 4.6k oneshot, T. Complete.

out of the blue by Lake (beyond_belief). “When Bradley’s soulmark appeared, his grandmother cursed Mav to the ocean to keep them apart”. Mer!Mav. Also no Top Gun? Bradley is at least a second generation fisherman. The fic is so good you guys. Mav comes up to the boat and they get to know each other?? over several weeks at least??? *chef’s kiss* I love steadily-falling-in-love fics, and also the image of mer!Mav in a wheelbarrow is Delightful. Smut towards the end. 6.8k oneshot, E. Complete.

[runawaymun]

“I’m extremely fond of Elrond in all sorts of relationships and various constellations and polycules” can you give some examples? Excluding ROP Elrond bc I’m not that interested in him (respectfully, still think he’s lovely)

Hello hello! 💕 thank you for giving me an opportunity to ramble about some more brainrot!

So excluding Rings of Power, here’s some fav polycules:

S-tier: Celrondir — Celebrían/Elrond/Lindir (hobbit films) I’m really fond of the Elrondir ship but I can never justify setting Elrond up with someone and not involving Celebrían, so in my head Lindir got a crush on Elrond, Elrond got a crush on Lindir, and meanwhile Cel was in the background also mildly attracted to Lindir (but mostly they’re just besties) & she was like ‘ok now kiss’. Bonus points if they eventually all get married to each other — peak sweet anxious wreck Lindir getting doted on by Cel & Elrond, but also Lindir and Elrond mutually sitting there fawning over their hot wife. Meanwhile Celebrían has this lil harem of husbands who adore her (and she and Lindir gossip about Elrond like girls at a sleepover). I just love them your honor.

S-tier - QPR Celrondgalad - I’m very much of the opinion that Elrond and Gil had some mutual devotion/fealty queerplatonic intense thing going on in the second age. Absolute platonic soulmates (who occasionally had sex). Celebrían and Gil were best buddies & like literally nobody was a bigger Celrond shipper than Gil. He loved seeing how happy they made each other 😭💕 and like Elrond and Celebrían didn’t really get a chance to talk about this because of Gil’s fate, but Elrond got this impression that he needed to break off the QPR thing with Gil, meanwhile Cel was like “what we have and what you two have are two completely different things and not mutually exclusive”. So at some point they did end up talking about this and once Elrond sails and reunites with both of them, it’s very much a “hi this is my husband and this is my best friend who’s my husband’s boyfriend” and I love them for that

A-tier - Celrondgalad 🤝 Celrondir - in a Celrondir verse, Lindir sails with Elrond to reunite with Cel and then also gets the shock of his life getting invited into a four-person polycule with the High King(tm) and is extremely embarrassed and worked up about this. I can’t really see Lindir and Gil being a thing except for besties who bond over their adoration for Elrond.

B-tier (fun to think about sometimes but mostly as a joke) - Celronduil and Celronduil 🤝 Celrondir - Celebrían and Thranduil tell Elrond to get in the car, loser, we’re going shopping. Weird on the surface but the more you think about the more entertaining the dynamics get. Especially if you toss Lindir in for fun because he is but one poor wet pathetic meow meow in a polycule of extremely strong personalities. It amuses me so I daydream about it often.

Basically all of these naturally revolve around Celrond, because I headcannon that Elrond just wasn’t really interested in romantic relationships very much prior to meeting Celebrían (except now I have a Celebrimbor brain worm that is changing that…), and Celrond is so endgame to me that all of my polycules are born out of me trying to reconcile my other pet Elrond ships without having to wave away my OTP 😂 plus it just makes sense. Elrond has so much love to give and I feel like he deserves a polycule. As a treat.

[jjkyaoi]

god that clip of wilbur calling tommy his best friend has just made me think. about them. and i’m going to fucking bawl. they’re so fucking sweet i cannot believe this

[softredrobin]

Finishing up the D.A.M.N. Storyline, we have the fandom’s son, and my lil buttercup, Caelum.

A note that I interpret FL and Caelum’s relationship as strictly platonic/familial, and I do not want to see any tags/replies/etc. indicating otherwise. If I see anyone disrespecting the work I put into this art by clowning when I’ve stated this I will be blocking that person. I know I’ve done only romantic partnerships with these sets in the past but Caelum and Freelancer’s relationship is important to me and I don’t want recent discourse to affect my ability to post this set for them. Anyway, don’t be acting a fool on my art >:(

With that out of the way, these quotes are from Bakadere Empathy Daemon Asks You For Help and Bakadere Empathy Daemon Comes to You With a Plan. I cried big anime tears while picking quotes when the reverse comfort video came on. Also, that quote is looong (and technically two quotes, hehe) hence the thinner lines.

Y’all know what’s below the cut.

These four flowers:

Daisy: innocence, loyal love, purity, faith, cheer, simplicity

Alstroemeria: devotion, friendship

Zinnia: thinking of you, friendship, endurance, goodness, lasting affection

Forget-me-not: remember me always, true love

Do I love forget-me-nots? Yes. Did I save them specifically for Caelum? Also yes. Not only do we know that Caelum is scared of being forgotten, but Caelum remembers his friends, even when they forget him. Not to mention, true love? Listen up, folks, this usually comes up in discussions about soulmate au in fandoms, but true love is not inherently romantic. Caelum is Freelancer’s little brother and they are just so so wonderful together. Is it true that technically one day the Chorus will revoke FL’s ability to see Caelum? Yes. Erik has said we won’t see this happen and quite frankly I’ve decided that I will substitute the reality where it will happen eventually with my own where that is not even a possibility :-) They’re Siblings Your Honor™

Anywho I think the other flowers really speak for themselves (a note that I did not include buttercups because yes they are small and cute and a perfect endearment which I use for Caelum, but they technically mean riches which… not the vibe).

Moving on, here are some honorable mention quotes:

“You’re important, and you matter, and I don’t ever want you to think that you aren’t worth everything.”

“Thank you. […] For being my friend. And for spending time with me. You make me really happy.”

“You’ve got all these people who love and care about you, who you love and care about, […] and things are just a lot better finally. That makes me so happy.”

“You still give the best hugs ever.”

“You’re soft. And your hugs are the best.”

Caelum got a cloud pattern because a) soft and fluffy like sheep, which reminds me of his horns, and b) besides being a constellation, Caelum is a Latin word meaning the sky and heaven. Besides that, I don’t know if anyone would notice this, but I added extra curls to the lettering of safe and loved, also to be reminiscent of his horns.🐑

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go listen to his baking video again and smile so hard my cheeks hurt when he finds out how awful vanilla extract tastes. <333

[tdxdotty]

best total drama dynamics

(completely opinionated but true)

izzy and noah (platonic!) - it’s like calm in the chaos storm, and i know izzy would bring out the part of noah that nobody else can. they have a few moments on the show that show their genuine friendship and trust in each other, mainly becoming friends on tdwt.

NoCo (romantic!)- although they don’t have a lot of screen time, the few moments they do have show friendship, not hatred or distrust, nothing seems one-sided either. the relationship is very much left open for interpretation, and you yourself are able to shape the relationship to your own liking based on their personalities.

geoff and gwen (platonic!)- although i don’t like gwen very much, geoff brings out her good side. she’s happier around him, even though we really only see them together in one episode, it tells a lot about their friendship. they would def get high and watch movies and eat snacks together. geoff is so laid back he could care less about any of her flaws.

duncan and harold (romantic/platonic)- this one may be controversial to some, but i personally love this dynamic. it appeals to the enemies to lovers troupe as well as the nerd x punk bully troupe. their friendship picks up eventually, and it shows they even work good together.

scott and courtney (romantic!)- once again controversial, but the snobby daddys girl x country boy has such a great appeal to me, and i never really liked duncney. they had great chemistry in the show (though they did move kind of fast) and i feel if mal never interfered then they would’ve had a good relationship after getting to know each other better.

coderra (platonic!)- although sierra is insane, she’s still one of my fav characters and you can really tell how cody’s perception of her shifts towards the end of tdwt, and he starts to see her as a friend. this is honestly built off headcannons, but i feel after the competition sierra calms down and they become best friends. (sierra was derailed in all stars we pretend all stars sierra didn’t happen)

team e-scope (platonic)- i know i already mentioned izzy and noah, but team e-scope is legendary, their personalities clash and click at the same times in the perfect ways. we only see them one episode but it’s obvious from their interactions that they’re the perfect trio. they would have the best sleepovers fr.

chris and chef (ROMANTIC!!)- they’re so perfect for each other, have lots and lots and lots of screen time together, showing not only how much they care for each other but their tension as well. you can almost see how they grow closer over the seasons.

gwuncan (romantic/platonic)- i honestly don’t like either of them very much but i love their chemistry and find it appealing in a ship, especially since it’s cannon. guy with toxic ex girlfriend falls for her friend. would be perfect if executed correctly.

jo and brick (romantic!)- jsjdbsjsb i luv them sm. brick is adorable and puts on a facade of being a tough guy, jo just breaks that down. they fit perfectly in the rivals to lovers troupe. brick has a need to be dominated (stated by dawn) and jo likes to be in charge, it couldn’t be more perfect. they have a lot of screen time together, and seem more like friends than rivals at some points.

honorable mentions

gwourtney (romantic!)- tbh perfect for each other literal soulmates

alenoah (romantic!)- not sure why this one appeals to me as much as it does, but i really like the dynamic, similar to the aleheather dynamic.

trent and duncan (romantic!)- pretty much all their screen time is them hating each other and i love it.

katie and sadie (romantic!)- tbh they are kind of annoying but let’s go lesbians!!

[megablade]

qnf puts so much rot in my brain because yes they are best friends and platonic soulmates but for some reason they have a “coupon system” where one of them has to redeem a coupon in order for the other to appear on their stream. no this doesn’t seem to be a strict system because they hang out at each other’s stream all the time anyways.

george is instantly able to recognize quackity just from the sound of his clapping or if quackity is talking to him from his bed. quackity always seeks out george in a group conversation and also is the only person who is able to make george engage in lore. they laugh at the dumbest jokes together because they genuinely crack each other up, even if the joke is objectively semi-funny at best. quackity does NOT pull any punches when it comes dnf, and also calls him out whenever george tries to farm aww’s in his chat. george says “i’m leaving your stream” ten times in a row but then stays for another whole hour, and he frequently references his inside jokes with quackity (i.e. guys please, mickey mouse streamer, etc) even when they’re with people who wouldn’t necessarily understand them.

george also gave his phone number to quackity for a singular (1) meow, way back when they were only beginning to become close friends, and quackity did it even though he hates being associated with catboys, and now they text every day. they love “exposing” each other by posting screenshots of aforementioned texts & dms on twitter every week. it’s sickening. they’re best friends your honor

[amxrany]

Talking About My Favorite Twst Ships/Pairs (Romantic Edition 🍬)

Note: I will be mentioning some spoilers (events specifically) that happened in the japanese version of twst, so if you play the english version I’m just warning you ahead of time

Note no.2: This will be arranged from top 3 to top 1 with some honorable mentions (there might be multiple ships in one rank because I’m indecisive), if you’re going to shit on me because of my ship preferences i suggest you to stop reading this and take a moment of self reflection since you don’t know how to respect ones opinion 🙂

𝑵��𝒘 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒖𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏~

𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝟑

SilKali 

- I absolutely adore SilKali in both a platonic and romantic sense like it just pulls on my heartstrings on how cute this ship is, I just overall love their dynamic as well, especially since it was mentioned in the game that they have this “irritating” air (not really the exact words but irritating is there) to them because of how different they are and I love that and their fluff fics OMG THEIR FLUFF FICS MAKES ME WANNA GO ON A RAMPAGE DUE TO HOW CUTE IT IS. Art is just *chef’s kiss mwah mwah*.

𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝟐

ADeuce or DeuAce (I’m fine with both ways)

- A classic yes I know, but I love that classic so shush. This has always been in my tops ships ever since I started twst and I think it will stay there for a long time, I also love how funny their fics are like that shit makes me cackle so hard. I don’t see their art often but when I do it’s fairy gala/ghost marriage ace and stargazer deuce which is just 💘.

JamiKali or KaliJami (fine with both)

- I just love their dynamic as a whole, that’s all. And the fics and art as well, like it can from fluffy to just straight up sad and I’m here for it. The art hits different most of the time but I love it.

𝑩𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑰 𝒈𝒐 𝒕𝒐 𝑻𝒐𝒑 𝟏 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔

FloRid 

- kind of overrated but still a good one nonetheless, the fanart and fics are good too so ima take it.

LeoVil

- this is more of a meh to me but honestly YA’LL’S FICS ARE SO GOOD TF LIKE IM GOBBLING THAT SHIT UP IT’S LONG AND WELL WRITTEN TOO LIKE YA’LL GET THE BEST FOOD OUT THERE

MalLeo

- now listen, i used to ship this as a joke, but im starting to think that it’s not a joke anymore send help (i blame the fanart)

𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝟏 (𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫)

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SilSebe or SebeSil (hmu if you like them too) - YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH FLAVOR THIS SHIP HAS THE MORE YOU LOOK INTO IT. Like my first thought about them was like “oh hey they look cute” UNTIL I GOT TWITTER WHICH MADE THEM SKYROCKET TO TOP 1. Just think with me guys, their characters and overall relationship (so far in canon) is really interesting, cuz those two would fight each other, yet they can be so in sync as well (if you look into their characters more, you would realize how it’s so in your face, even in the merch) it’s either they counter each other or it’s the same, no in between(soulmate behavior). LIKE IN THE NEW YEARS EVENT WHERE SILVER FELL ASLEEP ON SEBEK AND SEBEK STARTED YELLING ON HOW HE WOULD DITCH HIM YET DIDN’T MOVE (oh you tsundere man ily) AND DON’T GET ME STARTED WITH VARGAS CAMP WHERE SILVER SMILED AT SEBEK AND SEBEK WAS LIKE “ WHY ARE YOU SMILING AT ME SILVER” LIKE AAAAAAAAAAAAA their relationship is so rocky where it interests me on what will happen to them in the future, like what will be the changes and all that. I would absolutely rant more but I would do it in a different post (if ya’ll like that). They also fit so many ship tropes too like childhood friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, soulmates, opposites attract LIKE OMG IT’S LIKE THEY’RE PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER. And don’t get me started with the fanart, I ASKED FOR FLUFF AND YA’LL SLIPPED IN A SIDE OF ANGST I SEE YA’LL, but i still gobble it either way nom nom. Their fic and arts might be rare and hard to find, but once i find it, i will cherish it forever, it’s like a treasure hunt.

MalleKei (once again hmu if you like them too)

- I will be honest with ya’ll I didn’t know this ship existed until I stepped into Twitter and fell in the hole. IT’S SO GOOD LIKE MMMMM I LOVE BOOMER FAIRY AND HIS INSTAGRAM FAMOUS BF. Malleus deserves a friend, and it has to be the extroverted, will literally post his entire life in the internet Cater. THEY’RE SO FLUFFY IT HURTS ME BUT IT ALSO CLEANSES MY SOUL. Absolutely loved the Scalding Sands event, got some food, especially the mallekei fanartists went crazy with their art (which i love and cheirsh every time i see it). There’s this thing I keep seeing where they draw art or write fics of mallekei post canon which is just 💘💘💘💘💘, THEY’RE THE EPITOME OF DOMESTIC AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. Ok now fluff aside they will also feed me angst out of absolutely nowhwere which i will cry to, and gobble up obviously. 

If you’ve noticed, both of my top 1 ships have something in common, that trope where one of them is eventually gonna outlive the other and they’ll end up sad BUT DON’T WORRY THEY’LL REINCARNATE AND EVERYONE WILL BE HAPPY.

Now you’ve reached the end thank you so much for reading 🙇‍♀️ If you want more you can follow me, if you want me to make a post about fics I would recommend about these ships then I’ll do so if people want it. A platonic edition will also be coming soon, hopefully you’ll be excited to see it. Once again Thank You!

[ladyartemesia]

ঌ⊙ fic preview ⊙ঌ

Once Upon a Bracelet

Pairing: Prince Jungkook x Sorceress Reader

(Featuring Platonic Jin x Reader Friendship)

Genre: Fantasy • Soulmates • Enemies to Lovers

Predicted Word Count: 7K (Teaser is 1K)

Rating: Explicit (18+) (Teaser is PG-13)

Summary: You were born to nothing, but your powerful craft caught the eye of a charming prince.

However, his distinctly un-charming younger brother challenged your betrothal and is routinely challenging you.

Jeon Jungkook is (probably) a former necromancer and (definitely) the wrong prince...

But the bracelets tell a different story.

⊙ঌ⊙థ⊙ঌ⊙థ⊙ঌ⊙ঌ⊙ঌ

Prologue: Blood Magic

⊙ঌ⊙థ⊙ঌ⊙థ⊙ঌ⊙ঌ⊙ঌ

Blood magic was the oldest and most powerful of the ancient crafts.

The best and strongest blood crafters hailed from Dionysia, where the heart of all blood magic, the Sanguine Well, rose up from the earth. The people of Dionysia served as caretakers and protectors of the Well and, in time, reverence of the blood craft wove into the fabric of their souls.

Their culture thrived around it. Their beliefs embodied it.

Even love bowed before it.

Bonding bracelets were born of blood magic.

The ritual creation of a bonding bracelet pair marked the transition from childhood into maturity. When a man or woman reached their 20th birthday, they and their family traveled to the Sanguine Well.

Four cuts were made on the right hand. Six drops of blood offered to the water...

Then the Well would churn and rise with violence, swelling till the overflow swept over the youth who fed their blood to the currents.

When the water receded, the bracelet pair remained.

One bracelet for the man or woman who sought the well.

One for their soulmate.

Only the first of any soulmate pair (the first seeker) to perform the ritual received the bracelets. Many who traveled to the Sanguine Well left empty handed because their soulmate had offered blood first.

The first seeker’s bracelet formed fully clasped around their wrist. The second bracelet remained open and would only close for the first seeker’s destined mate.

When an unclaimed bracelet united with its true host, the open ends stretched and intertwined to form a rune.

From that moment on, the first seeker and their mate were blood bonded; their powers and abilities joined in a sacred union that was – to all known craft – unbreakable.

The strength of a blood bound pair could be quite formidable and, over the centuries, powerful soulmates rose to become great warriors, crafters, and leaders of their people…

For this reason, Dionysia did not take the gift of bonded soulmates lightly.

All proposed matches were registered and approved by the Ruling Council before an open bracelet could even be tried on by a potential partner. Both parties were required to present evidence of their commitment to one another. If the alliance was approved, the betrothed pair participated in a public ceremony where the first seeker’s intended mate would activate the bond by finally placing the open bracelet around their wrist.

The Royal Council believed this care and reverence honored the craft and the gods, thereby allowing the sacred tradition to continue.

In 900 years of recorded history, only five bonding ceremonies ended with a bracelet that did not close.

Now there were six…

⊙ঌ⊙థ⊙ঌ⊙థ⊙ঌ⊙ঌ⊙ঌ

Once Upon a Time...

⊙ঌ⊙థ⊙ঌ⊙థ⊙ঌ⊙ঌ⊙ঌ

“Jin!”

Your voice echoed dismally down the dusty corridor of Silent Truth Hall. “I’m sorry…I—”

Jin whirled on you, shaking his head vehemently.

“None of this is your fault.”

“There are many reasons why this could’ve happened,” you offered breathlessly.

“There’s only one reason why this happens.”

He sighed in defeat as you rubbed your temples in frustration.

“I don’t understand. The Council gave permission!”

The Ruling Council was a sovereign governing body of three kings and three queens, one monarch from each of Dionysia’s six royal bloodlines.

“The Council isn’t all knowing… ” Jin collapsed against a nearby wall. “This is a disaster,” he whispered.

And it was.

You had no family, but all of your friends from the Academy were there.

Jin was technically an orphan as well, but his adopted family, the Jeons, were there.

Jeon Alaya was high queen of the Ruling Council, so half the kingdom was there to see her (adopted) son bond with a craft prodigy from The Wastes.

Half the kingdom, but not her blood. Not her youngest son, you thought bitterly.

The two of you were silent for several moments while your minds struggled to process the shock.

“Do you think the rumors—what they say about me—is true?” you asked solemnly.

Jin’s head shot up in an instant.

“No,” he swore, “they’re absolutely not true.”

“But it didn’t close—”

“It didn’t close because we aren’t soulmates—not because you aren’t one of us.” His expression softened. “We were a good idea… just not the right one.”

Tears begin to burn at the corner of your eyes.

On some level you were not surprised. You cared for Jin but–

Yours was not an overly romantic attachment.

It was a strong friendship—one that spanned several years. When you decided to apply to the Royal Council for bonding, it seemed…

Logical.

Friendship was an excellent basis for blood bonding. More than one bonded pair applied as friends.

You believed in the wisdom of the Royal Council—everyone did. If you and Jin were not meant for each other, then surely the Council would see it. They would turn down the application. Someone would object…

Someone did object, your mind taunted.

But you were approved.

The date was set. Announcements made. Invitations sent out. The bracelet was placed on your wrist and…

Nothing.

Nothing happened.

Jin’s bracelet remained stubbornly un-closed.

And you had never felt so mortified, so exposed… so profoundly alone in your entire life.

It was a scandal of epic proportions, one which potentially called into question the judgement of the entire Ruling Council.

“Listen,” Jin said at last, “I need… I need to clear my head and think about the next steps. I know an expert on bonding bracelets. Maybe I can convince her to help. There might be another explanation.”

His hands slid up to grasp your shoulders in a familiar comforting gesture.

“Head to my house outside the city for a while. No one will bother you there, and I’ll be back tomorrow.” He gave your arms a brotherly squeeze. “We’ll work through this.”

You nodded, extremely grateful for the opportunity to be alone for a few hours.

Jin helped you slip out the back corridor to avoid the insanity still unfolding in the Hall (where the failed ceremony took place), then you parted with a final hug and quietly walked the few miles to his beautiful manor near the lake.

Technically, Golden Starlight House was one of many homes owned by the Jeon family. This one, however, Jin shared with his younger brother…

Jungkook

Jeon Jungkook was a sore subject for you. In fact, you preferred not to think about him at all if possible—and you certainly would never agree to hide at his house if you thought he would be there.

But Jungkook left weeks ago… right after the betrothal was announced.

“I cannot stand by and watch my brother make a mistake like this.”

His horrible words echoed in your mind as you unlocked the door, prepared to simply collapse fully clothed on the chaise when—

“Shouldn’t you be off playing bride-to-be literally anywhere else?”

You turned, already knowing who you would see.

“Jeon Jungkook. Of course.” A mirthless laugh bubbled up before you could stop it.

Just what I needed right now.

Full story should be posting very soon! Please let me know what you thought of the teaser! 🥺I would really appreciate it and it really fuels my creative process! I promise I treasure every word!

Let me know in the comments if you would like to be tagged for this story!

Tagging: @lemonjoonah @xjoonchildx @ppersonna @hobi-gif @untaemedqueen @underthejoon because you ladies are my heart and I always want to show you what I did right away 🥺

Important Note: I previously published a version of this story for a different fandom (Star Wars). So if you see it elsewhere (though I have made considerable changes) I promise it’s me and I can prove it. Tagging @wwilloww because she read the original way back when 😂🤣

[galaxina-the-pyro]

Any headcanons for Phineas and Isabella after Act Your Age? I'm curious! (:

The thing is, is that...I...don’t really FOLLOW the canon of “Act Your Age” entirely? If at all? Like, even while I considered AYA to be my top episode, I always thought of ways of how it could’ve gone differently. I’m on the boat that says that Phineas and Isabella should’ve gotten together in HIGHSCHOOL, rather than towards their college years, like...the whole episode, as much as I love it, is convoluted.

Which is the POINT - the episode was trying to parody those cheesy romance films where the main couple gets together at the end after falling out and stuff. But...that just doesn’t FIT Phineas and Isabella. In fact, it paints them both in a bit of a negative light, which would’ve been GREAT for character development if we could’ve actually...seen it? Like, was there a falling out, or was Isabella just too busy to hang out with Phineas during that particular Summer? Phineas said it himself that he hadn’t seen her much THAT Summer - that doesn’t mean they didn’t hang out AT ALL, that sort of implies that they tried to stay in touch.

And you’re telling me that Phineas would say things like “the friendzone”? Again - that’s part of the trope. Phineas and Ferb are known for tearing a part those things and making fun of them, but like...I dunno, I feel like they could’ve gone a different route.

So, while I DID like AYA and stuff, I do know of it’s flaws and it DOES feel like a badly written fanfiction or even a fever dream Isabella had as a child.

Regardless, I suppose I have a couple headcanons for the two post AYA:

-Phineas and Isabella have dorms that are right across from each other, continuing the “girl across the street” trend

-Phineas and Isabella like trying to surprise each other with gifts, but both are terrible at surprises; the only thing that ever surprised either of them was their first Christmas as a couple, where they gave each other similar gifts without planning to, and declared that they had reached the level of “soulmates”

-After the first year of college, Phineas goes to a college out of state, leaving his friends and family (and most of all Isabella) behind; he and Isabella text each other everyday, and FaceTime/call as regularly as possible

-During this time, there’s an incident where some jerk tried to make the moves on Isabella, and when Isabella retold the story to Phineas, suddenly their conversation went completely silent. Three days passed, and Isabella was incredibly worried until Phineas came to her college campus and proceeded to hound down the punk who bothered her. Needless to say, Isabella thought that was a wonderful gesture, if not a bit excessive

-Phineas tries to propose to Isabella towards the end of their Senior Year in college, but the Mysterious Force foils each and every one of his attempts and big gestures until he’s had enough, marches over to Isabella while his shirt is on fire (leave that up to your imagination for now), gets down on one knee, and proposes with the passion of a raging tiger. His frustration dies down the moment Isabella says yes.

-Candace is ultimately the one who plans their wedding (ala, “Candace’s Big Day”); Ferb is Phineas’ best man, Gretchen is Isabella’s “Maid of Honor” while the rest of the Firesidelums are Bridesmaids, Buford, Baljeet, Django, and Irving are Groomsmen along with a long lost cousin of Phineas’

-Phineas and Isabella are both the type of people to want a lot of kids. I’d imagine that when Isabella was younger, she probably wanted, like, twenty babies, but after giving birth the first time she came to the reasonable conclusion that, at max, she’d want six (in MY little corner of the universe, they end up having four, currently: Aaron, Maya and Kayla, and Ian. But they’re considering having another)

-Not really POST AYA, but like, there's no way that the "what-if" moments in "What Might Have Been" didn't happen, so either they reenact those moments unintentionally while they're together (maybe this time PHINEAS gets salmonella and Isabella tends to HIM, lol), or they DID have those moments together but saw them as completely platonic even though they were CLEARLY having moments and everyone around them is just like:

And that’s pretty much it? But then again, all of these HCs can be taken out of AYA canon entirely and fit into other storylines where Phineas and Isabella got together in highschool or even a bit earlier than that (unrealistic or not, I like the idea of Phineas and Isabella just being together for a long time because...they’re so wholesome). But yeah - that’s my AYA headcanons that I currently have, lol

(Also, this was cute, but it HURTS so much that Isabella grew out of saying "Whatcha Dooin", it breaks my heart, but it's like? Such growth. My baby is growing up too fast and I don't know how to handle it, aaaahhhhh)

[fallen-gravity]

Fic Writer Interview

I was tagged by @3hobbitsinatrenchcoat, thank you so much! ~~

How many works do you have on AO3?

Currently I have 45, but if we’re counting the fics I orphaned, then it’s a bit closer to 80.

What’s your total word count on AO3

As of now, it’s 169,383.  One-shots are my best friend :)

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Let’s see... *cracks knucles*

Homestuck, Gravity Falls, Steven Universe, Moana, Stranger Things, We Bare Bears, Infinity Train, and The Owl House.

A Lot, basically 😂

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Fightin’ Back (Gravity Falls), Contact (Infinity Train), Long-Distance Calls (Steven Universe), the good kind of scared (The Owl House), Day 354 (Stranger Things)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I typically don’t, because I’m usually too giddy to come up with anything comprehensive enough to really count as a response, but that’s not to say I never have! Sometimes the urge to let your commenters know that they’re loved is too strong.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Oof, warning for major character death, but that’s gotta be A Hero, A Legend, A True Best Friend. It’s a canon divergence Moana fic where she didn’t make the connection that Te Ka and Te Fiti are the same person in time, and Maui is killed as a result. 

The fic as a whole is pretty....oof, but it was definitely a super tough ending to write

Do you write crossovers? If so, what’s the craziest thing you’ve ever written?

I personally don’t, but I definitely see the appeal in them! 

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yeah, back when I was still exclusively posting to ff.net, I got slammed on one of my rupphire fics, claiming I “must be some stupid 12 year old who has no real world experience with romance” just because they thought it felt rushed

…even though the confession was seven whole-ass chapters into an 11-chapter fic.

I was genuinely heartbroken when I got the message because neither were true, but now I’m like ???? twenty thousand words in is too rushed???? what???? 

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Not yet, but I’ve thought about writing it in the past.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that I’m aware of, no

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but it would be a massive honor if they ever were

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I tried to in the past, but it ended up falling through. I’d love to give it another go sometime, though!

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

This is an extremely unfair question 😭 It’s a big ol tie for all the ships I write for, cause I have plenty other ships that I don’t write for, too. Perks of being a multishipper, amirite? 

What’s a WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Gah, I hate to say it, but I think it’ll probably be the Gravity Falls AU fic I had where Ford accompanies Dipper and co. to Mabeland. It was supposed to diverge from canon where Dipper begged Ford to please go look for Mabel before going after Bill and he caved, and there was going to be a big dramatic speech in Mabeland that Ford was going to give in the courtroom to Mabel about understanding the feeling that fantasy is always going to hurt less than reality and how Gravity Falls was like his bubble when he was younger, etc etc

I loved the idea to bits, but I got stuck figuring out how it could coincide with Dipper’s speech about growing up together, because I wasn’t willing to sacrifice that for plot reasons

What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue. Once I get into the meaty dialogue parts of my fic I go absolutely feral. Often times the dialogue is the first part of the fanfic I ever come up with, and just have to figure out how to write the other ends of it.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Finding a good stopping point for a fic is usually the biggest struggle for me. i’ll write and write and write and then go, oh shit, I don’t know how I want to wrap this up. It’s not a matter of word count, because I have the same problem even when the fics are under 2k long. Do I end on a joke? a bittersweet note? A kiss? A hug? I have no idea.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

If the character speaking is multilingual and it’s a short piece of dialogue, than be my guest! But if it’s the entire fic, or a long piece of dialogue, I think it’s easier to use the fic’s primary language and add a dialogue tag indicating they’re speaking in a different language.

[Ex. “I’ll see you after school, Mom. I love you!” she said in Spanish.] 

You know character is speaking a different language, but it’s also clear what they’re saying to non-speakers of said language. 

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

I was obsessed with this game on the teen nick website as a kid called Avatar High. One time I accidentally wiped my save file after two in-game years of progress and was absolutely devastated, so to cope I took out a notebook and wrote a fic about my character’s adventures and what they would’ve been doing now had the file not been wiped.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve ever written?

awaken the stars, cause they’re all around you by an absolute longshot. I’ve been weak in the knees for the platonic soulmate trope for ages, and I had so much fun writing this one. It was originally intended to cap off at around 2.3k, but because I had so much fun writing it, it ended up ballooning to 7.6k instead. 

If you haven’t already, I absolutely recommend it, it’s such a fun read.

tagging: @anistarrose, @ariasofelegance and @fexalted, if you’d like!

[kanawuts]

The Girl Who Loved Fairy Tales

Inspired by this post by @panncakes​

Part 1

Part 2

“It’s nice to meet you,” Jane said, returning the smile. “I’m Jane. You knew that already though, I guess. And this is Tan.”

Dr. Fai’s face turned red. “Oh my god, you probably think I’m so weird for knowing your name. I’m not a stalker, I promise. Dr. Bunn talks about you sometimes, is all. He mentioned you were coming for lunch today.”

Beside her, Tan shifted impatiently, no doubt wanting her to wrap things up so the two of them could get back to dissecting every interaction he’d had with Bunn during lunch.

Jane resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. “Don’t worry, I didn’t think you were a stalker,” she reassured Dr. Fai. “Anyway, we better get going. Thank you again for returning the keychain. I really appreciate it.”

She and Tan turned to go.

“Wait!”

Jane spun back around.

“The movie theater…they’re doing a Disney movie marathon this weekend. Showing a bunch of the classics. I was going to go alone because it’s not something any of my friends are really interested in, but I was thinking…maybe you’d like to join me? Since it seems like you’re a fan?” Dr. Fai trailed off, looking flustered. “Sorry, this is weird, isn’t it? We don’t even know each other. Sorry. Forget I asked.” She gestured over her shoulder. “I’m just gonna get back to work. It was nice to meet you, Jane.”

For a moment, Jane considered letting her walk away. After all, they didn’t know each other. But, on the other hand, a Disney movie marathon was right up her alley…

“That sounds fun,” she called after Dr. Fai, stopping her in her tracks. “I’d love to join you.”

Dr. Fai turned, eyes wide. And then her face broke into a huge smile, a blinding smile, a smile that for an instant reminded Jane so much of another smile, one that had belonged to another girl she’d once known. A girl she had tried desperately to forget.

Her heart did a somersault in her chest.

Shit.

She shouldn’t have said anything. 

“Really?” Dr. Fai asked, still smiling brightly. “Okay, great! Um, okay. What’s your Line ID? I’ll message you the details.”

Well, it was too late to back out now.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

**

“So that was completely unfair,” Tan said a few minutes later, as the two of drove back to the cram school. “I spent the entire lunch using my best material on Bunn and I may as well have been flirting with a wall. Then all you do is drop a keychain and immediately get asked out on a date? This is bullshit.” He huffed in faux annoyance, before grinning. “I’m happy for you though. Can I be your man of honor when the two of you tie the knot?”

Panic flared up in Jane’s chest. A date??

She tore her eyes away from the road to stare at him in shock. “Shut up, what are you talking about? She wasn’t asking me out on a date.”

“Um, yeah, okay. Just a stranger asking another stranger to go sit in a dark theater with her and watch a bunch of romantic movies, completely platonically.” He rolled his eyes. “Did you see how nervous she looked? It’s totally a date.”

Jane gripped the steering wheel tighter, her palms suddenly sweaty.

A memory she had tried so hard to drown in the deep recesses of her brain came floating back up to the surface.

Her college dorm, twelve years ago. Lying in bed with her, the girl whose name she tried never to think about. But no matter how hard she tried to forget, she could still remember how the girl had smiled at her, panting slightly, lips swollen, looking so beautiful. So goddamn beautiful. “That was fun, wasn’t it?” she'd asked. And Jane had pushed aside all her fears and agreed. It was fun. Really fun. 

But then… “Now that you’ve had your way with me, Jane, what do you say to a date? Me and you? Dinner tomorrow night?”

That one word. Date. It yanked Jane right out of the perfect little fantasy land the two of them had created in her dorm room that night, the one where no one else mattered…or even existed. She thought of her parents, her strict, traditional parents. She’d never disappointed them before. That was Rung’s specialty. Rung, who’d dropped out of pharmacy school only a few months before she would have graduated. Jane still remembered that argument. Her father, shouting until he was red in the face. Her mother, sobbing, as she begged Rung not to throw away her life.

If they had responded like that to the news that their daughter was opening a spa, how would they respond to the news that their other daughter was dating a girl? She didn’t even want to think about it. Couldn’t think about it. Couldn’t even consider it.

So she’d lied and said she was busy the following the night, in fact she was super busy for the next two weeks. “A bunch of exams, you know how it is.” And she’d promised to text her when she had some free time. But she never did. She ignored the girl’s texts and calls. Avoided the places on campus she knew she frequented. Told herself it didn’t hurt. Told herself that it had all been a drunken mistake. As if that night had come out of nowhere. As if the feelings hadn’t been building up for months.

She went back to dating boys. She graduated. Moved back to Viangpha Mork. Reconnected with Pued. Fell hopelessly back in love him. And then, finally, the stars had aligned in their favor after years and years, and he became her boyfriend. And that girl became a hazier and hazier memory. Jane had her soulmate. Her prince charming. Nobody else mattered.

But Pued had turned out to be less of a prince and more of a frog.

And Dr. Fai’s smile had been so blindingly beautiful...

Jane took a deep breath. And another. She refocused her gaze on the road. “You’re full of shit, Tan. It’s not a date.”

To be continued...

Part 3

[nat-20s]

i am not good at writing prompts, but how about something with the idea of inevitability? (this is so vague and i am sorry lol)

This prompt slaps no need to apologize. Also I turned this into something about a pair of platonic soulmates bc I’m a huge sap at my core. Also also this is not a ten and donna fic but also It’s not not a ten and donna fic ya know 

~*~

“Do you believe in fate?”

She shifts from her position of being sprawled over the arm of the couch into something that sort of resembles sitting up, mostly so she can gain enough leverage to poke him in the thigh with her foot. “What, are we at that point in the night where we start discussing weird philosophical questions? I had no idea it was anywhere near that late.”

He slumps further into the other end of the couch with a bit of a hum, and swats off her next attempt to poke him in the side. “It’s only 9 o’clock, but I am at the level of tiredness that it may as well be 3am.”

She’s agrees with the sentiment, for it had been a wonderfully exhausting day. Basically all of the days since she (re)-met him have been that way, them scrambling for hours with some grand adventure only to find themselves reticent to actually properly go to bed once it’s over. She thinks she would rather like to live the rest of her life this way, even if she never a decent amount of sleep again. Who needs it. “And, what, the sleepier you get the more you want to discuss the Big Ideas? You’re just like Grandad.”

“Your grandad’s a lovely fellow, I’m honored by the comparison. And you haven’t answered the question.”

With a huff, she tells him, “Sorry, mate, but if you’re going to be demanding answers from me right now, I’m going to need you to grab me a cup of tea. Actually, wait, no, I’ll go get it. For all your talents , you can’t make a decent cuppa to save your life. Literally, during that one thing.”

As she gets up, he shoots her a grin. “So you admit that I do have talents. Also, make a cup for me too?”

She flips him the bird and refuses to look back as she heads to the kitchenette, and he calls out, “You’re an angel!,” knowing full well that she always brings him a mug as well. Then, after a beat, he trails after her, because why would he spend the next six or so minutes alone when he can instead lean his head on her shoulder and press up against her side. She gives him a patronizing pat on the head, but leans in as well, enjoying the warmth against the slight chill of the night air.

They’re silent as the kettle boils, and as their tea steeps, enjoying the various buzzes and beeps on an environment that’s never truly quiet. They settle down into some chairs, and she immediately positions herself so she can place her feet in his lap. She never thought of herself as clingy before, but when you’ve been lonely for years, you tend to take every moment of togetherness that you can get. Plus, when they’re not touching in some way, one of them tends to get themselves in trouble. After a few sips  of tea, she’s feels as she’s back to a level of cognizance where she can ask, “Why fate? Why not some more light-hearted fare like ‘what happens to us after we die?’ or ‘is there some sort of higher power out there or are we all just muckin’ about hoping for the best?’”

He pauses for a moment, much more considering of his words than usual. It speaks to how tired he must be. “I dunno. I suppose I was just thinking about how, despite incredible odds against it, we met twice, and how I feel this sense that the universe is bringing us together. And, well, I don’t know how I feel about fate, and I hoped your opinions on the matter might clarify some things for me. After all, speaking with you is the closest I can get to speaking with a better version of myself.”

“Ugh. Sap.”

He snorts into his mug “Like you’re any better. You cried the first time I called you my best friend.”

“I don’t think I asked you, actually, and you cried when I told you the same thing, so shut up. And, I guess to answer the fate thing I don’t quite know either. I think I believe in something like fate, but that’s not quite the right term.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, fate or destiny or whatnot seems a bit too. Extreme? There’s too much predestination to them, not enough free will, and I don’t think every little thing we do is already written in the stars or whatnot. I think we do have choices to make, and that those choices matter, and that things won’t turn out the same no matter what. But, I also think that there’s something, sometimes. I agree that there’s this sense of the universe bringing us together, and I don’t think it was something so banal as simply incredibly good luck. I Think I believe in something more akin to, I dunno, inevitability.

I mean, sure, there’s death, taxes, the like but. The best way I can describe it is that when I first met you, or, not when I first met you, that was a while fiasco, but the first time we laughed together, I remember rather distinctly thinking Finally. Finally I’ve met the person that I was always supposed to meet. Like no matter what, no matter where we were, if we had been born in different times or different places, we were going to spend at least some of our lives together. Like it was, well, inevitable. Does that make sense?”

“I think it makes perfect sense. And I like to think that you’re right, that some things are always going to happen, especially us. I can’t imagine a universe where I never get to meet you. I don’t think it’s one I’d survive.”

“I get exactly what you mean.”

He raises his mug, and asks, “To inevitability?”

She beams, and clinks her mug against his. “To inevitability.”

[chroniccombustion]

Butterflies in the Garden

Written for the ‘Fools in Love’ Persona Fan Zine (@personafoolsinlovezine)

Genre: soulmates, soulmate indentitpre-romance, M/M Rated: K Characters: Souji Seta (Yu Narukami), Akira Karusu (Ren Amamiya), Margaret, Izanagi, mentions of the IT Warnings: none Status: zine fic, oneshot; complete

Your name is Souji Seta, and you do not have a soulmate.

Your name is Souji Seta, and you do not have a soulmate.

Even as a child, when your classmates started sprouting colors, Lover’s Marks around their wrists, Platonic Marks across their backs, your skin has always been blank. You used to watch the other children as they gleefully showed off their growing ink and giggled over whose Marks might match their own. You envied them at first. Now you just feel numb.

Over time you’ve come to accept your Mark-less existence. You don’t like it, you don’t want it, but a lifetime of changing schools and absent parents means you’re no stranger to being alone. Eventually you just stop caring. At least, you tell yourself you’ve stopped caring; it’s easier than facing the gaping void of loneliness threatening to choke you whenever your guard is down.

Maybe this is better, you think. Maybe your lack of Soul Marks is the universe’s way of helping you deal with the isolation in your everyday life.

(You chant your “maybe’s” in your head and stop crying yourself to sleep by the time you reach age 9.)

---

Your flowers finally bloom when you turn 16.

A year is spent in a rural town called Inaba, where, for the first time in your existence, you actually feel alive. There are murders, a mystery, but in between the stress and combat there are people, and as you slowly get to know them you can feel your garden grow.

They start as tingles across your shoulder blades, the sensation of warm water spreading like ink along your skin. You wake one morning to find stems and buds. You wake the next to petals and leaves. Sunflowers for the Magician, hyacinth and amaryllis for the Chariot and Priestess. Gladiolus, then pink roses; lilac, then iris. There is freesia for your cousin, a dahlia for her dad. An entire field of Platonic Marks springs up almost overnight, and little by little they bury the emptiness beneath vibrant shades of love until you’re covered neck to waist in watercolor blooms.  

But for all the tattooed beauty of the flowers on your back there is still a blank spot on your canvas, and the colors fade in sadness on the day you have to leave.

---

You stop dreaming about the Velvet Room when you move back to Tokyo. You miss it, the way you miss everything else about Inaba, but your contract has been fulfilled and the logical part of you knows you have to readjust to life as a normal person. It takes ages, but you begrudgingly fall back into your boring, lonely life. You clutch at your shoulders when it gets to be unbearable; when texts and calls to your garden of friends just aren’t enough, you find your fingers searching out the comfort of the blossoms on your back.

Months pass by the time you’ve finally accepted that you’ll never see the liminal blue dreamscape again, and it’s because of this that you’re so completely unprepared for the night when, out of absolutely nowhere, you feel that familiar sensation of falling just as you’re drifting asleep.

“Honored friend,” comes the silvery-sweet voice of Margaret in your ear. “May I ask a personal favor?”

You do not hesitate, you simply tell her, “yes.”

The world around you is cold and harsh when feeling returns to your body. You open your eyes to find yourself in a… cage? Stumbling to the bars, you look out into the blue-tinted room beyond your cramped enclosure and realize that you are not in a cage, but a prison.

The walls curve away from you in a circle of cells too dark to see inside, but from what you can tell, the center of the space is empty.

Someone lurks behind you in the dark; you do not need to turn to know who it is. “There is something wrong with the Velvet Room,” Margaret whispers over your shoulder. “I cannot seem to contact my Master and I fear this new guest may be in danger.” You hear her move, hear the creak of her Compendium as it opens.

Faintly, from all the way across the room in the cell directly opposite yours, there comes the sound of rustling chains. Instinctively you step back into the safety of the shadows as a figure, clad in white-and-black prison garb, shuffles up to the bars of that distant cell. You cannot make out features, only the monochrome of skin and charcoal hair.

“Hello?” the figure calls, and the voice is male.

“Hello?!” he calls more insistently, voice hitching in building unease. “Is anyone there?”

You don’t like this. You don’t like what the Velvet Room’s become and you don’t like that there’s a boy in chains across from you in the empty dark. “Let me help,” you whisper, eyeing the oppressive space around you with creeping dread. “This isn’t right, let me help.”

You practically feel Margaret’s smile. “I was hoping you’d offer.” The Compendium snaps shut.

Something rises from your soul: an old, familiar presence that you nearly weep to feel again, lightning-charged and sizzling through your veins like a pulse. There’s a surge of ethereal blue light and past the glow, through a pair of eyes not quite your own, you see the boy in the other cell take a step backwards in shock.

When the light dims, Izanagi stands triumphant in the center of the room.

Through your Persona’s vision you see the boy more clearly. He’s roughly your age, with curling black hair and wide dark eyes set in a beautiful, seraphim face. He stares up at you-not-you in fear and awe and somewhere in the back of your head you hear Izanagi’s voice like a rumbling, distant storm.

I am thou.

But thou are not I.

The boy’s bow furrows in frustrated confusion. “I don’t understand.”

You watch through Izanagi’s eyes as he silently appraises the boy in the cell. Eventually you feel him nod.

You’ll do.

The world glows white-hot.

There’s a sensation of something shifting – relocating – and suddenly you’re blind. In place of your sight, however, comes an acute awareness of someone else, like your awareness of Margaret behind you only stronger, deeper, like you’re somehow folded up in another person and they in you. Any hollow place that once existed within you is gone, filled to the brim with this feeling of him, the boy who now holds the most profound piece of your soul.

It’s the most intimate thing you’ve ever felt in your life and you are very nearly brought to tears.

Your vision fades back in, leaving you once more inside your own body, and from across the way you can see the boy staring at his hands in pure wonder. He flexes his fingers, brings them up to press against his chest as if he’s feeling for something past his sternum. He looks up, and those dark, wide eyes meet yours.

“Who are you?” he whispers, but you feel it in your head all the same.

You get no chance to answer. Margret’s hand is on your shoulder before you can open your mouth, and into your ear she murmurs, “It’s best if we leave now, honored friend.”

You want to protest, shake her hand off, shout your name back at the boy and ask for his, but your body feels weightless, detached from your surroundings, and you blink to find the room around you blurring at the edges.

You wake up alone in the physical world, blinking away fresh tears. The feeling of completeness is still there, though, and as you stare up at the ceiling and focus, you can just make out the faint stirrings of Izanagi from somewhere far away. “Come back,” you whisper to the boy that cannot hear you. “Please …”

When the sun rises a few hours later, flooding your bedroom with light, you notice something beneath the cuff of your shirtsleeve. There, on your left wrist, in brilliant cyan-blue, is a Lover’s Mark in the shape of a swooping butterfly.

---

Life doesn’t change too much. You weren’t sure if it would because you’ve never had a soulmate before and don’t know what it’s meant to feel like, but the garden on your back hadn’t really changed anything either, so you suppose this is normal. Something that does change is the way you can sense his emotions whenever they’re strong enough.

Determination comes through a lot, as does defiance. You wonder what kind of life your soulmate is living where he’s constantly on edge, constantly tense or stressed. Anxiety and anger are common as well, and you don’t like that the negative emotions are what you get most often because you can’t tell if they’re what he feels the strongest or what he feels most frequently. Neither one is good.

You worry for him, send him thoughts of strength where you can, whisper, “you’ll get through this, I believe in you” into the butterfly, and pray that it reaches him when he needs it. You don’t know him, not even his name or where he is, but you’ve wanted him your whole life and now that you know he exists you already want to protect him. Sometimes there’s a flicker of something in return, but you can’t make out what it is.

There are times, however, when you swear you can feel his happiness. It’s soft, more focused than the other emotions, and always at night when you’re lying in bed thinking. There’s something like longing hiding in there as well, and you know this because you’ve known forever what longing feels like. The butterfly on your wrist tingles with warmth; you dare to hope it means he’s thinking about you, too.

It’s during those witching-hour moments, when you’re alone with the memory of dark eyes and even darker curls, that you press your palm over your new Lover’s Mark and pour every ounce of yearning and curious affection from your heart into this budding bond between you. You like to imagine that the faint, giggly joy you feel afterwards is him answering you back.

But your luck always runs out.

You awake in a feverish sweat one terrible, soul-rending night in November, with after-images of torture flashing behind your eyes and fear crackling in your ribs like Izanagi’s being torn apart from the inside out. It doesn’t let up even after you blink away the nightmare, and your entire body shakes violently with adrenaline not wholly your own.

You gasp into the darkness, searching for any scrap of familiar feeling you can use as an anchor to ground the both of you on either side of the bond. All you feel is chaos, a steady stream of spectral pain. You curl in on yourself then, instinctively wrapping your hand over the butterfly and clutching until your knuckles turn white. “I’m here,” you whisper, hoping against hope that he can hear you. “I’m here, I’m here, I’m here…”

There’s a feeling like something slotting between the fingers of your left hand, like someone is desperately gripping it, and you clench your fist in response as if you could hold his hand from far away and not let go. You stay that way until everything fades into a drug-like silence, sobbing against your Lover’s Mark and rocking back and forth until well after dawn.

Later, as you’re sluggishly getting ready for school with the morning news in the background, it’s announced that the leader of the infamous Phantom Thieves killed himself last night while in police custody. Somehow, with a gut-dropping surety that you cannot explain, you know.

You don’t go to classes that day – instead, you crawl back into bed in a daze and lay there with your lips pressed against the faded butterfly, your heart freezing over inside your chest.  

---

Your Mark is silent after that.

Your hope begins to dim to embers, not yet dead but slowly dying as the months roll by. Sometimes, at night, it feels like maybe there’s still something there – an echo of lonely sorrow ghosting across your soul, but it always vanishes too quickly for you to catch. No matter how fervently you plead afterwards, there is never any response.

You look for solace in denial; old “maybe’s” sit like poison in your mind and you quickly discard them when all they do is make you sick. You cling to your garden of platonic flowers, but even they bring little comfort now that you’ve had a glimpse of something deeper.

Ever observant, your Magician is the first to notice your despondence. He calls you, asks if you’re okay, doesn’t believe you when you tell him you are. He calls again later to say he’s bought a train ticket to Tokyo for spring break, and despite your hollowness the sunflowers on your back grow a little brighter at the news.

March arrives and with it comes your friend, his presence a balm to your shattered heart. You talk for hours, catching up those months spent apart and, miserably, you tell him about your once-vibrant Lover’s Mark. It’s grey now, the color all but gone in your despair, and you’re grateful when he empathizes but doesn’t ask to see.

Three days into his visit you’re… better, so he drags you off to Shibuya for a change of scenery. It’s fun, hours passing with easy laughter, and you realize you’d forgotten what it felt like not to hurt.

You’re halfway to the arcade when it happens.

Out of nowhere comes a sharp, stinging pain – it lances up your arm, tracing the lines of your butterfly like lightning, and Izanagi roars to life inside your soul.

Go.

You run.

You don’t know your destination, nor how your feet know where to go; it doesn’t matter. You follow the pull inside your heart, letting Izanagi direct you left, right, straight for a block then down into an empty, open alleyway, heedless of your Magician calling out behind you.

Then Izanagi’s presence abruptly disappears.

You stumble to a halt. Heart hammering and confused, you nearly miss the sound of pounding footsteps steadily coming closer until they’re just beyond the opposite entrance to the alley. You turn as a figure rounds the corner—

and freeze.

Wide eyes stare at you from behind crooked glasses, dark beneath darker curls in a beautiful, seraphim face. “You,” he whispers, taking a step towards you.

And then you’re both moving. You meet as one in a tangle of grasping desperation, tugging at each other’s wrists to reveal an identical pair of butterflies in shining, brilliant blue. Your fingers in his hair, his arms around your waist, and somewhere in the middle your lips connect in a kiss that feels and tastes like home.

“You’re alive,” you nearly sob when you pull apart, at the same time he murmurs in awe, “you’re real.”

Your name is Souji Seta, and you are 17 when Akira Kurusu calls you his soulmate.

[iwillwalk500miles]

the strings of the soulmate au

So I promised @astraskylark​ I would break down some of the strings. I’ll be explaining Weiss’ and the symbolisms of them, and then I’ll throw in a couple of random ones about other characters I couldn’t quite fit into the story. It’s a long post sooooo, yay.

First things first, you have to know where all of hers are. Starting from top to bottom, Weiss has strings around her ears that belong to her siblings, one around her neck from Ruby, Sun around her chest, Blake around her left pinky, Yang around her right wrist, and Pyrrha around her left knee.

The Ears

Let’s start with the Schneeblings, because I love them. 

Weiss is connected to Winter from her left ear, Winter is connected to Whitley from her right, and Whitley is connected to Weiss from his left. Together they form a proper circle, when they turn their backs on each other, the strings get tangled, but when they face each other their bonds flow naturally and easily. I imagine that if they were raised in a better home their bonds to each other would be really quite strong, but due to what they suffered all of their strings to each other are patchy, the threads splitting off a little. I chose to connect them by their ears for a number of reasons, 1) it was the easiest place for them to be connected, 2) having them connected by the ears was symbolic, and 3) listening to people you care about is quite important, therefore ears.

They are connected by their abuse, but they don’t quite understand how yet. All three of them reacted to their home life in different ways, as most of you probably already know. None of them understand each other because they aren’t listening, not yet anyway. I also chose the ears because they’re near the head, closer to the mind than the heart.

The ears mean misunderstanding and acceptance. Well, right now they only mean misunderstanding, but eventually they’ll mean acceptance.

The Neck

Let’s talk about the neck string. Everyone has one of these, and the relationship between those connected doesn’t have to be explicitly romantic or platonic, this is just the relationship that will ultimately have the potential to mean the absolute most to you.

But, as seen in the story, this string also has the potential to do you the most harm.

The neck is a vulnerable place. Originally, I wanted the main string to be around the pinkies, as a homage to the ‘red string of fate’ but I decided to change it up, and I’m glad I did. This string means trust, vulnerability, and (obviously) love.

Weiss’ string hasn’t formed around Ruby’s neck yet, but it will. I promise.

The Chest

I went over this in a comment already, so I’ll copy paste it here and then add onto it.

“take the bond between sun and weiss, his string wraps around her chest (meaning things like protection and warmth and all that comes with the area near her heart) and her string wraps around his stomach (the center of his body which comes with strength and resilience i suppose)”

The way I see the relationship between Sun Wukong and Weiss Schnee is a complicated one. It’s supported entirely by my own personal headcanons of these characters, as they only had like one or two scenes with each other in the show. Sun, admittedly, is a himbo. I once saw a post that said the very best friendships are between ‘the himbo and the lesbian’ which, while funny, is a concept I took and ran with.

Though, my version of Sun is... not more knowledgeable exactly, but more aware of the people around him at the cost of his own self. It took me a while to characterize him the way I wanted, and I’m still working on it, but for now in this fic he is the type of person to see the emotions and want to help them no matter what, taking no time to take a good look at his own emotions.

Weiss also isn’t good with emotions, but eventually learns more about Sun to be able to actually see him, to make him feel understood. 

(It’s a match made in heaven.)

So, Sun helps Weiss and Weiss helps Sun, it just takes a little while for it to get like that.

The (Left) Pinky

Weiss’ bond with Blake is different from the first two, mainly because while Blake’s string is around Weiss’ left pinky finger, Weiss’ string is around Blake’s right bicep. Weiss is left handed, and the fact that the bond is on her left pinky instead of her right means something. The pinky is usually the smallest finger on someone’s hand. When I decided to connect them, I was admittedly thinking of pinky promises. 

So that area indicates honor and commitment, as Blake and Weiss’ relationship came with a somewhat rocky start, Blake not trusting Weiss because of her name and Weiss being... well, Weiss. 

As their relationship flourishes, the words ‘honor’ and ‘commitment’ seem to fit them more and more. They are tied together by their desire to make things better, Weiss sees the destruction her father had wrought and succumbs to her own righteous anger, and Blake grew up fighting for the rights of her people. They both made promises to themselves, and that is what tied Blake to her. (Though the right bicep means something similar, ‘strength and endurance.’)

The (Right) Wrist

Similar to Blake and Weiss, Weiss and Yang have different parts tied to each other. (But of course, not that different, considering that Weiss’ string is tied around Yang’s left wrist.) Their relationship (once again similar to Blake) is rocky at the start. In the fic they don’t get along for the first two or three chapters because of the way Weiss reacted to Ruby, so Yang (the best big sis ever) was like “square up, bitch” and Weiss responded in kind.

(The relationship between them is hard for me to put into words so forgive me if I don’t make much sense.)

They reluctantly grow to care for each other, not broadcasting their friendship in obvious ways, so the first time that Yang is obviously protective of Weiss, little miss ‘I don’t need friends they disappoint me’ is understandably shocked. On Yang’s side of things, the first time Weiss is obviously attempting to correct her behavior between them she’s very much surprised.

The relationship between them sort of snuck up on them, I guess.

The wrist is used to move the hand, turning it and positioning it places—the movement is simultaneously restrictive and not. Operating under the impression that Yang is right-handed and Weiss is left-handed, I had their strings go on the opposite sides of the wrists they use the most. 

Things between them are important, and maybe it’s not as obvious sometimes, but they need each other. Just like they need the wrists of their non-dominant hands to do things like tie their shoes, or easily pull on a pair of pants or a shirt or something. Though there are ways to do it with only one wrist, it’s easier when you have both, right?

So their bond represents a quiet sort of devotion, ‘consistent’ and ‘helpful’ are what come to mind when I think of their strings.

The (Left) Knee

I actually touched a little on their bond in the story, so I’ll put it here in quotes and then explain further.

“If you don’t mind me asking, where are we connected from?” It was a simple question, but she couldn't quite help the small tinge of unease in her stomach.

“My left knee to your right.” Weiss said hesitantly, looking at the aforementioned string. It was glowing just a little bit more than before, the fiery red slowly going lighter shades until it turned into the pale blue that belonged to Pyrrha.

“Stability, then.” She said after a moment, smiling serenely.

“Pardon?” Weiss asked, frowning a little in confusion.

“Well, knees are used to keep you standing, aren’t they? And you’re left handed, and I’m right handed—so we favor those sides of ourselves.” Pyrrha explained after a moment, looking Weiss in the eye and smiling broadly. The look on her face was so genuine and soft that Weiss felt that she had been punched in the stomach. “So, stability.”

Stability. They keep each other grounded, standing up. Weiss shows Pyrrha a rare kindness the first day they meet, and Pyrrha (understanding that the teenage girl in front of her isn’t often kind) responds in thankfulness. They are each other’s strongest supporters, in a sense that they would always be their keeping each other standing, or helping each other get back up.

Which, if after the story is over you choose to imagine what happened in the canon universe happening here, is all together heartbreaking.

Team R_BY’s Strings

It is here where I will write the information not about Weiss specifically, but the people around her. Most of it will be relatively short, as I haven’t fleshed as much of it out as everything else. You’ll notice that some relationships have different meanings. For example, the string between Ruby and Yang means different things on the different sides, though they are similar.

Ruby’s strings that haven’t been mentioned are: Yang around her left forearm (strength and admiration), Blake around her right palm (guidance and support), Jaune around her right bicep (working well together and acceptance), Taiyang around her left ankle (motivation and pride), Qrow around her right ankle (motivation and reluctance), and Penny around her chest (protection and intimacy). Summer Rose’s string used to be around Ruby’s stomach (balance and—similar to Yang’s—strength).

Blake’s strings that haven’t been mentioned are: Yang around her neck (love and vulnerability), Sun around her right elbow (flexibility and control), Ruby around her left palm (guidance and support), Ren around her left ankle (understanding), and both of her parents are wrapped around her stomach (balance). She used to have one to Adam, one that if you read the story you know she created herself and then had Weiss cut off. It was located on her wrist. This string meant nothing but what Blake wanted it to, in the beginning it was love, but it mutated into hate. Also Adam’s a douchebag. (Not important to the strings exactly, but it’s important to me that I put that there.)

Yang’s strings that haven’t been mentioned are: Blake around her neck (love and vulnerability), Ruby around her right forearm (protectiveness and strength), Qrow around her left pinky (importance and resilience), Taiyang around her right pinky (balance and gentle love), Sun around her left shoulder (support), and Nora around her left shin (encouragement and excitability). She does not have one to her mother, there is the potential to grow one of course, but you’ll remember that Yang had never met her. But I think that you’ll find it interesting that Raven will have one connected to Yang, it will be one sided, with Raven tied to her daughter and Yang free of her mother.

Some Tidbits:

Willow Schnee used to have her strings connected to her children by the right pinky, right ring finger, and right middle finger. Her strings mirrored her children, so the strings were tied to each of their respective fingers.

Jacques Schnee has only one string, and it has long since faded to almost nothing. I imagine that this might be to one of his parents.

Sun and Neptune are tied together by their necks.

Ozpin and Salem are tied together by their necks.

Winter will eventually meet the happy huntresses, and will receive strings from both Robyn Hill and Fiona Thyme, interestingly enough—they are both around her neck.

some grimm can pull on the strings (...i’m not planning anything for the next chapter stfu)

Poly STR was totally a thing back in the day

Qrow does not have a string around his neck, not till he meets Clover at least

Winter and Qrow are connected by the palms of their hands, their relationship purely one of bitter rivalry (they are both gay leave them alone)

a lot of people have onesided strings to Miss Pyrrha Nikos, heartbreaker extraordinaire

I imagine that as the years pass Penny and Weiss might develop a string; Ruby would be ecstatic

Winter and Penny have a string together, Winter having one around the palm of her right hand and Penny having one around the palm of her left hand

Team CFVY have strings together, I mentioned once that Fox and Coco have a platonic bond around their necks, I think

Team SSSN does not, only Sun and Neptune are tied together, but they do have the potential for it to develop over time

[fitzgeraldfm]

hello everyone!! i’m jasmine and i’ll be bringing wes fitzgerald (charles melton) and lizzy hart (romee strijd) to the dash!! feel free to like this and i’ll shoot you a message here (or on discord)

( charles melton, cis man, & he/him ) let me introduce WESLEY FITZGERALD, the 24 year old SENIOR at cyprus rhodes university. they are a WEALTHY student that is majoring in BUSINESS and are said to be RECKLESS, CONFIDENT, & CALLOUS. people usually associate them with BROKEN LUXURY CARS, SUNGLASSES THAT HIDE THE ROLLING OF HIS EYES, MIDNIGHT HOOKUPS, & WITTY COMEBACKS.

statistics

general

full name: wesley oliver fitzgerald

nicknames: wes

age: twenty-four

date of birth: november 1st, 1996

hometown: beverly hills, ca

sexuality: heterosexual

current residence: cyprus rhodes, california

languages spoken: english & korean

personality

zodiac: scorpio sun, aries moon, scorpio rising

alignment: chaotic neutral

mbti: esfp

appearance

hair color: dark-brown

eye color: dark-brown

height: 6′3

biography

the only son to supermodel, hana fitzgerald, and business tycoon, oliver fitzgerald, it was easy to say that wes grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth from childhood. private schools, nannies, and anything his heart deserved. well except for one thing.

wesley had always been somewhat of a dependent child. he wanted to be loved, not just by his parents, but by everyone. he had this obsessive need of having everyone’s attention. it was a shame that at his young age, most didn’t give him the time of day, especially his parents. they apologized of course, but wesley was too young to comprehend anything beyond his mother and father constantly leaving him behind.

he’d always been well liked by his peers, honor roll student, football team. people loved him, but the amount of friends he had and the amount of girls stuck to his arm felt insignificant compared to the disappointment he felt when he looked out into the stands during a game and his parents weren’t there. he hadn’t joined the football team or busted his ass studying so he could be well liked, he did it because he wanted his family to give him more than just the occasional glance.

the sadness he’d felt for so long began to morph into anger, which was exactly how the acting out started. it was all juvenile of course, but the little moments of his mom or dad picking him up from the police station or forced into a parent-teacher conference were the only ones where he felt he actually had parents. he’d expected them to yell at him, ground him, do anything. but instead, they pushed it under the rug. any charges against him always seemed to be dropped, no doubt due to the influence of his father. and all it did was make him angrier. so angry that he began to put his own life at risk. it was amazing how many tickets someone could rack up, how many times you could get your license suspended, how many cars you could crash. the bills were astounding, not that it changed anything. at some point it all became second nature to wes, as if he was punishing his parents for never being theres

wes’s parents gave more of a damn about their reputation than they ever would their only son, that much was obvious. you wouldn’t find a single negative article on him, his reckless behavior hidden from the public eye. people continued to think he was just another rich asshole, not to say that he wasn’t. there were so few people that wes actually gave a damn about. but even with the people he was close with, it always felt like he was holding back, afraid to speak of his own insecurities

there was still that anger within wes, his reckless behavior becoming a norm for him, but most days? he didn’t feel anything. he did whatever he wanted. drugs, drinking, all of it. he slept around, never caring who was hurt in the process. it was just another thing that had become second nature to him. he never thought about the consequences, mostly because he’d spent his entire life evading them whether he wanted to or not. he’d climbed up the social ranks of cyprus rhodes, wide receiver on the football team and president of a fraternity that he still wasn’t sure if he gave a damn about.

wanted connections

“wanna get arrested?” [m/f/nb]; someone who comes from a similar situation as his, these two always seem to be starting trouble just for the fun of it, without ever fearing about being caught

“never one without the other” [m/f/nb]; best friends. one of the few people wes genuinely cares about. they basically do everything together, kind of like a platonic soulmate

“definitely eat shit” [f/m/nb]; straight up enemies. these two cannot stand each other and it’s painfully obvious whenever either is in a room together. there’s no making up, and definitely far too much bad blood between them

“and they were roommates” [f/m/nb]; despite being the president of sigma, wes literally refuses to live in the house, honestly because he doesn’t have enough patience to deal with waking up to that every day, so he lives off campus in an apartment. give me someone that knows how much of a neat freak wes is, and how he’s most likely to have a girl in his room at least half of the nights in the week

“the sister i never had” [f/nb]; maybe they’re very similar in personality, or maybe wes just feels close to them for some odd reason, but these two have a very sibling like bond, protective over one another

“maybe one, or three times” [f/nb]; friends with benefits!! these two have a mutual understanding that when they say it’s just sex, that’s all it is.

“you look hot when you’re mad” [f/nb]; there’s no denying that wes is an asshole to majority of the people he meets, and his major fuckboy status is bound to piss ore than a few off. these two clash practically every time they see each other, but wes can’t help but enjoy pissing her off, shamelessly flirting and poking fun at her any chance he gets (give me that 10 things I had about you goodness!!)

“I bust the windows out your car” [f/nb]; wes isn’t exactly great at relationships. these two broke up on bad terms, probably because of something wes did. maybe he cheated, or ghosted, or broke up with her in an unfortunate way, but either way, they two most likely don’t have a chance at reconciliation anytime soon

‘you’re toxic, i’m slippin’ under” [f/nb]; give me a toxic ex or current girlfriend for wes. these two fuck with each other and are in a constant state of tug-a-war in an extremely unhealthy way, so much so that they aren’t even really sure if they like each other anymore. they’d break up, if only they weren’t both so proud and stubborn, unwilling to be the one to concede.

literally anything else!! friends, enemies, hookups, etc