#theyre here in presence only. but not physically

[rucow]

the way im the only person who genuinely sees nerevar as being a divine (or at least a fragment of a divine) .... i need to lie on the floor and ponder

[earlysunshines]

oh say it ditto

danielle marsh x fem!reader

synopsis: you have to help out at the elementary school for service hours and of course you’re paired with true girl you’ve literally been in love with since middle school.

warnings: literally none. just fluff. so cute. they're so cute. i need to be put behind bars for this. it's so... cute. what. ; loser!!!!!!yn i fear ; anything else not mentioned ; not proofread ; i'm so giddy. they're so cute. i hate couples. i cnat breathe theyre so gay and in love.

a/n: I MISSED WRITING FOR MO DANI UGGHHHH MO DANIIII!!!!!

danielle marsh is perfect. she’s smart, kind, and easily the most beautiful person you’ve ever seen. people always say she’s too good to be true, like a disney princess pulled right out of a movie, the kind of person who seems flawless in every way.

but to you? that description feels like an understatement—an understatement times ten.

there is not a single metaphor that could ever capture the way her presence lights up a room, or the way her smile—bright and contagious—makes your heart do flips. she’s beyond comparison, beyond words. you’ve known her since middle school, and in all that time despite barely having time with her, the feeling has only grown. she’s the type of person that’s just barely out of reach, so you’ve learned to cope with it.

which is exactly why, when your teacher had pulled you two aside after class, announcing that you’d be paired with her for your volunteer hours at the local elementary school, your stomach practically dropped to your shoes. she’s the type of person that’s just barely out of reach, so you’ve learned to cope with it. but now? she’s just within reach. 

“some others filled out the form, but i only needed the two of you since it’s for a smaller group.” mr. jeong explained. “and you two are the perfect candidates. thank you for your interest in this, my wife is really glad that we’re able to send the two of you over to help out—she works at the school.”

you clutch the strap of your bag a little tighter, trying to stay visibly and mentally composed. danielle is beside you smiling at your physics teacher, and then you catch her smiling at you from the corner of your eye. turning a bit, you shoot a small grin, then excuse yourself out.

just your luck, but maybe you’ll survive. this could turn out great for you!

as you walk down the hall, you feel someone tap on your shoulder. turning around, it’s her. 

danielle is behind you smiling. “see you monday!” she says with that honeyed voice of hers.

knowing yourself, maybe it won’t turn out so great. you might be doomed considering how much of a loser you are compared to miss sunshine.

—

you arrive at the elementary school the following monday, heart pounding as you push open the heavy doors to the small classroom where the after-school program is being held. a group of kids are already gathered, some working on crafts, others running around, their laughter filling the air. but none of it matters because standing near the teacher's desk, helping a kid tie their shoe, is danielle.

she looks up just as you step in, her eyes lighting up with recognition. "hey! looks like we’re partners in crime for the next few weeks," she says with a smile so genuine it makes you dizzy. “i’m glad you’re here.”

you force a grin, trying to play it cool. "yeah. um, and likewise.”

the teacher quickly assigns you both to work with a small group of students on some arts and crafts. you watch as danielle sits down with the kids, her voice soft and encouraging as she helps them cut out construction paper shapes. you, meanwhile, sit on the opposite side of the table, trying not to focus too much on the fact that you're mere feet away from the girl who’s had your heart for as long as you can remember.

as the session goes on, you find yourself slowly relaxing. the kids are lively and fun, and danielle's easygoing nature makes everything feel less intimidating (though the only thing that really made everything seem like that was her). she’s chatting with the students, laughing when they show her their goofy creations, and every now and then, she glances your way, offering you a smile that makes your heart skip a beat.

"how are you so good with them?" you ask her while cleaning up the table, genuinely curious.

danielle shrugs, her eyes twinkling. "i don’t know, i’m just fond of kids. they’re honest, you know? and they don’t care if you mess up or say the wrong thing."

you smiled, nodding, but her words hit closer to home than she realized. if only you could believe that—if only you could let yourself stop overthinking everything when it came to her.

“like you could ever do that,” you mutter under your breath. danielle catches it, but doesn’t comment on it. “i guess you’re right. i didn’t think of it that way.” you say at a normal volume, and danielle doesn’t have a hard time catching that.

as the afternoon starts to wind down, one of the kids tugs on your sleeve, showing you his glitter-covered drawing of what appears to be a dinosaur. "do you like it?" he ask, his eyes wide with anticipation.

you glance at danielle, who’s watching you with a curious expression, and suddenly, it feels like this moment matters more than anything. you take the drawing, smile at the kid, and say, "i think it’s awesome."

out of the corner of your eye, you catch danielle beaming at you, and for a second, it feels like maybe—just maybe—this whole thing won’t be as hard as you thought.

–

as the kids rushed out of the room, their laughter echoing down the hallways, you found yourself lingering behind, picking up scraps of paper and wiping glitter off the tables. danielle was still there too, helping the teacher gather leftover supplies. the room felt quieter now, just the two of you in the aftermath of the chaos, and for a moment, you both moved in comfortable silence, the air between you lighter than it had been earlier.

"it’s been a while, huh?" danielle said softly, her voice breaking the quiet as she stacked a few cups of markers on the shelf. you glanced over at her, heart suddenly racing again, because it was true—you hadn’t really spoken to her much since middle school, despite always being around. besides, she had been taking different courses than you, so there weren’t many shared classes. even if their were, you two had your respective groups, and danielle was quite popular compared to you, so you stayed out the picture while admiring from afar.

"yeah," you nodded, tossing some crumpled-up paper into the trash bin, smiling when you make it. "guess we’ve both been pretty busy."

she smiled, that same soft, almost shy smile that always made your chest tighten. "swim has been taking up your time, huh?”

“oh, yeah, haha.”

“i’ve seen you around at your practices, you’re really good!”

“y-you have?” your eyes widen with surprise, gaze staying on her as she throws something away. 

“my friend hyein is on the team, you know her?”

“ah,” the underclassmen that tried to drown you (in a playful way, because that’s playful to hyein. allegedly so). “yeah.” you giggle thinking about your swimmate. “she’s very… fun.”

“she’s always up to something.” danielle giggles.

quiet fills the air as you two continue cleaning. danielle is stacking chairs, and you’re lifting each stack over to the edge of the classroom. neither of you say anything for a while, mindful of the other in a semi-awkward silence as you help the janitors out. 

danielle breaks the silence again.

“i didn’t realize how much i missed seeing you around until today," she admits, her words gentle but carrying more weight than you expected. she’s looking at you, standing maybe ten tiles away and her eyes are stuck on yours. you feel like you’re being mushed into the ground.

you blinked, caught off guard by her honesty, and suddenly, you weren’t sure how to respond. so you just smiled back, hoping it didn’t look too awkward. "yeah… same here, actually."

the silence stretched once again as you both continued cleaning up, but this time, it wasn’t uncomfortable. it felt like something was shifting between you two, the years of distance slowly fading away, replaced by an old familiarity that had never really gone away.

once most of the mess was cleaned up, you found yourselves standing near the door, neither of you in any real hurry to leave. danielle looked down at her phone for a moment, then back up at you. "hey, do you drive?" she asked, her voice a little hesitant.

you nodded. "yeah, i do. why?"

"i was thinking... we should probably carpool for this," she said, motioning to the classroom. "since we’re both gonna be volunteering here for the next few weeks, might as well make it easier on ourselves, right?"

the idea of seeing her more often, spending more time together, made your heart skip a beat. "yeah, that sounds like a good plan," you agreed, trying to sound casual. "i can pick you up if you want?"

her eyes brightened at that, and for a moment, you could swear there was a bit of relief in her expression. "that’d be great."

you pulled out your phone, opening up your contacts, and as you handed it over to her, your fingers brushed hers. it was a small, brief touch, but goosebumps were poking at the inside of your shirt after. even the hairs on your arm started to stand noticeably. danielle didn’t seem to notice—or maybe she did—but either way, she calmly typed in her number and handed the phone back to you with a smile.

"there," she said, her voice light. "now you have no excuse not to keep in touch."

you laughed, feeling your heart swell. "no excuses," you promised, and as you both left the classroom together, you couldn’t help but feel like something had shifted between you two—the connection that had always been there but was finally starting to come into focus.

—

swim practice took up most of your days, which you didn’t mind. most of your friends were on the team anyway, so it just gave you an excuse to hang out when you weren’t practicing for your respective races.

it always went like this: ten minutes of warmups—light stretches and a couple of easy laps to get your muscles moving. then came fifteen minutes of drills, laps back and forth with barely any rest in between, focusing on your form, speed, and turns. the coach would shout instructions from the edge of the pool, calling out corrections or praise when you hit the perfect stroke. after that, you’d usually break into smaller groups, each focusing on different parts of the race. whether it was freestyle, butterfly, or backstroke, you’d put everything into perfecting your technique—freestyle was your forte—until your muscles burned and your lungs screamed for air.

finally, after what felt like an eternity, practice would wrap up with a cooldown: slow laps, easy strokes, and a few more stretches. additionally, there would be playful banter, and hyein would always find a way to bother you since she was also focused on freestyle. you two were inevitably always together, she was like the younger relative that would pester you any chance you got. 

your body always felt heavy afterward, but in a good way. exhausted and accomplished.

you were dripping wet as you pulled yourself out of the pool, every step feeling heavier than the last. practice might’ve ended, but the exhaustion clung to you as you made your way to the locker room, the sound of splashing water and your teammates’ chatter filling the space around you.

you changed quickly, glad to get out of your damp swimsuit, and ran a towel through your hair as best you could. it was still dripping slightly when you finally stepped out of the locker room, feeling refreshed but undeniably drained.

and then you saw her.

danielle stood just outside the entrance, her presence so unexpected that you almost stumbled in surprise. you should be used to this, maybe, considering you saw her yesterday. your heart jumped to your throat, tiredness vanishing in an instant. she was leaning casually against the wall, scrolling through her phone, but when she noticed you, her eyes lit up, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"hey!" she called out, pushing off the wall and stepping closer. "fancy seeing you here." she says sarcastically.

your heart was pounding, suddenly hyper-aware of the way your hair was probably sticking out at odd angles, still damp and messy. "h-hi," you stammered, mentally kicking yourself for sounding so awkward. "what—what are you doing here?"

danielle tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking a little sheepish. "i’m actually waiting for hyein.." she glanced away, then back at you with a small, hesitant smile. "but, um, i wanted to see you too. just to say hi."

your heart practically stopped at that. she wanted to see you. you felt your cheeks start to burn, or maybe they were always a little warm, you took a hot shower earlier and that would make a lot of sense, but also danielle is—

you scramble to find something—anything—to say that wouldn’t make you seem like a complete idiot. "oh, uh, really? that’s… nice. i mean, it’s great. i—it’s good to see you, too. again. we saw each other yesterday."

“why yes, we did.” danielle laughed softly, her eyes crinkling in that way that always made your stomach flip. "you’re cute— and funny."

you blinked, completely caught off guard. your brain was short-circuiting. did she really just say that? were you more cute or funny? was the cute just thrown in there? you think for a bit, you make people laugh easily and— you need to stop thinking.

"oh, um, thank you? you too." you respond. she laughs again, shaking her head.

"i’m just teasing," she said, though there was something almost… nervous in her gaze as she looked at you. like she wasn’t sure if she’d overstepped. "but really, it’s nice running into you like this. you look different to how you did yesterday." 

you glanced down at yourself, still dressed in loose sweats and hoodie, hair a mess. "different good or…?"

"definitely good," she confirmed, her smile widening. "you look… relaxed. it suits you."

relaxed, right. you can’t help but chuckle.

before you could come up with a response that didn’t sound completely ridiculous, someone called your name. you turned to see wonbin waving at you from the other end of the hall where the boys locker room is, sohee trailing behind him. it "hey! you done?" he asked, his voice carrying over the distance.

you blinked, glancing back at danielle, and she gave you a small, understanding nod. "you should go," she murmured softly. "don’t want to keep your friends waiting."

"yeah, um, i guess i’ll see you next week" you hate how reluctant you sound.

danielle’s smile softened, something almost wistful in her eyes. "yeah, can’t wait to get glitter all over my hands again." she says jokingly. she waved as you turn to join wonbin and sohee, her gaze lingering on you a moment longer. "bye, y/n!"

"bye," you called back, lifting a hand in a half-wave.

you turned away, walking towards your friends, but couldn’t resist glancing over your shoulder one last time. danielle was still standing there, watching you leave, and when she caught you looking, she flashed you another quick grin, eyes crinkling and teeth showing. your heart did a flip against your chest.

wonbin nudged your shoulder as you reached them, smirking knowingly. "danielle marsh?" he questioned as if it weren’t the obvious, drawing her name out teasingly. "what’s up with that?"

"nothing is up. get your head out the gutter," you muttered, shoving him lightly, but you couldn’t stop the grin that tugged at your lips. "we were just talking."

sohee snorted. "right. just talking. sure."

“we literally had a brief conversation, i hope you guys inhale water.”

they both laughed as you rolled your eyes, trying to ignore the warmth spreading through your chest. even as you headed out with them, thoughts of buying a sandwich swirling around, you couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted between you and danielle—that maybe, just maybe, your friendship was returning with ease.

—

the next week you’re with danielle again. this time she’s heading towards your car, getting in your car, sitting in the passengers seat in your car, and clicking her seatbelt in next to you.

“hey.” she greets, smiling.

“hi.” you respond nervously. you check the time, you’re very early but you’re not sure if you can even drive properly with the prettiest girl in the school next to you. “ready to go?”

“yup!”

“okay!” you respond with the same energy, making her giggle. you just made danielle marsh giggle. 

accompanied by you is the sound of music playing in the middle of the silence—a little too loudly—before you glance at her nervously. you apologize, but she shakes her head in your peripheral, putting her hand on the side of your upper arm as she does so. you clench your jaw, forcing a smile as you turn the corner.

she puts a hand over her stomach. “hey, can we stop by and grab a snack? there’s a little convenience store on the way there i always pass by.”

“yeah, of course.” 

you pull into the small convenience store’s parking lot, your heart still racing from the brief moment earlier when danielle had laughed at your overly energetic response. you had to focus on driving, but her presence beside you was making it impossible to think straight.

(you’re not that good at doing anything… straight….)

“i’ll be quick,” she says with a smile, unbuckling her seatbelt and stepping out of the car.

“who said i’m not coming with?” you reply, “i’m not just gonna let you in by yourself.”

“wow,” she smirks, “what a gentle-lady.”

you follow her inside, letting her lead the way. it’s a cozy little store, shelves stocked with snacks, drinks, and everything in between. danielle heads straight to the snacks aisle while you find yourself wandering toward the drinks, hoping to calm your nerves. you scan the selection, pretending to be interested in a row of teas when you feel a sudden gaze on you.

turning slightly, you catch danielle staring at you from across the aisle. her eyes are soft, almost thoughtful, as if she’s studying every little movement you make. your heart skips a beat, and for a moment, you freeze, unsure of what to do with yourself.

“uh—” you clear your throat, lifting a tea bottle. “this one any good?”

danielle blinks, snapping out of her thoughts, a shy smile spreading across her face. “oh, yeah! it’s really good. you should try it.”

you nod, trying to play it cool as you glance at the label, but you can still feel her gaze lingering on you. there’s something electric in the air between you two—unspoken, but undeniably there—something that wasn’t there before. 

—

the second time you and danielle help out at the elementary school, the day is warmer, and the kids are outside, running around with boundless energy. you’re supervising the chaos, but also playing along with the kids—throwing a frisbee, helping them climb the jungle gym, and laughing as they chase after you.

danielle stands nearby, watching with an amused smile. it’s been a short amount of time since the last time you volunteered together, and she realizes how much she’s missed your presence. she’s always known you were sweet, but seeing you like this—so good with the kids, laughing and having fun, so personally and naturally—makes something inside her chest tighten.

it had been a while since she’d last seen you, not including the first volunteer hours, but just in general since middle school. sure, you had that one class freshman year, and gym during sophomore year, but that wasn’t really much.

between your current classes and different social circles, the chances to bump into you had become rare. but the moment you stepped into the classroom that day, something in her stirred. she couldn’t help but notice how much you’d changed since the last time she saw you. she was able to observe you fully: taller, more confident, but still with that same sweetness in your eyes that had made her stomach flutter before the transition into high school. additionally, you looked good—better than she remembered—and that realization had her heart skipping a beat.

she tries to focus on her own task, playing hopscotch with a few of the younger kids, but her eyes keep drifting back to you. you’re crouching down to tie a little girl’s shoelaces, smiling up at her in that easy, charming way you do. danielle’s heart races as she thinks about how effortlessly kind you are, how even the small things you do make her feel warm inside.

as you finish helping the girl, you catch danielle’s gaze—not for the first time that day. your eyes meet, and for a split second, neither of you looks away. she quickly glances down, a soft blush creeping up her cheeks. she can’t help but think how much you’ve changed since middle school—how you’ve grown into someone who’s not just good-looking but incredibly thoughtful, too.

you jog over to where she’s standing, slightly out of breath but grinning. “having fun?”

“yeah,” she replies, her voice a little softer than usual. “you seem like you’re having fun, too.”

“can’t help it,” you shrug, glancing at the kids. “they’re pretty contagious.”

danielle laughs, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. the way you talk to her, so casually and effortlessly, makes her more nervous than she should be. you’ve always been easy to talk to, but now it feels different—like there’s something more beneath the surface.

as the afternoon goes on, the kids' energy only seems to increase. you end up sitting on the grass, surrounded by a group of them, laughing as one of the younger boys insists on “fixing” your hair. his tiny fingers tug gently at the strands, doing his best to style it into something creative—mostly a messy combination of pigtails. you wince occasionally, but you let him continue, his determination too adorable to resist. 

danielle watches from a few feet away, trying not to laugh too obviously. she’s been watching you all day, and she can’t help but feel charmed by how good-natured you are, even in moments like this. there’s something so endearing about the way you don’t take yourself too seriously, how you just go with the flow and let these kids have fun with you. she can’t help but sneak a picture, for… the memories of course.

“you look… really good,” she says, teasingly, as she approaches. 

you glance up, one eyebrow raised, trying to look at your reflection in the window nearby. “oh yeah? should i make this my new look?”

danielle grins, sitting down beside you. “i think it could be a trend. maybe you’ll make it on the cover of vogue.”

“right, 'styled by six-year-olds' is definitely going to get me scouted. maybe i’ll even be dressed head to toe in like… i don’t know— celine or something luxury.” you chuckle, letting the boy keep working on your hair. "i’ll give you credit for the idea when i get famous.”

danielle laughs, the sound light and soft, and her heart beats dangerously hard. you’re never trying too hard yet still manage to make people feel good just by being yourself. it’s been like this since middle school, but now, it feels more intense, like every small interaction with you is enough to make her stomach twist in turn—in the good way of course. 

“do you ever get tired of being everyone’s favorite?” she asks, playfully nudging you with her shoulder.

you blink, looking genuinely confused. “me? everyone’s favorite? what are you talking about?”

“you,” danielle says, smiling. “you’re so… easy to like. look at these kids—they’re obsessed with you. i don’t think i’ve ever seen someone win over a bunch of first-graders that fast.”

you shrug, looking a little bashful. “they’re fun and young, that’s all.”

the kid working on your hair finishes and steps back to admire his masterpiece. “done!” he announces proudly.

danielle bursts into laughter when she sees the final result—your hair is sticking out in all directions, a combination of tiny pigtails and knots. you make a dramatic face, pulling a mock-serious expression. “so… how do i look?”

“like a work of art,” she teases, leaning closer to inspect the chaos. “mona lisa is jealous.”

you can’t help but laugh along with her, feeling the warmth of the moment. even though you’re clueless about how much she’s been thinking about you, about how every little thing you do makes her heart skip, the playful energy between you two is unmistakable. there’s something so natural about being with her like this, so comfortable. it feels right, just like how it was back then.

as the kids run off back toward the adults, you and danielle stay sitting side by side in the grass, the conversation flowing easily as she fixes your hair. it’s like no time has passed since middle school, but at the same time, there’s a new layer to your dynamic.

“you know, i always liked you a lot in middle school.” danielle says suddenly, accidentally pulling out a strand of your hair with the hairtie. you wince, but not at the feeling of your hair being pulled out. “sorry about that.”

“you liked me?”

“i mean, who wouldn’t?” danielle shrugs. “everyone wanted to be your friend, of course i wanted to be yours too!”

that kind of ‘like’---the platonic kind.

“oh,” you mumble, “right, thanks. i liked you a lot too, um, like, you know, as a friend.” you’re lying right in front of her face, well, kind of. 

you thought she was just someone sweet and gorgeous, a great friend for maybe two weeks max. she started getting more touchy and affectionate, throwing compliments and making your cheeks flush a little too much. all of it confused you at the ripe age of thirteen, and then the points connected: you had a crush on her.

the moment you realized you liked her was burned into your memory, a core memory that never left. it wasn’t some grand gesture, not some dramatic revelation. it was just the two of you, sitting under the sun after finishing fitness exams early, finding a quiet spot in the grass to relax. you remember her finding a tiny flower in the grass, something you hadn’t even noticed, and without hesitation, she tucked it behind your ear, smiling as she called you wonderful and sweet, like it was the easiest thing in the world—like it was true.

her eyes had lit up, like you were something to be admired, like you were a constellation that she’d stumbled upon. your heart raced in that moment, faster than it ever had during any of the laps you’d run earlier. she just smiled at you, oblivious to the storm she’d created inside of you, and that’s when it hit you: nothing was going to be the same again.

from that day on, thirteen-year-old you couldn’t stop crushing on danielle marsh. it became a constant, something that wove itself into your everyday life, even when you barely saw her. every stolen glance, every random smile she threw your way, things you were sure meant nothing to her, but they were everything to you.

years passed, and even though you both grew older, matured in so many ways, the feelings stayed the same. maybe you were still young, still figuring out your place in the world, but one thing you knew for sure—you were undeniably, hopelessly in love with danielle marsh, and you always would be as long as she existed anywhere near you.

“i know it’s a little late, but i hope we can be friends like that again.” danielle admits, breaking you out of your memory. “i can’t help being so enamored by the person you are now.”

“woah.” you accidentally say, turning away from her and laughing. “sorry, i just— that was really sweet it um, caught me off guard. thank you danielle.”

“you can call me dani, just like you used to.”

“okay.”

her eyes narrow just a bit as her head tilts. she’s hugging her knees to her chest and staring at you while the sun starts to shine golden rays. you blink a few times, tilting your head the same way, and then she smiles again out of nowhere.

“seems like they’re ready to clean up. we should help.”

“for sure.” you say quietly, not budging. “i’ll go when you go.”

danielle giggles, “alright.”

—

after your second day at the elementary school, you and danielle somehow ended up walking to class together. it wasn’t planned, not exactly, but after bumping into each other the next morning, the conversation flowed so naturally that it just made sense to keep talking as you both headed in the same direction. 

danielle walked beside you, glancing at you every now and then as you talked about anything and everything—how tiring the kids could be, your classes, random stuff like favorite snacks or the latest movie you wanted to see. you two were passing time, walking in loops around the first floor of the school since the bell would ring in fifteen minutes. every time you said something that made her laugh, her eyes sparkled just a little more, and it wasn’t lost on you how easy it felt to be around her. 

eventually, you reached her class as your time together shortened. you stopped and turned to face her, giving a small wave. “i’ll see you around?” you asked, a smile tugging at your lips. 

“yeah, definitely,” she said, her cheeks flushing the slightest bit. she gave a little wave back, her smile soft and warm. “thanks for walking with me.”

“no problem,” you said, trying to play it cool despite how fast your heart was racing. you turned, heading off to your own class, but you couldn’t help glancing back once, catching her still watching you. 

what you didn’t see was danielle running into minji and hanni a few minutes later. the two of them were standing near the classroom and got there a few seconds after danielle, noticing immediately how flustered she seemed as they approached her at her desk.

“was that y/n you just waved goodbye to?” minji asked, her eyebrow raised. 

“yeah, we’ve been, uh, talking again. like friends! of course…” danielle said, her voice soft, a blush creeping up her neck as she tried to hide her smile.

hanni grinned, catching on instantly. “getting close again, huh?” she teased, nudging danielle’s arm playfully. 

danielle’s cheeks turned a little more pink, and she couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face. “something like that,”

minji smirked. “you look way too happy about it.”

danielle looked down, biting her lip to stop from grinning. “it’s nothing,” she muttered, but even she couldn’t believe her own words.

because, really, it felt like everything.

—

later that day you head toward the locker room after a tiring swim practice. sohee is teasing you for messing up during a lap, and hyein continues to add on. you manage to shake sohee off after splitting ways, but hyein is still poking at you.

you shower quickly, dry yourself, and change into your usual hoodie and sweats before waving to your teammates who aren’t done packing up.

once you open the door, you immediately catch danielle leaning against the wall. she looks up as soon as you step out, her features lighting up.

“hey!” she greets.

“hi.” you respond as you walk up to her. “waiting for hyein?”

“um, yeah.” danielle is lying again, this can’t be a good habit. maybe it lying isn’t so bad if it’s to see someone as wonderful as you, danielle thinks. “how was practice?”

“i was kinda slow today, but it was fun.” you sigh, “how has your day been?”

“tiring as well,” she huffs. “but i’m really caught up with schoolwork and the student council meeting was really short.”

“that’s lovely.” you catch sohee and wonbin in the corner of your eye and purse your lips. “those idiots,” your eyes turn towards them and danielle briefly glances at the idiots in question, “are hungry. they’re like vacuums… i swear.”

“i understand, my friends are like that too.” danielle snickers, directing her attention back to you. “hey, i was also wondering if you’d um, like to walk together in the morning? like we can walk or you can eat breakfast. it doesn’t matter. i’m just saying i’d like to be with you tomorrow morning.”

you freeze, parting your mouth to say something, but everything is caught up in your throat.

your brain stops functioning for a moment as you try to process quite literally everything. you manage to respond a few seconds later, “yes!” the eagerness makes you cringe, you cough. “yes, i mean. i’d also like to be with you! u-uhm, in the morning, obviously. yeah. we can do whatever you’d like, just say the words and i’m uh, i’m down.”

her lips turn up and you swear the universe just slapped you in the face. “great,” she says, “i’ll see you tomorrow. you should go feed your friends.”

“yeah, they… eat—a lot. sorry, yeah, i’ll get going. see you!”

“see you y/n!” she waves, and you wave back, walking towards two idiots trying to hold laughter and snarky remarks.

—

you’re helping out the kids as they all tend to their artwork. this time everyone has watercolor, which is a little less messy than your first rodeo at the school. you sit at the table with five children, all of them eager to earn criticism and compliments from their work.

“y/n! y/n! how do you like mine? it’s good right? do you like it?” one girl says, holding up the paper to your face with her little hands.

you chuckle, moving back a bit to get a better view of the work. it’s (what you assume) a scene from the country side; different shades of green line the bottom of the page to imitate grass, and there are different colored flowers peeking out getting shined on by the sun from above.

“it’s gorgeous annie.” you assure, “but i think those flowers are a little lonely without bees.”

the girl brings her paper back and turns it around to inspect. she squints her eyes, biting her lip before nearly slamming it on the ground and beginning to color again. “you’re right! i should’ve done that… also piggies and cows and… the flowers need friends.”

“you’re very creative, i love it!” you beam, patting her shoulder. she turns and smiles at you.

danielle’s palm holds her chin as she watches the interaction from a table away, grinning without knowing. her smile only grows when you give suggestions to another kid, and then she’s breaking away after a child tugs at her hair subtly.

“miss danielle, why are you staring at y/n so much?” the boy asks shyly. 

“o-oh.” danielle’s cheeks start to tingle with heat. “sorry, did you want me to check your work out?”

“why are you staring at y/n?” he asks again, tilting his head at her. 

“it’s nothing, really. i was just um… daydreaming.”

“about y/n?” kids are getting clever these days, though thankfully they lack the snarkiness. “is that why you’re staring at her?”

“um, no.” um, yes. danielle is lying to a child. “i just, she’s– she happens to be in my vision. um, let’s see your artwork!”

the kid shrugs, pushing the paper over to danielle who is in awe of how well done it is. this kid isn’t just smart, he’s remarkably talented too. 

now it’s your turn to look over at danielle, who’s tending to kids. you admire her for a bit, a small smile creeping up to your lips before you return to your own tasks.

—

the three of them—hanni, minji, and danielle—were huddled on the floor of minji’s room, surrounded by blankets and snacks. they’d been talking about everything and nothing for the past hour, the usual mix of gossip, random stories, and playful teasing filling the room as they have their monthly sleepover.

but as the conversation died down, danielle found her mind wandering back to the past few days—the past month—specifically to you. it had been happening more and more lately. volunteering with you at the elementary school had brought back feelings she thought she’d outgrown, but being around you so often was starting to get to her. all the walks to class were getting to her, the shared glances and grins, really just the awareness of you existing was making her think hard.

“are you okay, dani?” hanni asked, noticing the way danielle had fallen quiet, her face a little red.

minji narrowed her eyes playfully. “yeah, you’ve been acting weird all night. what’s going on?”

danielle sat up straighter, nervously picking at the hem of her oversized sweater. “um… okay, i’m probably just overthinking this, but—” she hesitated, biting her lip before blurting out, “i think i still like y/n.”

both hanni and minji exchanged looks, and then hanni grinned. “still? dani, i didn’t even know you ever stopped.”

“you never stopped,” minji added with a teasing smirk. “you’re just aware of it now because you two interact. i still remember how often you’d mention her back then when we were underclassmen. it wasn’t much, but i thought you always had eyes for her.”

“ugh.” danielle groaned, covering her face with her hands. “but like, it’s different now. we’ve been spending time together at the volunteering thing, even after that, and—” she paused, her voice softening, “she’s just so… sweet. and cute. like, even when she’s not trying, she’s just… ugh, i don’t know.”

hanni grinned, sitting up and leaning toward her. “oh my god, are you gushing?”

danielle peeked out from behind her hands, her face red. “no,” she muttered, but even she couldn’t stop herself from smiling. “okay, maybe a little. yeah.”

“what’s she been doing that’s got you all flustered?” minji asked, genuinely curious now.

danielle sighed, her heart racing just thinking about it. “it’s like… little things, you know? like, she always makes sure i’m okay when we’re with the kids, and she’s so patient with them. and then there was this one time where a kid was playing with her hair, trying to style it, and she just let them do whatever they wanted without even complaining.” danielle laughed softly. “she just looked so cute and clueless, and i couldn’t stop staring. and she’s so, so sweet. she walks me to class and asks how i’m doing and we do gas station runs before or after volunteering and she’s so… crush worthy. i don’t know!”

hanni and minji exchanged knowing looks again.

“and like, we’ve barely talked since middle school, but now it’s like… i don’t know. it feels like nothing’s changed, but everything has? i just—” danielle paused, suddenly feeling vulnerable. “i’m starting to realize how much i like her again. we grew up kind of distant and it feels like there’s so much more to her that has me falling deeper than i ever had.”

minji smiled softly. “sounds like you’ve got it bad, dani.”

danielle groaned, lying back on the floor and covering her face again. “why is this happening?”

hanni laughed, poking her side. “because y/n’s cute, and you can’t handle it.”

“exactly,” minji agreed, her teasing grin in full force.

danielle sighed, letting her friends’ teasing wash over her as she tried to calm her racing heart. it was hopeless. she’d never stopped liking you, and now that you were back in her life, it was like everything was coming back all at once.

“what do i even do?” danielle muttered, staring up at the ceiling.

hanni grinned, nudging her. “easy. tell her.”

danielle blushed harder, shaking her head. “no way. i’ll just… i’ll wait.”

minji snorted. “yeah, good luck with that.”

—

that same night, you’re playing basketball with sohee at the court near your houses. sohee moved across the street from you right before high school started, and ever since that you two have been best friends. he’s someone you trust and love with your whole heart, but simultaneously a leech stuck to your side.

the night was cool, the court illuminated by the soft, dim glow of the overhead lights. you and sohee had been at it for a while, your usual one-on-one basketball game to unwind. except tonight, something was off. sohee was easily scoring on you, his movements quick and smooth while yours were sluggish and distracted. you missed shots you’d normally make without a second thought, and every time you tried to focus, your mind drifted back to danielle.

“y/n,” sohee called, catching the ball after your latest missed shot. “what is going on with you? you’re way off.”

you wiped the sweat from your brow, feeling the frustration rising. “nothing, i’m just… tired,” you muttered, but even you didn’t believe that excuse. sohee didn’t either.

he dribbled the ball lazily, walking toward you. “tired? no way. you’ve been off this whole game. i’ve scored more points in the last ten minutes than i usually do in an hour.” he nudged your shoulder with his elbow, his eyes narrowing playfully. “what’s going on?”

you hesitated, biting the inside of your cheek. it wasn’t like you to talk about stuff like this, especially with sohee, but the thoughts swirling around your head were starting to get overwhelming. you couldn’t deny it anymore.

with a sigh, you sat down on the edge of the court, sohee plopping down beside you. “it’s… danielle,” you finally admitted, your voice quieter than you intended.

sohee blinked, raising an eyebrow. “danielle?” he repeated, leaning back on his hands. “okay… go on.”

 you put your head in your hands, suddenly feeling vulnerable. “i don’t know. like, we’ve been hanging out more because of the volunteering stuff, and… i don’t know. i can’t stop thinking about her. like, at all. and it’s messing me up. before it was just a small, lingering crush. it’s so, so bad now.”

sohee’s expression softened, a knowing smile tugging at his lips. “so you’ve been crushing on her hard, huh?”

you groaned, leaning your head back and staring up at the night sky. “yeah, i guess you could say that.” it felt like an understatement—it was an understatement. “but it’s more than that. i feel like… every time we’re together, i’m losing my mind. like, i don’t know what to do with myself. i’m always trying to act normal, but she’s so sweet and adorable and cute and i—” you stopped yourself, feeling embarrassed by how much you were rambling. “jesus, i sound like an idiot. don’t look at me—it’s bad.”

sohee chuckled, shaking his head. “honestly, from what you’ve told me, it sounds like she probably likes you too.”

your heart skipped a beat at his words, but you shook your head. “no way. she’s just… being nice. that’s how she is.”

“nah,” sohee stood up, tossing the ball back and forth between his hands. “you don’t see it, but i’ve seen you guys together. and besides, people don’t just act like that for no reason. the way you described her, she’s gotta be into you.”

you raised an eyebrow, skeptical. “you think?”

sohee shrugged. “i mean, you won’t know until you ask her. but from where i’m standing, she’s been giving you all the signs. you are the only one who doesn’t catch her smiling at you, even looking at you. she has to be losing it just as much.”

you sat there for a moment, letting his words sink in. maybe he was right. maybe danielle did like you, but it was hard to believe, especially when you felt so off balance around her. still, the idea of it made your heart race in a way that wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

“you’re overthinking it,” sohee said, tossing the ball to you. “just… be yourself. she clearly likes who you are, whether you realize it or not.”

you caught the ball, your grip tightening around it as you glanced at him. “and if you’re wrong?”

he laughed, shrugging. “then you’ll live, you always make it. but honestly, i don’t think i am.”

you exhaled slowly, standing up and bouncing the ball a couple of times. “yeah, maybe.”

sohee grinned, motioning for you to start the game again. “come on, let’s finish this. i’m not letting you off easy just because you want marsh.”

you laughed, feeling a little lighter as you dribbled the ball and faced him. “i’m gonna beat your ass—maybe stick to swimming.”

—

the next time you and danielle volunteer at the elementary school, the kids are in full creative mode, diving headfirst into arts and crafts. you watch as their tiny hands work with paper, markers, and glue sticks, their faces lit up with excitement. you and danielle sit side by side at a low table, helping them cut shapes and fold paper, but soon enough, the kids start getting ideas of their own.

"we’re gonna make you guys princesses!" one of the little girls announces with a grin, holding up some colored paper.

"yeah, princesses need crowns," another chimes in, already working on what looks like a very lopsided paper tiara.

danielle laughs softly, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "oh, wow. we’re honored, huh?" she says, glancing at you, her smile wide but a little flustered.

you nod, trying to play it cool even though the idea of you both as ‘princesses’ is making your head spin. "i guess we’re royalty for the day."

soon enough, you and danielle each have paper crowns placed carefully on your heads, the kids squealing in delight at their creations. you catch a glimpse of danielle out of the corner of your eye, and even though the crown is crooked and made of construction paper, she looks... perfect. she always does. she looks even better than any princess from the movies.

"okay, now you need to get married!" one of the boys shouts, bouncing on his feet as he holds out paper rings he made from scraps of old coloring sheets.

both you and danielle freeze for a second, the word ‘married’ hanging in the air like it’s some forbidden territory. you and danielle: married. but the kids don’t give you much time to process because suddenly, two of them grab your hands, pulling you up from your seats.

"come on! princesses have to get married!" they insist, giggling wildly.

danielle glances at you, her eyes wide, but she’s smiling, clearly trying to suppress how flustered she is. "uh, i guess we don’t really have a choice here," she says softly, her voice slightly shaky but still playful.

"nope, none at all," you respond, trying to sound as casual as possible, even though your heart is practically beating out of your chest. you reach out and take the paper ring they offer, pretending it’s all part of the fun as you slip it onto danielle’s finger. “but i don’t mind you as the princess.” you whisper.

danielle’s cheeks flush as she does the same, her fingers lightly brushing against yours as she slides the paper ring onto your hand. for a second, the whole room seems to blur, and it’s just the two of you standing there, awkwardly exchanging paper rings with a bunch of kids cheering you on.

"you may now... be married!" one of the kids declares, causing an eruption of giggles all around you.

you and danielle exchange a quick look, both of you clearly trying not to burst into laughter, but also kind of… lost in the moment. her smile is soft and shy, and you can’t help but feel the warmth spreading through your chest like always.

"well, that was... something," danielle murmurs, her voice quieter as she glances down at the ring now wrapped around your finger.

"yeah," you manage to say, your own voice barely steady. "guess we’re officially paper royalty now."

“i suppose so ‘your highness.’”

both of you laugh, but it’s the kind of laughter that lingers—nervous, sweet, and a little unsure of what it all means. you sit back down, the kids going off to make more crafts, but the paper rings stay on your fingers. neither of you make a move to take them off, both pretending like everything is fine, even though the butterflies in your stomach are telling you otherwise.

—

it was a typical friday after swim practice. you were tired but in a good mood, feeling the pleasant ache in your muscles as you pulled your hoodie over your head and adjusted your sweatpants. as you walked out of the locker room, your hair still damp, you see danielle waiting outside, leaning against the wall with her phone in her hand.

she looked up when you stepped out, and the smile that spread across her face was like a breath of fresh air. “hey,” she greeted, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

you smiled back. “hey. waiting for hyein?” it was your automatic assumption since danielle usually hung out with her after school, and you were trying to play it cool, despite the sudden spike in your pulse.

danielle shook her head, biting her lip as if she was a little nervous. “no, actually. i was wondering… if you wanted to grab a bite with me? i mean, if you're free? if you’re going to grab dinner with sohee and wonbin though—i understand.”

for a second, you just stared at her, completely thrown off. danielle marsh, standing there, casually asking you to hang out. it felt surreal. she was looking at you expectantly, her eyes bright and hopeful, and it took everything in you to not freeze up completely.

“just us?”

“who else would be coming? i wanted to… spend time with you.” danielle fidgets with her fingers.

“uh, yeah, sure!” you finally managed to respond, hoping you didn’t sound too eager, but internally you were freaking out.

from the corner of your eye, you spotted sohee and wonbin leaning against the vending machine nearby, watching the whole thing unfold. sohee gave you a sly smirk, while wonbin raised his eyebrows in playful encouragement, clearly trying to get you to go along with it. they didn’t say a word, but their teasing looks were enough.

you ignored them, focusing back on danielle, who was smiling wider now that you’d agreed. “great!” she said, looking genuinely happy. “there’s this place nearby that makes really good sandwiches. hyein loves to eat there after practice.”

“sounds perfect,” you replied, unable to stop the grin spreading across your face as the two of you made your way toward the parking lot.

as you walked side by side, you couldn't help but sneak glances at her, wondering how the universe had aligned for this to happen. danielle, who had been so distant for years, was suddenly in your life again, and now you were about to grab sandwiches together.

you reached your car, and as danielle slid into the passenger seat, you tried to act normal. after all, this ins’t the first time danielle has been in your car. she clicked her seatbelt and looked over at you with a soft expression, and for a moment, everything felt easy.

you turned on the engine, glancing at her with a smile of your own. “let’s go get those sandwiches.”

—

you noticed one of the kids, a little boy named max, slumped over at his desk, his tiny hand still clutching a crayon while his head rested on his arm. he was fast asleep, the exhaustion from the day finally catching up to him. you smiled to yourself, gently lifting the crayon from his hand and setting it down before carefully scooping him up in your arms.

max stirred slightly but didn’t wake, his small body curling into you instinctively. you carried him across the room, making sure your steps were light and quiet, and set him down gently on a blanket in the corner. once you made sure he was comfortable, you knelt beside him, adjusting the blanket around him so he wouldn’t get cold.

as you stood up, brushing off your hands, you felt a pair of eyes on you. turning around, you caught danielle watching the whole scene, her gaze soft and warm. before you could say anything, she spoke, her voice quiet but filled with admiration.

"you're really sweet, you know that?" she said, almost like the words slipped out without her meaning to.

your face heated up instantly, a deep blush spreading across your cheeks. you rubbed the back of your neck, trying to play it off. "thank you," you mumbled, avoiding her gaze because the way she was looking at you made your heart race even more.

but danielle wasn’t letting it go that easily. she smiled at you, that same smile that always made your insides twist in the best way. "no, i mean it. you’re just... really good with them. it’s nice to see. you’re so sweet and so like, cute. sorry."

you blinked, caught off guard by the sincerity in her voice. "uh, thanks. i just... i don’t know." you tried to brush it off again, but you could feel her eyes still on you, and it made you flustered beyond words.

danielle tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her cheeks a little pink now too. she quickly looked away, biting her lip like she couldn’t believe she’d just said that, and you swore you saw the smallest hint of nervousness in her expression.

you both stood there for a second in the quiet classroom, neither of you sure what to say next. but something unspoken passed between you, something warm and sweet, and even though neither of you acknowledged it out loud, it hung in the air like a gentle breeze.

maybe she didn’t just see you as a friend after all.

—

after leaving the elementary school, you and danielle decided to grab some smoothies, neither of you really wanting the day to end just yet. after picking up your drinks, you drove to a nearby park, parking in a spot that had a perfect view of the sunset. the sky was painted with soft pinks and oranges, fading into a deep blue as the sun dipped lower on the horizon.

sitting side by side in the car, both of you sipped on your smoothies, the air between you comfortable yet charged with something unspoken. danielle was flipping through her phone, looking for something to watch, and eventually settled on a short movie you both had heard about. you propped your phone up on the dashboard, the two of you leaning back in your seats, the glow from the screen illuminating your faces.

the movie played on, but your mind wasn’t completely on it. not really. it was hard to focus when danielle was sitting so close, her laugh quiet but making your heart race every time. you could feel the warmth of her next to you, and each little shift she made only reminded you of how much you liked her.

as the movie reached its peak, the two characters on screen began to confess their feelings for each other. it was a sweet, heartwarming moment, and as you watched, you couldn’t help but feel the growing urge to say something. the way they looked at each other, the vulnerability, the raw emotion—everything felt so familiar.

you glanced over at danielle, who was also watching the scene intently. her hand rested on her lap, fingers lightly tapping to some rhythm only she could hear. your heart pounded in your chest, and before you could stop yourself, you opened your mouth to speak, but then—

“i like you.”

the words tumbled out at the exact same time. both of you froze, eyes wide as you turned to face each other. danielle’s hand smacks over her mouth at the same tiem as you. for a second, it was like the world had stopped, the air between you electric, charged with a mix of surprise and relief. 

danielle’s eyes blinked in shock, and then she laughed softly, her cheeks turning pink as she ducked her head slightly. "what? you, you like me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

you nodded, feeling equally flustered but relieved. you turn toward your wheel and put your hands over your face as you lean against it. “yeah,” you mumble against your skin. 

there was a beat of silence, the tension dissolving into something lighter, something sweet. you both smiled at each other, the nervousness fading as the reality of the moment settled in.

"i thought it was just me," she admitted shyly.

"same," you replied, grinning despite the butterflies in your stomach. "but... i'm glad i wasn’t." you lean back in your seat, unable to look at her.

danielle let out a little laugh, and for a moment, everything felt right. you weren’t just friends anymore, not after this. and as the last light of the sunset faded, the two of you sat there in the quiet of the car, your hands slowly finding each other in the space between you. it felt like something had shifted—something you’d both been waiting for.

she looks at you, her eyes still wide, her smile soft but curious. "how long?" she asks quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. the question hung in the air, and you could feel the weight of it.

you swallowed, feeling the heat rise to your face. "uh... since middle school," you admitted, glancing down at your hands nervously. "it was after we finished the fitness testing... remember? you put a flower in my hair while i was sweaty and tired and gross."

danielle’s eyes lit up with recognition, a soft giggle escaping her lips. "wait, really? you liked me then?" she asked, her smile growing as she leaned in a little closer, clearly caught up in the moment. 

"yeah," you nodded, feeling the giddiness rise in your chest. "i remember being so embarrassed because i thought i looked terrible, but you just smiled at me like... like it didn’t matter."

danielle blushed deeply, covering her mouth with her hand as she giggled. "oh my god, i didn’t know! and now i feel even worse because... i’ve liked you since middle school too."

your heart nearly stopped at her words, your eyes widening in surprise. "wait, what? since when?"

"remember that science project we did together?" danielle asked, her cheeks still flushed. "you finished most of it because i was sick for half the week... and you didn’t complain once. you just did it and made sure i didn’t feel bad about it. you even emailed me to drink water and take care of myself. how could i not like you."

“oh"

"yeah," danielle smiled, a little shy now. "i think that’s when i realized you were really special."

both of you were blushing now, giggling nervously in between your confessions, like you couldn’t quite believe what was happening. it was surreal, this moment you’d both been unknowingly waiting for since you were kids. and now here you were, sitting in your car, finally on the same page after all these years.

"i can’t believe we’ve both been... waiting this long," you said, still grinning like an idiot. you smack your forehead with your palm.

"me neither," danielle agreed, her voice soft as her gaze lingered on yours. her smile grew, her eyes sparkling with that familiar light you’d always admired. "but i’m really glad we know now."

"yeah," you whispered, feeling your heart swell as you looked at her. "me too."

silence settled between you two after the giddy confessions, but it wasn’t awkward. it felt... comfortable. like a new kind of peace, where everything was finally out in the open. danielle fiddled with her smoothie cup, glancing at you every now and then with a soft smile, while you kept sneaking looks at her as you drove, your heart doing little flips each time you caught her eyes.

the drive to her house felt shorter than usual, and before you knew it, you were pulling up in front of her place. you turned the engine off, the soft hum of the car dying down as you both sat in the lingering quiet. you wanted to say something, anything to keep her here just a little longer, but your mind was blank—except for the thought of how much you didn’t want this moment to end.

danielle turned to you, her eyes warm and sparkling under the dim glow of the streetlight. "thanks for today," she said quietly, her voice gentle, but there was something more behind it, something unspoken that hung between you.

you felt your heart race again. "no problem, anytime."

danielle looks like she wants to say something. she looks at you with an uncertain expression, biting her lip to hold back something.

“i want to kiss you so bad right now danielle.” you admit quickly, almost out of breath. “you look so cute right now i kind of want to get run over because of how adorable you look. like, oh my god.”

“no, yeah, i feel the same. can we— can i kiss you? oh my god, i’ve never done this before.”

you giggle, “me neither.”

there was a brief pause, and before you could stop yourself, you leaned in—just slightly. it was almost instinctual, like the air between you both had been pulling you closer this entire time. danielle noticed, her breath hitching softly as her eyes flickered to your lips, and in the next heartbeat, she closed the distance.

the kiss was soft, tentative—both of you so nervous, yet so eager. her lips were warm and gentle against yours. danielle’s hand slid into your hair, ruffling it up a bit more and sending shivers down your spine. you couldn’t help but melt into her touch. your own hands trembled as you cupped her cheek, everything feeling new and exciting, yet strangely right.

when you finally pulled apart, both of you were blushing so hard, it was almost embarrassing. you could barely look at each other without grinning like idiots, your hearts pounding in unison. danielle let out a soft laugh, her cheeks bright pink as she quickly glanced at the door.

"um... i’ll—i’ll see you tomorrow?" she stammered, clearly flustered, but there was a giddy, breathless smile on her face that made your own heart stutter.

"yeah, tomorrow," you managed to say, your voice shaky from the rush of emotions. you were still trying to process what had just happened, your lips tingling from the kiss as you watched her open the door to leave. “one more?”

danielle laughs, then gives you a brief kiss before pulling away and avoiding your gaze from nervousness.

she waves a quick goodbye before disappearing into her house, but not without one last smile that made your heart swell all over again. you sat there for a moment longer, your face burning as you replayed everything in your head. the kiss, the confession, her soft touch—it all felt like a dream, one you were still floating in.

and for a moment, all the nerves, all the unspoken feelings—everything just melted away, leaving behind a feel of tranquility between you both. you weren’t just two people holding onto a crush anymore. you were finally something more, and it felt like everything had just fallen perfectly into place.

[traffytaffy]

OP Men and their Love Languages

Ft. Law, Kid, Zoro

❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎

Law: Acts of Service

Law is a simple man when it comes to someone showing their love because frankly, he’s grateful for anything they do for him and the crew.

Helping him organize: keeping his materials clean, discarding empty pens, paper, sticky notes, etc.

Making sure hes well taken care of when hes too busy to know himself.

Bringing him coffee, food, buying him new supplies.

His s/o knows how hard he works to keep the crew afloat so to them, doing these things is just showing a token of their appreciation.

But most of all he appreciates company the most. His s/o doesn’t even need to speak, but just their simple presence around fills him with a sense of comfort.

So he’ll try doing to same thing back to them.

Making sure that his s/o’s self care and health is at top shape.

If theyre into makeup and self care products, he’ll make sure to study the products and determine if theyre good or not. If not, he’ll throw them out.

He’ll from time to time, try making food to share with his s/o so he can see a smile on their face for his gesture.

❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎

Kid; Physical Touch

Eustass isn’t really a man of certain words. He’d rather show what he’s feeling if anything. Do i think he uses soft words? absolutely. I believe hes a big softie at heart.

But what i think this man likes more than anything is physical touch.

He likes to feel his partner nearby. A physical closeness, a bond between two people.

At the end of the day, its his partner he grabs and holds close in his bed.

And not just holding close, that man has the best bear hugs, enough to make them feel safe.

When hes angry or overwhelmed? Just the simple touch of his s/o is able to bring him a calming sensation.

I think hes not too big on pda (unless he wants to be a jealous dick and show his s/o off lol), except a kiss or ass grab here and there if they’re sitting close. In private, he’s more touchy in mindless ways.

Touching their legs, arms, or waist, running his hand through his s/o’s hair, gently rubbing their back or hips, or even having an arm wrapped around them.. any type of intimacy.

He doesn’t need to say “i love you” a lot for his partner to know he cares.

❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎

Zoro: Words of affirmation/Acts of Service

Zoro is usually the one on the Straw hats who has words of advice to give from time to time. With his s/o, it wont be any different.

Before any battle, he encourages not only the crew but also his s/o the most.

“This is light-work for you”

“Kick their ass”

But he will constantly glance over at them in a fight to make sure they’re alright. He knows they can hold their own but he doesn’t want anything to happen to them.

He will constantly praise his partner. Never once underestimating them cause he knows their worth.

If anyone says differently? Those swords are sharp and ready and he’s there for their defense.

He cleans any weapons or objects that his s/o uses while he shines his blades, so they don’t have to worry about having their tools prepared.

His partner always checks in on him, bringing him water and towels when he trains (and sending him to shower more than once a week…lol ) ,cleans up any wounds or stitches he might have if they are alone, and even shares a cup of booze with him.

He is always in some way thinking of how he can be of help to his partner.

[weirdmageddon]

I'm taking the plunge because why not:

What are some headcanons regarding small, silly things that happened during the 3 year trips on the Golden Yard and Meteor?

oh lets go i love this sort of ask. no meteor crew stuff sorry im kinda tired but

on the prospitian ship:

the crocodiles are never recovering from that shit bro. un-stonks

alchemizing sessions. probably with mundane household devices like toothbrushes or something. patterned toilet paper. davesprite absolutely remakes the sbahjifier for himself but i think he also likes to hand draw them from time to time. also john and jade alchemizing bathing suits and going swimming on lolar and hanging with the turtles. casey can come too. floaties on casey

the sbahj canon diverges. so many sbahj in-jokes exclusive to the prospitian ship. unfortunately the retcon make it so none of this ever happens :(

he’d never say it but davesprite likes it when john and jade fall asleep on him doing whatever, it makes his presence feel wanted and appreciated by the people he sacrificed his self and humanhood for good for. sorry for immediately going into davesprite but good god is he tragic. oh yeah heres more. he’s still part dave and shares the same history with john and jade that alpha timeline dave does. john gave him his shades on his 13th birthday in december 2008, he sent john the con air bunny and jade a physical copy of sbahj as furries in the mail. he is identical to alpha dave in relation to his friends before the timeline splits off. dont forget that 4/13/2009 was also his first time meeting his online friends john and jade in person, even after 4 months chronologically of sburb grinding—nearly a year with all the time shenanigans—and going back to day 1, since john and jade were dead in his timeline

tries not to cry cries anyway but only when he knows theyre asleep. pov when the weight of everything suddenly hits you (you are an emotionally repressed 14 year old)

also because he’s fucking fluffy and absolutely knows it and probably thinks to himself “yeah this is the best possible use for these otherwise pointless breast feathers” and yall already know he craves cloth mother plus probably has nesting instincts

(source)

adding on to that also i think people forget sprites are actually fucking LONG and his wingspan is fucking huge he could be a pillow and a blanket at the same time

i wrote davesprite jade cuddles and john thinking about mushrooms and davesprite thinking about how they contribute to the ecnonony

^ john toked too hard on the lowas mushrooms by accident one time

it feels like pajama parties would be a common occurence just the vibes im getting. literally jade is seen sitting on a pile of squiddles and theres plushies fucking everywhere you know they got up to plushie mayhem. do you think they ever alchemized them. look how lived in that room is they all contributed something

jade resumes gardening :) but theres no sun :( but she alchemizes some plastic plants :D but its not the same :(

canonically the imps in johns house just gave up tormenting him and started hanging out and having snacks on movie night

PENIS!

imagine looking up into the sky and seeing a giant casey the size of a planet sleep. jade resizes stuff for fun like this just to introduce some novelty to their lives

this is something

davesprite has beavis and butthead do america (1996) in his collection somewhere in his apartment on lohac

yall theyre watching johns fuckin spongebob dvd box collection. you KNOW john owns the spongebob squarepants movie (2004). and the best thing is it brings all of them together without any of them objecting. they all love spongebob

when the episode jellyfish jam comes on johns like “wow, pretty much this exact scenario happened to me with the imps.” (arthur flashback sfx)

DAVESPRITE: yeah well you didnt have a giant sound system did you

jade warps dave’s bro’s sound system from lohac and sizes it up. they put on stadium rave and the entire fucking house shakes

[roe-and-memory]

lightnings love language is 100% quality time and here is why you should agree

- salqueen resting at home, late in the evening, hes listening to music and shes doing paperwork — he can take off his headphones and put them on her whenever he hears a song that reminds him of her

- lightning learning sallys hobbies so he can spend time with her doing stuff like baking — aka he sits down on the counter and watches with fascination and adoration in his eyes

- hes not as prone to overstimulation when sally needs physical affection (her love language is physical touch) because they respect each others boundaries and giving him Space makes him more lovey-dovey

- just them laying in bed or laying in a field talking for hours on end about Life and about Each other

- them going on walks out into the desert to look for fun little rocks and stuff, basking in each others presence

- picnics at the wheel well motel where they just playfully poke fun at one another and talk about how amazing it would be to renovate the motel; what they would change and what they would turn it into

- theyre more open and its easier to talk to one another, theyre so comfortable hearing each others voices that talking about literally Anything is possible; they know one another better than any other person in the world

this is only a few reasons… i fear i cant spoil much though :3

[mrgladstonegander]

MORE BOOTLEG DUCKTALES ‼️team science (oops! all identity issues!) edition

team magic here

archimedes gallas / gyro = more like other versions where he's nice but this man is carrying SOOOO much guilt. insane amounts. his entire character is focused on how much his self-worth is down the drain (also hes being haunted by the narrative (phoebe/della)). also he's half japanese. based off the onagadori

cherry pekin / huey = has a similar problem to archie where she has overwhelming feelings of needing to seem mature, and responsible, where she overworks herself

sydney eggtooth-diazi / fenton = REALLYY wants to seem like a Professional Normal Dude. repressing EVERY urge to wear silly ties. sees morality in a black and white sort of way and it WILL cause problems later. he puts archie on a pedestal and its super obvious and it just makes archie more mentally ill

salem milly / gandra = planning to really lean into how she joined fowl bc they were the only ones that supported her. mainly the contrast with how the Main Family supports each other with unconditional love, the love she has is purely conditional, and she's constantly convincing herself that she Wants to do bad things, and that she doesnt care about these people, because despite how she says she only listens to herself, shes stuck to FOUL, and thats her 'family'. based on mille fleur d'uccle

frankie loon / fethry = IT IS PART OF TEAM SCIENCE‼️ after getting back to mainland after being alone at sea for four years, he joins as a janitor. pulling back the marine biology in the sense that he is interested in EVERYTHING. man of a 10000 copies. winning the idgaf war (DOES care abt how his family is disinterested in his interests but its FINE because HE cares its fine its fine. he's accepted he'll be alone). its presence WILL send everyone else into a shock about their identity. hopefully it'll happen vice versa as well

widget-time-tech / widget / gizmoduck / lil bulb = theyre being consolidated and also theyre lil bug guys now!! i dont care if you hate bugs theyre cute as shit!! widget is Usually in the little ball, but also helps control the suit with sydney. it still has anger issues so it'll make things harder for sydney rather than just silly incompetence. and it was DEFINENTLY made to be a superhero ai. no other purposes. at all. certainly not messing with the fabric of time. just helping the ppl of the town :)

mad clucktor / mad clucktor = iwhile he IS a villain he isn't necessarily a bad person. hes a physical manifestation of the part of archie that WANTS to be alive! that KNOWS his worth! he doesn't have to work himself to death to make up for his guilt!

and he's the reason why toby is even active. why he's back

toby / boyd = cannot be normal abt this sorry

he was made to be archie's idea of the "perfect boy". the perfect kid. what he wants to be what he WISHED he would be growing up. hes happy, he can do everything right, he's intelligent, he's strong. his existence is free of human doubt and anxiety, he's the perfect boy and if he was in archie's place everything would be fine

but it isnt! he gets used! toby's used for evil through no fault of his own. but he becomes a symbol of things that are "wrong" about archie. toby didn't resent anyone or be upset with how people treat him. toby doesnt have his own needs. he can do whatever people need him to do. toby was his symbol of hope but becomes a symbol of how everything with him goes wrong. he becomes an unachievable goal that archie is trying to be to make up for the existence of toby!!

and so the only way for either of them to be "truly human" is when archie learns that he doesn't have to be perfect. he never had to be. even if he's made mistakes, he still deserves to LIVE!! he doesn't have to hide his pain and discomfort for anyone!! and its okay for toby to be toby!

[itsoverfeeling]

my non-comprehensive, sometimes inconsistent approach to ultra biology

disclaimer: im just having fun, this is all bullshit, theres no singular biological headcanon i agree with here, i just pick and choose whatever i think works best for the thing im making. yay!

mantles and shells

ultras are like invertebrates to me. i think if there was one way to summarize my ultra hcs, its invertebrates. i may be biased because i love bugs, but lets ignore that for now.

many ultras (specifically m78 ultras) share a couple of common traits. the rubber suit, the silver/metallic faces, glowing eyes, and occasionally they might sport a bit of armor. now ive seen some works that imply this armor is removable. to me i think its more appropriate to compare them to... the humble mollusc!

now, molluscs are diverse like any other phylum and their traits do not manifest in a singular anatomical diagram like this might imply..

that being said, i like this diagram for discussing ultra biology. as you can see, there is a pink layer between the shell and the rest of the body. this is called a mantle. the mantle covers the organism's visceral mass (this is a particular soft region that contains internal organs). its also responsible for creating mollusc shells. snail shells, for example, are formed due to the mantle.

now i'd also like to quote this bit from wikipedia: "The four most universal features defining modern molluscs are a soft body composed almost entirely of muscle, a mantle with a significant cavity used for breathing and excretion, the presence of a radula (except for bivalves), and the structure of the nervous system."

so. how much of this do i think can be referenced for ultra biology?

ultras, by default, have these soft bodies. the only exceptions, across all ultras, is their metallic face. i imagine this is the main shell grown by their mantles. relatedly, these harder structures tend to be located around the head and torso region, meaning to me that this mantle-like organ is located on the upper body. it can also form a secondary shell on their chest, like with zero here. that being said, these shells are like body parts, so theyre Not removable unless you want them to bleed out..

on some level, i think of mantles being spacium-based but im not fully sure how to articulate that yet.

crystals

so if i think these shells are similar to mollusc shells and produced by the ultra-equivalent of a mantle, do i believe this is case with forehead crystals or body crystals?

well, i think of crystals as a separate growth. the main thing that separates these structures from the previously mentioned shells is that they're evidently more light-based than the primary/secondary shells. so much so, that they're how some ultras generate beam and light-based attacks. i generally think of crystals as internal structures that have grown outwards into external structures, almost like tusks. they're basically hardened light-based structures, not quite light and not quite shells.

petrification

we see ultras being turned into stone more than once. beyond the actual in-canon reasoning we receive, i like to think this is a natural reaction similar to the other forms of biomineralization i mentioned.

the mantle and shell(s) are a more physical set of structures than the rest of ultra's biology. i would say its an ultra's light/life-force that usually regulates this function. so when an ultra is weakened, and therefore their light is diminished, this physical function would keep running, even without their consciousness present, until the entire body is covered in this shell-like growth. the mantle theoretically can form a stronger, less refined (no longer smooth space metal, but rock-like texture) layer, at the sacrifice of other functions.

internal anatomy and mouths

i think that, largely, an ultra's internal anatomy is vestigial. they likely have typical organs such as stomachs and intestines and reproductive organs, but they just sort of sit there. with some genetic lines, some of these organs and systems have started to be lost with each generation, while others, curiously, tend to remain no matter what.

based on absolutely nothing, i love to imagine that in many ultras, the species-equivalent of their esophagus is gone at this point. their stomachs tend to stay behind, but physically they couldn't possibly eat without some major alterations.

of course, i do think these still-existing vestigial systems can come back "online" so to speak. i think this is a major consequence of merging with other species and beings. for a moment, they experience/live with instincts/behaviors/biological traits similar to their host/form. this can impact them physically and mentally in the process and most ultras don't come back the same. sometimes their bodies can adapt well to the sudden changes and sometimes they can't.

technically, they can use their mouths despite the metallic surface, but since most ultras grow up without learning to move those structures, the "muscles" there atrophy over time. your average adult ultra can't open their mouths without physically pulling them open with their hands.

their teeth are.. somewhat based on molluscs too actually. the OG ultraman suit has sort of human like teeth (if i recall correctly) and i think thats awesome, but i also think THIS is awesome:

this is the radula. think of it like a tongue covered in teeth!

heres a diagram of how it works. theyre not biting or chewing the way humans use their teeth, but its more like theyre scraping food into their mouth. i think this is sick as hell. i have no reason for why i like to imagine this, i just think its awesome. idk if i'll ever incorporate it into my work beyond just thinking it, but i wanted to mention it either way.

an alternate idea i have is similar to sea lamprey mouths except more human-like. so i sometimes imagine ultras with multiple rows of thin sharp teeth surrounding a fairly normal tongue. very cool and awesome.. but my main rule with the mouth region is that 1) theres some crazy shit happening in there 2) we probably wont see it because they just dont open their mouths.

communication

i loveeeee linguistics. so i think a lot about how ultras communicate. in fights, humans are implied to hear ultras' grunts and shouts, so i think ultras, despite not physically speaking, still make involuntary, close-mouthed sounds.

they communicate telepathically and i think that would change the linguistic landscape significantly. instead of being limited to words, ultras can convey more subjective meanings with even more clarity, such as emotions and feelings that might carry over mentally. i also imagine "thinking out loud" could be very literal for ultras and children would have to learn very quickly how to keep their thoughts to themselves. i wonder if ultras like geed would struggle with this since they never grew up learning this themselves?

i also wonder if there are certain tones/meanings, such as formality and status, that could be conveyed with telepathy and outside of literal words. maybe you could just send out some vibes and everyone would be like "wow what a polite young ultra" <- and in this case it could become very annoying if everyone just Knew something because you couldnt keep it in your brain. that would Suck.

anyway. those are my general ideas i have. sometimes i use them, sometimes i dont. sometimes theyre contradictory to what is "canon", but i just follow my heart...

[enden-k]

i wanted you to know, chinese fandom of genshin headcannons alhaitham as being a very clingy boyfriend. How do you feel about that headcanon? (just like does it fit your own headcanon for him or not?

)

guess depending on what type of clingy were talking here. is it physical? bc then YES

i love to hc haitham as touchstarved and enjoying/seeking physical touch a LOT but only from kaveh (or his love interest) - outside of that, he doesnt like to be touched by strangers etc and with his attitude its not smth that happens anw

at first he doesnt know how to communicate it well enough (bc he doesnt realize right away that he wants to, sometimes its difficult to identify/recognize a feeling or urge you never experienced much before) so sometimes hes jsut looming around kaveh for a few moments before he just blurts it out directly or simply wraps his arms around his waist to pull him into him (wonderfully catching the architect off guard and getting him all blushing and complaining) - def like a cat approaching you for pets and attention no matter if youre busy and then leaving freely when he got his fill. he wouldnt be too overbearing or too much in general though and once he learned more of his new needs and urges hes def bolder (but still so unbelievably cute) with his actions and doesnt care where they are (he would def swoop in for a kiss or two when he has the strong urge to do so and then get scolded for pda)

i just rlly love to think of aloof, coolish haitham having such soft sweet needs. give this man his night cuddles, he loves spooning as much as messing w kaveh

if its clingy outside of physical, i think haitham is someone who values personal freedom and wouldnt cling badly, rather giving kaveh (or anyone else) the space and freedom he himself also enjoys and wants bc he is someone who likes his alone time very much and needs it, after all. and when he needs it he will take it and you wont find him if he doesnt want to be found. hes def not needy (sometimes he is, like when kaveh is busy w a project and haitham craves touches and presence) or demanding of attention or constantly clinging to kaveh. he does enjoy being around him and often seeks him out to rile him up and mess a little with him perhaps (he just loves it)

i feel like "clingy" behavior is more fitting to kaveh if you wanna call it that (it sounds so negative jkbjkb but in this context i dont mean it negative) simply bc hes got more insecurities etc

he fears hes "not good enough" for haitham, thinking of himself too much of a mess that sometimes he has doubts/anxieties/insecurities and finds it hard to believe that knowing all of him and his faults and issues, haitham still loves him. needing reassurance when it gets bad. its not like he doesnt trust haitham or thinks he would cheat on him or whatever, its just that on some days its hard for him to believe hes worthy to be loved, clinging onto him then so not to spiral down

outside of that, kaveh is someone who pulls a lot of attention to him be it on purpose or not but the one persons attention he loves and enjoys the most is haithams (though he wouldnt admit it out loud)

when it comes to clingy in connection with jealousy, i like to think theyre both jealous ppl (not in a bad, toxic, damaging way ofc) - if not, haitham even a bit more. throw in some slight possessiveness for him too idk i just love that sm

anw idk if i interpreted the word "clingy" right, its rlly late and i just had too many thoughts pouring out the more i wrote that idk anymore if its related to the topic so im sry if its completely off to what u asked akjbsckj

[sodapops0lstice]

Strider Husbandry Tips

Here's some tips for people who are new to the Strider Husbandry scene, i hope my advice is useful

Whilst it is true that most Strider's DO enjoy and even thrive living in smaller environments (making them great to keep if youre on a tighter budget!) it is absolutely vital that they have places to hide and sneak around in!!! it is in a Strider's very nature to be sneaky and unseen. they can become nervous and frightened if theyre too exposed or have nowhere to scurry around in. This is especially important for Strider's of the Dirk variety as they need hidey holes to survive (there have been many cases of Dirks actually DYING because they were so stressed because of their exposure), they often try to make hiding spots for themselves which results in many Dirks suffocating in air vents which they use as hiding places. I recommend making small spots for your Strider to hide in and if necessary get one of these. It simulates a Strider's natural instinct to burrow in tunnels safely and you can take it with you on travel

I hear a lot about Strider's having very specific dietary needs that is not met they could die. This is false!! This was disproven fairly recently and you can feed your Strider whatever you like really. The only hangup is learning which Strider's require apple juice or orange soda. This might seem intimidating at first due to how many different varieties and sub categories there are but generally, the rule of thumb is Aviator Shades require Apple Juice, Kamina Shades require Orange Soda. Though your Strider might prefer small tweaks in their beverage, experiment and record their reactions.

If your Strider isn't very physically affectionate do not assume they dislike you! Striders are very defensive and will likely assume at first you are a predator. Guardian and Ultimate breeds might try and hurt you whilst most others will steer clear of you. It's best to try and prove you are friend NOT foe, talk to your Strider, give them doritos and they're beverage. If that doesn't work, leave them alone for a while until they are used to your presence.

Whilst Striders are not vicious by nature it's best if you have a more aggressive variety to try and train them as soon as possible. I've known people who got themself the most aggressive breed of Strider (a Dave's Bro, or simply a Bro, if you were curious) didn't train them, used them as a bragging right and status symbol and then were surprised when they attempted to start abusing kids. It's really upsetting as a Bro can be an incredibly loyal companion if trained correctly, I've seem some, trained by the right people, having temperaments as docile as a Dave paired with a Karkat! (im not personally all that familiar with Vantas husbandry but i do know that a Dave paired with a Karkat are usually very docile to the point where some owners think they are ill or lethargic when that's just they're temperament.) If you want a more hands-on breed of Strider like a Bro be responsible and willing to put the effort in

Striders function better as units. Whilst keeping a single Strider is a totally normal and okay thing, most Striders do prefer living in groups of atleast 2 (if you can't afford/dont want multiple thats totally fine, if you aren't neglectful theyll 9/10 be happy and healthy). Within their own species, they are super social, often playing and sharing with eachother, they tend to feel safer when their is another Strider in the house. I don't think they're is an exact rhythm to which breed will get along with eachother, sometimes you just have to leave it up to whether they enjoy eachothers company or not. My only warning is, unless you can handle it, try not to get two needy breeds, they won't get jealous per se, just very VERY vocal when they aren't the center of attention, Daves are quite notorious for this behaviour, but some people find that endearing so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Try to equal out attention between any needy Strider you may have.

[ithappensoffstage]

r&g report

I had the privilege of seeing rosencrantz & guildenstern are dead with billy boyd and dominic monaghan on march 5! a few people asked for my thoughts after, so here's a sort of stream of consciousness report that may or may not be comprehensive depending on what you're looking for out of said theatre report

anyway I do genuinely believe boydmonaghan are literally the only people who can and should ever play r&g

to start off I will say that this was my first time seeing r&g staged -- I've previously just read it A LOT -- so I can't make comparisons to other productions. I am also a lifetime fan of theatre and have been somewhat involved, but do lack some technical knowledge, so apologies if I can't cover some aspects accurately!

most important of course, boydmonaghan were stellar. their comfort and familiarity with one another is amazing to witness. of course it's staged, but none of their movements come across as anything other than two old friends. they move together like dance partners; there's really no other way to put it. when you put on a show with someone you're so intimate with, it just comes through in the physicality in ways that aren't replicable with people meeting just for one production. watching them as r&g just feels like you're watching them hanging out. they anticipate each other's movements beautifully, lean into each other naturally, play off each other with such comfortable rapport that you feel like you're watching childhood friends goofing off from your corner of the party.

and the RAPPORT I mean wow. damn. if you're familiar with r&g -- the question game scene? holy shit. breathtaking quickness. they are rapid-fire, on each other's heels in the vein of the best comedies. for everyone who knows my tastes of course, they have * the * hawkbeej dynamic. (I almost cried watching because I kept thinking of my beloved url namesake fic.)

great pacing, great chemistry. even when they're sitting still you can still feel the intimacy between them in just how they arrange themselves. lots of staging to reflect mirroring, lots of staging to reflect the thematic element of identity (sorry, I'm rosencrantz; he's guildenstern), etc. great costuming choice -- billy wears green except his blue waistcoat; dom wear blue but for his green waistcoat.

their deliveries were nothing short of spectacular. that of course wraps into pacing and chemistry as mentioned above. but I do feel it's worth mentioning again that they're both so good at speaking their lines. they have such rhythm with each other. and of course that's going to happen--they have a podcast, theyre incredibly close friends, but it's so great to see in a setting with predetermined script, predetermined runtime. again, youre watching two friends who are off their minds at a party really Go Through It.

boydmonaghan aside, I had some general issues with the production. they had quite regular sound errors, and made some sound design choices with music and vocal warping/autotune that were not to my taste. there was a cool echo element utilized that I liked a lot. as I mentioned I don't know other productions so I don't know if this is standard practice, but for this one it was quite fun. coin echoing, echoing around the stage when they shouted into the wings to give you that sense of being trapped. when they spoke to the audience space, it felt enormous, and as if they were speaking to you specifically. I just got so distracted by the mic problems and weird autotune.

the autotune moments were exclusive to the hamlet scenes. that brings me to the other actors. the player himself was magnetic. phenomenal. so much presence. emcee cabaret presence. great stuff. hamlet? so lacking imo. he played hamlet very angry and masculine, which is a choice I guess, but not how I like to see hamlet done. it did make some of the intersectional scenes a little jarring; which, I know is not entirely without reason, but it just wasn't my ideal way to play it.

other than the question scene, one of my favorite scenes in the original text of r&g is when they're talking about leaving the stage, and they continue to make excuses not to. "i think he went this way / maybe that way / why don't you come with me it'll be safer / we should try this direction / oh we should actually wait in case he comes back here." the director did skip this dialogue, which I think gives the indication of less agency for r&g. a little less participation, a little more of things happening to them. which is fine. I have no feelings either way of a better way to do it, but that is just the sense I got of it.

the stage is very small, the set is very cramped. lots of overt use of trapped imagery. theyre often crowded into specific space, sitting very close. when they make space, they make SPACE, indicating periods of disagreement. pretty basic staging for this, I'd assume.

outside staging, very cool lighting, although I am generally against scenes with "party lighting." again, not sure what typical lighting is the scenes with the players that got that, but I could have left it out. similarly, we got a scene with "rock" lighting, and I just thought it was too on the nose / in bad taste. arguable how meta you need meta/absurdist work to be ofc but that decision wasn't for me.

the other lighting choices were great. it starts SO dark. I had lower balcony seating and have great vision, but the start spotlight was so soft the two of them were damn fuzzy for me at the beginning. they gradually get more light in the spotlight, and then it expands. there was a great sunrise moment where they turned the Big Warm Light on the audience and it truly felt like a sunrise over me. the final "rosenc--? guilden--? now you see me / now you don't" from billy was beautifully performed. the lights split the stage into two distinct chambers, truly separating r&g for the first time despite any previous physical distance. I did get a little choked up.

(the final hamlet scene that follows jarred me from the emotion a bit because the horatio actor didn't even try at an accent ToT and it was just weirdly red-lit and they came in with the autotune for the Big End of Speech). and I wish they hadn't made it so Intense and Dramatic because they of course we get our time loop / back to the start / they start on "heads!" and it's such a hold-your-breath type moment. boydmonaghan are good enough that it brought me back but damn. (horatio actor please don't skip vocal lessons again.)

and yeah then I skipped stage door because it made me a little uncomfortable and I went home!

I was very lucky to go and I took my lovely wife (who liked it very much despite only having seen hamlet the day before lol). anyway if you can go I highly recommend! I am even considering pulling a @thealogie and going to see if I can scoop some last-minute box office tickets one of my remaining days here.

ask box is of course open for any questions <3

quick edit: I will say, sincerely, the r&g audience was one of the worst audiences I’ve been in. none of these people knew what the fuck was going on. I wanted to eject them all from their seats into the city skyline and have the theatre to myself (+ wife). literally constantly “what” “what is going on” “huh” from around us. go away. mutuals please come see this show so I can sit with you and not next to someone trying to have a y/n when they look at the audience.

edit 2: I think I mentioned but I did have lower balcony seating. I could see well! I think I might have preferred to be a bit closer just for the microexpressions I probably missed, but I would echo others in saying there really were no *bad * seats at all.

edit 3: stage door is out front to the left of the main doors if you're interested. I personally was not (I already have something signed by billy/have met him multiple times, and would prefer to meet dom at a comic con setting because that makes me more comfortable than stage door).

[ghostenluvs]

Okkkkkkkk questions.

First off are the minecraft skins downloadable anywhere? (Like the skindex for example) or are they just here

Ok now uh. Actual story questions time

a) are there gods other than the storytaker or are they the only one? Also do they have a physical form

b) why do you hate James so much(/pos) . I have a bit of an idea from things youve posted but like. In what ways does he suck

c) im also curious about the magic system in this world but if thats too much of a hassle to write down its no problem

OKOKOK SO

im not giving the skins out rn, i haven't even posted episode one yet. but they will be eventually! i can post pictures of them from a few angles if you want to see them though.

question 1!

yes actually another god features in this story, the Talespinner!

this is the god that dexter is magically bound to serve during his term. they are the god of all words spoken, so songs, poetry, that type of thing.

both gods are very playful and lighthearted on the surface, because they're made of lots of playful and lighthearted stories.

but they can quickly drop any pretenses that they have a human moral compass.

like if they wanted to say, make sure they still have an archivist when their last family is about to leave.

both of them are HIGHLY unethical in their recruitment strategies.

[also for anyone paying extra attention in my character designs, the colour symbolizing the gods' is BLUE. so dexter and the ghost are both very blue. you can see in my art of james that his eyes turn blue when he becomes immortal. the witches are also blue, but less than an outright servant of a god.]

they don't have a physical form in this story, but they do in their magical god realm place. the storytaker is less of a humanoid body, more of a giant swirling mass of constantly flipping pages of everything ever written, from the art of war to bathroom handwashing instructions. the talespinner is just audio, but has a very very intense presence. like soundwaves you can't hear but can feel vibrating the very earth. and also everything else. things feel weird when they're around because theyre constantly being as quiet as they can or else theyd obliterate everything for a couple miles from soundwaves alone.

question 2!

spoilers.

but no lmao seriously the character of james is something really important to the story, but i intend of forshadowing it pretty heavily.

but since you're here on tumblr i'll tell you. it'll be more of a secret to youtube viewers.

the magic system is actually not very developed. i kind of left it vague on purpose rn because i may need some magic thing to happen and i need to not worldbuild myself into a corner here.

but witches are a thing, they tend to specialize in a specific type of magic, i.e. stars, weather, plants, usually something in the natural world. this includes gravity. and colours and such.

gods exist, but the type of gods in this story are more magical beings created and powered by a thing made by people.

you can't have a god of agriculture without first inventing agriculture yourself. sort of the situation.

but there are other gods. the ones who deal with life or death or again, gravity and physics and all that, who are less in touch with mortals bc they don't need them to keep powering them up.

@justastabbylilgay

[gold-rhine]

hiii!! i wanted to start by saying that i LOVE with a passion your writing and fics, literally changed my life ong i dont know if you're currently taking requests or writing for lyney (or any fontaine characters for that matter) but i theres this idea that has been taking over my brain with lyney and him as a sub. (that said, feel free to ignore this if you aren't as familiar with his character and don't feel comfortable enough writing him)

just bear with me here for a second, so we all know that lyney is overprotective with his siblings and presents himself as a reliable person and hides behind his charming and onstage persona (i LOVE the fortress of meropide act where we can actually see farther into his character other than "flirty and charming magician" i also liked how lyney acted after his trial when he and lynette were talking w the traveler as an honorable mention)

then, we can see two versions of him, the version that is "lyney the magician", who was a way with words and is very skilled at deceiving people, flirty and suave he redirects a crowd's attention to focus only on the part (of himself) that he wants people to see. on the other side, we have a more "true" lyney, who is always protective for his siblings in fear that they are taken away from him again, he's impulsive but also genuine. a lyney that sometimes questions himself who he really is, after all of the masks and acts he has taken (character story 4), and also a lyney that wants to protect the home that arlecchino had given him and lynette when they were at their worst. (tbh him without his stage persona really comes off to me as "Im Trying ™")

(all seriousness aside, and this is just a headcanon, i could 100% see lyney in love in his room kicking his feet giddily and pacing around the room thinking of ways to romance his crush, just to go out and act all cool and suave like he wasnt just losing his shit for the last 2 hours) (or maybe im just projecting) (we will never know)

so, how does this play into flith?

imagine lyney having his first time w reader, he's not completely clueless because well, he's obviously an adult (and also this is lyney we're talking about. just look at his design.) i picture lyney overall (not just in sex) really good with theory, but when it comes to practice, he just falls apart.

another thing i also think would be at play is him learning to let go of his mask, of his responsibilities and just relax, let his brain turn into mush and his legs into jelly and let himself be fully naked (both physically and emotionally) in front of someone. how much he trusts his partner also is smth to be taken into account. i dont really see him as a one night stand type of guy.

then, i also think that his trauma with lynette's situation would also show, even though he isn't overly clingy with lynette, he always wants to be by her side, not only because theyre REALLY close but also because he subconsciously he wants to make sure that shes okay. (he even thought about getting a delusion so that they could be together on missions, and even when arle denied him he still tried to get better) i think that this subconscious need for feeling his loved one's presence (to put it in some kind of way) as if they would slip away the first moment he wasnt looking would manifest in the form of him being into handholding, or just overall keeping his hands on his partner, especially when he closes his eyes.

the last thing that i would like to mention is him w a praise kink, which i think would stem from his upbringing in the house of the hearth at least at mostly if not at all, due to searching for arlecchino's approval as a parental figure (setting aside the OBVIOUS father title, whether she intended or not she is the only parental figure the fontaine siblings have, and they do treat her as such, it would be normal for them to seek approval. however since we're talking about a harbinger, idk if that approval was met much, so yeah.) (however these are all assumptions based on how we can think life at the house of the hearth was for the sillies, i have only read lyney's voicelines and character stories and i am too lazy to read lynette's or freminet's, however i do think i am close enough)

LAST THING I SWEAR, with the whole "lynette has cat features and lyney having cat traits" thing. imagine,, lyney hiding his head in the crook of his partner's neck purring when hes too overstimulated... i am on my knees. 🧎

wow. that was a lot. sorry if i made this too long !! i wanted to request smut and ended up making a half assed lyney character study 😭😭 i hope i didn't bore you to death with my ranting, anyways even if you dont feel like writing, i would love to hear your thoughts about this. i love lyney's character with all my heart and i find that he is very fun to think about and explore his trauma character. i sincerely hope that you could find it in yourself to ignore my horrible phrasing skills and yeah.., i dont do requests often but i am desperate for sub lyney content and you have one of the most beautiful writing i have encountered in tumblr smut fics LMAO (if you do decide to write it, dom gn reader please and thank you)

love, lyney obsessed anon <3

oh my god, i didnt even know you can send so much text on anon asdfghjk.

anyway, lyney is not one of my absolute favs so i don't have a phd on him, so im not claiming all my opinions are corrrect, but i do like him a lot, i think he's v cute. i mostly agree with all of your points. what i would say, is that while ofc he has his stage persona, he really does love performance, its clear from his story quest. he enjoys attention, he likes impressing ppl, this is still part of his "real" self. like yes, he is very flustered when he has a crush and he will spend hours pacing around the room giddily and planning what he will do and then play suave, but he also really enjoys pulling it off, doing something special and impressive for his crush and then being admired and praised for it even if - especially if - he was actually nervious the whole time, bc thats part of the thrill, the high stakes!

if i were to write him, i think i'd do like. exhibitionism with a bit of pet play, bc i think he would want to do a show that he would rehearse for hours, and it would actually be pretty hot, but its too ambitious and some things you can't pre-plan without practice, so he *would* fumble things and be flustered, and on this edge of really charismatic and clumsily vulnerable is where his real charm lies.

anyway, i can't promise i'll write him, i assume you don't follow me since you said you don't know what i think of fontaine characters, but if i do, it will be in sub lyney tag so you won't miss it:)

[majorasnightmare]

Zora Worldbuilding Headcanons

Some core assumptions:

The BotW branch of the timeline is chronologically set AFTER the previous timeline, ie the events of ToTKs ancient past is set AFTER the last event of the Hyrule Historia timeline. essentially they all come back together to form one line that makes up ToTKs ancient era

The biggest effect on Hyrules topography was the flooding in Wind Waker. after an unknown point, the flooding ocean receded leaving behind the ruins of ancient Hyrule. at some point after that, the zonai settled parts of it and made the buildings wed see as ruins by the time of BotW. slowly the various tribes of hyrule immigrated back

all peoples within the setting of hyrule are loosely grouped into categories called tribes. in this sense, tribe refers a collection of peoples with shared traits, without anything concretely set in stone (for example, hyrule includes the tribe of hylians, the tribe of gorons, the tribe of koroks, etc etc. the main six who show up repeatedly can be considered the sage tribes (gerudo, hylian, sheikah, rito, goron, zora), and the various types of enemies can be considered the monster tribes (the blin tribe of bokoblin, moblin, bulblin, etc)

so with THAT in mind! heres shit that is almost entirely just Fun Background Context and worldbuilding that i mostly just rotate in my mind when working out events for that still-unnamed totk au

NOW UNDER A READMORE I FIGURED OUT HOW TO USE

@blujayonthewing @br1ghtpunk @trenchcoatofthelord

now in convenient bullet point form because if i dont organize points somehow my adhd ass loses the plot. this might get edited and cleaned cuz im posting this at 3 am

the zora are the tribe most heavily associated with the element of water. elemental water concerns not just the physical aspect of water, but conceptually is associated with the concepts of flowing time and change. as such, the zora show the highest degree of adaptation and physical changes

by the time of ToTK there are three descendants of Old Timeline Zora: the rito, who adapted with the help of valoo to achieve flight, and inherited the element of wind and forest from the kokiri, the "river dwelling" zoras that make up the current Zoras Domain and include Sidon, and the "reef dwelling" zoras that are further east in the oceans bordering akkala and include Yona. there are more than these 3 (only two of which are still zora as the rito have branched off so much and so long ago they are considered their own separate tribe) but these are the ones with the strongest presence in hyrule

the zora are very familiar with their own adaptable nature, and physical differences between different zora are rarely remarked on as its a matter of course. this typically confuses non zora when one refers to the rito as their air dwelling cousins, but to a zora this seems as obvious as the sunrise. some zora just evolved to fly, its that easy. they may not be fishpeople but theyre still cousins. zora rarely elaborate on this connection as initial confusion is misconstrued as confusion with regards to a zoras adaptable nature in GENERAL and not the specific connection between the birdlike rito and the fishlike zora

zora, overall, work on clownfish gender rules. personal physical traits can morph based on overall population and secondary sex characteristics adapt and change as needed. zora gender presentation, therefore, is completely divorced from sex characteristics and considered a matter of personal identification. clothing is essentially just fun accessories to jazz up your appearance. as such gender roles in zora society exclusively refers to whos doing what in procreation, but extrapolating habits, presentation, or identifying characteristics from those roles is deeply confusing. similarly confusing is the idea of differentiating relationships based on gender or sex characteristics (to a zora, all marriage is gay marriage).

well accustomed to change, the zora typically take cultural differences in stride and are known for their adaptable and friendly nature, though a perspective drawing root from the biology of fish exacerbated by an elf-like long lifetime means theres been a fair share of well meaning confusion and misinterpretations on their part.

the exception being the zora post calamity where, having suffered catastrophic losses and the death of their beloved princess, the zora of the domain reacted in their grief by becoming isolationist and traditionalist, in an attempt to staunch the flow of despair that was sweeping their lands. sidons ascension both as the champions heir in botw and the sage of water in totk metaphorically heals these wounds, helping the zora as a people embrace the everflowing nature of time and the changes they bring, as we must risk pain to fight for our happiness. by digging in our heels and keeping away, we prevent anything from getting better, letting the water stagnate. though the current may sweep us away, only the flowing river brings new life.

the zora, being the tribe associated with the element of water, react incredibly strongly to its presence. this is most visible with zora royalty. ancient tradition dictates the spiritual stone of water, the zora sapphire, be used as a wedding gift by the royal heir. proximity to such a powerful source of elemental water causes the zora ruler to grow steadily larger and more powerful as they age, as the spiritual stone is used as their marriage token. this is why the zora king is typically a massive individual, combined with the zoras long lives, one can get absolutely MASSIVE. this connection is also why the zora ruler is so powerful, as seen in king dorephan physically throwing a guardian off a cliff

following up on this, most zora cannot cast magic. the implied gender dynamics in sidons questline in ToTK deeply aggravate me and, imo, cheapen Miphas skills as a champion, as yona and other female zora are seen performing the same healing magic mipha was known for, and then purifying water in sidons place (so why is he even doing it if he can just take shifts??? anyways). adjusting for this, magic is, by ToTK, an extremely rare skill to have. even the presence of the spiritual stone does not imbue one with the ability and skill to cast magic dorephan may be powerful, but he is no mage.

in that vein: yona and her attendants have no healing magic. they demonstrate their compassion and dedication to helping with the crisis by tediously and thoroughly treating the sludge-affected and wounded zora in the domain by hand, scrubbing them clean and tending to them with non magical medicine. mipha was not born a sage, and in truth had very little magical power, and a shallow connection to the magical element of her people. what was remarkable was the sheer skill and razor point efficiency with which she used what little magic she had, generating returns that so outclassed her power that it seemed a miracle. this is why mipha was so short, as zora grow in proportion to their connection to water, and miphas connection was constantly stretched to its limit by her compassionate nature and determination to heal and save all she could

as a change to ToTK used in the au, and also a headcanon: miphas court was not always a source of water for zoras domain. once the sludge crisis began, polluting the waters around the domain, a wellspring of clean water sprung up as if by magic underneath her statue, flowing downwards towards the zora. the area is well explored, and there is no immediate logical explanation, leading to it being widely perceived as miphas final miracle (which is not far from the truth. vah rutah generates water from nothing, and even in death mipha cant help herself but to try and save her people, watching over them still)

zora religion is a matter of significant cultural importance, and to the surprise of no one, features a heavy emphasis on water. zora, overall, are deeply spiritual as a rule, and this shows clearly in their architecture and their noted tendency to dedicate massive structures to religious worship and celebration (and often time such structures work both as a spiritual source of worship and as a practical location with a designated function. nearly all water temples are explicitly religious, and they also tend to double as water plants in some fashion)

frequent interaction with the hylians has meant that the zoras have had PLENTY of time to comingle and embrace hylian culture and religious concepts, to a degree that often surprises and shocks your average unaware hylian. the zora are somehow more gung ho about hylia than even THEY are (hylian culture and religion are for another post, but in general hylia worship is treated as a subtle background element and is rarely brought to the forefront of active attention or behavior. by contrast, the zora have an organized religion focusing on her with a dedicated priest role)

the heavens above are a vast starry ocean, the dwelling place of spirits, and where the horizon meets the sea, the dead can cross over from one plane to another. the rivers below are a muddied reflection of the starry rivers above, and where life is brought forth in the waters below it transitions to a new form in the waters above. the shine of the stars is the glint of light off the scales of celestial zora, and reflective metals like silver help them find their kin in the lands below

"all waters meet in the ocean" being a zora idiom about how many different concepts will often lead back to one solution, and how many different peoples can find unity at a single destination, regardless of how dissimilar they may initially appear

an emphasis on the flowing mutable qualities of water is reflected both in the zoras conception of identity (prone to change as time and circumstance changes, both metaphysically and also physically) and also their spiritual practice, focusing on the nature of spiritual transition from one state to another

hylia thus takes the role of guiding shepherd in this instance, symbolically aligned with the sun. through hylias light, the spirits of the dead find their loved ones in the living world, who in turn can see the sparkling glint of their scales in the heavens. as disaster clogs the river and buries the dead, hylias light reflects off the water to help guide them to the horizon line

out of all the tribes, the zora have embraced hylia the most, and openly incorporate hylian iconography into their own religious symbolism, and through the generations have had their own dedicated priesthoods to her, a tradition which still continues, albeit more casually, to this day. zora churches to hylia are considered some of the most beautiful in the country

zora do not worship a creator deity and instead attribute their peoples birth to the amorphous and chaotic nature of water itself, though there has been many minor religious figures taking the form of guiding spirits who aided in their creation by guiding the malleable form of the zora into one more closely resembling their current state

included in these guiding spirits are historic protectors of the zora people, including the water dragon farore and the great fish jabu jabu

the shared heritage with the rito is attributed to the nature of leviathans, who both dwelt in the ancient oceans (jabu jabu) and also roamed the heavens (the windfish, levias) and is considered a minor fact of life not really exciting enough to dwell on

a fun little aside inspired by my replay of skyward sword: the water dragon being the source of elemental water sage magic for the zora, and the water dragon uses her power to imbue the lake she resides in with a kind of magical purity, allowing her to grow whatever she wants in its waters (ie salt content or lack thereof does not affect the lotus blossoms or coral growth, as they draw upon the magic in the water to filter what they need). she is the source of elemental water for the zora, and thus has the greatest mastery over it, demonstrating skills other sage descendants cannot yet replicate. in time though, sidon may be able to imbue small bodies of water with that purity, allowing salt and freshwater organisms to coexist when otherwise theyd be unable to

the waters of the divine springs are not elemental water but instead the divine waters of the sacred realm, and are instead closer to elemental *light* than anything else. the springs will never diminish, nor dry up, and are as deep or as shallow as needed

the zonais interaction with the zora was a bit of a reversal of typical first contact enlightenment. the zora have a long history of stellar plumbing systems and engineering, to such a degree that first contact resulted in the zonai learning and adapting zora blueprints and methodologies for the construction of the water temple sky island

[comidyye]

'I will go into detail if asked'

PLEASE DO. I MUST HEAR YOUR GRIEVANCES!

It must be said!

OKAY HI YES

SO i mentioned glitchtrap was robbed,, Both vanny and glitchtrap had their roles stolen, and glitchtrap is my favorite fnaf character, so i have Beef

(Note: Uhh for this rant im keeping with the idea that vanny and vannessa are the same person. Also everything i say is very biased for these three. I know i wont get what i want, but i can dream..)

What i mean by that is for the entirety of help wanted and special delivery, Glitchtrap and Vanny got alll the exposition for them to be the new modern fnaf villains. After pizza sim, we can all agree Afton's physical mind and body as we knew it shouldve been destroyed. it was the mark of a new era for fnaf, and we needed new villains!! so the old William was to be replaced by a digital copy of himself, malhare

he was introduced in help wanted. and vanny was introduced in the dlc. Their roles were helped solidified in special delivery, as the emails there revealed They were behind everything going wrong with the animatronics (as well as more general info about all three of them)

then, the trailer for security breach dropped. theres afton talking, but it has to be glitchtrap, right? ( both because 1 We didnt know about burntraps existence during the time and 2 i still think its actually glitchtrap because theres No Way Peepaw burntrap is speaking that clearly.) And vanny was made out to be this big bad villain who. Actually had a major impact..

Then the game came out and threw all the good characterization (Especially for Vanessa) out the window 💥

glitchtrap is only seen in princess quest. but princess quest was already a thing in mobile help wanted, so..

vannys presence is laughable, but heres the thing about vanessa- Her lines that were cut from the game fit her Description from the AR Emails a LOT More. she was nervous, she knew what was happening. and she wanted to Help gregory. But.. you dont see that in the final version of security breach.

The only thing that does them all justice is the therapy tapes. But they deserved so much more...

And then burntrap and the blob exist. Theyre.. whatever. But i felt like they really took the spotlight off of who was Supposed to be the main villain and it makes me a bit sad . Robbed again

i Reaally hoped Ruin would give them what they deserved (even if i knew it was never going to happen), but instead of doing that or tying up loose ends (like the blob) They added more to the pile with Mxes and The mimic(?). (I KNOOW thats what fnaf does, but that doesnt mean ill stop complaining) and vanny and vanessa and malhare are nowhere to be seen

tl;dr In all, glitchtrap and vanny were set up to be the new big bads in help wanted and special delivery, But now it feels like glitchtrap was simply a one-off villain, and Vanny didn't really do.. like anything important at all

they had tons of potential taken away by burntrap, the blob, mxes, the mimic, etc 💔

[pagingdoctorbedlam]

ok so here's my idea

czerny taps horns/antlers with ebenholz and its just a gay little thing they do.

and hibiscus sees it and goes "what was that"

and theyre both like.. "uh oh that? oh. thats embarassing. you werent supposed to see"

(I've actually had similar thoughts before about Ebenholz showing affection through little goat-headbutts...but this idea is super cute. Now you've gone and inspired a ficlet. I hope you're happy. XD)

As with most habits Czerny had picked up since joining Rhodes Island, this one was Ebenholz's fault.

Czerny had never been big on physical affection. Hands to himself, content to acknowledge others with a nod or even a half-bow, not too keen on unexpected contact with anyone. Ebenholz tried to carry himself in much the same way, was nothing but unfailingly polite, but it was clear to anyone who spent more than five minutes with him that the Caprinae was starved for touch and attention both.

The first time had caught Czerny off guard. He'd been working on a composition, practicing a progression so quick he had to play hand-over-hand to reach the notes in time, when he'd felt a solid tap against one of his antlers. He'd startled, wracking his brain over what he might've accidentally hit with them (it had taken quite some time to get used to most of the landship's doorways), only to find Ebenholz standing there.

"You've been here for hours now. It's dinner time. Up with you."

"Right. Did you...knock on my antler?"

"You didn't hear me the first time, but I also did not want to risk being smacked."

Czerny almost retaliated that he would never, but then again, he did once accidentally give Chiave a bloody nose after the man had unexpectedly slapped him on the back. That had been embarrassing enough, though it also somehow earned the so-called gang leader's respect. A confusing man, that one.

He'd thanked Ebenholz, and joined him for dinner in what quickly became routine. Seemed that wherever Czerny might end up, Ebenholz could always seek him out if needed, and would always catch his attention by tapping one of his horns to Czerny's antlers. It was reminiscent of the Caprinae and Elafia children back home, often headbutting each other to play or get attention from their parents. (Not that Czerny had ever done the same...much.) Perhaps such was a habit Ebenholz had never quite outgrown?

Still, Czerny didn't realize how routine it had become until one day when he was asked to grab Ebenholz from the trading post. The young man barked orders and verbally cut down traders who tried to swindle him with all the authority of a former Graf Urtica, and Czerny certainly didn't wish to throw him off. So he approached quietly, waited for an opportune moment, and leaned over to tap an antler against Ebenholz's horn.

The young man turned, and broke out into a grin that somehow made his entire ashen-pale face seem bright. "Ah, Czerny. Is my shift over already? Forgive me for losing track of the time...shall we get going, then?"

Something about that expression did a funny thing to Czerny's stomach. He must've been hungrier than he thought. Surely that was all. He shoved the idea that it might mean anything more so thoroughly out of his mind that he didn't think about it again until months later.

A combat mission had just wrapped up. Ebenholz had made it back to the transport first, sitting in a dark corner with his eyes shut to block out an oncoming headache. Czerny took the seat next to him, waiting a moment to announce his presence with a tap. Ebenholz glanced up at him from under his bangs and smiled.

Except this time, someone noticed. A someone called Hibiscus. "Oh, what was that? Some sort of Leithanien greeting?"

Czerny's eyes shot up to meet hers. She was smiling, but it was more than her usual peaceful grin. No, there was a spark behind this one. Sly, some might call it, as if "sly" and "Hibiscus" could ever be put in the same sentence together.

"It is..." Czerny found himself at a loss for words. What was this, really? It had long gone beyond a simple greeting, but he didn't have the words for what it had become. It was a way to say "I'm here" without words. A halfway point between needing to touch and not wanting to be touched at all. An assurance. Trust.

"It's just a little thing we do," Ebenholz answered, soft but with an air of finality that invites no further conversation on the matter. "Do not worry yourself overmuch about it, Fraulein."

"Right, of course. Well, if neither of you are hurt, I'll let you get to it." Hibiscus had the audacity to wink at them as she walked away. The duo waited until she was gone to look at each other and silently ask: what were they really doing? What was this thing between them, really?

They didn't answer aloud. Ebenholz inclined his head. Czerny tapped, antler to horn. The pair smiled and settled in for the ride back. And when Ebenholz leaned against him and closed his eyes, Czerny found he didn't mind that so much either.

[mintys-musings]

i need more of ur anzu x idol rambles PLZ theyre so good if i cld inject it to my brain i wld do so /pos

*cracks knuckles* how much time do we have? I could do this all damn day t b h.

okay here's a random thing i love about anzu- not entirely related to this but still: EVERYONE KNOWS CANONICALLY HOW DAMN THIRSTY SHE IS TO SEE GUYS WHO ARE BARELY CLOTHED WITH MUSCLES. slight spoilers for madara's fs1 story will be in the tags so tread lightly if you wanna experience that yourself. just- she has a clear type in men. at least as far as physicality goes.

and for women??? SUZU. ARASHI. SHE LOVES HEADSTRONG WOMEN WHO TAKE NO SHIT.

ANYWAY SHIPS

This is gonna get long so im putting it under cut- im doing this right before i go to bed bc my brain will not rest until i get this out of my system

Okay. I know which ships I'll end up rambling about on my own. So lemme highlight ones that i may not talk about as much but love still. idk if u wanted to hear horny rambles or not so im just throwing in first time stuff as flavour.

MakoAnzu

MAKOTO AND ANZU ARE THE CUTEST. EPIC GAMER LOSER BF AND GIRLBOSS/GIRLFAIL GF COMBO. idk if it makes sense but they're like. hs sweethearts that never actually got together in hs and only realized it later when they reconnect or something that they're so totally in love. also he's just so damn goofy it balances out her more serious side that took over after her failed rebellion attempt at kimisaki. like he'd start calling her his favourite trouble maker if he heard that story. OOOOUUU MAYBE HE'D EVEN START CALLING HER ANGIE AND SHE NEARLY CRIES BC NO ONE CALLS HER THAT ANYMORE BESIDES HER BROTHER. idk they're sweet.

the first time they do it together, they're both so awkward that it's funny but they're so comfy with each other that it isn't a problem. in my mind, mako tries to lead at first but when it gets too hot and heavy, anzu takes charge. they seem like the most realistic couple out there with the least amount of angst~

JunAnzu

okay now to talk about Makoto's gaming buddy with her instead HFDSF. i feel like this anzu ship is a lil underrated. i personally love it. he has canonically given in to her like 🥺 face. they're relationship is basically jun teasing her and anzu pouting until he feels bad and it's cute. moon and sun vibe. also. jun is in eden/eve. he has money he's not spendin on himself. he may not give the most lavish gifts or even the most gifts in terms of anzu ships, but he does buy her little trinkets and stuff. more often than not though he's just paying for her meals. even with gatekeeper cash and the anzu fund made in the graduation story, he's not letting her spend a cent if she doesn't have to. if questioned he'd just be like "Haaah? Ain't it rude to make the lady pay?" but in reality he just wants to spoil her. the entirety of trickstar is gonna start questioning her though if they notice they're getting close. And i bet ibara is going to investigate why half of eve is meddling with the competition's producer.

their first time is spontaneous. they never talked before hand about it or whatever. it probably was them destressing from a hard day at work. PERSONALLY- i think they did it in the ES gym~ and god anzu was so scared theyd get caught. BOTH of them know Ibara goes down to the gym after work but luckily a meeting ran long or something because by the time they were done and dressed, they could just pass it off as training when ibara walked in.

HiMEAnzu

okay this is definitely a rare one- but a ship ive grown fond of the more i thought about it. meru and anzu are both work oriented, but still a little silly deep down. so when they relax and get to know each other, they find the others presence so calming. he admires her for her work ethic and she does the same. god im pulling out the first idol story interactions with this one as well- he let his guard down near completely when they first meet. and he says something like "like attracts like" or something like they're kindred spirits and that he's fallen for her. that last part was probs just his attempt at joking fanservice, but he is aware that he could easily pull anyone he wants to. for anzu to just talk normally with him, he thinks it's refreshing and honestly- being in a unit like crazyb, he would want someone calm like her to be around.

here's the big catch though: meru would never risk kaname's idol image by dating ANYONE. let alone the person known as "everyones producer." so this ship is BUILT for "at arms length" pining/"we'll never know what could've been" angst

their first time is the most planned out of all three of these ships. not on anzu's side, but himerus. meru is really meticulous with his image and he respects anzu. so if he's going to do something with her, he's going to do it right and make sure they have the most privacy possible. it's def something that happens after a VERY romantic date. possibly an anniversary. he gets incredibly intimate. maybe he'd even start talking in first person. this is, after all, not a performance for anyone. he just wants to share this moment with anzu. that being said they go on for a long ass time because meru has stamina and anzu can get insatiable if teased long enough.