#this'll be the first date i've ever had

[loviestar58]

Sassy Viktor dating HC’s AND MY LIFE IS YOURS

(I need to see how sassy he would be in everyday life pls he’s so entertaining)

🤲

Thank you sm have a lovely day :D

🧡~Dating Sassy Viktor HC's/Scenarios~🧡

My first ever request! I hope it's good I'm not gonna lie I had some difficulty with this idk why shdudbdh

This'll be a mix of Viktor being sassy, sarcastic, teasing, and just being a general playful menace lol

Enjoy‼️💖

🩼~Feins offense at any little thing you do. We've all seen his face, he can make the most offended face imaginable. For example he'd make you something to eat (he can't really cook well and doesn't do it often but he does for you cause he loves you) and he'd serve it to you all smiles, and you'd be all smiles too. Viktor cooking? What a rare treat! Until you bite into it and feel your tongue yell at you "oooo this isn't right..". You try to hide it, chewing slowly, but he sees it immediately, asking if something is wrong.

"Oh it's nothing, just..interesting. The flavor doesn't feel right, I think you put too much salt and herbs-"

His face would scrunch into that offended look, eyes wide and rolling his eyes

"Oh, so you're a food critic now? Judging the food I put my heart and soul into to make for you? I see how it is.."

He'd pout and take his own bite, thinking you were overreacting

You weren't

🩼~It is a common occurrence to whack you with his cane. Usually he does it to get his way in petty arguments, you could be talking about how a certain formula was written wrong in his notes, him being so tired he didn't notice and miscalculated something, but he'd never admit to it. Anytime you tried to show him, he'd lift his cane to your shins and try to grab the book back. You'd recoil and try to dodge each time, laughing at how far he'd go to stay in the right, but he somehow always caught you off guard, and of course he'd never miss a chance to diss you, even if he was completely in the wrong

"You're just mad you're wrong!"

"I'm not wrong, lovely, you just lack the vision to see my genius"

"Well, "Genius", you wrote it wrong!"

"Perhaps you do need your eyes checked.."

🩼~This is Jinx's line in the show, but he totally would pull this classic

"So, Viktor, I've been thinking-"

"Well, thats quite the dangerous endeavor for you"

🩼~Would never let you live it down that you fumbled your attempt at asking him out, having gotten so nervous cause I mean. Look at him. You'd try to tell the story to some friends and make it seem like you were so confident and successful in asking him out, but he'd SO quickly chime in and rat you out

"Wh-"

🩼~Also would probably overuse the line "Suureee lovely, whatever you say" in the most sarcastic tone ever whenever you two have little back and forth banters and you're determined to prove you're right. When you'd call him out on it he'd respond with a knowing smirk and offended face "What? I would never! I do not know what you are talking about!" Hand on his chest, practically clutching his non-existant pearls in a dramatically comedic way

"Hmm that's not quite how I remember it. I remember you shaking like one of those ehh..chihuahuas, that pee all over themselves. And your words sounded more like squeaks of a mouse. I don't know where you got the notion that that is the epitome of confidence, but it must not have been a reliable source"

You'd hit his shoulder blushing profusely as he laughs, saying a playful "I love you" before ruffling your hair, making you role your eyes and pout

🩼~Attempting to get a pet is impossible with Viktor. He'd always say that they both don't have time to take care of an animal, that his work was too dangerous to have one around, no matter how much your beg, he'd just shit you down. That's when he says that he already has you, and that's enough work on its own alongside his inventing

"Are you implying that I'm like a pet?"

"You seem to love jumping to conclusions cause I said no such thing, but if you insist on seeing it that way, then yes. You're like a little rampaging Poro. Energetic, small, and a thorn in my side on occasion"

He'd chuckle as he watched you feign offense, your face pouty but unable to keep the smile from your lips, cause it is kinda funny how you can be compared to such a creature so easily. And you do the same, comparing him to a sassy cat. Which he doesn't deny and swiftly confirms by swatting at you with his cane in retaliation for the comment

I am so sorry this is short, I genuinely couldn't think of too much cause I felt I was just repeating the same things over and over again and not being creative..and I think I made him more teasing than sassy, but I tried😭

I hope this is what you were hoping for, even a little! If not, I'm sorry😖🙏🏼

[thepaladincosplays]

I'm Retiring.

Yeah, no. No funny openings, no witty banter, not even an easy way to explain the title other than: Yea. I'm retiring... kind of. More below.

As you guys know I've been writing for the Callyieverse and Tales of Mewni for quite some time. It's almost been 7 years. Seven. Years. As Callyie once put it, I'm literally one of the founders of the Callyieverse. I ain't the creator herself but I respect to her for inspirin' me all those years back to get back into writing fanfiction and all that. Having said that:

I'm no longer going to be writing anything Callyieverse or Tales of Mewni related. I'm just burnt out of it, truth be told, this has been one of my biggest hyperfixations for a long time and even though I never finished quite a few storylines, I just can't really bring myself to continue writing for it. Burn out's real and, honey, call me Icarus bc I've been flying by the sun these last few years.

What does this mean moving forward?

Well, simply put, the following:

All my current, on-going projects are cancelled.

Most likely any commissions, art or fic, will be all you see of my characters unless someone else writes them.

This blog'll remain active since it's my main but just be aware that any fanfics ya see will be other fandom related

I won't be taking commissions any longer.

I'd also like to share with everyone how the following storylines would've gone.

Protecting the Peace

First off, holy hell there would have been so much new lore pushed into Mewni. With the Southern Vale being a completely closed off area there was going to be a lot more "return to formula" type creatures and more of the original show's feel.

Also, it would've revealed that the Goliaths weren't actually nearly as extinct as I've said they were these last few years. An enclave of Goliaths, taking one of the old cities and rebranding it "New Janek City," would have been one of the final obstacles in Visas' journey.

How would it have ended? Well...

Visas, everyone that came down to help her (Petal, Nia, Sunshine, Luci, Higgs, Pearl, Sarasim, and Hava (whose disappearance would've also been explained), and Elza would've discovered that (a) Visas and Elza were actually sisters after Haku and Eboshi had a fling together a few years before Haku met Higgs; (b) Visas was becoming more Precursor than Mewman bc of Precursor genetics and that change was being accelerated by Precursor magic; and (c) there were Gods watching over Mewni this whole time. Yeah. There would've been an explanation that they were amongst the first gods in creation but they didn't vibe with the feel of many dimensions until they reached Mewni, in its infancy, wherein they staked their claim and ruled over this new land. However, by the time Mewmans started taking over everything they'd long been forgotten to the point of being myths of myths, but the ancient Precursors kept the belief in them alive in the Vale when they established the first Magic Empire. Despite their disconnect from Mewni and Mewmanity, the Gods would not have been happy with the fact Astro was king. Not because he's a Titan (they scoffed at the idea of Gods despising Titans, seeing themselves as "above petty ideologies") but literally because Mewni was established as a Matriarchy and they imply they had a hand in tipping the scales in the Mewmans' favor (via the MHC) in exchange for Mewmans modelling themselves after the Gods.

Visas and co. return back to the Sanctuary wherein Visas declares that, by divine right, she's the Empress of the Vale and the first thing she's doing is going home, taking her sister with her, and beginning to live her life for herself for once.

Tony and Stacie Q

Now I know this'll come as a shock, but... T and Q would've ended up with a happily ever after. The next big fic I was working on was a dinner date where Tony was going to meet her parents, but, like I said, burn out's a bitch and I just never got around to finishing it.

Ashur, Nenet, the Hydra

Ash trying to overcome his greatest inner turmoil would've been... a long thing coming. He'd have a lot of insecurities to work through and even having slip ups like him getting into a fight with Lars over Nenet. Eventually, his Hydra side and him would've realized that neither could exist without the other and Ash would've fully embraced that side of him, effectively getting rid of it and finally living his life the way he wants to.

Tales of Mewni: Ragnarok

Loki and Cordelia would've ended up together... kind of? And the story would've ended with the fabled battle between the Aesir and Jotnar with Loki finding out his dead wife's soul was being made to fight for Odin. That would not have ended well for anyone involved. Loki also would demonstrate his immense magic power, to stop the fighting, by holding the weather still across all Nine Realms and even Avalon itself. All to remind everyone who exactly he is, why he's declaring the battle over, and sending the Jotnar back to their respective realms.

And... that's all.

I wanna thank quite a few people in no particular order, but first I'd like to thank @princesscallyie for taking a chance at reading The New Kids when I first brought it to her attention back in January of 2018 and for creating this next gen verse as a whole. I'd also like to thank @kururu418 for being there along my side helping me figure out ways to make things work for the Tales of Mewni side of things. @laylaylamode, I love the Stacies and the way you encouraged me even in my lowest moments with writing for the verse. @onelastfic, thank you for being such an amazing friend and confidant, as well as someone who I could always share and work on ideas with.

And to all my friends whom I talk to the most @princekaiofstars @aj-thegreatest @omnitheleader @yah-gurl-ari @des-the-girl @froppy-butterflyfan2000 @cooltmoney95, I cannot thank you guys enough for your support.

[kaelidascope]

Humor Me - It's About Beestfic

Okay so here's the thing NFKNGFKJGN I've been slowly working my way through rewriting this thing, but motivation is nonexistent when I have to keep over 110k words to myself without some kind of payoff. My dilemma is this;

I wanted to keep the original posting to preserve the hit ratio, comments, and dates seeing as this is the first fic I ever wrote. I personally think the original is absolute hot garbage and I'm embarrassed to have this thing be a reflection of my current skills. And yet, I've had many people argue they think it's one of the best things they've ever read. (seriously, what are you guys reading where you think this is good? but anyway)

I want to start releasing the rewritten chapters as they come to help motivate me. But that's difficult if I can't notify anyone they've been updated through the email notifs on AO3, and also what about the rest of the 10 chapters that are already up there that now don't correlate with the updated chapter at all? I could post a brand new rework, and just keep the old one preserved, but then I risk all the following I already gained on it, and now I'm just left in a mighty fat pickle.

So my options are this;

A) wait until all 110k words are rewritten, and mass release the updated chapters with a new archive page so that current subscribers get the email notification to reread all 110k words to get up to speed on the new work and new plot

B) Just post a new thing all together and leave the original Beestfic offline, treat it like a brand new fic

C) Post the new thing but release the original Beestfic back out for the public and just label it as 'Discontinued/Classic Version' with a link to the rewrite

D) Mark all current chapters blank and update them as I write them so I don't lose the comments or hits, but ppl subscribed to it won't receive the AO3 email until I post the next chapter. Only people following my socials will know it got updated at all

I appreciate the humoring lol I have more fun when I get to release it as it comes. I'm not the type to hoard content, I get too excited. This'll also make it more fun to cycle through projects when I get burnt out on one or the other (looks at MM... sorry babygirl you're gonna cook a lil longer that next chapter is gonna be like 19k words GNKJFNFKJG)

[sagurus]

Sure! When you have time I would love it if you any interactions between Saguru and any of the Gosho girls. It doesn't have to be shipped or whatever, but it's just because I've read so many of his interactions with the Gosho boys and I feel like the girls are underrated in that sense. I love crack and I love Saguru and I adore your writing and edits :)

Hey anon from 2018, lmao. You're right, there really do need to be more interactions between Saguru and the girls. I have a WIP I started recently that I feel really shows Aoko's acuity. It's not crack, but instead a tense interaction between two friends.

Eventually this'll make its way to AO3, but for now, here it is:

--

“So, Saguru-kun…”

Saguru finds himself bracing. Aoko has seemed to be in a strange mood the entire evening. He’d almost wondered if she was irritated with him at first, or maybe just more disappointed about Kuroba’s last-minute cancellation than she wanted to let on. But their plans had gone as expected otherwise; they studied, watched a show Aoko had been excited to show him over some reheated leftovers, all without incident. Now they’d settled in the living room, occupying themselves with their own activities.

But now, as casual as she was trying to seem, Saguru detected an underlying tension.

“Yes, Aoko-san?” He kept his eyes on his book.

“Did you know that Aoko’s dad thought Kaito was KID once?”

Saguru’s entire train of thought stuttered to a halt. Every thought vanished — and then his mind raced with questions. For what reason was she bringing this up? What kind of reaction was she expecting?

Her gaze was drilling into him, he could tell. She hadn’t turned away from her video game, but she had to be concentrating on him in her periphery. The sensation of it raised the hair on the back of his neck..

He turned the page, but wasn’t reading anymore.

“Did he? I’ve never heard anything about that,” Saguru said mildly. His heart rate was elevated. He focused on breathing normally.

“Yeah!” Aoko said, and she said it with a giggle. A feint. “He told me that and I thought it was so strange. Sure, he’s obnoxious, but he’s not stupid Kaitou KID.”

It was best to leave space in the conversation. He didn’t say anything, waiting for Aoko to continue.

“Anyway, Dad got a look at him at one heist, and he was sure he looked like Kaito. So to prove him wrong, I asked Kaito on a date!”

“A date?”

“Yep! I mean, thinking back that was pretty silly, but it got him to come. But isn’t that so weird? That he’d even think for a second that Kaito was KID?”

She sounded so cheery. The version of herself she put on in class when she was getting along with everybody. Masking away her acute intelligence and calculations. He used to think she wore her feelings on her sleeve - and to an extent she did. But these days he knew that there was plenty she kept under wraps. She and Kuroba were truly quite the pair.

“It does seem like a strange conclusion for the inspector to come to.” He tried to keep his voice neutral as he could. “How did the date go?”

Aoko stuck her tongue out, and for the moment turned her eyes back toward the screen, organizing her character’s inventory. “Oh, you know. Bakaito. He was his normal annoying self, but he showed up on time. We met up at Tropical Land and had a lot of fun! We saw a 3D movie and everything.” She paused, then added, “Actually, I even handcuffed us together. Which was probably overkill, honestly.”

Great minds think alike.

“And the heist?” Saguru asked.

“Oh, the heist still happened. And Kaito was with me the whole time.”

“Well, I imagine that remedied the inspector’s suspicions?”

“Yeah. Dad never said anything about it again.”

The conversation lulled into silence, but the tension in the room was palpable.

“It’s just weird. That’s the only time Dad has ever had a suspect. Honestly, I don’t get why he’d even entertain the idea.”

Saguru hmmed, hoping it sounded like agreement.

“I mean, Kaito is way too young to be KID. Everyone knows Kaitou KID has to be in at least his forties.”

“That does seem to be the most prominent theory,” Saguru said neutrally. It wasn’t the most satisfactory response, he knew. But he could toe this line, if he focused on the commonly-held beliefs and not his own hypotheses and opinions.

“I wonder who Kaitou KID actually is. Whoever it is, I really can’t stand him. I’d like to give him a piece of my mind for all the trouble he’s causing everybody.”

“That’s fair of you.” Saguru wouldn’t condemn KID himself. But he’s already made clear to her that he doesn’t share the same hostility. “What with KID’s talent, I wouldn’t be surprised if the public never comes to know his identity.” After a moment, he amended, “Not to imply the task force is lacking in talent or capability. Your father has prevented many thefts from coming to fruition.” Never mind the fact KID so far still hadn’t truly stolen anything regardless. “But no matter how successful plans are on this side, KID has still proven successful as an escape artist, if nothing else. We’ll just have to see if ever he’s caught, or we get a hint.”

“It would be nice, though,” Aoko said, and Saguru had a hard time reading her tone. “To know who it is.”

What was she trying to accomplish here? It felt like she was fishing. Like she wanted a specific response from him. She might want him to agree that it was a ridiculous idea, confirm that the suspicions were completely unfounded. But he couldn’t imagine lying to her outright. But on the other hand…

“Have you ever suspected anyone of being KID, Saguru-kun?”

Ah.

“Well,” he said.

He couldn’t bring himself to lie to her, but he certainly couldn’t tell the truth. Saguru wouldn’t betray Kuroba like that; Kuroba may not trust him, but Saguru wasn’t going to confirm Kuroba’s own impressions.

And it wouldn’t just be betraying Kuroba. It would be a betrayal of one of Aoko’s closest friends.

No winning. Catch-22.

He forced himself to turn the question over in his mind, as slowly as he could allow without seeming as if he took too long. It wasn’t like he’d obtained any real proof. Other than observable evidence that Kaito wasn’t KID. And the DNA proof he’d destroyed. Of course, Saguru knew, but technically he’d proved the opposite.

“You’ll laugh, but I actually suspected Kuroba once myself.”

Aoko paused her game. “You did?”

And now the tension amplified exponentially. Did she know? He’d suspected before that she might. With how perceptive she was, how could she not have at least considered it?

Even then, that didn’t mean he could confirm it. Kuroba was the only person who could do that.

Steady. “Yes, well. I did test the theory, and my suspicions were proven false.” Based on the happenings, anyway.

“How did you test it?”

Saguru crooked a slight smile now. Casual. Easy. Amused. “Much like you, I handcuffed myself to him just before the heist began.”

She still didn’t say anything.

“So, in both of our cases, the heist still went on. So that would appear to clear Kuroba’s name on two different accounts,” he said lightly.

“Yeah, I guess it does.”

She’d slipped a little, seemed more pensive than casually amused. She recovered quickly. “It’s so funny that both of you thought it was Kaito.”

The way she continued circling, the way she persisted… on some level, she must know.

Aoko asked, “What made you think it was him, anyway?”

At least the capacity of the labs was something he wasn’t at liberty to discuss. “Probably proximity bias,” Saguru said. It wasn’t entirely untrue. “KID has a tendency for elaborate magic tricks, and Kuroba is certainly the most talented magician I’d ever met.” And then, after a beat: “But there’s plenty of talented magicians out there.”

Aoko hmmed, and fell silent again. Saguru imagined her putting him under a microscope, considering everything he said. Everything he didn’t say.

She unpaused her game and resumed playing. “Yeah, Bakaito could never be KID,” she said.

But all Saguru could think was that there was no way she didn’t know how false that was.

[ky-yk]

out of time (kmj x f!reader)

genre: angst w/ a happy ending || word count: 1.9k author's note: i'd like to thank myself for making a playlist that's been creatively inspiring me recently and for being able to turn trauma into clout ANYWAYS hope y'all enjoy this one mwamwa

"okay, how're we feeling about this?"

you give yourself a once over in the mirror before turning to your sister for her opinion.

"i mean, it's giving date, you know?"

"really?" would she think so?

"it does. it looks great, but riddle me this: why are you trying so hard to look good?"

because i want her to see how much i've grown. how much...better i am than before. "because why not? you know me, i'm always dressing to impress."

"alright..." your sister trails off, giving you one last look that went unnoticed before going back to her phone and scrolling through her reels.

you grabbed your purse, double checking to see if everything you needed was there ("okay: wallet, id, charger, tissue...earphones alright i'm set") and made your way out the front door toward your car.

the drive was quiet with nothing but the hum of the engine and the weeknd's out of time filling the void. being the introvert you are, you enjoyed times like these. the world's too noisy, anyways; it was nice to let your thoughts run wild.

god, i can't wait to see her again. it's been, what, 3 years? since we last saw each other?

i wonder how this'll go, though. we haven't had a proper conversation in ages, coupled with the fact that i'm more of a listener than a talker, i just hope today will be fun.

but what if the conversation dies? good lord i'd rather shrivel up and die than have that happen--then again, though, we're friends: awkward silences should be comfortable. wait--are we friends? she said we could stay friends after the break up but everything i've heard from her has been secondhand; she never tells me things. she's also not obligated to tell me things anymore anyways but...the thought that i might not mean as much to her as she does to me still stings...

before you knew it, you'd arrived at the mall. shaking away all those thoughts, you got out of the car and started making your way to the mall entrance, all the while texting her.

y/n: heyy just arrived, wya?

min <3: yoo, im just at the music store. meet me here?

y/n: geurae, see ya soon!

with purpose in each step, you pocketed your phone and made your way over to the store where you both agreed to meet up. as you pulled up to the front, you caught a glimpse of the girl through the glass window with a racing heart. you've always imagined how your first meeting after so long would go, but nothing could've prepared you for the overwhelming weight on your chest seeing her in real life again -- even if it was just the back of her head.

you must've been shooting lasers at her skull because at once, she turned around and saw you. her eyes widened before a smile took over her whole face, turning her eyes into little crescents.

still as gorgeous as ever.

you returned the sentiment before you both started walking towards each other, meeting at the entrance of the music store. she opened her arms up, inviting you into a hug that ended right as it started. you tried to mask your disappointment at the fact you couldn't settle in and give her a proper bear hug when she pulled away and looked at you.

looked down at you, that is.

"my gosh, y/n, even after all this time you're still giving me neck problems!"

you looked back up at her, mouth wide in mock offense before you went in for the punch. "yah, watch it, kim minji."

"i'm kidding, im kidding! you know i missed you."

so did i.

"so, have you eaten yet?" minji asked, curiosity lacing her deep voice that still manages to have you swooning.

"nope. what about you?"

"nada. let's grab some lunch?"

"geurae."

walking in step with each other, you both started looking for possible restaurants that you both liked and also didn't dent your wallets. you settled on a cute little cafe that was pretty empty. you held the door open for her, which she then thanked you for.

"go find us a seat while i order."

"alright, i'll have a--"

"croissant and iced chocolate, right?"

"yeah..." i drink coffee now though.

even with all the free tables, you decided to take the one farthest away from the entrance. you took the couch seat so that you could put your things down beside you and stare from afar.

okay, you're doing good so far, y/n. just don't fuck this up and you'll get your girlfriend back. the small talk is small talking, it's not awkward, it's just like old times!

while you waited for minji to return to your table, you pulled your phone out and started scrolling through your instagram. you browsed through people's stories, giving them a once-over before clicking to the next one, until you reached minji's finsta account.

you found the account a long while after your break up. hesitant at first to shoot a follow request, you ended up asking for one to which she accepted a few days later.

once you made it in, you felt just a little bit closer to her again. she posted every second of every day about anything and everything: her favorite boy group, family troubles, and a potential crush.

when you first saw these stories, and every viewing afterward, you always exited the app, jumped up, and found something else to do. we're not together, so who cares if she had her eye on someone else? you'd always reason out. over the months, the ache in your heart started to weaken every time you'd see one of these stories, the promise of "if it's meant to be, it'll be" that you held so tightly onto stopped leaving callouses on your hand.

nonetheless, you still gripped on. every mention of her crush that resembled you even the slightest bit made you hold on even tighter until the next story.

out of the corner of your eye, you saw a tray being set on the table. you looked up at minji as she moved to transfer the food, hoping she could see the adoration that lingered in your eyes. you gave up, moving to help out instead when you saw that the tray's contents had just been unloaded onto your table. you pouted a little bit, taking your phone out to take a few pictures before putting it down and getting ready to dig in. as you ate, you and minji caught up on your families, friends, and new opportunities.

("wait, you're the new director of photography for your magazine? that's amazing, y/n!"

i was hoping you'd be proud of me; you were the one who pushed me to do this, is what you wanted to say.

what came out was a shy smile as you went to pick at your croissant instead, muttering a small "thanks, min.")

you talked about almost everything...except the new (old(?)) apple of her eye.

"so, has anyone caught your eye recently?"

you hesitated to ask for a plethora of reasons: she's your ex, and part of you didn't want to know the answer. then again, she was your friend too. don't friends talk about this stuff? you reasoned out.

she looked a little surprised, eyes wide and all, before she cleared her throat and started acting bashful. "i'm guessing you've seen my stories?"

"they're kinda hard to miss."

"yah!"

"i'm kidding! kinda. anyways, who is it?"

"why do you want to know?" she asked embarrassedly. because i want to know who i'm up against, i want to know if i'm better...i want to know where i fell short. "because we're friends, aren't we? i wanna know!"

"alright, alright. um...you know pham hanni?"

how could i not? she's the batch's ace: amazing singer, songwriter, all around artist, not to mention, extremely pretty.

she's everything i wish i was, is what i would've said.

"oh, i'm familiar with her, yeah," is what came out instead.

minji then stared going on about the details: why and when she started falling for the viet artist, how they got to know each other, and whether or not she stood a chance.

"i'm really confused because i feel like she's been sending me hints, but at the same time, i don't want to assume, you know?"

throughout all of this, you noticed how expressive and excited talking about the girl; how her eyes would light up just thinking about her. you thought the sight would make the rope around your heart tighten.

instead, you felt it loosen. like you were being set free.

you knew she was in good hands.

just not yours.

"well, what hints has she been dropping?"

"you know how we're both into music, right? that's how we got close?" you nodded. "every time she sends me song recommendations, they're always love songs. i mean, last time, it was would you be so kind? by dodie," you chuckled at how loud and rushed she'd gotten. "that's got to mean something, right?! tell me i'm not delusional."

months ago, you would've easily given in, telling her she was out of her mind. seeing her this happy, though? you had to be honest, especially after all those moments she filled you in on.

"well, from my expert opinion, i feel like you should go for it," you said without a single ounce of malice. you missed seeing her smile, regardless of the cause.

that, and you saw the vision.

you two kept talking about anything and everything until a certain hime cutted-girl approached your table. you looked up and saw the object of minji's affection. eyes wide, you greeted her hello. she returned the greeting with a bright smile. just like me, huh? she chose well. across from you, you saw minji beet red and covering her hair with her face.

"oh, are you guys hanging out?"

"yeah, but i was just about to leave, actually," you saw minji's eyes widen out of the corner of your eye as you stood to leave. "duty calls, you know?"

"so i've heard! congrats on that, by the way, you deserve it."

"thank you, hanni," you nodded in acknowledgement. "well, i'll leave you guys to it. the little mermaid's just come out, you guys should go watch it!"

"we just might. see you around, y/n!" you waved back at them, sending minji a look that held everything you were feeling before shooting her a wink and a smile and walking away.

the walk back to the car was quiet. as you switched on the ignition, your phone connected to the car immediately and started continuing where you left off with out of time before getting so rudely interrupted by a message notification. you picked your phone to read what it said.

min <3: i'm sorry our lunch got cut short, y/n, but i hope you had fun! i know i did hehe

you chuckled at the message.

y/n: no worries, min-ah. go get your girl! i'm happy for you.

you replied to her message before going into your contacts.

minji: thank you, y/n. know that i'll always be rooting for you. fighting!

a small smile took over your face as you put your phone down to drive off.

Say I love you, girl, but I'm out of time Say I'm there for you, but I'm out of time (no) Say that I'll care for you, but I'm out of time (hey) Said, I'm too late to make you mine, out of time (ah)

[skylermadness]

Materia Gains (Heidegger TF/MC)

(Original Date of Upload: June 23, 2024)

Original Description:

My half of a trade with Catolyst! His half can be found here: DeviantArt / FuAffinity. Truthfully I've been wanting to write a Heidegger TF for a long time. Ever since I first played Final Fantasy 7 Remake, actually! I even had a relatively lengthy concept for one that I ended up not writing. Although I did end up retooling a lot of systems from it for this story! Mainly having it involve a materia trigger since, honestly, materia is the easiest trigger concept imaginable. I've seen about three different Final Fantasy 7 TFs involving materia and one of those I wrote like two years ago. But also I find it extremely fun! Although I should perhaps take a stab at using non-green materia some day. I'm going on a tangent though. This was a really fun story to write though. I feel like I handled age progression descriptions a lot better this time around than I usually do! I'm also really proud of the mental changes and corruption for this one. It feels like I haven't done a good corruption story since the Roquefort one from last year. All-in-all, super satisfied with how this worked out! I'm also very happy with how Catolyst's art for this trade turned out as well~ Makes me realize how many times I've gotten one-eyed old men as part of trades with him. I wonder if this'll be kept up in future trades... Anyway, thanks Catolyst for this trade opportunity! It's always a pleasure to work with you, and I look forward to doing so again in the future!

   The ticking of a clock echoed ominously within the confines of the waiting room that Cato was currently in. For a good chunk of the past half hour he had found his gaze constantly flicking between the time display on his phone, and the aforementioned clock. The email said that his interview was scheduled at twelve o’clock precisely. And it was currently eleven fifty-seven.

   Three minutes…

   He hoped that the actual interview room wasn't as bad as this room. The polished wooden walls and red carpeting had given the waiting room an elegant look, but it added a certain level of ominousness that he wasn't very fond of. The massive, presumably locked double-door that was positioned to the wall opposite of him also gave this place a certain vibe he couldn't pinpoint. One that was professional, but in an off-putting kind of way. The only compliment he could give was that the seats were comfortable to sit on.

   Two minutes now…

   Cato’s stomach was still in knots from the stress he was experiencing. He admittedly still wasn't too sure what this interview had fully entailed. The company’s name on the job finder site was relatively vague with it just being titled ‘SRA Industrial Incorporation’. The listing was also for a position in the public relations sector. Nowadays that probably just meant running some kind of social media account for the company or something. Such a thing has never seemed like the most riveting of jobs, but if it paid well then he didn't really mind. But the overall vagueness of the situation didn't really give him much hope for anything.

   He checked the time again. One minute now. Damn.

   He then resumed his thoughts. This place didn't seem to be that bad at least. The tower the company was situated in seemed pretty nice, and the furnishing within it was at the very least comforting. So while Cato didn't really know the specifics of what he might be getting himself into, what's the worst that could-

   His internal spiraling is broken when the room’s massive door opens. Stepping out of it was a woman with blonde hair tied up in a French twist, and wearing a dark red satin dress. She only gave Cato a single glance before coldly stating, “The President will be seeing you now.”

   Cato just watched as the lady walked back through the doorway, taking a few seconds to fully register what was going on. He was having an interview with the company president? Do companies tend to even do that!? He then shook his head to break himself out of another spiral. He'd rather not start looking like he's staring off into space when he knows he might be in the eyesight of the people who're interviewing him.

   Standing up, Cato begins walking towards and into the room. Despite his earlier hopes, the interview room was effectively equally (if not more) stress-inducing than the waiting room he was previously in. The room was somewhat lengthy, which he reasoned was to fit the relatively long rectangular table that he could only equate to being like one of those large meeting tables in movies. He had counted about eight chairs surrounding the table, three being on each of the longer sides while there was one per short side. However despite the daunting seat count there were only two other people here besides him.

   One of those two people was the woman, who had now taken a seat in one of the chairs on the table’s long side that was furthest from the entrance. Meanwhile the other person had been sitting in a seat that was both directly opposite to the entrance and the actual furthest distance away from it. This person seemed to be an older-looking man with thinning blonde hair and a mustache, who was wearing a dark red suit. The man was also staring right at Cato as he was inspecting the room, a rather intimidating glare tangible on their face. 

   Cato had quickly taken note of the fact he was being glared at, which was more than just mildly uncomfortable for him. So he just sat down in the chair on the table’s short end that was closest to the doorway. Then, with an awkward wave and a smile directed towards the other man, he said a simple, “Hi?”

   A silence befell the room for a few seconds as the man (the president of this company, Cato presumed) broke his gaze to look at a few papers he had in front of him. “So I take it you're-” he paused to squint at the paper, “-Cato?”

   Cato nodded. “Yep,” he responded. He tried to keep his focus on the other man’s eyes to maintain eye contact but every so often his gaze would flick around the room for a second or two out of nervousness. It didn't help that his thoughts rapidly drifted during these pauses. Between the man’s suit and that lady’s dress, mixed with the sheer elegance of the rooms of the building, he had a feeling he came here a little underdressed. A flannel shirt and jeans did not make for a good business fit…

   “Hmm,” the rumble of a hum in the president’s throat really echoed through the room. “So what made you think you'd be a good fit for our Public Safety position?”

   Cato blinked a few times. Public safety? He could've sworn the listing said public relations. “Uhh, well-”

   “Especially since your credentials don't really align with the job you applied yourself for,” the suited man outright stated. Although there was a strange lack of frustration in his voice.

   “A-admittedly, I thought the listing said something else,” Cato started to explain, nervously tugging at the collar of his shirt as he spoke.

   “And that was?”

   “Public relations…”

   A stiff silence entered the room after he admitted that. The woman and the president looked at each other, seemingly having some kind of mutual conversation in the silence somehow. Then with the passing of a few seconds the president restored eye contact with Cato.

   “A very easy mistake to make,” he started. He set the papers flat onto the table again. “Not unnoticeable though. I'm sure you're probably wondering by now why we'd even consider you despite your clear lack of expertise in this field.”

   Cato raised a brow. The thought didn't really cross his mind until now thanks to the stress, but now that it was said out loud…

   “I like to consider myself a generous man,” the president continued. An odd smile was now gracing his previously unfeeling face. “Not many get a chance to reach the interview process here at SRA Industrial Inc., even less with such a clear difference in interests to what we need.”

   Cato watched as the man promptly plunged a hand into the jacket of his suit. He rummaged around in there for a few seconds before pulling out what looked to be a green, crystalline orb. “That's why I'd want to offer some… on the job training for you,” he then put the orb on the table. “Mainly because I see great potential in you, Cato.”

   Cato was already feeling a bit confused at this proposition. “Well, my field of knowledge hasn't really been in public safety, so that would probably require a lot of training…”

   “You'd be surprised at how often that happens here at SRA. Even I had no knowledge of handling a business once, but that didn't stop me from… getting taught and building this company from the ground up.”

   He then flicked his hand, the action propelling the green sphere across the table and towards Cato. The sound of stone rolling across wood reverberated through the air as it traveled before it conveniently slowed to a halt at Cato’s end of the table.

   Cato just eyed the object, feelings of curiosity and suspicion forming in the man’s mind. “Uh, what is this exactly?”

   All the president did was smile and give a single, cryptic response. “Consider it a little… gift from me.”

   He then stood up from his seat. “Now, we'll give you some time alone to consider our proposition. Although I can promise you that doing so would be very beneficial for you. So think long and hard about this…”

   He then looks at the woman, who herself was starting to leave her seat. The two nod to each other before taking their leave, exiting through a door that was located at the side of the room. Cato watched as the duo exited the room, sighing in relief once the door fully shut behind them.

   “Ugh, that was weird…” he muttered to himself as his gaze wandered towards the strange sphere the president had rolled towards him. The dim green glow mixed with various shades of spiraling green was oddly satisfying to stare at. Now if only he knew what this thing even was.

   He picked up the orb. Despite its appearance it was oddly light. Furthermore it seemed to glow brighter from his touch. “Weird gift. Come to think of it, it's really weird to give me anything even though he hasn't hired me yet…”

   Cato then sat back in his seat and began to idly futz around with the orb in his hand. He wasn't sure what to think about in regards to anything about this interview. He'd rather have gotten a rejection email instead of this. But then again they are offering him genuine training to fit whatever needs they require of him in regards to public security. Although he does wonder what kind of company this is that it requires a sector for public security of all things.

   “What did I get myself into,” Cato said with another sigh. 

   A few more seconds pass with the man continuing to casually shift the orb between hands. A part of him expects the duo of executives to walk through that door to get his answer, but nothing really happens. That is until he makes a fumble that causes the weird crystal to slip out from its cycle in his hands. It quickly dropped onto the ground with a hard thunk!

   “Shit-” Cato immediately got up from his seat to pick up the orb. Luckily it just dropped onto the ground right next to his chair, so he didn't have to go searching under the table for it.

   “Please don't be cracked, please don't be cracked,” he panickedly repeated, rolling the glassy crystal around in both of his hands to inspect for any breaks or bruises. On the plus side there hadn't seemed to be any judging by a few seconds of inspection. Those few seconds of inspection proved something else however. The orb seemed to be glowing brighter, and a green aura was coming off it and seemingly surrounding his hands.

   “Uhhh, what the…?”

   With each second longer the aura seemed to last, the more a strange sensation entered Cato’s hands. A rising pressure that overtook them both. A feeling that resulted in something very, very strange…

   The most evident manifestation of this strangeness was a building pressure in both his hands. The feeling of pressure increase seemed to cause a physical change in growth within each hand, both steadily getting larger as the gem’s aura stayed prevalent. Each passing second making both hands stretch out wider, lengthier. Even making them a bit thicker by granting them a more meaty appearance. This had also resulted in his fingers developing a bit of chunkiness to them as they too thickened, alongside seemingly lengthening to fit with the new proportions of his hands.

   The size of his hands didn't seem to be the only thing changing either. A rougher texture had started to settle within the skin. This was more noticeable in the back of each hand as this roughness set in, which was accentuated by the sparse growth of black hairs in the region. The front of his hands weren't left unchanged either as the once soft skin of his palms hardened the longer they held onto the glowing orb. They still remained skin, but it was a bit whiter and weathered with calluses. Both of these alterations combined seemed to prove a certain aging effect was setting into Cato’s body by this weird crystal.

   Or, at least, he thought it was the crystal’s doing. So in the sudden panic that was forming from watching his hands rapidly age in front of him he dropped the orb back onto the ground. Another thunk echoed off the walls of the meeting room as the green sphere hit the ground.

   Cato didn't care about the object anymore. He just looked at his hands, his older, rougher-skinned hands, and his jaw clenched in worried anticipation. He was waiting for some kind of sign the changes would be reversed now that he wasn't holding whatever that object was anymore. “Come on, I dropped that thing so you have no reason to look like this anymore!”

   The green glow of the glassy crystal continued to persist however. And even on the ground the mist-like aura of it seemed to stretch out and towards Cato, thick and translucent tendrils of green circling themselves around the man. Whatever he did earlier seemed to have activated something in it, and it had no intention of stopping.

   So all he could do was let out a frustrated, “Damn it!” as he watched the furthest ends of his shirt sleeves begin to fill out while a mixture of pressure and heat enveloped his forearms. An indicator that the changes had evidently begun to move beyond the confines of his hands. 

   The primary manifestation of these changes was a sudden growth in musculature within the region. Cato was a typically skinny guy, but that was becoming quickly contrasted as his extensor muscles thickened. This had resulted in the fabric of his shirt sleeves to steadily strain over the bulking ends of his limbs. Roughening skin rubbing up against the soft material, crevices of his newly forming muscles indenting into the patterned red of it with ease. 

   His upper arms weren't immune to this either. The skin across both limbs would continue to age upwards, accompanied by a thickening layer of arm hair that had taken on a deep black tone instead of his usual blonde coloration. Beneath it all his muscle mass would continue to burgeon, presumed years of workout being added to his form in mere seconds. Biceps and triceps both heated up and swelled in conjunction with each other. His deltoids began thickening soon after which resulted in a roundness developing within his shoulders. As both these changes grew in prevalence it further added to the heavy strain that his shirt was undergoing, alongside adding some pressure in his undershirt now that everything reached the upper half of his limbs. So many crevices and indents that represented the divides in muscle groups, all continuously etching into the fabric as his arms developed a definition that they didn't have prior. It wasn't a surprise that just a few seconds after his arms stopped bulking up, the sheer disparity between their new and old sizes would cause a few tears to form at the seams of his flannel’s sleeves.

   The sound of fabric ripping pierced the air. Cato’s attention ended up being drawn to the newly formed rippage, his eyes focusing on a tear over his bulkier bicep. Although the cyan of his undershirt’s sleeve was visible so he couldn't see if his skin had changed beneath it. Judging by the mild itching on his arms though he had a feeling it was. Come to think of it, his chest was also kind of itchy too.

   With that realization, a groan of frustration escaped Cato’s throat as his gaze left his arms and moved over to his chest. “What the heck is that orb thing even doing to me!?”

   The answer was pretty obvious considering the rapid increase in mass the man was accumulating. With his focus on his chest now he could see just how much it the transformative aura was causing it to push and swell forward. Size greatly accumulating within the region as heat continuously spiraled around his core. In just mere seconds the relatively flat and undefined nature of his chest was altered by the rapid gain in musculature. The front of his shirt pushed out bit by bit as his pectorals swelled and thickened. Soon the upper buttons of his shirt strained against their eyelets, the two forming slabs of raw meat just increasing the pressure his burgeoning size was putting on his attire. 

   But then after a few more seconds something else started to accumulate on Cato’s chest. Some more size was added to the now larger region. However this size wasn't from another gain in muscle. Instead it seemed to be from fat. A layer of fat blanketed his pecs, the once raw and hard beefiness getting a bit softer as a result. Although it still seemed to retain a significant level of definition as both pectorals would take on an appearance more aptly describable as soft slabs of meat now. Though the addition to their size from the fat had resulted in the pressure in his flannel’s placket coming to some semblance of an apex as the top-most button broke, followed by the one beneath it.

   Concurrent with the changes in their chest were those in the torso’s lower half. His belly churned and bubbled, the muscles in that area altering and developing to grant the region definition. What little fat there was around his stomach was pushed away for a moment as abdominal muscles slotted out sequentially. Top-most, middle, then bottom-most, pushing out like shelves on an off-balanced drawer. Combined they would give Cato a solid six-pack that pressed up against his undershirt, indenting into the cyan fabric of it with ease, while simultaneously pulling against the buttons of their shirt like their pecs had been doing.

   The strain in their shirt buttons yet again increased exponentially as the changes in their abdomen continued. Adipose would yet again rush across his newly manifested muscles, raw definition seemingly smoothing out as fat continuously formed within the region. It didn't even stop at the natural amount that Cato had prior as more and more fat continued to get added to his stomach region. Larger it swelled, pushing up against his shirt buttons more as the thickening belly steadily pushed up his undershirt. Then one by one each button broke their associated, if not straight up snapping off his shirt, as the pressure from his fattening belly finally pushed them beyond their limits. 

   “Mmf, thought this was just gonna be… gettin’ buff,” Cato commented as he held his stomach. His jaw remained clenched as he eyed the musclegut he seemed to possess now. His undershirt had rode up it a bit, seemingly now bordering where it could cross above his navel. It also seemed his fatter body was getting perfectly outlined by the cyan t-shirt as his chest and stomach pressed up against the fabric of it. His gaze had also been privy to what seemed to be a bush of thick, black hairs trailing up the midline of his gut. 

   The hair would run beneath his shirt of course. A treasure trail of hair rushing upwards to touch the forest of fuzz that overtook his chest. A thick, bearish body would be an accurate description of the form he had been rapidly adopting. Especially considering the sensation of strength that seemed to course throughout his newly developed musculature.

   His initial panic was steadily dying down as those sensations of strength and bodily warmth amplified. “I still don't know what the fuck this orb’s doing to me but-” a tingle catches in his throat and he stops to cough. “-it feels kind of good…”

   He blinked a few times. His voice sounded off in the other half of that statement. It sounded a bit deeper than it had usually been. A little bit more aged than it used to be. “Of course it'd start changing that too…”

   It was still hard to fully accept what was going on though. These changes were weird, this whole situation was weird. Was the weird spherical crystal supposed to do this? Did that guy even know this was going to happen? Was this supposed to convince him to work for them?

   “Who am I even becoming…?” he asked himself verbally. It feels like this was just aging him up more than anything, but that seemed mildly implausible considering the black hairs that rapidly covered his body. Perhaps this is what that president guy meant when he said on the job training? 

   “Urgh, that bastard has a lot to answer for once he gets back!” Cato said to himself in frustration. Although after the statement was spoken aloud he realized how uncharacteristically aggressive that sounded of him. Placing a hand at the side of his head he tells himself, “That was… weird…”

   The crystal's aura only grew stronger, and Cato couldn't deny the mild buzz entering his brain as the green glow intensified. A strange fog in the back of it ever so slowly billows forward and around. And with it comes this strange sensation of brutishness that was steadily implanting itself into Cato’s personality.

   “…might be right though. Fucking changing me like this against my will.”

   Cato’s gaze wandered away from his gut and onto the ground. His eyes focused on the glowing green sphere, gaze lingering. There was a sensation of resentment towards it that was welling up within him, one that coincided with a conflicting feeling of empowerment. He should hate this, but he also loves the way his body is turning out.

   The conflicts in desire and personality clashed in his mind, although Cato’s face didn't seem to show it much save for a tightening in his jaw and a low, almost growl-like groan coming out of his throat. He tried to ignore it for the time being though, and instead just idly nudged the green orb with a foot. “This is a lot of trouble you're giving me here. This better be worth it…”

   He would be lying if he said there wasn't a small fragment of something in the back of his mind telling him it will.

   Of course, as he knocked his foot into the object he was given a proper view of what seemed to be some bulging within his shoes. The brown leather of the toecap seeming to have garnered a level of bumpiness that it did not have prior. Guess his changes hadn't stopped during all this introspection.

   And assumption would be a correct one as all while Cato was thinking about the ramifications of the transformation, things had moved beneath his waist and started to properly layer onto the lower half of his body. The newfound broadness of his body that came from both the muscle and the fat resulted in the diameter of his waist increasing a bit and putting some stress onto the waistband of his jeans. This pressure had manifested most prominently at the button holding the fly of his pants shut. Although due to his wider waist and the weight of his gut it didn't take long for that button to break as well.

   Meanwhile the increase in muscle mass has finally become apparent in his legs. Both thighs were rapidly thickening, hamstrings and quadriceps burgeoning to the point that the new thickness had already begun breaking the seams of his legwear. This allowed a few hairs to poke out from the tears, proving that the sprouting of follicles had been rushing down his legs as well. It seemed as though the changes in his legs were not unlike those that happened to his arms earlier. 

   The lower half of his legs were quick to follow. Once the transformation jumped past his knees, the hairiness seemed to increase quite drastically while his calf muscles bulged outwards. Bulkier and rounder, everything indenting into the denim while simultaneously splitting it apart. All the while the concurrent sensations of burning heat and raw strength continuously spiraled and practically coiled around his legs like it had to the rest of his body. It was strange, it was mildly overwhelming, and it was… stimulating, in a way.

   Last had been his feet. More black hairs continued to sprout across the top of them as yet again a substantial amount of weathering seemed to overlay his skin. The size of both feet increased as the width and length stretched larger, and the overall thickness of them was in the process of increasing as well. All of this combined caused his footwear to rapidly become ill-fitting. Sides of each foot digging into the insides of his boots, heels pressing into the back, bridge straining against the tongue and strings that held it shut. Then there had been his toes, steadily getting chunkier as well while squeezing up against the topcap of what he was wearing.

   “And here I thought I looked unprofessional before…” Cato muttered at the sight of his ready-to-burst shoes, alongside his generally ripped up clothing. He had also made a mental note about his voice changing still. Deepening still while developing a layer of huskiness to it that it didn't have before. It almost sounded like it had been aging alongside him.

   Then again, he needs all that age and experience…

   Cato blinked in confusion at the thought.  He was also still clutching the side of his head. “Urgh, head’s feelin’ foggy still-”

   His attention had been drawn away from the lower half of his body. This resulted in his focus not being there once his now larger feet broke apart his shoes. The toecap peeled away from the soles as his now lengthier appendages pushed forward and were freed from their confines.

   Although by now things were finally starting to creep up his neck as well. The region thickened a bit to better fit his new proportions. Internally things had shifted a bit more, vocal cords settling into their alterations with the intention of making the deep and aged huskiness of his voice permanent.

   “Grrugh, this isn't… right…?” Cato expressed to himself. The statement felt wrong though. Denying this felt wrong. How could this intense feeling of… of power feel wrong. That thought only made Cato groan some more as he now held both sides of his head with his hands.

   Meanwhile his head had also been in the process of transforming. One of the most prominent portions of this transformation had been in his facial hair. The beard and mustache he had usually sported deepened from their usual blonde to a dark black. Hairs grew down the sides of his mouth in order to join the two portions of facial hair together. Meanwhile the surface area of his face that was bearded seemed to grow with the thick growth of hairs running across his jawline. This would cause the density to become quite substantial as well with his beard continuing to attain a level of bushiness that would fit his more bearish body. Furthermore, it seemed the initial spikiness that had carried over from his old facial hair would get smoothed over as his new beard combed itself into a neater, more well-kept style.

   Concurrent with his facial hair alterations were the shifts in his facial structure. As hairs sprouted across and overtook his jawline it pressured and restructured into a broader and rounder shaping. This came with the rest of his skull broadening as well. The attributes of his face would end up heavily altering as this occurred. A straightness entering into his nasal bridge while a roundness encompassed the ala and apex of it. His ears pulled back a bit so as to not stick out the sides of his head too much. And while the structuring of his eyes didn't alter too heavily, his eyebrows took on a shade of black while the ends neatened to a point and the overall shape of them became more of a high arch instead of straight. However the most drastic of these changes had been what happened to his skin. 

   Heavy amounts of weathering embedded within it, practically darkening it a little bit as it did so. Years of age settled into the once young man’s face with him rapidly leaving his 20s for his 30s, then 40s. More and more age settling in with deep laugh lines etching around his mouth and various wrinkles forming to continue doing away with what smoothness his face once had. 40s would move onto 50s, eye bags would form beneath his eyes while a scar slashed into his right eye. By this point it would also seem like the new texture of his skin was more leathery than anything else. Although the aging would stop here with Cato having taken on the appearance of a man in his really late-50s.

   Of course this would also mean the rest of his hair had to change to fit. More and more brightness continued to fade from it all as a wave of black overtook each and every follicle. Furthermore there had even been faint streaks of gray running through his hair and beard as well, seemingly added during the rapid progression of age. As this occurred the stylization of his hair seemed to shift heavily. While it retained its thickness, the messy and unkempt spikiness of it was dispelled. Instead it would all comb into a much neater, straighter, swept-back style. One that accentuated a more professional appearance in the man than what he had before. 

   “Fuckin’ hell-” the now much-older man yelled in frustration. His physical transformation had slipped his mind at this point as the mental components were reaching a level of prominence that were noticeable. That level of anger that was practically uncharacteristic for Cato was enveloping him as his brain wallowed in conflict that he couldn't just casually ignore. Everything was becoming so contradictory. 

   His brain was just being overridden with thoughts and memories and desires that weren't his. And in truth he couldn't even tell what he was anymore! His mind tried in futility to hold onto the portions of identity that were the self that came in here, but the longer that damned orb continued to keep its misty tendrils on him the more things continued to slip. The menacing, brutal anger and frustration overtook his former, calmer personality. Niceties were melted down into a distinct lack of care and understanding for anyone but himself. In general it would seem like he was experiencing a corruption of greed and an attainment of a lust for power in mere seconds. It was overwhelming.

   So all the man could do was groan again before saying, “Get out of my head!” It's questionable which part of himself was urging the other to leave though. There was too much of an imbalance in his mentality, one that was rapidly being corrected by the magic of the green crystal. And considering that rising temperament and arrogance it was already clear which of the two dueling personalities was winning…

   The effect of the transformation still hadn't come to an end physically however. His clothes were still ill-fitting for someone of his position and that was something that had to be corrected. Splotches of black rapidly enveloped the cyan of his undershirt as the material seemed to thicken just a bit. As this occurred a split seemed to form in the middle of it as fastened buttons materialized up and down the middle of the clothing article. All the while the sleeves seemed to lengthen to cover the entirety of both arms. There had also been the shirt’s neck that grew as well, rising upwards around his own neck before folding downwards to create a shirt collar. The t-shirt had seemingly morphed into a dress shirt. A change in formality that was accentuated by the manifestation of a red tie that snaked beneath the collar. 

   Similar shifts had occurred in his jeans and boots. The blue denim shifted drastically as black washed into it as well, the hard material restructuring into a material more fitting for formalwear. Rips and tears would easily fix themselves as well while their size increased to fit the man’s wider stance and thicker legs. So much so that the muscularity would no longer be prominent through the material. Meanwhile the rough texture of his boots smoothed over, brown shifting into black as a sleek leather look overtook them. Yet again would the strange effect of the crystal also end up fixing and refitting his footwear while also causing the strings to sink into the material to be replaced by new ones on the growing top line. 

   All of these changes in clothing paled in comparison to the part of his attire that ended up undergoing the most drastic transformation though… his flannel. Red patterning rapidly faded as a dark green completely enveloped it all. Rips and tears and improper sizing were all fixed in mere moments as the once soft material thickened and practically roughened a bit. The shirt’s split moved closer to the middle of his body, seemingly ready to refasten itself, meanwhile the hem of his shirt steadily inched downwards bit by bit. The cuffs of both sleeves lengthened a bit as yellow accents circled the end of them, alongside the formation of three golden cufflinks on each sleeve. The collar of his flannel seemed to lengthen by just enough that it could graze his face, meanwhile the shirt’s split folded a bit to gain a lapel. The rightward segment of the split also seemed to gain a thick yellow accent that had a series of black buttons lining it in two columns. These allowed it to fasten itself over the leftward segment. Although both segments seemed to gain belt-like additions that could also be fastened to these buttons but seemed to remain not. Although an actual belt seemed to material over the shifting attire and around his waist. It was made of black leather and buckled with a golden diamond-shaped buckle. The hem of his ‘shirt’ continued to lengthen beneath the belt, rapidly doing so until it was just short of his thighs. It would seem his flannel shirt had fully morphed into a military tunic.

   With his clothing shifted, the physical aspect of his changes came to an end. And considering the fact the blue coloration of his eyes was rapidly shifting to a brown it would seem the mental aspects had been slowing down as well. The once foreign thoughts were rapidly becoming a mainstay as what was his former self was being pushed out by this new identity. Memories and confirmations of who he is now overlayed, if not almost fully replacing, what existed of his old life.

   His grunts and groans slowed as his frustrated holding of the sides of his head ended. Both hands slipped down to his sides as he blinked. The man, Heidegger, let out a deep sigh, then let out a hearty laugh. “GYAHAHA!! That was quite the scuffle!”

   His gaze then went down to the green orb on the floor. Bending down, he picked it up and analyzed it. “Didn't know Materia could do somethin’ like that. Impressive…”

   “So I take it you won out over that man, Heidegger?”

   Heidegger stood back up and turned towards the source of the voice. Coming out of a door at the room’s back was President Shinra, with Scarlet arriving not long after.

   “Yup,” Heidegger idly bounced the ball of Transform materia in his hand. “Rather easy too, despite him putting up a bit of resistance.”

   “They always seem to,” the President responded as he took his seat again. “Of course those with weaker wills succumb to the influence of that materia one way or another. Speaking of, hand it over. I don't need you breaking our one way to reform this company.”

   Heidegger rolled his eyes before placing the orb on the table and nudging it towards the company president. “Reform the company, eh?”

   Shinra nodded. “Exactly. Since my arrival here I've made it paramount to re-establish the Shinra Power Company, alongside our respective positions in the social hierarchy.”

   “Interesting,” Heidegger smirked. His heavy footsteps could be heard as he made his way to the one unoccupied seat closest to the president, which had also been the one positioned opposite to Scarlet. Although he had purposely been ignoring her this whole time-

   “Well, you know with how loyal I am to you that I'd be very happy to help with this endeavor,” Heidegger eyed Shinra with a cruel smile. Part of him was already hoping that they'd be able to reform Shinra’s military sect. Doing so might even make procuring victims relatively easier. 

   “Now then, might I suggest something to you?”

[blizzardsuplex]

Roderick Strong Primer Part I: The Portion About Personal Connection

Part I (you are here) | Part II | Part III | Part IV

[So...I've been jokingly kicking around the idea of doing a series of meta posts on Roderick Strong for a while now. As usual with me, however, one late night conversation with @scissormedaddyass later it no longer stayed a joke.

This will be split into four parts: this one, where I talk about some of my personal experiences concerning his work (and PWG, because I can never get away from that promotion when talking about my faves ever); the second, which will dive into what I know of his history; the third, which will talk about his character arc - yes, even he has one - and finally a match guide, because by God he wrestles real good.

I'm not saying this'll be the most in-depth dive into his character and career in the world (for one I'm gonna miss a lot of early ROH and most NXT things), but until someone else makes one my little offering will have to do. If even just one person comes out of reading this understanding a little better the brainrot I occasionally have for him, then I think I did okay. Content itself under the cut!]

As I am sure absolutely no one who has talked to me about professional wrestling for longer than ten minutes knows, the promotion that made the greatest impact on me in my teen years was 2014 to 2016 Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG). Beginning with night one of the 2014 Battle of Los Angeles that took place on August 29, 2014, I saw most of the shows they put out for a decent stretch, getting off the train after All Star Weekend 12's second night on March 5, 2016. It was there I saw the full potential of my first favorite wrestler, Chuck Taylor; there where I was first exposed to both talented up and comers like Speedball Mike Bailey and veterans like Chris Hero; there where I first saw the work of my favorite wrestler ever, Zack Sabre Jr.

In other words, for nearly two years it was my favorite promotion; as people well know, though, even as late as the mid-2010s it was not very easy to watch, and living half a world away with no credit card to pay for exorbitant shipping meant that to keep up to date I had to get extra creative. Knowing that I definitely wasn't going to be able to attend a live event, I followed what was happening as closely to real time as I could though social media posts, forum threads, and the occasional YouTube clips or official preview. As soon as news of the DVD releases dropped on the company's Twitter, I would Google search through pages of trash results for a couple of minutes every day until I found someone who'd uploaded the actual full event in glorious 240p and immediately watch it—more often than not, I knew, it would make my day.

I'm not saying PWG was perfect (God no). In fact, back then I don't know if, had I been more active in wrestling discussion circles, there would have been a safe space for someone like me. Still, spending all that time and effort to keep up and watch it was a really important time for me as a fan. It opened my eyes to how fun and creative pro wrestling could be, especially with the freedom independent status provided; sure, oftentimes it would be dizzying or even dangerous to give that kind of power to the wrestlers, and they lacked the multiple levels of safety and security that proper contracts provided, but there was just so much sheer entertainment I got from spots and shenanigans that would have never be cleared or work with the constraints of sponsors, copyright, or other corporate concerns. Making to suck your opponent's dick in the middle of the ring? An invisible remote that magically makes everyone, including the chanting fans, act in slow-mo? "The legendary asshole of Jushin Thunder Liger"? All hilarious, all fondly remembered. There's a reason that for years my top wrestling dream was to attend a show in Reseda—a dream that'll never be realized, but the Globe Theatre is a beautiful venue that seems to actually have working AC, so that's nice!

But, as mentioned: after Zack won the PWG title, a result I spoiled for myself via Reddit thread with much screaming, I stopped watching. It wasn't that I was any less interested in it—I was very much excited about the prospect of my boy on top, actually! It was simply that, between the sites I used all getting nuked and not knowing how to torrent, I just couldn't find it anymore. So I fell out of watching PWG, then the American and British indies, then NXT and what little main brand WWE I still watched, and finally I didn't watch much wrestling at all for two years, from 2016 to 2018. I only came back, actually, when I found out where my old fave Zack ended up: this large promotion called New Japan…

But that's a ZSJ story, and (as is hopefully clear from the title of this post) this series isn't about him. Instead, let's set the scene:

On July 29, 2016, two events and about four months after the last PWG I'd been able to watch, Roderick Strong had his last indie date before going to WWE. Having watched it back, the entire sendoff is pretty elaborate: after champion Zack fends off his latest challenger, Kyle O'Reilly, in a grueling 20+ minute match, Roddy comes down to the ring and demands his rematch. What follows is a less than six minutes breakneck fuckfest with several run-ins and foreign object usage; but, of course, Roderick loses. Afterwards, inviting his friends then that night's locker room down to the ring, he makes his speech about how in 2014 (which was, of course, the year I started watching) he'd made a commitment to reinvent himself as a wrestler—a move that ended up contributing to him being signed to NXT after a 15+ year career. He's thankful for everything PWG had given him, though (especially his then-fiance, now-wife Marina Shafir); as he says to cap things off, he loves the crowd, doesn't hate them!

Honestly, I wish I watched just two more events than I actually did back then, because it might have made my path to becoming a fan of Roderick Strong way more flattering to me. Instead, I have to admit: after Zack tapped him out for the belt and Roddy slunk off to the back, and for a long time during and after my two year break…I forgot about him.

It's a bit of an awful thing to say and is, on top of that, admittedly hyperbole; I never dumped anything of him in my brain down the memory hole. What I mean is that he never really came to mind unless I thought about it really hard. Even during my lull period, when people asked me about pro wrestling I could talk about my favorite people and my favorite moments and my favorite matches, and Roderick was never really there in anything more than a passing mention. In my defense, at first it was because I was even more of a massive hipster back then than I am now, and since I knew he was in NXT I assumed that when (not if; those were more innocent days) he'd go up to the main roster and get lots of fans he wouldn't need me vocally being one of them. Sure, he was probably going to be misused and I wasn't really going to watch to find out because this was 2016 WWE, but he'd at least get that money and that fame on Raw or Smackdown. Why wouldn't he? He was fucking Roderick Strong, a fantastic wrestler and someone I didn't realize for years people thought was bland as hell. Surely he'd make it. Surely.

But slowly and steadily he began to fade from my thoughts, until it came to the point that even after I started watching prowres again from 2018 and into the pandemic I didn't talk about him at all—even when I began looking back nostalgically on my time watching PWG.

Then, completely by chance, the week I decided to get back into All Elite Wrestling—I watched for a while in 2019, but lapsed during the pandemic era; it was hard enough to watch one major wrestling company with no crowds, much less two—was the week Roddy Strong debuted there. Buoyed by other people's excitement and name recognition, I felt generically happy watching the clips. "Oh, yeah," I said to myself. "Roderick Strong. What's he been doing for the past few years?" 

(Yes, I completely missed his Undisputed Era period, and was shocked at the belated news that he and everyone else in that faction never officially made it to the main roster. Yes, this also means I mostly know what happened thanks to Drea fighting the good fight with all her Era boys fics. No, I don't think I'm gonna watch his NXT run any time soon, LOL.)

After therefore deciding not to really dive into his recent past, I decided to, for the umpteenth time, think about when I first became familiar with him in that era of PWG…and something funny came about. If you're familiar with the trope called "Once More With Clarity", then that's what honest to God happened: eyes wide and memories superimposed above a shot of the aforementioned eyes at around 50% opacity, I realized that so many of my favorite moments and matches had him there the entire time. Person ZSJ won the belt from? Roddy. One of ZSJ's best matches until that point? When Roddy beat him the first time Zack challenged for the title. Speedball's real coming out party with the Reseda faithful? Them answering Roddy's open challenge at Mystery Vortex. That (in)famous, ridiculously overbooked, ridiculously memorable Guerrilla Warfare match at All Star Weekend 11? The heel aggressors was Mt. Rushmore 2.0, Roddy's faction with the Young Bucks and Adam Cole. Even outside of PWG, I ended up finding out he was involved in several other promotions I followed; I saw him several times in EVOLVE for instance, and what little Ring of Honor I watched Mr. ROH himself was, of course, there as well.

I'm probably forgetting something, but here's what I'm trying to get at: the more I combed through my good memories of pro wrestling the more I realized Roddy'd not only always been there, but that he was a key player in them, not just in matches but in the angles as a whole—and, yes, even promos, his forever dump stat. At the time it was all going on, I just…never really noticed him. And that's the story of much of his career, isn't it (at least in kayfabe)? Always considered an excellent hand, but even when he held the big belt he never seemed or felt like the most important person there.

"Okay," I then said to myself those months ago. "So he's a great wrestler. He's in all these great things I like, wrestling-wise. But who is he, really? Is there enough for me or anyone else to chew on from a character perspective?"

The fact I'm dedicating a four part series to this man, along with all the GIFsets and fanfic I've made, might spoil my answer to that. But for now, brave reader who's actually read all of this (or clever reader who's skipped to the end), stay a little in suspense for a bit if you’d like while I write part two. :')

[siriuslysatorusimping]

Who's going to bring up Geto first? I'm really curious about Gojo opening up to her about this in particular.

In another note, will Gojo ever know about Nanamin kissing our girl? And if so... Is it going to be a funny anecdote or is it going to bring a lil bit of drama/jealousy?

OOF you're literally comin' out the gates SWINGING with these two HEAVY HITTERS.

OKAY. I'm here for it lol I'm putting the answers under a cut because I apparently am incapable of actual short answers 🙃

1.) Who brings up Geto first?

Short answer: Gojo

With Geto, it's going to be... complicated lol.

In Rinko's eyes, there will never, ever be anyone who can replace Geto for Gojo. She sees herself in a solid second place forever. And honestly? She's okay with that.

It's going to be multiple conversations over time. Gojo is going to bring it up because she doesn't ever want to push him to talk about something she knows is so painful for him. But because Geto was the only other person he ever trusted completely, saw as a moral compass even, that kind of wound is going to take a lot of conversations and it's going to complicate things so much for him as he tries to navigate life with her by his side.

2.) Will Gojo ever know about Nanami kissing Rinko and if so, how will it go?

Short answer: He's going to find out. And it's really not going to go well.

Nanami is a different beast when it comes to jealousy for their relationship. He will become one of her very best friends, on an equal level with how close she is with Shoko. He is like a brother to her and he sees her as a complete dumbass older sister. But that's how Rinko and Nanami see it.

When it comes to jealousy, neither Rinko or Gojo actually gets jealous most of the time.

They joke about it, Rinko riles him up by teasing him about someone being better at making her cum. But he's very confident that he's the best she's ever had.

But, remember that there's one thing Rinko has already established for herself and Gojo knows it well: She'll never date a non-sorcerer because of how complicated that would be. She'll never commit to someone she can't be honest with.

And that's the reason Nanami is, in Gojo's eyes, a potential threat. Because he's a Jujutsu Sorcerer, he knows Rinko, and Gojo also knows that Nanami is likely interested in settling down one day and could offer that to her and he'll eventually start to fear that as a real possibility.

We just saw what happens when he gets a lil jealous of her going on a date in Hollow Echoes and it's going to go even worse than that because she isn't going to take shit from him over it.

I've actually got it mapped out, SO, I'll give you a lil preview of him being upset she had dinner with Nanami long after they already realized it would never work:

“I don’t tell you every time I have dinner with Shoko, either. I don’t have to tell you anything. And I fucking knew you’d get into a pissing match with him. I’ll have you know, I went on a few actual dates with him years ago-” “Did you fuck him?” he asked, his eyes darkening now. “What if I had?” she challenged, for once not doing it to push his buttons. “You really do have some fucking nerve to try to think you have any say in who else I fuck." Glaring at his hazy eyes, she continued. "As for dinner with Nanami this time, we grab dinner occasionally because we’re friends and he enjoys my company - as he should because I’m a goddamn fucking delight - and he missed the last train so he slept on my couch. I don't even know why you'd care-” “Because you’re mine,” he hissed, his eyes clearing for just a moment as he spoke. “Because I-” “I’m no more yours than you are mine,” she snapped, poking him in the chest. “It’s one thing to say that shit while we’re having sex-”

And yeah, that's just a tiny bit of this conversation 🙃🙃 I'll let you guess when this'll be lol

Thank you for your questions!!! Hopefully my rambling makes at least a bit of sense.

Read Another Level on AO3 :)

[nebulous-rain]

Hello! My name is Moriah and I am a junior in high school. I was wondering if I might be able to get your insight on a few questions I have?

I am in my final years of high school and am starting to think about college but I have no idea what I want to pursue. I know I love art, so for a long time I have been thinking about getting an art major or going to an art school.

I’m reaching out because I ABSOLUTELY LOVE YOUR ART and I think you are a very talented artist! I have been in love with your art for so long and I am curious and wondering how you are able to fit drawing into your life?

1.) If you are going to college for art, or went to college for art, what is it like? Do you think going to school for art or having an art major is worth it?

2.) how can I fit art into my everyday life? I’m sure you have work and other things to do in your life so how do you balance it out? (I just want to know how you can draw as much as you do!)

3.) do you do art as a hobby or a career? If it is a hobby how to you balance art, work/school, and home life? If it is a career or part-time career is it an alright source of income?

Thank you so much! And sorry if these questions might seem personal. I just want to know how other artist manage to draw and create their work and still have an adult life. Thanks again, and thank you for being a huge inspiration in my life to create the art I love! Your art means so much to me!❤️❤️ ❤️

i am going to CRY this is the sweetest message ever. i'm happy you found your niche and i'm even happier that i could help inspire that!!! i'm not sure if i'm gonna be able to answer all your questions, but i'll try to squeeze in some possibilities where i fall short:

1) growing up i definitely figured i was going to end up in art school because that's what everyone told me i should go into. but as i got older in high school i was kind of panicking cuz i really didn't want to turn my hobby into a job, and i figured out that i wanted to go into education!

but that's just me- my wife is actually going to college for graphic design sometime soon because she loves what she does. if it's something you really enjoy, and that you think you can monetize while still enjoying it, then it's definitely worth it! money is important but you need to put you and your happiness first.

2) to be honest, i haven't had the time or energy to do much art lately (if you look at my post dates you can see how spread out they've been the past year)- but this entirely depends on how you manage your time and your workload. i'm horrific at time management! so that's my problem. BUT, i think sneaking in drawing time in little ways helps a lot, as i tend to sketch small panels of a potential comic or animatic on notebooks and papers while i'm listening to lectures. i've even posted ms paint doodles i've drawn during class

i always have plans for what i'd like to draw once i have the time. it's kind of motivating, but also frustrating, and it's hard to efficiently empty my brain of ideas while still keeping up with everything else. this might be something you'll have to wiggle around once you get settled into a routine each semester!

3) i really wanted art to stay as a hobby for me. the idea of drawing and creating art every day for things i wasn't inspired to do made me really nervous, because what i really wanted was to make fanart and draw my little guys all day lol

if you take anything away from this, i think the most important thing is that if you want to keep art in your life, you will. if you desire having time to make art just for yourself, you'll find time to work that into your life, one way or another- but in order to do that you absolutely need to have a positive mindset about what you're going into, and if you can't find that positivity, maybe it isn't for you

thank you for asking!!! i'm not sure if this'll be any help, but i appreciate the questions <:')

[practically-an-x-man]

💙 for Kate and Gia?

Awww this'll be so cute! Thank you!

💙 drunken kiss / tipsy

____

"Purple's your color, Kate- Kay- Katy-cat." Gia stammered, and then the sun dawned on her face like she'd just uncovered the Holy Grail, "Katy-cat! That's cute."

Her steps veered off to the left as she walked, overcorrecting for her prosthetic, and she would have stumbled straight into the street if Kate hadn't corrected her. She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing - it was a little cute, the same way a dog romping around in the snow was cute.

She wrapped an arm around Gia's shoulders, trying to help her along.

"Hey! Slow down, v'only got one leg!"

"You're the one speeding up, G." Kate protested, though she obliged and slowed her pace to what felt like a glacial crawl. It was four blocks back to her apartment, at least six back to Gia's shop. Maybe she should call Clint- he'd never let it go, but it was still a step above calling her mother. And probably safer too, on multiple accounts.

"You wanna go to my place or yours?"

"Hm. Mine. Clover."

"I've got some too, remember? In my garden boxes?" Kate replied, "Just for you, GiGi."

"You're m'azing..." Gia sighed, leaning half her weight into Kate's side. A moment later, she jolted up like she'd been hit with a static shock. "Oh! And Pizza Dog!"

"Heh. Yeah. Lucky'll be happy to see you too. We're gonna go to my place." Kate decided, scanning the streets and wondering if it was worth springing for a cab. On the one hand, she didn't exactly have the money - not when her mom cut her off and her only income came from the occasional vigilantism - and her apartment wasn't far. But on the other hand, wrangling a tipsy amputee was neither fast nor efficient, and she could see that her girlfriend was beginning to lose steam.

"Why not mine?" Gia mumbled, giving her an expression that could only be described as a pout.

"Because you're a cute girl, and you're drunk, and you live in Hell's Kitchen. And I don't really feel like getting ambushed in an alley tonight."

"Y'think I'm cute?"

"We're dating, G. 'Course I think you're cute."

"Mmm... I think you're cute too, Katy-cat." she replied, leaning in almost until she stumbled. Kate caught her by the waist and held her upright, vaguely grateful she'd gone through a longbow phase halfway through college - not that Gia was particularly heavy either way.

Gia kept leaning, reaching until she caught Kate's lips in a clumsy, lopsided kiss. She tasted of strawberries and far-too-expensive champagne, and held her like they were the only people in the world. It was easily the messiest kiss Kate Bishop had ever had.

And it was easily the best.

[acespec-ed]

Oh boy okay I never tend to discuss/question about my own labels and such so this is my first time trying to voice out my feelings about this; I really need an opinion/advices on this! I've always been convinced that I was a 100% AroAce, more specifically ApothiAroAce or Idem/Apathetic toward these sorts of things. I've tried relationships multiple times in the past but realized I simply never felt that way toward others, and whenever someone would confess to me / show any romantic/sexual advances I'd become violently repulsed. Romance more specifically has been a source of genuine disgust for me...

Up until recently, everything changed with that one specific person, and I've been pretty much having an identity crisis over it. I'm 20 and I've never once felt romantic desires or feelings towards anyone, yet I had the balls to confess, and I'm genuinely the happiest person on earth now that we're dating. Romantic activities and affectionate gestures in general comes naturally, without the slightest discomfort. I had no idea I could ever feel these sorts of things toward anyone...

HOWEVER I am now deeply troubled and confused about my labels and identity as a whole. I still feel the same exact way about anyone else but that one single person. I'm sincerely in love with them and I'm fully committed... But I'm absolutely baffled and speechless, and a little anxious since being AroAce has been a big part of my identity for the longest time. I still feel like I belong on the spectrum for sure, but I'm puzzled as to what I could potentially identify as. This is the first time I ever loved someone beyond platonic means... 😓

Do you have any suggestions? Any thoughts that could be potentially helpful? I tried to read more into microlabels and I can't tell anymore. I'm truly at loss of words and thoughts on that one.

I can relate to this. I've been through similar but with sexual attraction, and it gave me major imposter syndrome. I'm glad it sounds like you're still confident you're on the spectrum!

It's rough and intense for sure, and the honeymoon period is real. Just try not to get too distracted to the point where you're abandoning friends. If you stay together long enough, there's a decent chance these intense feelings will wear off as you become more comfortable around each other. It's normal and nothing to worry about, as long as there's no major issues or conflict going on that can't be talked out.

As for labels, you could always call yourself gray aro or just arospec. For a more specific label, you could go with uniromantic, which means you've only been romantically attracted to one person in your whole life. Though if you're not confident that this'll be the only person you'll ever be romantically attracted to, you could go with arospike. It's when you rarely experience romantic attraction, but when you do, it's strong. You didn't mention sexual attraction at all, but if you're feeling that too, unisexual and acespike are the sexual equivalents.

It's easy to get caught up in finding that perfect label, but don't worry if you can't find it. It's valid to find one that's just "close enough" and go by it. You can even keep using aromantic/aroace as an umbrella term.

Regardless of what you decide to do, I wish you good luck with your relationship! 🧡💛🤍💙

[ace-the-fox]

Me: Yeah I'll get the last two rare pair week days done the weekend after my exams. No biggie :)

My procrastination brain: Yeah... noooo

I still don't have the doodle done for the free day. Might get it done by at LEAST next week, but no promises. I'm happy to leave things here either way, I just wanted to get all the fics done at least lol.

Did I also just use this as an excuse to drop in an lwa oc that's been in my brain lately? Yes, I absolutely did. I'm not ashamed of it either.

Day 6: Dates

"Okay, before you do anything with your hairspray and your little pins, just know I've had this hair-do since I was thirteen."

Vonnie snickered, setting stuff up like a professional hairdresser. Or a mad scientist. Either one worked. "And that, Frankie, my boy, is precisely why I need to do this."

Frank pouted a little, blowing golden hair out of his face. It felt weird to have had it be down and in his face all day. Vonnie, an Appleton student a year above him and a good friend, had convinced him (REALLY convinced him) to try a different hairstyle for his first date with Andrew. Frank had relented in a panic three hours before the date and had run over to her house ASAP.

"Anyways, the more you hesitate, the later you risk running for your little date," Vonnie said, running their hand through the now loose blonde strands of hair. "Even though the two of you have practically been dating since, like, two years ago to me, but I digress. A first date is a big thing, after all. So, you'd best listen to me."

Yes. His first date. With Andrew. Frank could still barely believe it. He could barely believed that Andrew had asked him out before Frank could gather the balls to.

Andrew had approached it a bit like a business proposition. Matter-of-factly and sternly, but still a lot more awkwardly. His face went a particular fuscia that Frank hadn't thought was possible for his pale complexion. And how could the blonde ever say no (not when he'd been, at least consciously, crushing on the boy for a year by now).

So, here he was, sat in a chair in Vonnie's bathroom with the much taller person stood behind him. They'd tied their long, fluffy black hair up, though there were still curls falling in their eyes. Their father was always hounding at them to get a haircut, but everytime he made the appointment, Vonnie never showed.

Frank couldn't help but feel just a little nervous, even though he had no reason to be. He'd never been this nervous for a date, even with pretty girls that were way out of his league. To be fair, in any other circumstance Andrew would probably be equally out of his league, but in these circumstances they had been friends before this. And they had been friends for years. This was the closest Frank had known any of his dates. Why was he so jittery.

After a moment of scrolling through a pinterest board she had made for that moment (they'd had it for years, by then), Vonnie put their phone right in front of Frank's face. "You think this'll impress Andy-Pandy? It's close enough to what you usually do..."

Frank glanced at it. It basically was the same as his usual style, just a lot less solid. So more of it curled up in his face. It looked rugged. Stylish. Andrew might just be impressed.

Frank smirked up at Vonnie. "Do your worst."

And, so, Vonnie did. While the two of them sang along to cheesy 2010s pop for the next half hour. "I'm happy for you, Frankie, my man. I really, really am," Vonnie chuckled, finishing up with another choking spray of hairspray, midway through Kesha's 'TikTok.' "Now... What do you think?"

Frank looked in the mirror. A completely new yet uncannily familiar man looked back. He grinned, feeling a little bit better about his date now. He started to wonder if Vonnie's offer had been deeper than just wanting to see him with a different look to what he'd been rocking for five years now. "Love it. Thanks Von."

Vonnie hugged him from behind, in a way that made even the effortlessly friendly Frank jump a little. "Man, I am happy for you two!" she giggled. "I thought we'd all be in our thirties by the time this happened!"

Frank rolled his eyes but laughed. "Yeah..."

Vonnie finally addressed how still obviously jittery he was. "Don't you worry. I'm sure it'll be no different to you two hanging out together anyways... But do you want me to do a little stalking anyways, to wingman it just in case?"

Frank held up a hand. "Nope. I think we'll manage."

"You will," Vonnie laughed, reaching out to ruffle Frank's hair but retracting, so as not to scuff their own handiwork.

(And they did. A few hours later, Vonnie got a spam of emojis and five pictures of Andrew and Frank being cute and cuddly together from Frank. Vonnie sent back a response that she hoped was as smug as intended.

"Told you soooo 😘")

Bonus, the reference for Frank's hair because I wasn't sure how to describe it well enough 💀:

Not the most creative, but most of the results for "men's haircut ideas" are literally all the same DX

[bubbles-the-banshee]

Hello! This is your friendly inquiry to answer this ask with whatever you'd like to talk about right now! Whether that be a story you're working on, something you're excited or worried about, or just something random you happen to know.

All the love,

~ toribookworm ❤️

Hi Tori!

Thank you for sending this ask. There's so much I want to talk about: TTRPGs, precancerous skin excisions, and researching the Queer and LGBTQIA2S+ community's information seeking behaviors and needs, just to name a few. For now, I'll talk about Goddess Dead.

I just completed Ch. 14, "A Star-nosed Mole," which takes my full manuscript to 235 pages. This is, officially, the longest piece of original fiction that I've ever written, and I really wish I had more time to write.

I want to finish Book One (this'll be a trilogy, at least) by the end of the year, but classes are taking up all of my free-time. Before starting my MLIS, I averaged a chapter a month, but Ch. 14 took me almost three months to finish. However, it is my longest chapter to date at 29 pages, so I try to keep that in mind when I feel like I'm not making enough progress.

When I took my first novel-writing class in undergrad, my professor/mentor said there are two kinds of authors: architects and gardeners. Architects plan and build. Gardeners plant and watch what happens. I'm a gardener. I try to plan; I've broken up Goddess Dead into four arcs based on where the characters are—physically— within the narrative, but I find that what I plan often doesn't play out how I imagined it.

I'm constantly suprised by my characters and the story, and I love writing that way, but it makes tracking my progress difficult. Which, in turn, makes explaining my progress to others even more difficult.

I feel a little like this whenever I talk about Goddess Dead:

What I do know is that I've hit a crucial turning point within the narrative—a major character death type of turning point, and I'm nervous. My original pacing has been thrown out the window, and I'm staring down the possiblity of condesing two-ish chapters worth of action and character development into a single chapter. It'll work, but it'll be quick—far quicker than I planned. (I can't just start a war and include a love confession within a single chapter, can I?)

Everything's so up in the air; it feels a little like standing on the edge of a cliff, wondering whether the best way to get down is to build a set of stairs or just yeet myself over the edge. It's exciting. It's terrifying. It's thrilling, and I'm exhausted.

[noblechaton]

well with that big moment having happened and me taking a break to cook I think now's a good time to ramble a bit on my P3R feelings as they stand atm!

so first and most importantly, I am enjoying the game. I say this first and with importance bc the initial ~10-15 hours felt so....stilted and strange that I wasn't sure I'd vibe with it and while I didn't consider dropping the game, I def considered going at P4G first instead

but I'm glad I stuck with it bc - as I'd kinda assumed - that weirdness was largely intentional and in service of a story that's kinda only gotten better as it's gone on, a deliberate slow burn approach I simply wasn't expecting but can appreciate now. maybe it's not super perfectly paced and there's stuff I do object to or have issues with as far as narrative goes, but it's definitely gotten its hooks deep in me

far as the rest of the game goes tho I will say it's largely positive still but a bit more mixed in places - the combat system's so snappy and responsive, I've lost hours to just trawling Tartarus, Elizabeth's requests and hangouts are largely fun if a bit tedious when it comes to fusion ones, the music's solid but I feel weirdly....thin? lacking? like it feels there's only a few tracks which I know isn't true lol but it feels like I only ever hear 2-3 different songs

social links are....ehhhh. there's been some I've gotten invested in and others I haven't really touched. there's shockingly little to do after you finish stat grinding too which I find odd given the plethora of stuff you could do in P5R - some of which I only ever got to do like, once lmao. there only being like three places is also still kinda weird but not a bad thing necessarily - just makes the world feel smaller

still wish there was more you could do with SEES. the bonding moments you get in the dorm are largely cool but limited while the link episodes are a neat concept but making them optional and thus missable feels like a mistake imo. I've only done Yukari's social link proper to this point and I genuinely can't believe they locked character shit like this behind max stats and certain start dates, it's gone a long way for her character as I'm sure the rest will for the other gals

I went into this game with the mindset of not comparing it too much to P5R and I've largely stuck with that - but it's hard not to in places, too. P5R felt like it was bursting with content, good or otherwise, that wasn't all in service of one of two things, whereas P3R comes across as a bit hollow given it kinda just becomes social link > SEES moment/Tartarus exploration > social link > SEES moment/Tartarus etc. after you finish the social stat grind

and I will say on the topic that I am finding the main narrative a bit less gripping than P5R's did, which felt ever-changing yet no less engaging. here it's been kind of a one-track focus with little deviation or depth given on the matter for huge swaths of the runtime and I do find that a bit odd. it's still fine and enjoyable, I still wanna know where it goes, but I feel it kinda has a habit of spinning its wheels a bit too much too - tho I'm sure this'll be alleviated by the end of the game

so. yeah. on the whole, game good! if I had to rate it atm I'd probably go with an 8 at worst - it might be a bit slow and a bit more empty than what I'm used to, but the characters, aesthetics and gameplay kinda make up for a lot of my issues. I'm hoping the story can pick back up and stay going at some point - this thing where the plot only really moves every 30 in-games days is getting to feel like a bit of a slog tbh - but I don't see a version of this game that I don't come away loving

just how much tho is gonna depend on these next ~40? hours

[c-h-writes]

AGST Actor AU

Interviewer: Given your characters' relationship, what were your first impressions of each other?

Xie Lian: Definitely an amatuer.

Red Lilies: I accidentally walked in on him when he was getting into costume and rather than doing anything, I just stood there. With the door open.

-

Xie Lian: All ready for White Snake's shot? I am!

White Snake: I'm scared.

Lan Xiaohua: What's there to be scared off? You're just being pulled along wires at high speed towards three people. Not scary at all.

White Snake: Please shut up.

-

White Snake, filming on his phone: It's time for my glamour shot.

White Snake, turning to show behind the camera: Everyone is watching it.

Junfeng: You're already beautiful and it's a glamour shot, of course we're all watching.

White Snake: I don't normally get cast in roles like this, this'll take getting used to.

-

Interviewer: The relationships in the story are rather popular, but a lot of people have started wondering who's actually in a relationship on cast.

White Snake: Junfeng's my husband and he was cast because of that.

Junfeng: Thet casting director said they couldn't get anyone that had good chemistry with Bai and he really wanted Bai for the role, so approached me after one of the auditions when i was driving him home and asked if I'd ever considered acting.

Huichen: San Lang and Xie Lian are dating. But that started a while into filming.

Black Water: Because it was only a small part, the character's fiance is my actual wife. We didn't die the day before our wedding.

Huichen: She's lovely! She sometimes comes onto set with their daughter and we always get sweet treats.

Black Water: This only happened when I'm working. Never bakes when I'm at home.

-

San Lang, to the bts camera: So, I've noticed something. I'm about to do one of my most dangerous stunts that everyone's scared for me to do.

San Lang: But everyone's watching. It's like a car crash, can't look away.

Xie Lian: I'm scared I'll drop him and hurt him.

San Lang: I'm the youngest person on set, my body can take it.

-

San Lang: The casting director wanted to be authentic with casting, so for the trans man character, they wanted a trans man actor. However, there's a slight issue in the flashbacks in that I have had top surgery. So we're all laughing over the fact we've had to do the typically transphobic thing of making fake brests for a man to portray a woman.

-

Interviewer: There's a rumour about an adoption on set?

Red Lilies: Oh yeah! When we started filming, I was only 17, so I needed my parents or guardians on set. But I don't have any. I already knew Junfeng because he tutored me when I was in high school, so for the three months where I was underage, he and Baizhu were my legal guardians. I think they still are.

[loorain]

Sims 4 Fontenot Legacy - Sabrina's Date Aftermath and Making Peace

Sabrina returns from their date in the late afternoon, and a familiar face pops by the house.

Sabrina: Alton! Didn't expect to see you.

Alton: Well I was in the neighborhood, figured I'd stop by. You busy?

Sabrina: Not at all. Come in!

The two settle in and catch up. Sabrina tells her fwb all about their vacation, Robin's proposal, and their date with Marquise.

Alton: Sounds like things have been pretty busy around here. Good to hear you've been taking care of yourself after Beau though. Sounds like the date with Marquise went well?

Sabrina: Yeah, it was fun. Don't know if it'll amount to anything, but we had a good time. He's cool, just don't know how much I'm actually interested in having a relationship with him. Only time will tell, I guess.

Sabrina's eyes darken ever so slightly.

Sabrina: That means our arrangement is still good. If you're interested that is.

Alton: Good to know I'm not being tossed to the side. I was worried Marquise put the moves on too well.

Sabrina laughs.

Sabrina: Jealous, are we? Well, why don't you remind me why we had this arrangement in the first place?

Sabrina closes the gap between the two of them, having had enough of simply talking.

Sabrina: Maybe we should take this upstairs.

Sabrina leads Alton upstairs to their room, and the two enjoy some alone time together.

The following day, Sigrid has been hard at work processing her pregnancy. She has a string of successful therapy sessions and classes that help her feel more at ease about everything. By the end of it, Sigrid feels fully ready to make peace with the surprise pregnancy and prepare herself for motherhood. With Robin by her side, she knows it'll be great.

Sigrid finds Robin inside and excitedly tells him about her day.

Robin: Sounds like everything went well!

Sigrid: Yeah, I actually learned a lot! It was a definite eye-opener. Having a baby is no joke, but I think I can handle it.

Robin: We can, together.

Sigrid: Right. That leads me to...

Sigrid: I know I kinda freaked out about all of this. I just had this idea of my life on this timeline, and suddenly having to make adjustments scared me. But I've always wanted a family. And I want a family with you. So this... I can do it. We'll have this baby, and it'll be okay.

Robin: I meant every word I said, too.

Sigrid: Yeah, I know that.

Sigrid sighs.

Sigrid: Guess I'll have to update my wardrobe soon. These skinny jeans are already feeling too tight, I can barely breathe.

Robin chuckles.

Robin: No matter what you're wearing, you'll look beautiful.

He embraces his fiancée.

Robin: This'll be great. A new adventure for us!

Sigrid: that's for sure.