#thought i should make this since obviously no game = no new sets

[thoughtfulfiction]

The Game Plan

Author’s note: Merry Christmas Bolt fam🩵Still working on rewrites but I needed to write something new to get inspired. I am done with school so I’ll hopefully be able to get fics out more often!

Last time he was this nervous, he stood on shaky legs in front of a New York crowd accepting the William V. Campbell trophy. Public speaking wasn’t his favorite thing in the world and he hated talking about himself. But this was about a hundred times more important. And more nerve wracking.

When Justin suggested flying to your hometown to spend some time with your parents, you didn’t bat an eye. You’d been talking about making a trip back home after the season was over and were elated to discover that he was on the same page. Now that the time had come and you were looking at him as he drove the rental car to your family home, you couldn't help but think maybe he was regretting his decision. The man was constantly fidgeting in his seat, his grip on the steering wheel tight, eyes full of stress and semi concern.

"You okay?" You furrowed your eyebrows at him, urging your boyfriend to let you in on whatever was causing him such turmoil.

"What? Oh yeah no, I'm fine." He knew that sounded less than convincing. "It's just weird with the season being over. Almost like I have to learn how to relax again. This week will be good though."

Nodding in understanding, you place a hand on his leg hoping that the simple touch will ease his mind. Little did you know he was in the midst of a huge inner crisis. Justin rehearsed what he was going to say a few more times before pulling into your parent's driveway. Swallowing down his nerves, he grabbed your suitcase and his, walking toward the front door feeling like his legs weighed a ton each.

Your mom had already taken you away to the kitchen by the time he walked in, immediately lost in conversation about work and life while your dad grabbed one of the bags out of Justin's hands. The two men trudged up the stairs to drop off the bags, exchanging pleasantries and getting settled in before heading to the backyard to cook. Your dad loved Justin. He was the perfect partner for you, a perfect mix of fun/exciting and responsible/caring. He had seen you fall more and more in love with the quarterback over the years which made it easy to love him too. And getting to talk about football all day with someone who actually valued such intimate conversations about the sport helped.

All of the distracting small talk was out of the way, Justin had complimented your dad on his new grill and the improvements he'd made on the backyard and they had unpacked some of the nitty gritty details of the season and who your dad thought they should draft as perfect additions to the roster for the next season and the only thing that remained was the pit of nerves in his stomach that hadn't disappeared since boarding the plane.

"Something on your mind?" Your dad was observant, not really one to beat around the bush. He'd noticed a slight edge to Justin's voice since the two of you had arrived and was really trying to wait to give him some time. He'd obviously gotten too impatient. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Justin's had relationships before. Not many times, but he's felt security and love in other people, seeing a future with them and thought about what the rest of his life would look like. Being with you was not only the most serious relationship he'd ever been in but he found himself constantly planning for the future and setting his family up for long-term success, a family that he now couldn't envision without you. He swallowed thickly, suddenly overcome with emotion at the words that he needed to express to your father. "There is something on my mind actually," he clears his throat, trying really hard to maintain eye contact and not look down at the grill. "I wanted to come here first thing to ask you for your permission."

"My...permission?"

"Your permission, your blessing. Either one. Or both." Your boyfriend rambles on nervously, the words tumbling out of his mouth completely out of order and unlike anything he’d just spent time practicing.

Your dad still looks at him, confused. Justin sighs, "I love your daughter more than anything in the world. She’s the greatest thing in my life and I never thought I’d have the opportunity to be with someone so special. Now that I’ve gotten to be with her I don’t ever want to let her go and...it's really important for me to ask you before I propose."

In that moment it all begins to click and your dad nods. Here was one of the most calm and collected quarterbacks in the NFL stumbling over his words out of nerves because he wanted to ask for permission before getting engaged. A man who's build could arguably be compared to ancient Greek deities was a mere mortal when it came to you and it took every ounce of your dad's strength not to crack a smile. "You came all this way to ask me if you can marry my daughter. So you could do this in person?" The younger man nods. "Before I answer, can you promise me one thing?"

"Anything." Justin says without hesitation. He didn't care what he had to do, he just knew he was going to do it no matter what it took.

Your dad looks toward the house, watching you and your mom laughing while getting the sides set on the table. He looks back at Justin, eyes brimming with tears. "She is my greatest treasure. Promise me you will treat her like nothing less than that."

"I will sir, you have my word."

Justin holds out a hand and your dad pulls him in for a hug. "Welcome to the family son," patting him on the back. The quarterback swore he heard a crack in the other man’s voice but said nothing.

You watched the exchange from the kitchen, slightly confused because your dad didn't exactly give out free hugs like they were Halloween candy. "What is happening out there?"

Your mom catches her husband's eye at the end of the hug, seeing him point at his ring finger and trying to contain her excitement. "I'm sure it's nothing," she smiles, handing you another plate to set on the table, "Justin probably asked him if he wants to golf tomorrow. You know he's been trying to get more into it and bringing an NFL quarterback in front of all of his friends is definitely going to boost his confidence." The two of you stood in silence for a bit until you seemed satisfied with that answer and the two men were back inside, immediately distracting you from asking any further questions as conversation flowed as the food and wine were consumed. Justin helped your mom wash the dishes that night, deep in some secret conversation filled with sporadic giggles and all you could think about was how lucky you were to find someone that fit in so seamlessly. Little did you know they were planning a surprise that you'd never forget.

Step one? Find the perfect ring.

"Isabella, I need a favor," Justin takes a seat at the counter next to his sister-in-law. "You need to distract y/n for a couple hours so I can go through her phone."

Placing her own phone down, she looks at him like he's grown another head. "Why in the hell would I do that? Why would YOU do that?” The more she talks the more visibly upset she looks and Justin is severely regretting not being more specific.

“It’s—it’s not what you think. I just—”

She holds up a finger to keep him from explaining himself any more. “I just want you to know that I’m never thought you’d be one of those people and it’s really disappointing.”

He sighs, looking around to make sure that you aren’t walking in any time soon. “I heard you guys talking last week. About how you had a bunch of videos in your Tik Tok likes that helped you plan your wedding. Then she mentioned that she’s been saving some rings that she thinks would look good on her and I need to see those. So I can design the best ring.”

The tension in her body is instantly released and her features are filled with relief. She holds a hand over her mouth to hide a happy squeal before taking a moment to compose herself so she doesn’t give anything away when she sees you. “You’re proposing,” she whispers leaning in close so no one else can hear.

He leans in too, a wide grin on his face. “I’m proposing.”

“I’ll keep her busy,” she promises, giving him a fist bump.

A girls only DIY spa night in gave him the perfect outlet to grabbing your phone. As soon as the cucumber slices were on your eyelids and Isabella gave him the sign, your cellphone was in his hand and he got to work. He screenshotted 13 different ring designs, jotting down some notes in his own phone, looking at various ring styles and the cut that would best match the style that you were looking for. Then he jotted down some local jewelers to visit and design the ring in person, going as far as flying your best friend to Oregon for a few days under false pretenses that she had a work trip in the area and decided to stay at the ranch since it was nicer than a hotel.

Approximately four weeks after his initial meeting with the jeweler, Justin held the velvet box in his hands and admired everyone’s hard work. He’d had a hand in designing every crevice of the ring that looked much smaller in between his fingers as he examined the diamond. Fresh nerves were beginning to set in as the moment became more and more tangible and real. Once he found a secure spot to hide the ring, he moved forward with the next part of his master plan.

Step two? Come up with proposal ideas.

The beautiful thing about the offseason was that you still had to work remotely, so you’d be in your office in one corner of the house and after his morning workout he had all the free time in the world. The bad thing about that was that he had all this free time to sit and think about how he was going to set up an unforgettable proposal. Luckily, some of his receivers had come down for a Nike promo event and to throw so he had people to bounce ideas off of.

“What about this? I take her to Sofi and propose in the middle of the stadium with just the two of us. We have the video board showing monumental moments of our relationship and as she’s watching I just get down on a knee.”

Ladd takes a sip of water, making eye contact with Derius, who says nothing. Justin continues pacing, taking the collective silence as a sign to suggest something else.

“Don’t everyone jump up at once,” he lets out a nervous laugh, wracking his brain. “Maybe I could drive us to Napa Valley with dinner and some music?” That suggestion earned more interaction, some guys nodded, recalling their own proposals and having him take some pointers from their experiences. There was a time where he couldn’t log onto Instagram without seeing one of his teammates getting engaged and the only thing that made him more nervous than proposing was the media circus that would result from the news getting out. Yes, he wanted it to be special and intimate but the thought of the social media team getting their hands on it and invading your privacy was a little scary. Somehow he had to push that thought out of his mind and tackle one problem at a time.

“Private beach proposal in Hawaii?”

Simi stands up at the suggestion, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Sounds beautiful in theory, but aren’t you scared of having the ring so close to the water?”

“Yeah what if you’re so nervous that you drop the box and it’s washed away by the tide,” Ladd notes. “The less distracting things around you the better. Helps you focus on just her.”

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem, he’s obsessed,” Patrick says, walking by just to chastise his brother. Justin flips him off without uttering a word, an unwavering focus on the task at hand.

Nothing seemed right, some ideas were too flashy, too cheesy. He wanted to show you how much you meant to him, how you’d changed his perspective on life and balancing work and your relationship. That it was possible to do both because the right person brings things out of you that you didn’t even know where there. How do you encompass all of those feelings into one perfect location?

“I’m not gonna lie,” Simi says, voice full of sincerity. “You gotta let the perfect time come to you, you’ll know when the time is right. Trust me.”

Justin had no other choice at this point. He spent the next few weeks holding onto the ring, desperately looking for the right time. Spending all this time stressing and planning and plotting had really taken him away from you. There was an unspoken distance between the two of you and it had become increasingly upsetting. Even when you were in the same room it felt like he was miles away, stuck in his own head, shutting you out completely. You were starting to think that he was looking for a way out and couldn’t decide on a way to let you down easy. The thought of him tip toeing around a breakup made you nauseous.

“Why haven’t you done it yet? You can’t keep putting this off forever,” you heard Mitch say one morning after you came home earlier than expected from an in-person work meeting. Usually you wouldn’t eavesdrop, but Justin’s behavior hadn’t exactly given you a vote of confidence in the state of your relationship. You couldn’t even really remember the last time you went on a date without him looking like he was seconds away from getting sick.

Justin on the other hand had spent every dinner date thinking about whether or not this was the moment. Walking around with the ring in his pocket everywhere he went just in case, deathly afraid of you finding it on accident. That thought alone, of him walking in the house to you holding that ring box not only made him want to cry a little at the ruined surprise but also make him feel like throwing up. And he was tired of hearing everyone and their mom ask him when he was going to pull the trigger and propose.

Especially when he felt like it was happening every single day.

“I’m not putting it off! I just—this is harder than I thought. It’s not just something to check off the to-do list. I gotta do it right or I’m not doing it at all.”

He felt so bad about dumping you that he was putting it off…so he could do it the right way? What even is the right way to end a relationship? You didn’t want to stick around to find out, making your way back outside to sit in your car and think about your next move.

“Justin is planning on dumping me.” You sighed into the phone, calling your best friend.

“What? Where did you get that from?”

You spent the next 20 minutes explaining to her all the signs. His weird behavior, always on his phone but will never let you see what he’s doing or who he’s talking to. You feel like he’s hiding something but he makes sure to only give you minor details saying he’s planning a trip with the guys or talking to his agent about taking on different endorsements. It all just seems too fishy. Why is he torturing you like this by stringing you along? Should you just break up with him first?

“You have to act normal like you don’t suspect anything,” you hear at the other end of the line. Her voice is calm and reassuring which is nice because the last thing you needed to hear was that she didn’t believe you. “If he’s breaking up with you then let him explain him himself. Justin has never been someone to do things without a purpose and you know he’d never do anything knowing that it would hurt you.”

She had a point. “Fine. You’re right, I’ll hear him out and figure it out after I gather all the information. Thank you for talking me off the ledge.”

“You’re welcome.” As soon as you hung up the phone, your friend texted Justin that he should start acting a bit more casual because you were freaking out.

The next evening, he surprised you with a bonfire movie night.

“What’s all this?”

Justin pats the spot on the outdoor couch next to him, welcoming you to take a seat. “An apology? I’m sorry I’ve been off lately. There’s been a lot on my mind and I got so lost in my head that I’ve been neglecting you but that stops today. It had nothing to do with how I feel about you at all, you’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

“Care to share with the class what was bothering you for so long?”

You cuddle into his side, a sense of comfort immediately taking over the constant state of unease that previously surrounded you. Looking up at him, he places a gentle kiss on your lips, so soft it leaves you wanting more. “It doesn’t matter now, all that I care about,” he sneaks another kiss, “is being right here with you.”

“Well in that case,” you whisper, “we should make s’mores.”

Justin laughs, kissing you on the cheek and rising to his feet, helping you up before heading into the kitchen. The tray on the counter was loaded with various snack items, Reese’s cups, pretzels and strawberries along with normal s’more ingredients. As you made your way back to the bonfire and began to dig in, a thought popped into your mind while enjoying the stillness.

“We can’t do things like this in LA. You can’t beat the scenery out there and the background noise of the traffic isn’t exactly the most romantic.”

He looks up at the sky full of stars, remembering exactly why he bought land out here in the first place. “I’ve always thought about raising our future kids here. Los Angeles is where I work but this is home, they can grow up and be normal kids here. Play outside, go fishing, experience a childhood that has lasting memories. Not sitting in traffic for hours and never seeing a real tree.”

“Our kids?”

“Yeah,” he says without hesitation. “I think about Coach getting our son his first pair of khakis.”

You laugh, picturing it in your head, “and he’d probably get our daughter a custom pair of cleats to wear pregame.”

“Exactly,” he throws his head back to laugh at the image of mini versions of you and him being spoiled by his head coach. He grabs another strawberry, dipping it in the melted chocolate and feeding it to you. “How many kids do you want?”

“Let’s say it at the same time.”

He counts down from five, saying “three” at the same time you do.

Looking at each other in shock, you burst into laughter at the fact that you have identical answers despite the fact that you’d never openly spoken about it. You each knew the other wanted children but just didn’t know exactly how many. Justin felt like his heart might burst with an uncomfortable and overwhelming amount of happiness. If it wasn’t clear then, it is now.

There, in that moment, nothing seemed more perfect. He looked down at your hands, spotting the manicure you’d gotten last week before attending a wedding. Simi’s words came flooding back, you’ll know when the time is right.

And that time was right now.

“I’m gonna head inside and grab another water, do you want anything?”

“I think I’m okay. Thank you though,” you barely acknowledged the exchange, wrapped up in finding the perfect movie to watch as you scrolled through all the streaming services. Today, the most simply normal day was about to be extraordinary and his feet couldn’t carry him inside fast enough to grab the ring.

His heart was beating in his ears walking back outside. He clears his throat to get your attention and the look on his face makes you stand. “What happened?”

“I spent so long trying to create the perfect moment. But I just realized that every moment with you is perfect.”

Your voice catches in your throat and you’re forced to speak in a hushed tone. “What are you doing?”

He takes a deep breath, holding the box firmly in his hand. “I love you. You’re the one I want to build a home with, create a family with, grow old with and everything in between that this life has to offer. I’m sorry it took me so long, that I spent so much time trying to capture some picturesque scene that we’ll remember forever. You and I, right here is memorable. Being with you is all I’ve ever need, all I’ll ever need. For the rest of my life.” He opens the box and you audibly gasp, everything in your body tingling and buzzing with excitement. Everything made sense now, his nerves, the secrecy…everything. He was trying to make all of your dreams come true.

Holding your hand in one and the box in the other, he gets down on one knee. “Will you make me the happiest man in the world, will you marry me?”

“Yes,” you respond immediately, sounding out of breath while wiping a tear from your eye. “A thousand times yes, of course I’ll marry you!” Sliding the ring that fits exactly like it was tailored to your finger, he stands up and wraps his arms around you, a small tear escaping him.

Justin kisses you, a passionate deep kiss, relieved that everything had gone even better than he’d imagined, pulling you in so close that you can feel his steady heartbeat. His movements were long and slow, a slight grin against your lips as you give into belonging to each other. Lost in paradise he leaned his forehead against yours, both of your eyes still closed in awe that this actually just happened.

“Here’s to a lifetime of perfect moments and sometimes the best plan is no plan. I love you Justin, this is amazing I couldn’t ask for anything more incredible.” You pulled away, opening your eyes to look at your hand. “And this ring? You’re crazy.”

“I am crazy. Crazy about you,” he kisses you on the forehead, running his hand across your fingers. “I love you so much, fiancée.”

[cipheress-to-k-pop]

Hello, Happy Holy Ramadan. I know your request box is closed, but when your request box is opened, can you make this request? if it doesn't bother you, could you do Long Ramadan headcanons for Damian Wayne and the reader? I saw your Damian wayne x muslim reader post before. And I thought it was appropriate to ask you this. If this request bothers you, feel free to ignore it. Have a nice day 🩷🩷🩷🤚

Ramadan HCs

Muslim!Damian Wayne x Muslim!Reader

hey there sweetheart and Ramadan Mubarak <3! firstly i'm so sorry that it took me so long to respond to the ask! im ashamed it took me a year honestly. requests are closed but i still wanted to be able to write for this because we obviously need more muslim representation and also the last time i posted the muslim hc for damian there were just so many of the readers who texted me or sent asks or commented saying that they really appreciated the representation

anyways i wasn't sure if i was going to respond or not because it has been a year but since it is currently Ramadan and it's going to end very soon I figured why not

Thank you for being so respectful in your ask, I really appreciate it and I hope you like it. Hope you have a very blessed Ramadan and wishing everyone a lot of health and happiness during this time. Even to my non-muslim readers, I hope you all are doing well and you're all healthy <3333

also i know that there is a very slim chance of this happening because all of you are amazing but i will not tolerate any hate of any kind. if you

your first Ramadan after being married to Damian was certainly a new experience

before being married, you were just used to your parents handling everything for you

by the time you wake up for suhoor, the table would be set

by the time you'd be home from university, your mother would be waiting by the door with a date and a glass of water

so now that you were married and you had to handle everything on your own, it took a little bit of getting used to

luckily for you, Damian is a very hands on type of man

he's the kind of person who'd just drink a cup of water or a glass of milk, maybe a couple of dates or a fruit and he'd be ok for the remainder of the day

but god forbid you even think of doing the same thing

he'd just about have a heart attack

absolutely not

initially, he'd request Alfred to make meals for you so he could bring them home for the both of you to have suhoor together

just until the both of you got the hang of it

after that damian would either help you cook before patrol so there would be food ready for the both of you

or he'd swing by some restaurant that was open and grab some takeout for the both of you

he'd heat up the food and set the table and making sure everything was absolutely ready before finally waking you up

practically carrying your sleepyass to the table and handfeeding you so he can make sure you're eating properly

since he handles suhoor, you handle iftar and keep the table set so you can eat together

you could always just stay at the manor so you wouldn't have to worry about the meals, like bruce or dick have suggested so many times

but you prefer living alone with your husband

no offense to them at all

but it's just easier for you to maintain your modesty at your own home

anyways

your marriage gets really tested during Ramadan

the two of you are barely getting any sleep and it's difficult for you both to get used to

the only time that you both spend together and are completely present is when he should be patrolling

the lack of sleep makes you both kind of cranky

and it's difficult to not snap at each other

eventually you both get pretty tired and exhausted and just slip into routine

but of course it's nothing some sleep and some time spent together can't solve

and since you've been trying to reduce watching movies and listening to music during the holy month, you end up playing board games together or going for long drives together where you just talk and talk and talk

you thought you were extremely secure in your marriage

that was until you saw damian pout and give you the silent treatment after losing a game of gin rummy

then claiming you shouldn't be playing a game called 'jinn' in the first place

not swearing or talking shit during ramadan was especially hard for him

especially with tim and steph yelling 'fi ramadan?' at him everytime he makes even the slightest snide comment

you find it hilarious but i digress

whenever you go to the masjid for nightly prayers, damian and you will go and find a new ice cream place to try out late at night

you mention in passing how the women's side of the mosque is so bland compared to the men's and damian immediately looks into getting the mosque refurbished so that you and other women can enjoy it

damian's shoes get stolen once and the great detective actually couldn't find out who it was

you hear him complain about it constantly

CONSTANTLY

this time is when you both really lean into the adorable muslim couple aesthetic

matching prayer mats with each of your names embroidered on it

matching tasbih

and other things you get the picture

you both go all out for ramadan and decorate your home from top to bottom

since you both don't really celebrate many of the western holidays, he really wants to make this a memorable time for the both of you

and so do you

you hold an iftar party at your place many times with all your friends and family

it started out with you just inviting everyone but eventually it became a weekly potluck, which you really appreciated

bro damian is more excited about Eid than you are

he literally has to keep reminding you to get your dress ready for Eid al fitr

because he wants to get a jubbah in a matching color and surprise you

you know how you have those cute texts of girlies asking their bfs for their opinions on their nails?

the exact same thing

except with HENNA

you send him like 100 different pictures a week, planning which design you want to wear for Eid

he responds to all of them with utmost seriousness

obviously, he's an artist

he knows whats the difference between arabic and indian designs for henna

but secretly he's wondering why you're sending him so many when you only have 2 hands

but um hello he's never going to tell you that

because it's ramadan and obv ramadan related stuff is going to be appearing on everyones fyp he has to deal with both you and dick sending him videos of the scholars being funny (iykyk)

hey guys let's start ramadan w a bang

also has to deal with jason asking him CONSTANTLY how he's still able to walk around when all the demons are supposed to be locked up for the month

plus he has to now deal with you watching mukbangs and restaurant reviews and crying to him about how you're starving

why on earth did silent asmr mukbangs of wingstop get so popular only during ramadan?

believe me every single prayer damian makes during this month, he is thanking god for bringing you to him and praying for your health and your happiness

when you found out, you cried in his arms for a good solid 5 minutes

he also secretly kind of prayed for kids on laylat ul qadr but you didn't hear it from me

not only is this month really special for the both of you, you take it as an opportunity to give back

damian has wayne enterprises run soup kitchens for the entire month and they serve all people meals as well as suhoor and iftar

you both volunteer there personally

you donate money of course and damian will tell you that everytime he does it, he feels fulfilled in a way he never has before

you honestly feel so proud of the man you feel blessed to call your husband

also, like the perfect husband he is, he sends gifts and food to your parents

who quickly begin to regard him as better than your own siblings

much to his secret pleasure

uk i wish i could keep going

honestly ramadan is such a magical and rewarding time of the year

and you are so happy to spend it along with damian

P.S.

while damian completely understood the point of sacrificing a goat for Eid al adha

he still cried about it to you the night before out of guilt

you definitely donated the meat that came out of that

Forever Taglist:

@simonsbluee

@notslaybabes

@superheroesaremyjam113263

@writers-whirlwind

DC Taglist:

@emmacata

@p--e--a--c--h--e--s

@sometimeseverythingsucks

@sokkas-honour

@unstable1902

@lostgirlheart

@missdisapear

@tadpole-san

@isawachickeninatree

@uxavity

@battlenix

@capricorn-stark

@evermoore580

@dumbbitchgalore

@fuckingjinkies

@some-lovely-day

[munsonsmixtapes]

One Single Thread of Gold Tied Me to You

Evan "Buck" Buckley x fem!reader

summary: After many failed attempts to set you up with someone, Hen and Karen finally decide to set you up with Buck since you both seem to have so much in common. But when you both decline, you keep seeing him around town which leads you begin to wonder if maybe it's fate that you're meant to be together.

cw: wee bit of hurt/comfort

You sit at the restaurant, waiting for your friends to meet you as you peruse the menu, deciding what you’re going to order. You hear your name being called and turn to see Hen and Karen making their way towards you with bright smiles on their faces. You stand up from your chair and pull them into hugs before they sit across from you, picking up their own menus that are on the table in front of them. 

The three of you have been doing these lunch dates for almost a year now and it‘s something that all of you always look forward to. You work with Karen at the lab and after befriending you, she decided to introduce you to her wife and the rest was history. You‘ve become an honorary part of their family and have never taken that for granted, always thanking them for taking you under their wing. 

“So what’s new with you?” Karen asks, her gaze moving up to you from her menu. You don’t have to ask to know what she‘s getting at. You’ve been chronically single since you’ve known her and she and Hen have been trying to set you up with several people that they know as soon as they found out that you weren’t attached. 

“Nothing,” you sigh, setting your menu down on the table. “You know that. So let’s just get this over with.”

“This one’s good, we swear,” Hen assures you and you just roll your eyes. 

“You said that last time and he picked his nose right in front of me before he ate what came out.” The two of them grimace at your words and you can’t help but do the same as the memory plays in your head. 

“Well, this one’s different,” Karen says as she rests her hand on top of yours. How many times is she going to say that before it’s true? 

“And we apologize for you having to see that,” Hen pipes up. 

“Alright,” you sigh. “Lay it on me.” Maybe you’ll give them one more chance and if they blow it once again, you’ll fire them from their job as your matchmakers. 

“We don’t know why we haven’t thought of him before, but it’s Buck.” Buck. The name sounds familiar, definitely one you’ve heard in passing, but for some reason, you can’t match a face to it. 

“Buck?” You’ve never met him and are hesitant to believe either of them considering past events. 

“Yeah, you’ve heard us talk about him before. He’s the one who always has interesting facts.” That’s right. He works with Hen and even though you’re both very close to her, somehow, your paths never seem to cross. 

“Right, so is that the only thing we have in common?” You ask, raising an eyebrow. 

“No,” Karen rolls her eyes. “He’s also not doing great in the relationship department.”

“So you think that by setting us up, we’ll just automatically hit it off? That’s not how it works.” 

“Obviously we’ve factored in much more than that, babe. We understand if you’re not interested, but we feel like this could really work.” Karen’s the one to speak this time.  You’re so over the two of them trying to set you up and are just wanting to be alone until you find someone on your own. 

“Fine,” you reply, pointing a finger at Hen, then at Karen. “But this is your last chance.”

“Well, hopefully this will be the last time we’ll need to set you up.”

“Fingers crossed this one sticks.” Considering that you’re giving them one last chance, you’re really hoping that it’s going to go well. 

“Bobby is having a party next Saturday to celebrate Buck’s birthday and we figured you could meet him there.”

“Okay,” you nod. “What should I get him?”

“Well, we got him a video game he’s really been wanting and it’s part of a series so maybe you could get him the next one?” Hen suggests, but you feel lame getting him something that one of his friends told you to. You want it to be genuine. 

“I’ll think of something,” you respond and just then, a waiter comes to take your order. 

The rest of lunch is spent talking about Buck and how the two of you are allegedly perfect for each other. That remains to be seen, but you’re still holding out hope. Hoping that he really is a good guy and that even if you don’t hit it off romantically, that maybe the two of you can be friends. 

You don’t know why you feel so good about this one, but you’re at least going to try to see what could happen. From what you’ve heard, he seems nice and you really want Hen to be right about this one. And considering that she actually knows him well unlike your other dates, you’re believing that this could be the one to stick. 

“So, what does he look like?” You ask as the three of you head to your vehicles. 

“Look up his Instagram, it’s evanbuckley, all lowercase,” Karen replies and you’re quick to pull out your phone and type in the username into the search bar in the app, tapping on the first profile in the list of results. You go through his photos and can’t help but notice how attractive he is. You’re going to have to do a deep dive later. 

He seems normal enough, but that was what you thought about all the others. You weren’t holding your breath, but at the same time, Hen and Karen seemed much more excited about this one. Maybe it was because they actually knew him and he wasn’t a friend of a friend of a friend or a distant relative of someone they knew. That actually knew him personally which seemed promising. Could Buck actually be the one?

“Yeah, no thanks,” Buck says as sits at the table at the station. He just wants to eat his breakfast in peace and here’s Hen badgering him about going out with you. 

He’s sure that you’re a nice girl and all, but he’s been burned too many times to go down that road again. Buck has also fallen victim to Hen and Karen’s set ups and he’s not doing it anymore. He can’t. He just wants his “me time” that he thinks he deserves after his most recent breakup.  

“Just look at this picture, then.” Hen slides her phone across the table and Buck picks it up, staring down at the photo of you. You’re with Hen and Karen, of course, on Hen’s left while Karen is on the right. You’re all beaming at the camera and Buck can’t help but notice how pretty you are. 

“I also have this one,” she says, swiping to the left to show a selfie of you. It’s a mirror selfie and Buck’s eyes almost bug out at the tight, black dress you’re wearing. He hates how attracted he already is to you and he hasn’t even actually met you yet. 

“Yeah, no thanks,” he shakes his head as he hands the phone back to Hen. He doesn’t want another disaster date on his record. 

But the truth is that he does want to settle down, but he’s scared to actually take the leap. He can thank his abandonment issues for that. He’s been in therapy for that among other issues and he’s still concerned about people leaving him because it’s happened time and time again. 

He wants to find someone who will stay, who he can wake up next to every day for the rest of his life, who he can cuddle up with on the couch after a long day at work. As he thinks about your photo, he wonders if you could be that for him. But he really doesn’t want to log another date in his journal that his therapist made him keep to jot down his thoughts so he can navigate his feelings. 

Buck then spends the rest of the shift thinking about you and whether he should tell Hen that he changed his mind. He’s pondering the “what ifs” about the whole thing, trying to make the best decision for himself. What if you’re the one for him? He doesn’t believe in the whole soulmate thing, but now he can’t help but think about the fact that you could be the one he will spend forever with. 

“Did you know that forty-three percent of Americans have gone on a blind date, but only one out of four are actually successful?” he asks Hen as the two of them hop into the engine, Eddie, Ravi, and Chimney following. “So that’s only a twenty-five success rate.”

“Why are you giving us blind stats, Buck?” Chimney asks as he sits across from Buck, buckling his seatbelt while everyone mimics his actions before putting on the headsets.

“I think Hen and Karen are trying to set him up again,” Eddie responds, giving Buck a nudge with his shoulder. 

“But it’s different this time,” Hen tells him. 

“If I had a nickel,” Buck mutters under his breath as the engine starts up. He’s not going to go out with you, even though he kind of wants to. If he wants to go on a date, it will be with someone he meets organically, not someone his friend tried to set him up with.

Living in a major city, it wasn’t uncommon to see or hear ambulances, fire engines, and police sirens. But it was different seeing them on your street, so close that you could see them down in the cul-de-sac from your bedroom window. It seemed like the fire department was just putting out a small fire. No one was injured from what you could tell. You were mostly seeing when they were going to move since they were blocking your car, but really, you wanted to get a better look at the cute firefighters, your eyes drawn to the one who was using the hose, the name “Buckley” on the back of it. 

Was that-no way. It couldn’t be. But then you see someone who looks scarily like Hen and you decide that it has to be Buck. What are the odds that out of all of the stations in the city that it’s his that would respond to a call on your street? Hen would tell you that it’s fate, but you just think it’s a coincidence. 

There are only so many stations in the Los Angeles area so you don’t think it’s that weird for him to be there. That’s what you’re telling yourself anyway, because you can’t help but feel Hen’s words in the back of your head. 

“See? It’s totally fate, because out of all the stations that responded to the call in your cul-de-sac, it just happened to be ours.”

You think it's all just a coincidence. That is, until you see Buck again a few days later. He’s getting out of his jeep and heading into the coffee shop you were just in. You’re heading to your own jeep and you see that he doesn't have any rubber ducks on the dashboard like yours does. It’s littered with them and you even keep a bag of them in your glove box for moments just like this. 

Reaching for the glove box, you pull out the bag and go through it, looking for the perfect one to leave on his jeep after getting in the driver's seat. You smile to yourself once you come across the little firefighter and decide that it’s perfect. You pull a napkin and a pen from your middle console and scribble down a note along with your name and number before hurrying over to Buck’s jeep before he can catch you. 

You drape the napkin over the handle of the door to the driver’s seat then put the duck on top of it before hurrying back to your vehicle just as Buck comes out of the coffee shop, sipping on the beverage that he’s purchased. 

Buck goes to open the door to his jeep, but notices that there’s something in his way. With his free hand, he picks up the little duck that’s dressed as a firefighter and as confused as he is as to why it’s there, he can’t help but let out a little chuckle as he thinks about how cute the little thing is.

He sets the duck on the roof and then he picks up the napkin, noticing that there’s a phone number and another note underneath it. 

I noticed your jeep didn’t have any ducks so I thought I’d give you a little buddy to keep you company. But if you’d like some company given to you by a human, don’t hesitate to call!

Underneath the number is your name and something in parentheses. 

y/n (Hen and Karen’s friend that they’ve been trying to set you up with) 

That’s why your name looks so familiar! He should know what it is since he’s been stalking your Instagram for days. He had even gone as far as going to DM you, but he backed out at the last second because he didn’t want to weird you out. But considering now he has your number, he guesses that it actually would have been okay to contact you.

Buck gets into his jeep and pulls out his phone, typing out your phone number to save it. Once it’s in his contacts, he finds himself hovering his thumb over the “call” button but ends up backing out at the last second, setting his phone in his cup holder before deciding to head home. Maybe he’d finally get the guts to call you to finally hear your voice, but today’s not the day. 

Once Buck’s jeep is gone, you decide to head home yourself, calling up Karen as you do because now you’re nervous that you’ve made a mistake. She’s always the person you go to when you feel you need help to calm down and her words always seem to do the trick. Your heart races in your chest as the phone rings and you start to panic when she picks up. 

“There’s my girl,” she greets and you can just picture the bright smile on her face. 

“Hey,” you reply, still trying to find the words to say to explain the situation to her. You know it’s silly to call her about something so trivial, but you feel like you need to talk to someone about it. 

“So, what’s going on?” 

You hate that Karen can always read you like a book, that she always seems to know when something’s up. And she’s always there for you whether it’s a shoulder to cry on or just a piece of advice. She just wants to help you in any way that she can since she knows you don’t really have a lot of people in your life that you can rely on. 

“Nothing,” you reply too quickly, sounding rushed. “Maybe it’s something. I don’t know,” you lean your head on the steering wheel, trying to convince yourself that you haven’t done something completely weird. 

“Tell me what it is, babe. Can’t help you if you don’t.”

It’s the reason you called her, isn’t it? The reason you wanted to talk to her, for help. To make sure that you hadn’t done something stupid to turn Buck off. You just want the confirmation and are sure that Karen will give it to you. She always does. 

 You let out a long sigh and then tell her everything from seeing him and the rest of the 118 putting out the fire in your neighborhood and now giving him the firefighter rubber duck with the napkin that had your number on it. What you don’t tell her is how long you spent stalking his Instagram page last night before going to bed and even went as far as typing out a DM to him before quickly backspacing everything before you could actually send it. Yeah, best to not tell her about that one. 

“I don’t see why you’re so worked up about this,” she replies. “Just because he didn’t immediately text or call you doesn’t mean he was turned off by it. Give the man a chance to respond, y/n. It’s been, what, twenty minutes? If he doesn’t respond by the end of the week then you can start freaking out.”

“Fine,” you respond as you pull into your driveway, feeling a bit better but not much. “Fine, I will wait for him to respond.”

“Good,” she nods. “I promise he won’t think it’s weird.”

That makes you feel better, but not much. If it were possible, you’d go back in time and take it all back. You don’t know why you feel so weird about it. You’ve left countless ducks on people’s jeeps so you don’t know why this one is any different. Maybe it’s because you gave him your number and you don’t really do that anymore. 

“Alright, I believe you.”

“Good,” she repeats. “Hey, did you get that address I sent you? The one for the party?”

“I got it,” you confirm. “Saturday at two. I’ll be there.” 

She’s been reminding you about the party for days so there’s no way you can actually forget when or where it is. You actually really hope that Buck is into you. Not only for your sake (because being rejected now after all you’ve gone through just makes you want the ground to swallow you whole.) but also for Hen and Karen because of all the work they’ve clearly put in to set the two of you up. You haven’t heard anything on Buck’s end, but you really hope he’s looking forward to meeting you.

You stare at the gift you had bought for him that’s sitting in the passenger seat and can’t help but smile to yourself at how well you did.You had been stressing all week about finding the perfect gift for him and then eventually found something while scouring the internet. It’s a book with a bunch of fun facts about Los Angeles and California as a whole and you had actually spent the whole night before looking through it, wondering why you hadn’t gotten one for yourself. Maybe if you ask nicely, he’ll let you borrow it.

“I love to hear it,” she responds. “Hey, babe, I’ve gotta go. It’s dinner time and Hen just got home. But please, text me if you need anything alright? I love you.”

“I love you too,” you reply, then hang up before heading inside. 

The week goes by in a flash and as the days pass, Buck still hasn’t contacted you. You don’t know why you’re so disappointed by it. It’s not like he owes you anything. But now you’re about to show up to his birthday party feeling nothing but awkward, wondering how you can suddenly make time travel possible so you can take it all back. 

But the reason why Buck hasn’t texted you back isn’t what you think. The truth is, he got nervous. He’s been overthinking what he’s wanted to say to you for weeks, opening and closing his messaging app over and over, typing out a long winded message then backspacing it all because he doesn’t like the way it sounds. And maybe he should just be honest and tell you that he’s nervous, but now he feels like it’s too late. Like he’s absolutely blown it. 

He’s staring down at his phone even now, another message typed out to you even though he’s going to see you in person any second now. He still feels like he owes you an apology or at the very least an explanation, because he doesn’t want you to think he’s not interested. Because, fuck, is he interested. 

“Still trying to figure out what you’re going to say to your future wife? Man, you’re going to see her in like ten minutes,” Eddie claps Buck on the back, trying his best to hold in a laugh. He’s never seen Buck so into anyone before and he really hopes this one sticks because with how much he seems to like you, the rejection is going to hurt like hell.

“She’s not my future wife,” Buck rolls his eyes as he pockets his phone, turning to face his best friend. 

“You have been hung up on her for weeks. It’s always y/n this and y/n that. And you keep overthinking your text to her. You’ve never been so into someone like this before so that’s gotta mean something, right?” He asks and Buck mulls that over as the door opens, Hen and Karen entering his apartment, but he’s not even paying attention to anyone once you come in. It’s like everything around you blurs and you’re all he can see. 

You’re wearing a green dress that compliments your skin tone beautifully, and Buck thinks you might as well have wings since you look like nothing but an angel. He’s so drawn to you, watching your every move as you take in his apartment. 

His apartment is really nice and you don’t know you’re imagining what it would look like with all your stuff in it. He doesn’t like you, you have to remind yourself. He made that very clear when he didn’t contact you. You try to wipe that thought out of your head as you look around and once you make eye contact with him, you can’t help but smile, making a beeline for him. 

“Happy birthday,” you say as you hold your arms out for a hug as if you’re old friends. Buck is quick to return your hug, wrapping his arms around your waist while yours are around his shoulders. You’re squeezing each other tight and you bury your faces into each other’s necks as if you haven’t seen each other in a long time. It was to the point where everyone, including yourselves, forgot that this was the first time you were actually meeting.

You pull back to look at him and it’s as if all of your anger towards him melts when you look into his eyes. With the way he looks at you, there’s no way he doesn’t feel the same about you. He has to. 

And just when you’re about to pull away to give him his gift, he pulls you back gently, his grip on you so loose that you can leave if you want to. Buck wants to apologize. He needs to because he can’t move on with the party until he does, the guilt churning in his stomach making him feel queasy. 

“I’m sorry,” he says, and you know exactly what he’s apologizing for. He doesn’t need to say it. You can tell how sincere he is from the look on his face and it’s obvious to you how guilty he feels. He just wants you to know just how bad he feels for not responding to your very nice gesture. 

“I didn’t mean to ignore you. I just really wanted to impress you and I over thought my response. I guess I could have just told you how nervous you make me feel, but I didn’t want to sound overeager. But I really did like the duck. I know you’re supposed to put it on your dash, but I put it on my keys. 

Buck lets go of you and hurries to the hook where he keeps his keys and he turns to hold them out to you. Sure enough, there’s the little duck amongst the keys and other keychains. You’re so overwhelmed by the sweet gesture that you do the only thing you can think of to thank him for it. 

Before you can stop yourself, you’re grabbing hold of him and pressing your lips to his. He lets out a gasp at the sudden movement, but he eventually melts into you, the two of you so wrapped up in each other that you have completely forgotten that there are other people in the room. 

Buck smiles into the kiss and you mimic him, not being able to stop yourself from laughing into his mouth because of how happy you are. And when you pull away, you see that everyone is looking at the two of you with nothing but smiles on their faces. 

They have been waiting for this for quite a while and as you look around the room at all the party guests, you don’t miss Hen and Karen high fiving each other as a result of a job well done. They think this setup will work so much better than their other ones. And when you look back at Buck who’s staring at you like you’ve hung the moon, you’re beginning to think that maybe it will.

[pinacoladamatata]

I am once again thinking about Solas and how his potential arc this game could go regarding the Veil being up or down and I'm gnawing at the bars of my enclosure [spoilers obviously] I don't like being intelligent/thoughtful on here I prefer to be stupid but here we go

In [yet another] article that came out, idk? today? Mark Darrah says the story "allows us to, hopefully, give a good conclusion to all the varied attitudes toward Solas that are going to be coming from people who love Solas, who agree with Solas, who hate Solas, people who want to kick Solas off of a building – I think that we give you the opportunity to bring that to a close, but then tell a greater story about The Veilguard and about the world as a whole."

and I don't know what to fucking think about this? They obviously know people's opinions are varied and I think it should be obvious that this is not a case where 'one ending fits all'

Because like, he is such a tragic character and I know there's gonna be an option to kill him, calm down, before you start in my inbox with "I WANT TO KILL HIM" like, you will be able to, that's kind of...almost a certainty. Especially for low approval Inquisitor/swore to stop him at all costs. Because if he Won't agree to stop trying to tear down the veil and causing mass destruction, (even after dealing with Elgarnan and Ghilly) then you'll have to kill him. Even trapping him forever isn't really an option because he created the fucking veil, man's crafty, he'd eventually find a way out. Like, If he will not and cannot see reason, then you, the protagonist, will have to end him.

It's the OTHER option that has me spinning because, you could, maybe, potentially, hopefully, talk him out of it. And if you did that, either as a romanced or friendly Inquisitor, or apparenty? Rook? based on this new info that Solas and Rook are going to have a lot of interaction, then he doesn't NEED to die. If he stops wanting to tear down the veil, he could potentially just disappear and do whatever he wants, like nerd out over magic.

And honestly, having him die on both paths is such a slap in the face for "your choices matter" because like clearly they do not if that happens; like what was the point of making me choose at the end of trespasser? If the only difference is 'stop Solas at all costs' leads to a boss fight where you kill him and 'redeem Solas' leads to ? him dying anyway somehow? Like I'm sorry but that is lazy and boring. His redemption should not end in death, he should have to live and deal with the consequences, because that could be so much more interesting.

[because I'll be real, I don't think they're going to let us have the option to tear down the veil/side with him AND have the option to keep the veil up. I think it will be one or the other no matter your choices; Simply because there is too much of a massive difference between world states of 'killed Solas to prevent him taking down the veil Thedas remains status quo' VS 'let Solas take down the veil, Thedas is now fundamentally different in an almost inconceivable way'. Like the setting for any future games depend on this; you would have to create 2 very different games. There has to be some uniformness to the world state, like; the veil remains, but it's thinned or whatever and the people of Thedas are living life more or less as usual if they ever want to make DA5. Would be wild of them do go the route of no matter what you do the veil comes down anyway. Which would be annoying if you swore to stop Solas at all costs and he just... succeeds anyway, even if he dies? Of course, there is Sandals prophecy, which I think is about the events of DA4. And devs have said in the past they had 'something' planned since Origins. "One day the magic will come back - all of it. Everyone will be just like they were" - The veil coming down and everyone gaining magic? Not just elves but humans, dwarves and qunari too? "The shadows will part and the skies will open wide" - Talking about the veil coming down?? Do shadows represent the abyss? "When he rises, everyone will see" - I'm actually convinced this is about Elgar'nan, or, something even worse; like the 'thing' that Mythal locked away, that the "evanuris in their greed could unleash" that "would destroy us all". So I think the end of DA:TV will be either the veil stays in place no matter what, or the veil comes down no matter what, which is, idk, interesting? Because again, they can't have both- that just gets too messy for the setting for the next game. They could have the veil come down no matter what, but, you would need to have a "better option" as Varric and Solas put it. Which, let's say for narrative purposes, this option exists and we tell it to Solas and he goes "Okay let's do that instead" and it results in a world state where the veil is 'down' but not in a catastrophic mega-calamity way. Even then though, some players are just not going to pick that and also if the veil comes down; what the fuck are we guarding it for???? I think it might come down temporarily. Maybe we have to make a new one? a better one? we have our fade tamagotchi fen'harel who happens to be the only fucker who knows how to make a veil too. Could this 'better veil' alleviate some of the problems Solas had with the old one? If there was like a set door way that allowed people and spirits to pass safely? One that didn't cause so much discord between spirits/people? Is our Veilguard a Fade TSA? I can dream. But who knows. Either way, I think we're only getting one endgame worldstate regarding the veil.

So; OK, back to Solas and how the fuck that could end. Harking back to that Varric/Solas conversation about the old man living alone. Solas is clearly speaking as though he is the old man, and he can't fathom just living a quiet life when there are literal world ending gods waiting for a weak moment to bust free. He Will not, Cannot stand by and do nothing while he knows his prison is failing. He HAS to at least deal with the 2 evanuris before tearing down the veil bc he doesn't want them to cause harm. He didn't want that before (hence locking them away) and he doesn't want it now, even for modern day Thedas (hence him helping Rook). He's got such a fucking heart under all that armor. He cares about people, he demonstrates it again and again. But my god what if, he finally *sees* that the veil may not have been a mistake, it doesn't need to be torn down, (maybe it has to be remade, better?or just altered?) and then us the protag, no longer has to kill him to stop him from tearing it down?

Like, I am very partial to the "what if love changes everything" trope especially for such a tragic character. Bc he's got death flags left and right; "I walk the dinanshiral" "there is only death on this journey" "this does not end in my downfall" his "dying alone" fear tombstone, and he's lonely he's miserable he's afraid. I'm so worried they'll kill him off anyway bc 'he was always doomed' trope and it would be easier to write, but motherfuck it would just, be SO so satisfying if, instead, there was a path where he wasn't doomed; whether it's bc of Rook or the Inquisitor or a combo of both. I feel like what if, either platonic or romantic; if there was just at least one path where love changes everything.

ofc this is massive amounts of copium and I don't expect bioware to give me anything so cool as "the veil starts to come down anyway and you, Rook, have to rebuild it with Solas' and the Inquisitor's help and at the end you can either kill him or convince him that this world is worth living in"

but hey, i can dream ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[theoddest1]

Okay so, ima type in what I typed to my friend here.

"Yeah Ima be so dead ass. ||Mel and Ekko carried the final for me, ESPECIALLY Ekko."

Yeah, they should have just kept [Viktor] being Ryze. That made more sense to me than whatever this is. And I am all for mlm rep, but yeah, this felt WAY too, Jayvikky. I liked it better that they were brothers to parallel Vander and Silco, who also found each other and became bros, but it seemed like they went with how popular JayVik was and stuck with it. And Jayce being strung with Viktor for wherever they went felt...kinda nonsensical. I'd rather that Viktor was thwarted and too far gone to then just suddenly have a change of heart and go with Jayce. I imagined that he would have a contingency where he, incase his body was destroyed, would then later rise again to try and enact "Glorious Evolution". It would go well with the themes of his beliefs anyway because every time he dies, he comes back stronger in a new body. I feel like that would better set the ongoing conflict and fit well with the game and why he looks the way he does currently.

I also don't like how quick he and Mel's reunion was considering how much he favored her along with his odd and sudden dislike for her decisions-- Seriously, where did that even come from!?"

[Thought it over further. Him calling her out on her actions isn't the issue. It's the timing and how this transpires that confuses me. He just came from a post-apocalyptic world where Mel, Viktor, and everything else came to mind. The lack of time for them to truly talk made the scene felt out of nowhere and not at all fleshed out. He goes on to place part of the blame on her when literally it wasn't. She DID manipulate but only politically. Everything else was on he and Viktor. Then, when he DOES confront Viktor, the vibes are different. Viktor hurt and caused a chain of events that led to several lives being taken to ensure survival and his "Glorious Evolution", why is this essentially overlooked? Maybe when I review this again, it will make more sense, but as of now, the way Jayce treats both Mel and Viktor is VERY questionable.]

"I would have been pretty happy if He at least gave her a hug, a kiss, something to make their relationship seem consistent with what we were shown. I know that he's been gone for a while and a lot more cold, but this was a very odd direction to go with. I am super happy about Cait and Mel fighting side by side and that Mel may be the main character for a new Noxus related show! [Which I knew they'd set up!] but this series, after seeing it in its entirety, DID suffer too much from the pacing issues. I assumed at the First Act that it was quick paced to go with how they've all been shifted into places they didn't see coming, but the pacing issues continued to bring down the quality. 3 seasons would have made way more sense and would go well with the 3 ACT formula they had used. I hope they learn from this and refrain from making similar mistakes.

[I responded to my friend who posted these images above] I knew they'd make a callback to this line eventually, and I am genuinely surprised people are not catching this obvious set up to Jinx living. Also, I am betting that Heimer did "die" but only that alternate version of himself. [Though obviously I could be wrong, though a life of various lifetimes where he helps each version of the main cast sounds very Heimerdinger of him, especially since he didn't wanna leave.]

The biggest letdown for me has to be Jayce and Viktor's story. It just...doesn't make sense with what we have been shown. Also, if Viktor KNOWS bad shit would happen when bringing Hextech to life and all, why TF would he give it to Jayce then???? Or if he STILL wanted magic to be tampered with shy doesn't he comvince himself in a way HE KNOWS would prevent what happens next, surely NOT EVERY timeline has it where you continue on the path of destruction! You see what I mean!?!? Leave the time crap to Ekko, man. This new inclusion makes no sense! And he does this in VARIOUS timeliness for some reason. Man, I wish it was just a random ass mage or Ryze, this added stuff kinda kills the finale for me🫠

I feel that making Viktor time travel ruins a huge aspect of the story, ngl, especially when Jayce argues that people can "craft their own path." The story also shouldn't have ended with what I could only assume both of them "dying" or traversing time instead. Also, the way Sky was treated and essentially replaced with Jayce feels....very very weeeeird."

[I believe that the ending just didn't land that well. I feel, now thinking over every character, Ekko, Mel, and Jinx carried this season HEAVY. These 3 were the most interesting parts of the season, honorable mention being Singed cause he be doing what he MUST. Also, what was the point of introducing Loris if all he was gonna end up being was a random guy who reminded Vi of Vander? I guess nothing is wrong with this, but when you're already stringing for time, these inclusions make no sense... I liked him, though, RIP Loris🤧. Oh, and Caut barely facing consequences is KINDA CRAZY but it goes with the themes of forgiveness/ acceptance. The Cycle would never end, after all, but yeah Vi and Cait made up WAY too fast and just shows that this needed another season. Let me know your thoughts!]

[damagedintellect]

Kunikida x Reader [Truth or Dare]

💌 Truth or Dare with the ADA: Kunikida's book of kissing techniques 💌  

Summary: A slow day in the office leads to a game of Truth or Dare. You thought it would be harmless fun but Dazai's seen the way you look at Kunikida and he just wanted to help.

Notes: My brain went "wouldn't it be funny if" so I had to write it

💌 Word count: 1,405 💌

It was an incredibly slow day in the office when Ranpo announced that he was bored. Nothing new. Although from across the room you could hear Dazai suggest playing a game since most people were lazing around anyway, well except for Kunikida. You didn’t mind playing a game but you didn’t exactly want to get in trouble. That’s when Atsushi chimed in “What about truth or dare? That’s fairly low effort! And then those who don’t really want to play can pick truth.”

Everyone else agreed since most people were participating only to amuse Ranpo, who huffed that choosing truth was lame and a cop out. It didn’t stop Kenji from choosing it though, causing the detective to groan. You had been quietly working away getting ahead for tomorrow as the game progressed. If no one wanted to choose you then you would happily sit and watch. Kunikida set another stack of papers down on his desk, catching everyone’s attention for a moment. He’s probably annoyed that most people were goofing off instead of doing their work. You wondered if he would play if someone chose him? 

“Dazai, truth or dare?” Atsushi grinned. He just thought of a good use of the game.

Dazai brought his hand under his chin proudly exclaiming. “Dare, obviously! Do your worst!”

Clapping his hands, Atsushi revealed the greatest strategy for the game “Perfect, I dare you to buy me chazuke!”

Chaos was unleashed as everyone was cackling. So many wasted turns of stupid dares like making Ranpo speak in the third person or having Junichiro turn all his clothes inside out. This one was actually brilliant. Dazai didn’t know what to say, he definitely wasn’t expecting that but he should have figured it would be something like that. 

Dazai smirked. “Fine. (Y/N), Truth or dare?”

You perked up from your seat not expecting to be called on. “Truth.” 

You heard Ranpo shout “Lame!” as Dazai thought for a moment.

“Oh I know who do you have a crush on?” He stared back proud of himself for putting you on the spot like that. You quickly glanced at Kunikida in your peripheral vision. His back was turned to you. Clearing your throat you needed to give at least some answer so instead you say. “You know what actually I meant dare!”

Dazai’s grin widened as if he was prepared for you to back out. “I dare you to kiss Kunikida!”

“What! You can’t be serious?” That bastard painted you into a corner. 

“Or you could answer question, either way you have to pick one!” Dazai smirked knowingly. He’d already known your feelings were for Kunikida. By the way he was wiggling his eyebrows at you it felt like he was trying to express that he was helping you move your crush along.

Kunikida stopped what he was doing pushing up his glasses. “If it’s consent you're worried about I’ll allow it. He never said it had to be on the lips after all, I'd hate for you to admit something you don’t want to.” He turned to glare at the brunette “Dazai stop making everyone uncomfortable. I don’t care if you guys keep playing but-ffmpfhff”

When Kunikida wasn’t paying attention you had walked up beside his chair and kissed him on the lips. You stormed out of the office before you could see his reaction. Your cheeks were burning as you paced outside the door.

Ranpo cheered as chaos once again consumed the office. He didn’t think you’d have the guts to do it. Of course he’s known from the start about your crush but he knew better to not get involved. Now this was entertaining. Kunikida stopped mid sentence. His heart was pounding in his chest from a simple touch of the lips. It didn’t even last that long to his dismay but it made his train of thought crash all together. He's admired your drive and work ethic but that was all. He would never fantasize about his coworkers out of respect but that chaste kiss sparked something.

Dazai was laughing as he leaned over his desk “Earth to Kunikida? How did it feel to be (Y/N)’s first kiss?” He was talking out of his ass but with the frazzled look on Kunikida’s face the blonde seemed to have believed him. Kunikida stood up smacking Dazai with his book as he went after you. The blonde felt bad for taking something that usually is very important to people. He was going to make it up to you.

You wondered if you should go back in or just go home. Looking at the time it wouldn’t make much of a difference. As you took a step towards the staircase you heard Kunikida call your name “(Y/N) wait. I wanted to apologize, I really had no idea.”

Ah so he figured it out. This is where you get rejected now isn't it? You’ve never gotten to see his list of ideals but you can’t imagine with 58 of them being what he looks for in a partner, well you doubt you could possibly match every one of them. Although you do wonder how many of the 58 you do meet. You let Kunikida catch up to you before you spoke. You didn’t want to be shouting about your feelings from across the hallway. 

“It’s okay really if anything it was Dazai’s fault so,” You didn’t meet his gaze opting to look at your feet. Honestly you were surprised that he even followed you out but Kunikida would be the type to let you down easy face to face. In that case you might as well ask. “So about the kiss, did you at least like it?”

He pushed up his glasses. “Your lips were tense and a little off center. It was also too quick for me to really feel anything but for your first kiss I’d say it was adequate. You don’t want to be too firm with your approach.”

You blinked at him. At least he didn’t hate it? Although it wasn’t your first kiss, but if he was making excuses for your bizarre behavior just now then you’ll take it. “I guess I just need a little more practice.”

He cleared his throat. He doesn't know why he feels the need to divulge this information to you. Maybe it's the guilt of robbing you of a proper first kiss. “I might not be the most experienced but I’ve studied the twenty four most common types of kisses and several techniques that one should master to be considered a good kisser.” He looked shyly to the side. If Dazai read that section of his journal he would never hear the end of it. “Of course it’s been a few years since I’ve touched those pages but I could help you if you wanted. Consider it penance for taking your first kiss.”

You know “Kunikida becoming your kissing instructor” wasn’t exactly on your bingo card for this year but if it means you get to spend alone time with him, you would have played truth or dare months ago. Guess you’d have to thank Dazai for this opportunity, maybe even Ranpo. 

You tried not to look too excited. “I’ll do my best.”

He looked relieved. Kunikida took off his glasses“Great, now relax your lips.” He took a breath to settle his nerves. Whether it was guilt, shame or embarrassment he’ll never know but there was a burning desire to kiss you again to make amends.

“Wait right now?”

He put his glasses in his pocket as he cupped your face. Seeing your cute expression would only cause him to hesitate. “We’ll start tomorrow but I wanted to show you what it’s supposed to feel like.” 

His eyes peered down at your lips as he leaned in delicately placing them on your own. You could feel the warmth rush to your cheeks as you melted into his touch. It was longer than your peck from earlier but it was still just a simple touch of the lips. The thought of Kunikida initiating the kiss made you lightheaded. As he pulled away you were breathless. It was a miracle that you could even stand right now.

“Well?” Kunikida cleaned his glasses before putting them back on. 

You smiled softly hoping that he couldn’t hear your racing heart beat “Looks like I have a lot to learn.”

[0pooleart]

Sonic Redesign Masterpost

One thing I've always passively thought about the Sonic franchise is that it's great, but also always felt just a bit short of perfection in a bunch of random aspects (mostly some character designs and some stories). Around like late August of 2024 I sketched out some redesigns for some of the main Sonic characters, and I quickly realized that I kinda physically had to not only redesign like, all vaguely notable characters from across the entire franchise (not just the games) but I also really wanted to rewrite a ton of stories, so I just like, did, you know? I'm basically obsessed now so here's a giant masterpost that's more about the thoughts behind my redesigns than just the images. Don't expect this to be super organized and fun to read lol

(and I can feel the hyperfixation dying down so I really should just get this out there)

Also, if you'd rather read it in the form of a Google Doc, here's the link to that: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VvXMzQ2kr7HrqmUd0Z7Aa9xCprUZ1ojm5cD8lcAEjbQ/edit?usp=sharing

First things first, for one, Mobius and Earth are two distinct planets, and Mobians are one set species. I didn't think that was a crazy idea until I actually watched a video detailing how current Sonic treats the setting but yeah, I really want them to just be completely different planets.

Origins

Anyway, the main draw for rewriting most Sonic stories was the fact that he doesn't really have a canon origin in the main series games (yet?) so I felt the need to give him one, and a more discrete timeline. However, everything starts with Eggman (and this is a heavily truncated version):

Robotnik enters Mobius via a Ring portal (similar to how the movies portray them), but he's instead a skinny, charming young man (similar again to Jim Carrey's Eggman in the movies, a drawing of him is further down). At first he pitches his little, cutesy animal inventions to the Mobian public, and they actually like them quite a lot. He's not without an ulterior motive though, and as his inventions get more and more popular, he actually hires some Mobians to help produce them. He begins building his business over the years, using the unique powers Mobians have to boost production. He even gives some of his workers their own homes built up with his technology, but he starts using this as a way to control them, since he basically can take away their whole lives if he so chooses. As he keeps building and building, he steals more and more resources from Mobius, and he builds over the Mobian city he started in (haven't really specified what it was yet), slowly making it his own over time. The only place he knows he shouldn't touch (just to stay in the good graces of Mobians) is Green Hill, a place that's sort of sacred, but more sacred in the way art is sacred, since it's a place hand built by ancient Mobians to be a wild place for them to roam free. Time passes Robotnik has been fattened up by his personal chef/baker Vanilla, and he's settled into being in control of so much of Mobius.

It's around this time when Sonic is born into the factory (of course given the canon name Ogilvie at first). He's taken away from his parents, whoever they are, immediately, and is put to work as soon as he's able to push a button. As he grows up, he's obviously too restless to do something so sterile, so he's put to work on the hamster wheels that power the Robotnik Empire. He never even thinks there's anything special out for him in the world, but eventually he, like the other workers, is given his semi-yearly vacation to the Green Hill, where they can recover their will to live. However, Ogilvie is so completely overrun with joy that he just runs off, never to return to the factory again. Eventually, of course, he changes his name to Sonic to fit his new life of just running around Green Hill.

Robotnik catches wind of there being a deserter, and decides to set out his robots, who secretly had battle functions all this time, into Green Hill to catch him. This is essentially where the first game would begin, just Sonic running around destroying Robotnik's robots as they come at him. However, Robotnik has a second in command: A young, two-tailed fox who he found outcast on the streets, who had a surprising knack for machines, something he didn't see in many other Mobians. He was named Miles Prower, and he grew up working for the one person who didn't ostracize him for his tails or his skills. He was only around 12 when Sonic, approx 16, escaped, and he was tasked with leading some of their more sophisticated creations into battle. 

Robotnik came along too with his own weapons, but they were both completely outmatched by Sonic's unbridled confidence and cockiness. Robotnik tore out what hair he had in anger, and of course that's when Sonic taunted him with his new nickname Eggman. Since Miles was there too, and he felt like he was on a roll, he called Miles "Tails," but Miles' reaction was much more ashamed than he expected, so he felt a bit off about that one. After the fight, Miles was repairing the machine Sonic destroyed, but he found him and met him on more even terms, and tried to convince him that there's probably a much better life for him out with him. He wasn't totally convinced yet, and couldn't exactly just defect from Robotnik like Sonic did, so Sonic left him be for now.

This is the general part where I start writing too many fine details, so basically Miles slowly starts enjoying himself more and more fighting Sonic and meeting him after the fight. He even adopts the "Tails" nickname for himself on the card of a present he drops off for Sonic, which was his much more durable and iconic sneakers. He finally breaks away from Eggman completely during an aerial assault on Sonic, where he prepared some supplies in the plane he was set to pilot, so he could take it away with him. He even was able to use some scrap from the battle to build a workshop for himself to live and work while Sonic still mostly just roamed free. This is around the point where the second game would start, since Tails has joined the cast and they can both battle Eggman together. If this were to be a game, I'd want Tails to be in the cockpit of each boss in the first game, so it helps set up his inclusion in the second, but obviously this is just a random floating idea for now. This isn't meant to be a concrete game/comic/animation/whatever.

But, that sets up most of the future events, even though there are some major stories to come, so on to the designs themselves:

As for overall Mobian redesigns, I always thought their giant ass hands and feet sometimes got in the way of their expressiveness, if they didn't just look kinda doofy (especially with characters like Knuckles) so the generic "Mobian" template has a smaller head, feet, and hands, and has a generally longer torso. Basically they just have slightly more """realistic""" proportions even though they're still obviously cartoony, just more realistic on the spectrum compared to the canon designs. And, since they're all one species, that means they evolved over time to match some of the animals around them, like a macro-evolution version of how Chao take on animal traits. That also means that the animal parts of their names are more like tribe affiliations, since they aren't actually the animals they say they are. For example, Knuckles the Echidna isn't an echidna in the species sense, he'd just call himself that to show he's affiliated with the Echidna tribe, and more generally that his people took on traits of the local echidna-echidnas. Meanwhile, characters like Tails/Miles Prower have a more family-based last name and a nickname for reasons I'll get into later. Also aside from that, I wanted characters that are Reptiles and Insects (Espio and Charmy mainly) to seem more unique from the mammals, so they look more distinct. And even the mammals look more animalistic in general, with longer snouts, getting rid of that weirdly detached muzzle thing most Mobian characters seem to have. Characters that are like Cats and Rabbits don't end up changing much since they aren't known for having long snouts anyway.

Sonic

Sonic was obviously the first one I tried redesigning so his design went through a bunch of changes, but the first thing I dealt with with him was his stupid conjoined eye thing. Obviously in that classic CD animation everyone loves it works out because its super stylized and simple, and all the current Mania versions of him make it work too, but it's really hard to unsee now in his modern designs. It's obviously meant to be like a Garfield type of thing, where it's just a cartoony way of having two eyes close together, but nowadays it really feels more like a Lightning McQueen type of eye windshield. If every Mobian had that then I'd keep it and just call it a stylistic thing, but no, only Hedgehogs have them, so... At first I tried representing that by making him have some kind of goggles to protect his eyes from the wind as he runs, but I couldn't get that to work, so I just split his eyes up. In his goggles-form I gave him this black brim to the goggles to kind of mirror Shadow's random red eye splotch he has, and since I liked that enough I kept a small bit of it in the current design. I also gave him some kind of double-sock type thing going on with much more athletic-seeming stuff to go under his more fluffy socks and gloves, which didn't feel all that necessary until I removed them at some point, and that just made him feel extra naked somehow. I do like them though. And, of course, he's actually wearing rings.

Aside from that, I kinda inadvertently made him look a lot like his Movie version, with his extra frazzled quills and blue arms and such. I definitely feel like he benefits from being extra sharp, so I added a bunch of spikes to things like his chest and shoulders. Even though it's not really important to mention I might as well, but the weird thing I think about his arms is that his normal Game design does basically need tan arms, but I actually think overall there's no reason not to give him blue arms in a form like this. It just makes sense.

Tails

Tails is mostly unchanged, just making his face fur blend more smoothly into his face instead of just being solo hairs glued on. His chest fur is more like a ball of fluff focused more around his actual chest, instead of just being a flat pattern on his stomach. I also gave him bigger ears for a bit of fennec energy, and a red scarf so his red shoes aren't the only red on his design. Aside from that, it's all just restylization, like making his tails extra fluffy.

Eggman (and Miles)

I'm still torn on what I want Eggman to truly look like. At first I wanted him to look a bit more like his SatAM-style version, with really short legs and a big fat belly, but then after seeing more and more fanart of him I tried to give him back his weirdly scrawny legs. No matter what though, he needed to have a giant coat with a massive collar to show his impression of himself. Also, I will always want to preserve his iconic smile, where his big toothy grin is basically glued to his mustache. That's pure Eggman.

And of course there's pre-Sonic Tails there too, with his fur very organized and clean, and with a much more grim demeanor. I also thought his tails would also be a lot less fluffy, and he kind of wraps them together like how a person wrings their hands together when they feel shy or awkward, showing how he hasn't fully embraced his mutation yet.

This is a quick little sketch I did of younger, thinner, and less bald Eggman when he first enters Mobius. 

After them, there are some characters that'd just be appearing around this point in the story, so here they are:

Amy… the Cat?

So for the longest time, I legitimately believed Amy was a cat, so I decided to make her a cat. It's that simple. She never really looked like a hedgehog, anyway. Plus, I do want to keep the main group as being Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy, so it'd be nice if they were all different "species." Aside from that, I just made her former quills look like much more fluffy and soft hair, and gave her long sleeves just because this drawing convinced me it was a good idea. However, I did do a quick sketch to see how she would look if I kept her a Hedgehog, and in that one I took away the long sleeves since I thought that would be annoying with her chest/shoulder quills.

As for how she meets Sonic, she's working under Eggman as a blacksmith when Eggman starts going berserk over actually losing both a devoted worker and his right-hand fox. He puts up signs everywhere asking for people to enlist into an army with the sole purpose to capture him, but Amy is instead just smitten with this rebellious hunk she's just now heard of. She joins Eggman's forces, but breaks off on her own to join him. He's super willing to let anyone join, but since Tails knew how devoted to Eggman some Mobians could be, he thinks she's a spy at first. Over time, though, she proves herself, even if she can't quite catch up to Sonic.

Cream, Cheese, and Vanilla

Cream was always perfect, but I really hated that Vanilla was basically just a taller copy of Cream, so I tried to give her her own identity. Also since they're all named after food I decided to specifically make Vanilla a baker/chef, which also meant I could turn the one tuft of hair on her head onto an ice cream-y dollop. And even though that was decided before I decided to make Eggman start off skinny, it also meant that I could make her a pretty major part of Eggman's life, being the one who makes desserts so good he just couldn't help himself. Even though Eggman definitely loves stomping on the hopes and dreams of Mobians, he's actually quite fond of Vanilla (not in that way, thank god) and tolerates Cream. As for Cheese, I had this big idea of how to redesign all Chao mechanics a while ago, and one such idea was to have Luck and Intelligence forms of Chao just like the other stats, and I decided to make Cheese a Neutral/Luck Chao just before he evolves into his main adult evolution, since he's lucky to have Cream by his side. Literally. He's only with her because Eggman was experimenting with Chao, and Cream caught him in the act, and he tried to save face by giving her Cheese as a gift, which definitely took him off her radar. 

But, also, since when do rabbits only have one kid?

They're just rough ideas for now (except for Milk and Sugar for reasons) (and I also thought of there being a baby Butter as well but I can't be assed to save a new version of the sketch). Even though it doesn't make sense for each kid to be a different age, since rabbits more so have large litters, I just think this is more fun from a design perspective. Also, Vanilla having so many kids to worry about makes it more reasonable why she's so beholden to Eggman. She definitely can't just get up and leave when she has to worry about all of them. 

As for how Cream meets Sonic, I literally have a whole animated short planned out in my head because, if you couldn't tell, she's easily one of my favorite Sonic characters, but the gist is that once Eggman "gifts" her Cheese, Cheese starts drawing crude drawings depicting how Eggman treated him and other Chao. Cream slowly catches on to Eggman's evil in her own oblivious little way, and eventually just… walks out. Much to Vanilla's dismay. As she leaves though, Vanilla basically snaps from her goodie-goodie persona and practically holds a knife to Eggman's throat, telling him if any robot ever harms Cream while she's out there, "so help me god…" He relents as much as he can. Meanwhile, Cream just keeps walking to Green Hill. Tails notices her as he's flying the Tornado, and picks her up. She's a little disappointed that everyone's basically just living in the wild or Tails' crude workshop, but they try to make due for her pampered little self.

After that comes the first big story since the Origin/random extra happenings. 

Knuckles

Honestly I feel like Knuckles has to be one of my top redesigns. I definitely needed him to look more buff and big compared to Sonic, but not quite to the level of Boom Knuckles, and I think I really nailed it. Not only that, but making his coat and "skin" color darker just works so well. And, of course, with the dread-bands/paint of his tribe. Him just looking so much more square also just fits so well.

Knuckles starts off as usual guarding the Master Emerald all alone on Angel Island, but soon Eggman visits him without any armada, reading about the Chaos Emerald's power and finally wanting to use it to stop Sonic. He does his usual schtick of convincing Knuckles that Sonic is the real threat, and since Knuckles was so isolated he didn't even know who Eggman was, and joins him to stop Sonic. 

However, Tails isn't stupid, and keeps a solid ear to what Eggman is doing, and hears about his plan to take the Chaos Emeralds, so he and the others set out on a world-sprawling journey to get the Emeralds before he does. However, they aren't the only ones looking for treasure…

Rouge

Technically I redesigned Rouge first out of everyone, but for other reasons than the franchise-wide redesign. This is basically an adaptation of that. Similar to Amy, whose design was cursed by Girl-Character-Syndrome, I also wanted to fix up Rouge by going where no anthro female character has gone before… giving her a bare crotch. Crazy. The boys can run around stark naked while the girls can't not wear full body clothing, so someone had to pick up the slack. She at least has her top covered, but that's mainly because I'm kind of a sucker for her heart-boob thing. I really can't deny it. Oh yeah and the heart motif continues into her nose, because she's a bat, of course it would. Bats literally have heart-shaped noses but they didn't bother even giving her a tiny heart-shaped nose in canon. AND she even has full body fur, because her being completely bald across her body is even more of a sin to me than forcing her to wear full body clothing. Anyway, she's got dark skin too, because obviously, and I tried making her arms her wings at some point but I also wanted her to have normal humanoid hands, and that just didn't mesh well, so she's still got back wings. Aside from all that, I gave her a long index fingernail on her glove for lockpicking purposes or whatever, it just seemed like a weirdly fitting thing for a character once called Nails.

Anyway, Sonic and co stumble upon Rouge who had the same goal as they did, but of course with a different motive, although she promises to play nice and help them find the Emeralds (until she betrays them once they have them all)

At every Emerald, each situated in a different biome, they encounter Knuckles, who uses the elemental power of each Emerald to fight Sonic, although Sonic is usually able to snatch the Emerald away from him and make away with it. After every fight, Knuckles is more and more sure that Sonic is a threat, but once Sonic and co actually have them all, and find the Master Emerald too, Eggman is the one to make the first move, and snatches them away all at once to power the giant mech he built behind the scenes just for the Emeralds. Everyone teams up to steal back the Emeralds again, and Sonic feels a strange power inside of them and the Master Emerald. He asks Knuckles what it could be, and he says the Master Emerald must have determined that he should be granted their ultimate power. Sonic seems stoked, but Knuckles is seriously worried, thinking back to the tales his people told him of what happened last time… but thankfully this time, Sonic just turns an electric yellow, beats Eggman's mech to a pulp, and turns back to normal once the deed is done. Knuckles is a bit shocked, but relieved.

With all threats neutralized, Knuckles accepts that he was wrong, and makes amends, but he stays with the Master Emerald. Rouge goes off on her own again, too.

It's at this point, while still on Mobius, some other characters probably emerge. This could happen either after or during the previous events.

Sally Acorn

Even though I don't have much personal nostalgia for Sally, she used to be such a big deal that I couldn't NOT add her to the roster. Like Amy, I also got her species wrong, since I thought she was a squirrel and they just didn't have the guts to give her a big, bushy tail, but I was remiss to hear that she was actually a chipmunk, meaning her redesign couldn't have that amazing tail… but chipmunks do have pretty iconic patterns, so I made sure to include that in her hair. Apart from that, you can see all the changes. I imagined her home town being smaller, and even though she could be the daughter of her town's mayor, she wouldn't be a princess. I never really got princess vibes from her. Oh yeah, and she's still smol, like how she was always drawn in her original era. She can make up for it with her spunk. She would also have her own Speed/Fly/Power dynamic with Ray and Mighty, who are also still smol.

Bunnie Rabbot

I basically just mish-mashed all the parts of Bunnie's various designs that I liked, but the main part of her is her new story. She basically lives in this classic Western-style town held under Eggman's boot, and she's hired as an outlaw to catch Sonic, where she was given robotic enhancements both to give her extra power but also so Eggman could more directly control her. She's also the "bawss" of Fang and Trip, other outlaws hired by Eggman. Even though she doesn't personally hate Sonic, she needs to do what Eggman says, or else she knows he'll wreak havoc on her town. No amount of speeches about friendship and being a good person could turn her.

After all those events, the next stage of the story begins, where at some point Sonic goes Super to fight Eggman, but Eggman was ready. He manages to suck the Emerald power right out of him to power his ultimate plan--- the thing he more or less planned on doing from the moment he stepped foot on Mobius. However, the damage Sonic and co did to his plans during that time caused it to go haywire, sending giant white explosions shooting across the entire planet of Mobius. Practically every Mobian was transported to Earth, Sonic X style. And not just the people, but massive chunks of the planet too had warped on to Earth, practically fusing the two planets together.

But of course that opens up too many stories so time for a rapid-fire design overview lol

Chaos & Tikal

Obviously the events of Adventure would be next, but for the most part Tikal's design is just updated to match the new Knuckles. With Chaos however, I slightly changed his story to make it so that he mutated from a Chao for when he first turned into Perfect Chaos and destroyed the Echidna clan, and obviously making it so that he used to be a Neutral Chaos Chao. I also have a whole animated short mentally planned out of that moment which I'd kill to create. After the events of Adventure though, instead of like getting dragged off to Heaven or whatever Chaos is instead gifted just a little bit of power from the Master Emerald so that he could maintain a more solid form than his 0 form so he could live alongside people (as much as a water monster can), and in this form (which I'm calling Controlled Chaos) he looks more like a Chaos Chao and of course he also has an emotion ball, which the Chao quickly recognize and accept him in with them. I also like to think he could replace the role of Gemerl from the comics, where he is the superpowered being that helps protect Cream and her family (although clearly Vanilla is a bit more hesitant)

As for the events of the Adventure story itself, it's mostly the same, except for the fact that Knuckles wasn't at the Emerald when Eggman broke it open because he was slacking off alongside Sonic, which he beats himself up about before realizing the Emerald can be repaired. Also, with their Master destroyed, the Chaos Emeralds actually turn into chaotic masses of power that greatly affect the areas around them, making them more dangerous to obtain for Sonic and co. For example, maybe Ice Cap wasn't really that icy, but the Emerald Sonic was to get from there turned whatever it was before into a frigid mess. Maybe it would also spawn some sort of boss for them to fight to protect itself.

Also, here's Big. He's mostly the same except I wanted him to look more wild and unkempt. I also made it so he actually has a giant mouth, because in all his modern forms I honestly think his really tiny mouth looks super weird. 

Oh yeah and I guess one major thing I changed about all Mobians, they actually have feet and not just weird nubs. Really expanding the boundaries of design.

I also have ideas for Gamma and Omega from here, but it mostly boils down to Gamma actually having more personal interactions with the main cast, and once his story finishes and he explodes, Eggman laments that his best creation was going to waste, so he decided to rebuild him… but with less empathy. This backfires when the new Omega is disgusted by Eggman's method of just rebuilding him, and lashes out, going off to join the cause against him.

Then, for Adventure 2…

Shadow

For the most part, I just updated him to match Sonic's design, and gave him cooler gloves/shoes, but the main change is that I want him to feel more like a crazy genetic experiment. For one, you can see that he actually has gills similar to those of the Biolizard in his base form, probably just to help him take in more air/energy so he is less likely to tire, but more importantly I want his inhibitor rings to essentially be holding in the Doom powers he gets in Shadow Generations. When he takes them off, he basically becomes a darker shapeshifting mass that can barely hold himself together, instead of just becoming an objectively more powerful version of himself like in his canon form. It also makes more sense, since Gerald probably made those rings as he was ashamed that he had to resort to giving him Black Doom's DNA, and so that he could interact with Maria without hurting her.

The other big change is to Maria herself, who I wanted to be as goth as Shadow is, with her being more of the rambunctious goth type than an emo goth. I was always kind of annoyed at how generic anime-UwU precious babey Maria always was (even though she was greatly improved in Shadow Generations and Movie 3) so I thought making her have a more fun/imperfect personality would be more interesting, and would be more impactful during the Ark raid where she turns from a full-nonsense personality to someone who's actually afraid and desperate. I don't really have a solid visual design for her right now, but I've had a couple of iterations. I kind of want her to look less assured than she does here

Team Chaotix

You have NO IDEA how much I needed to change Charmy and Espio. Charmy looked like a weird cat/bear with a bee tail and Espio looked like some completely unrecognizable animal, even though you might be able to at least assume he's a chameleon if you knew his powers. 

For Charmy, I just needed to give him big bulging black eyes, a jagged mouth, and another set of arms to really show that he's an insect. If nothing else, it at least makes it obvious that he can't be anything BUT an insect. As for Espio, I decided that I could give reptilian Mobians various scales on their body instead of the mammals' chest coloring or whatever. I also gave him a more unique head shape and that weird fin thing which is much more chameleon-iconic than what he had before, and even gave him that wrinkly eyelid thing they have, while still giving him a more humanized expression.

As for Vector, since he was the rare Mobian who had an actually unique body type and head design, he stayed mostly the same. He's the main reason why I know the character designers at Sonic Team aren't ALWAYS copy-pasting their body types. I did have to change his outfit, mostly just to get rid of his weird shoulder-ball things which never will make any sense. What even are they?

Now, for the biggun

Blaze

Oooohh my god Blaze. When I was first thinking about adding her to the roster, I liked her a decent amount but didn't think about her too much. I did know that I wasn't going to change much about her design since it was already pretty much perfect, I just added more gold to her and made her ponytail more like a flame than her canon design, which looked more like feathers of some sort to me. I then just updated her tail to match the style.

What really changed was when I completely rewrote her story. I always thought it was so weird that they made her so special and weird, being a fire-bending princess from another dimension, but they barely went into fine detail about her, like, AT ALL. It doesn't seem like there's anything special about the Sol Dimension, aside from the Sol Emeralds, and her actual role as a princess is never really touched on at all besides her living in a castle as depicted in the comics, AND worst of all she's just sort of… born with fire bending powers? That's crazy even for Sonic characters. I mean I'll accept it but still, I feel like there should be something there. And it's also crazy that all of this was introduced in Sonic Rush, which, let's be real, has the most non-story there could be in a Sonic game. Nothing interesting and unique really happens in it. At least Rush Adventure did something new, but still. She deserves better

So anyway I changed practically every detail and am mentally organizing the full story, but the gist of it is essentially that 06 is now her debut game, and everything regarding Soleanna now involves her instead of Elise and all takes place in the Sol Dimension. You'd think it would be a little on the nose to make Soleanna a location in the Sol Dimension, but they didn't even bother to make that a thing. Same goes for Solaris. It feels so obvious, like it was meant to be that way in a beta form. On top of that, though, since she replaces Elise you can probably guess that she actually derives her fire bending power from Iblis, which is actually a power passed down in her family ever since Iblis and Mephiles were sealed. And, since she's clearly in more of a position of power than Elise, she can actually be the third in the 06 main character group instead of Shadow, since he gets enough attention elsewhere. 

As the story goes on and she realizes she has a flaming hellbeast inside of her, her sheer confidence gets broken and then regained thanks to Sonic supporting her. Maybe also includes a relationship with Amy because I can't help myself. Apart from that, there are so many details and story beats I'd love to share but really that would be a whole document all on its own. I'm surprisingly close to being able to write basically a whole movie script's worth on this thing.

But yeah every single detail I added to her story has now retroactively made her one of my all-time favorite Sonic characters, tied with Cream and Chaos. I basically freak out whenever she does literally anything, I'm kind of obsessed.

Also since the role of princess suggests there's a queen (unless you live in Equestria), here's the Queen of Soleanna

Silver

Now of course, ANOTHER peak redesign. I really think Silver specifically is the biggest upgrade out of everyone. I really needed him to look more weird and futuristic, making his whole body actually silvery instead of just kind of white, and making his clothes black to make his glowy tech bits more stark. I even turned his quills into flowing hair, just because. I like to think he's one of those characters that's unimaginably handsome without any effort, even though he doesn't realize it. 

Story-wise he doesn't change much, except of course since Blaze is doing her own thing, he's completely alone fighting to protect his future, which personally really helps show his character. He's the type to fight to his dying breath even if he knows he can't win, just so he can protect as many people as he can. I also think he's still the type who would take a can out from the bottom of those can pyramids in a cartoon supermarket, only to freak out when the whole pyramid topples down. He's a devoted warrior who, in low-stakes scenarios, is still kind of a lovable loser.

Except he wasn't always alone. He's the last remaining member of the Crested Knights (or whatever I want to call them), a genetically engineered and cybernetically enhanced army of people made to quell Mephiles and Iblis as much as possible in the future. The second-to-last, his mentor Steel the Wolf, fell in battle with him, so he vows to keep fighting for him. Personally I think Silver having a deep personal attachment to someone in this way really makes him feel more loving and empathetic, which makes his goofy sides much more charming. I imagine him sharing stories of their past together over a campfire while Sonic and Blaze listen intently.

Also just because Blaze gets her own special super form because of the Sol Emeralds, I thought since the Chaos Emeralds are said to grant wishes, each individual who gets their power has a different "super" form. If we get Super Sonic and Burning Blaze, then we can also get Psychic Silver (it's still alliteration) where his psychokinetic abilities go haywire and his senses basically become perfect. 

Forces

The one thing I realized I didn't like about the IDW comics is that Amy was barking out commands like she was some seasoned war hero (which she kind of was) in her cutesy old Adventure dress, so that made me think that I should give her and everyone else their own special outfits for the Forces section of the story. Also, since the story of Forces is practically the same as SatAM aside from Sonic being involved, I made the Freedom Fighters become a part of this story, which are their own little task force. That also includes Nicole, who now actually looks like a holographic projection instead of just some random Mobian, although I might eventually design a more corporeal form for her. And, since Forces is one of those games where you realize they just didn't want to include humans for some reason, I decided to give Topaz from Sonic X a spot alongside Rouge in the Resistance. She'd still start off as a cop that Rouge enjoys ""messing"" with, but then once Eggman starts taking over she joins the forces against him. And since the IDW comics are practically a part of Forces' story, Lanolin can also be here, who I made chubbier since sheep always have a chubby aura. Tangle is there too but she's completely unchanged since she's already perfect. Same would go for Whisper but I haven't drawn her yet. And really the same goes for pretty much every other IDW character, since their designs are some of the best in the series imo.

The Ancients

I really thought the Ancients needed to look more alien and weird, and I wanted to give them clothes to mimic that of their tech. I also thought that the Koco could instead be their true brains/bodies, and the gel is another part of their tech. 

The main thing of their story is that I want them to be the origin of all Mobians and Chao. When they fled from The End to Mobius, after the big fight The End broke their bodies and brains, destroying the rocky shell around their true bodies, and making them back to being nearly animalistic. However, over time their malleable bodies evolved over time, some turning into the more capable and intelligent Mobians, while those that ended up in more protected areas didn't change quite as much and became the Chao, still being pretty soft and helpless. However, I also thought that the branch of them that fled to Mobius surely couldn't have been the ENTIRE species, so the other branches that fled away from The End ended up evolving into the species of the Black Arms and the Wisps. The Black Arms being a people who use more meaty, grotesque technology, and with the Wisps tending to use more abstract, colorful technology, assuming they use any at all, since they decided to live more naturalistically, even with their core bodies living outside of any other tech. This essentially makes Shadow the Hedgehog (the game) and Colors parallel stories, where they deal with the offshoots of the Ancients. If you couldn't tell, I also made them have traits of the Dark and Hero Chaos Chao, with Black Doom having the flame orbs above his head, and Mother Wisp having the halos and the head protrusions of the Hero Chaos Chao. They each also have cores similar to the Koco, with Doom's Eye essentially being his core, and the Wisps themselves each being a core, but with the Mother Wisp having a bigger body her core goes into. 

Those are all the major designs, but of course that isn't even it. For example, Some other characters that exist in my redesign are Sonia and Manic (fans of Sonic who hype him up in battle with music), Bokkun (mostly unchanged), Metal Sonic (just looks cooler), Sage (who I redesigned but honestly might not keep), Cosmo and the Metarex (both made a bit more alien), the Zeti (the Deadly Six and others of the species), and a whole redesign of Secret Rings and Black Knight which features even more stories like Peter Pan and Journey to the West. I could basically go on and on about it all but I have to stop somewhere lol

Thanks for indulging me

[pablitogavii]

JEALOUS GAVIIII

Only His Fan 2

Pt1 available HERE!

MASTERLIST HERE ;)

You haven't heard from Pablo since the day he drove and dropped you off at your apartment after your steamy night at the hotel after the game. It's been a whole week...and nothing.

You never slept less and felt more refreshed completely forgetting about the heartbreak of your past relationship. After being with Pablo, you wondered if you ever loved anyone before him?

"And what the hell did you expect!? That he will really want you for long!? He's a freaking football star wanted by every girl!"you heard your own thoughts while you were cleaning an apartment out of boredom and anxiety.

Flashback..

"I don't want to go Pablo.." you were laying your head on his broad shoulder while you both sat in his car parked in front of your apartment building.

"I know amorcito..me too..but I have to make it to training..and you should get some rest for me huh?" he said kissing the top of your head before resting his chin on it.

"What if this is the last time we are together?" you say sadly and he raised your chin smiling at your worried face which eased your discomfort.

"You're mine preciosa.." he spoke slowly before kissing your lips lovingly "all mine.." and those were the last words leaving his mouth before you left him.

The ring on your phone brought you back from your thoughts and when you unlocked it, you saw it was a message from a dating app your friends set up for you before the game.

You got invited on a date..and the guy seemed nice..and wasn't bad looking either. He was tall but next to Pablo's greek god body, he was very much ordinary.

"Well Gavi won't call you again..so get yourself someone real!" your thoughts screamed at you and you decided to listen to them this time saying you would like to see him for dinner tonight.

y.n.bebe story: date outfit 💕

Pablo obviously saw your story feeling his pants tighten at the sight of your little body in that green dress but then his jaw clenched when he read the words in the corner.

"She is going on a date!?" he heard his thoughts completely ignoring the words of his teammates in the dressing room.

The past week has been absolute hell for Pablo, with long hours of training and dealing with finding a new house in Barcelona. All he wanted was to be with her again, but he was just way too busy crashing the moment he finally arrives home.

"Stupid cabrón! You should have told her you were busy! Now you will lose her!" his thoughts were shouting at him and Pablo threw his clothes into the bag leaving without another word confusing all his friends.

"She can't be with anyone else! SHE IS MINE!" he was angrily driving finally arriving to your apartment building praying that he wasn't too late.

When you stepped out of the shower, you heard the knock on the door so you wrapped a towel around your body walking to open up. You gulped heavily when you saw Pablo standing there disheveled but hot as always.

You gripped your hold on the towel as he entered inside not even waiting for the invitation..that dominance..you felt like melting into his hands again.

"Um..P..Pablo..what are you doing here??" your voice was shaky and Pablo was amused that no matter what he will always have this effect on you. Seeing you so innocent and submissive grew his confidence as he walked up to you slowly until your back was pressed against the wall.

"That date you have tonight? You're not going.." his voice was demanding and you felt your cheeks blush from the intensity of his gaze tightening your grip on the towel.

"Um..why..why would I listen to you now?" you asked although knowing deep down you would do anything he says just to have him make you feel alive again. You were so horny and he wasn't even touching you.

"Do I need to remind you who you belong to huh!?" his hand wrapped around your throat holding you tightly that you became breathless and absolutely soaked.

When you weren't replying his grip tightened and you struggled to breathe until he pulled you to bed tossing you on the bed making the towel open and hover over your naked body hungrily.

"F..fuck baby! How I missed your sweet smell..you're already soaked and I didn't even touch you yet..hmm..that's my girl!" he smirked sucking on your breasts while your head fell back and moans escaped your lips.

"W..why did you..leave me a..alone..for so..l..long then?" words were barely comprehensible from your loud moans of his name. Pablo kissed lower until you finally finished your sentence and he looked up with guilty eyes.

"Oh preciosa..I'm so sorry..I was so busy I barely had time to sleep..but that's no excuse for not calling my girl..for leaving her all alone and unsatisfied for so long..let me make it up to you baby?" he smiled and you couldn't deny him any longer nodding your head as he continued to kiss your thighs finally reaching your aching core.

"P..Pablo..please..I need it so badly" you begged and it was music to his ears finally eating you out like a starved animal until your hips were raising from a mattress and he pinned them down making you cum with such intensity your thighs were shaking for a few seconds afterwards.

"P..P..ablo.." you moaned still and he leaned in kissing your lips passionately letting you taste yourself on his tongue which turned you on even more.

"Shh..shh..that was my apology..but now I have to teach you a lesson for even thinking about going on a date with another man..where is my jersey I gave you last time?" he said and you opened your eyes getting back to your senses.

"Um..it's..it's in my closet.." you answer as he moves off you making you sit up in confusion.

"Go put it on for me princesita..I wanna see only my little Barça fan again" he smirked and you wobbled to the closet pulling out his jersey and putting it over your aching body.

"Come here preciosa..over my lap" he said and you felt your folds get wetter as you walked to him laying across his lap making the jersey raise a little and reveal your bum.

"Tan perfecta! You know we got new kits..so I have to bring you a new shirt" Pablo smirked massaging your ass while you whimpered expecting a spanking to arrive any second now.

SMACK!

"How would you like to have papi's new jersey huh?" Pablo asked massaging the red spot he created and you just moaned nodding your head.

SMACK! SMACK!

"Oww.." you whimpered and he smirked nodding his head continuing to massage your red bum he loved looking at so much.

SMACK! SMACK!

"This is to remind you who you belong to princesa..tell me!" Pablo demanded and you had tears in your eyes but out of pure ecstasy of being so freaking turned on by him right now.

"Pablo Gavi! I belong to Pablo Gavi!" you said and he nodded kissing your forehead before laying back making you straddle his lap while he kissed your lips passionately.

"Are you ready to take me little one?? Huh?" Pablo was teasing your entrance with his hard tip and you moaned into his mouth nodding your head quickly which amused him.

"I wanna hear you..tell me" Pablo whispered and you felt a shiver move down your spine in anticipation. You would do anything he asks of you in this moment, needing desperately to feel him inside again.

"P..please P..Pablo..make me yours again..fuck me so good I never think of anyone else..make me your good little fan again!!" you were begging him and he enjoyed every second of it before fitting himself deep inside of your tight pussy.

"F..fuck! This is exactly what I needed after such a stressful week..I bet you would let me fuck every night like this..let me release my tension in you..my good little fan??" he was rutting into you and you felt him twitch inside your stomach making you moan loudly.

"M..mhmm..you can f..fuck me every night P..Pablo..only you" you moaned as he picked up a pace pulling on your hair and making you both get closer to your highs.

"G..good little fan..and ALL MINE!" Pablo groaned into your neck while your hands held his hair as he flipped you over and got on top fucking you into oblivion.

After hours of Pablo feeling every inch of you body, he was still tirelessly drilling into you while you laid there completely fucked out and happy feeling your walls contract him one more time.

"Such a good girl..give me one more baby..do it for me like a good little fan" Pablo groaned feeling you reach your high once more your whole body twitching in response which made him groan and get close to exploding himself.

"F..fuck baby! I'm gonna cum!" he said and you held his hair pulling him close not wanting him to pull out as your legs wrapped around his waist giving him more access.

"Do it..f..fill me up..I'm yours" you moaned and that was enough to make Pablo let go and fill you to the brim before falling on top of you sweaty and exhausted.

"You did so good for me..like always baby" Pablo smiled pulling your exhausted bod close and you just mumbled nuzzling your face into his neck and falling asleep from exhaustion.

Pablo was proud of himself when he saw you sleeping peacefully in his arms completely exhausted with a smile on your gorgeous face. He was at peace that you were still only his..that you will forever be him.

The next morning, Pablo woke up to you caressing his face smiling and pulling you close.

"Morning bebé.." his voice was lower and groggy in the morning and you absolutely loved it. You couldn't believe that this was indeed real..he was really here with you now!

"Morning.." you say shyly seeing that his eyes were sad wondering what he was thinking about.

"Que pasa?" you ask while playing with his hair and he smiled weakly pulling you even closer and leaving gentle kisses on your neck.

"If you went on that date..I would have never forgive myself" he said and you sighed blushing at his little confession feeling like he truly wanted you only for himself.

"Even if I went on that date..I would have thought only about you" you say and he smiled nodding his head and kissing your lips passionately.

"I know I haven't exactly asked before..but would you be my girlfriend?" he said and you heart jumped at his question while your cheeks blushed bright red. He was really asking you this right now!?

"Only if I stay only your little Barça fan too?" you smirked now and he nodded his head pulling you on top of him and kissing your lips fiercely.

"Mmm of course you will princesa" he smirks as you both rested your foreheads against each other enjoying the special moment for a few minutes.

And here it finally is!!! Pt2 for y'all!

[janeiteoftheslums]

At The Gold Saucer, Aerith Is Still Pining For Zack

SE baited us so hard with that last trailer, I can’t stop giggling.

At first, I didn’t know what to think. Romantically coded clips of Aerith clinging to Cloud—a very stoic and grumpy-looking Cloud, I might add—interspersed with him gawping at her on stage as she “sings” a love ballad about fate and destiny? Isn’t that a bit… tacky? One wonders if SE is trying to make two of their most popular characters look like total scumbags. Why is Aerith, fully aware that her new friends Cloud and Tifa have feelings for each other, getting waaaaay too cozy with Cloud? And is Cloud somehow complicit in what seems to be a flagrant betrayal of both Tifa and Zack?

Of course, we know exactly who’s been gobbling it up. Convinced that Hollow is about Cloud longing to be with Aerith, they’ve wasted no time in appropriating “No Promises To Keep” as Aerith’s answer to Cloud.

The trailer does give the impression there’s something going on between those two; and, obviously, that was deliberate.

But when you take a closer look at the lyrics that are sung after the trailer, an entirely different picture emerges.

Till the day when we meet again

In our place

Just let me believe

In the church

Know that you’ll take my hand

And never let me go

Take my hand

And believe we can be

Together evermore

Did you catch that?

In OUR PLACE.

In the CHURCH.

I know that in general, theme songs aren’t meant to be interpreted line by line, but this is VERY specific.

Now unless you’ve bought into the rampant lies and delusions about Hollow, you should immediately know who Aerith is singing about. Who spent “a lot of time” with her in that church, according to the devs? Who, when he first saw her face, thought he was in heaven and called her an angel? Whom did she embrace to comfort him? To whom did she first speak the words, “I’d like to spend more time with you”, in that very same church?

(Hint: not the other guy who crashed through the roof 7 years later wearing the same sword and spent more time with Reno than with Aerith during the brief time they were there together.)

It’s not all that hard to figure out.

The ones who still refuse to see what SE has been beating us over the heads with since Chapter 8 of Remake—they’ve got it coming. They’ve already set themselves up for this. I’ve seen them comparing Cloud’s expression in Remake’s red dress reveal to this one below, where he’s supposedly lovestruck as he watches her sing.

And since now we know there will be four different Gold Saucer dates, just like OG, these are both from OPTIONAL scenes. What else is new?

The devs were obviously trolling big time with that over-the-top scene, with the red carpet and the crowd and the fireworks, and now they’re doing it again, this time on an even grander scale. Aerith is the star of the show, singing on stage, garbed in a pure white princess dress, standing amid showers of yellow flowers.

Follow the yellow flowers.

Reunion.

Till the day when we meet again…

And if Aerith is singing about how she wants to be with Zack at the Gold Saucer, moments before the infamous gondola ride that’s been trumpeted for decades as proof she fell for Cloud—or the Zack-colored version of Cloud, as most of us understand he wasn’t truly himself—then that tacky montage we saw in the trailer can’t possibly be what it appears to be.

This is new. Aerith is now not only explicitly but extravagantly shown to be still pining for her first love at this point in the story. She’s NOT moving on, even if she’s convinced herself she’s trying to. Or perhaps she’s “giving up” again, as she lamented to Cloud in the Language of Flowers scene.

So what’s really going through Aerith’s head as she’s reaching for Cloud? What are we supposed to think of her? What other developments have happened in Rebirth to lead up this point—say, for example, in Gongaga? We’ll have to wait for rest of the game to get the full context of these clips—which, again, are most likely from optional scenes—but I’m convinced they’ll be overlaid so heavily with the specter of Zack that no one with a shred of honesty could possibly conclude Cloud is being portrayed as Aerith’s true love.

What all this amounts to, basically, is more of the same fake, superficially romantic scenes we got in Remake. The bridal catch. Them being on a “date”. Wall Market sleaze calling them a couple. I absolutely hate it, but the way this is looking, Cait Sith might still have something to say this time around.

And what about Cloud? Again, the same as Remake. She pushes herself into his space, and he’s kind (or bewildered) enough to tolerate her closeness, but his face is an open book. He’s not having a good time.

Don’t forget: Crisis Core Reunion was stated to be part of the FF7 Remake project. The devs wanted everyone to play that game in order to fully appreciate what’s coming in Rebirth. And a central feature of that game was Zack and Aerith’s blossoming relationship and the tragic way it was cut short. Not only that, but Zack’s character profile for Rebirth states he’s trying to return to his “love”, Aerith. They didn’t do all this for no reason.

Remember the last scene of Remake? The first notes of Hollow play as rain falls on the cracked earth at Cloud’s feet, exactly the way Nobuo Uematsu describes his inspiration for the song. Then Zack appears, with the visual of his face interposed directly between Cloud and Aerith.

Just as in the first game, that image is going to hover over every scene with the two of them in Rebirth. Just as their “date” in Remake wasn’t about Aerith falling for Cloud but missing Zack, Aerith’s Gold Saucer date is going to have similar overtones. Their brief time together is not the love story some are bent on interpreting it as. And we shouldn’t fall for it, either.

In spite of the way they shaded her in Remake, of which booby-trapping Cloud in her house was just one instance, I’m not willing to believe SE is out to utterly destroy Aerith’s character. I don’t think most of her fans deserve that. But they do seem to be going out of their way to make a certain ship look really, really bad.

And for those who still insist on pretending, against all odds, that ship is actually going to sail? They’re in for a massive shock.

Take a moment to let this sink in. The THEME SONG for Final Fantasy Rebirth is a love song from Aerith to Zack, yearning to be reunited with him, promising him he’ll find her. And it’s performed by the amazing Loren Allred, who first dazzled us with her stunning vocals in The Greatest Showman (let’s try to forget for the moment that, most frustratingly, she sounds nothing like Aerith’s English VA and it’s futile to hope the in-game performance, if she does in fact supply Aerith’s actual singing voice, will be the least bit believable). This is more than any Zerith fan ever dreamed we’d be given. It’s positively glorious.

More than once in the past few months, it’s been confirmed that the end of the FF7R trilogy will fall in line canonically with the events of Advent Children, with Zack and Aerith in the Lifestream, “together evermore”. We have to get there somehow, to that point where they joke about “adopting” Cloud and walk off, side by side, to say their final goodbye. I can’t wait to see their reunion!

[hearts4golbach]

The Night Shift.

Johnnie Guilbert x Fem!Reader.

Chapter 25

the morning of the party, i decided to shower and shave. i had already planned my outfit, which was a black mini skirt with a top tara had given me that was cheetah print. it really wasn't my style, but she insisted i try it on and wear it to the party.

from the way Jake described it, the party was way less formal. in his words, "more like a college or high school party." i had never been allowed to go to one, so i wasn't really sure what to expect. comparatively, this party started much later than the couple i've been to in the past. this one started around 8:30. Jake explained that the party was going to be packed. that was nerve-racking to me when the other parties were usually not too packed and had not too many people. he warned me that there'd be more drugs than i even knew about, which i highly doubted, considering he didn't know my history. privately, Johnnie reassured me not to sweat it and that he'd be by my side the whole time.

it was about a week until my parents would be in town, and as each day passed, i grew more anxious about what they'd think of Johnnie. i knew if they didn't like him, i wouldn't care all too much, but i wanted them to. i hoped and prayed that they had calmed down a little since the last time i had seen them, but i highly doubted it. although they were getting older every day. they were both retired now, which meant that they'd be stuck in the house much more than they used to be, which hopefully helped them be less stressed all of the time. i assumed that was the main source of their problem, but i wasn't too sure.

i had changed into a comfier outfit and went to help tidy up the kitchen. i tossed my hair up in a clip and began to do dishes. i had my headphones in, quietly humming to music as i did so. i felt a hand wrap around my waist and a head lean on my shoulder, making me jump. i pulled a headphone out and whipped my head around, "well, good morning."

"Morning," Johnnies groggy voice responded before he went to go search through the fridge.

"So, thoughts on the party tonight?" i asked in an attempt to make conversation. i finished up the last of the dishes. i leaned against the counter, keeping him company as he made a packet of oatmeal.

"i mean, i'm excited, but it's whatever." he shrugged, rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes. "Are you still nervous over what jake said?"

i shrugged, "not really. tara gave me an outfit for tonight. That's what i'm nervous about." i joked.

"Don't be, you look good in everything, baby." he kissed my cheek, leaning against the counter next to me as he waited for his oatmeal to cook in the microwave.

"Awe, thank you," i replied, genuinely not knowing what to say to the compliment. i set my arm on the counter behind him, "So do you."

"Stop it," he flicked his hand, exaggerating his voice before taking his breakfast out of the oven. he pecked my lips before leaving the kitchen and going back into our room.

i spent the next few hours on the phone with tara. we spoke about anything that came to our minds just to pass the time. whenever she hung up, i joined johnnie. he was sitting on his PC playing a game whenever i walked in. i snuck behind him in order to get to the bed. i curled up under the comfy blankets and scrolled on my phone, as well as ordered new supplies for the cafe. eventually, i ended up falling asleep on accident.

johnnie woke me up not long after, telling me i should probably start getting ready since him and jake were. i decided to (straighten/curl) my hair for this, even though i knew it'd be messed up by the end of the night. same with my makeup. i took extra time just to make sure it looked perfect. one of my biggest fears was people thinking i was too unattractive for johnnie. i knew he didn't think that, but i also didn't want him to be embarrassed of me. i knew i was overthinking it, obviously, but what's the harm in a little extra makeup?

i slipped off my outfit last thing, making sure all of the smallest details were perfect. my mother had always called me a perfectionist, i wonder where she thinks i got it from. my beat-up black Converse was the final touch since i was not about to wear heels to this supposed "rager."

whenever we arrived, i realized jake was severely over exaggerating. as we walked up to the front door, johnnies arm snaked around my waist. his hand squeezed the bare flesh of my side, making my heart feel as if it was about to explode. jake walked behind us, speaking to nearly everyone who passed by him. although, whenever we walked into the house, i also realized jake was right about some things. this bitch was packed. i scooted closer to johnnie to feel more secure. even though i knew there wasn't really a way i could, i was terrified of getting lost in all of these people.

"you alright?" johnnie raised his voice so i could hear him over the music.

jake nudged johnnie over so he could stand by him. "i can't believe tonight is my fucking turn to be designated driver. out of all the nights i could've bee-"

"oh, shut up. it's your turn, cry baby." i teased, "yeah, i'm alright." i flashed him a bright smile. "let's go find drinks to chug in front of jake." i grabbed johnnies hand and dragged him away.

we began to search for whatever type of bar they had set up, and we found it on the dining table. johnnie got jack and coke while i decided to try the drinks i had never seen before. i never really got out into the world of alcohol, anyway. we took our first sip together, resulting in us cringing at the same time.

as the night went on and more alcohol flooded into us, both of us got more touchy and confident than we ever were before. there was never a moment where johnnies hands weren't on me or vise versa. we sat together on the couch, surrounded by a group of loud girls and another group passing around a joint. his hand slid up and down from my hip to my waist and back again in a soothing motion as he spoke.

"i'm getting kind of tired," i lied, only wanting alone time with johnnie. my words slurred together. "do you think jake is about ready to go?"

his eyes flickered down to my lips before meeting my eyes again. "maybe, let's go find out. i'm ready to go too." i noticed his words were also slightly slurring together, as well as his eyes drooping.

i stumbled off the couch, gripping his arm tightly as a wat to drag him with me. Johnnie kept me upright as we searched for jake, even though he was just as tipsy as me. whenever we had found jake, he was out on the poarch smoking a cigarette.

"jake, can we go home?" i whined. he looked over at me, and his nose scrunched with disappointment. "Please, im so sleepy, and i do not want to sleep here for obvious reasons."

"i guess," he let out an exaggerated sigh as he pulled the car keys out of his pocket. "Let's go, love birds."

johnnie and i crawled into the back seat as Jake started the car. nobody spoke in the ride home, only listening to the radio. johnnie leaned against the window, watching as the cars sped past.

i leaned over to whisper in his ear so jake couldn't hear us. "What's on your mind?"

he glanced over before wrapping his arm around me, "You." he whispered back.

i smirked. "Really? what about me?"

"im keeping that a secret," he shrugged.  "Just wait until we get home."

i sighed, accepting the fact that he wasn't going to tell me. i leaned my head on his shoulder until we got home. whenever we'd finally made it, we made short conversation with jake before rushing to our room.

the door was shut and locked, and johnnies lips were on mine. the kiss was passionate as our hands explored eachothers bodies as our tongues tangled together. his breath tasted of mint and alcohol, and im sure mine tasted the same.

our lips continued to glide together as he laid me back on the bed. i knew his intentions weren't sexual. i could feel it in the way he moved and breathed.

he pulled away, breathing heavily. his hair was a mess and his eyeshadow smudged. "youre so beautiful."

without commenting, i tangled my fingers in his hair and pulled him in again. i placed my lips on his, holding him close before we eventually pulled away.

he was still trying to catch his breath as he lay in the bed next to me. he pulled me close before we both fell asleep.

[despitethecold]

Helloooo @whichstoodonrockyshores !!! I was your secret santa this year 🧑🏻‍🎄 All of your prompts were magnificent but I chose the second one because it was too damn cute.

I hope you like reading just as much as I liked writing it!!! Merry Christmas 🎄 ❤️

And thank you for hosting the event as always @gtafest 🥳

….

Niko made his way through the store cramped with all the people who did their Christmas shopping last minute, thinking of what he could get for the McRearys, who were kind enough to invite him over to their family Christmas dinner. They had told him just to bring his ass over and not worry about gifts, but it had been too many years since Niko had last celebrated Christmas, and he wanted to do it properly. The few times his mother had tried to get the remaining family together, it had been gloomy at best and chaotic at worst. They would always miss his brother and aunt, and maybe, after all, it had been for the better not to continue celebrating the traditional way. It pained Niko to know that there was no warmth to be found in cold December nights any longer for his mother, but there was nothing he could do about that. Life had reminded them of its cruelty time and time again, and he knew better than to dwell on the past.

Part of him had to admit, though; Liberty City had given him a new chapter. It wasn’t a completely spotless slate – every time he looked Roman in the eye, he remembered finding out about how his aunt had been viciously raped and murdered. Every time he heard a gunshot, he felt a cold shiver run through his body, hand automatically reaching for his belt even when he wasn’t carrying a gun. They had been through things no person should ever have to experience. He was a changed man, and not for the better. Pulling the trigger wasn’t something he thought twice about anymore. At some point, he had come to accept his fate — he was one of the soulless soldiers now, and that’s all he would ever be.

Sometimes, though, Packie was by his side, grumbling about his brothers after his fifth beer, or cursing like a sailor after losing the game of darts, he found himself staring at the wall and wondering how a soulless man could feel such feelings. Packie made him laugh, much more than he did since he was a small child. Packie made him feel compassion, something that was only reserved for family these days. They could talk about pretty much anything, and Niko knew Packie trusted him.

The feeling was mutual.

One thing they had in common was their fucked up past for sure. Packie knew about Niko’s life before America, what kind of man he was, and still wanted to be his friend. And likewise, Niko knew about the ghosts haunting him. Packie often talked about the horrors casted on the McReary sons by the man who still had a massive portrait hung on the wall in the living room, and Niko found himself wanting to make him pay for it each and every time.

But it was Christmas for fuck’s sakes, and they all deserved a little peace and quiet. It was the most they could hope for. So Niko grabbed something for everyone. He paid extra to get the small boxes in giftwraps to not waste any more time by doing it himself, driving straight to the McReary house, Liberty Rock Radio droning on in the background. Packie’s favorite. It wasn’t long before he was pulling up by the curb and knocking, waiting for someone to answer, but the commotion that could be heard even from the street was obviously too loud for anyone to hear the door. He let himself in then, and Kate was the first to see him since Derrick and Packie were heatedly arguing over whose Irish accent was better. She let everyone know Niko was there before she introduced her boyfriend to him — Niko shook his hand and eyed him up. He seemed like a decent guy, and he figured that Packie and Derrick would have gotten rid of him already if he wasn’t. Maureen was setting the table at her pace, and Niko thought she seemed more energetic than usual. It was obvious that Christmas meant a lot to her. He told her apologetically that Roman and Mallorie couldn’t be there because Mallorie’s parents were hosting their own dinner, kissed her cheek and wished her a merry Christmas, to which she said it was fate that Packie had met someone like him. Niko briefly nodded, not knowing how to answer. Maybe she wasn’t wrong — he had saved Packie’s life, and God knew Packie had saved his.

Dinner went nice. Much nicer than Niko had ever expected, knowing how the family tended to start an argument over the smallest thing, but maybe him and Kate’s boyfriend being there helped. And the best part about eating with the McRearys was that Niko didn’t have to talk about himself too much. If there was one thing the family was undeniably good at, it was telling old stories. They had a bountiful supply of them, most of them Maureen didn’t approve of but still listened to; not all of them were funny, but they were all interesting in their own way. It was a breath of fresh air to not be asked about himself all the time, if Niko had to be honest — he could only answer so many questions people asked, wanting to find out more about the mysterious European. He ate a little bit of everything while he listened to the story Derrick and Packie started telling together about a job gone hilariously wrong, laughing like they hadn’t been arguing half an hour ago. Maureen gave them a disapproving look, told them they would burn in hell like her husband if they didn’t give up their ways. Derrick looked upset by the comment but to Niko’s surprise, even then they didn’t start anything. It made Niko think they were capable of change; no matter how fucked everything was, maybe they didn’t have to fight at the kitchen table for the rest of eternity.

After the dessert, they moved to the living room to have drinks. Mauren gave each of them a selection of chocolates and gloves, and no one else had gifts to put under the tree except for Niko since apparently, the topic of gifts had always been another source of argument in the family. When Niko started handing them their gifts, Packie looked just as pleasantly surprised as the rest of them, but as everyone opened the wrapping, he told Niko quietly that he had something for him upstairs.

They took their drinks to Packie’s room, where Niko put his glass of wine on Packie’s bedside table while Packie dug something out of the closet. “You’re gonna love this, lad,” he said cheerfully, looking proud of himself. He held out the car bomb he was holding in his hands to Niko.

Niko thought it was a joke at first, and he laughed. “Very funny, asshole,” he huffed, not making a move to take it. “Where’s the real gift?”

“This is the gift,” Packie said, looking dead serious, almost offended. “It’s a fucking bomb. Useful. Best of its kind. I made it myself.”

It clearly wasn’t a joke, then. Niko nodded and took the bomb, not sure how to take it home when everyone else was enjoying their drinks downstairs. “Thanks, Packie. I’ll be sure to use it well.”

Packie patted Niko’s arm. “You should. Be careful, though. It’s more powerful than the last one I gave ya.”

Niko nodded, put the bomb on the bed next to the gift he had gotten for Packie that was still wrapped. “Are you gonna open yours?”

“Yeah, sure,” Packie grinned, grabbing the package. “Can’t believe you got everyone a gift. I bet they’re all socks and shit.”

“Not quite.”

Packie didn’t really seem to believe Niko, hastily ripping the gift wrap and pulling out what was inside as if he wanted to say I fucking knew it.

His expression changed to one of confusion, then surprise when he saw the box contained a small sketchbook and pencils instead of socks. The good kind.

The silence lingered on for so uncomfortably long with Packie’s head hung low that Niko began to think that maybe he had misinterpreted something. Maybe Packie didn’t like drawing that much, after all, and he only doodled on receipts and napkins to pass the time. And the worst of all, maybe he didn’t know Packie as well as he thought.

But eventually, he looked up from the box, and Niko could swear that Packie had tears in his eyes. “…Are you crying?” he blurted out just so he wouldn’t have to acknowledge the fact that seeing Packie like that made things to his heart. Heart of a hardened criminal who wasn’t supposed to be affected by anything.

“No,” Packie grunted, furiously wiping his face with his sleeve. “There’s just water in me eyes, Niko boy. Fuck off.”

Niko snorted out a relieved laugh. “So… I take it you like the gift.”

Packie didn’t answer it, just muttered, “How did you know I like drawing?”

With a shrug, Niko said, “I see you always draw on the napkin when we drink at the bar.”

“…Really?”

“Yes,” Niko said. “Not bad for a drug dealing de-fucking-generate from some armpit in Eastern Europe, huh?”

Packie laughed, then wiped his eyes again. “Fuck. And I gave you a fucking bomb. Fuck me.”

Niko shrugged, leaned down and picked up the wrap to tear off the sticky gift bow from it, lightly slapping it on Packie’s forehead. “Now I have two gifts.”

Packie cursed, threw the gift box on the bed and playfully wrestled Niko. Under fair circumstances, Niko would have won easily, but Packie’s sudden attack made him fall on the bed on his back with Packie on top. He removed the bow from his forehead and chucked it across the room and grinned. “Not so easy, Niko boy.”

Instead of fighting him, Niko stayed still, looking up cautiously. “Yeah?”

Packie grabbed his face with his hand, still looking mischievous enough until he hummed, “You want a proper gift? I’ll give you one.” Niko closed his eyes, heart thrumming in his chest as he felt Packie’s lips on his own, kissing him roughly. Before he could answer it, it was over, and Packie was staring down at him with an intense gaze. “That good enough for you?”

Niko swallowed heavily, flushed under Packie’s gaze. “I think I prefer the bomb,” he breathed out before one of his hands found the front of Packie’s shirt to pull him down for another kiss, warm and playful but genuine.

When they went downstairs ten minutes later, Niko watched Packie realize that everyone else had gotten socks with an amused smile.

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

Thinking about Gale Courting Gwen (Single Mom!Tav)

Baldur's Gate 3 Masterlist

A/N: I will never stop having thoughts about them!

I keep coming back to that moment with Gale where he laments not having more time, that if he was at home he would have done things properly

He wants to take his time and court Tav and now that he has time, I can't see him passing up that opportunity

So, with Gwen, while they're undoubtedly together by the end of the game, Gwen would not accept his marriage proposal without them spending time as a family with Clara

She and Gale might love each other, but it's not just herself she has to consider

Gale understands this and sees this as an opportunity

He's going to court the hell out of his fiance

Granted, it's been a while, for both of them

Gale obviously was involved with Mystra for years and Gwen hasn't been properly courted since her husband

Still both are eager to try

I picture they're "first" date being some time after they've settled in together

Gale makes a reservation and tells Gwen to meet him at the resturant for dinner

Gwen arrives and Gale starts in pretending they're relative strangers; Gale claims they met in an isle of a book shop, he was so taken by her beauty and her selection he just had to see her again

Gwen, playing along, agrees that saucy romance novel would turn any well respecting wizard’s head

They just keep going like that, playing “yes, and” while asking all the first date questions. Most they know but there are a few they don’t.

It’s strange the things that come up while you’ve got a tadpole in your head and the ones you don’t. How did he go this long without knowing Gwen’s favorite color? (It’s yellow)

At the end of the night Gale "drops her off" at the front door, the two of them playing that little song and dance of if they should go in for a kiss or not.

Gale can’t help himself and pulls her into a proper kiss. Gwen teases him saying that’s at least a third date kiss. Gale smiles an apology before leaning in for another, this one a little more gentle, mirroring their first kiss in the field.

Gwen concedes that it’s better, but still clearly a little lightheaded.

She then claims she “never does this on the first date” and asks if he wants to go upstairs. Gale counters that she has technically done it at least once but gladly joins her. Who is he to refuse?

He doesn't stop at just dinner though

While Gale, Gwen and Clara take time to go out together as a family, it feels important to Gale for him and Gwen to still have time just the two of them

They go to plays and concerts

One of their favorites is going to museums

Gale is always fancinated whether it be covering history or art, and has a number of opinions on a variety of subjects

Gwen in turn loves listening to him ramble

More than once she's purposefully taken the opposite opinion on a painting; claiming it's pretty, but nothing of note stands out to her

Gale then goes into a lecture about the piece with a passion that Gwen can't help but indulge in

She then appeases him saying he makes an excellent point, she sees the piece in a new light now; it's hard not after all that

Of course, Gale is guilty of this too

Gwen has had an extensive education, and so has her own hard set opinions are characters in history and the art world

He's not as good at hiding it when he plays devil's advocate, but there is something enticing at seeing his soon to be wife go on a rant about how a certain kind or lord was completely overrated and begins listing all the things they did wrong

What I'm saying is nothing gets these two nerds more hot and bothered than watching the other express their passionate opinion about a subject they're knowledgable in

And I know I mentioned resturants, but I gotta talk about how Gale can be absolutely indecent

Imagine you're Gwen; you're finally home, no life and death scenarios and starting to settle into a routine with the man you love who also happens to be great with your kid

That's enough to be grateful for as is, but he also makes a point to take you out at least once a week

He then has the audacity to dress to the nines while doing with showing off just a bit of chest hair to tease you

He then proceeds to order wine and not drink it like a normal person; no, he indulges, truly taking his time to take in the scent and letting it linger on his tongue before letting out a borderline pornographic moan

He then looks at to you with the biggest expectant smile on his face, waiting for you to try it too

How is she possibly going to last the night under these conditions?! And with the candlelight on his stupidly handsome features jumping between erotic moaning and adorable enthusiasm? It's a miracle they make it back home with all their clothes on

And don't you dare think it stops after they're married

Yes, they have lives and jobs and daughters, but Gale isn't about to stop romancing his wife; it's just too fun to stop

[hanafubukki]

So Hana; I came across a post talking about unpopular twst opinions and was wondering if you had any.

Hello Violet 🌸💚🌷

I hope it’s okay for me to call you Violet 💚🌷

This is a rather interesting question 🤔 and I had to think on it a bit. I honestly don’t know if some of what I say is unpopular or not, so I guess I’ll express a few of my opinions that I have. ☺️🌺

I guess before I list them I should say that this is my opinion only. I don’t mean to hurt anyone by expressing them nor am I calling out anyone. Literally just my thoughts. You’re allowed to agree or disagree✨✨

Normally, I would assume I wouldn’t have to put a disclaimer such as this because everyone has their own opinions and we should all have an open mind but I’ve seen the internet lol and wowza on how some act to such things lol 🌺🙏

I hate the guest room. Personally, I’m not into that kind of mechanics in gaming. It’s not for me. The fact that we have to do it to level up friendship levels irks me. And it’s a complicated system too which is another annoying aspect. I also kind of blame the guest room function for personal stories being lowered since those have been replaced with furniture. It’s just an extra chore that I’m not really into.

Event wise: I think we have too many octa (+ ortho and ace) in them. My diasomnia bias aside, I don’t think the other characters get enough spotlight. When was the last time Ruggie was in an event? Cater? Riddle? Jack? Kalim? Rook? Deuce? I know octa make them money but still, give the others more spotlight? I don’t count the beach or Halloween event either. Because Halloween, half the cast is in it and beach event was similar. Even New years I don’t count, because eventually, we will get them all in new years outfit. The usually four character events is what I’m speaking of because that’s when you get proper screen time and development for each character. I can literally go on lolol

I don’t know why this would be unpopular but it seems it might be? But I don’t hate RSA. They have a lot of potential story telling wise and their side of things. And I know there’s biasness with NRC and we wanting them to win, but I feel there’s more to RSA than we know. Like how we shouldn’t judge villains, we shouldn’t judge the “heroes” either.

Jp schedule wise I don’t think they are too slow as many believe. I think for the working female class, which the game is aimed at, the scheduling is perfect since it was made for them after all. It gives them time for daily life and twst gaming. Doesn’t mean I don’t get impatient either lolol

On the other spectrum, EN is going too quick. With events and main story. Slow down. What are you trying to accomplish except burn out your fanbase?

I don’t want an anime. We will get one. There’s a high chance and I’ll watch it obviously. But I honestly don’t care for one. The issues that an anime will bring…is a lot.

I don’t think the gameplay is boring. As mentioned before, the game was made for the female working class. So the gameplay is to the point, and depending on the event, can be challenging. But grinding wise and all that? It’s pretty working class friendly. If I didn’t have the auto lessons and battles, I wouldn’t be playing it. It’s because of those mechanics that I am. Thats what stops me from playing many mobile games. The constant forced to play and keep track. Hence part of why I’m not into Hoyoverse games.

I don’t really care for “this place in twst = this place in IRL.” to me, it’s a game in a fantasy world. Is it interesting to see some of the influences? Yes, of course. But that’s it. I’m playing this game for the fantasy setting, the magic, the story, and the characters. I don’t really care to add, realism, I guess you could say? (I’m trying to escape reality okay? Why would I want it in my games?? 🤣🤣)

I wish we had more magic in my magic world. And I think it mainly applies for book 7 for me personally and how “wow, tech is going to beat malleus and save the day” but I kind of wish that isn’t the case. Yes, it makes for fun story telling and memes. But, for a magic based dorm, I want a magic based solution. That and the fact, I don’t care for the implication how magic is slowly being taken over by technology. Kind of hits close to home you know?? With all the AI shenanigans.

I hope two certain popular theories aren’t true and I’ll leave it there. My personally thoughts on them is, I hope it’s not that predictable and I had hoped for a different route for such characters/events.

I’ll stop there before I make a whole essay for you to read lmao 🤣🤣 I have more thoughts that I could share but this is already so long 😆

I don’t know if this was a “unpopular opinion” or more me rambling but I’ll let you decide that Violet 🙏💞☺️

What about you? What are some of your thoughts?

Would love to hear other’s opinions as well ☺️🌺

[bandgie]

Predator and Prey

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6

a/n: not the last chapter I lied :( but chapter 5!

warnings!: oral (m.receiving), fire, unspoken death (idk how to say it), angst??? I dunno bro just read it please,

3.4k words

It's last day staying with Meredith at her bar. You and Nyryx had been taking cover at the village for enough days, and you're still on the run from killing the famed monster hunter. Still, you've managed to enjoy the company of the family. Meredith and Sammuel with their opposite yet perfectly blended personalities, the energetic and mischievous younger sons, and Abigail who was a lot more stubborn and outspoken than you originally thought.

Meredith had packed you a bag for your trip that included gloves, dried food, herbs, and other necessities for long distance traveling. "I suppose I should give it to you now," she told you. "I will be gone in the early morning, and I wanted to make sure you were ready for your journey in the morrow." You hugged her, taking a last deep inhale of her alcoholic sweet smell before you pulled away, "Thank you."

Now you laid in bed after a long day of working. There was an increase of customer, new faces, even more fights. You were tired from the long day, but you were still eager about what was to come tonight. You and Nryrx had talked about helping his urges so he doesn't lose control, though you don't mind it.

You wanted to be prepared for when he came, so you stripped into a plain long sleeve with cross cross patterns on the upper chest with underwear on. Now it was a waiting game, and truthfully you were anxious. You had never planned on what to do with someone when it came to being intimate, it just kinda happened. This, however, is calculated. It's purposeful, for god's sake it's your plan. The rapid beating of your heart, the queasiness in your stomach, the way you feel as though you can't take a deep breath...this is not just a twisted booty call.

Before you could fully go into panic mode, you could hear the flapping of large wings. Nyryx grips the edges of the window frame, eyes searching the room briefly before he sets his gaze you. Slowly, quietly, he crawls into your room. One leg after the other, head ducking in to fit before he crouches on the floor, eyes never once leaving you.

It's predatory in how he stalks you, how he entered the guest room. He stands, not at his full height though since he would hit the roof. He eyes you weirdly, noticing the nervousness in the air, "Is everything all right?"

You shake your head from his previous movements, "Yeah, everything's good sorry." He walks closer, eyebrows furrowing at your words, he doesn't believe you. "Was it the bar?" Nyryx voice is concerned, "Did you not have a good day?" You smile and laugh quietly, shaking your head again, "Dude, stop. I'm fine, just a little nervous." Nyryx expresses a small ooh sounds before sitting on the bed, it barely creaks under him.

"I see," he starts. "Do not worry. I am a little curious on what you have planned." He smiles widely at you, eyes turning fully black. "When should we begin?"

-

You kneeling before him, sitting in a prayer position with him sitting on the bed with his legs open. Nyryx is completely nude, his grey skin glittering in the moonlight and his cock half-hard. You had teased him through his shorts, ignoring his frustrated groans and irritated words. It's clear he's never been teased before, always used to being the one in control.

You rub your lips on his length, tongue occasionally peeking out to taste him. It's your first time giving him head, and his size is daunting. You can clearly see his protruding veins from where you sit, his dark colored cock growing his each swipe you give him. He clutching the edge of the bed, obviously resisting from gripping the sides of your head.

You drag your lips up and down, kissing his tip when you reach it. You decide not to you use your hands yet, keeping them on his thighs. You look up from your lashes you watch his expression, and he almost looks pissed. His nose is scrunched up, lips pressed tightly, eyes barely open as he looks down at you. You smile on his cock, licking the underside of him.

He groans quietly, "When will you take me fully prey?" You pull your mouth away from his cock, holding back a laugh when his hips thrust upward to catch your warm mouth. You replace it when your hand, gently stroking him. "When I want to," you voice is teasing. "Or I could stop right now, if that's what you want." His eyes shoot open, face suddenly serious and almost offended, "No, continue." You nod and tighten your grip around him, "That's what I thought."

Your previous nervousness was completely gone, instead you found confidence in your movements and his impatientness. You could hear the slick sounds he produced while you pumped him, resisting the urge to suck his tip. You were getting wet as you felt his smooth, hard dick between your fingers. This is what has been inside you, this is what makes you feel so good it almost hurts. You tights your thighs, applying pressure to the place between your legs as some relief. It's not a lot, but it will do. Nryryx is more important, or his cock is at least.

You gaze your thumb across his slit, smiling when he moans. You decide to tease his tip, paying extra attention to it by rubbing, stroking, and smearing his precum all over himself. It's clear that Nyryx is struggling, drool seeping from his mouth as he looks at you. His hips buck at your movements from sensitivity, hissing when you gently squeeze the tip of dick between your thumb and forefinger.

You pussy is drooling, mouth salivating at the sight on him. Nyryx could easily over power you, take you as he wants, but he doesn't of course. He finds the strength to let you do with him as you please, finding the bed the only thing he can grip. "You're doing a great job," you praise. Nyryx locks his eyes with yours and gives you a weak smile, "This is quite a tough teaching."

You laugh, "Is it? I should go easier on you then." You lean forward to take the first few inches on his dick in your mouth. You purr as you taste him, your hand at the base of his cock. Nyryx almost loses his composure, letting out a loud groan that has you worrying about waking everyone in the house up. You feel so warm and wet against him, it's a much smaller version of a pussy.

Nyryx decided it's okay to let one hand touch your head, brushing your hair back and coaxing your cheek with his talon. You look up at him with his cock shoved in your mouth, eyes wide and lips wet. You looks so pretty like this, he thinks. For a moment just for a moment, Nyryx is happy you're taking the lead. He would've blown right past your lips, not bothering to admire your lustful gaze. This dynamic gives him the opportunity to appreciate your expression, your swollen lips. Maybe he should have you between his legs more often.

You look away from his eyes to focus at the task at hand, trying to fit his length down your throat. It will be impossible for sure, but your hand can manage the rest. You relax the back in your throat and take deep breath, exhaling little bits of air the deeper you take him in. You can feel how your mouth leaks with his and your fluids, how your throat contracts at his girth. You gag when he touches the back of your throat, almost pulling away completely. You let an inch leave your lips so you cam stroke him with your hand, the other playing with his balls.

You use the slobber as extra lubrication as you stroke him, moving your head with a fluid motion. Your eyes are closed as you concentrate, but your ears pick on his moans. Nyryx usually grunts when he takes you, deep and guttural. His moans though, are a little higher pitched, like a desperate howl somewhere deep in the woods. His eyes are on you, though you can't see. He keeps his hand gentle as he caress your skin, loving the goosebumps that rise when he does.

You can feel your sticky underwear, shifting uncomfortably and needy. Still, you're determined. You don't know if you can make him cum from your lips, but you at least want to see how far you can push him. He's doing a good job so far, though he occasionally pulls on your hair when you suck harshly on him. You were debating on deep throating him again when you hear a scream outside your window.

You pop his dick out your mouth as you turn around, but Nyryx is already standing at the window. It's hard not to stare at his proud cock, but his fierce gaze makes you realize there are important things happening. You slowly stand to you feet and walk to to window with him, the fire in your stomach disappearing as you see actual flames outside.

A house not too far is set ablaze, men in armor are holding torches, families are crying as the watch their home turn into ash. You gasp, tears quickly meeting your eyes as you watch the scene. You don't notice Nyryx shove his pants on, grabbing a pair of wool pants and shoes that he presents with you. Your eyes are stuck on the scene though, it's not until he shakes and calls your name that you finally snap your of your spell.

"We need to go," his voice does not have any room for questioning. You don't ned to ask what's going on, those men are looking for you and Nyryx. You overstayed your visit, you put a village in danger, you put Nyryx and yourself family in danger. You grab the pants and put them on, the shoes next, then you see the bag Meredith packed you. You halt your fast movements for a second, picking up the bag.

"We can't leave them," your voice quivers, furiously wiping the tears away. You can already hear Nyryx preparing to argue, so you keep talking, "Nyryx we can't. They fed me, housed me, they-" Nyryx growls threateningly, cutting you off. He walks close to you, his clawed feet splintering the wooden ground beneath him. "You misheard me, I said we need to go, not them," his black eyes are menacing.

More tears slip past your face, voice breaking into a sob, "Please. I can get them out of the house and-" Nyryx doesn't listen to what you say next, instead slipping the bag you had in your hands across his shoulder. The screaming outside was now unbearably loud, you could hear Sammuel yell for his family to wake up. There's a possibility they can make it out themselves, leave the village before is completely on fire. You need to see it though, it just can't be a possibility. You need to see them leave safely.

Nyryx grabs you, throwing you into a bridal position as you squirm and cry against him. You're begging, pleading, then yelling at him. He ignores all your slaps, vicious words, clawing, and tears. Nyryx perches himself out the window looking down at the snow covered in flames, blood, and bodies. He can hear the guards shouting your name, questioning people as they destroy their homes. It truly is a sad sight, but he can't risk it. He can't risk losing you. So if you temporarily hating him is what needs to be done so ensure that, then so be it.

Neither of you had heard the door swing open, neither of you noticed the presence of another person. You did, however, hear the way your name was called, almost in disbelief. You turn and see Abigail standing at the doorway, eyes wide in shock and mouth agape. Her eyes are panicked, body trembling in flight mode, but she can still stumble out one word, "What..."

Without a thought, Nryrx takes flight. He ignores your resumed weeping, your scared eyes as you look down at the ruined snow beneath you. You can't stand the sight, so you bury your face into his chest. It helps protect your face from the harsh, freezing wind, but it doesn't stop your crying.

-

You knocked out in Nyryx's arms, and he was silently grateful to no longer hear your weeps. It was cold this dead in the night, too cold. He couldn't leave you in the snow to rest properly nor could he chance taking coverage in a different town, not this soon at least.

You shivered when he laid you on pile of snow and leaves temporarily. Nyryx searched for dry sticks, creating a two large lumps of what was soon to be a bonfire. It might alert where you both are hiding, but he can't risk you getting sick when you're this close to getting home.

Nyryx inhales deeply, letting his chest heat up and feeling the nearly unbearable burn before exhaling, flames escaping his mouth with a foul burnt smell. He did the same to the second one, immediately feeling the heat that radiated from them. He backed away and made his way to you. Nyryx's chest ached seeing your tear-stained face, your slightly purple lips, and tired expression.

It's a shame really, he knew you were really enjoying yourself in that village with that family, but all good things come to an end. Nyryx wasn't sure if you'd understand what he did, why he did. There was no one other than you to blame for thinking he could spare the compassion he had for you with others. Nyryx was a demon, and it was only death that could free him from his curse.

You woke up to the feeling of rough hands picking you up, warmth immediately filling your body from Nyryx's body heat and the fires your sleepy eyes saw. The woods was eerily quiet, and it didn't not help that you Nyryx was silent, in thought. You were curious about his quietness, but you did not speak.

You were still reminiscing about Meredith and her family. How you betrayed Abigail and snuck in a demon in their house. You could blame Nyryx for the possible demise of that family all you want, but it was you that opened the door (and your legs) for him the very first night. You were the one that begged to stay at a village despite knowing you are being pursued. Nyryx is not to blame, at least not fully.

You wiped the stray tears that fell down your face, sniffing quietly. Nyryx's head looked down at you, finally realizing your wakefulness. He sat with you in his arms near the fire, eyes with an expression you couldn't possibly began to unfold. He looked away from you, face catching the reflection of the fires before you both. Nyryx looked beautiful, truly. In this moment, you could finally understand that he was a creature of the night.

His skin blends perfectly in the dark sky. Without the fire, you're not sure if you would be able to see him despite being right in front of you. His dark eyes throw back the reflection of the flames, giving the impression that he must have night vision. His talons were meant for shredding, yet he holds you so carefully, so tenderly. Nyryx's appearance screams predator, but the way he keeps you near him is anything but.

He notices your staring, shifting almost awkwardly with you in his grasp. He clears his throat, "Tomorrow night will be the full moon." Nyryx keep his eyes on the fire, as if he is uninterested in what he said and what you might say. You can tell though, he's nervous. He stiff, on edge, he's a statue. You nod against his chest, feeling his shallow breaths and his quick heart beat.

"Yeah," you also take a deep breath, trying to calm your nerves. There is no denying in what is to come, what is to be left behind. It's scary, thinking about returning to your normal life when you've experienced such an unbelievable two weeks. Is it even possible?

"I'm scared," you confess to Nryrx. He finally looks down at you, eyebrows furrowing and lips parted, "Of what?" You snuggle closer to his frame, unsure of how to start. There's so many things you're fearful of: things that have happened and things that haven't happened yet.

"Of leaving you," your voice is barely a whisper. You're sure it was carried away by the soft wind, but his eyes widen as he hears you. "You're scared of leaving me?" He sounds almost in disbelief. It wasn't long ago that you were cursing him, crying at the top of your lungs about his lack of empathy, his demonic self. Yet here you were, on the verge of tears at the mere thought of leaving him.

It almost made him smile.

"I...I don't know what's gonna happen. Won't those people be looking for us? For you? We're in this mess 'cuz of me, and imma be leaving to have you deal with it all by yourself-" your rambling is cut off by Nyryx laughing. You raise an eyebrow, unsure what part of what you were saying was the punchline.

"Prey," his nickname call your attention, "I believe you have other things to consider than my safety. I have the capability to take care of myself just fine. Do not allow 'my safety' to hold yourself back from going to where you belong."

His words were meant to be comforting, but you still can't shake the way he said 'where you belong'. You were never meant to find that cave, to run into that mansion, to meet Nyryx, to feel such a conflicting way towards him. You don't belong here, you don't belong with him. You couldn't help the tears the spilled past your waterline, wetting his chest. Nyryx was quick to wipe your tears away, not bothering to bring them to his lips to taste you.

Why did your family have to go to the beach for Easter? Why couldn't they have gone to a public garden nearby? Why did you have to be curious and go into the cold cave? Why do you have to go through this?

It would be better to forget, to tell yourself that this didn't happen and that it's all pretend. You should have never left your family's side, this would have never happened. It would have been better, you wouldn't have to deal with this pain.

Opposing thoughts and questions infiltrates your thoughts. Would it have been better though? Ignoring the chill from the magical cave, ignoring Nyryx's call for help. He would still be in that cage, out in the cold. Who knows what would have happened to him, what animal they could've treated him as. Neither of you will know though, because that didn't happen. You did save him, freed him of a fate he so desperately needed to escape. That alone, made this entire ordeal worth it.

Nyryz was quietly talking to you, whispering words of solace to you. You weren't fully listening to what he was saying, but it's still soothing to hear his voice against your ear. You took a deep shaky breath, finally coming to your resolve.

"Thank you. Maybe it's stupid, but I really thought we could save everyone you know?" You titled your head up to him as you spoke. He only hummed in understanding and nodded, placing a soft kiss on your forehead. You could feel how your stomach fluttered at his action, the brief increase of your heartbeat.

"It was...a foolish thought, but endearing nonetheless," Nyryx had a mischievous smile as he replied. You clicked your tongue and rolled your eyes, smacking his chest in the process. It was much too soon to joke like that, but you decided to ignore it. You opted to make your self comfortable against his chest, relishing in his touch.

Tonight is the last night you will ever sleep in his arms, in his world, in his embrace. The thought tempts you to cry again, but instead you screw your eyes shut. Right now, in this moment, all the matters is you against him. You can allow yourself one tearless night.

a/n: I feel so bad bro I keep edging you guys but next chapter should be the last one. I just write and I can't stop cuz I'm setting up the mood or scenario idk man. I have a problem

taglist: @whatamidoing89, @panda-wolf, @fatgumsbby

[sirenjose]

Kurt's Diary - Thoughts and Theories

(Including crack theory Naib didn't kill Murro)

1) Emily's (first aid kit?)

2) Wu Chang's umbrella is still here, and NE is making sure we know this. That means either Jose did leave but didn't bring the umbrella with him, or he didn't leave

If he did win, was he put into another game like Emma and Murro (Emma's letter did mention her being with others her 2nd time around)?

Orpheus did say he "treasured" the opportunity to include Jose in his experiments, which could mean he'd want to use him as long as he could?

* Michiko's mask is still here too.

3) The "guy" Murro would rather "freeze to death" than encounter can't be the Hullabaloo group (Murro the only survivor). Likely Naib, who's chasing Murro based on Naib's 1st letter (only other possible option is the manor owner)

4) HA! I WAS RIGHT! THERE WAS SOMETHING SECRET ABOUT THE FROG AND ITS GOLD BALL! (I'm sorry, I've been focused on that stupid thing since I first joined IDV and saw the diaries.) Question now is what it does... (secret exit?)

We know the gold ball was in Murro's room based on William's diary before he returned it to the statue. Maybe Murro knew its secret. But for what purpose? Did Murro hide something there, like how he used apple juice to write secret pages in his diary? Or something else?

5) Pretty sure the "explorer" isn't literally Kurt here. The one who "refused to trust his allies" and was "brutally slain by a wild beast" should be Murro, based on Murro's diary page Kurt finds, and Kurt may assume Bane killed Murro for now and thus Bane is the "beast"

Though considering the other letters, Naib is another option, but Kurt should have no reason to know that (if Naib did indeed kill Murro), so at least in this context Kurt says "wild best" to refer to Bane.

I've always had 2nd thoughts/doubts about the idea Naib wants to kill Murro. We know Naib works for Arthur Russel, who we know is a detective. Arthur is currently the one investigating both the Hullabaloo tragedy and Lakeside Village.

We know Arthur cares about his investigators as he pulls them out of the investigation when he believes a "crime syndicate" is involved with Lakeside. We haven't seen anything yet that implies Arthur also has his men do assassinations though...

Not saying that can't be the truth but I want more info before jumping to any conclusions, despite whatever the manor owner says, especially as we know even the manor owner isn't all-knowing (like with the people who only leave puddles behind, or Naib managing to disappear).

It's hard for me to say, but it is possible there were multiple sets of footprints belonging to more than 1 person, aka maybe Naib's was 1 of them (if not Bane's, if Bane only stays in his cabin in the forest).

Seem to be maybe 4 sets of footprints

1 set

2nd set

3rd set

4th set

But if Naib can disappear from the manor owner's sight, maybe he can also help other people to disappear too? If Arthur wanted to find the culprit of the Hullabaloo deaths and they discovered someone else from the circus had survived, they may have wanted to find him to help solve the mystery of the circus murders, which could be why Naib went after Murro as we saw in his 1st letter.

As an investigator, a new witness could be the key to solving the whole mystery (maybe that's just me as someone who reads/watches/plays too much detective stuff)

Naib obviously knows how to be stealthy/sneaky considering he has to do the same for himself to hide from the authorities, since Naib is a deserter, and desertion is a serious offense.

Murro's smart too considering the sort of invisible ink he uses.

So I think it's possible...

Maybe a good question to ask is “Why”? Why would Naib want to kill Murro? Mike is friendly with Murro, who Mike helped fake his death for, so he’s not the reason. And Naib isn’t just a brainless killer, since he deserted after refusing to kill his comrades, so he’d need a reason.

I guess you could say he might if he was paid to do so, but who’d ask to kill Murro? I doubt there are too many people that know too much about him enough to either hate him or have a reason to kill the person Bernard labeled as a “wild child” for his circus.

Different note, but the hole is gone in Servais' diary, but the boars are now in that same area that 1 set of footprints led to. It's also where Naib leaves the dead boar, which has a section of it torn open.

Still no idea what might've been inside.

Too many questions...

6) Info about Kurt's 2nd letter

"tree cave" = Murro's room

William and Kurt were awake in the evening due to the "awful weather". Nothing about sounds of "wild beasts"

Kurt thought they should do more than sit in their rooms, which is why he had Will help gather Naib and Murro. This was when Kurt went to look for Murro, found Murro not in his room + door locked, then went outside, where he saw footsteps, a (freshly dug?) hole, and Bane. He didn't see a "corpse", any heads being "bit off", or it being dragged off

Last thing Kurt says is to ask Naib to look at his new "work" based on his "experiences". This may be, at least in part, related to the work "Kurt Frank's Travels" from Kurt's 4th letter that he writes to Blackett Publications to get published. But nothing, at least from this yet, about telling Naib about seeing "a wild beast dragging his corpse into the shrubs. It bit off his head". Doesn't mean he didn't tell Naib this, but based on how much of the previous stuff was true, it's at least doubtful this is the full truth

[sibyl-of-space]

oOOOOooohhhhhhhh i get it now. i have Identified the Problem that has caused the most recent amadeus-related crisis/spiral/whatever you want to call it.

there are 5-ish "roles" that i have taken on as a solo dev:

project manager

musician/sound director

programmer/implementation engineer

writer/narrative lead

artist/art director

and for each i THOUGHT i had figured out how to tackle them.

project management: I've had some experience managing collaborative projects (GBA collab album, mystery jam game), I also solicited advice from other indie devs I met at Seattle Indies Expo, and I *also* applied what I learned about how we manage projects in facilities at my day job using Asana and have applied that to Amadeus. I very consciously treated this as a skill to learn and taking that specific skill seriously has helped a lot.

music: ...I straight up went to grad school for this. I took like a billion units every semester so I could learn as much as possible about composition AND mixing/production. This is the one thing I actually have a strong background in. I have the skillset and I also have People I can ask for feedback and advice. The music is lowkey going to carry this whole project.

programming: I went into this knowing full well I have exactly One semester of Unity/C# under my belt and have no idea what I am doing. I have experience learning basic HTML and JavaScript and have reverse engineered most of Ghost Trick's code via ROMhacking, so I have a sort of janky skillset, but it's very amateur and I knew that. I have asked SO many questions to people who are more experienced. KNOWING that this is my weakest suit has let me ask for help when I need it, and also accept that even the most polished possible form of this game is still going to be jank as fuck. That's fine. My #vision will still come through.

writing: the whole reason I set aside an entire month to just focus on the Mystery Jam game was because I knew I needed more experience writing, and specifically writing mystery. I've spoiled the whole game to two different people who have writing experience in order to bounce ideas and get feedback. I've asked for workflow advice from a third person with writing experience. Identifying this as a weakness has helped me focus on improving it, and because of that I am really happy with where it's at right now.

Which leads us to....

...art.

My problem with art is that as of about 2 years ago, I was much more confident in my art than I was in basically anything else except music, because I have drawn stuff my whole life and have a shitload of informal practice at it. So I focused very heavily on the other stuff that was very obviously a weakness.

But, as we approach the final months of Go Time to finish the first episode... I'm like, hm, it turns out that the art and art direction of a visual novel are kind of important.

I *like* all of the assets I've drawn for the currently existing demo, but there are specific things about the overall look I don't quite like, and there is a specific metanarrative Thing that I have been trying to evoke with what I'm doing visually and I feel like sticking to that is at odds with making assets that look and "feel" right.

Basically I haven't really thought as much about art direction as I should have since finishing the demo because I kinda figured I could coast on the fact I consider myself a pretty good artist. I can make things that look Nice. But now that I've worked hard at my other areas of weaknesses, the fact I haven't really sat down with my art direction in the past 4-5 months is really starting to become obvious.

All this to say.

My "assignment" for this afternoon is to sit outside listening to all the tracks I've written (including new WIP ones no one but me has heard yet CUZ THEYRE AWESOME im SO excited about the new tracks im writing for this) and reading through my revised narrative with certain finalized plot points and concepts, and just sketching out visually what the game Should Look Like. I am almost certain I can still use the assets I've already drawn, like the sprites and backgrounds and icons and such, but I may edit them differently, or add to them, or otherwise change something about them. I just need to make some choices because I'm feeling stuck and I need to get un-stuck if I am going to finish this game AND I AM DETERMINED TO DO SO.