#which i dont think she realized which is a big difference

[catgirlkirigiri]

Iris my love... gotta have the girly secondary fursona. For gender time. Actually think she's being demoted to fursona number 3 but idk we'll see about the pecking order when refs are all done. She was waaay overdue for a redesign oh shit I just realized I didn't put a color palette on here. Oh well ig too late for that now I am not rearranging that bg

[saph-yells-into-the-void]

i know n*gisagi has its fans and while for the longest time I've considered myself neutral towards it, I think I'm realizing that this is the only ship in bllk that truly gives me the ick

which is weird bc platonically, I actually fw it pretty hard. romantically though....

[arolesbianism]

Why must I only be capable of coming up with cool art ideas long past midnight

[nemesyaaa]

love in the dark — rafe cameron x gf's!twin! reader

summary ; it's all about your sister twin until rafe made a mistake by moaning your name instead of hers.....

warnings ; +18 content. minors dni. forbidden au. wrong sister trope. smut. p in v. oral (m.). attention's whore mentions. evil/angel twins. jjpope as bestfriend's readers and losers club bc i said so. cheating. little guilt. not girl girl sister content. be aware of the warnings before reading. i dont think its really dark content but it's kinda twisted so if you're not into it, just don't read it. friendly reminder that hate is useless and only hurtful for nothing.

words count : 1,8k.

author's note ; also a big thanks you to my girls @rafesangelita & @rafesheaven for helping me with this au ! it worked and I'm grateful ‼️✨

You were so different from your sister.

She was smart, popular, talented and the head of the cheerleader team. She always got the boys you wanted, reminding you that you could always dream of them, never be on their side. She was the beautiful girl of the school, her name literally glowing on every crush's list, the so-called “ kook princess ” by everyone.

She was too pretty to let you have a chance, which was unfair because you were literally her twin. You were living in her shadow. You were the so-called “ nerd & loser ” , the girl too focused on her revisions and hyperfixations, who love libraries and comics, having online friends and playing video games while chatting on discord. You were too online to be seen in real life.

All your boyfriends were literally fictional characters, and they were too fucked in mind to help you get popular at school. You always had a thing for depressed, stupid, losers, psychopaths boys. But it doesn't mean you were different from girls that had a crush on your sister's boyfriend. Who hadn't ?

Rafe Cameron was literally THE dream fantasy. You thought you had a chance when he ran toward you on the field, his helmet locked on his arms. He was so hot, his sweaty hair flying over his forehead while he was running, his big nose and wet lips glistening over the sunlight. His eyes were bright in a powerful way. You found him perfect. And you could imagine how easy life was for him because of his beauty privilege.

He smiled at you when no one did. And it was enough for you to fantasize about him, to imagine something with him. You were a hopeless romantic, forced to romanticize every small action in your life.

When he was close to you, you realized how big he was. His shoulders were broad, his chest firm and strong. His biceps were easily flexing like all the muscles on his body. The gym shorts were exposing his muscular legs. His jaw was art, especially aimed toward you just like that, as his blue eyes were watching nothing but you.

" Hey. ” he first said.

" Hey. " You said, wanting to slap yourself. Crazy how you just said the same thing as him but sounded more stupid. " Fucking loser. Do better. " you murmured to yourself.

" Can i have your sister's number ? "

You could swore at the moment that you lost your heart, as the same way your smile dropped.

But it was obvious. Every boy wanted your sister. You couldn't blame Rafe because why on earth would people want you when they could have a better version of you ? The thought of this was real and heartbreaking.

You forced a smile to answer him, not wanting him to know what's on your mind. You were already a loser, he didn't need to know how much. " Yes...yes, you can..." you just said softly, trying to hold back your tears, tired of this situation. " At this point, i think everyone has it..." You murmured to yourself with a bitter voice.

" What did you say ? ”

" What ? I said she's lucky. You're so pretty. " You replied, embarrassing yourself even more.

" I'm the lucky one. She's pretty. Guess i’ll see you at home. " He said with the cockiest smile ever.

So you started to see Rafe at home every night and day. He was always with your sister, they were always together.

Like Twins. Ironically.

But something was off. Your sister was unable to love. She just loved attention from boys. She wanted to be the attraction. She was always talking shit behind Rafe's back, treating him like nothing and you were wondering how he was still there with her.

That was crazy how everyone loved him at the house. Your parents already called him son, your sister was fakely in love, and you were really in love with him.

She was always kissing him, pulling him so close to her to steal a kiss. And after that, they were basically making out in front you. They didn't even care about your presence. And you started to think it was on purpose. Your sister wanted you to know that Rafe will never be yours, that she has something you would never have. The boy was hers.

But one day, you were at home after class, thinking of relaxing yourself during a show but something caught your attention.

You were upstairs when you heard some noises. Not the noises you were supposed to hear but you were used to with those people. You shouldn't but you walked toward the sound. The door was a little bit opened, so you checked.

And you saw it. Rafe was over your sister, oh you could see he was deep balls inside her, thrusting in and out her dripping core. His back was huge, covering your sister's body. They were fucking and from what you can heard, he was doing so good. He was fast, dick driving to her spot, hips slamming back and forth against her body. He was kissing her, hand on her throat, blocking her from breathing and fingers stuffed in mouth to the point she gagged on it. Her lips were pooling with saliva as she was nothing but a mess.

When you were about to step away, he did something that choked you.

“Fuck.. you're doing so good to me, y/n..."

Your fucking name. On his lips. When he was with your sister.

But that wasn't all. He did cum at this exact moment. He charged your twin with his load, whispering your name again and again until her pussy was full of his seed, until his voice was shaking to remain quiet.

“ What did you just say ? ” Your sister argued, a voice so loud and clear. “ Did you really say my twin's name ? ”

Oh she was mad. Really mad.

But for what ? Because she wasn't her man's attention, or for you ?

You covered your mouth with your hand to not scream.

" Shit, baby. I promise that's not what you think...Fuck, I'm sorry. "

“ You did not fucking do that. Did you really think of her ? God, you're such a jerk. ”

You went to your room, locked it because you were scared of your sister's tantrum. You tried to not think about it but you couldn't. Rafe really said it.

That was your name. He knew that you existed.

You were on call with your favorite losers. JJ and Pope. And so you asked them…

" What does it means when your sister's boyfriend is moaning your name while he's fucking her ? "

Pope's was gagged for a second while JJ first answered. " That he's fucking the wrong sister. I always tell you're prettier than her. "

" I would give you a chance if you weren't my bestfriend. "

" Did you really friendzone me ? "

" I mean... I'm into my sister's boyfriend. "

" But he's into her..." Pope corrected. " Sorry, after all, you have your chance. "

" I can't do that to my twin. "

" Well...if she can do that to you...maybe you should think of your villain era. "

" I'm not a mean girl. "

" You're not a girl girl too for wanting to Fuck your sister's boyfriend. So don't worry, you can be a bitch in peace. "

When someone knocked on the door, you cut the voice call and close your laptop before opening it.

It was Rafe. His hair was still messy from the sex, his voice deep and tired. He was all sweaty, wearing nothing but a black boxer. He was so insanely muscled, his pecs and abs glowing with sweat that was leading to a soft happy trail under his belly and heading inside the fabric of his pants. You couldn't stop yourself from lurking at the bulge. And the fact you know that he just had sex doesn't help at all.

" It's not gonna help if you continue to stare like that..." He mocked, but in a gentle way.

You looked away, suddenly uncomfortable with yourself. “ You're gonna act shy now ? Come on, we all know that's not what you are. " He continued while moving inside your room.

" Hey ! What are you doing ? "

" That's a nice room. " He complimented, looking everywhere. Your comics, posters, books, goodies and video games. “ Look like you've been alone here for so long. "

" You don't know anything about my life. " You said.

" I can tell you're nothing like your sister. You love all those things she hates. "

" And why aren't you with her ? "

" She's taking a shower. "

“ So that's why you suddenly give me attention ? ” You said bitterly. “ She's not there so now I now exist to you ? ”

He chuckled, before heading toward you, grabbing your face with his hand.

“ Oh you think it's easy to forget about you ? I see you everytime i see her. But not only... "

You glared at him for the first time he was in your room, he managed to have your attention. He smiled softly.

" I fuck you everytime i fuck her. "

You didn't care how weird it was, only cared about what he thought of you. In a second, your lips were on his.

Rafe didn't say no, he pulled you closer, his mouth pressed against your sweet lips as you felt his nose crushing against yours. Now, he could tell that you were different from your sister by the taste.

" Do you always do that ? " He whispered, licking at the string of saliva between you.

“ Do what ? "

" Stealing your sister's boyfriend ? "

" At least, it's the first time it works. " You played back. “ I want you, now”

“ Do you think you can make me cum in time ? ”

“ Do you think i'm inexperienced ? ”

“ I think you should get on your knees to prove me wrong. ”

He was against the door, while you were now on your knees, sucking his dick while your twin was still in the shower.

You weren't really proud but you were starting to think you were better than her. And the thought was obsessive. With a hand fisting his length, and your mouth pumping harder, you were doing your best. He was looking at you, fingers over your hair. You were pretty with his dick inside your throat, holding your boobs as he started to fuck your face.

The bathroom's door opened and you freaked out but Rafe forced you to still hold the pace, telling you to not worry about that.

“ Rafey…Rafey, where are you ? ” You heard her say.

With no answer, you panicked at her footsteps approaching your door. “Did you see, Rafe?” she asked.

With devilish eyes, Rafe released his cock from your mouth, inviting you to respond as you tried to catch your breath.

“ I-i don't know…” You just said with a little guilt.

“ So useless…” You heard her say before walking away.

She was so mean, you hated her.

Rafe saw that you were hurt by her words, and grabbed your jaw slowly, forcing you to look him in the eyes. “ She's wrong, baby. Look at you, how useful are you. ”

And you smiled. “ And pretty. ”

“ We share the same face. We're twins, Rafe. ”

“ But there's something I'm sure you don't share with her…what about spreading your legs for me and let me show you ? ”

You nodded.

“ Think you can moan the right sister's name this time ? ”

[neostellarjpg]

inner mono-dialogue

the more time i spend being davepeta with you the more i realize almost every single problem in my life was caused by my obsession with being this unfeeling cool dude

but youre cool already

like in the way that actually matters

youre chill and friendly and just nice and thats all there is to it

youre shamelessly yourself even if everybody around you is a jackass and gives you shit for it

youre similar to jade and john in that way

i really envied that about them

but its different actually being at the control panel and feeling where that earnesty comes from

it makes me wanna match your energy and keep that pawsitivity ball rolling even if it ends up being weird or cringe or whatever

fuck man do you know how exhausting it is building yourself social hoops to leap through all the time and when you trip up even once its suddenly the end of the world

what kinda dumbass does that its like dealing with life in hard mode for no reward

fuck that noise

i like your way better

Nepeta's heart burns and shines inside you.

:33 < thank you :))

:33 < but you know

:33 < i dont think doing things your way is unrewarding

:33 < its like

:33 < a shield!

Dave scrunches up with discomfort.

X33 < i dont mean that in an insulting way!

:33 < the fact is that shields are just purractical sometimes

:33 < it doesnt make you cowardly to hide behind one

:33 < in the same way that it isnt cowardly for a predator to hide in the bushes when stalking prey

:33 < its just a way to make sure you dont get hurt!

:33 < purrsonally i found shields too cumbersome

X33 < im a hunter after all!

:33 < and i guess maybe the same goes for my personality

:33 < its not really that im purrticularly brave for being myself

:33 < i just didnt have a say in the matter in the furst place!

:33 < honestly if i had a choice i would have loved to be more like you dave

:33 < you can befriend people almost effortlessly

:33 < and its beclaws youre also just a nice person

Dave recoils in surprise, but Nepeta passionately pushes forward.

:33 < fur real! i f33l it inside you! theres a really strong sense of empathy there

:33 < its just like mine! just smarter, and a bit more analytical

:33 < whenever we encounter someone mew, its like i f33l you lock onto them, and you gather so many insights into their purrsonality without even trying

:33 < and you can use that to bond with others without giving every part of you away

:33 < which unfortunately

:(( < i never really knew how to do

Nepeta sours with unpleasant feelings. Your brows scrunch together with both pain and sympathy.

Nepeta has a big and complex heart. She tried her best to keep it from spilling over, but it always did in the end. And it was embarrassing. It was embarrassing when your friends dismissed your hobbies or focused in on your strange quirks. It was embarrassing when they revealed they knew about your crush on Karkat that you'd worked so hard to hide. And it hurt whenever he would say mean things about you. He and anyone else.

But you always puffed out your chest and sucked it up. You stuck to your guns no matter what. Because it was fun! The things you liked, the people you liked, were fun, and they made you feel good. Why couldn't anyone else see that? And why did it seem like they never gave a single thought to who you were?

You curl in on yourself. Your chest hurts. You suddenly really miss Equius.

And you miss Rose. You miss Jade. You miss John and Karkat and Aradia and Tavros and Terezi and all the others. You miss all the people you can go outside and see whenever you wish, and you miss all the people that you have no hope of ever seeing again. You feel the choral echo of all the times you've ever felt this need for comfort, this thrumming pain searing hot inside you, like hunger wracking your stomach.

You clench your teeth. You remember being on your bed, curled in blankets, not having eaten a proper meal in days. You remember holding your stomach and sneaking to the kitchen, turning your shoulder at every step to look fearfully behind you, only for your fingers to falter hopelessly on the handle of the refrigerator, knowing there was nothing for you inside.

You shake with anger. You know that feeling. The feeling of being chased by something much bigger than you, a hulking silhouette of menacing strength following your scent through the thicket. You'd clutched a beast carcass to your chest, barely breathing as you stalked clumsily through the trees, performance wavering from exhaustion and hunger.

You'd almost died. You'd almost died often. And then after escaping death so many times, it one day claimed you. Casually. Unflinchingly. And the world beat on without you, leaving you stunned by your own insignificance. You'd looked out onto every preceding moment of your life, wondering if there was anything to truly be proud of in the face of your friends accomplishing all these fantastical things. You'd felt lonely before, but after that, you were truly walled off from every single person you knew.

And now, despite everything, you're alive again. Twofold, together with someone.

A warmth coats the ache inside your body. The two parts of you swirl together, feeling and tasting each other, trying to understand themselves.

It feels like a hug.

[hereforuconnwbb]

The Study of Us - CHAPTER 4

paige x azzi (pazzi)

au fic!

word count: 7.2k

warning: language

HEY GUYSSSYSUYSY !!! im so so so sorry this took a while to come out 😭 i literally got bombarded with stuff and then ended up redoing the chapter because i wasnt really feeling how it turned out. i still dont love it tbh but i just wanted to finally post smth 😓 i didnt go over it properly so hopefully its alright as is. enjoyyyy !!! 🫶🏽

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The gym buzzed with sharp squeaks of sneakers and echoing calls as the team ran through another scrimmage. It was lighter than usual, but focused, clean execution, talking on defense, full-court pressure sets. Geno paced the sideline, watching everything, arms folded as he was storing notes in his head.

“Cut early! Be ready!” he barked as they transitioned into another offensive set.

By now, sweat slicked every practice jersey. Paige adjusted the waistband of her shorts as she jogged back into position, chest rising and falling steadily. Her passes had been crisp, shots falling just enough to keep Geno quiet which she’d take as a win today. No one was dragging. Everyone had tomorrow’s game in their heads. 

At the end of the scrimmage, Geno called for water and gave them 5.

Paige walked over to the sideline and grabbed a towel, dabbing her face and neck as she sank onto the bench beside Caroline. Aubrey followed right after, crouching next to Paige with a heavy breath and an exaggerated sigh.

“Ok,” Aubrey muttered, “he’s definitely trying to keep us sharp without blowing out our legs. That man knows what he’s doing, but damn.”

Caroline tilted her head. “At least he didn’t make us do suicides. You know he saves that for when he’s really pissed.”

“True,” Paige agreed, reaching for her bottle. “Could’ve been worse.”

They fell into an easy silence, sipping water, watching teammates move around and stretch.

After a moment, Caroline glanced sideways at Paige. “You still going tonight?”

Paige blinked at her. “Yeah.”

Aubrey squinted between them. “Wait… whats tonight?”

Caroline looked at her, amused. “Oh. You didn’t tell her?”

Paige exhaled quietly and stared straight ahead. “Guess not.”

“Tell me what?” Aubrey asked, raising a brow.

“Paige has a tutor session with Azzi tonight,” Caroline said casually, like she was commenting on the weather. “Round two.”

Aubrey’s head tilted like she was connecting dots. “Ohhh. At her dorm this time?”

Caroline smirked but didn’t push it.

“Yeah,” Paige mumbled, twisting the cap back on her bottle. “Just studying.”

Aubrey tried not to grin. “How come you didn’t say anything?”

Paige gave her a look. “I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

Caroline leaned her elbows on her knees, eyes flicking to Paige with a bit of mischief now. “You should invite her to the game tomorrow.”

Paige blinked. “What?”

“I’m serious,” Caroline said, sitting up straight. “I’ve been telling her to come forever. She always says she’s busy doing equations or, like, reading three books at once.”

Aubrey laughed. “Classic. But maybe she’ll say yes to you.”

Paige gave her a blank look. “It’s not like that.”

“Isn’t it though?” Caroline asked, nudging her knee.

Paige looked away and ran a hand over her hair. “It’s tutoring.”

“Exactly,” Caroline said, drawing out the word. “You’re getting help. Maybe tomorrow, she watches you drop 20+ on and realizes she’s tutoring the goat.”

Aubrey leaned back, grinning. “Yea, give her the full Bueckers experience.”

Paige stared at the court. “You guys are annoying.”

Caroline smiled. “You still should invite her.”

The buzzer went off, signaling the break was over. Paige stood up without saying anything, and they made their way back to the court.

—------------------------------

Practice wrapped with a final team huddle, Geno giving a last bit of instruction about recovery, hydration, and focus for tomorrow.

“Lock in,” he said as they broke the huddle. “Mentally. That’s the difference.”

Players grabbed their gear, stretching or heading to the locker room. Paige lingered behind, tossing her towel into the bin and unscrewing her water again. Caroline and Aubrey flanked her, chatting about what time they’d get to the gym tomorrow.

Then Paige turned toward Caroline, kind of casual. “Hey carol, what takeaway does Azzi like?”

Caroline’s eyes widened slightly, like she saw right through her. “Why?”

Paige shrugged, too quickly. “Was thinking of grabbing her something before the session.”

A beat passed.

“You were thinking of grabbing her something,” Caroline repeated, her voice warm with teasing.

Aubrey choked on a laugh. “Oh, now she’s bringing gifts?”

“Shut up,” Paige muttered, but she was definitely fighting a smile.

Caroline laughed. “She likes pizza. Cheese. The plain kind. And some hot chips.”

“Got it,” Paige said, already typing it into her phone like it was mission.

Aubrey nudged her. “You’re such a lil cutie when you’re nervous.”

“I’m not nervous.”

“You kinda are,” Caroline said lightly. “But it’s okay. You’re being thoughtful.”

Paige sighed. “I just wanna be nice. She’s helping me out.”

“Mhm,” Caroline said, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “Let us know how it goes.”

“I’m not giving you a play-by-play.”

“That’s okay,” Aubrey said as they headed to the locker room, “we’ll just read it on your face.”

Paige rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything else. She was already thinking about the pizza place and how she was definitely gonna overthink what kind of chips to get.

—------------------------------

The walk back to the dorms was quieter than usual, that post-practice calm settling over everything. Paige and Aubrey moved in sync, both still a little sweaty, water bottles in hand, gear bags slung over shoulders. The late afternoon sun warmed the pavement, the kind of soft golden light that made everything feel slower, even though Paige’s brain was still spinning a little from scrimmage.

“Not bad today,” Aubrey said, pushing the door open for both of them as they entered the dorm building.

“Yeah,” Paige nodded, adjusting her bag. “Scrimmage had me tired, though.”

“That back cut you had was nasty,” Aubrey grinned. “Geno’s face ? Priceless.”

Paige laughed, barely. “Geno only smiles when we’re up 20. And even then, maybe.”

They stepped into the elevator, the hum and slight shake of it familiar by now. Paige leaned her head against the wall for a second, exhaling slowly.

“Wanna come over after your session?” Aubrey asked. “We can chill. Might make popcorn or something. I know we got the game tomorrow but yea still.”

“Maybe,” Paige said, rubbing at her eyes. “If I’m not dead.”

Aubrey smirked. “You getting nervous for tonight yet?”

“Shut up,” Paige mumbled.

Aubrey laughed. “I’m just asking.”

They stepped out and headed toward their room. Once inside, Paige dropped her bag immediately by the door and headed toward her side of the room, kicking off her shoes.

“I need a shower before I do anything,” she muttered.

“Don’t take 45 minutes this time,” Aubrey said, flopping down on her bed. “Last week I thought you drowned.”

Paige flipped her off over her shoulder as she grabbed a towel and headed into the bathroom.

Hot water always helped her decompress. The shower was steamy, and Paige just stood under the spray for a minute, letting it hit the back of her neck. She wasn’t sore, exactly, but the weight of everything—classes, practice, tomorrow’s game had settled into her shoulders. And then there was tonight.

She wasn’t going to overthink it.

It was just a tutoring session.

Still, she found herself replaying Caroline’s voice in her head: She likes pizza. Cheese. The plain kind. And hot chips.

Simple. Easy.

Paige finished up, wrapped herself in a towel, and padded back to her side of the dorm. Aubrey was still scrolling on her phone, earbuds in. Paige grabbed her phone and pulled up her food app.

She placed the order: 2 plain cheese pizzas, 2 large hot chips and pickup for 6:30 PM

She double-checked the dorm address. It wasn’t far. She’d grab the food and head straight there. Shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes to walk it.

Order confirmed. Done. 

She set her phone down and stretched out on her bed, pulling her blanket over her. It was now 4:20 pm. She still had time. Her eyes were heavy, the kind of heavy that came after practice and a hot shower, and she knew she wouldn’t make it through the next few hours without crashing a bit.

She set an alarm for 6 pm, then put her phone facedown and turned to her side, pulling the blanket up to her chin. Her eyes were already drifting.

—------------------------------

The sharp trill of her alarm dragged Paige out of sleep.

She blinked once, then twice, disoriented for a second as her eyes adjusted to the soft lighting in the room. It was still quiet. Aubrey had dipped out sometime while she was napping, and now it was just her, the muffled hum of the hallway outside, and the glow of her phone on the nightstand.

She reached out and silenced the alarm before it could go to its 2nd round.

Okay, she thought, stretching. 30 minutes. Time to move.

Still heavy with sleep, Paige swung her legs over the edge of the bed and sat there for a second, rubbing her face. The nap had helped, she didn’t feel as stiff, her brain didn’t feel like a tangled mess anymore, but there was still that edge of nerves curling in her chest.

It wasn’t a date. It wasn’t anything like that.

But she still didn’t want to look like she just rolled out of bed.

She moved slowly at first, pulling open her drawer and grabbing what she already knew she was gonna wear, her black Nike tech fleece set. It was her go-to. Comfortable, casual, still clean. She tossed it onto the bed and tugged off the oversized UConn tee she’d thrown on earlier. Underneath, she slipped into a plain white tank top and then pulled on the set's black tech fleece pants, the jacket following right after. She zipped it halfway with a glance at the mirror.

She reached for her white Crocs next, easy to walk in, chill enough for a quick food run and casual hang/session. She slid them on, then crossed to her desk.

There, she grabbed her hairbrush, a small styling gel, and a tie, working her hair into a clean, slicked-back bun. It took a few tries to get it how she wanted—no bumps, no loose strands. She wasn’t trying to impress anyone, well maybe, but she still wanted to look put together.

Once it was in place, she grabbed her glasses from her nightstand and slipped them on. 

She glanced at the clock which was 6:15, mentally running through the plan again. Pick up at 6:30. Less than a 10 minute walk to Azzi’s dorm. She had time.

Paige slung her black backpack onto her bed and started packing it.

She threw in a notebook with some half-assed scribbles, a folder with printed notes from class, a few pens, because she never knew which would actually work, her laptop,  her water bottle, her phone charger and a packet of gum.

She gave it a once-over, zipped it shut, then grabbed her phone and keys off the desk. Her phone buzzed once with the pickup reminder, and she slid it into her jacket pocket.

A quick look in the mirror confirmed she looked fine, comfortable, clean, the kind of cool casual that didn’t scream she was overthinking anything.

Even if she was.

“Alright,” she mumbled to herself, “let’s go.”

She stepped out into the hallway and started walking, air cool but not freezing. The sky was fading into a muted gray-blue, campus lights flickering on as she crossed through the pathways toward the street.

The pizza spot was a few blocks off campus small, nothing flashy, just the kind of spot you could count on. She liked it already for that.

As she walked, the food smell started hitting her early, garlic, crispy dough, something a little greasy in the best way. She picked up her pace a little.

Please be ready, she thought, already picturing the boxes in her hand, the chips warm and wrapped up on the side.

Everything about tonight was chill on paper.

As Paige pushed open the glass door of the pizza shop, the smell hit her instantly. Her stomach did a tiny flip, and not just from hunger.

A guy behind the counter glanced up and immediately nodded as he knew exactly who she was. “Pickup for Paige?” he asked, already turning towards the warmer behind him.

“Yeah,” she said, offering a polite smile.

He slid open the display window and grabbed two stacked pizza boxes, then added two paper bags next to them. “Two cheese, two large hot chips, all here,” he confirmed, setting everything carefully into a large handled takeout bag.

“Appreciate it,” Paige replied, taking the bag with both hands. The heat radiated through the paper, and she instinctively adjusted her grip so it didn’t burn her fingers. 

She turned to leave, ready to head straight out but she barely made it to the door before a girl near the window turned around with a quiet gasp.

“Oh my God,” she said softly, nudging her friend. “That’s Paige Bueckers.”

Paige paused, hearing her name but trying not to make it a big thing. Still, when she glanced over and caught their wide-eyed stares, she offered a little smile.

“Hey,” she said casually.

“Can we get a picture?” one of them asked, already halfway pulling out her phone.

“Yeah, for sure,” Paige said, shifting the bag into one arm. She stepped toward them, letting the girl next to her snap a few quick shots. Another person behind them recognized her too, and before she knew it, she had two more people politely waiting their turn.

She didn’t mind though—not even a little.

The interactions were quick and sweet. No one got loud, no one acted weird. Just a couple of fans who were clearly excited, and Paige made sure to thank each of them before she left.

One of the girls even said, “You’re so nice,” like it surprised her.

Paige just laughed. “Thanks. Have a good night, alright?”

With that, she finally slipped out the door, bag still warm in her grip and cheeks a little pink from the attention. She ducked her head slightly under her hood and started walking fast, half to stay low-key, half because she was suddenly very aware of the food cooling by the second.

It was a short walk to Azzi’s dorm. Maybe 8 minutes, but she was already halfway there before she checked the time again. She hadn’t wanted to be early, but she figured showing up with hot food was better than being exactly on the dot with cold chips.

The bag bounced gently against her leg with each step, and the air had gotten a little cooler now. Streetlights buzzed on as she crossed through campus, phone tucked safely in her jacket pocket.

She didn’t know why she cared so much. Or maybe she did. But she wasn’t about to say it out loud.

Azzi didn’t even like her like that. They weren’t close. It was tutoring.

Just tutoring.

Still, Paige found herself slowing a little as she reached the front of Azzi’s dorm building, heart ticking a little faster than it had during the walk. She looked down at the food bag and adjusted the grip one more time, taking a quiet breath and quickly glancing at the time on her phone which displayed 6:42 pm.

“Alright,” she muttered to herself. “Let’s go.”

Paige stood in front of the door for a second longer than necessary, shifting the warm takeout bag in her arms. She was technically early, but not obnoxiously so. Still, she hesitated before finally knocking—3 soft taps.

She heard some shuffling inside, then the door creaked open.

Azzi blinked at her, eyes slightly wide, like she hadn’t expected her so soon. “Oh hey,” she said, her voice still warm but surprised. She glanced at the clock behind her. “You’re early.”

Paige rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand, a little sheepish. “Yeah… food was ready, so I figured I’d head over before it got cold.”

Azzi looked down at the big bag in her hands. Her brows lifted slightly. “Is that…?”

“Cheese pizzas and hot chips,” Paige said, holding it up like proof. “I asked Caroline. She said you like this kinda thing.”

Azzi blinked again, then smiled—genuine, a little amused. “You got this for me?”

“I mean, I’m eating too,” Paige added quickly, cheeks warming. “Unless you wanna kick me out after you take the food.”

Azzi laughed softly. “Nah, come in.”

Paige stepped inside, glancing around. The dorm was neat, with soft lighting, a couple of textbooks stacked on the desk, and a blanket folded at the edge of Azzi’s bed. It was cozy in a lived-in, peaceful kind of way. She liked it instantly.

Azzi closed the door behind her, then gestured to the little round table in the corner near the window. “We can eat first. Study after?”

“Perfect,” Paige said, grateful for the suggestion. Her stomach had already started growling in protest.

They sat across from each other at the table as Paige unpacked the food. The scent of melted cheese and salty fries filled the room instantly.

Azzi grabbed some paper towels from the counter and handed one to Paige. “You’re way too prepared for someone who said she needed help.”

Paige grinned a little. “I’m full of surprises.”

It was quiet for a few beats as they both took their first bites. The pizza was good, soft crust, still warm, and the chips had just the right amount of crunch.

“This is actually perfect,” Azzi said, after a minute. “Better than what I was gonna make.”

“You were gonna cook?” Paige asked, raising a brow.

Azzi shrugged. “Probably cereal.”

Paige laughed, relaxed by the normalcy of it. “Strong dinner choice.”

They kept eating, slowly, bites in between short bursts of conversation—mostly surface-level at first. Classes. Campus. The fact that their building’s elevators were always breaking down. Nothing heavy.

But then, the pauses got smaller. The silences less awkward.

And somewhere in the middle of their second slices, Azzi tilted her head slightly. “So… you’re, like, super famous here. What’s that like?”

Paige rolled her eyes, but there was a soft smile tugging at her lips. “I wouldn’t say super famous.”

Azzi just gave her a look.

“Okay,” Paige admitted, wiping her fingers on a napkin. “It’s weird sometimes. Like, I’ll be in line for coffee, and someone’s asking me how my knee feels. I don’t even know them but it’s sweet.”

“That’s so bizarre,” Azzi said, eyes a little wider. “But I guess it comes with the territory.”

Paige nodded slowly. “Yeah. I mean, I’m used to it now, but I still don’t love being the center of attention.”

Azzi looked thoughtful for a moment. “You don’t seem like the type who wants it.”

Paige glanced up at her, surprised. “What do I seem like?”

Azzi leaned back slightly in her chair, chewing thoughtfully. “I dunno. To me, quiet. Kinda reserved. Until you warm up.”

Paige blinked. “…You’re not wrong.”

Azzi grinned. “Didn’t think I was.”

Paige bit back a smile. “Okay, then. What about you? You’re not exactly loud either.”

Azzi raised her brows. “That a bad thing?”

“No,” Paige said quickly. “Not at all. Just… you’re hard to read.”

Azzi shrugged lightly. “People say that a lot. I just… I don’t really open up fast.”

Paige nodded slowly, watching her. “I get that.”

Another quiet moment passed between them, comfortable now.

Paige leaned back in her chair a little, finishing off the last of her chips. “Okay—random question,” she said. “What’s, like… your favorite thing to do when you’re not tutoring someone or doing math for fun?”

Azzi laughed softly at that. “For fun?”

Paige smiled. “Yeah. Don’t say ‘equations.’ I’ll walk out.”

Azzi rolled her eyes playfully. “I don’t do math for fun.”

“Caroline says otherwise.”

Azzi shook her head, grinning. “She exaggerates. But… I guess I like being outside. Long walks. Reading. Cooking sometimes.”

Paige raised an eyebrow. “Cooking? Didn’t you just say you were gonna eat cereal?”

“That was before the pizza showed up,” Azzi countered, sipping water from the bottle next to her. “What about you?”

Paige thought for a second. “Honestly? I like music. Being around my people. Playing ball clears my head. But when I’m off… I kinda just like being still. Watching shows. Reading. Laying low.”

“Same,” Azzi murmured. “I like quiet.”

“You’re in the right major then,” Paige joked, then added, more softly, “I like quiet too.”

Their eyes met for a second, and something passed between them—nothing big, just a flicker. A little more understanding.

The kind of thing that doesn’t need to be said out loud.

Azzi looked away first, clearing her throat lightly. “You ready to start soon? Or still digesting?”

Paige laughed. “Give me, like… 5 minutes.”

“Deal.”

They both sat back in their chairs, food wrappers scattered across the table, warm and full and just a little more at ease.

—------------------------------

Azzi was in the middle of wiping down the table with a napkin when Paige leaned back in her chair with an exaggerated sigh, arms crossed over her chest like she’d just eaten a five-course meal.

“Okay,” Paige mumbled, dramatic and full. “5 minutes was a bold lie. I need, like… 20.”

Azzi laughed, tossing the napkin into the empty pizza box. “Knew it.”

“You set me up,” Paige said, pointing at her like she was accusing her of a crime. “I was vulnerable. You smiled all innocently, like, ‘Let’s eat first,’ knowing damn well I was gonna finish half a pizza and chips like a gremlin.”

Azzi raised her eyebrows, clearly trying not to smile. “First of all, you didn’t eat half. You ate like… a responsible two-thirds. And second, I did say eat first. I didn’t say eat like you just ran a marathon.”

“Same thing,” Paige mumbled, arms now folded dramatically across her stomach.

Azzi shook her head, still grinning. “You’re way more dramatic than I thought.”

Paige gave her a smug look. “You’re just now realizing that?”

“Yeah,” Azzi admitted, playful now. “I thought you were quiet. A little shy.”

Paige shrugged, a sly smile creeping in. “Only around people I like.”

Azzi stilled for a second, just the faintest pause, and Paige caught it, eyes flickering away immediately. Shit. Did that sound too flirty?

But Azzi didn’t call her out for it. She just gave a small smile and said softly, “Guess I’m lucky, then.”

There was a pause, quiet but warm, lingering between them. Paige chewed on the inside of her cheek, trying not to let the heat rise to her face too obviously.

“So…” she started, needing to change the topic before she combusted. “You ever think about playing again?”

Azzi blinked. “Basketball?”

“Yeah.” Paige tilted her head, genuinely curious.

“I mean, I was good,” Azzi said confidently, then added with a smirk, “Still am.”

Paige raised a brow. “Oh yeah?”

Azzi leaned forward a little, elbows resting on the edge of the table. “I’d smoke you in a one-on-one.”

Paige snorted. “Okay, relax.”

Azzi laughed, clearly enjoying herself now. “What? You think just because you’re a star player I’d be scared?”

“You should be,” Paige grinned. “I’m dangerous.”

Azzi gave her a skeptical look. “You talk a big game for someone who can barely stand up after a few slices of pizza.”

Paige held a hand to her heart, offended. “That’s a low blow.”

Azzi laughed again free, real and Paige felt her chest warm at the sound. It was still a little surreal how much more comfortable things felt now. Like they were finally past that weird almost-stranger phase and actually leaning into something more natural. Not quite friends. Not quite anything else. Just… something better.

“I’m serious though,” Paige said after a beat, her tone softer now. “You should come to the game tomorrow.”

Azzi blinked. “Wait, really?”

“Yeah,” Paige nodded. “We play at 5pm. It’s at Gampel. I can leave your name at the gate, you won’t even have to wait in line.”

Azzi looked thoughtful for a moment. “You want me there?”

Paige hesitated for a second, then smiled, small and a little shy. “Yeah. I think it’d be cool if you came.”

Azzi didn’t answer right away, just looked at her—really looked at her like she was trying to read between the lines. And for a second, Paige wondered if she’d said too much again and if she shouldn't have listened to Caroline and Aubreys suggestion of bringing it up to her. She wasn’t used to wanting people to show up for her. Not like this.

But then Azzi nodded. “Okay. I’ll come.”

Paige felt a dumb little rush in her chest, and she had to glance away to hide it. “Cool. No pressure, though.”

Azzi smiled, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. “You’re bad at pretending you don’t care.”

“I don’t care,” Paige argued, her voice going higher.

Azzi just looked amused. “Right.”

Paige threw a napkin at her.

They both laughed again, and it settled the air between them like a blanket. Easy. Playful. Comfortable in a way that felt new, but good.

Paige leaned forward a little, resting her elbow on the table, chin in her hand. “So, if you’re not playing ball anymore, what do you do to stay competitive? Do you go full beast mode in uno or something?”

Azzi rolled her eyes. “First of all, I’m very competitive in uno. Second, yes.”

Paige chuckled. “That explains so much.”

“Like what?”

“You give ‘I throw down +4s with zero remorse’ energy.”

Azzi grinned, biting back a laugh. “I do. No shame.”

“Evil,” Paige said. “Absolutely evil.”

Azzi lifted a shoulder. “Only when it counts.”

There was a pause again, but it wasn’t awkward this time. It was just… calm.

Paige looked over at her, studying the soft curve of her smile, the way her eyes lit up when she was being playful, and the hint of something behind it that felt more private. Like there were layers Paige was just starting to peel back.

Azzi leaned back in her chair, still grinning, and then tilted her head slightly like she was debating something. Paige caught the look and raised a brow.

“What?”

Azzi stood up. “I’m grabbing the uno cards.”

Paige blinked. “Wait, what?”

“You wanted competition,” Azzi said, already walking toward her desk. “You got it.”

“No, no—hold on.” Paige stood up too, hands raised like she was surrendering. “I didn’t ask for this. I was just talking shit.”

Azzi turned around slowly, a box of uno cards in her hand, her face dead serious. “You talked shit, and now you play.”

Paige stared at her. “…This feels like a trap.”

Azzi cracked a smile. “Only if you’re scared.”

“Oh, fuck off,” Paige muttered, flopping onto the floor and crossing her legs. “Let’s go then. I’m about to humble you.”

Azzi sat across from her with way too much confidence. “You’re gonna cry.”

Paige scoffed. “It’s a card game.”

Azzi didn’t even blink. “It’s uno.”

They dealt the cards in a tense silence. Azzi’s brow furrowed in laser focus, Paige narrowing her eyes like she was reading the energy in the room. The first few turns were tame. A few reds, a couple yellows. Paige started to relax, thinking maybe this would be chill.

Then Azzi threw down a Draw 4.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Paige hissed.

Azzi smiled sweetly. “I did warn you.”

“You had, like, seven other cards you could’ve played. You chose violence.”

“I chose victory,” Azzi said, smug as hell.

Paige grumbled and drew her cards, now fanning them out like an angry gremlin. “I’m not talking to you anymore.”

Azzi laid down a skip card. “Ohhhh nooo, what a tragedy.”

Paige just stared at her in disbelief. “You are a psychopath.”

Azzi smiled. “You started this.”

Another few turns went by. Paige finally got back into the game, slapping down cards with flair. “Reverse,” she said, flicking the card onto the pile. “And reverse again. We’re going my way now, bitch.”

Azzi burst out laughing. “Okay, damn. That was aggressive.”

Paige held up a red seven like it was a championship trophy. “That’s right. I’m in my era.”

“I’m about to end that era.” Azzi calmly dropped a +2 on her.

Paige stared at the card like it personally betrayed her. “You whore.”

Azzi was wheezing now, covering her mouth.

“No, seriously,” Paige said, drawing her cards. “You told me I was dramatic but you’re sitting over there playing like this is the Olympics.”

Azzi wiped tears of laughter from her eyes. “It is the Olympics.”

Paige stared at her, then grinned despite herself. “You’re a menace. I can’t believe I was nervous around you.”

Azzi raised an eyebrow, amused. “You were nervous?”

Paige immediately looked away, ears turning pink. “Nope. Didn’t say that.”

“You literally just did.”

“That wasn’t me.”

Azzi laughed again, shaking her head. “You’re so full of shit.”

They kept playing, tossing insults and cards in equal measure. Paige leaned into the humor now, forgetting all about trying to keep it cool. She was in her element—witty, sarcastic, effortlessly hilarious.

At one point, Paige slapped down a reverse and locked eyes with Azzi. “I’m about to uno your ass back to the stone age.”

Azzi didn’t flinch. “I hope your next card is a Draw 4. And I hope it’s illegal.”

Paige gasped. “You wish card fraud on me?!”

“I wish you pain.”

They both cracked up again, the kind of laughter that made your stomach hurt and your eyes water. The game stretched on longer than it should’ve because of the constant shit talk and unnecessary drama but neither of them seemed to mind.

At one point, they were both just sitting there surrounded by a chaotic circle of cards, drinks half-finished, and Azzi was smiling in a way that was softer than before. Paige caught it, just for a second, and her heart did a stupid little jump.

She couldn’t tell if Azzi knew it, what kind of effect she had when she looked at her like that but she didn’t ask. 

“No more reverses,” Paige muttered.

“Don’t tempt me,” Azzi said, already reaching for her next card.

—------------------------------

Cards were scattered everywhere now. Paige had ended the last round with a smug grin, having snuck her last card down while Azzi was mid-rant about how “stacking draw-2 should be illegal in civilized society.”

Azzi was shaking her head, arms crossed, muttering something about cheating under her breath, while Paige leaned back on her hands and stretched like she just won a medal.

“You’re not gonna let that go, huh?” Paige asked, watching her with an amused tilt to her head.

Azzi narrowed her eyes. “No, because you’re sketchy.”

“Sketchy? That’s bold coming from someone who pulled three skips in a row like it was personal.”

Azzi shrugged. “That wasn’t personal. That was strategy.”

“Mhm.” Paige checked her phone lazily, still grinning until her eyes flicked to the time. “Shit, it’s already 7:30.”

Azzi glanced over at the clock on her desk. “No way.”

Paige held the phone up. “Time flies when you’re being psychologically terrorized by uno.”

Azzi snorted. “Cry about it.”

Paige rolled her eyes, then sat up straighter, brushing some crumbs off her sweats. “Alright, alright. We should start our sesh now.”

Azzi let out a soft sigh like she didn’t want to agree, but she nodded anyway and began scooping cards back into the box. “Yeah, okay.”

Paige stood and stretched again, arms above her head, the bottom of her white tank peeking out from under her jacket. “Damn, I almost forgot I came here to actually learn something.”

Azzi shot her a look. “Shocking, I know.”

“Watch it,” Paige said, grinning.

Azzi set the uno box on the desk, then turned back to her with that casual, slightly crooked smile Paige was starting to get dangerously fond of. “Since I’m coming to your game tomorrow…” she started casually, and Paige blinked.

“You are?”

Azzi rolled her eyes. “You asked me, like, 4 times tonight. 3 times while playing uno.”

Paige blinked again, her lips twitching into a sheepish smile. “Okay, yeah. Just making sure you weren’t joking.”

“I wasn’t,” Azzi said, walking back toward her chair. “But now there’s a catch.”

Paige raised an eyebrow. “Oh no.”

“If I show up to that game,” Azzi said, plopping back into her seat, “and you don’t put on some kind of masterclass performance? I’m never tutoring you again.”

Paige’s mouth fell open. “That’s so unfair. What if I have an off day ?!”

Azzi shrugged, eyes gleaming with mischief. “Then I guess it’s been nice knowing you.”

“Damn.” Paige laughed as she sat back down across from her. “I didn’t know you were this ruthless.”

“You knew the moment I drew that first +4.”

Paige sighed dramatically. “Ok, ok. But what if I do put on a show?”

Azzi tilted her head. “Then… maybe I’ll consider hanging out after the game.”

That shut Paige up.

Not in a bad way, she didn’t freeze or panic or choke on air this time—but her eyes widened a bit, and that grin of hers softened, mellowed. She scratched the back of her neck and tried to play it cool.

“Oh,” she said, voice quieter, “like… hang out-hang out?”

Azzi smiled again, a little softer now too. “Yeah. I mean—you’ll probably be all sweaty and gross, but I can deal with it.”

Paige chuckled. “Wow. So generous of you. But bet.”

“I try.”

Paige picked up her notebook and opened it to the half-done page from their last session, while Azzi leaned forward to grab a pen, that teasing glint still in her eyes.

“You ready to suffer?” Azzi asked.

Paige grinned. “Not really.”

“Well, too bad.”

And just like that, the teasing faded into focused conversation—notes, examples, gentle corrections and questions. But underneath it, there was a new current, something warmer, lighter.

Paige wasn’t sure what tomorrow’s game would look like. But suddenly, she had a damn good reason to play like her life depended on it.

—------------------------------

The clock had been ticking in the background as the evening stretched on. The words and numbers on the page were starting to make more sense, the formulas not feeling as confusing as they had when they first started. Paige had actually gotten into a rhythm, though it was still a little awkward to not be in full-on basketball mode. She found herself leaning a bit closer to the desk, her pen hovering as she tried to process another point Azzi was explaining.

Azzi sat across from her, chin resting in her hand, her expression one of patient amusement as Paige scribbled down some notes. Her usual no-nonsense aura was softened a little now, more relaxed, like the teasing had melted into something… easier.

“So,” Paige said, looking at the problem one more time, then glancing up at Azzi, “I think I got it.” She met Azzi’s eyes with a shy, almost apologetic smile. “I might actually pass this class now. Can’t believe it.”

Azzi raised an eyebrow, leaning back in her chair with a playful smirk. “Don’t get too cocky now. You still have a lot of work to do.”

Paige snorted softly. “Hey, I’m just saying. If I pass, you get all the credit.” She shifted, reaching to close her notebook. “You’re a damn good tutor.”

Azzi chuckled, glancing over at the clock. “It’s not me. It’s all you actually paying attention.” She grabbed her bag, slinging it over her shoulder as she stood up. “I’m gonna hold you to that masterclass tomorrow, though. Don’t forget what I said.”

Paige stood as well, turning toward the door. She walked over with a few casual steps, and before she could stop herself, she threw her arm around Azzi’s shoulders. The movement was natural, like they’d done it before, even though they hadn’t. It wasn’t as stiff, and there was a kind of ease between them that hadn’t existed at the start of the session.

Azzi froze for a second, surprised at the gesture, but then relaxed, her body a little less tense. “You really need to put on a good show tomorrow, Paige,” she teased, looking over at her with that slightly playful, warm glint in her eyes.

Paige’s cheeks flushed a little, but she didn’t pull away. “I’ll make sure to impress you.” Her voice was a little more serious now, but there was still that hint of her usual humor under it.

They stood like that for a moment, neither of them wanting to break the quiet. Then, before Paige could second-guess herself, she gave Azzi’s shoulder a gentle squeeze, a silent thank you for the evening. She felt Azzi’s eyes on her, like there was something different about this moment.

Finally, Paige pulled her arm back, but before she could step away completely, Azzi did something unexpected. She reached out, wrapping her arms around Paige in a quick hug, a little awkward but sweet, like it had just felt right.

Paige blinked in surprise for a split second, then relaxed into the hug, her own arms wrapping around Azzi. It wasn’t one of those long, lingering hugs, they weren’t there yet, but it was enough.

“See you tomorrow,” Azzi said softly as they pulled apart. She gave Paige that knowing, slightly teasing smile. “Don’t forget what I said—play like it’s your last game.”

Paige’s heart skipped a beat at the words, the gentle challenge in them hitting her harder than she’d expected. “I won’t,” she replied, her voice steady despite the little thrum of excitement she felt in her chest.

She gave Azzi one last look, a little unsure but also feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. “Thanks again,” she added quietly. “For the tutoring, I mean.”

Azzi just waved it off, turning back to her desk. “Don’t sweat it. You actually did all the work tonight.”

Paige gave her a soft smile, then stepped out of the door, feeling a mix of nerves and anticipation building in her chest as she made her way back down the hallway.

She was looking forward to tomorrow more than she realized. Not just for the game, but because she’d gotten to see a different side of Azzi. A side that wasn’t closed off or completely guarded. And she definitely didn’t mind that.

As the door clicked shut behind her, Paige couldn’t help the flutter of excitement in her chest. Maybe things between them were starting to shift, even just a little bit.

—------------------------------

The dorm was quiet when Paige got back, quiet in that suspicious kind of way. She opened the door slowly, carefully holding the half empty pizza box and stepped inside.

Aubrey was waiting.

Like a pred.

She was sprawled on the couch, hoodie up, one leg over the armrest like she’d been there for hours, her phone in one hand, a knowing smirk stretched across her face. The second Paige closed the door behind her, Aubrey didn’t even look up. She just said, “It’s 9:03.”

Paige froze mid-step.

Aubrey finally looked over. “Wasn’t tutoring supposed to end at 8?”

Paige narrowed her eyes. “Why are you timing me like a parole officer?”

“I’m not timing you,” Aubrey said, dropping her phone onto her stomach. “I just noticed you left at like what? 6 something? And now it’s—” she fake checked her wrist, “9:03. That’s three hours. Of studying?”

Paige slid her crocs off, rolling her eyes as she made a beeline for the kitchen. “We played Uno.”

“Played Uno,” Aubrey repeated slowly, sitting up. “Uno. You brought pizza. You played Uno. Is this a study session or a date?”

Paige didn’t dignify that with a response. She opened the fridge, tossed the half-empty pizza box inside and shut the door with a sigh.

“So?” Aubrey said, now fully sitting up and clearly not letting this go. “What happened? Tell me everything. I need the tea. Was there flirting? Was there knee-touching? Did y’all at least sit on the same side of the table or were you giving business meeting energy?”

Paige groaned and flopped face-first onto the armchair. “We sat across from each other like normal human beings, bro.”

Aubrey gasped. “No proximity tension? Wow. Devastating.”

Paige pulled her head up slightly. “I literally cannot stand you.”

Aubrey just grinned. “You love me. Now tell me what happened. Like for real.”

Paige hesitated, her lips twitching into a smile despite herself. “It was… good. Like, actually good. We ate first ‘cause I got there early. She was surprised but not mad, and we talked for a while.”

Aubrey raised her brows. “Talked? Like actual convos?”

“Yeah,” Paige said, rubbing her hand over her bun. “Got to know her more. She’s kinda funny. Not like me-funny, obviously—”

Aubrey snorted. “Obviously.”

“But like… chill funny. And she got uno cards out and smoked me like, a few times, but i got her sometimes..”

Aubrey wheezed. “She beat you at uno? I’m never letting you live that down. Paige ‘competitive to the death’ Bueckers, taken down by colored numbers and a skip card.”

Paige laughed, tossing a pillow at her. “Bro, I swear she stacked like four draw twos on me and just sat there smiling like she didn’t commit a war crime.”

Aubrey caught the pillow, still laughing. “Alright, alright. But was it awkward?”

“Kind of at first,” Paige admitted, sitting up a little straighter. “But then it wasn’t. I dunno, we just got comfortable. She even made a joke about how she’d beat me in a 1v1.”

Aubrey leaned forward, grinning. “You challenged her to a 1v1?”

“No, she teased me ‘cause I asked about her playing,” Paige said, cheeks tinting slightly. “She’s still not trying to hoop again though. But then…” she trailed off.

Aubrey’s eyes widened. “Then?”

Paige bit her lip. “I asked if she wanted to come to the game tomorrow. Just said, you know, since we were talking about it before…”

Aubrey practically jumped up. “ANDDDD ??”

“She said yeah,” Paige said, trying to sound casual, but the way her foot was nervously tapping kind of betrayed her.

Aubrey gasped. “SHUT. UP. She’s actually coming?!”

Paige nodded. “She said she would. Said if I don’t play like a masterclass, she’s not tutoring me anymore.”

Aubrey howled. “Oh my God, she’s perfect.”

“Don’t say that,” Paige groaned.

“She is! She’s funny, smart, brutally honest, and she’s making you nervous as hell—”

“I am not nervous—”

“You are SOOO nervous. Look at you,” Aubrey pointed at her. “You wore your tech fleece. You brought pizzas and chips. You made her laugh. You played uno.”

“Can you shut up for like, 5 secs?”

Aubrey held up her hands, giggling. “I’m just saying. It’s not nothing.”

Paige sighed, trying to fight the stupid smile tugging at her lips. “It’s just tutoring, dude.”

“Uh huh,” Aubrey said, laying back dramatically. “Tutoring with food, laughter, intense uno games, and flirty death threats. Totally academic.”

“Shut up,” Paige mumbled, chucking another pillow at her.

But despite all her groaning, Paige couldn’t wipe the stupid grin off her face.

Because yea… maybe it wasn’t just tutoring anymore.

And tomorrow? Azzi would be watching.

So yeah. 

She definitely had to put on a show.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ticifics]

hi!!! im sorry i dont request often, but ive been so in love with ur fics... my atj obsession is coming back full force and you write dave soooo well <33

maybe a fic where reader isn't exactly popular (pretty and maybe has a few close friends) and has a big crush on dave? like she can't understand how he's 'invisible to girls', cause she stares at him in whatever classes they both have, and she stands at her locker for forever just staring longingly at him and he never notices. maybe her best friend tries to convince her to talk to him eventually ..

was thinking it could be sfw and maybe fluffy (maybe a little angsty if you want) idk!!! thank you for considering it if you do, and im excited for what other work you have lined up ❤️

𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧

Dave Lizewski x f!reader

Summary: in which Dave doesn't notice any of your signals

Warnings: fluff, pre relationship, idiots in love, no use of y/n

A/N: SO SO SO SORRY, I know it's been forever since you sent this request, but I only just got around to doing something. I kind of lost count of how many times I started and deleted this fic. If you read this, I appreciate you not giving up on me, and thank you so much for the message, it was very very kind and I can only thank you for those sweet words. I hope you can enjoy this, darling (and I'm sorry if I deviated a little from the request)

You always looked at him.

Sometimes subtly, when he walked down the school hallway with that casual stride, balancing his backpack on one shoulder, his headphones hanging around his neck, his brown curls falling slightly over his forehead. Other times, you didn’t even try to hide it, like when he laughed at something stupid during lunch and his blue eyes sparkled behind his glasses, or when you saw him from afar during gym class, not understanding how no one else noticed how good he looked in that blue shirt.

It was a mystery to you. How was it possible that no girl at school looked at Dave Lizewski? How was it possible that no one saw what you saw?

"You should just tell him you like him and get it over with," your friend casually remarked, while you checked your phone for the thousandth time, waiting for Dave’s reply.

You pretended not to hear, but the heat on your face gave you away.

That was it. You liked him. More than you should like a friend you only exchanged messages with and talked to when you bumped into each other in the hallways. More than you should like someone who, probably, didn’t see any of it.

So, when Dave suggested you two go to the movies together to watch a Batman re-release, you tried not to overthink it.

But that became impossible when you found yourself standing in front of the mirror for too long, adjusting your top, letting your hair down and tying it up three times before deciding which way looked the least intentional. Your hands were a little sweaty, and you rolled your eyes at yourself when you realized you had chosen that specific perfume, the one that always made someone comment on how good you smelled.

It was just Dave.

Just Dave, who got adorably awkward when you accidentally complimented him. Just Dave, who laughed at your bad jokes and sent stupid memes in the middle of the night. Just Dave, who—when he met you in front of the theater—stopped mid-sentence as he looked at you, blinked a few times, and without even trying to hide it, gave you that quick once-over from head to toe before clearing his throat and adjusting his glasses.

"You look… uh, different today."

You raised an eyebrow, holding back a smile. "Different how?"

Dave opened and closed his mouth once, clearly trying to choose his words. His curls fell slightly over his forehead as he tilted his head to the side, and he made that unconscious motion of pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Pretty."

It was a bit hesitant, but genuine enough to make the heat rise to your cheeks.

"I’m always pretty," you joked, trying to keep your composure.

Dave smiled that awkward smile, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah… I know."

And then, as if realizing he was giving too much away, he pointed toward the theater doors. "We should go in."

He was right. But as you passed through the ticket booth and grabbed your tickets, you could still feel his gaze on you from time to time.

The theater was packed, and the tight seats meant you were close enough that when he moved, his knee brushed against yours.

The room darkened, and soon the movie started. You tried to focus on the screen, but it wasn’t easy when every little movement of his caught your attention. The way he leaned over to grab more popcorn and, in the process, his fingers brushed against yours, his warm skin against yours in a fleeting touch that left an uncomfortable awareness in its wake. As if, somehow, that brief contact was more significant than it should have been.

He didn’t seem to notice. He just stayed there, leaning on the armrest, relaxed, his eyes lit up by the glow of the screen. Every now and then, he’d bite his lower lip without realizing it, an unconscious habit of concentration that made something twist in your stomach. His jaw looked more defined like that, and you felt an annoying urge to look longer than you should.

And then he leaned in.

You felt it before you saw it. The movement beside you, the sudden warmth of his presence getting closer, and then his warm breath grazing your skin as he whispered:

"Did you know Christian Bale almost lost the role because they thought he was too skinny?"

It sent an immediate shiver down your spine.

Maybe it was the fact that his voice came out lower than necessary, raspy on purpose or by accident. Or maybe it was because he was close, close in a way that didn’t seem normal for two friends watching a movie. His face was almost touching yours, and your mind made a stupid connection, the kind that should’ve been ignored: if you turned your head just a little, if you leaned an inch in the wrong direction, his lips would touch yours.

You swallowed hard.

"Is that true?" Your voice came out lower than you intended, and he chuckled softly, as if he noticed.

"He gained like 100 pounds of muscle in six months."

"Is that even possible?" You forced yourself to keep your eyes on the screen, as if ignoring the proximity would be enough to not feel every detail of it.

"If you’re Batman, it is."

The reply came in an almost playful whisper, and then he pulled back as if nothing had happened, leaning back into his seat.

Unlike you, who stayed there, absorbing the fact that your heart was beating way too fast for something that was supposedly nothing.

But it wasn’t just that.

His fingers were still close to yours on the armrest between the seats, so close that if either of you moved, the touches would repeat. You noticed when he grabbed more popcorn and his knuckles brushed lightly against your skin. Maybe you were imagining things, but he didn’t seem in such a hurry to move his hand away this time.

The movie went on, and by this point, you couldn’t tell if you were following the story or just the small details about him. The way he shifted in his seat, the subtle movement of his chest rising and falling with his breath, the warmth radiating from him so close to you.

His voice came low, breaking the comfortable silence between you.

"Did your soda run out?"

You blinked, needing a second to process the question, before realizing that yes, the cup of soda next to you was empty.

"Yeah."

"Then have some of mine. You must be thirsty after all that popcorn."

It wasn’t a big deal. It shouldn’t have been. But when he tilted the cup toward you, you hesitated for a moment. Your eyes met his, and Dave smiled slightly, waiting for you to take the cup.

So you took it.

You brought the straw to your mouth and drank, feeling the cold soda running down your throat. But that wasn’t all you felt. Dave was watching. Not just casually. He didn’t look away the next second, didn’t glance at the screen as if nothing had happened. He was watching.

When you lowered the cup and handed it back to him, your fingers touched for a moment. Warm, slightly sticky from the popcorn salt, but still soft. Dave blinked a few times, as if processing something, and then drank from the same straw without a second thought.

The rest of the movie went on like that. Little moments that made it seem like you were something more. You whispered that you wanted to try the chocolate he bought, and he offered it, holding the candy near your mouth almost casually. Later, he made a comment about some scene, and you replied softly, leaning your face closer to his than necessary. It was all a silent game that neither of you seemed willing to admit you were playing.

But then the movie ended.

You needed to go to the bathroom, and Dave murmured that he’d wait outside. You nodded, adjusted your jacket, and walked away, trying to ignore the silly feeling that you were leaving something behind.

It was when you came back that you felt something strange.

There he was, standing near the theater exit, and right in front of him was a girl. You didn’t know her, but you recognized that smile. A sugary smile, a deliberate lean of her body toward him. She laughed softly, playing with her hair, saying something that made Dave furrow his brows, confused. And then you understood.

She was flirting with him.

And he had no idea.

Your body froze mid-step. It was stupid, but for a moment, you felt a strange weight in your chest. What would happen if, suddenly, someone started seeing in him what you saw? If someone looked at him and saw exactly what you saw? If someone fell for Dave Lizewski the way you were falling for him?

Your stomach churned.

That’s when he looked at you.

His face lit up in the same second, and he smiled—that genuine, easy smile he didn’t give to the girl in front of him. He muttered something quickly to her, nothing rude, just a hurried goodbye, and then started walking toward you.

And you, who still felt the heaviness in your chest, didn’t know what to do when he stopped beside you and asked, as if nothing had happened:

"Let's go?”

You could still feel the warmth of the movie theater on your skin, the memory of your fingers brushing against the popcorn, the brief touch of your hands, the low sound of his voice, raspy and almost lazy, echoing in your ear. It was absurd how every detail seemed amplified now, as if the simple fact of being alone on this walk made everything feel more real.

Dave adjusted the collar of his jacket, shoving his hands into his pockets, and took two quick steps to align himself beside you. He always did that—making sure you walked together, close, your shoulders almost touching with every movement. He glanced at you, looking like he wanted to say something, but then changed his mind and just let out a short sigh.

You bit your lip. You couldn’t get the image of the girl at the theater out of your mind. Or the way she looked at him, or the casual way Dave stood there, listening, completely unaware.

"She was pretty."

The words came out suddenly, and Dave turned his head toward you, slightly confused. "What?"

"The girl at the theater." You shrugged, kicking a small pebble on the path. "She was pretty."

He was silent for a moment, as if trying to figure out where you were going with this. Then he shrugged. "Yeah."

It was a small, indifferent sound. But for some reason, it annoyed you.

You huffed, crossing your arms, and looked at him. "And she was flirting with you."

Dave furrowed his brows, laughing lightly, as if that were absurd. "No, she wasn’t."

"Yes, she was."

"No, she wasn’t."

You stopped abruptly on the sidewalk, forcing him to stop too, his eyes widening slightly at your sudden hesitation. The cold wind passed between you, but all you felt was the heat rising to your face.

"You’re too much of an idiot to notice."

His smile faltered a little, and Dave opened his mouth, as if to retort, but couldn’t find the words.

"I’m not an idiot." He sounded slightly offended, furrowing his brows in a way that only made him seem more naive.

"Yes, you are."

"No, I’m not."

"Then tell me," you challenged, tilting your head to the side, crossing your arms as you stared at him. "If a girl were flirting with you, would you notice?"

Dave let out a nasal laugh, shaking his head. "Obviously."

"No, you wouldn’t."

"I would."

"You wouldn’t."

He rolled his eyes, sighing in an exaggerated way. "Okay, then. How are you so sure about that?"

And that’s when it happened.

You didn’t think much. You just looked at him, at his messy curls and blue eyes behind his glasses, at the face you knew so well and at the answer that had been begging to come out for a long time.

"Because I’ve been giving you every possible sign, and you haven’t noticed."

The silence that followed your confession wasn’t empty.

It was heavy, loaded with something indescribable, something that tightened your chest and made the air feel denser around you.

Dave stood in front of you, his face partially lit by the nearest streetlight, his hair casting shadows over his eyes. But even with the poor lighting, you could see it.

The shock.

His lips parted, as if he were about to say something, but nothing came out. His gaze fixed on yours, unblinking, and the expression that took over his face was a mix of disbelief and something deeper—something you couldn’t name.

You swallowed hard, feeling your heart hammering against your ribcage, the pulse vibrating in every extremity of your body. Your hands were cold, but the heat rising to your face was almost unbearable.

You had said it.

You had said it out loud.

And now there was no turning back.

Nervousness washed over you like a wave, sweeping away any trace of courage that remained. Your chest rose and fell in an uneven rhythm, and your fingers moved slightly, restless, before you finally let out the breath you hadn’t realized you were holding.

"I like you, Dave."

Your voice came out shakier than you wanted, but it was too late to fix it.

Dave blinked, as if the words had just hit him with full force.

"I’ve liked you for a while. A long time." You forced a short laugh, looking at the ground for a second before meeting his eyes again. "But you never noticed."

He wet his lips, looking away, at anything that wasn’t you, as if he were trying to organize his thoughts.

His mouth opened and closed again, without a single word coming out.

"Dave," you called, and he finally looked at you again.

His eyes were intense now, as if they were trying to absorb every detail of you, every tiny movement.

You felt the hesitation in the air.

The weight of what had just happened.

But then, he did something unexpected.

With an almost hesitant movement, Dave slowly raised his hand, as if testing his own limits, as if he still couldn’t believe he could touch you. His fingers brushed against the sleeve of your jacket before finally holding your forearm, the touch light, uncertain, but real.

"I’m an idiot."

His voice came out low, almost a whisper, and the way he said it made your chest tighten in a strange way.

You opened your mouth to say something, but he continued:

"I—" Dave took a deep breath, his eyes locking onto yours again, so close now that you could feel the warmth of his breath against your skin. "I didn’t notice because..." He swallowed hard, his fingers tightening slightly on your arm. "Because I never thought it was possible."

Your heart stopped for a second.

His eyes were locked on yours, and there was something so genuine there, something so true, that you felt your throat close up.

"I never thought you could like me."

The confession was soft, said with a half-smile that didn’t match the uncertainty shining in his eyes.

And in that moment, you realized.

You realized he wasn’t hesitating because he didn’t feel the same.

He was hesitating because he had always felt it.

Because he had always wanted it, but never thought he was allowed to want it.

You felt your breathing quicken, and the distance between you seemed smaller now, your bodies leaning in an almost imperceptible way, as if drawn to each other.

Dave blinked a few times, as if he were still trying to understand the reality of the situation. As if he were trying to memorize this moment, to store it somewhere safe inside himself.

And then, he laughed.

Soft, almost disbelieving.

"Shit." He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up even more, and shook his head. "I really am an idiot."

You let out a weak laugh, the nervousness still pulsing inside you, but now mixed with something else.

Something warm.

Something good.

Dave lowered his head for a moment, biting his lip before looking at you again, and then he did it again—that subtle movement of leaning closer. Not enough to break the last barrier between you, but enough for you to feel his warmth in the air, for every cell in your body to be aware of his presence.

"Tell me it’s not too late for me to notice now."

His tone was soft, but his eyes were intense, blue and fixed on you as if nothing else in the world existed.

And the answer came before you could even think.

"Of course it’s not."

[d1xonss]

hii queen! i really think that after daryl got together with his girlfriend he would nonstop reffer to her as m'girl or "mah woman" to everyone who doesnt know that they are together and act so nonchalant about it, even tho he randomly just mention her in a random conversation ( i imagine him doing that after the woodbury people got into the prison and he dont want any of them crushing on his girl), so if you have time you think you could write something like this? sorry if its too long, i love your writtings🥰

My Girl

✧ Pairing : Daryl Dixon x Reader

✧ Era : Season 4 (ish)

✧ Pronouns : she/her

✧ Genre : Fluff

✧ Word Count : 2.3k

AN ~ Overprotective Daryl is one of my favs! I love the idea of him calling his significant other "my girl" I think it's too adorable. Thank you so much for the request and the sweetest support! I just recently hit a pretty big milestone in followers so I just wanted to take a moment and thank anyone who has made time to read, like, comment, etc on any of my content. It means the absolute world to me that I'm able to write things that others enjoy so much, and I appreciate all of you with my entire heart!<3 xoxo

It wasn’t everyday you got the chance to meet new people after the world abruptly ended. It was a miracle that you even found any kind of people that you could trust anymore. But as it turns out, your found family grew to be the people you could count on for anything, the one blessing this new world had to offer. You were thankful for them every day.

For quite some time it was just you and that small group for months, from Atlanta, to Hershel’s farm, to the prison where your newfound home was formed. In hindsight you were a little weary to move into such an unusual place, but as it turns out, it grew to be one of the best things that had ever happened to you. Offering much more room and sanctuary, safety from the outside dangers. And after the war with the Governor, the growth only continued from there as a community blossomed.

The people from Woodbury had moved in just after the chaos had settled down, Rick and the rest welcoming them with open arms. But still, even after a couple months, the adjustment of having so many people around constantly was something to get used to. On one hand, you were handling it better than anyone, you had always been more outgoing and friendly even after the apocalypse which was something to be admired. And on the other, Daryl remained the complete opposite. Not that it was much of a surprise though. 

You expected him to have his guard up again when it came to the newcomers, not fully trusting their intentions even though all they wanted was to come together. But more than anything, he was even more protective of you.

After all you were very pretty, so absolutely breathtaking that he couldn’t believe you had really chosen him in the first place. But you did. And he’d be damned if he let any of the newcomers around here get the chance to talk you up or try and flirt with you in any way. Maybe he was jealous, but that wasn’t some kind of groundbreaking discovery. Maybe he was a bit overprotective, although that was to be expected when it came to the people he cared about the most. However, there was also a slight chance of him being scared. Scared that if a more good looking and charming guy came into the picture, you would realize that they might be better for you than he ever could be. 

But he’d never admit that out loud of course. Instead, he referred to you in any way he possibly could.

“M’ bout to head in and talk to my girl.” 

“Nah, I got plans with my girl tonight.”

“My girl made it for me.”

Every single time without fail, he would use those exact words to describe you. You were surprised that people even still knew your name with how frequently Daryl was calling you some different term of endearment. At this rate you assumed the whole community knew of your relations with him with how often he brought you up. But apparently, you had assumed wrong.

It was yet another hot summer day in Georgia, but that didn’t stop the people around the prison from getting to work just as they had been assigned. As a way to help build this place up, Rick had plans set in stone of how to make this sanctuary more safe and livable considering the numbers that were now behind the fences day after day. Keeping them all busy with chores one could say, to help this place continue to run as smoothly as it had before.

Daryl was placed in the fields alongside a few other men, clearing out some space of where the new vegetable gardens would soon grow. The beating sun cascaded down onto them while the dirt that flew up from the ground stuck to any skin that was exposed, making the process a little more difficult. He huffed quietly with every swing of his shovel, his muscles flexing when he pulled the heavy dirt from the ground. He had a good rhythm down, his mind elsewhere as he focused on getting this done as fast as possible.

That was until he heard your name amongst the conversation happening just behind him.

“Man, I’ve been eyeing her since we got here.” a guy named Jared grunted, continuing to shovel some dirt into the pile off to the side whilst he chatted it up with his friends.

They all laughed in agreement to his statement, taking note of where you were outside hanging some laundry on the clothing line, too far away to hear what they were going on about. Daryl noticed how their eyes lingered on you, but he forced himself to turn away and continue the task at hand. He felt it was pointless to get riled up over a few meaningless words and stares when he needed to get this job done.

“I’ve noticed she sometimes serves the food at dinnertime. Maybe I should stay for seconds.” one of the other men said suggestively.

“Yeah, right!” another voice cackled, “Like you have the balls to do something like that.”

Scoff. “Hey, I could if I wanted to. But everytime she looks up with those damn doe eyes it drives me crazy, I clam up or something. And she knows what she’s doing too, she’s asking for it.”

Daryl’s jaw ticked when the topic of you continued to go on and on, almost as if he was completely invisible. Though he tried to stay calm, the annoyance in him bubbled up to the surface with every crude comment or suggestive hint each one of them threw.

Jared then chimed in once more, “I think I’m going to ask her out.”

A jumble of protests followed to which Daryl scoffed in disbelief to himself. Had he really not made it apparent enough that the two of you had been together for months?

“Hey! I’m the one who said something first, so I think I should have first dibs.” Jared announced before moving to dig again.

“Well, what’re you planning on doing?”

He chuckled, “I don’t know, maybe take her for a walk or something. Charm her socks off until she swoons and I can get lucky.”

It was at that point Daryl slammed the head of his shovel into the grass, capturing all of their attention with the way the noise echoed. They watched as he turned around and removed his bandana from his face, getting ready to be done for the day.

“I wouldn’t.” he grumbled lowly, shoving the piece of fabric into his back pocket.

The group of men all just looked at each other in confusion, seconds of deafening silence passing before one of them spoke up. “Uh…why?”

Daryl slowly stalked closer to them, his glare unwavering, “Cause if you keep talkin bout gettin lucky with my girl, I think we’re gonna have a problem.”

Jared’s eyes then widened in realization, feeling singled out as Daryl’s eyes were trained only to him as if he wasn’t scared or hesitant to beat the shit out of him. “Oh- oh shit man, I had no idea-”

“Now ya do,” Daryl interrupted him, getting closer to his face as he made his point crystal clear, “And if I ever see ya ogling her again, I’ll knock yer fuckin teeth to your throat.” he said, his tone low and warning.

The man bobbed his head up and down quickly, “Yep, got it.”

Daryl scoffed at how quickly he seemed to shrivel under his stare, before harshly knocking him back with his shoulder as he passed him to head up toward the prison.

The remainder of the day dragged on and on it seemed like. Daryl didn’t know if it was because he continued to stew in his own frustrations of what happened, or because of the fact that he hadn’t gotten to talk to you all day. He wasn’t sure; but it had to be a combination of both. So he just tried to keep himself busy until the sun went down. Working on his motorcycle that always needed fixing, keeping watch at the gates, basically anything else other than having to work with those pigs he witnessed earlier. He couldn’t manage to wrap his head around why they would talk about any woman like that, let alone you. It almost left him feeling sick.

Though eventually the hour grew late enough to where everyone was turning in for the night, heading back to their selected cellblocks to get some shut eye. You were already sat in bed curled up with a book in your lap, the warm glow of the lantern beside you just bright enough where you didn’t have to squint to read the words on the pages. Lost in the depths of the novel, you almost didn’t hear the familiar sound of clunking, heavy boots approaching your room. But when he pulled back the curtain to enter out of your peripheral vision, your attention was automatically diverted.

“Hey,” you said with a small smile, tucking your bookmark in place, “How was your day?”

Daryl shrugged a bit as he leaned down to untie his shoes, “Was fine. How was yers?”

“Good…it was good.” you nodded, a knowing expression crossing your face, “But you know, I did get some weird looks throughout the day.”

He paused his movements, looking up at you with a raise of his brow, “Looks?”

You nodded again, “Yeah. Almost like you wrote your name right across my forehead or something.”

To that he scoffed, realizing that you had somehow known of the small incident that occurred. Word did tend to spread fast around here but it’s not like it mattered much to him. He was just a little surprised the man was bold enough to have the whole place know of his threat by the time the day came to an end.

When he didn’t verbally respond, you spoke again, “You want to tell me why you apparently tried to kick some guy’s ass?”

He shrugged, “Just another day.” he brushed off simply, plopping down at the edge of the bed near your legs.

“Come on,” you prodded gently as you scooted closer to him, “Just tell me. It’s not like I’ll be upset…if anything, I’m proud.”

Daryl sighed deeply, knowing he couldn’t avoid the topic despite the fact that he didn’t want you to know the things that were said. He couldn’t help but want to protect you from everything. “Some guys were just talkin bout ya.”

His vague response left you confused, “Bad?”

“Just…disrespectful.” he answered, “I didn’t let it go on for long.”

You smiled a little, knowing exactly how he could be, “And what did you say?”

He shrugged, “Told him to stop talkin bout my girl. But you know…it was more threatenin the way I said it to him.” 

“Aw.” you cooed as you leaned forward to wrap your arms around him, sweetly kissing his cheek, “Defending my honor again, why am I not surprised?” your tone was playful.

Daryl grunted softly, his cheeks warming and a small smile growing despite his attempts to stop it. He couldn’t deny he liked your affection, even though it was something he was still getting used to. “Can’t help it. Yer too sweet for that bullshit.”

You smiled softly, a part of you loving how protective he could be, it just made you feel all the more special. Never in your life had you been given someone as important as him, someone who would walk to the ends of the earth if you had asked him to. Alongside the many other things you had received in this life, he was by far the best.

You noticed then how his eyes traveled all over your face, silently appreciating you in the orange light. His gaze then drifted down toward your lips as if drawn like a moth to a flame, before glancing back at your eyes, then your lips again.

A small laugh was pulled from you at his obvious request, "You don't always have to ask for permission to kiss me..." you whispered teasingly.

His hand came up to gently trace his thumb along the edge of your jaw, shaking his head slightly, "Wasn't askin." he murmured.

Before you could even react, his lips enveloped yours in a soft embrace, the taste and smell of tobacco on him filling your senses. But you didn't mind; it only made him all the more alluring.

The kiss lasted no longer than a few seconds, but when you pulled back for air, you couldn't help but mutter an, “I love you…”

Those words continued to make his heart flutter in his chest, every time you said that it made him feel incredibly special and valued. Although he still had trouble with saying it back, not being fully used to openly showing how deep his affections went for you, he still managed to prove it in some way. He leaned over to place another lingering kiss against your lips, briefly pulling back to rest his forehead against yours before standing up again to get changed for bed.

But the next morning, he managed to surprise you.

Usually he let you sleep in while he was up during the early hours of the day, gathering his selected weapons to head out for a hunt. Though before he could push himself to leave, he took one last glance back at you, seeing you were still half asleep and bundled under the blankets. He then took the extra minute to crouch down and brush some of the hair away from your forehead, leaving a small kiss there as he mumbled against your skin.

“Love you.” he spoke quietly before he stood back up and headed out of your shared room, hearing the same heavy footsteps echo down the stairs of the cellblock.

And though your eyes were closed, your lips curled into a smile as you let yourself fall back asleep. Feeling comforted in knowing that you were truly his.

~ Thanks for reading!

[ceranchi]

Fem stripper dazai [part 1]

Fem dazai

Warning:nsfw,club,se/x, stripper,y/n,fem dazai, dazai x reader, dazai x fem reader ،dazai headcanons

[like and comment if you like it for part 2]

_ fem stripper dazai, who is an alcoholic, believes that it makes her feel less and distracted.

_fem Stripper Dazai who always had several scars, bloody lips, bruise marks and slap marks on her body

_fem Stripper Dazai, whom no one had touched for love, in bed, the kisses were always dirty, quick and for their own desires.

_fem stripper Dazai who had not been satisfied well in sex

_fem Striper Dazai who lived in a small and messy apartment

_fem Stripper Dazai , who actually worked mostly in the back rooms and slept with men and women for more money .

_fem Stripper Dazai, whose hands and part of her neck were tied with bandages

_fem Stripper Dazai, who happened to meet you in the middle of the night next to the club door when she was not feeling well and wanted to go home.

_fem Stripper Dazai who finds out you are a college student and looks for your friend to borrow his essay for tomorrow's class.

_fem Dazai stripper who goes to check inside at your request but stays next to you when she doesn't find your friend.

_fem stripper Dazai who sits with you on the bar stool and drives the other strippers and men in the club away from u

_fem Dazai stripper who sees how you don't belong in such a place and turns your eyes away when you see naked dances.

_fem stripper Dazai who talks to you and stays by your side. When you insist that she can be comfortable and leaves, she smiles and says that she can't leave a little girl alone in a place like this, she is so used to such places.and everyone knows her here

_fem Stripper Dazai, that when u mumble wrongly +what does my stupid friend do in a place like this with these people ?why he wont pick up his phone ?and when you realize what you said, you apologize and look at him with big eyes, she smiles. And she says that it is not a problem, that she has heard worse things

_fem Dazai stripper who tries to silence the sadness in her voice when you ask her about her job.she raises her shoulder and says indifferently, "I don't care which woman or man I accept in my bed. What matters is their money."

_fem stripper dazai that thinks u are so cute and small

_fem stripper dazai who is older than u a few years

_fem stripper dazai who when she smiles make your heart beats so fast and god ! U dont even think that you have seen such beautiful brown eyes and a smile

_fem stripper dazai which does not look different or special from other club girls. Dark hair and dark eyes, but something about her makes her very attractive and special.

_fem stripper dazai who take her hoodie from her personal closet in the club and gives it to you when u shiver from coldness

_fem stripper dazai who doesn't believe in love but she may feel her heart drops in her hand every time u laugh or when she saw u in her hoddie

_fem stripper dazai, who drives u home when your friend wont show up and u promise to give her hoddie back

_fem stripper dazai who jerked off that night in her bed with thought of u

Part 2 👇

[nakylvr]

dealer!dani angst 😭😭 (waiting for part 2).

dealer!dani is getting so popular omg… but hear me out… what if we had a streamer!megan?

-🪼

im gonna be so real i dont really watch streamers like. at all so thats why this took so long...but im here now!! so lets talk about it 😁

warnings/tags: fluff, streamer!megan, f!reader, mild language, established relationship, nsfw content under the cut

streamer!megan who told you that she was a streamer the second you asked why she had such a big recording set up in her bedroom, grinning while excitedly explaining everything to you. she knows most people don't think it's a real job, so she feels quite reassured when you tell her how cool you think it is that all she has to do is play video games while recording herself and she makes money off it. she goes into detail about every piece of her set up like it's her most prized possession, then turning red when realizing how much she was ranting about it before you assure her that it's cute to see her so excited about it

streamer!megan who unfortunately will keep you up in the middle of the night because she's streaming a brand new game that just released. even though she's usually quiet when she's focused on playing, she has to answer questions or comments people are putting in the chat. however if it's any type of fps, fortnite, or a scary game, she will probably start yelling halfway through leaving you throwing a pillow at her to either be quiet or turn it off. which she then apologizes over and over again the next morning when you clearly didn't sleep

streamer!megan who will try to make you play games with her, practically begging on her knees saying that she won't even be streaming and that she just wants to play with you. when you eventually give in she has you sitting there with her for hours playing different games to see what is the best for you and how you play in different games. she'll play fortnite with you, but she will probably end up leaving you behind or you end up dying because she didn't hear you ask her for bandages fifteen times. minecraft is probably the best bet for you two to play together unless it's a scary game, in which you two keep switching who's playing before just turning it off and attempting to sleep.

streamer!megan who will take you to E3 and other gaming conventions with her, even if you try to say no, she's already bought everything and it's all booked. she stays by your side the whole time, her hand never letting go of yours knowing how crowded and chaotic the environment of any convention can get. she buys everything she sees in sight along with anything you want, food, figurines, autographs, exclusive games, everything. she doesn't hesitate to spend her money on things you want or like, even if you try telling her you don't want it, she will still buy it for you. this does mean you have to meet other streamers as well at these conventions, but most of them are nice she reassures you and that she talks to a lot of them or plays with them

streamer!megan who accidentally revealed you to all her followers when she started a live while you were gone, forgetting you would be coming back resulting in you walking into her room and wrapping your arms around her shoulders, not realizing she was live while giving her a quick kiss. she freaks out the second after, and quickly starts explaining she's streaming and that everyone watching just saw, making you freeze thinking you fucked up. megan reassures you that you didn't mess anything up when she sees your face drop, grabbing your hand and pulling you onto her lap and deciding to take it as the opportunity to go public. needless to say, her fans love you

streamer!megan who essentially doesn't sleep, whether she's streaming or not she's playing games into the late night as you lay on the bed trying to convince her to sleep. you managed to come up with a few different ways to get her off the games, some not so as innocent as others when she isn't streaming. when she eventually goes to sleep it's so late that she's still asleep when you get up in the morning like normal, her arms around you in a tight grip to keep you from moving much, leaving you forced to sleep more. not that you'd complain. except for when she wakes up and whines about how tired she is and you tell her again that if she didn't stay up so late that she wouldn't be so tired

streamer!megan who eventually convinces you to play with her while she's streaming, telling you it'll be fun and that she promises she will be fair when playing (she cheats.). you tell her it has to be a game you like though, and she will agree immediately, grinning widely when it's all set up and she starts the live. that being said, no matter what game you're playing, she isn't really paying attention to the game or the chat like she normally would, instead her gaze keeps lingering on you as you genuinely enjoy playing with her while thousands of people watch. her fans notice it instantly, and when you realize and question her on it, she almost cries when explaining that it just makes her so happy to have someone who really enjoys being with her to the point they'd be live in front of thousands playing video games

streamer!megan who is so easy to shop for during the holidays or her birthday. all you have to do is go through her steam cart, see what new games have released she doesn't have yet, or look on gamestop and easily be able to find multiple things for her. she gets so excited, jumping up and down like s little kid no matter what she opens and gets, kissing you multiple times saying how much she loves and appreciates you

streamer!megan who you've figured out how to get her off the game when she's not streaming by touching yourself and purposefully emphasizing your moans just to see her head snap backwards with wide eyes when she hears what you're doing, immediately getting off the game no matter if she remembered to save the file or not

streamer!megan who begs to touch you when you're pleasuring yourself to get her off the game, only for you to tell her she isn't allowed to, causing her to whine and beg more to just get one taste of you

streamer!megan who you've eaten out while under her desk and she's streaming, your eyes staring up at her as she tries to keep quiet before ending up turning off the stream and game to grab your hair and push you closer to her

streamer!megan who's hands you've tied behind her back while she sits in her gaming chair and you give her a lap dance. she squirms around so much, begging you to untie her hands so she can touch you to the point tears well in her eyes

streamer!megan who asks if she can take pictures and even record during the act, promising they'll stay on her phone only solely for when you're not around and she's needy.

streamer!megan who sits you on her lap when she's playing and not streaming, not realizing the way you keep moving around until you're fully grinding against her thigh. her eyes go wide when she does realize, pausing the game to put her hands on your hips to drag you along her thigh, murmuring how dirty you are to act like this while she's playing

[justalunch-blog]

Hyunjin Hybrid ff

Synopsis: In a world where Hyunjin is secretly a ferret hybrid but in a rich family? 

Peiring: Hybrid!Hyunjin x fem!Reader

Fluff! Hybrid au, Ferret hybrid, school au, secerts slight angst,

Word Count: 2869

Author's pov

"Bye, see you guys tomorrow!" Y/n say as she steps out of the classroom. Saying bye to the rest of her friends.

"Bye y/n!" Is heard across the hall as she speeds down, excited to get home and watch the next episode of her favorite anime.

The girl with short shoulder-length hair that is currently running through the hall is y/n. She's 17 years old, soon to be 18. She enjoys video games, anime, and being around animals. She enjoys pet cafes a lot. She is also surprisingly athletic by luck, not because she is, she is actually kind of lazy.

"ouch-" Y/n whispers out, bumping into someone. Since the young girl was too excited to get home, she failed to realize that she was about to bump into someone.

"Watch it will you-" A tall male spoke before y/n looked up with her pretty honey, almost hazel doe-ed eyes.

"s-sorry," Y/n said, feeling a bit intimidated by the tall blonde male.

"Whatever -" the tall Male said as he walked away.

y/n pov

I should've really watched where i was going... or just not run in the halls...

stupid- I scold myself, as i hit my head in emberrasement.

Also... Bumping into Hyunjin, of all people!

He's not the nicest...

He's arrogant... and also very mysterious. He comes from a rich family, well- apparently. He is the son of the CEO of Hwang corporations. Which is obvious.. His last names give him away. He is in a friend group of 7 other guys that are also pretty rich, and Heirs to different rich corporations In seoul.

The group consists of Chris or Bangchan, Leeknow, Hyunjin, Felix, Changbin, Han, I.N, and Seungmin.

They are all mysterious, but rarely do i get the chance to actually interact with them. But I dont really wish too…

Their Fangirls will kill me if i get friendly with any of them...

I continue to walk and make my way out of campus.

My excitement was a bit ruined by Hyunjin's horrible interruption. Even though it was technically my fault... But he didn't have to be so rude about it!

I live a 20-minute walk from the school, Seoul High. I'm currently a senior there.

》▪︎》》

I arrived home, yes- it's a big house, well... It's not that big, but both my parent's income isn't bad, so I'm well off. It's only me and my parents, but currently, they're both on a business trip somewhere in Japan. It's not like they're not home all the time anyway -

I walk in my house, "I'm home~" I whisper to myself in a sad tone, knowing the house is empty.

I let out a sigh before heading to the kitchen to look for something to eat.

"Hmmm~" I think out loud to myself as I look around the cabinets and in the fridge.

... maybe I should go to the convenience store to get some food... it's not a proper anime session without some good snacks and a decent meal~

I quickly walk up to my room to change clothes. I put on some baggy black cargo pants and an oversized shirt, a black shirt, an oversized hoodie, and my short hair up in a half ponytail.

I grab my keys as I walk down to the counter next to the couch where I placed my keys before scouting the kitchen.

I shut and lock the door before heading out.

•••

I made it to the convenience store, I greeted the worker there before going ham on my food list.

"Hmm, maybe I should take these too," I say to myself, trying to reach over to a bag of chips that's on a top shelf.

"Curse my short genes," I whisper to myself. I continued to reach before I slipped from the shelf I was stepping on to reach my target. I get ready for the impact of my butt hitting the floor flat. But instead... I feel a pair of arms on me. At this point, my eyes were shut tightly. I slowly open one eye, looking down to see large hands on my waist. I blushed furiously at the thought before I looked up and completely became mortified... not him..

I look at him before quickly getting up. "Uh - thanks, and sorry -" I say, flustered and embarrassed.

"It's okay- just be more careful next time," He says with a soft tone before handing me what I was reaching for.

Uh- this guy switches moods faster than me on my period...

"y-yeah- thanks again," I say before bowing and walking off to pay for the food and snacks.

"You're welcome." He says.

Whah- what's this guy's deal!

I quickly pay for my things and head out the door.

I walk for a couple of minutes before I walk past an ally and hear a crashing sound. I quickly head over to the sound, thinking it's an animal in trouble.

I look around before a little white creature comes out of a box, Oh- they look injured and must've been playing too hard.

I get near them, "hey- are you okay?" I whisper to it as I raise my hand slowly trying to touch them.

The creature gets frightened at first. "I'm not going to hurt you," I whisper out and smile softly at the small creature. He gets closer to my stretched out hand and smells it before nuzzling into it. "Can I help you?" I ask with my hands out motion for them to let me carry them. He slowly walks to me, with a small limp, before standing on my hands. "Thank you for letting me help you," I say happily, taking them with me. It's almost as if they understood me...

I carry him in my arms as we walk back to my house. After a couple more minutes, we arrive at my house

I unlock my door before placing the little thing down so I can put away my things.

"Stay here, I need to put these away," I say, as if it would understand, It'll probably make themselves at home and roam.

I walk to my kitchen, but I hear skirting behind me, and I look, and it's the small ferret trying to follow me.

"Bud, stay there," I say, pointing as the ferret looks at me and stays.

I finish up settling down before looking at where the creature is, and he is just curled up in a ball, waiting for me to be done.

I walk towards the small creature and pick them up. Waking him up, he yawns before he blinks and looks at me, in a bit of a shock.

"Sorry, did I scare you," I say as I drag a finger up his head in a petting motion.

The little thing just stares at me. "Okay, let's get you fixed up," I whispered. As I take him up into my room with me.

Hyunjin' s pov

I didn't realize I roamed so far in my ferret form...

And it sucks that I ended up bad. Why did that cat have to try and chase me!

Leeknow will pay for this later...

Ouch, I think to myself as I stumble down, I was trying to look for my small gold chain that helps me control my hybrid abilities and help them completely be concealed... but I can't find it. I can usually transform back with no problem and no tail or ears with that necklace. But without it, I might turn back at random and with some features of my animal form exposed.

"Hey- are you okay?" I heard a soft whisper that startled me. Once I got out of the box, I got tangled in.

"I'm not going to hurt you," I hear the soft voice again. Wait... it sounds familiar. I turned to the dirrection of the voice, and my suspicions were right. It's her...

She crouched down to reach my level. And smiled at me... this is the first time I've ever seen a genuine smile from her... I look at her a bit stunned. She reaches her hand out to me. I get close to her to nuzzle her hand, letting her know it's okay.

"Can I help you?" She whipers to me, holding out both of her hands. I make my way with a slight limp... i might have hurt myself when i was running from Lee Know... I stood on her arms before she picked me up, and I cruled up in her arms. she is so warm~

She smells so nice, like flowers and peaches.

I wake up, and we enter a place that looks to be her house. Wow, it's a pretty big house... It's not as big as mine. But a comfy big home.

"Stay here, I need to put these away," She says to me, placing me on the floor before she steps away into her kitchen.

Does she live alone?

As she walked to her kitchen, I walked towards where she went. I just wanted to see her.

"Bud, stay there," she said, pointing at the area she left me at. I mentally pout and go back to where she told me to stay put.

After some time, she made her way to me and lightly picked me up before waking me up. I yawned from how tired I was, and I was a bit stunned, realizing where I was.

I look at my paws, making sure I'm still a ferret.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" She asks me with a worried face. As she ran a finger up my head in a petting motion that felt really nice.

her touch... i want more~

I stare at her for a moment, taking in her rare beauty. "Okay, let's get you fixed up," she whispers to me, I make myself comfy in her arms. We made our way to her room.

Once we get to her room, she places me on her bed. "Stay here," She says sternly before going into her bathroom. She comes back with a medical kit.

"Okay, let me see your leg," She speaks softly before reaching out to pick me up.

But before she could, I rolled on my side so she could see. "You're pretty smart, aren't you?" She says in surprise at how I understood what she wanted me to do. Mentally smacking myself for doing that.

She gently reaches to my injured leg and looks at it, "it doesn't look like it's broken, it's not bruised, just a bad scrape that is still bleeding," she  whispers to herself expertly as if she has done this before. Before starting, she brings a clean towel.

"Here lay on this," she says, placing the towel down for me. She also brings a bottle of some blue substance. "This is chlorhexadine. It stings less than alcohol," she says. Before squirting a bit of it out of the bottle with a nuzzle. She was right. It stings much less than alcohol.

After she cleans up my wound she applies a bit of ointment on the area, "this is just a bit of ointment it doesn't sting," she says making sure I know it won't hurt, she places it and puts a pad to cover the wound before lightly bandaging the wound.

"Okay, that should help," she says, smiling again, I feel my ears burn at the sight of her smile. I walk up to her hand and give her a lick on her hand as a thank you, feeling my ears burn even more. "You're welcome," she says with a giggle that's like music to my ears. I've always noticed her around campus and thought she was very pretty and so smart. She's literally one of the top students, after me. And her visuals are no joke. But she never seemed to notice me. She's the only one I seek attention from, yet hers is the only one I have yet to acquire. I have tried to get her attention, but it never works. Even when we were in the same class, she barely looked at me, yet I would always get caught up looking at her~

Earlier, when we bumped into each other, I didn't mean to sound rude, I just didn't want my crazy fangirls to do anything bad to her. I've been meaning to apologize, but our encounter earlier would've just made her confused.

"Hey, do you want to stay here? With me?" She asks in a soft voice, petting my head.

It wouldn't be bad if I stayed with her today, she helped me and I can't just leave like that. I lick her hand to tell her that it's okay. I see her face light up.

"Good, are you hungry?" She asks me, I look down thinking. And my tummy grumbles. I slightly nod my head.

"Okay, let me cook you something to eat, cuz I'm hungry too," she says with a chuckle.

She gets up and goes to her closet before taking a pair or comfortable joggers pajamas on, I widen my eyes as I see her start to take them off, and quickly turn the other way, blushing furiously at what I was about to witness.

This is more dangerous than I thought...

She could've at least warned me•••

She comes close to me to pick me up, "let's go," she says before heading back down.

She takes her time cooking. Seeing her cook is just making me more hungry. I saw some beef and noodles, and my tummy was grumbling more and more. O- it's that some chicken too??

After a couple more minutes, she finishes. She places some on her plate and some on my plate from separate platers. She grabs both of the plates and places them on the table. "Okay," she says happily. She bends down to pick me up to place me on the table with her.

"It's nice to have company to eat with." She says sadly.

I take bite of the food right away, it's sooooo good!, it's a bit plain though- since she thinks i'm an actual ferret, and doesn't know im a hybrid, hybrids aren't uncommon to hear or see, but they are rare, mostly rich people are actually hybrids, but we disguise ourselves to be a part of society and live as normal as possible. We don't want to be poked and prodded by scientists, so we decided to make an agreement to just blend in as well as we can. People know of our existence. You just won't know who is one and who is not.

"I hope you liked it," she says happily.

"I made it as good for a ferret as can be," she says.

I come close to her and lick her hand, letting her know it is good food. She is so considerate.

"I'm glad you liked it," she says with a giggle at the end.

"Okay I'm pretty much done with my food, let's watch that episode of the anime I've been excited to see," she says happily grabbing me lightly, before quickly walking to the couch.

I can't get over how adorable she is and how fun she is outside of school. This is making me like her even more. On top of her being so nice and considerate towards me.

She takes a seat on the couch and places me on her lap. I curl up on her lap as she looks for what she is going to watch. She puts it on. O- she likes that anime, too!? I think to myself, I have been needing to watch this episode, too.

She plays it, and both of us are very into the anime, "you like it too, bud?" She asks with a big excited smile that makes her eyes disappear.

I slightly nodded, making her chuckle at my action.

》▪︎▪︎》

After the episode was over, it was finally time for us to go to bed.

"Let's go to sleep," she says, yawning. As she places me next to her so she can get up, she stretches before turning back to me to pick me up and take me with her.

"I'm glad I have you for company, I've been pretty alone this past month with my parents out of the country," she says, making me feel bad for her.

I can't blame her for feeling lonely, I do too, all my parents care about is money, and making our company grow. They're rarely home, too. Even when they are, it feels like they aren't around since they are stuck in their offices or at the company.

"I wish you could stay with me for a while, but I know you probably need to find your home," she says sadly, making me look down, realizing I can't stay here forever.

But... then again- my parents won't know, they probably forget I even exist. I can probably stay for a while.

We make it to her room and she sets me down on her bed, before she lifts the covers she snuggles in her bed, as I curl up by the end of the bed, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable.

"Hey," she whispers out to me. I look up at her.

"Come here," she says, lifting up her blanket and patting the spot by her.

Is this really okay

I feel guilty for this...

"C'mon, let's cuddle," she says with a smile that it's hard to say no too.

I make my way to her and snuggle near her. " You're very warm," she says with a small giggle. As she lets me.

This feels very nice, getting petted by her and cuddling against her. She's very warm and comforting.

I felt her shift as she had fallen asleep, and I decided to sleep by her shoulder.

We both sleep comfortably together.

▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎

[cpvnksabm]

Things I Think RTC Did Well In Disability Rep (in 2016-2018 scripts)

exactly what it says in the title. i'm not touching on the pre-2016 scripts because i dont know enough about them and i'm not talking about the 2022 script changes for obvious reasons.

disclaimer, this is all my own opinion as one disabled person, other people may feel differently and that's fine.

Ricky's disability in general

Ricky is a young person who uses mobility aids. He can't talk, implicitly due to dysarthria. He has a degenerative disease, specifically a rare disease which is heavily implied to be neuromuscular. And it's stated outright that his disease is lifespan-limiting and that he's dealt with his own mortality in life.

And all of these things are very underrepresented!

I'm not going to claim that all of these things were explained perfectly or explored in detail in the canon. But just having them on-stage, in my opinion, is a big deal in itself. And it's also a big deal that Ricky is a main character, who has the same character depth as the abled characters, when so many characters like him are reduced to ableist props for other characters' story arcs.

I understand there's been some confusion about the specifics of ricky's disability, in the fandom. And I know part of the confusion comes from the fact that the script didn't explain everything, and glossed over most of the details. But honestly? The fact that so many RTC fans didn't initially understand parts of his disability - such as the fact that it's likely neuromuscular, or the fact that his inability to speak is implied to have a physical cause - just makes it more important that these things were represented on-stage in the first place. They're so underrepresented, little-known, and poorly-understood that many people don't pick up on them even when they are represented!

Just showing these underrepresented disabled experiences on-stage has potential to help a lot of disabled people feel seen, which matters.

Ricky as a victim of ableism

Okay, this one might be controversial, but i'm speaking from the heart here.

Ableism is a huge part of Ricky's backstory and character - the whole Zolar thing is stated to be a coping method to deal with isolation & cruelty. Throughout the musical Ocean infantilizes him in dialogue, and in her song she argues point-blank that he has no reason to be alive due to his disability. The rest of the choir aren't perfect either - sure, nobody else says anything ableist, but they're all bystanders to Ocean's overt ableism, nobody really holds her accountable or acknowledges that what she's saying is fucked up. On top of that, Ricky says after his song that nobody listened to him while he was alive which, combined with the whole choir being shocked upon learning about his deeper thoughts, pretty clearly implies that they all ignored him previously.

And it's so fucking realistic.

Look. I'm not saying that Ocean's ableism was ever handled perfectly in canon. I am saying that when I saw a post-2022 production with the able-bodied Ricky script, I got a sinking feeling in my gut when we got to *that* part of WTWN and I realized the ableist lines had been removed/replaced. Because facing ableism is a huge part of my disabled experience that I barely ever see even acknowledged in media, let alone represented accurately, and the more I face ableism in real life the more I feel I can relate to Ricky, and that is so important to me.

Depicting bigotry in fiction is always difficult to do right - it's a rough balance between "this is not okay and we should not imply that it is" and "many people believe this is okay, wrongly, and that needs to be shown accurately". Sure, you can make it so the antagonist character is overtly ableist and every sympathetic character explicitly says "I do not agree with your ableist views!" and that way it's 100% clear that the ableist actions are wrong. But real ableism isn't just like that. Sometimes real-world ableism is a group of perfectly nice people who just never think about the disabled kid, or how he's doing or whether someone should talk to him, because they've been taught to ignore him. And sometimes it's a girl who swears to God that she's a good person, who considers herself an ally, whose voice stays sweet and kind as she switches between talking to her disabled classmate like he's 5 years old and claiming he doesn't deserve to live.

I think the brutal honesty of ableism in RTC is important. Yeah, it's pretty fucked-up when you think about it - Ocean openly sings about why Ricky shouldn't live, every ableist character is presented sympathetically, nobody is ever actually held accountable for ableism on-stage - and that's just like real life. I'd like to think that it could act as a wake-up call to some abled fans, who are similar to Ocean (+ others) and who could learn to understand the flaws in their worldview when they realize you're not supposed to agree with what she says in WTWN. But even more importantly than that... it makes me feel seen, in a way that I couldn't feel if Ricky's experiences with ableism weren't shown so realistically.

SABM, like, all of it

Do I even need to explain this? Disabled person has a whole furry-themed musical number. That's cool as fuck. God I wish that were me.

Okay, seriously. I think SABM is wonderful and important for a number of reasons. Like all of the character songs, it's important for expanding Ricky's character - not only is it a main glimpse into his interests, but it sets up for us to learn more about his personality and the selflessness that would later lead to the touching Savannah scene. It shows us his deep internal thoughts - it confirms that he has deep internal thoughts - and explains how he's been coping with the ableism he faces.

SABM is weird. I like that. I like that Ricky gets to have weird interests and a weird self-insert fantasy, while being disabled - I like that being disabled isn't treated as his "weird" trait, such that giving him weird interests as well would be "too much". Because that happens a lot! Disabled people are expected to be completely average in every other way to "make up" for our disability. And, yeah, SABM is kind of horny - and that makes sense! Ricky is a teenager, he's in his final year of high school, most people his age do have sexual fantasies. Other characters also reference sex in various ways so it makes sense that Ricky would. And I think it makes sense for SABM to be weird because part of Ricky's backstory is being ignored and isolated due to his disability - that's the sort of thing that, long-term, can leave people without a clear reference point for 'weird' and 'normal', or just leave them having no reason to care about being 'weird' because they're ignored anyway.

But also, if I may get analytical for a moment. Throughout the musical until SABM, Ricky faces a lot of ableism from Ocean, which isn't really commented on - she infantilizes him, both by assuming he's incapable of deeper thought/understanding and by being shocked at the idea that he might talk about porn or sex, and she also argues that he doesn't have a reason to live with his disability. Ocean is a flawed character and an unreliable narrator, but for the first half of the musical, you could be forgiven for thinking maybe you're supposed to agree with her and view Ricky as some pitiable child.

And then in comes Ricky's introduction, followed by SABM. And clearly Ricky isn't mentally a child, in any way - he's developed a whole complex story with deep worldbuilding so that he can imagine himself having sex with alien catgirls. But it also makes it clear that Ricky does have valuable ideas to contribute and, heck, just things he enjoys - which feels significant to me when a few songs ago it was being argued that there's no reason he should be alive.

As I said earlier, the ableism Ricky faces is extremely realistic and relatable to me. And SABM makes it clear that Ocean's ableist views about him are untrue and harmful, without breaking the realism for her to turn directly to the audience and say "By the way, you aren't supposed to agree with most of what I say about Ricky - I'm an unreliable narrator speaking due to my own biases!"

Basically - SABM is a subtle deconstruction of all the ableist things said to/about Ricky throughout the musical. It's an incredibly important part of the musical and an important way to represent a disabled character. And it's also a fucking bop.

Why this is important

Representation matters. That's a concept that has been explained a lot, by people who can articulate it better than I can - I won't fully explain here, just google "why does representation matter".

Look - over the years, many aspects of RTC's disability rep have been criticised in various ways. And a lot of that criticism is completely justified. Many topics were handled confusingly, not fully explained, and not properly explored like they could have been; erasure was pretty much baked into the script, with Ricky becoming able-bodied in the afterlife, and while some productions have tried to alleviate this by retaining his mobility aids nobody has found a workaround for his inability to speak in a genre where it's important for him to sing; and in recent years his disability has been entirely erased from the script, in an incredibly ableist way.

I'm not saying RTC is perfect; far from it. But if I thought there was no value in RTC's disability rep, and Ricky was just some offensive caricature, I wouldn't be in the fandom.

In fact, it's because I love Ricky and see him as valuable disability rep that I think it's important to criticise the parts of the musical that aren't handled well & the issues with disability erasure. RTC had good disability rep - that's why I think it should be improved, why it can be improved, and why i think we should fight against erasure. That's a big part of why I hate the 2022 script changes! Because they erased something that was important to me!

A lot of the things I loved about RTC in the first place are things that I frequently see glossed over, or downright erased, in fanworks. I think sometimes people don't realize the significance of these details, so I wanted to share why I think it's important! Some of these details really need more exploration and more love!

Overall, I think it's important to understand that media can't always be sorted neatly into "good representation" or "bad representation". And that talking about the good things and criticising the flaws can both be important. I really wanted to share my perspective on this topic. Thanks for reading!

[starr666]

Cw: submissive!idia shroud x fem!dom!camgirl, whip usage, slight embarrassment kink?,

Minors dni

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Fem dom cam girl reader x Idia Shroud

He lost the bet— Idia Shroud, Gloomurai— the forever anxious, introverted, gamer boy, who’s only stroke of confidence comes from his smarts or his expertise in the world of gaming— had lost the bet to her. His best (and only) friend had beaten him at a new fighting game that came out, loser had to do whatever the winner says…and who knew that it would lead to his best friend having him laying on her luxurious bed with nothing but a cover over his shivering body and high quality cameras covering the different spots in the room, y’know, for perspective. While she stood at the edge of the bed, body adorned in black lingerie, royal blue bows accenting the corset-like middle, and fishnets her curves more defined than ever. She looked down at Idia with rope and a leather whip in one hand, gently swiping it across the other gloved hand and some rope tucked under her arm. An assortment of dildos that were compatible with her strap’s harness.

“A loser’s debt is quite deep, isn’t it, Gloomurai~? Now be a dear and wave to that camera for me, hm?”

The blue haired man attempted to further hide himself under the cover to hide the ends of his hair turning a bright pink, but as soon as his arm was up, she briskly made work of him with the rope, arms behind his back in a beautiful style. She pressed down onto his back and he immediately knew that meant for him to have his ass up for her and the cameras to see, and the next thing he feels is the whip making contact with his ass.

crack

“Since you dont know how to follow directions, you won’t be able to touch me through this whole process…now, go on, look at that camera riiight in front of you and tell them why you’re in this predicament.”

His head lifts to look at the camera that showed his face and he is already struggling to stop himself from drooling from the first hit

“I-I- l-lost tHe bet—” he stuttered out, his voice slightly cracking from the pressure

CRACK

“Louder, less stuttering.”

“A-ah~, yes ma’am— I lost the gaming bet to you.”

“And what does that mean for you?” her tone dropped, the words almost coming out in a hush but still loud enough for the microphones to pick up on

“That I…have to join your cam show for the day-“

“Good boy~.”her gloved fingers were already covered with lube and she wasted no time pressing her middle and ring finger into his ass, already meeting his prostate and feeling him clench in pleasure.

“Oh you poor thing, have you been anticipating such an opportunity with me? You’re already clenching around me~”

“Mm~N-no- ma’am.“

slap

“Are you sure? Because mistress doesn’t like liars” her other hand was wrapped around his throat, the statement was growled into his ear

“O-okay…m-maybe a little bit…”

another slap to his ass was made and he let out a screechy moan

“Cut the shit, you’re my biggest donor, aren’t you~”

his hair turned completely pink as he realized that she knew from the beginning…but he didn’t find much time to bask in such a thought after she added another two fingers, which were essentially sucked in by his needy hole

“Tsk…tsk…tsk, what a pathetic slut. Might as well make it worth your while, top donor~”

He tried to keep it quiet but the microphones still picked up on his gulp and whine that followed shortly after he no longer felt the fingers in his ass. Before he gets the chance to ask what happened, he groans as he feels a sudden fullness take over him

“Ohmygoditssofuckingbig” he whispered under his breath

“Oh…you think that’s big darling? This is just from my starter pack…I’m going to fuck you until you can truly call me your top donor~”

A/N: hehehe, get it, like a top who is also a sperm donor-

[karavery]

MAGIC, grey's anatomy headcanons

(extreme woke warning. don't like, don't read)

cross-posted from tiktok w/ minor changes... ignore all the anatomy mistakes pls this drawings like a Month Old. keep in mind i've only just started s11!!!!!!!!

MEREDITH - im not that big of a mer person actually, so i dont have a lot to say about her.

i think that she prefers men over women, but she would date a woman. i really like mertina + addimer i looove me some yuri

she's grown from her trauma but i think that it affects her so, so much than what appears on the show. she doesn't harm herself, but i do think that she's attempted more even after her first few attempts.

my fav mer ships are merder, mertina, and addimer 🙇🙇 I LLOVELVEOVOELVEL addimer that toxic lesbianism is Serious bro

ALEX - ohhh boy oh Boy do i have a bit to say about karev.

him having sex w/ the school nurse at 15 years old impacted him (hypersexuality) in a way that alex isn't aware of. (or, he probably is semi-aware of how it was bad, but he doesn't think much of it because he considers himself lucky.) (i could talk sooo long about how 15 was just a horrible year for alex w/ everything going on w him but theres alr too much in this post...)

pre-merger alex would not be out as gay (that is something that i have realized after ive drawn + posted this.) i think that he wouldn't necessarily beat himself up for being gay, but he'd definitely prefer not to be out. if it doesn't chip down his masculinity & tough exterior then yeah, be gay whatever. he's down with the rainbow. stopped dating guys after o'malley + percy died because he thought he was a dead boyfriend magnet (crazy gf lightning rod, dead boyfriend magnet. holy shit alex) he has s/h scars from when he was a teenager but has been mostly clean since. he jokes about relapsing to close friends, though.

fav alex ships are karevomalley, karev/avery, izzlex, Idk one big poly ship and karev and every man in the show

GEORGE - OHHH MY SHAYLA... MY SHAYLA...

autistic + adhd thing is mostly just projection. He is Me Cored.

he is SO Closeted its really bad. he is 100% ADAMANT that he likes women, which is why all of his straight relationships go wrong. Because he Doesn't Like Women. hes GAY.

his mom is. a devout catholic and he comes from a family of big burly turkey shooting men. he's already different from his family and peers, which discouraged him from ever considering that he was possibly (is) gay.

he dated alex karev methinks but it was more like, an on and off thing more than anything. i love to entertain the idea that him and alex were out and happy and jooyouss but the angst that i get from internalized homophobia george and alex is so, so much better. Dear other karev'malley (aleorge? gex? geolex?) fans Please please Please write more angst fanfics for meeeeeee :3c (oh i could talk about karevomalley for soooo long its really bad)

IZZIE - oh Isobel Stevens tehy oculd never make me hate you

to me, all of her relationships were comphet. her and alex were more of a, more than friends less than lovers sort of deal to me (love izzlex, though!) she didn't really like men, she sorta. forced herself to to me denny was a bpd attachment. i don't think that Anybody in their right, sane mind would cut and lvad wire, possibly KILL another person, and endanger their love for the sake of them living. ESPECIALLY for a man like denny. it was so Insane, and idk why people don't think izzie was somewhere on that messed up line, but god forbid a woman be crazy i guesss..

my fav izzie ships are cristina/izzie (dubbed cardiovad by me and oomf), izzlex, and storres........ Ohhhh how i love cardiovad.

CRISTINA - there woudl be world peace if she didn't kiss owen hunt and kissed meredith grey instead.

she's canonically dyslexic but to Me i think she is Autistic. her special interest is cardio surgery. she eats sleeps dreams cardio, she YEARNS to be the heart-in-an-elevator guy and probably had a really bad meltdown because of hahn not teaching her.

she comes off blunt or insensitive and has trouble figuring out other people's emotions/tones. i think that.. once she dates a woman she realizes "damn this is actually better than a guy." so she just stops dating guys. if it ever comes to it, she Can date a guy but like girls just do it better for her. she has so many lines about lesbianism like do you have something to tell us, cristina yang...

Her whole deal w teddy was so serious like trading owen for teddy is some QUEER stuff.

my fav cristina ships are tedstina, mertina, and cardiovad. Ohh i love tedstina the intense yearning they both wanted eachother so bad but they thought they wanted eachother professionally. Ohhh Ohhh teddstina

Yeah thats It i would Love to hear other ppls hcs/ships as well spread #peace and stay #woke karavery nation.

[spaloonbabooguuscooties]

You could drink your whole life away and still never get that taste out of your mouth.

half commission for @salempie half completely self indulgent dreck pieced together from our insane conversations abt franke and elka. told myself id finally write a big explanation for all of the dum shit between these two for context so Thats Under The Cut.

so I already wrote some stuff about elka and franke's relationship back in whispering rock so feel free to look at that too . it goes over elkas blindness/‘seeing’ with clairvoyance and how her and franke started talking & all that good stuff

SO FOR STARTERS. a lot of thsi wont make sense without a big breakdown of elka herself. because elkas potential as a character is like insane to me. like just the idea of her in the long run of her life reads as something so potentially tragic; a young girl whos plagued with visions of doom and destined to be an outcast even in her own home for things she cant control and clings to the One vision of her wedding that she thinks is 'happy' even despite the fact she doesnt really love the person in it. im choosing to take the li-po doc as canon here because its funny shes the only one with backstory-

but my fucking god even the smallest look into what her parents are like is soo fucked up to me. and i do think elka especially gets a lot of influence from her mother; its funny how easily you can fit mabel doom into a box just from what elka says about her. knees deep in an avon-esque pyramid scheme and leaning into her daughters depressing ass visions & taking her to therapy at age 11 (which would be good if not for the kind of person you can already assume she is & so i doubt the therapist she has really does her any good. i think they share one). she reads as a very I Am My Daughters Best Friend type of mom to me and i can see elka being a centerpiece of the conversation when she has her Amway Girls over for drinks. wine-mom that lets her kid sip from the glass so she can feel like a big girl type deal.

and you can tell that elka is trying to hard to be too mature for her age even in her campster posts. how she writes letters to nils' mom and exchanges baking recipes with her and that feels like she really only interacts with middle aged women and not really many people her own age outside of camp (like her moms friends). which makes sense shed feel the need to ‘grow up’ early when shes probably had to process so many hard things at a young age bc of her visions.

theres a lot of filling the blanks here of course.

elka obsesses over nils to an overbearing degree even despite the fact he treats her like shit ('you promised no talking' and so on) and she treats him bad right back. she leans onto stereotypical heterosexual ideals like taking care of him and overblowing how Manly and Protective JT is and she admires romance stories like pride and prejudice and it feels like she Projects Soooooooo much of what she wants onto boys she barely feels anything for without knowing what its actually supposed to feel like. and clearly she WANTS that ideal future, a happy marriage, an actual romance- but according to nils even when they were dating she ignored him most of the time, which just seems Very Telling

like shes filling a role, overcompensating for emotions and lacktherof she cant digest quite yet, and it only makes more sense when you know shes had visions of their future together. how could that be bad for her? shouldnt it be like the books and movies? but she doesnt really connect the fact that her visions are only for Doomed futures, and if she does she certainly doesnt show it. Doomed relationships. it's been a part of her family for generations and she isn't turning out much different, is she? i dont think she even realizes thats all she ever sees yet, just that its Going to happen. that it's Her future, and it always will be

and like, her only reference for a real marriage so far has been her own parents, and she already Knows they have an affair, and theyre doomed to split, (and i actually like to think they were in rough waters anyway and elka was a child meant to mend a crumbling marriage but thats a whole other thing) and so without a framework for what an actual healthy relationship is supposed to be like she cant really grasp that her relationship with nils Isnt that and isnt ever going to be. she can only cling to this one happy idea of the future, and thats why she keeps chasing him, self fulfilling the actuality of her situation and creating and fostering the unhappy life they will inevitably live together.

and that bleeds into everything else in her life, of course, because as the years go on, as the visions grow in number it just makes sense for her to fall into the predictability of her life. she always knows whats going to happen, her visions are Never wrong- so why try to change things? shes had time to process tragedies days, weeks, months, years before they happen, shes had time to settle into every crack of her life. her parents divorce, her various break ups, her future with the psychonauts.

“and she's already seen so much of a future with [nils] she feels trapped almost. Like she has to be happy in it or else it just means her life is miserable. And it's a mixture of pride and fear of the unknown that keeps her clinging to the One thing she knows. BUT LIKE!!! She knows what's gonna happen! It's easier to grieve when she's been grieving for years... She wants so badly to be happy, But to do that she has to step into the unfamiliar. And that's more terrifying than staying the same miserable person she's always been.”

and thats where franke comes in— and yeah you Do have to take a lot of liberties for frankes character since it’s basically, like, all the info for her is just that shes a Supreme Baby Dyke but thats enough for me. i think she has protective butch itch in her . on campster shes defensive over other women evidenced in the way she keeps watch over the girls cabins for lili when elton is pursuing her . but shes also eager to please and constantly trying to make kitty laugh and also Very naive. but she tries! and i think it only solidifies more as she gets Older and really gets a hold of her feelings & her powers. this is incredibly franke to me

and i think as they grow older together— because i think franke and elka Do stay friends, both because elka is just pathetic and needs that positive connection even if she doesnt realize it and because i think franke is a very Loyal person & annoyingly persistent if you let her be . and i am also a kitty/franke truther. because kittys also important in this web we weave

because i think franke and kitty stay together after camp, to a point— theres a falling out facilitated on kittys end and they break up, but reconnect, and franke kind of... saves kitty from herself a little, from her strict military father whos love only extends thru finances , from her own stifling future , she drives all the way to bakersville in her shitty van handmedowned from her dad and they move in together eventually . they get jobs at the motherlobe , because it’s a pipeline to a decent job, because it’s whats easy, because franke doesn’t really have a future, because she’s never really been good at much, because shes never had much sense, because franke doesnt really care as long as she can live and help, sometimes, if she can, and because kitty’s there, and because elka’s there, and shes so used to being elkas eyes now and shes good at it. shes good at being the muscle of the missions when her colleagues lack it, when hypnosis and predictions arent enough. she likes it that way.

and elka appreciates frankes company. she listens, shes sweet, she does little things for her that no ones ever really put the effort for before; she likes her. franke is strong and bold and makes her laugh and shes always there but god elka cant let go of that future, of that box shes put herself in, that her mothers put her in, of being a Good Wife to a Loving Husband, of getting married normally and falling into unfailing familiarity. thats all shes ever wanted and shes not going to jeopardize that . not for franke, who may not be a boy but is handsome like one, whos always held her after every break up with nils and the men that filled empty days inbetween.

and elka is too stubborn to recognize those feelings anyway. too prideful to accept a way out. too set in her cycle no matter how much she hates it, her little self fulfilling tragedy of her own making, wallowing in her own doom. she struggles for control of her own life when she feels like every choice has been made for her anyway, she puts up her walls and carefully constructs what people see. but franke was always harder to trick, because while empathy isnt a particularly useful psychic power it’s certainly an inconvenient one. all franke has to do is get too close and all those carefully crafted walls fall apart, and elkas control is gone, and thats all she really has. and she tries to distance herself, really she does, but franke is also too persistent. and elka wears gloves, keeps contact that would make her walls crumble from happening as best as she can, but she cant really keep herself from the brief moments where she feels like someone actually fucking cares about her.

and that slightest lack of control, the need to wrestle it back is why she proposes to nils the next time theres a falling out— she knows how it happens, she plans every detail. and he accepts, despite everything. gets her a cheap ring and it feels like lead on her finger and its nothing at all like how shed thought it to be when she was a kid, theres no feather light feeling in her chest, only that dreadful reality that she cant turn this back. BUT WHAT CAN U DO LMAO

elka doesnt tell franke about this engagement until later, on their way back from a mission. late at night when neither of them can sleep, and franke invites elka to smoke in her van, because its been so long since theyve been alone like that, because elkas been so strangely absent lately. and because of everything, because frankes always so damn nice, because elka hates the feel of the ring on her finger, because she let herself get high alone with franke fucking athens whos always been so good at pulling her apart— the truth of it all spills out and its messy and emotional and she hates it, she hates the life shes made for herself, but franke makes it easier to bare and now shes here and shes so close and god she wishes she could see her smile again, she wishes she could see franke, thats all she needs right now and she cant but she can touch her and she can hold her and for tonight, she can be known, she can let those walls crumble, she can be something else just for once here with franke . she can kiss her here in this van, touch that happiness for just a moment, and forget the future that waits for her outside of it. franke begs her to forget the wedding, to just let herself be happy— and god, she wants to, but it means turning her back on everything shes known and everything shes saw to be inevitable, and franke has never been in her future, so if it were supposed to work out why hadnt she seen it and she cant, she cant take that risk but she can have this, even if its temporary, she can have it.

and just as soon as she gets a taste of it, its gone. after that night, after the missions over and theyre back at the motherlobe and have to pretend like nothing happened (franke doesnt, of course she tells kitty about it, she tells kitty about everything.) but that brief moment together haunts elka every time she sees franke, sees herself through frankes eyes, sees herself in her wedding dress because god its all franke can think about! of course it is! she knows how much elkas destroying herself she knows how much misery shes wallowing in that kiss in the van felt like an emotional punch to the teeth and she hasnt ever forgotten it and all she can do is sit and watch while elka throws herself into a loveless marriage. she can come to her wedding and see the way the bride and groom kiss with the emotional weight of a wet towel no matter how hard elka tries to hide it under a pretty dress and bouquets of flowers and meticulous planning.

and elka resents nils but she cant really hate him, its not his fault, not really. he feels trapped just like she does and his feelings of misery only cycle back into hers . they fight and gnash and wear away at each other and its a relationship thats crashed and burned a million times before elka even said i do. and its inevitable that she falls into her mothers habits, a sip of wine here and there to loosen up, until it turns to a glass, until it falls into a bottle on nights when whatever work nils does runs late.

but franke’s still there. shes always been there, hasn’t she? always trying to play knight, always trying to save her, dragging her home when shes stumbling over herself because god who else is going to do it but her? who else is left to care? certainly not nils. never nils. because franke knows her. because franke pities her. shes always pitied her. shes always known. and elka hates it, she resents it, but god in the same breath she’s desperate for it, she envies it to her very bones. elka is a mess but after frankes done with her she has someone to go back to that loves her. and god what elka wouldnt do to have that. to take it and keep it for herself because shes never ever got to have that movie romance shes always wanted.

so now comes this.

because elkas particularly miserable and particularly spiteful and she needs to get franke to understand, just for a moment, drink with her and get on her level and she needs her there with her no matter how her pity makes her feel. no matter how much it makes her shake with anger and envy and desperation, but god the way franke looks at her, the way she still tries to salvage what they have, the soft, slurred way she tells her that it’s okay but its not okay, none of this is okay, it never has been and she just wants franke to shut up and see that, and if she cant then she’ll show her, she’ll show her all the raw angry desperation, with too much teeth and hands that claw and grab and she’ll know why everyones always said she’s too much.

and she knows this puts her on nils’ level too. that this makes her a cheater, that shes no better than he is now. no better than her father and his affair. but god, she wants to be selfish. she wants to be in control. just for once. she wants to feel right and she wants to feel happy and she wants to feel loved. thats all shes ever wanted. and franke will let her have that, just for a little while, at the very least.

anyway. sorry. sorry for being crazy . this isnt even getting into the shit after the comic takes place . elkas stupid brainworld thag she has to overcome in order to finally be allowed in the polycule and live happily ever as worlds first lesbian divorceman

sorry for all the shit i make up instead of caring about actual characters with screentime . bye !

[camthecatchameleon]

cranking the image description out for this one boys

lineups of the Crews from the two Legends of Avantris campaigns I’ve actually listened to with consistency (still not finished with EoM but I’m on 21 so I’m getting there dont worry) + artists notes

Highly suggested that you scroll below the cut for this. (my handwriting is not the best + its small + some hidden design notes too :eyes: )

Image 1: Carnivalé LeCroux (not drawn to scale lmao)

(from left to right)

Hootsie: least fun to draw (Boring shapes) (draw the least). Typically I imagine her as a horned owl owlbear so her canon “eyebrows” flatten out and connect to her neck. I just think it gives her a nice silhouette. Frost: least fun to draw (cat). I’ve been drawing him with Chinese/vaguely East Asian-inspired robes because he’s from the mountail of Yulong and you can’t just give me a place called “Yulong” and expect me NOT to go ham on the east asian inspiriation. (east asian artist here.) Gricko: don’t draw nearly enough, most fun to draw (hair). I gave him a permanent cowlick on his bangs and I think the shapes are nice. Chunks ripped out of his ears are from Hootsie when she was younger and couldn’t control her strength. Kremy: most fun to draw (lizord), draw the most, did the most reference study for. I may love to draw lizards but crocodylidae are so uniquely shaped. Scrolling back through my ouaw posts and you can see I am still getting used to it. Torbek: most inconsistent, stupid machinery doesn’t make sense. The shape of his canisters and the collar with a keyhole both are from the first time I drew him, which was without a reference, and they just. Stuck. Gideon: Big boob indulgence, stupid machinery doesn’t make sense. Drawing him with awkwardly long hair, post-trauma fat, and smile lines is my favorite passtime. His marriage rings are on a necklace because they get in the way of punching clowns. Twig (pre-death): draw the least (can’t figure out her shapes). Drawing her fractured glasses and refracted eye is my favorite time.

Image 2: Witchhunters!! (I think my headcanon height difference is funny)

Shortest to tallest (briggsy and farryn are the same height):

Briggsy: Still figuring out how to depict distinction from Kremy (gator). So far i’ve got more spikes and a thicker neck and thats about it. I’m working on it. Farryn: fun shapes! skinny L. Ever since learning how to draw body fat I’ve never gone back its actually so hard to draw skin-and-bones skinny people now. Marius: least consistent (can’t decide how curly her hair is), armor L. Yes I headcanon he/she marius do you have a problem with that? Bat-like ears because heehoo. I just realized the symbol I drew on his chestplate looks like the Horde symbol from she-ra FUCK can you tell I don’t look at references? Jericho: most fun to draw!!! (draw the most). I like to draw virgil!jericho with four-pointed-star slits instead of just orbs with pupils because I think shapes are fun. Lethica: drew her wrong for WAY too long. I hadn’t paid enough attention to her actual ref and covered up her chest initially I’m so sorry queen. shes so pretty though. Although I do think its infinitely funny to headcanon that she actually looks pretty average. Tall women my beloved. Yorgrim: least drawn, Beard + Big indulgence. No seriously I’ve only drawn him twice. Hes awesome though soft rectangular shapes ftw.