#I can't believe the starbucks unicorn frappuccino is part of this man's character lore

[inksandpensblog]

For the questionnaire: question 1 for NGD!Dark?

What is the character’s go-to drink order?

He didn't know a lot about drinks while he was on the pc.

Not even the difference between regular drip coffee and an Americano, or regular iced coffee and a cold brew. All he really knew was that dark roasts were stronger than medium ones, and he probably only knew that because noogai looked it up while Christmas shopping or something.

Orange would sketch various different beverages as art studies, and Dark was happy to taste-test them. He ended up liking many of them, as long as they weren't overly sweet.

(He did not like the unicorn frappe. That was...that was not a good day. He never figured out whether it was because Orange imagined it incorrectly, or because it's just inherently an abominable and abjectly-disgusting drink, and he's never been willing to try a real one and find out.)

Anytime he asked Orange for a drink, though, instead of just letting Orange make one for him because he felt like it, he'd usually just ask for a coffee or a water, nothing elaborate. Mostly because, if he was asking for a drink, then it wasn't for enjoyment; rather, it was because he'd be working on something for hours at a time and he wanted to stay awake or refreshed while doing so.

As for the extended timeline...

If he's drinking coffee because he needs to stay awake, he won't even look at the menu, he'll just look the poor barista in the eye and say he wants the strongest, darkest drink they have. He doesn't care what it is, or whether it's hot or cold, or how much it costs; though he gives the impression that he wants it made as quickly as possible. He leaves before the barista can count out his change and he's already downed half the coffee by the time the door swings closed behind him.

If he's drinking coffee for leisure, he'll have a brief look at the menu and casually order the first beverage with the word "latte" in its name that catches his interest.

This could be a regular latte, or a matcha/chai/turmeric latte, or any other variety; he's willing to be a little experimental about the taste, because what he really wants it for is so he can stare at the milk foam art while he drinks it. It...makes him feel nostalgic.

If it's a regular latte he usually has a specific request for the art, but if it's his first time trying the drink he'll let the artist surprise him with one of their routine designs.

If it ends up being a sweeter drink, he'll have some complimentary spices added to it (whether powdered, like matcha, or whole, like anise stars or cinnamon sticks). It's...always more spice than you'd expect a person to be able to handle.

Will tilt his cup 180 degrees to get every last dreg.

Waits until right before he leaves the venue to tip.

If he's a guest at someone's house, he's more likely to ask for some kind of fruity or herbal tea, or even cider, mulled or otherwise. Though if he knows there will be coffee he might bring along a bottle of Amaretto to leave at their house for next time they invite him over. (He'd wondered what Irish coffee tasted like back on the pc but figured it wouldn't be a great idea to drink one while he was attempting to figure out escape plans. When he finally got to try one it ended up being too sweet for his liking.)

#ngd!verse #ngd alternate/extended timeline #he considers the unicorn frappe a torture method #I can't believe the starbucks unicorn frappuccino is part of this man's character lore #ava enthusiasts #let's see how much Inks projects onto her characters today #he really shouldn't know as much about coffee as he does #fun fact: when you taste-test a roast you're supposed to drink it black #adding stuff obscures the natural flavor in the beans #also you're supposed to slurp the coffee #that way the taste isn't all concentrated in the front of your mouth before you swallow it #there's taste buds on the back of your tongue too and slurping is how you let them get a taste too #slurping also cools it supposedly #supposedly