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raayllum · 3 months

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my crack canon quartet timeline bc @jelzorz did one and it's useful bc there's a decent amount to juggle

as always said quarter is Rayllum, Corvus/Terry, as well as aged up!Soren/Opeli and aged up!Ezran/Claudia. Y'all know the drill by this point

Relevant ages:

Opeli is 11 years older than Soren

Ezran is just under 7 years younger than Claudia

There's a rough alternative in which Claudia stays working with Aaravos for likely longer than she will in canon (aka for another 3-4 years) but for the sake of canon compliancy as its own interesting route...

Post-S7

Operating under the assumption that S6/S7 is wrapped up within a year / it takes about a year for everything to be somewhat stable (and that Opeli survives S6/S7...)

Ezran is 13, Callum is just shy of 18, Rayla is shy of 19, Soren is 21, Claudia is 19, and Opeli is 32.

Claudia and Terry's relationship did not survive all the upheaval, and after a short stay where they're both at the castle as friends, Terry departs for the western Katolis border for a fresh start (and to meet other, more open-minded humans). Claudia and Soren (taking a leave) go to Del Bar to reconnect with their mother and her family; the relationship is established, if perpetually strained.

Callum stays on that year as high mage, but he and Rayla know they'll be happier long term in Xadia / he can do more good studying and teaching the arcana to others by leaving. They move to the Hollow Wood (just magic-y, human friendly, and Moonshadow-y enough for them), a bustling Moonshadow city that isn't far from the Silvergrove (which let Rayla back in, but she likewise wants a fresh start). Callum teaches/studies manual connections to arcanum, and Rayla learns physical therapy and eventually teaches it, apprenticing in the city. They also appreciate the Anonymity that comes with a life away from court/Katolis. [ 20k oneshot detailing this first year away is outlined in my head ] They make sure to visit regularly though

Having a vacant High Mage position, Claudia and Soren come back, and she tentatively takes it up, at first more informally and then in title. (She has the Sun arcanum and it suits her). She brews a lot of remedies to help her body heal from the dark magic use over the years, as well as ones for Ezran as king and Opeli (stuff to ward off carpal tunnel and sore throats from talking a lot). Also plenty of hot brown morning potion. Claudia apprentices with Mavi, the castle physician.

Soren and Corvus start dating (Soren is like 22, Corvus is 24) and Moonshadow elf reintegration at the border starts, particularly in Ellis' town thanks to the Moon Nexus. Upon invitation, she comes to live at the castle as a veterinarian and Lujanne's Moon arcanum protege. Rayla and Callum get married (aged 20 and 21 respectively). Soren asks Corvus (and Opeli) to dance at the wedding

Wanting ultimately different things from life, Corvus and Soren break up a couple years later. Soren is 24 going on 25, and begins to take more notice of Opeli, as Corvus leaves to do more inter-Pentarchy reconnaissance for Ezran at the western border of the kingdom. He flirts with her, half-jokingly, and Opeli flatly shuts him down, and they become closer friends as Barius grows older and less likely to attend council meetings, and with Corvus as a buffer (as Opeli was always closer to him and more like minded)

Ezran is around 15 and strikes up a courtship with Ellis, but it is short lived. They stay friends, he introduces her more formally to Queen Aanya, and the two girls take an interest in each other. Soren (25-26) and Opeli (36-37) become quite good friends, often addressing each other affectionately as Captain and Cleric, respectively, Soren helping her learn how to defend herself (thank you jelly for the headcanon), and sharing snippets of poetry with each other. When Opeli has to travel home after her father's death to help put her estranged family's affairs in order, Soren accompanies her for safety reasons

Ezran is 17, and begins to develop some burgeoning feelings for Claudia, who still sees him as a young friend / more little brother figure. He and Soren go on a trip round the Pentarchy for about half a year for diplomacy reasons, and then come home when he's 18 going on 19. The time away and shifts in looks/personality allows Claudia to start seeing Ezran as more of an adult, but not totally as a love option (yet consciously anyway). Soren suspects there's been a shift on Ezran's end

Terry (24-ish) and Corvus (29-ish) meet at a pub and think the other person looks Strangely Familiar. However, there are plenty of elves and humans of all sorts out here at the borders, especially since Katolis and Duren's western borders open up the rest of the Pentarchy, and more elves are returning to their abandoned Nexuses / travelling to sell wares and help remove the spaces that dark magic previously filled. They become good friends, even if Terry is far more close-lipped about his past, and are dating for a little while before realizing why/how their pasts are intertwined. After a good laugh, some questions, and even more tears, they keep on going

Soren, who is 27, begins flirting more openly with Opeli (38) again. She finds herself surprisingly flustered, although they don't court plainly, it does eventually get there emotionally to the point there's Something going on, but Opeli firmly keeps it in limbo / is convinced that Soren will lose interest (we shall come back to this theme)

Ezran is 21 and helps officiate Ellis' and Aanya's wedding. He asks Claudia to dance; she accepts (under Opeli's hypocritically judgmental eye, tbh) and Soren likewise begins to think there's something persistent there on both sides. Callum and Rayla roll back into the Pentarchy for it and stay for a few weeks afterwards at the Banther Lodge with everyone; Callum is able to be civil with Claudia. He and Rayla (26 and 27) are pregnant with their first child.

Around 22, Ezran confesses to but is turned down by Claudia, who cites that she is too old/broken/damaged for him and that it'll pass, in spite of the fact she's fairly certain she is 1) mutually in love with him and 2) this is permanent on her end, not wanting to ruin his life 'again'.

A few months after, there is an attempt on Ezran's life from a pro-human anti-reunification extremist; Claudia's remedies save his life and the distance between them dwindles further. A concerned Callum and Corvus return from the castle, although Callum is doubly stressed as Rayla is 7-8 months pregnant back at home (the freed from coins in-laws have come to lend some help as well).

It becomes apparent that Claudia and Ezran are courting, quietly, to Opeli and to Soren, although most of the rest of the staff remain oblivious. Claudia is fearful of what everyone will say, and Ezran doesn't want to scare her off, so they keep it a secret. Opeli is greatly disapproving, partially due to the age gap but mostly due to Claudia's history, but Soren steps in to defend his sister and make sure Opeli doesn't spoil their happiness. Unhappily, she backs off

Corvus, visiting in the castle for the first time in a while, notes the changes between both pairs, and also discusses his relationship with Terry to Claudia and to Soren, who are happy for them (if find it mildly weirdly awkward/hilarious that their former partners are together). While Opeli, Soren, and Ezran make a trip to Xadia to go visit Rayllum and the new baby, Claudia goes to visit Terry, and the two renew their friendship properly; she encourages him and Corvus to get married, as Terry is beginning to plan for it

Shortly thereafter, Soren (29-30) and Opeli (40-41) start a physical thing, although Soren knows that it's More than that even if Opeli won't quite say it out loud. She subsequently backs off her disapproval of Claudia and Ezran, leaving the two confused and delighted respectively, although Claudia puts the pieces and respects her brother's privacy. Opeli tries to put up some more distance, fearing she's grown too attached / being quietly jealous when Soren has another woman interested in him, she eventually fesses up and the two are fully a couple. Opeli steps down as High Cleric but remains on the Council

At 23-24, Ezran proposes to Claudia (29-30), who full on panics, and flees to her mother's home in Del Bar. Ezran follows, and Lissa is very dryly aware that the King of Katolis is on her doorstep, but gives the two time to talk and her daughter some marginally helpful advice. A letter from Terry likewise helps. Claudia gleefully, tearfully does accept the proposal and goes back home, even if she's nervous about finally telling Callum (and Rayla's had some suspicions for a while now)

Callum and Rayla comes home for Soren (31) and Opeli's (42) winter wedding and stay a few weeks with their firstborn son, Raeven, who's around 2-3 years old. Rayla is pregnant with their second child. Ezran explains that he and Claudia have been courting for just under 2 years and that he intends to marry her. Callum does not take it well, for a variety of reasons, and it's one of the biggest, if not biggest, arguments the brothers have

Rayla and Callum leave, and the brothers don't speak to each other for 4-5 months, till Rayla needles that he wouldn't want Ez to meet the birth of their baby, and Callum folds and apologizes. He's not happy about it, but it's Ezran's choice and he can't stop him

Soren (32) and Opeli (42-43) are unexpectedly pregnant with twins (Opeli being a future sister-in-law of her king is not something she ever suspected, never mind that her children would marginally be in line for the throne and cousins with said heirs). Claudia and Terry swap ideas for their weddings (because Corvus beat Terry to the proposal punch) even if she's a bit more overwhelmed by a Royal wedding and mildly amused she's still having one, it's just not to Callum the way she'd always assumed it would be when they were young

The Sorpeli twins (Briella, she/her, and Brynn, she/they) are born in spring pretty close to the second Rayllum fanbaby, Juni (she/her). The births both go smoothly. Ezran (25) and Claudia (31) are married.

Callum remains civil but still a bit colder with Claudia until she (now 32) and Ezran (26) are having their first child, and there's complications in the birth/pregnancy due to prior dark magic use. He warms up a lot, seeing first how worried Ez is and how continually loyal/devoted Claudia is to his brother, and the fact they named their baby Sarai II doesn't hurt either. A few years later Claudia and Ezran have their second and last son, Daryenn. They take trips every once in a while (alongside Soren and Opeli sometimes) to go visit Corvus and Terry and their couple of kids as well

Assuming everyone here 1) lives throughout the show and 2) an epilogue doesn't show who anyone else is married to except Rayllum (in which case for Claudia in particular I will have the time of my life writing a Clauderry divorce fic) this is my canon, this is my endgame, no one can take it away from me, Thank You Goodnight

#after the war #post season seven #canon crack quartet #headcanons #claudiez #corterry #castle kids #the gang's all here #text post #long post #mine #consider: getting married and having babies as a form of happy normalcy after all the shit you've been through #can be subversive in a world where you had to fight tooth and nail for that to even be an Option

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eluminium · 2 years

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The Life Series, Curses, and One ImpulseSV

Canary curse this, Beansanity curse that. Let me tell you about a much more subtle and less noticed curse haunting the Life series, and also im gonna tell you because I'm not coping with Double Life ending, and I want to make others suffer the same realizations I had.

Let's talk about the Bridle Curse. Let's talk about Impulse.

(Btw if you wanna know why I chose the name Bridle Curse then just scroll to the bottom there's an explanation. But you could also read the post and try to figure it out yourself ;) )

Impulse is, for the most part, a pretty all bark no bite guy. I'm pretty sure he ranks as one of the lowest in terms of kills. 3 kills in 3rd Life, no kills in Last Life (unless you count that time Scar died to the lava trap outside of the Southlands and the assist on the Bdubs Wither kill, then he'd have 1 and a half), and no kills in Double Life.

(Btw this is more reason for him to GO OFF HIS ROCKER ALREADY COME ON IMPULSE YOU HAVE AT THE MAX 4 AND A HALF KILLS OVER 3 SEASONS. GO CRAZY. MURDER.)

All in all, Impulse is a chill man, here to fuck around and find out.

But the thing that's fun with him is that in every single Life season so far, he's always had a sort of "purpose" or "goal". Something that defines his entire season, something everyone remembers.

In 3rd Life, his purpose was to be a mole/spy to gather information for his allies, the Day One Crew. In Last Life, his purpose was to help Grian summon the Wither, going so far as to straight up head to the Nether and get a new skull after he failed at getting the already existing third one. And in Double Life, he was a homewrecker with Bdubs. All of these things are what he is remembered most by, they were his purpose in a way. Of course, almost every single member of any Life season usually has their POV defined by a certain role or goal. But it's here where Impulse diverts from the average.

He always loses his red life soon after his one defining thing can't continue anymore.

Think about it. In 3rd life, he was the mole, the traitor inside Dogwarts. When did he die? After Dogwarts was brought to ruin and (almost) every Red Army soldier lay slain. You can't continue being an inside man when there are no more major enemies to infiltrate. And even then, he had already shown his cards. He was never gonna be able to keep his schtick going, no one trusted him. His purpose was fulfilled, he had served his role. Bdubs betrayed and shot him not long after.

In Last Life, he was part of the Southlands, but his big season-defining act was the Wither. Gathering the skulls, passing them around, and finally helping Grian summon it. When did he die? Right after the Wither was sent back to where it once came. His entire role surrounded the Wither. With it gone, and no chance in hell to summon another one, he had no more use. He got shot by Scott seconds after.

In Double Life, we got him and Bdubs being homewreckers. Spreading gossip, trying to lie, (despite Impulse being just, a horrible liar, especially when put on the spot), and break up other pairs. When did he die? Right after the last attempt of the series to separate a pair. They've escaped, and they're digging a staircase out. And one last time, they try to throw suspicion on someone, by throwing it on Scott against Pearl. It fails, obviously. The Divorce Quartet were too close, ironically, and they're the only ones left. The possibility of Impulse persisting in his purpose was nonexistent. Not long after making it to the surface, they're found by Pearl and slaughtered, with Bdubs accidentally delivering the final blow onto Impulse.

Every time Impulse's purpose is completed or irrelevant (or both), he falls.

BUT WAIT, IT GETS WORSE! THERE'S MORE.

If you pay close attention to the little list I just made, you may notice another pattern. Impulse is not only killed when his role can no longer be played but he's killed by the purpose itself OR by the person who GAVE him that goal.

Who gave him the mole role in 3rd life? Team Crastle. Who killed him in the end? Bdubs, the last surviving member of Team Crastle. What caused his death in Last Life? Two arrows from Scott, who wouldn't be there if not for the Wither, and would not have taken those shots without it. Who gave him the homewrecker role in Double Life? Bdubs. Who killed him in the end? Bdubs.

(Speaking about Impulse's LL death...I mean, come on. What more evidence is there for the universe to want you dead than being killed by someone who broke the rules to do it. Scott wasn't red, and Impulse didn't attack him directly. Scott shouldn't have shot Impulse, logically. I'm just saying, sounds like divine intervention to get rid of Impulse after his purpose was complete. No, I'm not a conspiracy theorist stop looking at my board of red string like that-.)

Impulse is a tool. He's a tool that performs one single thing and is then discarded. He does what he does, and when he has run out of benefit, in the eyes of the universe (and in the eyes of his allies, consciously or unconsciously), he's thrown away. Broken. Never given a proper chance to fight back. Ambushed, caught off guard, and denied a choice. Whether that is to be a man on the inside, to summon an eldritch abomination, or to sow seeds of distrust, it all ends the same. When he can no longer do it, the curtains fall. He's more useful dead than alive.

That's his curse. Cursed to only do one noteworthy thing, and die shortly after, by the very hands that used to wield him.

It's ironic how he didn't pick up horse riding until Double Life. You'd think a one-trick pony would gravitate towards them.

(I called it The Bridle Curse cuz a bridle is the face thing you put on a horse. It's a tool used to steer horses. I couldn't decide if I wanted to name the curse after the tool concept or the one-trick pony concept so I just combined them. And I mean, Bridles are very specific to horses and has like, one purpose...I'M TRYING HERE OKAY COMING UP WITH NAMES IS HARD. Feel free to suggest like, another name if you want.)

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strandbuckley · 4 months

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What do you think danny would do/say about max being a menace in the twitch chat? 👀🤭

Not gonna lie, this one got away from me. I set this in the quartet verse because that's where I talk about this dynamic the most so apologies if that doesn't fit your vibe

Feel free to send me more of these little blurb prompts, I really enjoy them

Cross posted on ao3 here (just in case reading long posts on tumblr annoys you)

______________________________________________________________

When Daniel returned home from running errands, the door to Max’s office was shut. That wasn’t an unusual sight, he usually liked to clock out the noise of the cats while he was sim racing or keep the other three boys out of sight when he was streaming with Redline. Daniel was almost positive he didn’t have a stream scheduled today, but he still knocked lightly, the secret code they’d established upon all of them transitioning to living together in Max and Daniel’s apartment.

There was a moment of silence from the other side of the door before Daniel heard Max call, “Come in.”

Max was sitting at his sim setup, the title screen for one of his racing games pulled up on the monitor in front of him but no game running. Instead he was on his phone, grinning at what looked like a twitch stream.

“Hey Maxy,” Daniel stood behind him, squeezing his shoulders lightly and dropping a kiss to his head. “Whatcha doing?”

“I just wanted to drop into the boys stream for a minute,” Max explained, closing the app and locking his phone, placing it face down on the desk to turn in his chair and give Daniel his attention.

“Didn’t feel like streaming with them?”

“Not today. Lando and Charles will be home tomorrow, so I wanted to spend some time with just us tonight.”

“That sounds perfect baby,” Daniel pressed another kiss to his head and ran his fingers through his hair, ruffling where his headset had pushed it flat against his head. “I’m gonna go get started on dinner.”

“Okay. I’ll be out in a minute.”

Daniel padded into the kitchen and started pulling out the pre-portioned ingredients for their meal. He wasn’t much of a chef but he could follow the instructions written on the lid of the container. Max made his way into the main room while Daniel was sauteeing the vegetables and took a seat at the island. He immediately started up his stream of consciousness chatter, filling Daniel in on all that he had missed from Max’s day while he was out. Daniel always found it amusing that Max was usually so reserved but almost never shut up when it was just the two of them. He wasn’t even this talkative with Charles and Lando, though Daniel thought that had a bit to do with Lando having no filter and barely even shutting his mouth when he was asleep (Daniel loved him more than anything but he wondered how his jaw didn’t constantly hurt from moving so much).

Max was half-way through a story about Jimmy terrorizing Sassy, which was almost a daily occurrence, when his phone pinged with a message. When he saw that it was from Lando, he turned down the heat on the stove top and picked his phone up, still half listening to Max.

Muppet: look at what Max has been up to today (link)

Danny: realnamegucci?

Daniel furrowed his brows in confusion as he scrolled through the twitter (yes he refused to accept the rebrand) post Lando had sent him. It was a series of screenshots of increasingly unhinged comments in the chat of today’s Redline stream.

Muppet: crane accidentally on purpose exposed Max’s burner account

Danny: oh shit

Muppet: i think Maxy needs a spanking

Danny: is it your place to decide what Max needs

Muppet: no sir

Danny: good boy. now go to sleep it’s way too fucking late where you are

Muppet: yes danny

Muppet: but if you spank him at least video it for us

Danny: lando

Muppet: sorry

“Everything okay?”

Daniel looked up to see Max staring at him with his head tilted to the side like a confused puppy. He realized that he’d become completely absorbed in his conversation with Lando and stopped listening to what Max was saying to him.

“Sorry baby I got distracted. Just Lando being a menace.”

“So a normal Tuesday then?”

“Pretty much.”

“Anything important?”

“Nah, just a link to some twitter post he wanted me to see.”

“You know it is “X” now don’t you Daniel?”

“Fuck you, you know I don’t accept that shit.”

Max chuckled, then yelped as Daniel threw a wadded up paper towel at him, nearly falling off his stool in his attempt to dodge it.

Daniel plated their meals and sat Max’s in front of him, then joined him at the bar. MAx waited until Daniel had taken the first bite before digging into his own food.

“Good boy,” Daniel praised, reaching over to squeeze Max’s knee gently.

He hadn’t asked Max to be submissive tonight, but he loved the way his boy fell back into their old dynamic when it was just the two of them. He loved Charles and Lando and their relationship wouldn’t be complete without the two of them, but he missed Max’s submissive side sometimes and found it to be a crime that they didn’t have nearly enough time during the season for Max to sub like he used to.

They ate in comfortable silence, Max occasionally leaning in to bump his shoulder against Daniel’s. There was no pressure, since they hadn’t planned a scene, but he could tell Max was slipping slightly and seeking the contact for comfort. When their plates were cleared, Max stood up without being asked, taking both of their dishes and loading them into the dishwasher. He started the cycle, then pulled the cleaning spray from under the sink and gave the counters a quick wipe-down. He also filled both of their water bottles with fresh ice and water before standing in front of Daniel, waiting for further instructions.

“You’re being a good boy for me tonight Max. Is there something you want to talk to me about?”

At some point, Daniel had caught on to what Max was doing. He was owning up to the comments in the twitch chat without even knowing if Daniel knew about them.

“I may have done something today,” Max said quietly. “Something I probably shouldn’t have.”

“Alright,” Daniel kept his voice even. “Let’s go sit on the couch and talk about it then.”

Max nodded and Daniel took his hand gently, leading him to the living room. Daniel sat on the end of the chaise part of their sectional sofa and dropped a decorative pillow to the floor at his feet. Max didn’t need to be instructed to kneel, he did so of his own accord. He flipped open the straw to his water bottle and pressed it gently to Max’s lips.

“Drink.”

Max took a few small sips then pulled away. Daniel sat the bottle by their feet and looked down at Max.

“Tell me what you need to tell me, Maxy. The floor is yours, I’m here to listen.”

“While you were gone I was watching the Redline stream. But I watched it on my other account because I didn’t want anyone to know I was there and then start overwhelming the chat trying to talk to me. And Crane and the guys were making jokes so I joined in. Then Crane sort of told everyone it was me. I’m sorry Danny.”

“What did you make jokes about Max?”

“Kinks and stuff,” Max mumbled, dropping his chin.

Daniel didn’t allow it, pressed his fingers under Max’s jaw to make him raise his head.

“Why tell me Max? I didn’t watch the stream, I never would have known.”

“Because those things are private. They’re for us and I know that everyone is taking it as a joke because that’s all it was really. But I don’t want you to think that I think this is a joke.”

He couldn’t help but smile at Max’s earnesty.

“I know you don’t think this is a joke Max. Thank you for being honest with me, I’m very proud of you. Now I’m going to be honest with you. Lando sent me a post that showed all of your comments. I’m not angry, I thought it was funny, just like everyone else. But I’ll ask you this since you felt the need to come clean. Do you think you deserve a punishment?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” “Because I disobeyed a rule. Technically, one of the rules is to be careful what I say so that none of us gets caught and no one gets suspicious.”

“That is true. So what do you think I should do about it?”

“Spanking?”

“You know, that was also Lando’s suggestion.”

That made Max smile a little bit.

“Tell me your words baby, then I’ll talk you through my plan.”

“Green is everything is good, yellow is slow down and talk it through, red is stop immediately.”

“Very good boy. Now, I’m thinking twenty spanks with my hand. Standard and easy.”

“Green,” Max said dutifully when Daniel took a pause.

“I also want to video it. Lando asked and I think it would be fun to use a recording of you being spanked on him when he’s being a brat.”

“Green.”

“Very good boy. Wait here.”

Daniel stood from the couch and maneuvered to set his phone up on the tv stand to record the scene. Once he’d artfully fashioned one of their lamps into a tripod, he pressed record and made his way to sit back down in front of Max. He brushed the younger’s shoulder once as a single that the scene had started, then made himself comfortable.

“Over my lap Max.”

Max positioned himself so that his hips were over Daniel’s thighs and his chest was propped on the sofa. Daniel tugged his sweats and underwear down just enough that his ass and the tops of his thighs were exposed.

“Twenty spanks. Count them for me.”

Max counted right on cue as Daniel littered his skin with sharp hits. It wasn’t the intensity that he would have chosen for a harsher punishment, he didn’t feel that a few dumb jokes on a livestream were deserving of something too painful, but it was definitely enough to sting and he could feel Max’s pale skin growing warm under his palm. When twenty hits were up, he gave Max a moment to breathe before righting his pants and pulling him to sit.

“Let me go turn off the camera baby,” he said, tucking Max into the corner of the couch with his water bottle and a soft blanket draped over his lap.

The punishment wasn’t intense enough that he felt Max was in danger of sub-drop, but aftercare was still an important part of their routine. When he returned, Max had drained half of his water and was sitting comfortably waiting for him.

“Feel better now,” Daniel asked, joining him under the blanket and pulling his head to rest on his shoulder.

“Yes. Though now I’m angry at Lando for ratting me out. I should spank him when he gets home tomorrow.”

“Unfortunately it’s not a punishment when they enjoy it.”

“Fair enough.”

“Come on, let’s go lay down. It’s our last night with as much room as we want.”

“As much as I like being able to breathe without getting hair in my nose, I really do miss Charles and Lando.”

“Yeah, me too.”

*****

“Honey, I’m home!”

Lando announced his presence upon arrival to the apartment.

“Bedroom!” Max called back, sushing Charles quietly when he stirred at the noise. As soon as he’d gotten home, Charles had dragged them to bed, not pausing to hear any protests. He’d sworn he was going to stay awake to wait for Lando, but that had gone out the window about five minutes after his head hit the pillow. So Max and Daniel had spent the better part of the morning snuggling Charles and waiting for their fourth partner to join them.

Lando had already stripped himself of his outer layers by the time he reached them and stopped only to shimmy out of his sweats before joining them in only his underwear and a t-shirt. He wedged himself between Daniel and Max, laying mostly on top of the latter so he could prop his chin on his chest.

“Hi,” he smiled, flashing the gap between his teeth.

“Hello to you too,” Max greeted, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

Lando turned to kiss Daniel, then manipulated his body into the strangest shape Max had ever seen to kiss the top of Charles’s head before settling again.

“So,” he grinned up at Max mischievously. “How was your spanking?”

“Lando,” Daniel, swatted his ass playfully. “Leave him alone.”

“Did you film it at least? We never get to see Max get put in his place,” he pouted. “You always pick on us.”

“That’s because you’re a brat,” Max said, pinching him lightly.

“Hey!”

“Both of you hush,” Daniel said. “You’re going to wake Charles.”

That put both of them to rest, knowing there would be hell to pay if Charles was woken before he was ready. It was silent for a few moments when Max leaned in to whisper in Lando’s ear.

“Don’t worry baby boy, Daniel recorded it. We’re just saving it for something special.”

Daniel groaned and tugged Lando back into his chest to put some separation between the two of them.

“Menaces, all of you.”

#formula 1 #formula 1 rpf #my works #max verstappen #daniel ricciardo #maxiel #quartet verse

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raewritesf1 · 5 months

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WAG George!! Imagine established relationship Gax where Max is still an f1 driver but George isn’t. George coming to the Grand Prix and staying at the Red Bull garage. Them not trying to hide their relationship but they never outright said that they are in one. George wearing Max’s clothes. George in parc ferme and Gax hugging after Max is p1 and Max looking down at George from the podium.

-LH

(Am I going to make George Toto’s son daughter . Yes, yes I am because I cannot help myself)

But George who is not is a driver but is still pretty well known in Motorsport world. Who’s Toto’s daughter, and still friends with the quartet, and who is still a massive Lewis fan, who the camera will pan for time to time in the back of the Mercedes garage (with occasional appearances in the Williams, McLaren, and Ferrari garages), and who is not know for having a great relationship with rb and especially Max.

And people start noticing weird things when George moves back to Monaco. Photo of her at home with evidence of someone else being there (two half filled cup, two plates, random body part or the silhouette of another person) despite her supposedly living alone. Cat toys occasionally in sight despite her not ever saying she has a cat, helmets in the back of pictures that look nothing like quartet member or any of Toto’s old racing helmets. Evidence of a relationship though she never mentions anything about seeing anyone (sort of like the whole soft launch trend but she just never acknowledges it and it goes on for way too long to be an actual soft launch)

So imagine everyone surprise when she’s spotted one day arriving to the paddock with Max all smiles and shoulders brushing and everyone confused cause when did these two become friends. But everyone initially brushes it off as nothing cause maybe they just ran into each other while arriving and started talking, and you can still be professional with someone you don’t like.

That is until later during the lead up to the race when the cameras pan to George in the back is the Rb garage joking around with Christian who is offended that she would ever wear a Lewis Merc hat in the rb garage and instead make a whole show of replacing it with a Max hat and she just laughs but doesn’t fight it. And social media kind of blow up cause um what the hell is going on????

But everything dies down because the race is starting and we have more important things to focus on. the feed does make a point to switch to the rb garage whenever they can partially cause Max is in a fight for first partially because it means they can catch a shot of George, still very much wearing the Max hat, watching Max and Lewis battle it out. (They ofc then pan to Christian before immediately switching to Toto because drama)

That is until the end of the race Max comes home p1 and does the usual celebrations with his team and such. And as he’s taking off his helmet and talking to Horner and team members he just pauses, pulls George into a hug gives her a kiss of side of the head, and just continues on with his conversation like that was nothing. And everyone swear that he spends his entire podium celebration just looking at her??? And neither of them acknowledge anything. Max just completely sidesteps the question in the post race, Christian gives smug non answers, and Toto is just as confused as everyone else.

People obviously start coming through both of their social media to find out what tf is going on and the signs of a relationship just become more and more obvious.

Vacation photos that are just so obviously taken in the exact same location at the exact same time, instance of Max talking off camera to someone else during streams, George photos where she’s wearing clothes that are so obviously Max’s. All the helmets people had been spotting are his, the silhouettes and occasional body part match up with him. Like they are very much dating, have been dating for a while, and definitely just moved in together.

Max and George despite having their entire social media flooded with questions about their relationship say literally nothing. They don’t say no they just never acknowledge the questions.

#hmm would this be a nice genderbent fic 🤔#welp time to edit all the pronouns #my asks #this was longer than I originally planned #I apparently have a lot to say about wag George #wip: gax wag au

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always-a-joyful-note · 6 months

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So because I want to record my progression of where I am in the story, I'm posting my impressions of the units so far. (Disclaimer: I haven't read many of the stories, and about half the knowledge I have is from osmosis and spoilers. The other half is actually reading wiki entries and the actual stories. So if these takes are inaccurate, that is probably the point XD)

Without further ado....

fine - unit of 2 rich kids who are sort of trying to be slightly less evil but kind of still are evil, one (1) theatre kid who is just there for the ride and his crush, and a butler with the face of an angel and the threatening aura of a ezekiel-accurate angel in disguise. Also another impression I had of it was one chronically ill idol stan with three of his idol crushes. But they're solid, if slightly flowery; not exactly my style but their songs are good.

Trickstar - literally my sons. Traumatised idiots who choose to continue to see the bright side with a slice of anarchy. They're all so dumb. Their leader looks straight laced but is more insane than his co-leader who is perpetually wearing the ^u^ expression (except when trauma slapped). The other two members are a camera-phobic gamer boy who is also a model and a guy who exudes reliability and sanity but is also kind of an insane workaholic with inferiority issues. I'm adopting them all and their songs are like…both generic but SO sincere you can't hate it.

Ryuseitai - Me when first meeting them: Awww! A power ranger themed unit! So cute! Me, after hearing stuff about the two senior members' lore and how they recruited their youngsters: (clutching my heart, trying not to sob/lose my mind) Aww! A power ranger themed unit! S-so cute! I would die for literally all of them…WHY. Such silly happy sincere tunes sung by such silly, devastating characters??? Found family, to me

Alkaloid - everyone here believes they are holding everyone else back with their psychological problems (Mayoi), disability problems (Tatsumi), ability problems (Aira), or culture shock problems (Hiiro). And yet they're the unit whose songs have mostly all been ones I absolutely loved. Which means the assembly machine factory idols Eichi's got going on are working and idk how I feel about that

Eden - A bunch of guys with severe family issues who probably have never read the bible (well, maybe Nagisa has). So, like, tw inaccurate depictions of the bible? Anyway, deranged quartet of a softie obsessed with cool rocks but really he has sort of a god complex, a guy with a perpetual :D who is as smart as he thinks he is but is also kind of oblivious to all of his other skills and flaws (and thus is a combo of terrifying snake and kind of someone you're sort of humouring because he's funny), a spoiled princess who might have a bit of a savior complex, and a dude who kinda just got swept along for the ride but is actually really fond of them. And it shows in their music.

Valkyrie - Just….theatre kids, who put the drama in dramatic and the intense in intensity (that's definitely not how the expression is used). They also have a very strange thing going on even though they're trying to be healthier, but I'm too afraid to ask. Unfortunately, though, they have some killer compositions and so many references to Classics and Things, not to mention their songs are genuinely good for those who want that quick theatrical vibe

2wink - Adorable twins that I was lured into thinking were the normal mischief twin duo trope but what in the actual ensemble were the writers DOING? They deserve at least half the cw/tw tags. Also, one of them is kinda like Trickstar (just wants to make things brighter) while the other one has schemes and will not hesitate to destroy you while giggling, yes. All that angst but they have such cheery tunes. Like, boys please….

Crazy:B - I mean, with a name like that….listen. You think it's the guy with the metabolism-related medical condition who has a dad implied to be accused of cannibalism and his freeloader who is a literal prince but also constantly broke that would be the most insane. But, no, we also have a fifteen year old assassin who has definitely killed and a guy who is literally both committing identity theft AND helping in witness protection. But, yes, their songs are fun, as is their dynamic. Also…Amagi brothers. Ough.

Undead - This is just…four urban fantasy love interests thrown into a unit. I'm not exactly sure what urban fantasy race Adonis and Kaoru are (though sometimes I'm inclined to think adonis is the protagonist who just kinda got swept along for the ride except he does have the vibe sometimes (aka casually kidnapping HiMERU)) but a vampire and werewolf are very obviously there. Really do love their rock and roll style, like come on (though I sometimes do think it'd be cool if they let Rei's love for jazz into their songs)

Ra*bits - Look. I love them. It really is just a single dad with one of the most messed up backstories doing his best. But like, also, leave them alone please?? The writers really just made them the damsel in distress character that makes Subaru go "oh, I have to take this revolution stuff seriously" and that's not even mentioning all the other stuff they seem to go through??? Like they do not belong in whatever genre Enstars is going for but they make it work but….let them rest. Songs not my style but they fit their vibe of "smile and spread joy" which works cause I do feel joy. Like Trickstar without the revolutionary goals.

Akatsuki - TBH, I'm still kind of wondering why these three (a warrior, a mangaka, and a tailor who used to be a delinquent) are still idols. I mean, they do have talent and traditional aesthetic is fire, and they're definitely sort of found family, but why still idols guys? That said, again, songs not my style but they definitely capture their aesthetic and vibe and that's always cool to me. Also, one of the members was raised in a Buddhist temple and helped with funerals, and I do not know enough about Buddhism enough to say if they portray a Buddhist accurately but given how they portray everyone else's quirks, it probably still has a giant dose of deranged on it.

Knights - HAHAHAHAHA. They're all insane. But they have talent and earned their place in the big three. But that does not make them less insane. That's all because I will go a bit barmy if I think about them too much. Silly, insane knights who enjoy hobbies like kidnapping (affectionate) and dancing/singing (will kill you in a duel)

Switch - Look….at heart, I can't hate these fantasy game isekai themed group. I enjoy their music because I do like the electropop remix/edm thing they have going on. And it DOES kill me that the only two 3-people units (Akatsuki and Switch) both have the dynamic of "a couple of parents and their beloved and most treasured cinnamon roll of a chaotic son." But like Valkyrie, I don't know what's going on with the senior members and am too afraid to ask, especially since they seem fine with it while their son with synesthesia cheers them on.

MaM - He is literally a cowboy. I - is there a thing with Japan and cowboys? And did someone at the writer's table see that samurai, Victorian thief, cowboys, and pirates post? Because somehow, the only member of this unit is all of them. A very stark contrast against his weirdly cheerleader/mom friend songs. I know he has mommy issues (mafia thing, I think) but.....son, are you okay?

Double Face - Yeah, okay, I love them. They might be the murder unit and I still have no clue to their formation but I love it. Put the Victorian cowboy thief samurai pirate and the child assassin together and you get secret agent type music that sounds like it could be in an old spy flick? How can you not love it?

#i love that the last post i reblogged before being eaten by life was the mlp enstars one #i think thats a true representation of who i am as a tumblr user #anyway please forgive if I assessed the characters and units grossly inaccurately #theres just TOO MUCH and im slowly learning but there just keeps MORE coming???#this is like getting into bsd and constantly being surprised by the media #or mlp which has 9 seasons and a bunch of spinoffs help #anyway if you asked me to choose a favourite unit i really dont think i could #im just kinda fond of all of these kids...#overall enstars has the sort of 'how to be bright in a very messed up world' sort of thematic vibe?#sometimes it fails and to be honest its not the BEST written as it could be #but i am just way too fond of media that is good but also bad if thats anything #enstars #ensemble stars #stuff i say #fandom spamdom #enstars spoilers #sort of?#is that even a tag i should use?#long post

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littleladymab · 10 months

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I've put a bunch of old drabble requests into a giant doc and i'm slowly poking at them and I figured since it's nrmts week why not do a real old prompts from @bardicspiration that was a "hope we don't get caught" kiss post aa4.

Perfect little exercise to distract me for a few hours!

++++

Miles had a lot of time to think about how he felt about the entire situation. He had the time from the first text message from Phoenix, I think I broke the case, then seconds after, I mean in a positive way not in a way that needs to be fixed — just in case, you know, you thought I needed your help.

That had stung, a little, but he had taken it in stride. He knew what it was supposed to mean (you don’t need to panic and fly halfway across the world to save the day, I have this handled), and it made him think about the situation.

Then, the next text message a week later. Check your email.

Article proofs and case files that Phoenix had access to before they would go public. Outlining one simple thing: The case, that had subsumed Phoenix for seven years, had finally come to an end.

And Miles didn’t do a single thing.

It seems a little unfair, he thinks during the 11 hour flight, that he couldn’t help. Both of them were people that had a hard time asking for help, but shouldn’t he be more prepared to give it? Something more than a silent shoulder for support when things got rough?

All of this and more is what Miles thinks about as he makes his way through customs at LAX, as he remains in pensive silence as Gumshoe drives him to the hotel the Wrights are hosting the party in.

Miles had so much time to think about the entire situation, but absolutely none of that mattered when Phoenix looked up at him and smiled in that wholly radiant way he hadn’t in seven years.

“You made it right in time for the toast,” Phoenix says, laughter in his voice as he reaches to take Miles’ suitcase. He waylaid them in the lobby instead of letting Miles go check-in and leave his things with the bell desk.

“I ran every red light to get here,” Gumshoe says proudly, because that’s the joke by this point, and Miles sighs and shakes his head.

“He didn’t. He drove responsibly.”

Phoenix winks conspiratorially. “Right. I won’t tell the cops.”

Gumshoe sputters as he follows behind them, successfully cutting off any chance of retreat Miles might have had to duck away long enough to stop by the bell desk.

“This couldn’t wait at least a minute?” Miles grumbles, though he finds that he doesn’t really mean it as Phoenix’s hand brushes his as they walk.

“I’ll help you with your luggage after this is done,” Phoenix promises.

He doesn’t have to. Miles can easily leave it with a bellman. But there’s another brush of hands, the faintest pressure of a finger hooked around his to form a bare hand hold, a reminder that it’s been months since they’ve last seen each other, and Miles keeps his mouth shut.

Trucy has her arms around him as soon as they are at the table, and then she flounces away before he can remember to respond — pressing a glass of sparkling apple juice into his hand as she goes to greet Gumshoe.

At the place of honor at the table, hands clenched nervously around a mostly empty pint, is the young attorney Apollo that won the case. His eyes bug out of his head as he spots Miles, and he nods politely and gives what he hopes is a reassuring smile. There’s Kay and Ema and Maya, only Franziska missing from their quartet though she couldn’t avoid a court date to make it out here. Pearl gives him a little wave and an even littler smile.

And those are just the people he recognizes, though there’s even more crammed around the cluster of tables. People that Phoenix has gathered to him over the years that Miles hasn’t been there.

Trucy returns to sit at Apollo’s side, leaning companionably against his shoulder, and Miles remembers with a start that Phoenix mentioned they were half-siblings.

Phoenix claps his hand a little roughly on Apollo’s shoulder, and the resulting yelp is loud enough to end the conversation from everyone around the table. He lifts his glass of sparkling juice and casts a smile around the gathered crowd. “Thank you all for coming. Each of you has been instrumental in helping me these past seven years, but of course none of this could have been done without Apollo. Your support for me has extended to him, and he’s more than earned a place at the Wright Anything Agency. This is to congratulate him on a run of successful trial and to welcome him on as an permanent member of my team. Cheers!”

There’s a riotous applause from those gathered at the table, Trucy whooping in support as she shakes Apollo’s arm.

The young man’s smile is watery as everyone descends on him to offer their own personal support and congratulations.

It also serves as a perfect distraction for Phoenix to usher Miles back out of the hotel restaurant towards the front desk. He stands back, Miles’ suitcase still in his hand, as Miles checks in.

And because he can read the situation without being told, Miles declines any luggage assistance, saying that they have it handled, and follows Phoenix to the elevator.

“You still haven’t told everyone?” he asks as they wait.

There’s a tinge of embarrassment to Phoenix’s posture as he navigates the suitcase into the elevator when the doors open. “I’ve been so caught up with handling the press surrounding Kristoph’s case that I don’t want to chance what would happen if our relationship went public.”

“You think someone would leak it?”

Phoenix shrugs, then looks down as Miles takes his hand. His smile softens, and he rubs a thumb across Miles’ knuckles in response. “There’s still a part of me that’s having a hard time letting myself trust people again. Trucy knows. It’s hard to keep anything from her. Maya, I’m pretty certain has figured it out.”

“Franziska knows.”

“Couldn’t keep it from her?”

Miles shrugs as the elevator dings to signal their floor. “I tell her everything.” He double checks the room number on his key packet. “I understand. There’s press for cases, which is fine. That’s a part of the job. But when it starts to carve its way into your personal life…”

He had his fair share of the press sticking their noses where it didn’t belong after the von Karma case. After the Gant case. After his return, despite how discreet he attempted to be.

He shoulders open the door to his room and stands aside to let Phoenix bring in the suitcase, though that’s about as long as he allows himself to wait.

Miles pulls Phoenix in for a kiss before the door has even finished swinging shut.

“We can’t be gone long,” Phoenix tries to say, though he makes no effort to dissuade Miles — in fact, doing quite the opposite and draping his arms around Miles’ neck to keep him in place.

“They’re all very intelligent people, I’m pretty sure they’ve already put two and two together,” Miles laughs as he backs Phoenix up against the door. “And if not, let them guess.”

Phoenix’s laugh is muffled through the kiss.

#this is more buildup than it is smooching but meh #ace attorney #narumistu #this isn't officially for the week though it could fit into day 3 (free choice)#I just figured it was as good a ship as any to pick from the list #a lil miss fic #lil miss writings

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seeker-for-arts · 6 months

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Headcannons for the Aetheria theater girls

Following a short discussion in the RAIN COAT!! discord server, I decided to write a headcannon post for the Aetheria theater girl trio and their reception towards physical affection - mostly hugging.

This post contains full spoilers for Chapter 2 of Raincode; it only makes sense once you have finished Chapter 2.

Waruna

Even before Aiko's death, physical affection has always been met with a big fat "no" from Waruna - it doesn't fit her image of the bullheaded actress of the theater club who does what she wants on her own terms. She has this energy of a skittish cat who will back off and hiss warily at someone slowly extending their hand towards her in an attempt to pet her. Any sign of trying to initiate "that touchy-feely stuff" will earn you a deadly glare and only one warning to back off, and further advancement might result in the poor soul getting decked on the back of their head.

Amongst the quartet of close friends, she's slightly less aggressive, but will still vehemently resist any show of affection, primarily from Aiko or Yoshiko (before the former's passing, that is). Any attempts for a congratulatory hug from either of them after a killer performance are usually met with a gentle shove and a roll of her seafoam green eyes.

Although, very rarely, she will accept the physical contact without protest if she sees that the initiator truly needs that silent comfort for one reason or another; an example of this happening would be the heart-to-heart she had with Yoshiko a few months after the fallout of Aiko's death, during which both girls broke down and expressed the hopelessness they felt over the situation. It was a tender, vulnerable moment that Waruna keeps close to her heart, and not a soul outside of Yoshiko and Kurane knows of the incident.

(The aforementioned heart-to-heart is an idea I adopted from Murder Pact by AKhaos, which is a fic that stars the three girls.)

Yoshiko

After Aiko's death, however, Yoshiko grew to become more guarded, and less accepting of affection as a result. She won't threaten to claw your eyes out, unlike Waruna, but she will try to quickly wriggle out of a hug when given one, before giving a gentle explanation that she doesn't like that kind of contact anymore. She only initiates physical contact if the recipient obviously needs it as comfort, and doesn't do more outside of that. The other theater club members understand and respect this, knowing how close their new leader was to Aiko and how she may have been affected by her death, even if they don't know the true extent.

Yoshiko used to love physical affection back when the group was still together, and received hugs and the like without any issue. She was the other "hugger" amongst the quartet aside from Aiko, being the second-most frequent initiator of compassionate hugs towards her close friends. She sincerely respects their boundaries, of course, but as Waruna has frequently complained about, sometimes it feels like she gives hugs to her snappy fashionista friend for no reason other than to annoy her.

The only people she has no issue receiving physical affection from post-Aiko's death are Waruna and Kurane, although that only happens once in a blue moon, because Kurane would rather be tasked to help calibrate the sound system of the theater hall than to give any physical affection, and Waruna is, well, Waruna.

Kurane

Let's make one thing clear here:

Kurane does not initiate physical contact.

Getting touchy and up-close with someone else is just... not her thing, okay?!

She's not a social butterfly! Half of the time, she's alone in her own corner in class, and she would like to keep it that way; hugs and the like are not her domain!

She would not necessarily deck you for hugging her or giving her an assuring pat on the back (the most she will do if the action was unasked for is to firmly push you away), but please do not ask her to do the physical contact; that is out of the question.

...

With that out of the way, it should be clarified that the wallflower actress doesn't completely reject any and all forms of physical affection. Unlike a certain fashionista, Kurane understands when someone might want to offer that silent reassurance that there was a listening soul; her only stipulation is to ask for her consent first before initiating the contact.

She isn't very reactive towards shows of physical affection, with a small smile being the extent of how she expresses her thanks. Despite that, she truly is grateful for the concern being shown by the initiator, and can only hope that the other person understands the depth of her gratitude. The other three are more attuned to how she expresses her emotions, and thus they usually have no problem picking up on her feelings.

#rain code #mdarc #mdarc spoilers #master detective archives: rain code #master detective archives spoilers

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agentravensong · 1 year

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post-hamlet thoughts

tl;dr my college did hamlet and i was in it and it was cool

first of all, in case i hadn't made this clear already, this was entirely student-produced. i mean, we got some money from the theater department, but people-wise, it was all students.

i've told the rest of the cast this time and time again, but they're so good. insanely dedicated and humbling in their talent.

our hamlet, horatio, ophelia, and laertes were all freshman, and they were all stellar. ophelia and laertes broke my heart every night in the second half with their anger and their sadness. horatio always brings top energy to scenes and had lots of funny moments (espec counting his doubling as the second gravedigger) but also made me feel things (we staged act 4 scene 6 as him alone on stage reading hamlet's letter to the audience and he killed it every time). and our hamlet was just incredible; a pleasure to act against as guildenstern and a pleasure to watch / listen to in their more emotional scenes.

and everyone else was great too! our polonius was always funny but also had genuine moments of connection with his kids; our cladius brought some great depth to the role (his take on the monologue in act 3 scene 3 was great) while still being despicable, especially in his manipulation of laertes; our gertrude brought our director's take on her to life impeccably; and, of course, i had a wonderful and hilarious partner in our rosencrantz :)

not to mention our quartet of players (who also filled out the other miscellaneous roles) who had a ton of great moments. shout-outs in particular to the guy who doubled as the first gravedigger and sang his sung lines as a sea shanty (honestly, i think he could have been a great guildenstern or rosencrantz in another universe).

the crew, of course, was also amazing. there were like 150 cues? my friend (the writer i mentioned in this post) did a fantastic job with the lights. the people behind the staging and makeup did just as well. and the costumes were so fun! everyone looked great; we had a consistent black-white-red-brown color palette that tied it all together. special shout-out to the player king wearing a white shirt with a black cape while cladius wore a zipped-up leather jacket and a white cape.

oh, and me and ros? we got fedoras :) i may share a photo later. maybe.

we did our show in the college black box theater (inside the fine arts building), which i do not currently have the brain cells to try and explain the layout of. it's a kind of weird space, but i think we made the most of it. for the majority of the show i was off stage left, meaning i was hanging out at the top of the stairs which serve as the main entrance and exit to the theater (sitting/standing where i couldn't be seen by the audience obv). you can't really see the stage at all from there but you sure can hear the actors, and by the time of the show that was (mostly) enough for me.

as far as how the actual shows went?

friday was our most engaged audience. their laughter was greatly appreciated in the early scenes ...slightly less so when everyone was dying in the final scene. i mean, i get it, people start dropping like flies and actually foaming at the mouth and spitting out (fake) blood; it's a lot. i applaud hamlet and horatio for staying in character through it. everyone did a great job that night; it was probably better than all our dress rehearsals as a whole.

saturday, at least from my pov, had kind of weird vibes at the start? i don't know how much of it was people getting to bed late the previous night, how much of it was overconfidence, and how much of it was people getting in their own heads, but it was our lowest energy show. the audience wasn't as audibly engaged either, but they did give us a big applause. i felt more good than bad about it by the end, for sure.

especially in retrospect, because, despite us having a smaller crowd at today's matinee, everyone was back on the ball. the ending in particular i think was the best we've ever done it. it was probably my best performance as well.

to be clear, i wouldn't rate any of our three shows below an 8 out of 10, for what that's worth. everyone gave so much to their performances; the funny bits were funny even when the audience didn't seem to think so, and i was always getting caught up in my feelings in the second act. you can't ask for much more than that.

now, here's a compilation of things from the production in no real order:

i already posted about this, but having the blood stains on stage where people die from the beginning of every show? *chef's kiss*

i'll also restate the thing i mentioned in the tags of that post: characters who were murderers had symbolic blood makeup after they killed someone. cladius had a bloody ear from the start of the show, the meaning of which becomes clear once you see the player king get poison poured in his ears; hamlet got blood on their face during intermission that's meant to be polonius's blood; and, arguably most significantly, gertrude had bloody handprints around her neck when she entered at the end of act 4, which, in addition to her hair and arms being dripping wet, is meant to suggest that the story she tells about ophelia's death is, in fact, a cover for something less accidental.

as mentioned above, our director's take on gertrude in general was, from my understanding, pretty different from the standard. to quote from his character spines, "you fundamentally want to prepare your son hamlet to be king; you are playing essentially a game of chess to do so." it was really compelling to see in action. the way she performed act 4 scene 7? chilling.

speaking of those character spines, the first line of horatio's is literally just, "You are in love with Hamlet." and boy howdy did that come through

prime example of that (other than just, all of his and hamlet's interactions, which were wonderful): when horatio finished reading the letter from hamlet, he sniffed it, in a very sweet and very not-platonic way

it was an unintentional running gag throughout the whole process that other cast members would forget between ros and me which character we were playing - to the point that every performance, when hamlet first greeted us, even though i would get to them first, they addressed me first, and it's written that they say my name first, they would call me rosencrantz and our ros guildenstern. ...someone should write a play about that.

i might have posted about this already, but in ros and i's first scene with hamlet, when the two of them start talking about child actors, hamlet made us sit in the thrones, and we would make moves to leave of varying boldness that they, of course, never let us follow through on. this then got basically repeated in act 3 scene 2 except that horatio got to join in on the fun of relentlessly mocking us

(the thing where hamlet handed me their copy of william shakespeare's complete works while they dud the "what is a man" mimi monologue got dropped at some point in the dress rehearsals, unfortunately. they did flip through it with the players though)

during the play within a play, polonius would keep falling asleep and ros and i would keep waking him up

(we also got to do some fun silent banter back in act 2 scene 2 while hamlet and the players were doing their thing)

then the bit after that with the recorders, aka guildenstern's defining moment, was just so fun. hamlet and horatio basically sandwiched ros and me between the two of them, and hamlet and i played off each other very well (at least imo), and though i couldn't see what horatio and ros were doing behind me i know that it got some good laughs. and i could tell every night that the scene landed despite the shakespearean language barrier, so i can't help but be satisfied.

my other best moment was when the king told me to go get polonius's body from the stairs and i got to slump and make a "do i have to?" face before my (final) exit. i managed to actually get some chuckles from that tonight, from the crowd that, again, laughed the least in general, and i can't put into words how euphoric i was to have that be my last moment playing guildenstern.

from the rest of the second half of the show, which i am not in, i will highlight a) the gravedigger eventually realizing after shoveling for minutes on end that he's been shoveling literally nothing (love me a good little fourth wall break) and b) when hamlet and laertes come to physical blows over ophelia, horatio, on his line, steps between them, draws laertes's sword, and takes a stance pointing it at laertes to hold him off, all in basically one glorious motion.

oh, and the ending, of course.

as i alluded to way earlier, we had fake blood and alka-seltzer tablets that the people who died in act 5 scene 2 used to great effect (particularly the people who died via poison)

speaking of that scene, the sword fight was very neat! well-choreographed and well-enacted. real foils btw

and the way hamlet and horatio performed the ending? more than anything, the way hamlet said "give me the cup; let go!" - that shit hurt, in the best way, every night. (and though hamlet died in the king's throne (with the king's crown on), horatio held / clung to them the whole damn time)

for a lighter final note: our polonius doubled as fortinbras and came on at the ending in this huge, heavy, vampire-ass cloak, accompanied by our director as the messenger from england who announces my and ros's death :)

thankfully, we did record our last dress rehearsal, so we do have a version of it that we'll get to watch back in the future. i won't be able to share it with any of y'all (we will apparently be in BIG trouble if we post it anywhere online) but it'll be nice to have for me.

funny thing that happened while i was typing this long-ass post out: i kept using present tense and then realizing i had to change it to past tense. and by "funny" here, i mean, uh... oof.

we never got a perfect run-through where no lines were skipped over, but, i mean, it's fucking hamlet. we did this shit in like a month and a half (with a week lost to spring break); it's more than impressive that the show turned out how it did. it was a group labor of love, and one of the best things i've ever gotten to be a part of.

and i miss it already.

...at least there's movie night on tuesday :)

#hamlet #so excited to introduce these guys to rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead. they'll never see hamlet the same way again #man. i've really missed acting. or rather... being part of a production like this #shout-out to whoever was originally cast as guildenstern but dropped out because they didn't realize a shakespeare play #would be a big commitment #and thereby gave me the opportunity to be in the show despite having been too busy and insecure to audition #i might come back and add more to this tomorrow if i remember more things that i want to have a record of #i could talk more about how rehearsals went #or about the few places in which i may have perhaps done things differently than our director if it wasn't his show #but i think for now this is enough #thank you all for following along on my hamlet journey #i will say that there is a greater than 0 chance that i'll post some shitty hamlet fancomics here in the future #so. if that's something you really want. let me know. i guess.#and again i don't think any of the cast have tumblr #but if you do and you see this: pls never stop acting #i've got your back <3 #yes i am posting this at 1 am when i have class tomorrow (today technically). what of it

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blog-name-idk · 2 years

Text

The Benefit of the Doubt | 01

Beautiful banner by @persphonesorchid

Pairing: fuckboy!Taehyung x Fem musician!Reader (eventual x dancer!Jimin)

Genre: College!AU, Friends with Benefits, Fluff, Humor, Smut

Summary: It's your senior year, and you're too busy with auditions and recordings for relationships. You're certainly too busy to get your heart broken, whether by your charming fuck buddy or the sweet, beautiful boy who is slowly dancing his way into your heart.

Word Count: 4,872

AN: Well I prematurely drunk posted this to AO3 earlier this week so I might as well post it here too lol. Updates for this will be sporadic bc I have so many WIPs and I know I should focus on the ones I already started.

~~~~~

"Hey [y/n]! I missed you!"

You grinned at the tall, handsome violinist frantically jogging towards where you were sitting at the bar. He grabbed you off the stool and into his arms, twirling you around as if you were a little kid.

"Eunbae, put me down you animal!" you scolded, laughing as he gave you one final spin then set you on your feet.

"I can't help it, the boot camp I went to over the summer had no good cellists and it was horrible."

You snorted, knowing your best friend was just being overdramatic. The program he had gone to over the summer was one of the best in the country. You had actually been accepted, but opted to go to a more traditional orchestral academy instead. It had been a blast, but you were glad to be back on campus and listening to Eunbae's dramatics.

"Well you have me now. Have you seen Ellie and Marco yet?" you asked, also missing the other two members of your string quartet. Eunjae sighed sadly, giving you your answer.

He and Ellie had been orbiting each other like stars for a while, both oblivious to the others' feelings. It was probably that very denseness that gave their relationship enough mass for them to gravitate towards each other. With a sympathetic smile to your friend, you pushed over the beer you had already ordered for him.

"Ugh yes, this is really why I missed you," Eunjae said gratefully, taking a large gulp. Then he made a face.

"You know I hate IPAs!" He whined. He still drank it though. Free beer was free beer.

"Well be on time next time and then you can pick," you responded with a snort, drinking your own hoppy beverage. Your phone buzzed, and you looked down to see that it was from your roommate.

Hyein Heyo, my friend Meekyoung's having a party! You should stop by, we can have some shots to celebrate our successful return

"Do you want to go out tonight?" You asked Eunbae, showing him your phone.

You had met your Hyein in a Gen Ed course sophomore year, and the two of you had clicked and ended up living together. It was honestly a huge breath of fresh air not to live with another musician. There was also the added benefit of being invited to parties that weren't a drunken, incestuous hodgepodge of only classical music majors. Because as much as you loved performing and hanging out with your classmates, there was only so much anyone could take.

Another text appeared, and Eunbae suddenly nodded, eyes brightening.

Ellie Hiiiiii I miss you! Anything good tonight?

~~~~~

"Girrrrrrlllllllllllllllll you're here!"

You had to laugh at your roommate, who was clearly three sheets to the wind and excitedly waving. She was in full "WOOO! girl" mode, and as soon as she spotted the three of you entering the apartment, you and your friends were dragged into the kitchen for a celebratory shot before you could do anything other than wave half-heartedly to Meekyoung, the host of the party.

"Thanks, Hyein," said Ellie, her bubbly laughter matched only by the cute sparkle of her eyes and the bounce of her hair. She was as beautiful as Eunbae was handsome, and your only missing quartet member was just as good-looking. The four of you sometimes joked that the reason for most of your gigs was because everyone was hot, not because you were actually any good. It was probably a mixture of both. Even Marco was a great musician, despite playing viola.

"To senior year!" Hyein cheered, and the rest of you clinked your shot glasses before downing them. Eunbae choked on his because he was a little bitch, and you passed him some chaser while Ellie rubbed his back. Her hand lingered, and you resisted the urge to snicker at their PG-13 flirting. At this rate it would be another few years until they held hands.

"To the dread of realizing we have to make money in the real world with fine arts degrees," you deadpanned, refilling your shot glass. Hyein refrained, which was probably for the best - she was at a respectable level of turnt and you needed to get there too.

"I'll drink to that," said Eunbae mournfully, holding out his own for you to fill. Ellie rolled her eyes good-naturedly but did the same and Hyein cheered.

"[Y/n]! Let's go play beer pong after this!" your roommate urged, making you wince. You tended to get a little… competitive when it came to beer pong. And your roommate wasn't exactly the best player, especially when she was already sloshed. Then again, nothing felt better than single-handedly dismantling the opposition, especially if it consisted of cocky college fuckboys.

"Ah fuck it," you decided, downing the cheap alcohol swiftly and chugging your soda. "Let's do it."

Your quartet-mates made resigned eye contact at your statement, but followed you to the living room anyway. The current reigning champions were two of the most beautiful guys you had ever seen. They carried themselves like they knew it though, which made them marginally less attractive. The younger-looking one had large doe eyes that would have made him look cute and innocent had he not currently been shit-talking his opponent.

The other seemed more relaxed than his counterpart, and had dark eyes that looked like they held galaxies in their depths. His unblemished skin was an appealing bronze, and his hair was a little wavy and begging to be played with. You immediately decided you'd let Hyein deal with the energetic one - he seemed more her speed anyway.

"Hah! Drink, motherfucker!" the oh-so-charming younger boy crowed as he sank the last cup. Yes, you would definitely enjoy wiping that smug expression off his face. Eunbae groaned as he saw the predatory gleam enter your eye while Ellie clapped her hands and laughed, eager to watch the carnage.

"Does anyone have next?" you asked loudly enough to be heard by everyone immediately surrounding the table. That caught the winners' attention, and you saw twin sparks of interest enter their eyes when they spotted you and Hyein.

"I think you've called it, gorgeous," said the older boy, flashing a lethal grin your way. The pet name, however, made what could have been a fatal blow a mere paper cut.

"We'll take it easy on you, since you're both so cute," added the other cheekily, making you resist the urge to roll your eyes. You subtly stepped on Hyein's foot when she snorted, and smiled at them prettily.

"That's so sweet of you guys," you gushed, before dragging your roommate to the other side to set up before she could give you away.

"How about we make a bet?" the younger, who you began to call bunny boy in your head, called over the table. You poked Hyein to indicate for her to let you take the lead, which she gladly did. In her sloshed state her giggles were poorly hidden, but the guys probably thought it was because they were hot and not because they were about to get smoked.

"Oh, I'm not sure," you said hesitantly, cocking your head at them like you were worried. "What for? You guys are really good."

"Come on, we'll give you a handicap," said the older one with the stars in his eyes. Hyein giggled harder and you resisted the urge to glare at her. "If we win, you can give us your numbers."

"I gueeesssss," you said, drawing out the last word as if still uncertain. "If we win, we want-"

"Cold hard cash," your roommate cut in, and you grinned at her approvingly. The opposition seemed a little confused and surprised by the response, and you gave them an apologetic shrug. "Money never disappointed us," you teased.

"We'll do our best not to disappoint you, either," said star boy, his plush lips curving into a smirk. You smiled back at him.

"I'm sure you won't."

~~~~~

"W-what the fuck just happened?" spluttered Bunny Boy, his wide eyes darting between you and the last cup, which you had just sunk a ping pong ball into. You smiled sweetly at him.

"Beginner's luck?" You asked as innocently as you could as Hyein chortled in glee. The younger boy glared, all flirting forgotten in the wake of his humiliation. Star Boy looked more impressed and amused by his friend's antics.

"Rematch," the petulant woodland critter demanded. "Double or nothing."

"I'm not giving you an extra phone number," you deadpanned with a laugh. Then you shot a sly smile at the older boy, since the younger was still staring at his beer in frustration. You were beginning to feel the effects of those shots, which was only making you want to rile them up even more. "But sure. We'll take it easy on you guys, since you're both so cute."

Of course, despite the newfound concentration of your opponents, the next game ended the same way. Though you had definitely been distracted by Star Boy's habit of sticking his tongue out a tad when he was aiming. Humans really had no right being that attractive. The younger had gotten comically competitive, reminding you of yourself, and the way he was currently losing his mind was honestly adorable.

"Fuck, I need a drink," he grumbled, stomping away like a child throwing a tantrum. You broke away from Hyein to saunter up to the other boy.

"Is the baby bunny gonna be okay?" you asked, making him laugh and shoot you another breathtaking smile.

"Jungkook? He always gets riled up. He probably went to get some banana milk."

"I… what? Is that a euphemism for something?" you asked, unsure if you had heard correctly.

"No, legitimately banana milk," he replied with a grin. Then his gaze went a little sharper and the grin turned into a smirk. "If you wanted a different kind of milk, I'd be more than happy to help you out."

"Does that seriously work on people?" you asked, mildly amused but mostly grossed out by the terrible line. He stepped further into your space, resting his large, warm hand lightly on your hip and sending tingles through your body. You couldn't tell whether the heat that bloomed in your abdomen was from him, or just more of the alcohol catching up to you.

"You tell me," he said cockily, eyes flickering to your lips before gazing into your own. You had no doubt it did work on most people, not because of his words but because of that hypnotic gaze. And because he smelled amazing despite the haze of beer in the air. Luckily, you had priorities.

"Maybe it would if you gave me my money," you said lightly, stepping out of his range and holding your hand out expectantly. He cocked his head, momentarily taken aback by getting swerved, but he recovered quickly.

"I'm sure a girl as cute as you has higher rates than that." Huh, that had actually been almost clever.

"I would slap you for what you're implying, but you probably couldn't afford it."

His delighted giggle was way too adorable for the fuckboy vibes he was putting out, and you hardened your heart (and your… other things) against the sparkle in his eyes. He grabbed a twenty dollar bill from his wallet and set it in your open palm, though he let his hand linger on yours. You tried to ignore the heat emanating from it.

"I could pay you back another way."

That helped clear your head, actually. He really wasn't giving up, and part of you wondered why he hadn't already moved on to someone else. With a face like that, there were definitely easier targets for him. Of course, with a face like that you knew he'd probably be a disappointment in bed since it was doubtful anyone made him work for it. Then again, he was so beautiful that maybe the mediocre sex would be worth it for bragging rights.

"Once again, money is the only thing that has never disappointed me," you retorted, pulling away from him and shoving the bill in your pocket.

"I can promise I won't disappoint you." His dark eyes were intent on your gaze and you resisted the urge to lick your lips, feeling naked under his smoldering gaze. You wondered how many girls had faked orgasms just to make this Adonis happy.

"I make it a habit never to believe promises from pretty boys at parties," you said with a shrug, deciding to end this little exchange even if it was actually somewhat entertaining. His grin brightened when you called him pretty, and you ignored it as you began walking back to your side of the table. "Now excuse me, it's time for my next victim-I mean, opponent."

"Well since I couldn't get your number, can I at least have your name?"

You paused, considering. The night was young, and he was undeniably gorgeous despite the less-than-impressive attempts to hit on you. It couldn't hurt. You glanced back at him with a toss of your hair.

"[Y/n]."

~~~~~

Taehyung hadn't really been expecting much out of the ordinary when he accompanied Jungkook to his friend's party. The school year hadn't started so there was no stress to blow off - tonight was just to have fun. They'd drink some alcohol, play some beer pong, and take a couple girls home. A typical Friday night.

The two girls who had challenged them had seemed promising. They were both hot, and Taehyung always found it cute when girls tried to flirt with them by jumping into beer pong. Even if the game got boring playing against mediocre opponents, nice tits usually made up for it. With the bet, they had all but guaranteed the boys their numbers, though that was probably why they wanted to play anyway.

Except one of them (the cuter one, in his opinion) had proceeded to completely demolish both he and his roommate despite the fact that the other had missed almost every single shot. Twice. To a thirsty young college boy, it was unbelievably hot. He couldn't wait to get you out of your clothes.

You seemed strangely uninterested, though. Taehyung wasn't exactly one to brag, but he and Jungkook were generally able to land any girl they looked at. So the way you bantered back without any intention of following through was more of a turn on than it should have been. As he stared at your ass in your tight jeans, he wondered when was the last time he had a good chase.

When you looked back at him with those gorgeous, glittering eyes and told him your name, that was it. His new mission for the night was getting into the pants of this mysterious, beautiful beer pong ace.

~~~~~

"He's staring at you again," Eunbae whispered as you annihilated another set of challengers. He had switched out with Hyein, who had decided she needed to pee and towed Ellie to the bathroom with her as per party girl code. Your quartet mate was a much more skilled partner, and you were honestly starting to get so bored it felt like you were sobering up. You kind of wished those boys from earlier would challenge you because they had at least been pretty good. And nice to look at. "Three o-clock."

You took a peek out of the corner of your eye in the direction he had indicated, to where the flirty beer pong boy was currently talking to his friend but also watching you over his shoulder. Who actually was drinking banana milk from a straw that had to have been magically conjured out of thin air. Where did one even find banana milk at a college party?

"I don't get it," you told your friend, raising your arms in a long stretch that lifted your shirt past your hips. Just because you were on the fence about him, didn't mean you couldn't enjoy the admiration of such a fine male specimen, right? "He could literally point to anyone here and they'd be down. Even the straight guys."

"Not me," said Eunbae wistfully. "I only have eyes for one girl."

"Ugh I know you're in love with me but sorry, not interested," you joked boredly, glancing at your cuticles.

"Shut the fuck up," he protested, making a revolted face. "You're hot, but we've been through way too much for me to ever be able to get a boner thinking of you."

"Fair," you agreed with a shudder, remembering the unfortunate event that had cemented your friendship. It had been your freshman year, in the beginning stages of your current quartet. You actually had been attracted to Eunbae at first, but binge drinking at a party - you had been sheltered in high school, it wasn't your fault! - had led to you projectile vomiting all over him, which grossed him out enough to throw up on you, and that had pretty much killed any potential hookup or relationship. It did somehow lead to him becoming your best friend though - probably because there wasn't much more either of you could do to disgust the other anymore.

"So are you gonna hit it?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows at you suggestively. "You need a rebound, right?"

You elbowed your friend, jostling him and making him miss his next shot. He scowled at you and you smiled back

"He's going to have to do better than offering me his 'milk'," you said, laughing at the mildly repulsed expression on Eunbae's face. "I haven't decided if I'm in the mood for subpar sex tonight, even if the face attached is gorgeous."

"Fair enough," Eunbae acquiesced with a chuckle. "Can you get us refills while I rerack?"

"Your wish is my command, bestie," you said with a dramatic bow, grabbing his and your empty solo cups. Out of the corner of your eye you saw the boy detach himself from his friend to follow you, and you couldn't decide whether you were annoyed or pleased.

"Fancy seeing you here," said mystery boy somewhat unoriginally, walking into the kitchen as you were pouring cheap liquor and soda into the cups. You were again struck by how insane it was that he was so beautiful it somehow put an Instagram filter on his words and made them seem less douchey.

"Not so surprising considering you followed me, pretty boy," you responded wryly. "Need a refill?"

"As much as I love hearing you say I'm pretty, you can call me Taehyung," he said with a grin, leaning on the counter in a way that flexed his bicep. You were torn between peeking and rolling your eyes, and settled for taking a swig of your drink instead.

"And why would I need to remember that?" you teased, more amused than annoyed by this boy's attention. His expression turned cocky again, and when he opened his mouth you cut him off. "Please do not say something like 'because you'll be screaming it later.'"

He visibly deflated, and you found yourself laughing in spite of yourself. Taehyung's expression looked comically dejected, and it was cute enough to keep you from getting overly annoyed. That coupled with the fact that after the first time he had touched your waist, he hadn't encroached in your personal space again.

"So why are you still here talking to me when you could probably get anyone else here?" you asked, genuinely curious. It just seemed like a lot of effort.

"You're not anyone else," he said simply, and the sincerity in his tone made you flush. It was clear he hadn't intended that to be a line, and that fact did more for you than any of his earlier flirtation.

"You should've led with that," you said before you could stop yourself, and covered your slip by taking a long draught that would probably lead to more questionable decisions. When you lowered your cup, he had inched a tiny bit closer. You pretended not to notice.

"With what?" he asked innocently, tilting his head as if he had no idea he was exposing the very attractive line of his neck. You took another sip to have a reason to swallow, wondering if someone had turned on the heat in the house.

"I don't know," you said, glad your tone was still as blase as you wanted it to be. "Sincerity? Generally not being a douchebag?"

His rich laugh made goosebumps rise on your skin. As did his appreciative grin.

"Well I could tell you you're beautiful, but you probably already know that." He took a tiny step closer, dark eyes trained on your face as you battled to keep your relaxed expression.

"I could also say it's because I've never been so completely stepped on during beer pong." Another step. There was a tiny mole on the tip of his nose you hadn't noticed before.

"But I think I like your snark the most." He was now close enough for a blind man to feel his presence, and yet you remained rooted to the spot. Your eyes flickered to another cute mole on his lip, and you saw it twitch into a smirk.

"Do you know what that makes me want to do?" You could feel the warmth emanating from his body, and you found yourself staring up into hypnotic dark eyes.

"What?" You asked, some of your breathlessness finally creeping into your tone and unable to look away.

"It makes me want to shut you up." His last words were said in a growl that sent tingles running down your spine and straight between your legs. You licked your lips, and his eyes gleamed like a predator locking into their prey.

"Well that is incredibly intriguing," you murmured, stepping a little closer and running your fingers down his chest. He leaned forward, eyes locked on yours and hands skimming your sides, and you smiled sweetly at him. "But I have to get Eunbae his refill, so maybe next time!"

You stepped back, grabbing your cups and weaving past him with a cheeky wave before he could react further. There was no need for him to know that your heart was pounding and that his warmth had burrowed its way into your skin. If he was really that interested, he could work for it a little harder.

~~~~~

Taehyung watched you leave feeling stunned, frustrated, and more than a little aroused. You were just being so slippery, and he wasn't really used to being teased like this. You didn't seem completely opposed to his advances, and yet it was also clear you didn't care about losing his interest either. Which inadvertently did even more to pique it.

He stalked out of the kitchen to find Jungkook still in the corner finishing his banana milk and staring at you with less irritation and much more interest than earlier. That wasn't good - you were being difficult enough to bag without having to compete with his friend.

"I don't understand, I've never met a hot girl that much better than me at anything," Jungkook said, and his tone had also lost its whiny quality and taken on an almost dreamy cast. It was time to distract him so Taehyung could get you alone again. He glanced at a duo of giggling girls who were making eyes at the two of them and gave them his signature smirk, motioning for them to come over. They did, immediately, and his friend's attention was momentarily captured by the appearance of breasts in immediate proximity.

"Hi, I'm - "

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm getting a call - I'll be right back," Taehyung lied smoothly, grabbing his phone from his pocket. "Kook, can you entertain these lovely ladies for a moment while I step out?"

With that, he quickly strode over to where you had rejoined your friend at the pong table. Your friend was definitely a good-looking guy, but it was clear from your dynamic that there was nothing going on between you - Taehyung's most dangerous threat was Jungkook. Between the two of them, he wasn't really worried about anyone else at the party.

"[Y/n], could I borrow you for a moment?" he asked, right as you sunk another ball into your queasy looking opponent's cup.

"Fire," you called in a disinterested voice, and easily caught the ball the guy whipped back at you. You looked at Taehyung dead in the eye as you tossed the ball again, and gave him a condescending smile he wanted to fuck off your face.

"Wow, I didn't expect you to remember my name," you cooed patronizingly, just as he heard the light splash of you hitting yet another cup. Shit, that shouldn't have been as hot as it was. "Shouldn't you get back to your friends?"

At that, Taehyung glanced back to see Jungkook, cornered by the two girls and glaring at him. Oops, so he had noticed. It was time to pull out the big guns.

"You're special," he said with a grin, looking at you intently in a way he knew should make you melt. Except you just turned away to catch the ball your groaning opponent threw back at you.

"I know," you deadpanned, flicking your wrist forward. The ping pong ball arced elegantly through the air, and to no one's surprise there was another wet "plunk" as it hit the penultimate cup dead center. Before he could respond, he was being elbowed out of the way.

"Hi, great game earlier," said Jungkook with a bright smile, ignoring his hyung's scowl. For the first time, you looked surprised, and your eyes flicked between Taehyung and the maknae. Your lips began to twitch into what looked suspiciously like an amused grin.

"Jungkook, right?" you asked, making the younger boy perk up and puff out his chest a little.

Your eyes slid back to Taehyung, and that smile widened further. Taehyung suddenly realized he was pouting - but that seemed to have thawed you more than anything he had done previously, so he decided to play into it and gave you his best puppy dog eyes. Your own widened and you blushed before turning back to the table to snag the ping pong ball out of the air again. Huh. Maybe he was closer to his goal than he thought.

"How about you let one of them do a celeb shot?" suggested your friend with a mischievous grin. You narrowed your eyes at him suspiciously. "You can give whoever sinks it a reward."

"Oh my god Eunbae, no one's going to want-"

"I'll do it!"

You whipped your head around to stare at both Taehyung and Jungkook, who weren't quite glaring at each other but were definitely facing down.

"Please, noona, let me?" asked Jungkook, looking at you with large, pleading eyes. Damn if him ditching the hot fuckboy vibes for this cute woodland critter wasn't effective, but you kept your face impassive.

"I don't know, implying I'm older without even knowing is kind of unflattering," you said idly, though when his face fell you almost wanted to pat his head and coo at him. Okay, maybe he really was younger. He was just as ridiculously gorgeous as Taehyung, but you were feeling more pesky little brother vibes towards him than anything else.

Still, you weren't about to outright give Taehyung the ball - he would (correctly) assume that meant it was also metaphorically in his court. Though the haze of alcohol had settled comfortably in your veins, you weren't quite gone enough to just throw yourself at him.

"Plus why should I trust either of you?" you asked innocently, enjoying the flash in both of their eyes. It was frankly unprecedented for two guys this attractive to be interested in you, and despite the fact that you were a strong confident blablabla, it was quite the ego boost.

"You know we're good," stated Taehyung plainly as his eyes bored into your own, snaring your attention. "You're just better."

That startled another laugh out of you, and he was momentarily stunned by the light that shone out of your eyes. Your snappy attitude was hot, sure, but that genuine smile was something else entirely.

"You guys don't even know what this 'reward' is gonna be," you added, using exaggerated air quotes as you squinted your eyes at them in confusion.

"How about a kiss?" suggested Taehyung's new best friend from behind you, and you rolled your eyes at him.

"Who's side are you on, Eunbae?" you complained, turning around to scowl at at this Eunbae as he gave you a shit-eating grin. Taehyung and Jungkook took the opportunity to check out your ass.

"Your dusty-ass vagina's," he responded easily, making you groan in annoyance and shove him roughly. Eunbae just snickered and pushed you back, and in your buzzed state you wobbled before righting yourself and turning back to the two boys.

"Fucking whatever, play rock paper scissors or something," you grumbled, crossing your arms. Your pout was cute, too, and Taehyung wondered what those pretty lips would look like wrapped around his cock.

All he needed to do was win this little game to find out.

~~~~~

Next | Masterlist

#kim taehyung x reader #bts x reader #bts x you #bts fanfic #bts smut #the benefit of the doubt

55 notes · View notes

truly-morgan · 9 months

Text

[OT4, Juniors all getting together]

Junior Quartet | Mo Dao Zu Shi 23-03-2021

[#mdzsjuniors - ot4]

What if Jin Ling and Lan Sizhui started dating post-canon after some nervous pining, keeping their relationship a secret from the other half of the quartet.

Then, after some time, jl ends up asking lsz if he really loves him, because of the way he looks at ljy he has this something in his eyes. After some nervous turning around the subject, lsz finally admits he does /also/ love ljy, the same way he does jl. but lsz doesn't dare tell him, because he's sure ljy doesn't feel the same.

jl ends up telling him he doesn't mind sharing if it make him happier. Especially since it is clear ljy is also pining for lsz, but had noticed their little "secret" relationship and didn't dare step in. Turns out lsz is happily surprised and gets himself a second boyfriend, jl and ljy slowly develop their own brand of love.

So they now start this new poly couple, rather happy with how thing seems to work. But now that they are often only the three of them most of the time, they feel like they are missing someone all the time.

Then they realise that maybe, they didn't see oyzz as just a friend. They also feel a bit guilty for having left him so much to the side as they were trying to make this whole new thing work. lsz is the one to come up to oyzz to talk about it to him, as the two others didn't know how to bring it up to him.

oyzz doesn't really know what to answer to this, as he never really thought about it in the past. He /does/ have a little something for lsz tho "now that he's thinking about it", but doesn't know if he should join them. He does, and things turn out even better than before.

They are back to being the juniors quartet, but this time as lovers, even though most obviously don't know. Some days a more difficult, sometimes communication is hard, but they would rather not give it up for anything in the world, they absolutely like it the way it is.

I also wonder how the parents would all react.

I'd see jc going "Really jl, /another/ boyfriend? I suppose at least this time he's not a plan, shouldn't be too troublesome". Yet he doesn't try to break them off anyway, as he would rather see his nephew happy than sad because he tried to break them off.

wn is over the moon that lsz is surrounded by so many people who love him that much. Although even this sweet cinnamon bun has warned one time that they shouldn't dare to break his heart. All three hurriedly agreed.

lwj would be the silently supportive dad, ready to listen and give advice despite easy relationships not being his department. All he can wish for is for none of them to suddenly disappear on him for 13 years.

wwx isn't sure at first how come baby a-yuan is collecting this many boyfriends, but is just as supportive, ready to help them out. He's the dad ready to bring up the most embarrassing thing simply because he's trying his best to help his son out. If he can make sure lsz is not as lost as he was, then it would be this already won.

I cannot tell what oyzz dad would say, but if he were to not be supportive of his son, oyzz is made quickly aware that he already has a new family ready to support him whatever happens with him (my hurt/comfort ass don't like oyzz dad, so it would probably not be a good react) but oyzz is better off with all these other cultivators ready to support him than him anyway.

They lived happily ever after and we forget that jl is the jll sect leader (am not thinking angst tonight okay, shoo shoo).

Original

#tweet archive #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #junior quartet #zhuilingyizhen #zhuilingyi #zhuiling #zhuiyi #zhuizhen #lingzhen #lingyi #zhenyi #ouyang zizhen #jin ling #lan sizhui #lan jingyi #ot4 #getting togheter

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fcble · 11 months

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FAN FAVORITE FABLE FRIENDSHIPS !

A non exhaustive collection of the most popular duo, trio, and quartet dynamics within Fable.

95Z: Yejun + Jaeseop + Intak

Fable’s 95 line is probably the most popular friendship/dynamic. The three of them have appeared close to each other since their debut, and have spoken about getting along pretty much as soon as they met. Fans love to call their meeting fate, spurred on by the one time Jaeseop called the three of them soulmates.

Any live stream or variety appearance with just the three of them always becomes very parasocial, very fast. It’s like hanging out with a group of friends who are constantly trying to outdo each other by sharing embarrassing and intimate stories of one another.

2SU: Haksu + Eunsu

The most popular Fable ship by far is Haksu and Eunsu, commonly referred to as 2su. Most of the so-called proof comes from their 2020 variety activities, where the two of them appeared to be very close. The pairing was also pushed by their company, and there are hours and hours of 2su live streams. They can often be seen in the background of just about every behind the scenes video, bickering like an old married couple.

Haksu is a naturally clingy person, but half the group will shrug him off. Eunsu is one of the few that won't, and their close proximity to one another has led to constant speculation.

The ship is sometimes referred to as the 4th gen Hunhan, simply for the way fans won't let it go, despite Eunsu's departure from the group.

FACTS AND LOGIC: Intak + Eunsu

Known for being the most stable, practical, and down-to-earth members of Fable, Intak and Eunsu were one of the more popular duos. They were often compared and contrasted to the more detached from reality Haksu and Mingeun.

Their individual dispositions also contributed to their chemistry together. Intak has a bachelor's degree in civil engineering, and has gone on record saying that math and physics are fun actually, shocking fans. Eunsu used to go live and give terrible financial advice while showing off his stocks, to the point where the largest fan accounts would tweet things like “PSA: do NOT listen to anything eunsu says about money he does not know what he's talking about 😭😭.”

BUNNY LINE: Jaeseop (+ Eunsu) + Mingeun

In various official and unofficial Fable media, both Jaeseop and Mingeun are represented by the rabbit emoji. Jaeseop’s consideration comes from his appearance, and Mingeun’s comes from being born in 1999, the Year of the Rabbit. In a poll posted by the official Fable Twitter account in 2019, fans voted for Mingeun as a better fit for the emoji. It was a close competition, and Jaeseop is now often represented by the carrot emoji.

Eunsu is an honorary member of the bunny line for also being born in 1999.

EUNGEUN: Eunsu + Mingeun

One of the closest on and off camera pairings in Fable, Eunsu and Mingeun have been friends since they met as SM Entertainment trainees in 2014. The story of how Eunsu chose to leave SM when Mingeun did is often repeated as a testament to their friendship.

In the oldest Fable content, it is very obvious that Mingeun got along with Eunsu, and absolutely no one else. While Mingeun has warmed up to the rest of the group since then, Eunsu’s immunity to the worst of Mingeun’s character is still plain to see.

LINKEDIN: Kiyoung + Jaeseop + Intak

It is widely known that the only reason Kiyoung and Intak are in the group is because of Kiyoung’s everlasting friendship with Jaeseop. They constantly fight the nepotism allegations and lose. In an attempt to dodge said allegations, Kiyoung usually refers it as networking. It has not taken off yet.

It took some time for their friendship to emerge, and fans had to connect the dots through their trainee day stories. Kiyoung would often mention knowing Jaeseop before he joined Zenith, and Intak would talk about first meeting Kiyoung when the two of them were in middle school. Years passed before Jaeseop plainly said that he asked Kiyoung to join the group, and Kiyoung in turn invited Intak.

SHADY AF COMEBACKS: Yejun + Haksu

Haksu makes a living off side comments. Yejun spends a lot of time with him. That’s really all there is to it. Even though a lot of Haksu’s side comments are directed at Yejun, he’s gotten used to it over the years, and now he fights back. Their dynamic has grown in popularity in the last couple of years, as the most entertaining part of Fable’s otherwise dry variety shows.

BROTHER FROM ANOTHER MOTHER: Yejun + Byeonghwi

Yejun and Byeonghwi are known for their close, sibling-like bond. In the beginning of their career, Byeonghwi used to study in the background of Vlives and behind the scenes content, because he was the only one still in school. Yejun helped him through a lot of his homework, which led to fans joking that they too want private tutoring from him.

It’s also very apparent that Byeonghwi has Yejun wrapped around his finger. All he has to do is ask, and Yejun will go out of his way to comply. There are entire compilations of the other members asking Yejun for something, being told no, asking Byeonghwi to ask for them, and then getting a yes.

MAKNAEZ: Eunsu + Mingeun + Byeonghwi

The youngest members are the designated TikTokers. Whenever there's a lull in promotions, which is fairly often, the Fable TikTok page becomes swamped with Mingeun and Byeonghwi keeping up with the latest trends. It’s very apparent when Eunsu left the group, based on the way he slowly fades out of the videos.

Like the 95 line, the three youngest members grew closer to each other over the years. They live together, hang out together, and have few friends outside of one another.

BERMUDA TRIANGLE: Intak + Haksu + Byeonghwi

While Fable doesn’t have an official visual, the generally agreed upon visual line is Intak, Haksu, and Byeonghwi. Some fans will make an argument for Kiyoung or Yejun, but they are very easily drowned out by Haksu’s akgaes. The trio is also sporadically pushed by Zenith in their performances and any subgroup variety activities.

Are they actually friends with each other? Do they interact well on camera? Um. They have good visual chemistry and that’s what counts.

VOCAL LINE: Yejun + Haksu (+ Mingeun) + Byeonghwi

Officially, Yejun, Haksu, and Byeonghwi make up the vocal line. Although he doesn’t hold a vocal position, Mingeun is an honorary vocalist because he’s good at singing. Every comeback his fans will complain about the uneven line distribution, and how unfair it is to Mingeun specifically.

Out of all the position lines, the vocal line is the most notable for being the largest and still having every pairing and subgroup get along well.

SELF-PRODUCERS: Yejun + Intak (+ Haksu) (+ Mingeun)

Fable’s producer line definitely consists of Yejun and Intak. Haksu and Mingeun are occasionally included, depending on who you ask. The two of them tend to be overlooked when their group members are writing entire albums almost independently. Haksu only writes lyrics, and has said he has no interest in music production. All of Mingeun’s contributions are recent, within the last year, though he has worked on parts of their choreography.

The one thing almost all fans can agree on is that Intak would be in the top ten most credited 4th gen idols if they had more comebacks. As it stands, he has credits on almost all fifty-nine Fable songs, putting him just outside the top ten.

#╰ to be written in ink is to be immortal — [ misc. ]#fictional idol community #idol oc #fictional idol oc #kpop addition #kpop oc #fake kpop group

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waltwhitmansbeard · 1 year

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my fair lady: drabble #14

*smashes mug on floor* ANOTHER! i simply cannot be stopped. this one takes place after the epilogue of my fair lady, which you can read in its entirety here. this, like all the others, is inspired by @romeoandjulietyouwish's medieval au!

Within a fortnight of the princess's marriage to a common guard—or perhaps a holy man of some kind, the grapevine is getting tangled—some nobility from Vesrah come to visit the Zephran court. It is not unusual for visiting Ashari dignitaries to come to Zephrah, where they consult with the sovereign on matters of political import and enjoy the luxuries that proximity to the crown brings, but it is, to Vax, unfortunate that this visit has been timed so closely to the eruption of gossip surrounding him and Keyleth.

He tries to tell Keyleth that he should not attend the planned events to celebrate their Vesran guests, that he could even resume his post as her guard for the duration of their stay, but she is not having it. She insists that the point of their marriage, clandestine as it was, was to make irrefutable the fact that they love each other, that they have devoted themselves to each other before gods and country, and their countrymen would simply have to accept that which they likely find quite scandalous.

To Vax's relief, shortly before the entourage's arrival, he is called away to deliver last rites to a retired miller, so he is at least able to avoid the initial reception of the Vesrans. He will instead have to be introduced at the welcome gala later that evening, which he also dreads as one would the plague. He dresses for the event in Percy's chambers, as he does not have himself a wardrobe befitting such an elegant occasion, and when he arrives, he is announced not with his wife but on his own, as the Champion of the Raven Queen. Vax knows little about how such courtly matters work—his time here in the castle has been spent solely focused on Keyleth, not the frivolities of court—so he enters when he is told to do so, finding the many eyes on him extremely disconcerting.

Keyleth and her father are announced last, and they enter together to much applause. Even after so many years at court, Keyleth still tinges pink before all these people, never one for the spotlight. From the center of the ballroom, the sovereign welcomes their Vesran guests, which Vax learns consists of a pair of dukes who are brothers and a baroness and her wife, and calls for a moment of silence to commemorate those members of the Vesran nobility who were lost in the attack at Syngorn. Vax remembers that Vesrah suffered greatly during that raid, and he wonders how many of those lost were relatives of their guests.

When the sovereign is done speaking, the gathered lords and ladies and the Vesran guests are left to mingle, a string quartet off in one corner scoring the evening's conversations. Vax immediately makes a break for Keyleth, who is resplendent in a silvery blue gown and beaded cape, but his path blocked by a small gaggle of nobles who are fascinated by the newly-appointed Champion. As this is Vax's first time at court as a titled person and not a guard, he has no idea how to extract himself politely from these curious interviews, and he quickly loses sight of his wife through the sea of gala attendees.

Vax finds her again some time later while caught up half-listening to a conversation between the Vesran baroness, her wife, and Lady Kima. He watches Keyleth from across the ballroom—he's always watching her these days, maybe even more intently than he did as her guard—and sees her, so beautiful he can hardly breathe for looking at her, conversing with one of the dukes whose name Vax will never remember. She has that look on her face, the one of polite intrigue that belies a screaming desire to be anywhere else. Vax smiles in pity; she's never been good at small talk, his wife, but he knows she will look to him for assistance if she truly needs to be rescued from the conversation.

Then the duke places a hand on her upper arm, in a display that is wholly inappropriate and unwelcome. Keyleth's eyes flash, and Vax is moving, completely abandoning Lady Kima in the middle of her sentence. He weaves through the crowd of gathered aristocrats, ignoring any and all attempts at conversation and making a beeline straight for Keyleth. He can see her tensing, body arching away from the duke, and he sweeps up to her, easily knocking his hand out of the way as he cuts between them to slide an arm around her waist.

"There you are," he purrs, pressing his lips to the corner of her mouth. He can see her pulse jackrabbiting in her throat, knows she is on the verge of panic. He keeps his calm. "I've been looking for you everywhere." He turns to look at the duke, whose expression is one of shock and confusion. "Hello, friend." Vax smiles with all of his teeth. "Who are you?"

The duke, a short man who appears to be of human and gnomish lineage, stammers, "I-I am Duke Vallen, grandson to Duchess Uvenda."

"Charmed." He looks back at Keyleth. "My beautiful wife, have you tried the canapés? They are delicious." He delights in the way the duke's eyes bug out of his head. "Come, my love, you must try them." Without another glance at the duke, he sweeps Keyleth away, toward the general direction of food, but he easily navigates her through the crowd and out of the ballroom into a small side chamber, where performers might get ready before an act.

Keyleth is pale, her hands trembling. Vax takes them in his and squeezes. "Are you alright?"

She shakes her head as if to clear it. "Sorry. I'm sorry."

"No, hey." He pulls her in, hooks his chin over her head. "No apologies. He should never have touched you."

Into his doublet, she mumbles, "It was just...the party and then...being grabbed—he didn't grab me, what am I saying—"

Of course. She was snatched from the peace celebration in Syngorn. "Listen to me." He takes her face in his hands and looks her in the eye. "You are safe here. This is your home. I will never let what transpired in Syngorn happen again." He frowns. "What was he talking to you about, anyway?"

She sniffles and rolls her eyes. "He was flirting with me. Apparently he's been on the road so long that no one has filled him in on the good gossip."

Something hot and possessive roils low in Vax's stomach. "He was flirting with you?"

"A bid for the throne, no doubt. It's what they always want."

The roiling turns sour. The very idea that someone could spend even five minutes in her presence and reduce her to the political opportunity she offers makes him sick. "I could kill him." He says it without irony or hesitation. "I'm very talented. They'd never know it was foul play."

She lets out a wet laugh. "I rather think Vesrah has suffered enough loss." She sighs. "I doubt they will take news of our marriage well."

"Why is that?"

She smiles curiously at him. "I forget, sometimes, that you are not Ashari by birth. If my family's line ends, the nation's capital moves to Vesrah and their noble lineage becomes royalty. It's a way to shift the power between the four major cities and a check against tyranny."

Something about that arrangement doesn't sit quite right with Vax, but he picks her hand up to kiss the inside of her wrist. "I suppose we'd better get to work on continuing the family line then. I'm free now."

She rolls her eyes again, this time with a grin. She shoves his shoulder. "You are incorrigible."

"You married a rogue, don't forget."

"About that: I'm sorry, by the way, for our separate announcements tonight." He frowns at her, confused. "We should have been announced together, but because as Champion you are technically not a member of the Zephran court and we have not yet determined what your title in the family is and this whole thing got thrown together so quickly—"

He interrupts her rambling with a kiss. "I don't care. Do I still get to call myself your husband?"

"Of course."

"Then I have all I need." He reaches up to adjust the intricate silver circlet in her hair. "Are you ready to go back out there?"

She takes a deep breath and nods. "Stay with me?"

"There is nowhere else I'd rather be." He presses a kiss to her forehead, then offers her his arm. She snakes hers through it, and together they reenter the gala, their first together as husband and wife.

#critical role #critical role fic #cr fic #vaxleth #vaxleth fic #vaxleth au #vox machina #vox machina au #tlovm #tlovm fic #my fic #my fair lady

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