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#there's no definite order in each tier

charlietheepicwriter7 · 7 months

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Danny and Damien are twins au, but a slightly redeemed vlad makes Danny the CEO of Vlad Co and DALV and all his other shell companies. Danny is danny, he got pushed into this against his will and is very overwhelmed by CEO duties, so he reaches out to one of his father's sons, Timothy Drake-Wayne, for advice

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So, danny definitely knows his heritage in this au. He was the spare to Damien's heir, and while their relationship was strained by the constant competition, they still love each other, even when Danny started to show more proficiency in infiltration and subterfuge than assassination. Damien and Danny have a huge fight before Danny leaves, with Damien swearing to never forgive Danny for his betrayal, while Danny is like "what betrayal??? I just cant bring myself to kill someone outside of self-defense??"

(One of the things I hate about Danny and Damien Twin AUs is this depiction that, just because (usually) Danny is unwilling to kill, that makes him weak and a traitor. You think the medical staff in the LoA are assassinating people? Or the lawyers? He's not useless, he's just not good as an assassin)

He was sent to the Fentons at like... seven? eight? to study how the Fentons are purifying lazurus waters from Jack and Maddie, both of whom are partly sponsored by the League of Assassins. He's also learning more about spying from Jack, surprisingly, because no one would expect him of being a top tier spy. He has the occasional mission as a child, but it's mostly shadowing Jack to learn how to spy.

Danny sends letters to both Talia and Damien regarding updates on his training and the Fenton's research, but after a year of no reply from Damien, it's only to Talia. He's feels super hurt by this, and abandoned by the LoA, but the Fentons are kind and familial, and Talia visits once a year. She's unwilling to risk visiting more often, lest she risk getting the JL or the Spiders attention, but sometimes she even manages to visit on his birthday!

(Meanwhile, Talia starts sending birthday assassins to kill Damien so she can spend their birthday with Danyal. She's a really hot and cold mom.

Talia: You can choose me, and have a birthday dinner. Or you can choose your father and have a birthday assassin. You're choice. )

When Slade blows up the LoA, Danyal is given permanent orders to remain as Daniel Fenton until Talia, and only Talia, brings him back to the League. No missions and only one letter every six months. But when Ra's comes back to life and the League is back in power, Talia... never tells Danyal. Because she's seen how happy Damien is being a normal child with their father and wants that for Danyal too. Plus, she wants to continue to have a good relationship one of her children, sue her bruce.

So Danny is completely convinced that the League is mostly gone other than his mother, her zealots, and knows that his brother is living with their father. and he's... relieved. His brother is safe, and his mom told him their grandfather was avenged, so Danny can just enjoy his life. Which he does.

He sends out his six month report days before the portal accident.

Canon stuff happens until Danny is sixteen and Vlad, the fruitloop, steps down as CEO and strong-arms Danny into becoming CEO in his place. Jack and Maddie (who at this point know [or have always known in Jack's case, adn Danny didn't appreciate his dad using his his poker face against him like that] about Phantom) are thrilled.

Vlad is using his "foster son" (Dark Danny, but in this idea, he's Dante Masters) as an excuse as to why he's stepping down, since Dante needs all the attention he can give as a "troubled youth". Danny secretly hopes Dante kills Vlad in his sleep, but signs the papers away.

And there's so much work.

Danny has some idea of what he's doing (Vlad co is a tech company and DALV is weapons manufacturing, plus vlad gave him a crash course on CEOing). Sam and Tuck even help! But he wishes there was someone who could understand the pain of being a CEO while still a teen. But... his father's son, his brother, is one such person. And even though the other would never know, he really wanted to get to know his other siblings. So Danny reaches out for advice to Timothy Drake-Wayne.

Tim is immediately on guard when this Damien clone walks into his office claiming to be the new Vlad Co CEO. The clone acts nothing like Damien, but he still thinks this Danny Fenton is a league plant.

His paranoia doubles when Damien freaks out and confesses that A) Danny is apparently his twin brother and B) that he's been with the League of Assassins this whole time. Damien, who really doesn't want to admit that the reason he forced himself to forget his brother was because said brother didn't want to kill people, says "Tch. I didn't want to associate with the likes of him, so I put him out of my mind." Tim now believes that he's dealing with a master assassin with a huge grudge against Damien and Danyal showing no signs of malicious or aggression in their meetings only convinces him that Danyal is a master actor too.

Which, Danyal is a master actor. But all that other stuff is just Tim reaching.

#dc x dp #dp x dc #dp crossover #dc crossover #danny and damian are twins #for some reason explain danyal's backstory was really important to me #c: danny fenton #c: damien wayne #c: talia al ghul #c: tim drake #talia can be a brainwashed mom trying to do the best for her kids and be cold and calculating #she has the range #this au is all about the batfam freaking out about the LoA having control over these massive companies #and meanwhile Danny is having the time of his life getting to know his adoptive brother #and saving the environment with Vlad's companies #tim constantly takes the most innocent comments from danny as evil threats #danny compliments tim's family and tim nearly lunges across the desk to strangle him

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asimmutableasgravity · 5 months

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big big marvey fic rec list

marvey is currently my most bookmarked ship, so trust me when i say i've been around the bend for marvey content. i have dug through a lot of it the past few months, so trust that these fics have been highly rated!

fics are loosely grouped, with the summary and my thoughts under the cut :3 no spoilers ofc bc i love you

MY PERSONAL FAVOURITES

A Specter-Ross Affair by @frivoloussuits (15k+, au)

“You ordered an ‘extra-hot, extra-wet cappuccino, single-origin, properly layered, to-go and ready five minutes ago to make up for your service speed or lack thereof.’” In which Mike is a barista, Rachel is a lawyer, and Harvey is paid excessive amounts of money to plan their joyous Christmas wedding.

"Love is just a particularly socially accepted form of fraud. It's a series of increasingly complex and fragile deceptions between two or more people, and, more alarmingly, between each participant and their own deluded subconscious."

i literally cannot recommend this fic enough. this might be my favourite read of the entire year, dead serious. this sounds fluffy but trust me, the pining and the angst go well like salt on a chocolate chip cookie: extremely decadent. everything about this fic goes insane and this should be your gateway drug into marvey, im so serious about this. READ IT. (weddingplanner!harvey)

of all the gin joints by @frivoloussuits (10k+, au)

Hanging around a neighborhood bar one night, Harvey befriends a guy named Mike after realizing they can both quote The Princess Bride on demand. In the law offices of Rand, Kaldor, Zane and Pearson, senior partner Harvey Specter takes on an unusual case, representing his managing partner's daughter as she divorces a Michael James Ross. Harvey sees no connection until it's far too late.

"They’re playing a virtuosic duet with inhuman ease, as if the intoxication has broken their boundaries and blurred them into a single entity."

this. obsessed with fics that really use the law in their plots, and this is a prime example. a lot of chemistry in this one that is described in a way that makes you jealous of the bond they share and there are still lines in this fic that i think about almost everyday but honestly, such a top-tier read. PLEASE PLEASE IF YOU LIKE SUFFERING ANF REALLY REALLY GOOD CHEMISTRY PLEASE

5U175 by Closer (26k, canon-adjacent)

Harvey sometimes moonlights as a Star Trek BNF. Mike might have an attitude problem on the internet. TiberiusGhost is strangely compelling, for a recluse who never goes to meetups, and Harvey's finding this kid Photohead vaguely familiar…

i know that the terminology in this one is hella old-school but trust me. as someone who doesnt read a lot of fandom fics, this fic has changed it all for me (also bc the author replied to my comment hehehe) stick with this fic because the way fandom weaves with the character development is absolutely delicious, i remember saying this in my og comment but this fic was written with love for fandom and you should definitely read it too!!! you'd absolutely love it! (also ben stans rise up ^^)

fics to sink your teeth into (20k+)

needs must by @melthemagpie (98k+, au)

When Grammy needs an upgrade in care, Mike knows that the usual one-off gig as a paid submissive won't be enough. He takes a job he's been refusing for a while - a long-term, full-time contract. He expects his client to be a sadistic asshole. He expects not to like it. He's wrong on both counts.

this is a fandom classic, every fic rec has this on the list (cw for dom/sub and prostitution, so if you're uncomfy please dont read) but i swear there are so many romantic moments in this one that make me swoon and the smut is very good, i usually tap out in long fics really quickly but this hooked me the whole way through twice. thats my ringing endorsement, READ THIS

Lobster and Other Catastrophes by @andthetardis (21k, canon-compliant)

After months of silence, Mike starts texting Harvey again out of the blue. Funny thing to do on his honeymoon, really.

BRO PLEASE. this was so good. angsty and pining-y enough even though it's mostly a text fic. text fics to me are more like comedic, but this one had substance and heart (and funny and enjoyable btw). pulls you in and really makes you want to stick it out and get to the beautiful ending <333 (harvey being soft is probably a category on its own :3)

The Game by @frivoloussuits (27k, hunger games au)

Harvey Specter and Donna Paulsen are efficient and elegant killers. They have trained since childhood, mentored personally by Jessica Pearson and marked for years as District 1's Tributes for the Hunger Games. Mike Ross is an orphan from District 12, a drug dealer, and an underage gambler. After years of scrutinizing the Hunger Games on TV to make savvy bets, he finds himself on the wrong side of the camera, now playing the odds just to survive. Harvey and Mike cannot, should not trust each other. Still, they strike a backroom deal.

"Because he’s clever and quick-thinking and he’s learned her main lesson well– don’t love anyone you wouldn’t be willing to see dead. Ideally, don’t love anyone at all."

I READ THIS WHEN I WAS REVISITING HUNGER GAMES AND OHHHHH THIS HAS THE ANGST. absolutely riveting. ths is the third fic im reccing from them bc i love frivoloussuits. i would die for them HHFSHFHKSDGDHFG i love the angst and the life-threatening situations that the hunger games provide and harvey as a career is correct. its just correct. everything here grips my soul

Disaster Stories by agatestones (22k, canon-compliant)

"Hold on," Mike asked, "you made Donna come into work in the middle of a blizzard?" "I don't make Donna do anything. Haven't you learned by now?" Harvey gave Mike a mean little smile, but under that was relief for anyone to see. "You, I can make come into the office in a blizzard."

reads like a novella to me, and it's really good!!! very episodic and you really feel like these are things that have happened in universe. its very slice of lifey and i reread it a lot as a comfort read, its like a big hug to me

Pizza and a Movie by Closer (30k+, au)

In an alternate universe, Harvey's still a lawyer but Mike's not a pot runner -- he's a deliveryman for Rollo's Pizza and Ribs, which happens to be Harvey's favorite pizza place. Once Harvey finds out his pizza guy is a genius, Mike's life takes a few turns he would not have expected...

i swear this is the most rom-commy fic marvey has to offer. i like aus that slap me in the face more with the alternate universe, but this is such a rom-com plot. fandom classic as well and it really reads like a hugh grant 90s movie and if thats not enough to pull you in idk what will tbh

Imprimatur by Closer (22k, au)

Mike was raised to believe Imprint was a life-changing event for those few lucky enough to experience it. Harvey was raised to believe it was a form of mental illness. When it actually happened, neither of them noticed.

this goes absolutely crazy. one of those fics where you read it and you almost want to throw your phone at the wall because the characters could make it so easy if they werent so stupid (but in a good way of course) but the way it was written, you feel the depth of the soulmate bond and why its so important (which a lot of soulmate aus forget to do loll) but goes down like an expensive and delicious dinner :)

afternoon reads (10k+)

Sony SRF-39FP by @frivoloussuits (11k+, canon-adjacent)

Anita Gibbs won’t settle for Mike, not when there are name partners within her reach. She offers only one deal– two years, no other charges against anyone else in the firm, as long as Harvey Specter turns himself in. And even as Donna and Jessica and Louis and Mike beg him not to, he jumps on the grenade. “Time to get busy living or get busy dying,” he remarks, and Mike gives a small chuckle. Then Harvey smirks, straightens his suit jacket, and strides into FCI Danbury.

“I can’t believe they’re trying to lock you in a box and forget about you,” Mike sighs as he leaves.

“Well, as long as you don’t forget me, I figure I’ll survive.”

“Maybe you haven’t noticed, but forgetting’s never been my strong suit.

cw for depersonalization and desc of solitary confinement, very very heavy but the way mike is there throughout everything makes my heart twinge. i really dont know how to describe this fic at all but its really good. it makes me cry a lot. also made me start listening to jazz which- uh

Here at the end of all things by @tattooedsiren (10k, au)

When he arrives at the Pearson Hardman building the lights are dimmed and the floor is deserted. His feet carry him to Harvey's office even though he expects it to be empty. Because Harvey probably fled the city via helicopter or teleporter or sheer force of will. But when he approaches the office he can see that Harvey is there. He has moved the couch so that it now faces the floor to ceiling windows and Mike silently sits beside Harvey, joins him in looking down at the chaos engulfing the city below. [Apocalypse AU]

I LOVE APOCALYPSE FICS UP UP UP badass!harvey makes me bark, but im a really big fan of people who find happiness in the worst circumstances and this fic does it so so so well. reminds me a lot of tlou episode like 2? the one with the strawberries. please this is what i revisit when i miss marvey and i dont have a lot of time because the world and the characters are jsut so delicious!!!

quick reads (1k+)

This Love is Silent by kim47 (8k, canon-compliant)

She should have known. She had known, that something was off, at least. She knew he was hiding something. She just never imagined it could be this. Despite Harvey's warnings, Mike tells Rachel the truth about everything. She's shocked, naturally, and more than a little angry, but she agrees to keep his secret, and even to date him. So when they break up, Harvey goes into damage-control mode.

RACHEL!! HELLO RACHEL!! im always up for smart and discerning rachel (this shows up in of all the gin joints too btw!!!) this runs realistic to me because it shows that rachelxmike arent some hopelessly wrong for each other couple, they have good and bad times. this feels more real to me than other fics bc its not like the world conspires for marvey to be apart, its just life. i know this makes it sound so sad, and it is, but trust me: this is really really really good i love this so much

an archive of harvey specter's expressions by @frivoloussuits (2k, canon-compliant)

Five old expressions that Mike rediscovers in new contexts once he and Harvey are (finally) together, and one that he sees for the first time. Alternatively titled “An Ode to Gabriel Macht’s Face.”

this was written for me. this is literally me. writing fic because gabriel macht is too pretty, like this fic is literally for me. a lot of peering at him to get this fic as masterfully written as it is, and i thank you author everyday for it. to me, this reads like it's been written with love and care and true adoration (Truly, like Mike)

Coffee-Cart Client Privilege by @frivoloussuits (7k, au)

Mike runs a coffee cart. The coffee cart.

"Why not? They're too big and dense to be a snack." So are you, Mike thinks, and yet.

IM SORRY I KEEP RECCING FRIVOLOUS SUITS THEYRE MY FAVOURITE WRITER IN THIS FANDOM HFBKABFDKHFBHKDSA this has the hand-wavy logic the show has itself but mike's internal monologue in this one is one of the best ive ever read and the way mike's integrated in the offices is just so well-done ahhhh

Objection by yeah its frivoloussuits again i feel bad tagging them like 7 times (2k, canon-adjacent)

When Mike announces he’s leaving, Harvey plans to hide the jagged pieces of his broken heart deep inside, where no one will ever find them. His heart would like to object.

BIGG fan of physical hurt/comfort!!!! also big fan of people absolutely freaking out in the hospital in fics, it makes me bounce of the wall!! very short but the angst and love really hits you quick and leaves you on the floor gasping for air. very good (also cant prove this but im very sure this is a scrubs reference.t hanks)

Excerpts From The Gospel of Harvey Specter, edited by Michael "Forever Awesome" Ross, 2011, 1st Ed, by @rcmclachlan (7k, canon compliant)

Mike can totally read people. Well, most people. Some people. Or maybe just Harvey, who's pretty much an open book.

this one's really funny! it doesent follow direct prose and instead plays a lot with the setting its in (where mike's a documenter of harvey) and its just so funny and adorable. has a lot of heart too, it isn't just crack or anything but you really feel everything mike does as he writes all this, read this!!1

One More Sleepless Night by @sal_si_puedes (9k, au)

Soul Bonds are one-sided – there’s usually mutual affection, but only one party feels the crippling need to be together as often as possible. If separated at length from their love, that party becomes crushed by longing, panic, and sheer hopelessness, and so it is illegal to forcibly keep Soulmates apart. Some days, Harvey Specter hates the Bond that skews his judgement and weakens his resolve, and he fears what would happen if anyone in his world ever discovers he is so compromised. He certainly never planned to disclose the Bond for the first time in the middle of Anita Gibbs’ office, in a last-ditch attempt to invalidate the deal sending Mike to prison.

HSDGFHSDKGHRLKGHK THIS FIC. i love fics that use more than just prose to tell their stories (see above fic) and this does my favourite thing that soulmate aus do, which is where they integrate in-universe explanations for the phenomenon. the amount of work and dedication put into this fic makes it absolutely sing and was absolutely lovely!!

also pspspsps

golden like the daffodils by @mini-mart (2k, canon-compliant)

Poetry holds meaning, for anyone who reads it. It obscures and dances around the literal and metaphorical, because it’s imbued with so much of something that it overflows out of any definition. It can make someone mad, or lovesick, or aroused, and the reactions would be absolutely warranted. Mike is poetry, to Harvey. - Harvey Specter could be a good politician, as he believes in pragmatism over poetry. He won't let his progress fall apart, won't let someone knock it down. And then someone unceremoniously cracks open a suitcase at his feet. Or: Harvey, pretty boys and poetry.

yeah yeah i wrote this yeah yeah self promo smth smth

there's a lot more that isn't here but i'll probably write a new one when i go for a deep dive through the ship tags again :3

^^ ao3 etiqutte applies! if you like the fic, kudos and comment and bookmark!! show your love! happy reading marveys! my gift to u :3

#marvey #suits tv #suits #mike ross #harvey specter #marvey fic recs #marvey fic #ao3 #fic rec list #fic recs #tbr #fanfiction #103 #GUYS PLEASE READ THIS #mikexharvey

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sukunasweetheart · 1 year

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That classmate sukuna post was just 🤌 a part 2 with dating headcanons pls🫣 if you take requests. Thank you 💕

the referenced post is over here thank you for enjoying! hope you like these extras as well <3

what would dating classmate sukuna be like??

well, at the beginning, its mostly sukuna dragging you around to places after school... he knows all the obscure food places that nobody is aware of- you know those dingy looking places that serve top tier food? yea.

you wonder if this is his idea of what "dates" are, just sitting and eating together lmao, but your heart still flutters even if a lot of the time there is pretty little conversation other than the usual bickering the two of you do because he does little things like giving you the last dumpling or whatever else it is that he's ordered as a side or pouring you a glass of water before he pours himself one

its like this until you begin taking more initiative and suggest the two of you do other things as a couple, like watching movies and going to cute aesthetic cafes, whatever floats your boat! (he'll most likely have a bored look on his face, but look, he'll find some way of having fun, because he always has you to tease, after all)

he probably enjoys more active date stuff like going to the arcade! throwing basketballs into the hoops, shooting games, table hockey, you name it (good luck winning against him)

will probably make everything into a competition and challenge you... and the loser gets a flick to the forehead, or something like that

(you shut your eyes and brace yourself at the end of each game for the impact, but it doesnt come for a while... when you crack open one eye a little, you see that hes smirking in that endearing way at you, because you look so cute with your eyes closed like that, waiting for him)

definitely goes easy on you, and the gentle flick gets you all flustered and shy

(maybe he gets bored of flicking towards the end and gives you a kiss instead)

cough cough anyway

on your way out of the arcade, if you make puppy eyes at him while gesturing at the claw machine filled with cute plushies, maybe he'll cave in and get one for you

what gets shoved into your arms afterwards is a big ass kirby plush

he doesnt get whats so good about such a dull looking creature, but whatever makes you happy, i guess

at school, nothing much changes except that hes a bit more affectionate with his bullying-- arm around your shoulder, sneaky kisses in the hallways, cuddling behind the school building on some days, but its not like the two of you are joined hip to hip constantly, since he has his friends and you have yours

dont bother taking him on study dates - or, if you wanna see him doze off, you should because thats all he'd do, since sukuna does the bare minimum when it comes to studying and still gets good grades

dont ask him to tutor you, he'd be a really mean teacher

but, well, if theres something that you're really struggling with, i guess he wont be opposed to helping out a little, in exchange for something like a free meal later

(but he ends up paying anyway.. when you tell him about the agreement earlier, he'll go "did i say that? i forgot. whatever, just leave it be." its just his tsundere way of saying "dont worry about it" bc he actually has no intention of making you pay for him)

sukuna does his daily activities of beating up losers and getting regular detentions, but now he also finds pleasure in seeing you waiting for him during after school hours by the entrance to walk home with him

is smug 24/7 and its incredibly hard to fluster him

but maybeee it happens once when you give him a big fat kiss on the lips before running away, which stuns him a little

(is definitely gonna chase you up for a second one. better watch out, hes fast as fuck boi)

Masterlist <3

#poe answers #sukuna x reader #sukuna #ryomen sukuna x reader #soft sukuna #sukuna fluff #jjk x reader #sukuna x you #ryomen sukuna #jujutsu kaisen x reader

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accirax · 2 months

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Danganronpa: Despair Time Mastermind Ranking (Least to Most)

Yeah, I should’ve known that I needed to get around to this someday.

You see, the reason why I hadn’t made a theory about the identity of the Despair Time mastermind is that… I'm not totally convinced on any one person being the mastermind. Like, look at these clowns! They’re all so weird! I love them all for it, obviously, but none of their personality quirks or roles in the story stand out to me as particularly mastermind-y. There are a lot of characters that I believe could be the mastermind, but it’s also pretty easy to convince me out of it for one reason or another.

However, it’s not like I had any idea about who the P:EG mastermind would be, either! At least with two chapters under its belt, I can feel more comfortable that I’m not just fully mischaracterizing the Despair Time cast. And I definitely have things to say about various DRDT masterminds, just… in a way that’s kinda hard to rank.

But, that’s no reason for me to be cowardly! I’m sure that seriously scrutinizing all of the characters’ mastermind potentials and ultimately coming up with who I think the most likely candidate is will be super fun. It’s just… going to be really long, so, buckle in. And maybe prepare to take breaks in the middle.

(Spoilers for all three main canon games and DRDT.)

Why is it going to be so long? Well, it’s because, when it comes to DRDT, I think that my predictions will be at least partially based on how long I think each character will make it into the story. If I have a particularly strong inclination that a character is going to die in Chapter 3.456, no matter how unfounded, it might make me feel worse about their prospects of being the mastermind. That’s not to say that a mastermind can’t appear to die (or actually die) before Chapter 6 rolls around, of course. However, it is an uncommon additional hurdle to the story that would require some justification and a little suspension of disbelief if I’m trying to call it years before it transpires.

So, if we’re going to talk about the mastermind, I need to share my current feelings about where each character might place in the death order. Should I update the title…?

Danganronpa: Despair Time Mastermind Ranking (Least to Most) AND ALSO Death Order Predictions

These are my mastermind rankings, so my opinions on where the characters might be headed will obviously be used as the baseline. Naturally, you don’t need to believe in anything I'm about to throw out here. I’m just trying to explain my thought process so that nothing I say later on will come as a total surprise.

Also, since it’s kind of long, here’s the top of the death order section. I think it’ll provide some important context, but if you want to skip it, look for the other green, bold text.

Some of my thoughts were inspired by anderscim’s death predictions theory, as I read that pretty soon after I joined the fandom. I encourage you to go read their work as well!

The tiers are mostly pretty self explanatory– 3-4 means I think they’re at risk of dying sooner and 4-5 means I think they’re at risk of dying later. But, I’ll give everyone what I hope to be a quick rundown on each character just to explain my thinking.

Xander: Xander canonically died as the Chapter 1 victim.

Min: Min canonically died as the Chapter 1 blackened.

Arei: While I respect the concept, I personally don’t believe in the “J and Arei swapped places and Arei is actually still alive” theory, and I will be writing the rest of this post accordingly. So, to me, Arei canonically died as the Chapter 2 victim.

Eden: Pretty much anyone who’s seen my DRDT theories at this point shouldn't be surprised that I’m listing Eden as the Chapter 2 killer. The logic behind this belief has been explained by my lovely mutuals here and here.

Levi: Alright, on to the ones I don’t have any concrete evidence to support! (There is concrete evidence behind the ch2 murder, even if you believe it points elsewhere.) Levi has had a decent amount of focus already in his trainwreck of a relationship with Ace and discussions of morality with Eden and Teruko. If he does serve as an accomplice to the Chapter 2 killer (see the first link in Eden’s section), then I feel like his clock will really be ticking. He’d be trapped with the branding of a bad person, his greatest fear, and left without any relationships to lean on. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone targeted him as a victim they “believed deserved to die after what happened,” or even if Levi decided that he was doomed to be a villain from the start and decided to kill. Alternatively, he could try to redeem himself as a classic Chapter 4 buff curse sacrifice in some way. In either case (or even in the case of him just being the Chapter 2 killer), I have my doubts that he’ll be making it too much later into the game.

Arturo: To me, Arturo doesn’t feel like a character set up for incredible longevity. That doesn’t mean I’m pigeonholing him as a one-dimensional villain or pure comedic relief, just that Arturo seems like a character who might be set up to have his ideology lead to his downfall. I don’t think he’s dying in Chapter 2, as I believe the narrative would want to see how he reacts to J burning the bridges between them, but I could definitely see the story only needing one more round of daily life (or possibly a trial as well) to resolve wherever his character is going.

Charles: Look, it’s not only because he’s already been pronounced dead at 3. As I elaborated upon in Charles’ section of this post (The Jerk), Charles feels like he’s speeding towards the end of his character arc far ahead of schedule. It could just be that he needed to learn to make friends quickly before Whit makes an early exit, sending him on a secondary arc where he learns to process his current grief and fears as a parallel to regaining memories about Elliot. However, I find it much more likely that the Inevitable CharWhit Doom Scenario plays out in the opposite direction. He makes a lot of sense as a Chapter 3 victim to me.

Nico: Similar to Arei and J, I am writing all of my theories with the assumption that it really was Nico who attempted to murder Ace in Chapter 2, because I think it makes the most narrative sense. (I could keep typing out a “well, unless” every time, but I don’t really want to eat up my time writing or your time reading all of that.) Through that lens, the fact that Nico has already murdered someone and “gotten away with it,” more or less, puts them in a really weird situation. I don’t really see them killing again, as it feels like we’ve already explored the emotional and narrative implications of that happening through Chapter 2. Although, I can’t deny that it would be interesting to see the fallout of Ace being proven totally right and Hu 100% wrong. Still, if they were to be a survivor after doing something so severe so early into the game, it seems like they would have to undergo some sort of redemption for the audience to accept them as a face of hope in the end. I don’t currently see any great paths to that happening, although there’s obviously still plenty of story time for something to open up. For now, though, I feel more confident in placing them as a early/mid-game victim, likely as a consequence of choosing to harm someone else.

Hu: Given her overall lack of focus in the story thus far, I find it likely that Hu will be one of the focal characters of the Chapter 3 daily life. That could be bad news, considering how Xander and Arei fared after being focused upon in their respective daily lives, but… I dunno, I just feel like Hu would survive it, somehow? Wouldn’t be too surprised if she didn’t, but my gut instinct is that she would. I kind of see her character exiting the story in Chapter 4, no preference on killer vs victim.

Veronika: Veronika is a very weird character (an “oddball,” I’ll call it), and thus, my predictions for her are strongly based on the patterns that oddball characters normally follow. I’ll be using canon characters only, because I believe that those are the only killing games that I have the right to assume every DRDT fan has seen. But, you can apply these same kinds of patterns to many fangan characters. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for fangans breaking from typical Danganronpa norms and following their own paths. But, in the case of how oddballs are treated, I think these characters generally tend to follow these patterns because they’re sensible writing practices. I’ll try to explain why each of these conventions makes sense in the following bullet points.

Oddballs tend not to die in Chapters 1 or 2. This is because oddball characters are generally created to supply a very niche kind of comedic relief– examples from DRDT could include Arturo’s commentary on ugly people or Ace’s bizarre remarks of cowardice. Any character deemed worthy of being included in a fangan occupies one of 16 highly contested slots. So, if you include a character for the purpose of making jokes with them, you'll want to get your bang for your buck! It’s hard to fit every joke you have in mind into only a chapter or two. The best example I could come up with for a (canon) oddball who dies early is Teruteru. In his case, the writers likely anticipated that his hyper-flirtatious nature would get tiring if it continued on for too long, and thus, exhausted all of the jokes they wanted to make in Chapter 1 before his exit. An oddball who dies this early has a limited shelf life, and is likely accompanied by other oddballs who can pick up the comedic slack.

Many have pointed out that silly oddballs often die in Chapter 3 (Hifumi, Ibuki, Tenko) as a way to signify the death of fun and innocence. You also have a chance to get rid of some of the more sinister oddballs (Celeste, Kiyo) at a point where it seems unfeasible for them to have stuck around this long without… well, killing someone. In either case, it’s because Chapter 3 is a great balance of letting a character stay in a story for long enough that they achieve whatever strange effects you wanted from them, while also clearing them off the stage before you get into the really serious business. Silly oddballs especially may not be equipped to handle the often turbulent natures of Chapter 4 without breaking the serious tone too much, so it’s best to axe them at the midpoint.

Endearing oddballs (Gundham, Gonta) have a hard time making it past Chapter 4. If Chapter 4 is serious, Chapters 5 and 6 are even more so, and the Chapter 4 killer slot in particular is a viable dumping ground for characters who don’t really have a place in the finale. Their deaths are meant to pull at your heartstrings and prove how a killing game can make literally anyone– yes, even that guy– a killer. (Miu is an outlier; more like an extended Chapter 3. Unlike THH, which has its tonal shift at the end-of-Ch3-Sakura Traitor Reveal, and SDR2, which has its tonal shift at Mikan’s insanity and death, v3’s tonal shift comes at Kokichi's accusation and Kaito and Shuichi's argument, or possibly even Miu's death itself. The Chapter 4 Daily Life isn’t all that serious in and of itself. Thus, Miu dying as a Ch4 victim functions more like killing off a silly oddball before she has to deal with all the betrayal and scheming that occurs later on.)

Oddballs really only die in Chapter 5 to the extent that you can count major antagonists like Nagito and Kokichi as Weird Dudes. As the precursor to the big, showstopping, mind-bending Chapter 5 Trial, the mood is typically pretty… straightforward. Depending on the overall plot’s arc, Chapter 5 is either the point where most of the surviving students are concluding their character arcs and learning how potent a weapon teamwork is (THH, SDR2), or a “dark night of the soul” type moment where all of the slowly growing inter-character conflicts are finally coming to a head (v3). It can also be Version A for some characters and Version B for others, but, either way, hijinks are not ensuing, basically. Plot relevant things happen here, and as such, plot relevant characters are the ones who are dying. It can be hard for an oddball to find a place in the narrative relevant enough to serve as one of its final, poignant deaths without also being a major antagonist.

Despite everything I’ve said about oddballs dying, it is definitely possible for oddballs to survive. Danganronpa is, at its core, a dark comedy, and as such killing off all of your funny joke characters before the ending is probably a bad move. Hiro, Toko, Kazuichi, and Himiko are all characters I’d call oddballs that survive until the very end. The difference in their case is that part of their oddball nature is being… kind of pathetic? I think it helps them fade into the background more. It's also probably easier to give them a character arc than some others... like Veronika.

I’m sure that you can find exceptions to these “rules” I’ve laid out, especially amongst casts that have a high percentage of oddballs (which you could certainly argue fits DRDT). However, pattern recognition brain go brrrr. I don’t think that Veronika fits the description of a Chapter 1-2, Chapter 4, or survivor oddball particularly well. That leaves Chapter 3 (sinister) and Chapter 5 (bewildering antagonist). I don’t know if it’s that Veronika doesn't seem to have much of a reason to kill at this point in time or all of Veronika’s weird mastermind coding that makes me think DRDTdev might have greater plans for her. Either way, I’m leaning Chapter 5, probably victim. Jeez, that was a long section for one character. Favoritism, I guess?

J: J gets her own category because, honestly, I have no idea what to do with her. Could J make it to the end? Sure! Could J die in a Chapter 3 scheme? Sure! Could J be the Chapter 2 killer? Well, I personally believe the evidence points elsewhere, but in terms of narrative? Sure! The only real inclination I have is that I think it’s more likely that she would be a killer than a victim, mostly because Ultimate Effects Artist is a talent that could lend itself to some really creative and fun murder setups. Given that I have more characters pegged as early game deaths right now, I lean towards J late game, but… man, I don’t know!

Teruko: Teruko is the protagonist, and also is a Lucky Student who allegedly “can’t die.” Especially after she made that claim, it would be silly if she died before the ending– it’d just kinda make her look like a fool. I’m not averse to theories where Teruko is no longer the protagonist by the end, whether by her death or someone else taking up the role for whatever reason, but in the sense that “Survivor” = “Chapter 6,” I think Teruko will survive. I’m not here to predict crazy last-minute Kiibo-blowing-himself-up twists.

Rose: I think that Rose has a really nice arc of overcoming her fears and becoming less passive set up in front of her. We spent enough time establishing her relationship with Teruko that I could see her being a good potential friend/support character to Teruko in the endgame if relationships with people like Eden or Charles fall through. (And, at this point, you know what I think about Eden and Charles…) She’s also good at delivering low-key jokes that can provide some levity without totally ruining the tone. We already saw some of that in this scene. The main things that I think could be standing in her way are her photographic memory and history of debt. The photographic memory could be too annoying of an obstacle to write around for the entire game, and instead be an ongoing effect set to expire in in Chapter 3. Additionally, a money motive paralleling THH’s in Chapter 3 could be too tempting for Rose to pass up. Really, what I’m saying is, if Rose can make it through Chapter 3, I think she’s golden. We’ll just have to see how that Chapter pans out in the future.

David: Oh, David. Currently serving as Teruko’s largest antagonist, I can see why people would think that he would die in Chapter 5. However, I’m not going to beat around the bush and pretend that I’m the only person who thinks David might survive, either. As an inspirational speaker, David is established early on as a character who should be a beacon of hope, before revealing that he’s more of a hope-sucking black hole. It would make sense if, alongside Teruko, he learns to find more of a balance between blithe optimism and cynical depression and heal as a person. He has a lot of very obvious depth that I think a lot of people want to see explored, and whose exploration would be very on-brand for the themes of a typical killing game story. Plus, if Teruko ever does stop being the protagonist, David probably needs to be alive at that point to pick up the slack.

Ace: Similar to Nico, it seems like we’ve already gotten a taste of what Ace being a victim would be like, in a way where I don’t think we’re going to see it again. He could still be a killer, but would the cowardly Ace even want to attempt killing someone and throwing himself into the scrutiny of a Class Trial? Well, it is true that Ace believes that “[neither] dying young or living a long, shitty life of suffering… are as bad as this” (the killing game?). So, he could simply grow fed up with the killing game and decide that risking a Class Trial is worth it, even if he does wind up dying young. However, if that were to occur, Chapter 2 seems like the narratively best time to do it, as it’s when his emotions are most potent and probably when others would least expect him to do it due to his weakened state. Like Rose, I feel the period Ace has most to worry about is this upcoming Chapter 2 killer slot, but if he makes it through, his arc of learning to escape his fear by bravely rising above it instead of lashing out to try to knock everyone down feels very viable.

Whit: The pro of the Inevitable CharWhit Doom Scenario is that, hopefully, one of the two would manage to make it as a survivor after the other one dies. And, I’m Team Whit Surviving! Not just based on which of the two I like better (they’re my first and second favorite characters, so I’m taking a massive L either way), but because I think it makes more sense for it to be Whit that lives further on. Unlike Charles, who feels like he’s already in the final lap of the character arc race, Whit has barely left the starting line. The laundry scene in Chapter 1 and Whit’s secret in Chapter 2 have both been used to establish that Whit focuses on his and others’ bliss in hopes of remaining ignorant of everything that stresses him. The main offender, of course, being that Whit lies about his mom being alive to presumably stave off his grief. The easiest way to give him a character arc that resolves that issue is to give him something to grieve– namely, Charles– and soon. If Whit’s main character struggle is pretending that people dying doesn’t bother him, he might need an entire Chapter or more to stubbornly show off his central flaw. Now, it is possible that, if Whit can’t overcome this flaw, he could die soon after Charles and meet a tragic fate. But, those just… aren’t the vibes, to me? A post-character arc Whit who knows how to grieve fiercely but healthily might come in handy if Teruko finds herself handling her own emotions about Xander, Min, and/or anyone else at the end of the game.

And here’s the bottom of the death order section!

Finally finished writing something that nobody asked of me at all. Well, I still think it was important, and I hope you feel the same.

Now that we’ve laid all that out, I think it’s finally time to actually see who I think the Danganronpa: Despair Time mastermind might be! Although, please keep in mind that, despite the large preamble full of story predictions, I’m still pretty uncertain on who I think the mastermind is. So, my points might not be the best supported, and I might change my mind again pretty soon after I post this theory. I expect to be far better at disproving why everyone is the mastermind rather than proving why anyone would be, because that’s generally how I feel… but, onwards we go!

#17: Arei Nageishi

(Forgive me for reusing art here, I’ve drawn these bastards ENOUGH /j)

If I were writing this after Despair Time’s prologue, like I did with P:EG, there’s a pretty good chance that Arei, at the very least, wouldn’t have placed dead last. But, well, now Arei is dead. And also last.

Obviously, there are other dead characters too. But still, Arei is the one who I most struggle to see as the mastermind. Given that Arei died as a victim whose body was thoroughly investigated by several parties, it’s pretty hard for me to believe that anyone could have missed any signs of life. I don’t get the sense that DRDT is in some kind of simulation where everyone can magically be alive again at the end either, so I think Arei is, sadly, well and truly dead.

On top of all that, we know a lot about her backstory from her Chapter 2 breakdown, and none of it seems to point her towards masterminding a killing game specifically. She doesn’t have any particular ties to any big organizations that would have helped her accomplish it, either. While she is NOT just a temporary weather spell whose absence will be celebrated and then forgotten, David… I have a hard time believing that the audience would find her character relevant enough(?) to be a good twist mastermind come Chapter 6 several years down the line.

I don’t think I really need to keep elaborating on this. Arei isn’t the mastermind.

#16: Charles Cuevas

I know it’s a bit of a bold move to put a character who’s currently alive below characters who have already died, but… man, I really just don’t see how Charles could pull this off.

And it’s not (just) because I think he’s going to die in Chapter 3 as part of Whit’s character arc, or that I want to believe that he’s a good person. Really, it’s mostly because of his phobias. How is a guy who started gagging at the sight of blood splattered on the floor supposed to be the one who orchestrated an entire death game? Could he get through the process of creating a brutal execution like Min’s without freezing up and freaking out? Even if he could do it, why would he? Sure, he didn’t seem to remember the fact that he had necrophobia until Xander died, but that might be even more of a problem. Wouldn’t the mastermind, who’s certainly had to consider the others�� deaths before, remember that they were afraid of death? He would almost certainly have to be lying about at least the scale of his reaction, although that’s probably a given if he is the mastermind.

Of course, there are mastermind subcategories that could better benefit Charles. If DRDT is actually a simulation, especially one in which the participants don’t actually die, that would definitely make it easier for him to be the one behind it. We’re also meant to believe that Charles has childhood amnesia, so he could have amnesia in other areas as well and be a mastermind who forgot they were one.

However, as I said before, I don’t particularly believe that DRDT is going to be a computer simulation or that Charles is an amnesiac mastermind. I just… don’t see this one in general.

#15: Xander Matthews

Let me preface this by saying that I’m not trying to argue that Xander is actually still alive. The concept that he would be able to fool not only Min, making her believe that she dealt him a fatal blow, but also everyone else as they identified his body, seems outlandish to me. However, just because Xander is dead doesn’t mean that he couldn’t have entered this game as the mastermind.

We know for a fact that Xander wanted to kill Teruko due to his dialogue regarding the note he received, which lines up well with the popular theory that Xander is the individual speaking in the first scene with the papers and the blood. If we assume he is that guy, then it may seem a little counterintuitive to think that the person who says “I have to end the killing game” would be the one behind the killing game. However, he also says, “Even if I can’t do that… I have to kill Teruko Tawaki,” implying that killing Teruko is of a higher priority than ending “the killing game.” Thus, if, for some reason, Xander thought that orchestrating the killing game was the only way to kill Teruko, it’s possible that he would be willing to let the death game roll for as long as it takes to eliminate his bigger target.

However, I can’t deny that the Xander mastermind theory has some massive flaws to it. For one, Xander is dead. I don’t think we’ve technically seen any evidence that the mastermind has to still be alive as of Chapter 2, but a mastermind-less Chapter 6 would be… an interesting challenge to write, to say the least. Also, while Xander betraying Teruko and the others was a great surprising hook the first time, if it happened again, it would be kind of… underwhelming, in my opinion. It’s the same kind of concept I brought up in my Eden’s Garden ranking:

Then, in Chapter 6, we’d be faced with the revelation that, wow, the mildly antagonistic character was actually a really antagonistic character all along! It just doesn’t seem like enough of a dramatic hook to me, I guess?

“Wow, the guy who betrayed Teruko and became a killer actually betrayed Teruko and was the mastermind all along! And now, he’s not even around to reap the social or karmic consequences of it!” You see.

And then, there is the literal interpretation of the text that Xander (if he is bloody hands man) obviously stands against the killing games. He’s also the Ultimate Rebel, someone who stands against corrupt institutions in general.

If Xander is revealed to be evil later down the line, it would make much more sense if it was as a traitor type. As for being the one and only mastermind, I think the odds are pretty low.

#14: Ace Markey

Hey, it’s another character that’s alive! And, this one doesn’t even have a crippling fear of death. However, he is a massive coward, and that’s the main thing that’s dragging him down for me.

Similar to Charles, what would Ace stand to gain from hosting a killing game such as this? Ace doesn’t seem to have any interest in notoriety, money, the destruction of society, despair, or any other things that I can think of that would motivate a typical mastermind. We’ve seen time and time again that Ace cares most about having control over both his life and how other people see him, even though he often fails on both fronts. I guess both of those things could be solved by hosting a killing game, but… Come on, there have gotta be easier ways to do that which don’t threaten your precious life.

Furthermore, what exactly would Ace being the mastermind have to say about the story as a whole? Jockey has to be in the running for “talents that are least relevant to a potential killing game host.” How about the idea that the mastermind nearly died in Chapter 2, only to go off the rails threatening and blaming his assailant? I… always knew that Nico was… fully in the right for doing that, because it would have killed the big bad early??? Ace Mastermind is the preferred ending for those who believe that Nico can do absolutely no wrong, lol.

I can’t remember where I saw it, but I once saw a theory of writing that said that there are two major kinds of character arcs. One is the typical character arc, where the narrative pushes a character's traits to change over the course of the story for better of for worse. The other, this theory posited, was an arc on the part of the viewer, where they learn that a character that they thought was flawed was actually not as flawed as they thought all along. You could potentially apply this kind of thing to Eden: in the first chapter, some people may have seen her as a dim-witted positive girl, but in Chapter 2, we firmly establish that her kindness is not stupidity and learn how her optimism is a strength.

So, you could say that the character arc DRDTdev is going for with Ace is something more like that, where we spend the entire game learning to treat him more seriously just in time for him to be a real threat as the mastermind? It still feels like a bit of a stretch, though– I don’t know exactly what Ace would do to make us take him more seriously that wouldn’t either send him on a growth arc not super befitting of a mastermind or wind up with him being a blackened. Ace as the mastermind certainly isn’t impossible, but I obviously found it unlikely enough that I placed him below one character who is currently (presumed) dead.

#13: Arturo Giles

Arturo’s role in the story so far is not very mastermind-ish, in my mind. In the prologue, we establish him as a cold and judgmental person who puts his own opinions of how the world works over everything else, especially how other people feel. This already feels like how a mastermind would act, so if he turned out to be the mastermind, it would be more of the same.

Then, in Chapter 2, we establish that he’s a massive simp for celebrities, to the point of transforming into something adjacent to comedic relief. We’re meant to think that his over-the-top sprites and refusal to actually listen to anything J is saying is hilariously pathetic. Other characters are constantly dunking on him, such as Teruko calling him a “bigoted” “crazy person,” and even the narrative gets in on the action when highlighting how he cares less about the fact that J’s life was at risk than that she didn’t come out of it with drip. Narratively, we’ve already seen these characters get the better of Arturo. If we the audience interpret that as confirmation that the surviving cast could easily beat Arturo should he ever come to stand in their way, it could diminish the stakes upon his mastermind reveal.

However, for all of his negatives, there are some definite positives to Arturo being the mastermind, too. Despite his comedic effects, we have seen through his threats to Eden that Arturo is very capable of being very scary in a way that I don’t think we have with Ace. The horror factor of a plastic surgeon as the mastermind could be a really fun and creepy design theme to explore. And, Arturo is obviously super obsessed with celebrities. If hosting a deadly TV show is what he thought it would take to get him in with the Hollywood celebrity scene, he might be willing to go for it.

I don’t really know why he would have made his secret what it is if he was going to get that upset about it, though. I guess if there just weren’t any better options that wouldn’t tip his hand…? Also, Arturo would blend in terribly as a survivor. If you’re heading into Chapter 6 and you have to pick the evil character out of (let me spin a wheel real quick...) Teruko, Eden, Rose, Charles, and Arturo, Arturo is definitely the evil one. (Okay, that was actually a terrible randomized draw for Arturo on the innocence front, but I hope you can imagine how he would oddly stick out of most groups.) Like I said in his death predictions, I find it hard to imagine a character arc for Arturo, which is why I find it hard to believe that he would make it as far as Chapter 6.

#12: Min Jeung

Honestly, if Min weren’t (most likely) dead, she might be pretty high on my list of mastermind choices. While not as suspicious as the Spurlings, XF-Ture Tech is pretty suspicious, even more so with the introduction of that one altDRDT character. Min is related to XF-Ture Tech, so if that company has anything to do with the operation of the killing game, she could have been the one behind it. Min is also very smart, and her talent has obvious applications for how it could have been used to set up/influence the killing game. The fact that her talent is so similar to Teruko’s, Ultimate Student versus Ultimate Lucky Student, could have also set them up for some great parallels and duality down the line.

However… Min’s role as the Chapter 1 killer throws a pretty big wrench in her chances. Beyond the dying part, Min’s role as the blackened was incredibly evitable. It’s not like she was thrown into a situation where she had to kill or be killed, or even one where a motive was particularly difficult for her. If she wanted to be the mastermind and survive until the end, all she had to do was walk away from Xander stabbing Teruko and pretend she never saw it. However, if Min’s goal was the inverse of ol’ Bloody Hands (keep the killing game running, but most importantly, keep Teruko alive), her actions could line up. And then, perhaps Min could have falsified her own execution early to draw suspicion off of her, much like Junko did by killing Mukuro.

Beyond her death, though, it’s really Min’s reaction to being the blackened that makes me think she can’t be the mastermind. The stellar voice acting in Min’s breakdown scenes makes me really believe both that this was the first time she had ever hurt anyone as gravely as she did to Xander, and that she fully believed that she was about to die. Those are two things that a mastermind, especially one headed into a fake execution, would not be feeling. Maybe Min memorized how to be a great actress too amongst all those textbooks, but I doubt it. I can still see several reasons why Min would have been a good mastermind, but her actual death and her reaction to being told she was dying knock her down several pegs in my mind.

#11: Hu Jing

Hu is a bit more suspicious to me than some others just because I think she has something to hide. Between her refusal to share whose secret she received or had herself, mysterious “I want to pay for what I’ve done” hidden quote, and intense desire to be relied upon, there’s definitely something about Hu as a person that the narrative has yet to uncover. Could that something be “Hu is the mastermind”? I dunno, maybe.

Hu also has a tendency to react to things with her temper. That could be a sort of foreshadowing to how she would act as the mastermind, much like how David’s brief spell of apathy during the prologue hinted at the way he would act further down the line. Hu’s defense of Nico could act much the same way. Our overall impression of Hu at this point is that, while she is a flawed person, she’s one of the nicest and morally best people in the game, who’s always looking out for others. Defending Nico to the point of babying them might cross the line a little, but she’s only trying to help everyone…! Hu could make it to the end as a believably heroic survivor and then reveal that all of her presumed poor decisions were actually active malice, and I think she could pull that off.

All that being said… I don’t, like, actually think that’s going to happen. In fact, I’m probably overexaggerating the extent to which people think that Hu is nice and morally good. I’ve seen several people discuss the unjust amounts of hate Hu gets in this fandom, which implies that a lot of people hate her, even if I haven’t particularly seen much of it myself. At the very least, I definitely over exaggerated the extent to which people believe Hu could survive! As implied in the death order predictions, I do personally think Hu is going to die, possibly as a consequence of getting too invested in everyone else’s business when they don’t want her to be and/or wearing herself too thin. There are paths which I believe could lead to Hu being the mastermind, but they seem to be the roads less likely traveled.

#10: David Chiem

While I have no doubts that David has the fame, charisma, and worldview to pull off a killing game… I’d have to wonder about how he would see himself playing into all of it. As we saw in Chapter 2, David knows that his career has a lot of value, possibly to himself but definitely to other people, and therefore, he doesn’t want to jeopardize it. In fact, the reveal of his manipulative secret was the inciting incident behind his massive change in characterization. So, if he were the mastermind of a televised killing game… How would he think that would play out to his viewers?

Now, to be fair, there’s a lot we don’t know about the worldbuilding of DRDT. MonoTV claims that the TV show will be broadcast to a widespread audience. Perhaps that indicates that, in the world of DRDT, publicly broadcasting talented young peoples’ violent deaths is normal, or even sought after. Maybe the cast of DRDT forgot about it.

However, David seems to think that people learning that he sees everyone as manipulable would do damage to his reputation, so it’s a bit of a contradiction either way. If the world has been wracked with despair and craves intense violence on TV, then David’s reaction to his secret is either an elaborate lie or the result of the mastermind erasing his own memories regarding the situation. (Or, I guess the public could see death as fine and dandy but manipulation as a cancellable offense, which is… one of the interpretations ever.) Otherwise, in the scenario that the DRDT world is a normal one, David wouldn’t care about being revealed as a manipulator if he’d already committed to the mastermind bit. If his career was already preemptively ruined by agreeing to commit literal murder, why get so worked up about the thought that people might abandon ship over you not being 100% honest?

And then, there’s also the whole “surprise factor” thing that I keep bringing up. Admittedly, it’s been a longer hiatus between the start of Chapter 2 and the end of Chapter 2 than DRDTdev might have been hoping for, but that doesn’t change the fact that this part of David’s characterization happened in Chapter 2. DRDT fans far and wide have written thousands of words gushing over “the David reveal” or “evil David.” If David were unveiled as the mastermind, we’d have to start writing stuff about “the first David reveal” or “when David showed his true colors again.” You see how it kind of takes the hype away from such major plot points? That’s the sort of concept I’ve been trying to get across with some of my other choices too, but a bit more clear cut.

I don’t know why I sound so much like a hater in this section (in my opinion) when I’m literally putting David at #10, above seven other characters. I guess it’s because I can see why his theatricality and traits foiling Teruko could make him a good mastermind, but also have some major issues with the logistics of him getting there. A lot of good points versus a lot of bad points settle out to him winding up someone in the middle.

#9: Levi Fontana

With our first single digit number, we’ve also reached our midway point of mastermind candidates: Levi!

Levi would be a really interesting mastermind choice because of how his character centers around grappling with his morality. I think it would be really intriguing to have a mastermind outwardly struggling with their attempts and failures to be a good person throughout the entire game, only for the player and the characters to receive the full context of the debacle at the very end. I guess in this situation, it would be pretty likely that Levi would be redeemed at the end? That’s not necessarily a problem. (Honestly, I don’t know if I think the DRDT mastermind could be redeemed or not based on the fangan’s themes… that’s a post for another day, perhaps.)

Anyways, I think that what we know of Levi’s backstory could work well with him being the mastermind. If he does have the “murderer without remorse” secret, that would be in line with orchestrating a killing game. We also know that he’s “been disowned” and that he and his family were “all bad influences on each other.” We’re meant to assume that Levi was fortunate enough to escape a bad/abusive situation (and in all likelihood this IS what actually happened!!!!), but we are hearing about the situation from his point of view alone. There is a small possibility that, if Levi is actually a despair enjoyer, his family cut him out because they thought he was a danger to their lives.

I will reiterate again, though, that I don’t think this is the case. Levi seems like he’s a chill guy, or at least that he’s trying very hard to be one despite how he’s been told to react all his life. The whole “mastermind wanting to become a good person” lens also makes less sense given how channeled Levi’s development is through Ace. Like, I would imagine that, if this were the angle DRDTdev was going for, Levi would be making an effort to get along with everyone as part of his atonement. The mastermind randomly choosing to focus on just one person out of the crowd seems kind of strange, especially when that person is someone as disagreeable as Ace. That kind of plot would have big “the mafia CEO vampire prince fell head over heels in love with me, the random average girl” vibes. Repenting mastermind Levi is the preferred ending for pining lovers to enemies to lovers AceVi shippers, lol.

And then there’s the part where I think he’s going to die. I don’t think Levi is the worst mastermind choice, but I think there are better out there.

#8: Nico Hakobyan

Yay, we finally got to one of the characters that Anon thought was suspicious! It only took… 7k+ words. Oh boy.

I definitely think that the cat coding is the strongest thing that Nico has going for them. It would be pretty funny if the extent to which “Ultimate Pet Therapist” is relevant to the plot is the climactic reveal that “yeah Nico has been talking to a (robotic) animal the whole time.” That’s a joke, as Ultimate Pet Therapist is already quite relevant to Nico’s characterization as someone who prefers communicating with animals over people, but it would be funny as hell from a character designing perspective.

There are less silly reasons to believe that Nico is the mastermind too, though. While it seems like, similar to David, pulling the trigger on Nico’s change in behavior in Chapter 2 would be a bit early, I don’t think it’s as destructive to mastermind Nico as it is to mastermind David. There’s a lot more doubt in people’s minds that Nico even did anything to Ace, to the extent that a decent number of people (in the story and out of it) think that it was someone else trying to kill Ace entirely. Nico also has a stalwart defender in Hu, which adds an extra level of intrigue to the situation. Instead of confirming that everyone was right to be suspicious of David, at least some amount of focus could be placed onto Hu being wrong for trusting Nico and failing to see someone’s true colors again, which could be interesting for her characterization if she was alive at that point.

On the other hand, the biggest reason that I think Nico isn’t the mastermind is also because of the attempted Ace murder. Why would Nico, as the mastermind, try to kill Ace at this time? If Nico wins the Class Trial, then the killing game is over, which is probably counter to the mastermind’s goals. If Nico loses the Class Trial, well, we’ll say that the possibility of Nico dying isn’t an issue, as they could just fake their own death or deny entering the execution. But still, why?

It could be that Nico was trying to remove themselves from the killing game on purpose, but I don’t see why it would be necessary. No one was particularly suspicious of Nico being the mastermind, and if they were worried about their gender identity getting out, they could have simply made their secret something else. A mastermind could kill to avoid the killing game falling into a standstill, but tensions were really high at the time that Ace almost died! With a full day left to go before the motive secrets were revealed, such drastic action wasn’t yet forced. I guess the best option would be that Nico was just really angered by what Ace said, and wanted to retaliate as part of their vicious mastermind nature. Is that worth taking yourself out of the killing game and risking the show’s termination, though…?

There is also the possibility that Nico is the mastermind, but didn’t try to kill Ace. In that case, suspicion of Nico would be such a huge in-universe coincidence that I’m doubtful DRDTdev would have included it as a major plot point.

Speaking of “show’s termination,” I also don’t know why Nico would have any involvement in creating a TV show, both from a backstory/talent perspective and a personality one. Nico doesn’t like interacting with people. Therefore, I don’t know what would possess them to want to create and join a TV show for which the major draw is a big stressful discussion between a bunch of people.

I guess I had fewer reasons why I thought Nico would be the mastermind than I thought. I would love to hear more details about why you suspect Nico though, Anon! I’m definitely willing to believe that they could be the mastermind.

#7: Eden Tobisa

Make no mistake, I still think that Eden is the Chapter 2 killer. However, in the case that she isn’t… mastermind isn’t a terrible choice for her.

The biggest draw of Eden being the mastermind would definitely be the shock value. The seemingly nicest character suddenly being revealed as the mastermind would create a huge hurdle for the surviving characters to overcome. Teruko especially, given that she probably would have grown at least a tad closer to Eden if they survived five chapters together. It would be a little mean to give Teruko a trustworthy friend just to rip it away from her again, but I could see the opportunity being used to highlight Teruko’s growth. When Xander and Min betrayed Teruko, she panicked and shut everyone out, but when Eden betrays Teruko at the very end, she’s able to remain strong and rely on the other friends who she continues to trust. Or DRDT could have an unconventional feel-bad ending, I suppose.

If some kind of time loop is at play within DRDT, then Eden’s talent would obviously be thematically and perhaps practically relevant as well. I could see a lot of comparisons being made regarding a killing game being run “like clockwork.” Her secret quote “you can’t go back, no matter how hard you try” is... actually kind of anti-time loop, but at least the concept of going back in time is somewhat related…? Speaking of secret quotes, her Mai quote, “she kept calling the number, even though no one picked it up” is also really weird. That suspicious hidden evidence could point to her being the mastermind.

However, Eden’s personality is a pretty major issue when it comes to her being the mastermind. Shock value is great in the moment, but it can ring hollow in retrospect if people find that the twist doesn’t make any sense. Masterminds aren’t typically known for their kindness or optimism. So, if Eden is the mastermind, it seems like her whole “even if this world is cruel, I’ll still make the choice to be kind” speech is a complete lie. And, that would be a shame! I don’t think that having an unexpected mastermind at the end of the game is worth the cost of completely demolishing a character that we’ve come to know and love over the course of six chapters and several years. (I’m not saying that complete demolition has to be the case if Eden is the mastermind, but I think it’s a reasonable worry that many people have.)

And, I know that all this talk about how wonderful Eden is might sound rich coming from someone who strongly believes that she just killed someone who wanted to be her best friend. But, that’s kind of the point, isn’t it? As someone who thinks that Eden is the killer, I know very well how a lot of people have a really hard time believing that Eden could do something as terrible as killing Arei. I can only imagine how hard it would be to accept that Eden was the one who put Arei, Min, Teruko, and everyone else in danger, and the one pulling the strings behind every execution.

Eden as the mastermind, to me, is more tempting in concept than it would be viable in execution. And also, I don’t even think she’s going to live to see the light of Chapter 3 day. However, there’s also some definite emotional power behind the accusation that makes me see how shooting for this ambitious choice could be worth it in the long run.

#6: Whit Young

Alright, it’s finally time to talk about Whit. I know that he’s a really popular mastermind choice, but… I just don’t see it, personally. Even though I put him at 6th place. (I do not enjoy putting him in 6th place.) Is that just because he’s my favorite and I’m attached to my interpretation of the character? Perhaps. But, I’d still like to explore some points that I find faulty.

Perhaps the biggest reason behind suspicion of Whit that I’ve seen is the way that he breaks the fourth wall. People connect his asking people to pause for the evidence list to MonoTV invoking similar mechanics, and lines such as “do you really think she’d be hanging out in the playground” to him knowing more than he’s letting on. However, there are a couple of ways that this accusation can be depowered, in my opinion.

Firstly, Whit isn’t the only person who says stuff like this. Veronika alludes to the killing game before it begins, Teruko also breaks the fourth wall to tell the viewer to pause (albeit only in her thoughts, not out loud), and Arei makes the same kind of “hanging” wordplay in Eden’s flashback that Whit did. I won’t say that characters addressing the fourth wall can’t be important at all, because I believe there are some moments where the other characters commentate on how weird it is that MonoTV is talking to no one. However, I also think that breaking the fourth wall may simply be part of DRDTdev’s humor, as exemplified by that “make sure to like and subscribe so that Teruko has enough mental strength to carry on” joke. Whit is a funny guy, so it just makes sense that if DRDTdev’s brain generates funny meta jokes, Whit would get some of them. Everything that Whit says reminds me more of Mia AceAttorney saying “hit tab to open the Court Record” than some sort of groundbreaking DDLC-Undertale direct communication with the viewer. However, I can see why others would think otherwise.

The second is that I think some of Whit’s comments (more so the “dead at 3” and “hanging in the playground” than the pause) are just meant to showcase his intuition. And, yeah, it could be that DRDTdev has been leaving crumbs of Whit’s intuition behind so that in Chapter 6, he can use it to exploit everyone’s insecurities and greatest despair. To me, though, Whit’s intuition has always reminded me of the myth of Cassandra.

For those who don’t know, Cassandra is a figure in Greek mythology who was blessed/cursed to receive prophecies, but for no one to ever believe them. By my interpretation, Whit is a really smart and perceptive guy who has strikingly accurate gut feelings about how things will play out down the road, even when he doesn’t realize it himself. However, the curse of his own coping mechanism– choosing to act like an eternally cheerful goofball– leads the majority of the other students, and perhaps some of the viewers, to never take his point of view seriously. He can only realize the accuracy behind what he said after the bad things have already happened, leading him to blame himself more and more for not being able to speak up and help when times were tough.

This kind of behavior would line up with two different themes we’ve seen from Whit before. The first, that when he jokes around without thinking, he can accidentally say hurtful things that he later reprimands himself for. We saw that when Charles blew up at him at the end of their shared FTE. The second is Whit’s major theme of good things hiding a darker undercurrent. Being the Ultimate Matchmaker is great until you’ve never had a successful relationship yourself. Having an awesome mom is great until the truth comes out that she’s actually dead, and you’ve been covering it up. Growing super close to someone is great until he dies. Having an amazing intuition and understanding of everyone is great until you can never actually use it to help those you care about. Joking around is great until it's all you can do. Pretending everything is fine is great until it’s not.

Like I said, very specific interpretation. I promise I was not citing classical literature to make my argument sound smarter than it actually is. I am aware that my interpretation of Whit is no less or more valid than everyone else’s. However, it’s one that I hold very close to my heart, and thus, I personally have a hard time seeing around it.

However, I’ve also seen a lot of people argue some valid points for Whit, so I can at least acknowledge that he deserves to be in the upper echelon of choices. There’s a lot of weird stuff regarding him in Literature Girl Insane, and he’s certainly an option of someone who felt so much grief that they became totally empty inside as shown in that one hidden quote. I would be appropriately surprised and heartbroken if Whit revealed himself as the mastermind in Chapter 6, so he checks the box in that regard. There isn’t anything from his backstory that opposes the notion that he set up the killing game, and, to quote what I said about our other Ultimate Matchmaker, Toshiko…

While Ultimate Matchmaker might seem like a silly talent to give the mastermind, it could also be a ruse to distract us from the fact that [Whit] has a talent that allows [him] to read people well and make choices that will impact their lives dramatically.

I don’t like it, but I can see the argument… kind of. To me, most mastermind Whit interpretations feel like mischaracterization, but as a theorist, I always try to keep in mind that I’m the one who could be twisting the text to my whims as well. In this my-opinions-based list, though, he’s not getting any higher than 6th.

#5: Veronika Grebenshchikova

Ooh, what spooky art for a spooky mastermind. Let’s be real, though, Veronika is way too obvious of a mastermind candidate to actually be the mastermind. Unless… she’s so obvious that she loops back around to not being obvious, and thus, is the perfect mastermind candidate?!

Veronika is in a really weird place. I obviously have no doubts that she would have any moral qualms about hosting a killing game, because she’s told us herself that she doesn’t. She knows what Monokuma is in immense detail, but claims to have no idea what a killing game is. She’s dressed really similarly to Junko, though. Is that just a coincidence? Are giant pigtails also a symbol of fear in the DRDTverse? I need ANSWERS, LADY!!!

The biggest problem I see with Veronika is the potential for obviousness. Similar to Arturo, if she actually made it to Chapter 6, I feel like it would be pretty obvious what’s going on. An oddball like Veronika is not the typical survivor type (although she could break the mold). Because Teruko’s character arc is all about trusting people, it would make sense if the reveal of the mastermind was someone who challenged her trust to some degree. With Veronika being obviously unhinged the whole time, I don’t think that Teruko would have any particular difficulties with kicking her to the curb.

However, Veronika clearly has the motive to start a killing game, and potentially to spread despair. DRDT has taken inspiration from Trigger Happy Havoc in the past, so it could make sense if DRDT’s mastermind was also inspired by THH’s. Having a so-obvious-it’s-not-obvious mastermind could also be another way to mess with theorists like me, as DRDTdev did with the comments section portion of Literature Girl Insane. “bro Veronika being the mastermind would be WAY too obvious” sounds EXACTLY like “I just hope XXXXXX doesn’t go crazy and kill in chapter 3. That would be way too predictable” or “XXXXX will obviously die in ch5”. If part of the point of DRDT is to make know-it-all analysts rethink the rules they believe to be set in stone, I could see Veronika as a subversive choice.

Veronika definitely seems to be building up to something, but I don’t know if being the mastermind is exactly it. I think that Veronika could make it pretty late into the game, but I still struggle to see her making it all the way to Chapter 6. I would absolutely love to see what DRDTdev does with her writing if that is the case, though.

#4: Mai Akasaki

(Well, now I feel bad that I’ve never made a colored portrait of Mai.)

As you may have noticed back at our first entry, Arei, I started the countdown off at seventeen, not sixteen. (If you didn’t remember that, I don’t blame you– it was a WHILE ago.) That’s because I thought it was only fair to include DRDT’s best kept(?) secret, the lovely Unnamed Student herself, Mai Akasaki, as an option! Because, man, is she mysterious in some suspicious ways.

“But, didn’t MonoTV tell the students that the mastermind was one of them? Mai isn’t one of the students in the killing game (unless prosopagnosia is REALLY going crazy), so she can’t be the mastermind, right?” Well, yes and no. The scene where MonoTV confirms the existence of the mastermind is SUPER weird. Let’s take a look at it.

On one hand, MonoTV is still in the Movie Screening Room, where it was JUST talking to the student body, so it would only stand to reason that it’s a continuation of the scene we just saw. However, the setting also seems to be doing everything in its power to tell us that this is NOT the same scene we just saw. The lights have been turned off, even though they were on in the scene just before this. They return to being on in the first scene of Chapter 1, which the students treat as being directly after the scene during which the lights were on before. The widget denoting the time, chapter, and episode has completely disappeared, placing this at an even more unknown time than “Time Unknown.” The text indicating that the speaker is MonoTV has even disappeared! I mean, I assume that MonoTV is still the one saying it, considering that it’s on screen and the speech bubble is pointing right at it, but we don’t even know that for sure!

Additionally, MonoTV refers to the viewers directly (“dear viewers”) two speech bubbles after this one, which makes it seem more like MonoTV is talking to us the audience rather than the students in the room. But then, if the mastermind is “one of you,” and MonoTV is talking to us, wouldn’t that mean the mastermind is someone in the audience? That could lead in to some really meta interpretations of the text (i.e. “DRDTdev is the mastermind of DRDT because he’s the one who created the killing game”) or it could indicate that I’ve gone fully off the rails.

A midpoint between those two ideas is that the mastermind is part of the in-universe audience watching the killing game, as in, a fictional character who is watching the real-to-them TV show that is Danganronpa: Despair Time. That could include Mai, a very notable character who is not one of the sixteen participants in the killing game.

Side note, I’ve seen some people fight back against the concept that Mai could be the mastermind with the idea that making the mysterious character the mastermind would be too obvious. While I sort of agree, I feel like we’re somewhat overestimating the extent to which Mai is obvious. It’s not like no casual viewers would know who she is, because her image was shown pretty obviously in Chapter 1. However, the name “Mai Akasaki” is only accessible by finding the hidden quotes on the optional associated website’s character profiles. To learn anything about her beyond that, you have to have the thought to type the name into the website URL, and then solve another puzzle just to see the bare bones of what’s there.

I’m not trying to assert any sort of dominance or superiority over DRDT fans on YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, or anything else, but from what I’ve gathered, Tumblr is the place you want to go for deep analysis and theories on DRDT (possibly because of Tumblr’s longer word count). Therefore, anything about DRDT that may seem like common knowledge on Tumblr may only be common knowledge to the fans who specifically bothered to come to the deep lore and crack theories website to find deep lore and crack theories. Essentially, this:

Sort of similar to what Gravity Falls did with the reveal of Bill Cipher back in 2012 (at least I think, I wasn’t actually in the Gravity Falls fandom at that time), I think it would be reasonable to plant clues about an overarching villain that people who want to analyze can analyze ahead of time, such that the villain’s arrival can come as a victory to the puzzle solvers and an exciting new development to the more casual viewers.

However, while I believe that Mai has an awesome setup that she could use to become the mastermind, whether she would actually fit the role is another question entirely. As I alluded to back in the first Mai paragraph, I’m rolling with the widely held (among theorizers) belief that the Unnamed Student in Xander and Min’s bonus episodes is supposed to be Mai. In those episodes, Mai seems to be incredibly caring, peppy, and sweet. She knows a ton of little heartwarming details about Min and Xander, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the same is shown to be true with Arei and whoever else’s bonus episodes in the future. Those hidden quotes on Mai’s profile also give off the impression that everyone in the cast really loves Mai– one could call them a “portrait of a person dearly loved,” perhaps.

While it’s possible that these scenes are supposed to highlight Mai’s social prowess and how much she can get people to fall in love with her, they… don’t really seem to be giving off those vibes. We see her thoughts in those bonus videos, and she really does seem to be dedicated to helping Min and Xander out. Mai’s change from someone who wanted nothing more than to help out her friends to someone who was willing to throw all of them into the killing game is something that would have to be explained, and it could be difficult to communicate that shift within the confines of bonus material, if Mai’s content is mostly kept there. There is the concept that Mai could have put her friends into a killing game to protect them somehow, which could be a way to avoid Mai’s character seemingly doing a total 180, but that rationale would need a lot of explanation too.

Otherwise, there’s also the problem that Mai is almost certainly dead. I won’t get super into it myself, because the amazing @1moreff-creator has already done a great job explaining why here (starts in the XI. God is Dead section). I don’t think I need to elaborate on why Mai being dead potentially before the killing game even began would be detrimental to the idea of her being the mastermind.

To be honest, I don’t know how much this idea actually makes sense. I think I’m personally more inclined to believe that Mai could be the mastermind just because I really don’t get mastermind vibes from pretty much anybody in the cast. If the mastermind simply wasn’t one of the members of the main cast, that could solve that issue, right…? Mai is very likely involved in the inception of the killing game somehow, so extending that role to one of being the mastermind isn’t the biggest stretch. However, her personality and living status do throw in some pretty big question marks, so I don’t think she should go any higher.

#3: Teruko Tawaki

Teruko was definitely the first character who I believed could be the mastermind after I watched the series for the first time. However, over time, I’ve sort of fallen off of the idea that she would be. Is that because I’m forgetting key details of the plot, or because I’m drifting closer to the truth…? Honestly, I have no idea.

Let’s start with the strongest “evidence” we have against Teruko, her motive secret: “How could I even select which secret to make your motive? Just about everything you’ve done in your life is worth killing for. The killing game is all your fault.” Although “the killing game [being] all [Teruko’s] fault” sounds pretty damning, there’s the obvious counterargument to be made that this isn’t even Teruko’s motive. In fact, the board currently shows it assigned to Xander. However, the majority of people (including myself) seem to believe that David was lying, and this secret is Teruko’s. So, let’s analyze under that assumption.

Teruko did admit to Veronika that she doesn’t know what secret could be used as her motive because there were so many. Even if that motive secret isn’t hers, that still means that Teruko has done a lot of shady stuff. Teruko’s decision to live on set forever could line up with the mastermind's goal of wanting to keep the cameras rolling as well. The very first scene of DRDT shows that someone who wants the killing game to end also wants Teruko dead, which implies that Teruko and the killing games are on the same side.

Teruko also has a prior history of concealing things about herself from us, the viewing audience. We knew basically nothing about her past or trust issues before Xander stabbed her, causing her sudden change in attitude to come as a blindside. Teruko apparently has a “risky” killing game-ending plan in mind for the end of the second Class Trial that she’s told us absolutely nothing about. And, most notably, Teruko clearly knows things about Mai that she’s decided not to share with viewers at home. (I do believe that Teruko genuinely can’t remember Mai’s name, but she does remember that Mai is similar to Xander and wanted to help, which is more than anything we would have known from the main text on our own).

Point is, DRDT is written in a way where we don’t hear a ton of Teruko’s thoughts. That would make it much easier for her to scheme something behind the scenes, as opposed to someone who we get a lot of emotional reactions or logical theorizing from. It’s actually kind of similar to the difference between Kaede and Shuichi’s styles of narration, as pointed out by ShortOneGaming in their impeccable v3 playthrough! I recommend watching their entire letsplay if you're in the mood for v3, but I found one time where they talked about this concept here. I’ll transcribe it for anyone who doesn’t want to open YouTube right now:

Gina: I do want to call– as my final sort of note– what’s interesting is that you called out immediately that Kaede’s narration was weird. That, it was always, like– dictation? Allison: Yes! Gina: It’s always, like, speaking directly to a person– Allison: Yes! Yes, I did say– It never really felt like actual internal monologue. Like, she never was expressing her thoughts or anything to us. I mean, yes, she was, but then there were those weird moments where she was, like… y’know, hiding it from the player, and… probably from herself, too, to some extent. Like, she was just like, “and then I had to go do this thing.” Um, and like, “we won’t really address how I’m feeling about this.” Gina: Yep. Allison: And at the same time, it hides it from the– the player. And that was very clever. Really good. I mean, her– yeah, her narration was always kind of weird. But, she did have moments where she had internal reflection.

Hopefully, you can see the comparison. By putting a greater emphasis on actions as opposed to what Teruko is feeling (“I kneeled down and touched his neck” after finding Ace’s presumed-dead body; “Everyone else started filtering in” when people walk into the Playground and find Arei’s corpse), it becomes much easier to have Teruko hide exactly what she knows or exactly how she feels about certain events. It’s actually the opposite of the kind of narration that Damon had (“I’m trapped in a killing game… with people who despise me. How… how did this happen? I just wanted to help… I wanted to make sure we didn’t trust each other too easily… and now I’m being treated like the bad guy” after the 0th Class Trial) that made me believe he wasn’t the mastermind!

So, do I think that Teruko would be a mastermind who remembers, or a mastermind who forgot? Well, I could kind of see it either way. Personally, I think that Teruko being a mastermind whose memories are intact is the more interesting version, and I do believe it’s possible. I also don’t understand why someone with as many trust issues as Teruko has would want to remove her own memories if it weren’t necessary. Then again, Teruko being an amnesiac mastermind could make up for some of the… issues that arise with her as a mastermind candidate.

What? She’s in third place, not first. Despite how long I’ve already talked about Teruko, there’s still more to say!

First, the problems if Teruko did retain her memories: why would she ask MonoTV about the mastermind’s identity when the two were alone? Why would she be creating a plan to end the killing game? Why would she pretend to not know who Mariabella Rosales was even though everyone else clearly knew?

And then, the problems that persist even if Teruko did lose her memories: where would Teruko have gotten the resources to plan a killing game of this caliber? Even if she had them, why would she use it on this? Assuming that secret is hers, why would she write that about herself in a plausibly public place (beyond the swapping, Arei looked over Whit’s shoulder)?

Oh yeah, back to that secret. Just because “the killing game is all [Teruko’s] fault” doesn’t mean that she’s the one who planned it. In fact, the wording sounds very accusatory and hostile for something that Teruko would have theoretically written to herself. From the first scene, we already know that there is a person or group of people somewhere who are out to get Teruko. It could make more sense if that entity is the mastermind, and wrote the secret to blame Teruko for whatever she did that got her on their bad side.

There’s probably more to be said, but hopefully you can see why I have so many mixed feelings about Teruko. I definitely think she’s one of the more likely mastermind candidates out there, but I still don’t know exactly how likely that is, y’know?

#2: Rose Lacroix

Once upon a time, a wise and powerful theory alchemist known only by the epithet @1moreff-creator postulated that Rose could be the mastermind of Despair Time, and then never elaborated on the idea at all. For centuries (a couple of weeks) the townsfolk (me) were baffled by these dark and mysterious ramblings. However, as seasons passed by, as travelers came and went, as the tide advanced to kiss the land before slinking back to its home once more– the idea… started making more and more sense?

Rose is a really smart character who has already shown her proficiency in Class Trials. In the first, she utilized her ability to perfectly capture the scene and her knowledge of chromatography. Although her talents haven’t been as useful so far in the second, she’s still managed to keep up with the conversation despite never looking at the scene of the crime. Thus, I can see why, from a writing perspective, DRDTdev would choose to make his mastermind the Ultimate Art Forger.

There’s also the angle that Rose is a criminal, and therefore could be willing to do illegal or immoral things. However, she does seem to be pretty remorseful about it, and she’s already been caught for her criminal behavior before. Unfortunately for her, her relationship with her saviors the Spurlings only makes her all the more suspicious. Even if Rose didn’t want to be the mastermind of a killing game, if the Spurlings forced her to do it, she might have not had a choice. (Xander is very against the Spurlings… Xander is bloody hands guy → stop the killing game → stop the Spurlings?)

I also like the angle of “the Spurlings forced her to do it” because of what I talked about back in Mai’s section– the concept of the mastermind not being among the students. In Rose’s case, you can get the best of both worlds. The entity behind the killing game, the Spurling Foundation, would be a group outside of the killing game for MonoTV to contact, but there would still be a student among the cast’s ranks to suspect and accuse come Chapter 6.

What’s the argument against Rose? Well, I would ask why Rose would want to put herself in this kind of situation, but if it was the Spurlings’ choice, then that explains that. You could say Rose has been too helpful to be a bad guy, but everything she’s done so far has been to help the students win a Class Trial. That keeps the killing game running, which keeps the show on. The biggest problem I’m thinking of at the moment is the notion that the Spurling Foundation would have chosen to make Rose’s secret about how her backstory led her into their clutches. However, the secret doesn’t actually acknowledge the Spurlings by name, and it also frames Rose’s crimes in a way that makes her look like a good person– the opposite of what someone would think of as a mastermind. The secret was also only intended for Rose’s eyes, so it could have functioned as more of a low-key threat to remind her why she needs to stay in line.

Shouldn’t all of this talk of Rose lacking agency make her a bad mastermind candidate, though? If a villain doesn’t even believe in their villainous motivations, the story could end on a really flat note, with the good guys steamrolling an evildoer who doesn’t really care. How are we supposed to reach a satisfying conclusion if the mastermind hardly has anything to be held accountable for?

Those are normally things I would argue, but as many have pointed out, Teruko isn’t a normal protagonist. Actually, I think that this kind of mastermind setup for Rose could be a great way to end Teruko’s arc about learning to trust other people. Rose is the mastermind, somebody who shouldn’t be trusted…! It would be so easy for Teruko to just crush this person who betrayed her into dust– Rose isn’t even putting up much of a fight. But in the end, Teruko will choose to be patient, and see that Rose never wanted to betray Teruko. Even if her actions wound up hurting Teruko and many others, she still deserves a second chance, or at least a second evaluation.

As you saw in the death predictions, I obviously believe that Rose has the potential to make a late game run, whether as a survivor or something else. Writing all of this out, I can see even more clearly why Rose just might be the DRDT mastermind. However, despite all that I wrote, the idea still feels kinda more like a fun AU than the actual truth to me…? So, I still think there’s one person whose chances I like slightly better.

#1: J Rosales

Whaddya know, J’s personal ??? tier catapulted her into the lead. It is probably true that my uncertainty about where she might land is contributing to me deeming her the mastermind– it’s a really weird space in the kill order, as someone who survives long enough to theoretically have a positive character arc while sometimes not being counted among the survivors at the end.

Part of why I put J this high is that I really like the theory of J being the mastermind along with her brother, Ryan. Sadly, I cannot find any of the original theories that postulated this idea to link to, so I’ll try my best to explain what I remember myself. Basically, some people found the scene in c1e4 where Rose doesn’t remember who J is suspicious. They combined this scene with J’s younger brother, Ryan, and J’s talent, the Ultimate Effects Artist, to suggest that J could be using her FX talents to disguise Ryan as herself and have them occasionally trade places. From this Q&A, one of the few things we know about Ryan is that he enjoys crossdressing, which furthers the idea that he could enjoy pretending to be J. Ryan is also (to my memory) the only DRDT character’s sibling whose name we have seen in the main text, which could indicate that he’s more important than Arei’s sisters, Levi’s brothers, or other potential siblings.

I think it’s a really fun idea that I would at the very least want to see come to fruition, regardless of how likely it is. If J was working with Ryan, you can once again repeat the argument that there’s both a mastermind for MonoTV to talk to outside the game and one to be accused within the game. The biggest issue with it is that I don’t know how Arturo wouldn’t see the differences between the two, even if Rose may have. Maybe if J and Ryan haven’t swapped since the Rosales secret got out, and won’t swap again until Arturo dies…? I don’t know, I’m getting ahead of myself.

The thing is, other than just being a unique and interesting concept, I’m not really sure what the point of having J and Ryan swap would be, in universe or out of it. (This is why I wish I could’ve found a link to the original theorist... :,( ) My best argument for in universe would be that there are some things that only J has the skill to do, her being the Ultimate Effects Artist while Ryan is not. However, they couldn’t just have Ryan be the one in the killing game full-time, because he’s too young and therefore wouldn’t have been part of the original Hope’s Peak class. Thus, there are some points in time where J needs to be working behind the scenes (like on the executions or something), and during those intervals, Ryan subs in. Metatextually, I guess it could show how every person in the entertainment industry can be cutthroat, or that every child of a celebrity is bound to get messed up about it somehow…?

Regardless, even if Ryan isn’t involved at all, there are plenty of reasons to suspect J on her own. Ultimate Effects Artist is a highly suspicious talent when it comes to the deception of a killing game (just check out how many people think J already used it to kill Arei), and in connecting her to Hollywood. J may claim to specialize in theater as opposed to television, but 1) she could have been lying, or 2) that could be true, but she’s making an exception this time. Even if she normally works in live theater, if you were a TV executive approached by the daughter of Mariabella Rosales who is also a Hope’s Peak Ultimate student in her own right, would you really turn her away…?

J’s custom weapon is also pretty suspicious. Even if it doesn’t seem to be able to trigger traps like the one used on Levi (though that could be another lie), I could still see it being pretty helpful for subtly operating MonoTV, turning on a monitor, starting an execution, or stuff like that. Charles essentially confirms that the custom weapons were in the students’ rooms since they all woke up, which means that J could have had this remote on her the entire time.

J’s relationships also seem potentially mastermind-y. Thus far, the two characters with which she’s been associated most are Arei and Arturo. Those two (at least, prior to Arei’s change of heart) have been so clearly villainous and hateful that J would obviously look like a nice person in comparison. Why is this helpful? It means that J can get away with doing more objectionable things without raising any huge red flags. If J is the mastermind, we can look back on her demolition of Arturo in the Chapter 2 Trial as a brief early glimpse into how cruel she can really be. But, for the moment, although it’s definitely memorable, many people (including myself) can react to it with a, “yeah, but based on what Arturo was doing to her, it’s kinda justified…” (Not saying it isn’t somewhat justified either way, just that it could also be something more.)

J could also have a range of motivations related to her hatred for her mom. Maybe she’s trying to turn people against the Rosales name to ruin Mariabella’s reputation. Maybe this killing game is a plan to finally have a big artistic success all on her own (or with Ryan) to prove her mom wrong. Maybe she thinks that a world so enamored with fame and glamor deserves to rot in a pit of despair. I don’t know which of these options would be the most likely, but I could see how any of them could be possible explanations for how J got to this point.

I think my biggest argument against J once again comes back to the “why”. I think that J has a lot of potential to be a good mastermind, but I don’t know if that carries over to being a good mastermind for Teruko. Unlike with Rose, I don’t have a good sense of how J being the mastermind would tie into a satisfying ending to Teruko’s trust arc.

@venus-is-thinking and I sometimes like to run randomized killing games as a fun writing exercise (randomize the cast, motives, and mastermind; see where it takes you), and we’ve generally found that the most compelling protagonist-mastermind duos either have the protagonist sharing the same worldview with the mastermind, or being the only person who believes the opposite.

If the protagonist starts with the same beliefs as the mastermind, then defeating the mastermind is a showcase of the protagonist’s development. Hajime and Izuru work as protagonist and mastermind because Izuru is the manifestation of Hajime’s belief that only talented people are important and can make an impact on the world. By renouncing Izuru, Hajime proves that he’s learned that anyone has the chance to change their future if they put in the effort.

If the protagonist has the opposite opinions from the mastermind, then it proves how crucial the protagonist is to the narrative because they are the only one who could deliver the critical message. A great example of this is Shuichi and Tsumugi. When Tsumugi tries to set up the conflict of “hope good, despair bad” that will keep the killing games going, all of the other surviving students fall for it. Shuichi being the only character who has spent the entire game learning the importance of balancing two extremes makes his callout of Tsumugi incredibly satisfying, and justifies the protagonist swap by proving that Shuichi is the only hero who could have saved this day.

That’s why I think that J would be a great mastermind for a protagonist who has issues with family or stardom, but might not be the best choice for a story with Teruko at the helm. Those are only my observations, though, so I’d understand if DRDTdev planned things differently.

And that is finally the end! Here’s the final tierlist I wound up working off of, which I fiddled with a TON while writing:

(It’s based off of Ocean Unknown’s tierlist!)

Since this has already gone on so long, I’ll try to keep the conclusion brief. Please take all of this with a grain of salt, as I wound up making a lot of claims about writing that don’t necessarily have the strongest foundation. I didn’t write anything that I think is blatantly false, obviously, but whether it’s good advice or not doesn’t necessarily mean that DRDTdev considered it. We may have different priorities in telling a compelling story. And, we’re less than two chapters in! Even the end of the Chapter 2 trial could throw a positive or negative wrench in any of these profiles.

Thank you so much for reading through this whole thing, and if you got through it and still have anything you want me to elaborate on further (a specific character, a specific theory, a specific aspect of fangan writing, etc), I would be happy to do so. I, uh, really hope that this answered the question that Anon asked, haha. Until next time… stay wary. There could be masterminds lurking about...!

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noirvette · 1 year

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main 3 + butters! gen dating headcanons!!

notes: gender neutral reader!! first ever official post too omg kinda (very) nervous ........... if it's ooc mb guys :( Aged up characters!! Highschool au kinda thing

♡ STAN MARSH

Definitely thought about asking you out super suavely but then Kyle said something about how he'd manage to screw it up so he decided to not do that.

Since he's not going like all out for a confession of any sorts, he would simply wait near your locker at the end of the day until you got to it

As you're leaving he runs up to you and asks to walk you home. It's on that walk home that he builds up the courage for a confession

Hypes himself up as he's walking but he's actually talking out loud so you know he's about to ask you out

Tell him that you heard him hype himself up after you accept his confession and he gets so embarrassed what a cutie.

Now for when you guys ARE together bahahaha.

Sends you tiktoks at like 3am and you wake up to your alarm to find 78 texts from him and they're all tiktok links. The captions are either "this is so you lol" "babe.. this is so us" or just "real".

On the whole texting thing, a red flag of his is his dry ass text responses . Unfortunately don't expect a lot of words coming from him, he might get better at it during the relationship or if you say something to him, but really he'd prefer facetime or calling.

Personally I see him using snapchat a lot? Likes how quick of an update in life the app sort've is, so expect snaps throughout the school day if you guys don't have classes together. Expect a lot of snaps from him at football practice or something too.

Would LOVE for you to meet his parents, mom, Sharon. Randy is.. special in his eyes and would rather just talk to you beforehand about how his dad is rather than you meeting Randy face first.

Shelly goes two ways, either she does not care that her brother is dating someone, or she immediately pulls you from Stan to gossip about him.

FOREHEAD KISSES!! SLAMS FIST ON TABLE

Stan isn't a whole big fanatic of pda, but a quick forehead kiss or just rubbing his thumb over your knuckles while holding hands when you guys are out is top tier affection for him.

In private though? He is not letting you go. Kisses or cuddling, any sort of skin contact is good for him. Even if it's not technically skin contact and you guys are just in the same room, his eyes are ON you and they are giving major heart eyes.

Gives you his jersey to wear for football games and he'll point you out in the crowd anytime he scores. If South Park wins expect him to buy you food to celebrate. If South Park loses expect him to buy you food to "console" you on the loss (he's sad about the loss but doesn't want you to think that he's sad)

Is the big spoon normally when cuddling but there are rare occurrences where he's the little spoon, like for example he's extremely tired or if he's upset. Don't talk about him being the little spoon though, his pride may get hurt a bit over it.

Isn't the best at consoling you if you're sad, so what he'll do is listen to what your issues are, order food, and binge movies with you.

♡ KYLE BROFLOVSKI

FREAKED about asking you out bro. He is thinking of every possibly way you could reject him and every possibly way you could accept him.

He hasn't had the best luck with dating and so he might be the type to prefer you to ask him out first.

However? If he overhears you telling a friend about your crush on him? His self confidence just got a major boost and he's asking you out the second your next class with him is (so long as Cartman isn't also in that class).

Otherwise, I could see him show up with flowers to your house and a simple like "Dinner? Maybe? Us? Alone? Saturday? 7pm?" He phrases each word as a question like he isn't sure about it.

I also feel like Kyle isn't a "good" texter and is another one who prefers calling or facetime. However unlike Stan who just can't text for his life, Kyle just likes seeing your face.

Like Kyle can text he just views it as somewhat annoying to do? Like if he wanted your attention on something he'd rather talk to you. Text reminds you dates though.

Uses pet names but only in private, unless it's to get your attention. If you're zoned out he calls out a quick "Hey! Babe!" and boom your eyes are on him.

Doesn't like over the top pet names and gets genuinely disgusted if you start calling him "sugar plum" or "honey bear" even if it's a joke.

Loves study dates, it's like his go to type of date. Even if it's not for the same class, just really likes studying with you. I can also see him "teaching" you what he's studying to help him learn better, this works especially well if it's about a class you're not taking.

Another guy who isn't a big fan on pda, might throw an arm over your shoulder when walking in the hallways to just have you close by him but don't really expect any affection in school.

Because of that one basketball episode (and how often the boys play basketball throughout the seasons at the park), Kyle is definitely on the basketball team and like Stan, has given you his jersey. He gets all red and proud if he sees you wearing it at his games.

Jealousy is rough with him. He often gets jealous and it stems primarily from his own insecurities, not because he doesn't trust you. He 100% does trust you, but the fact he's never had a full on official relationship kind of worries him that you'll realize he isn't the type of guy to be a boyfriend and that freaks him out so he just gets jealous at guys who spend too much time with you.

Reassuring him with cuddles or quality time or just being WITH him let's him know you aren't going anywhere.

Meeting his parents is HUGE to him. Family means a lot for Kyle, this is mainly targeted towards his mom and his brother.

His mother honestly make take time to get to liking you. She may initially think you're not good enough for Kyle or you're a hinderance for him but she comes around QUICKLY once she realizes how happy Kyle is with you and really that's all the confirmation she needs to know you're a good person for him.

I feel like his dad just, accepts you right off the bat, like "Oh hey Kyle who is this?" "My partner, dad." "You got someone to date you? Damn." And he just nods at you and you're good.

Ike loves you, like boom "Hi! I'm Ike!". If Kyle is dating you and Kyle trusts you than immediately so does Ike. Expect Ike to steal Kyle's phone just to text you. Also please just download roblox to play with him, he may never let you go after that though.

♡ KENNY MCCORMICK

Wasn't a whole lot of preplanning when he asked you out. Honestly he just goes for it.

Wasn't a big spectacle when he asked you out. Was sort've nonchalant about it but in a suave way (Stan wishes he could be like this).

Definitely geeked about it when alone in his room though. Karen walked by his room seeing him dance around and knew that you said yes. (Kenny has most definitely raved about you to Karen).

Considering his family's income he probably is the type to just take you out on a naturistic date. Like walking in the park, maybe a small picnic, nothing fancy or extravagant, but domestic and homey.

Compared to the other two, Kenny is HUGE on pda. Hand holding, kisses, bear hugs, etc. he has made that school KNOW you guys are together, from day one.

His eyes are on you the second you step into the room and they are not off of you until he cannot physically see you anymore. You are like the light of his world.

I feel as if late night drives with him are another type of date for you two. He's fixed up that beat up truck in his yard and then just drives you to a special spot he knows on a cliff overlooking South Park and you guys just hang out up there for hours, talking about whatever comes to mind. Or just simple driving around.

Lets you take aux ALWAYS, doesn't matter if you're not in the passenger seat, aux always gets handed to you.

Texts you all the time. Maybe not all the time but you get me. He's also a multiple texts in a row rather than the one text containing all of what he wants to say.

Spams "Baby, babe, hun, baby, baby, babe" a bunch of times till either you respond or he figures you're busy and then gets to what he's meaning to tell you.

Instagram feed is you two on dates among other things that he does (like pics of himself or with the other guys). You take up most of his feed though.

Doesn't get jealous actually, he's pretty secure in your guys' relationship, however if someone is clearly bothering you and you look like you're pretty uncomfortable, Kenny is punch first ask questions last because now he's running away with you in his arms.

♡ BUTTERS STOTCH

Was a nervous WRECK to ask you out :(

He, thanks to Kenny's advice, stopped you in the hallway before lunch to ask you out. and he was so red. Let him get his whole confession out to you though, he has a lot of sweet words to say about you.

Insert Glue Song by beabadoobee the entire time he's confessing to you, he's definitely tangled in love, stuck by you (haha).

Accept him and he's showing you off immediately to his friends. (Cue in Cartman who actually is just shocked, like... flabbergasted).

He goes all out for your guys' dates. Dinner, park/walk, full on research mode on how to have the world's most perfect date.

Gets grounded because he walked you home and now he walked into his own house late (I hate his parents).

Does not blame you!! Blames himself for not rushing home :(, tell him it wasn't his fault either.

Gets nervous with pda but loves it!! He's so willing to kiss you or hold hands, you may have to initiate it though, he doesn't want to screw up so he's incredibly awkward the first few times you do any sort of pda.

At carnivals he tries and wins you any stuffed animal he sees but in the end he fails at the rigged carnival games, you may have to drag him away or he'll be in debt from trying to win you things.

Buys things for you as gifts that remind him of you. Like he may just be window shopping or with his mom helping her out as she shops and he sees something on a shelf and immediately it makes him think of you so he HAS to get it.

Makes you things too, (y'all remember that episode where he made paper cutouts for stan's gang? yeah i do), like has made birthday cards, holiday cards, etc completely by hand for you. Made you a paper cut out of the two of you guys holding hands.

When he finally brings you around his parents his parents are also in disbelief. Now that they know he's dating, they're a bit more lenient on his groundings (still hate his parents).

Likes to fall asleep on call with you, you guys gave a routine that at 9pm if you guys are both home, you call each other to just fall asleep, you may not even talk once the call starts, just sleep.

AHHHH hahhaahah, thanks for reading my first post!! oh em gee i was so nervous writing this and now im even more nervous to post!! if you guys would like me to expand upon any of these headcanons or do another part (with one or all) lmk!!

#stan marsh #stan marsh x reader #kyle broflovski #kyle broflovski x reader #south park #south park x reader #butters stotch #butters stotch x reader #kenny mccormick #kenny mccormick x reader #kyle broflovski headcanons #stan marsh headcanons #kenny mccormick headcanons #butters stotch headcanons #south park headcanons

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bedsyandco · 21 days

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— 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐮𝐤𝐞

a = affection; is anyone more overly affectionate than the others? when it comes to physical vs verbal, who prefers what?

both violet and luke are very affectionate with one another. they’ve known each other so long and they’re very comfortable in each other’s space. and because of that comfortability it’s very rare that you will see one without the other nearby. usually when they are apart, it’s not by choice. I could see luke being the one who is more verbally affectionate (he’s a yapper😌) he just always knows what to say and he’s very good at showing his love for violet through words. anyone can realise how much luke loves her just by the way he talks about her. as for vi, it’s not that she isn’t verbally affectionate with luke (trust she loves telling her boy how much he means to her) but she’s definitely more of a physical affection type of person. (so is lukey, but between the two of them he’s the one who’s more verbally affectionate yk) ANYWAY point is, lots of affection going around in this relationship !!

b = bed; what’s the sleeping situation like? are there regular sleeping arrangements?

luke and violet have a few different sleeping arrangements. a common one they like is luke laying on top of her with his head resting on her chest (you know luke loves getting head and back scratches🤭) something that hasn’t been discussed a lot is violet’s love for luke’s chest. she’s obsessed. so laying her head against his chest (right over his heart🥺) with his arms wrapped around her is always a comfortable position for her. I think they’ll honestly sleep in any position as long as they’re pressed together. like no space. luke likes his girl close.

c = comfort; when someone’s feeling down, how does the other one look after them?

luke just wants to be held. he just wants to be close to vi whenever he’s feeling down or something’s wrong. she knows him well enough to know when he wants to talk about it and when he doesn’t so she always just holds him close and gently runs her fingers through his curls. luke will eventually discuss it but violet knows not to push before he’s ready. when violet needs comfort, she needs to talk. she needs reassurance that she’s not insane and her feelings are valid. and luke always listens so intently, running his hands soothingly up and down her arm or her back. and luke is very rational too, so she loves hearing his advice and perspective on whatever is bothering her. she knows luke 100% has her best interest at heart so she trusts what he says.

d = dates; what do dates look like? who usually plans them, or is it a team effort?

violet and luke have a good mix of going out dates and staying in dates but I think both of them much prefer staying in. ordering a pizza and watching a movie on the couch. Luke and violet are both big movie buffs and they both really enjoy watching movies together! I could totally see them having like a “Luke and Vi move tier list” and they rate it and everything. when they do go out I don’t think there’s one person who plans the date each time. They’re more of a we decide together, team effort kind of vibe. However I can see Luke taking vi out on a surprise date every now and then that he plans and puts a lot of thought into.

e = events; who drags everyone else to their family/friends’ events?

both luke and vi are very family oriented so to say they go to a lot of family events and gatherings together would be an understatement. Violet is really close with the hughes family, even all luke’s cousins. Like his whole extended family knows and adores her and she always accompanies him to every birthday, dinner, wedding, etc. even when her and luke were just friends, she’d always be the one going with him. and everyone would beg luke to bring vi because they just love her so much. and even when luke can’t go to some things like let’s say his little cousin is having a birthday party and ofc he can’t be there because he’s playing, violet will still go, take a present, spend some time with the family. and luke is just as close with her family, like we’ve talked about how close he is with violet’s brother, daxton. I mean luke and dax text almost as much, if not more, than vi and dax and they have a really good relationship. dax always comes to luke for advice. luke’s the one that influenced him to play hockey. luke is dax’s brother no matter what happens between vi and lu. and of course violet’s parents absolutely adore luke. her dad’s been calling him his son in law since he first met him, so they have a really close bond too. as for friends, vi and luke have the same friends. all luke’s friends are vi’s friends and vice versa. they’re that cute annoying couple in the friend group that always show up to friend events together.

f = fights; are arguments something that happen often? what are they over, and how are they resolved?

violet and luke don’t argue often. I think a lof of their arguments (the like two that they’ve had since they’ve started dating😭) is about the long distance. luke hates it. HATES IT. and he’s pretty upset that violet doesn’t wanna move to jersey until she’s graduated but he also understands why she doesn’t want to. he just gets these moments where he misses her so so much and he gets a little annoyed that she isn’t there with him and he’d make a comment or two about it and they’ll have a little argument but luke always comes to his senses and tells violet he supports her 100% and he knows how much she loves umich and how much she wants to graduate there and he’s her biggest supporter. I could totally see them having little petty arguments sometimes tho. maybe vi is a little sleep deprived and talked to him a little rudely and they’ll have a little moment but both of them always apologize quickly and work it out!! they hate fighting!! I will say I think fighting was a lot more common before they got together. especially in the vi and noah era.

g = getting together; how did it all come about? were there any pre-existing relationships between them?

this is kinda well known already. but luke and violet have been best friends since highschool. they’ve always had more of a flirty situation going on (iykyk) everyone has been waiting years for them to get together!!

h = hobbies; does anyone share any hobbies/passions? how do they include their partner in them?

luke’s hobbies are hockey, watching movies and building lego’s or little models of things. violets obviously been watching luke play for years now (she’s his #1 fan). and they love building little things together. i’ve said before that violet loves buying them as presents for luke but they build them together and he’s not allowed to even glance at it when she’s at mich and he’s in jersey without her. violet likes thrifting and I can totally see her dragging luke with her to the thrift store. he doesn’t particularly love it (or any shopping for that matter) but he does enjoy spending time with her so he does it happily. can also see violet being a little bit of a gamer 🤭

i = in sickness and in health - when someone falls ill, who’s the carer and who’s the germaphobe? is there anyone that resists being looked after?

both of them turn into little babies when they’re sick. luke gets all pouty and cuddly and won’t let violet do anything but cuddle with him. and violet is a little koala when she’s sick and she clings to luke so much. she’d pretend to put up a bit of a fight when he tries to take care of her bc she doesn’t wanna get him sick but vi hates getting sick, and luke’s cuddles make everything better so she’s definitely a little needy when she’s ill.

j = joker; who’s got the best sense of humour? do they like to tease and banter with everyone else?

they do love to tease each other. and I would say both of them are relatively funny, but they are EXTREMELY sarcastic. they can go back and forth with sarcastic quips for hours. and bless someone (it’s almost always dylan😔) when they decided to team up against you. luke and vi love to laugh and no one quite gets their humour like each other.

k = knowing; who can read their partners like a book? is there anyone who’s got their walls up, even around their partner?

violet can read luke really easily. every little expression, action, way he words things. she knows exactly what he means and what he’s feeling. he can never hide it from her, she just knows him too well. but violets also the one person he can 100% be himself with and tell and show everything so why would he wanna hide things from her? violet on the other hand can hide things from luke (not that she does) but she could hide it from him until she’s thought about a better way to talk to him ykwim. luke on the other hand… she’ll just see right through him.

l = lavish; is there anyone who really likes to treat their partner?

this isn’t something we’ve discussed a lot but I really do think that Violet loves spending her money on luke and buying him gifts. I would say both luke and vi love spending money on each other but they do it in different ways. luke loves spending money on things they could do together. trips, dates, plane tickets to games, etc. violet just loves buying him gifts. clothes especially but also little building models, sneakers, watches, etc. she loves spoiling her guy.

m = memories - is anyone more on the sentimental side?

again I think both luke and vi are sentimental just in different ways. luke likes to keep physical things from their relationship. the pencil violet loaned him on the day they met, his bracelet she made him that’s falling apart but he can’t get rid of it, violet’s ticket of the first game he invited her to. things like that he likes to keep in a little “violet box” violet on the other hand likes to keep photos and videos. she has hard drives with hundreds and hundreds of photos on it of the two of them over the years and she won’t get rid of any of them.

n = nights; what’s the nighttime routine like when they’re together?

when they’re together lu and vi have a pretty chill night routine. they’ll brush their teeth together, do skin care, luke will help braid violet’s hair (otherwise it gets tangled) then go to bed and talk for a little bit. it could be just a catch up on their day if they didn’t see each other a lot. or maybe it’s about upcoming trips either one of them have. or what they wanna do for their birthdays. what they’re gonna get a friend for their bday. just a range of different things until they both drift off to sleep.

o = open; how open is everyone with one another?

luke and vi are very open with each other. quinn likes to joke that they’re majorly codependent on one another and that he doesn’t know what they’d do if they were ever separated. (and they do find it really hard to be in a long distance relationship bc of this) but luke and vi have really great communication in their relationship. whenever something is going on or something if bothering one of them, they’ll tell the other person and they’ll discuss it. they know everything about each other.

p = pda; what’s pda like with them? is there anyone who loves it, and anyone who’s less fond of it? what actions/words does it manifest as?

luke and vi’s pda is definitely towards the high end of the spectrum. not heavy pda (unless they’re drunk) but they definitely display their affection quite publicly. luke always has a hand on vi. on her hip, waist, leg. and she’s always pressed against him. they also love the occasional kiss (what? your telling luke his girl is right there and he’s not allowed to kiss her?) violet’s hands are also always roaming luke’s body. her arms looped around one of his while they’re walking. her hand in his hair or at the back of his neck when they’re sitting somewhere. they’re definitely affectionate enough in public that you can tell they’re dating.

q = quiet; who prefers to spend their time with their partner out and about, and who likes to spend it at home?

I think both luke and violet prefer to have a night in. they do enjoy the occasional night out. most of the times it will just be a quiet dinner or a movie. or they do really enjoy going out with their friends or the team. but if it’s just the two of them, they prefer to be cuddled up on the couch or in bed.

r = romantic; is anyone a bit of a sap for their partner?

luke. 100%. I don’t think I need to expand on this a lot. he is so so smitten for violet. luke is the softest boy when it comes to his girl. and he’s not afraid to show it either. EVERYBODY knows how much of a sap luke is for vi and they all tease him for it😌

s = sharing; is there anyone who’s particularly territorial of their partners?

between luke and vi I’d say both of them are pretty territorial. violet maybe a little bit more. she’s a bit possessive over her lukey but not in a obsessive toxic way. more in a he’s her favourite person and she wants to spend all day everyday with him. (okay…maybe a tad obsessive but who can blame her??) luke on the other hand is more possessive and territorial when there’s a guy actively trying to get with violet. like they’re flirting with her, then his possessiveness comes out full force.

t = terms of endearment; nicknames! who’s crazy on them, and who do they make cringe? what’re the go-to’s?

luke and violet’s go-to terms of endearment are babe and baby. the overused and boring ones yes, but they make it cute🥰 the nicknames are the usual ones as well; lu, lukey, pretty boy. vi, vivi.

u = urge; who’s the most impulsive? who do they loop into their plans, and who entertains their antics?

I think Violet would be the one who is more impulsive. she’s more likely to do adventurous things and luke will 100% egg her on. violet is also the one person in the world who could get luke to do anything she wanted. like if she asked him to do skydiving with her, he wouldn’t even hesitate to go because that’s what she wants and it will be fun.

v = vacations; how do holidays go? are they big exotic trips, or the occasional staycation?

luke and violet do enjoy the occasional vacation somewhere tropical, or in europe. but I think their favourite thing is always going to one of their lake houses.

w = worthy; how are insecurities handled? is anyone more self-conscious than the others?

don’t know if this will come as a surprise to some people but I think luke would be the one who is more insecure. violet is very confident in herself and in their relationship. and while she does get possessive of luke, that doesn’t stem from a place of insecurity. more just the fact that he’s hers. I think Luke does feel a little insecure sometimes when he sees a guy flirt with vi or even all the close guy friends she has. the funny thing is in high school for example, that feeling didn’t exist. and I think it really stems from violet and noah’s relationship. I don’t think it’s been highlighted enough how much their relationship affected Luke and the way he thinks in his relationship with vi. Luke thinks a lot about what Vi’s life would’ve looked like if she ended up with noah, and if he would’ve been able to offer her more than he could. especially because violet is still at umich, with noah, while luke is in jersey. and while he knows, 100%, violet would never ever cheat on him, it bothers him more than it probably should.

x = xoxo; who checks up on their partners a lot when they’re apart? do they call, or are texts enough to make them feel close?

because violet knows how much luke misses her (and she misses him), she really makes an effort to text him a lot during the day. good morning texts, good night texts, little texts throughout the day. and they call each other every day. face timing if they can.

y = yearn; who misses their partners the easiest (ie, calls them to hear their voices when all they’ve done is run to the grocery store)?

luke. hands down. violet could get up from the bed and go to the kitchen and not even three seconds later luke would be up and following her. he’s a clingy bf but violet absolutely loves it. he just wants to be with her constantly🥺

z = zealous; who was especially eager in their pursuit of the relationship? was anyone more reserved in their want for it?

we’ve talked about this too but both luke and vi were a little hesitant to get together because both of them valued their friendship so much and didn’t wanna mess things up between them. both of them do wish that they put their worries aside and got together sooner though!! <3

#⋆ ˚｡⋆୨ violet + luke ୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

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em-writes-stuff-sometimes · 3 months

Text

List of Bookbinding Items

MASTERPOST │ ASKS │ COMMENTS │ UPDATES │ GLOSSARY (TBA!)

Disclaimer: I am so, so average at this hobby, maybe even below that denomination, too, but I've been asked a couple times about it privately/via Discord so I figured I could help some people out by providing them a link to get them started.

Before you begin learning how to bind a book, it's a good idea to collect all the resources you will need in order to fulfil the process from beginning to end. Below, I'm going to try and structure a tiered list of equipment you're going to need, from essential to optional. I'll also add explanations of purpose where necessary. Because y'all are international, I'm not going to link to sites - but any store that caters to bookbinding should have these items available to order! Just make sure you're searching specifically.

Essential resources:

Don't skimp out on these - seriously. Not worth it. Where I can, I'll provide self-made alternatives, but these things should definitely go on your 'must get before I begin' list.

Bone folder (after you fold your signatures, crisp up the fold by pressing the edge over the crease. It'll flatten the fold and make it easier to press).

Book press (you will need this at multiple stages of the process, essentially to flatten everything up. I went for a traditional one, but you CAN use two boards with clamps, anything that you can essentially clamp the book tight between).

Awl (kinda a needle on a stick - used to poke holes for sewing into each signature. I'd recommend getting a proper one, most aren't too expensive! Some binders saw their holes in, but it's a bit risky for first-timers!)

Punching cradle (a device that has equidistant holes to guide your hole-poking, so that every signature is punched in the same place. PLEASE get this).

Waxed linen thread (make SURE it is waxed, which will prevent the paper ripping when you sew it. I recommend 25/3 weight linen thread, usually in a 'natural' or 'cream' colour).

Paper (make sure it is SHORT GRAIN, will explain later. I recommend 80gsm paper in a 'sand', 'natural' or 'cream' colour, as white paper tends to look IMO not quite right, especially for fiction. I honestly just use printer paper!)

Book board (Davey board is preferred, but you can use grey board, chipboard or cardboard. It needs to be thick enough to resist flexibility - I use 3mm Davey board for the covers and either cardstock/1.8mm Davey board for the spine. This can come pre-sized or in larger sheets).

Book cloth (again, recommend actual cloth designed for binding as you'll experience issues with regular old cloth if it's not prepared for the process. It'll be backed with paper or starched to prevent glue seepage).

Glue (acid-free PVA glue. Specialty 'bookbinding glue' is the easiest, but honestly, as long as it's acid-free PVA, it should be fine).

Glue brush/es (something to get the glue spread quickly, as it dries FAST).

Mull (a loose-weave cloth used to reinforce the spine after sewing/gluing).

Cardstock (for reinforcing the spine after mull + assembling the cover/spine case. Get a few sheets, you'll be surprised where this is needed!)

Might be a good idea:

Premade endbands (the little cloth bits that stick up on either end of the spine inside the book? Yeah, they make the book look pretty and hide the gluing).

Ribbon (if you intend to add a ribbon bookmark).

Linen tape (for thicker volumes. You sew it against the textblock to add more stability to the bind).

Cork-backed ruler (to cut book board in a straight line - you can make your own like I did with adhesive cork and a metal ruler).

Bookbinding needle/s (specifically curved needles).

Beeswax blocks (for bookbinding, extra wax to wax the thread goes a long way!)

Box cutter/knife (for cutting book board to size).

Hinge gap sizers (available on Etsy, used to space the spine board from the cover boards).

Book cloth corner cutters (also available on Etsy - comes in sizes to match your book board width so you can ensure you're cutting the right amount of fabric off the corners before folding them over).

Bookbinding sewing frame (entirely optional, but it means you can leave your hands free for sewing the text block up).

For aesthetic purposes only:

Guillotine (for trimming the pages to the same size after gluing, makes the book look professional. One with a large sheet capacity is best. Don't skimp on quality here. You can also just go to a print shop that offers this service!)

Cricut/Silhouette/Vinyl cutting machine (for creating iron-on designs on your book cloth after making the casing).

Cutting machine mat (whoever makes the machine will also make a corresponding mat, this is to hold the vinyl in place so the machine can cut it).

Iron-on vinyl (you want heat transfer vinyl, NOT permanent vinyl; HTV is ironically the more permanent of the two. So many options for colours here, and it is possible to layer different colours!)

Heat press machine (to heat press the vinyl to the book cloth - I personally recommend the Cricut Easy Press Mini because it is much smaller than the standard, giving you more control/ability to target parts of the cover).

Vinyl weeding tools (to pull off the excess vinyl around the design after cutting).

Ribbon clamp and O ring (for adding charms to the end of the ribbon bookmark. Make sure the clamp is the same width as the ribbon).

I collected all these things before I began, and it made the process a lot smoother. Please note these are all things I recommend, but if you are only experimenting or starting out, please feel free to use resources you have on hand! It took me a few months to compile everything, and it's important you have a space to store all this (it definitely piles up). Please feel free to let me know if there's anything you think I should add!

#bookbinding #bookbinding resources #fanbinding #fanfiction binding #book binding #book making

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mysteryshoptls · 2 months

Text

SSR Rook Hunt - New Year's Attire Vignette

"Come now, tell me everything...!"

[Mister S's Mystery Shop]

Diasomnia Student: Let go! I touched this last remaining limited edition collaboration T-shirt first!

Heartslabyul Student: No way! I was just a bit faster! You should be the one to let go!

Rook: Non! Please calm down, both of you.

Rook: If you continue to struggle so… Your precious shirt will stretch and everyone will be at a loss!

Jade: This may be presumptuous of me, but… From where I stood, it seemed as though the other customer was a tad faster at claiming the product.

Diasomnia Student: See! Even he says so. Now, take your hand off, I must go to the register.

Heartslabyul Student: Dammit! I'll definitely get the next one, you can count on it!

Jade: There seems to be at least one dispute like this every day now.

Jade: Those two earlier were clashing just the other day as well… Amazing how they don't tire of it.

Rook: During this sale, there are limited stock of rare items available that rotate daily.

Rook: While it may be a wondrous thing that customers come in to purchase these more valuable products, it is also a shame that they resort to in-fighting.

Jade: Perhaps we need to devise a way in order to sell these limited-time products better.

Jade: At the moment it is first-come, first-serve, but what if we were to implement a lottery system for these products?

Jade: It may greatly reduce the conflict between customers, as well as any other displeasure with the ongoing sale.

Rook: With regards to dealing with the frantic scramble for our products, I think that's a superb idea!

Rook: However… That will also result in customers who will be saddened by their lack of luck.

Rook: I'd like it if all those who came to our sale were able to leave happy.

Rook: If only we could have every customer of the Mystery Shop be happy as a clam.

Jade: I see. So you wish to see a solution that would bring satisfaction to all.

Jade: I admit that is a very you thing to say, but would that not be tricky to implement?

Rook: You may be right… But here's what I think. Conflict happens because the heart yearns.

Rook: Therefore, the best course of action would be to give them something to satisfy that yearning.

Rook: For example, let me think…

Rook: What if we were to transform the inside of this shop into something beautiful that'll bring joy into people's hearts?

Jade: You mean you wish to decorate this shop?

Rook: That's right! Anybody and everybody will feel satisfied once they look upon something gorgeous.

Rook: Up until this point, I have attended many plays that would be considered top tier.

Rook: Venues that perform these first-rate plays have a way of moving the hearts of those who have come to watch before the curtain has even been raised.

Rook: For example, if there were to be extravagantly beautiful decorations in the entrance hall…

Rook: Each person who came in through those doors would instantly be swept up into a wondrous new universe… Or the like.

Jade: I see. It would make sense that a refined theater would also make sure to be surrounded by magnificence.

Jade: Regardless of whether we would be able to do something to that degree, that may be a fine point to start from.

Rook: This is the best chance for me to put to good use my own experience of witnessing countless works that artists have poured their heart and soul into!

Jade: There are many students in Pomefiore who excel at having an artistic sense.

Jade: To be able to see just what kind of decoration you are thinking of as the Vice Housewarden of said dorm, Rook-san… I must admit that my own curiosity has been piqued.

Rook: I'm touched by your kind words. Now, we should go right away to ask Sam-san for permission to decorate the shop.

Sam: ―So, you'd like to increase the shop's decorations in order to appease the hearts of our customers who keep squabbling over the products, hm.

Sam: Please, go ahead and try it. Of course I'd like for it to settle the arguments, but I especially am hopeful that it will increase sales.

Rook: Merci, Monsieur Mysterious! I begin preparations right away.

Jade: I will do my best as your team mate as well, so please let me know what I may do to help.

Rook: A fantastic offer! I'll absolutely take you up on that, Monsieur Prémédité.

Rook: ―With all of the knowledge and experience I've accumulated, I'll absolutely be able to transform this space into something beautiful.

Rook: In order to quell those heart-wrenching arguments… I'll bring forth a beautifully decorated shop that'll soothe their souls!

[Mister S's Mystery Shop]

―A few hours later

Rook: Mayhaps this colorful lamp would be best suited placed against this monotone-colored wall.

Rook: It's quite a difficult task to determine where things should go to keep a good balance in the room. Fufu… And yet that is what makes this even more worthwhile.

Jade: As you've requested, I've finished preparing the decorations you need.

Rook: Merci, Monsieur Prémédité! You've been a huge help.

Jade: Not at all, this was a simple task.

Jade: We've been able to put up some quick decorations here and there, but this may be the extent that we can do now during the day.

Rook: You're probably right. The two of us can finish the rest of what needs to be done after the shop closes for the night.

Jade: Indeed. Incidentally, these decorations you've brought in are quite fabulous, Rook-san.

Jade: And you've brought such a surprisingly large quantity, as well… How could you have possibly procured all of these during your rather short break?

Rook: All the interior items I've brought to be used as decorations inside the shop came from the Pomefiore storage room or borrowed from various students.

Rook: Some are donations from former students, and others are personal items from current students.

Jade: I see. It is astounding that one dormitory is able to amass a collection this wonderful…

Jade: I should expect nothing less from Pomefiore and your adherence to the spirit of the Fairest Queen.

Rook: Isn't it just? My beloved Pomefiore dormitory is overflowing with beautiful things.

Jade: Yes, I have come to understand that. However, I believe the most spectacular thing of all is…

Jade: Your ability in being able to choose decorations that would complement this shop well in that short amount of time, as well as your ability to negotiate borrowing them.

Rook: Oh my, I'm honored to hear you praise me like that. Thank you, Jade-kun!

Jade: Not at all. However… Will the simple act of decorating the shop truly abate these arguments?

Rook: Truthfully, I have prepared something special.

Rook: Once my plan is set in motion, it should allow for everyone to be soothed and forget about their infighting.

Jade: A "special something," you say… I cannot wait.

Rook: Fufu, as for what it is, you shall have to wait for its time in the spotlight.

Rook: Tomorrow, this Mystery Shop will become an even more beauté establishment― That I can definitely promise!

―The next morning

Scarabia Student: Alright, today I'll buy some of the ingredients on sale… HUH, WHAT'S ALL THIS!?

Scarabia Student: THE SHOP'S INTERIOR… IS EVEN MORE EXTRAVAGANTLY DECORATED!

Octavinelle Student: You're right. It's almost like it's not our school store!

Trey: There's fancy lamps, paintings and other interior decorations here and there…

Trey: They've been arranged so as to not bother the Eastern decorations that were already put up, but instead they actually work well with them. The shop feels completely different.

Ortho: This is amazing! Is this all your doing, Rook-san and Jade-san?

Rook: Oui! It may have almost taken us until dawn, but I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Rook: The theme was "the theater."

Rook: To transport all who step through the threshold into a whole new world, just as a theater presenting a high-class play would…

Rook: That was the purpose behind this design.

Jade: Rook-san's aesthetical sense is, in a word, fantastic.

Jade: I may have contributed a helping hand, but everything was done according to his guidance.

Trey: Regardless, this is really well done.

Trey: Looks like me and Ortho can't just dilly-dally if we want that special bonus.

Trey: Anyway, good work, Rook, Jade. You two didn't sleep much last night, right?

Trey: You can leave the shop to us, go ahead and get some rest.

Rook: Fufu, I appreciate your consideration, Chevalier des Roses! But there's no need to concern yourself, as you can see, we are fit as a fiddle.

Jade: Indeed. Moreover, if we were to take a break here, we may be passed up by our rivals.

Trey: Haha, didn't think you'd fall for that one.

Ortho: Tooooo bad. ―Ah, Trey-san. Looks like there's a customer waiting to pay.

Trey: Oops, we should get back to work. See you two later.

Jade: …Well, then. It seems as though our customers are taking well to the new decorations so far…

Rook: The most crucial thing now is to determine if it will help reduce the arguments between our customers.

Rook: Based on the product lineup we have today… It is highly probable that those two who were fighting over that shirt yesterday will come once more.

Rook: Furthermore, we've only the one pair of the limited-edition shoes today.

Rook: What a sad fate that only one of them will be able to claim their prized item…

Rook: Yet, would their clamorous hearts be quelled much like our other customers? This is what I have worked towards.

Jade: At noon, our special limited products will be on sale. It is almost time.

Rook: Oh, speaking of which.

Diasomnia Student: YOOO!! I'M DEFINITELLY GONNA GRAB THOSE LIMITED-EDITION SHOES TOO!

Heartslabyul Student: I'M GOING TO PURCHASE THOSE SPECIAL SHOES! NO WAY I'M GOING TO LET ANYONE ELSE HAVE THEM!

Rook: Looks like they've arrived.

Rook: Now… It's time to put to the test whether my little production will pull at your heartstrings.

[Mister S's Mystery Shop]

Diasomnia Student: I ENTERED THE SHOP FIRST, AND I TOUCHED IT FIRST!

Heartslabyul Student: YOU GOTTA BE JOKING! STOP TRYING TO STEAL MY STUFF!

Jade: We seem to be in the same dispute as yesterday…

Jade: It seems as though it truly was a hard sell to quell their fighting with only distracting decorations.

Rook: Fufu, it's too early to come to that conclusion, Monsieur Prémédité.

Jade: Hm?

Rook: ―NOW, IT'S SHOW TIME!

[spotlight shines upon the students]

Students: !?

Diasomnia Student: WOAH, THAT'S BLINDING! WHAT'S GOING ON!?

Heartslabyul Student: M-My eyes… I'm seeing spots…!

Jade: That's… a spotlight? Those two have frozen in surprise from being suddenly lit up.

Rook: Oui! I borrowed one from the Film Research Club with Vil's permission and installed it in the shop.

Jade: Well, it's completely stopped their argument in its tracks. I see, so was this blinding tactic your "special something"?

Rook: Non, non. This is only the beginning.

Rook: The heart-throbbing thrill starts now! Take a look at the wall over there.

Heartslabyul Student: Just as I felt I was getting used to the light… Now the lamps along the wall are blinking.

Diasomnia Student: Not only that, but the light is reflecting off the other decorations and it's making the shop look even more glamorous… This is more than magical, it's…

Students: Beautiful…

Rook: Fufu, it looks like our customers have calmed down a tad.

Rook: We made it so that all the lamps set up around the shop would turn on remotely, what do you think? Do you like it?

Heartslabyul Student: Y-Yeah… Now that I take a better look, are all these decorations different from what was up yesterday?

Rook: Seems as though you've finally become aware of the changes brought about in the shop.

Rook: That must mean you were so preoccupied by your desired item that you failed to notice said changes.

Rook: I find your determination and persistence for your special item to be rather fascinating!

Rook: Would you please tell me what exactly it is about that item that has you under its thrall?

Jade: From what I have been able to glean from my own research, it seems these shoes are high-end and quite rare.

Jade: It is a replica of the same model worn by a legendary basketball player early in their career.

Jade: These were sold out in a blink of one eye on release, and currently fetch a premium price.

Rook: I see. A legendary player wore them, which makes this a legendary pair of shoes.

Rook: Is it because it is worth so much that you are adamant to acquire them?

Heartslabyul Student: It's more that I admire the guy. I am a huge fan of that basketball player.

Heartslabyul Student: Yesterday's shirt is also of the same as their favorite design.

Heartslabyul Student: Who wouldn't want to get their hands on something that the person they admire also owns!?

Jade: I see, you admire them.

Jade: Many of the limited-edition articles here, including the shoes, are products that aren't readily found for purchase.

Jade: Sam-san must have procured them by using some proprietary routes.

Rook: Which means, if you were to let this opportunity pass you by, it may never come again.

Rook: Your determination to pursue your goals is just… BRAVO! YOU'VE EARNED MY ADMIRATION.

Rook: Now, you're up next. Tell me why you wanted the shoes.

Diasomnia Student: I'm a huge fan of the designer of this sports brand, and I've collected a ton of their stuff.

Diasomnia Student: The same designer made the shirt from yesterday, too. These shoes today are considered their best work from their early years!

Rook: That desire of yours to collect beautiful things… That is just as fantastic! A wonderful reason!

Rook: I must know more about your interest in these shoes.

Rook: What was it about that legendary basketball player that drew you to them?

Heartslabyul Student: Eh?

Rook: What other products has your favorite designer also made?

Diasomnia Student: Uhh…

Rook: Did they have some sort of flashy play style? Did they have some special skill?

Rook: If they were a world-class designer, then I'm sure they had some sticking principles. Could you perhaps elaborate on what those might have been?

Rook: I desperately want to know what makes your heart pound, what ignites your passion!

Rook: Yes! Tell me all of your feelings!

Rook: COME NOW, TELL ME EVERYTHING…!

Diasomnia Student: Th-This is a little…

Heartslabyul Student: WHAT'S WITH THIS CRAZY PRESSURE…!!!

Heartslabyul Student: But, also, like… When some guy's just being real insistent like this, somehow that just helps my own head clear…

Jade: People tend to come to their senses when they witness another's antics. I think it is a phenomenon that most people have experienced.

Diasomnia Student: I guess it's pretty lame of us to be fighting in this decked out shop… Plus, it's New Year's…

Diasomnia Student: …Alright.

Diasomnia Student: I was able to buy the shirt yesterday, and shoes are a big deal for you basketball fans, right? I'll let you take the win this time.

Heartslabyul Student: Really? I owe you one!

Jade: …It seems they've resolved their dispute.

Jade: However, that was much more peaceful than I was expecting. Perhaps he did not covet the product to that extent.

Rook: No, I'm certain he did. I mentioned this when I proposed the decorations for the store…

Rook: "People will feel happy and satisfied when they look upon something gorgeous."

Rook: Just as the quarrel have sprouted thorns in their hearts, the beauty has softly untangled them from it…

Jade: In other words, it cooled their tempers.

Rook: You could say that. At any rate, beauty itself was the resolution for this conflict.

Jade: I see… Although, I suppose I could see another major cause in their resolution.

Rook: Hm? And what is that?

Jade: While the customers were taken in by the shop's decoration, you pulled them in further with your own conversation.

Jade: Your urgent pressing for their responses was spectacular. Had you calculated that into your considerations from the start?

Rook: Non. I only wished to know what made their resolve so strong that they could not help but argue over it…

Rook: That's all.

Jade: Hm. Then perhaps they felt under siege from your innocently curious questions.

Rook: Ahh… How wonderful it was to be able to quell their arguments and see them both satisfied.

Rook: Beautiful things will always bring joy to people's hearts, yes.

Rook: Fufu… It is a fantastical feeling to know that our decorations were able to soothe their aching hearts.

Requested by @pomefiwhore.

#twisted wonderland #twst #rook hunt #jade leech #trey clover #ortho shroud #sam #twst rook #twst jade #twst trey #twst ortho #twst sam #twst translation #twst new years #mention: vil

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silvervioletvalentine · 1 year

Text

🦋His Best friends ex girlfriend🦋

Pairing: Charles leclerc X Cherrie! : Past Pierre/Cherrie!

Word count: 7.4K

Summary: in which he’s in love with his best friends ex girlfriend.

Charles stood by the bar with his drink in his hand as he looked around the jam packed, crowded club , the pounding music that was vibrating around the room already making his head rattle as he clenched his teeth together to try and hear the odd conversation that was being spoken around him.

He was only keen to speak to one person that night , his eyes eagerly searching each person that passed him in search for her familiar wild hair, keeping his ears open for her loud , familiar laugh.

She had been in high spirits all day, pracitically skipping across the paddock with a large grin on her pretty face as she waved at anyone and everyone that she saw. Getting nothing but amused laughs and celebratory calls over to her in return.

It was her birthday after all. The one day of the year where Cherrie let herself get black out drunk and shovelled her face with cake as she did so.

She had been specific in telling them what kind of cake she wanted too and as Charles looked over at the now half missing , six tier chocolate cake with raspberry filling and ganache covering it, he couldn't help but smile , more than pleased with himself .

He had been the one to order it for her. Had made sure that every stack had come with bright sparklers hanging out of it too, he knew how much she loved tackiness and the extraness of it all. It was why he had also made them put a icing copy of her on top of it too. The little figure was an exact replica of cherrie , or at least the best that could be done out of icing .

She had cried with laughter when she had seen it , shrieking and jumping on the heels off her feet in excitement as she warned everyone , very loudly, that no one was to touch the mini Cherrie but her . Charles knew that by the end of the night , she would be shoving it into her sparkling purse to take home with her .

If she made it home at all that was . She had been throwing back every single shot and every single glass of booze that was given to her. He only hoped that she hadn’t suddenly become a lightweight overnight , thankfully she could usually handle her liquor well .

But it was her birthday and he knew that the usual limit between happily drunk and dangerously drunk would be pushed that night . Which was why he was so keen on finding her pretty face in the crowed room again, wanting to keep an eye on her to make sure that she was okay and that she stayed that way.

Plus he missed her . Even though it had only been an hour since he had heard her loud laughter, since she had wandered off into the awaiting crowd after shoving a piece of cake into his awaiting hands . A kiss on the cheek and she was gone before he could even beg for her to stay.

He knew that it was Pathetic , to be so attached to her that not having her by his side made him completely miserable . But he couldn't help it. She made his heart race and kick into overtime with each little smile she gave him .

She was just so beautiful that sometimes he found it hard to remember how to breathe normally when she with him. And It wasn't only her looks that had turned him into a complete fool in love either, it was the way she carried herself with such easy confidence . The way she pushed the limits and proved to everyone that had ever doubted her even a little bit , That they were wrong about her .

When she had first been signed to Ferrari alongside him so long ago now , Charles had been more than worried . Not of her skills . Definitely not. Because she was a natural born winner , she proved that each time she got into her car and defied the odds that were stacked against her .

No . That hadn't been the issue. The problem had been that she was his best friends ex girlfriend .

The same woman that had dumped Pierre on his ass because she just simply 'didn't want to be his girlfriend anymore.'

The same woman that he had comforted his friend about while pierre complained to him all night about how it just wasn't fair and about how he had been so certain that she was the one.

The same woman who Charles had quickly become close with on track and off the track too. He tried to blame his job for his closeness towards her at first .

He had to bond with her , she was his teammate after all. They needed to get along and be friendly. He couldn't just not get to know the woman he would be driving with all year around .

But it got more and more difficult to use the same old 'I have to. We work together.' Speech to those that has started to question their sudden closeness to one another . Because then their hangouts started to not include racing at all.

He had offered to drive her home one night when her car was in the garage getting new wheels put on. He didn't have to , aware that she had plenty of other friends in the paddock who werent her ex boyfriends best friend , that would happily drive her home . Yet he did.

Then he had started bringing an extra lunch box with him so that they could eat together in their breaks . Looking forward to the smile that she would beam his way whenever she would open up his messily made lunchbox and see different flavoured cupcake for her for each day of the week after he had noticed what a sweet tooth she had .

Then he had started seeking her out outside of racing. He spent more time at her apartment than he did at his own home. They gamed together . They dined together . They partied together . They did everything together and he loved it.

He went back to her hometown with her during the summer too. Where he then met her dad and all three of her brothers who hadn't even blinked an eyelash at the sight of him accompanying her side , his hand tucked into the back pocket of her jeans as though it was completely normal for him to do so.

Pierre had never met her family . A fact that he had quickly learned when he arrived back in Monaco to his upset best friend asking him what the hell it was that he thought he was doing by going home with her like that .

"It's no big deal." He had told him at the time. Forcing casualness into his voice as he tried to shrug off his growing suspicions . "We have to be friends. We work together . Think of it as team bonding.." he had lied terribly . Just like he has continued to lie every time it was brought up to him since .

Because they didn't have to be anything . Not to the public at least. But Charles wanted them to be . And it was a big deal because he knew deep down that it just wasn't right to do this to his friend .

But honestly , he was finding it harder and harder to care anymore . No matter how many furious glares Pierre gave him whenever he arrived to social gatherings with his side pressed closely against cherries . His mouth against her ear as he whispered jokes to her all throughout the night just so that he could hear her laugh again.

A proud smile lighting up his face and his chest filling with a dizzying lightness whenever she would turn to him with that dazzling smile of hers and simply pinch his cheek, giggling to him that he needed to stop making her laugh before she choked on her drink.

He struggled to feel remorseful because he truly hadn't meant for this to happen. To fall in love with his best friends ex girlfriend, who Pierre so clearly wasn't over still.

But love didn't have rules and love didn't care about the consequences. It just happened .

He was so consumed by it that he could feel nothing else but the love that he had for her . Why should he feel ashamed of something that was out of his control? That would simply be a waste of his energy and time.

So as he finally spotted Cherrie across the room, his best friend leant against the wall opposite her as he spoke down to her with a gleam in his eye and his hands drifting up to play with the ends of her Long hair. He felt his face tense up at the sight.

Charles wasted no time in picking up the Cosmo that he had ordered for her before quickly pushing through the crowd to get over to them. His stomach twisting as he caught the sound of cherries sweet giggle as she laughed at something Pierre had said.

He slid up beside her with a forced smile , gently nudging cherries shoulder with his own to get her attention and ignoring the way Pierre's eyes narrowed dangerously at his sudden appearance at her side . Again.

"I got you a Cosmo." He simply said to her as he carefully handed her the glass, making sure she didn’t spill it.

Smiling to himself as he watched her face light up at the sight of him and her favourite drink , leaning up to press a loud, obnoxious kiss against his cheek in thanks .

Pulling away with a tipsy grin as she took a sip of the Cosmo, humming happily to herself as she pushed herself under Charles awaiting arm without a second thought . Just like she always did. The alcohol making her forget that they weren’t home anymore, and that no longer was it just the two of them.

"Cheered my dears!" She chirped , clearly pleased with him .

"Where have you been? I called you like ten minutes ago!" She had to raise her voice to be heard over the loud music .

Not seeming to care that her ex boyfriend was watching their growing familiarness with each other a little too closely.

Charles let out a amused laugh, pulling a silly face down at her . "How would I hear my phone ringing in a club you silly woman? I was only over by the bar! I've been looking for you as well!" He told her with a grin.

Leaning his head down slightly as she offered him a sip of her drink, lifting the glass to his lips for him to sip from. Only lowering it again once he had squeezed her shoulder to tell her that he had enough .

She just shrugged at him "I've been with Pierre!" Seeming only then to remember that they weren't alone . She turned to the French man and smiled , not noticing the way that he had been glaring at Charles from beside her .

Charles pretended not to notice as well. For everyone’s sakes.

"We were just talking about how I took her to Spain for her birthday last time. When me and Cherrie were still together." He made a point to empathise , to remind his best friend that this was in fact his ex girlfriend that he was cosying up to.

Charles just looked back at him blankly , raising his brow a little mockingly .

"Was that the same place where your relationship also abruptly ended?" It came out snappily before he could even think to stop it. Just as lando and Daniel pushed there way into their little group as well.

Both laughing and drunkenly greeting patting them all on the backs in hello . Daniel throwing his arms around Cherrie with a happy yell.

"This is a great party! Happy birthday by the way! You feel any older yet ?" He shouted down to her . Rubbing his knuckles against her hair just to annoy her .

Making Cherrie bat his hands away from her with a groan. Quickly trying to fix her hair again as lando glanced between Charles and Pierre a little warily , the only one noticing the way that they seemed to be in a staring match.

"You can thank Charles for the party! He arranged everything! Did you see my cake?" She giddily exclaimed . Still buzzed over it.

"It had a mini me on it! And the cake is almost as tall as I am!" She gushed .

Daniel laughed loudly , grinning over at Charles in amazement .

"See it? Half of it is in my stomach! Best cake I've ever had!" He made a show of pushing his stomach out and patting it with a pleased sigh.

Cherrie kicked at his leg with a joking gasp "you better not have ate it all!" As they started bickering between the two of them.

Shoving at each others shoulders like children before Daniel pretended that he was going to steal the mini icing version of her , making her run after him while he cackled like a mad man.

Leaving Lando to carefully look between both Charles and Pierre warily , clearing his throat a little awkwardly as he disrupted their stare down.

"Er- everything all right guys? Good party eh?" He said finally getting their attention . Only to grimace at the look that crossed Pierre's face as he shook his head with a pissed off purse of lips.

"Not really lando." He clutched his drink that was in his hand even tighter as he glared over at Charles who was already rolling his eyes. Knowing where this was about to go.

Yet he was too drunk to care this time. Having drank far too many of cherries favourite cosmos to think to make any more excuses and lies like he usually would .

Lando sighed "oh. Should I ask why?" He didn't really want to know why but he also didn't want a fight to break out in the middle of cherries birthday party either.

Mentally cursing out the fact that he always managed to be caught up in somebody else's drama, his timing was just horrible and he felt like a little child that was stood between the two of them, head snapping between the two of them rapidly as they engaged in their little stare down .

Making him more and more uneasy as the seconds passed by, glancing pleadingly over the crowd as he tried to spot Daniel again. Just wishing that he would come back and crack some of his jokes so that the tension could be diffused between the two friends who were starting to behave more like enemies now.

Pierre scoffed loudly , glare never leaving Charles as he shook his head at him in disgust. "Why? Well, why don't you ask this idiot why I'm not happy Lando? Im sure he can tell you all about it!" He seethed , sick and tired of the lies that his best friend had been feeding him for months now.

Charles rolled his eyes at him , pulling a incredulous face . "Oh for gods sake! You're being ridiculous! I haven't even done anything wrong!" And he stuck by what he said. Because despite his feelings for Cherrie, he hadn’t acted on them for a long time out of some strained respect for his friend.

But he was finding it more and more difficult to just sit back and let this chance of true love go by. Why was it so bad anyways? Cherrie had made it clear a long time ago that anything romantic was over between her and Pierre, telling him firmly that they were only ever going to be friends now. That she just didn't feel the same way anymore , having never been one who dragged people along, instead she told the truth and let him know that she just wasn't feeling him anymore.

And it may have hurt Pierre to hear it but wasn't that better than staying with someone out of fear of hurting their feelings and useless pity?

She did the right thing and she hasn't done it cruelly or with bad intentions , she just did what she thought was right.

What wasn't right was the spark of relief and not so subtle glee that Charles had felt when Pierre had told him about their sudden breakup and how blind sighting it was for him. He had comforted his friend, told him that he was going to be okay and that it just wasn't meant to be. Because that's was the right thing for him to do at the time.

However, he could admit now to himself that what wasn't the right thing to do was to was head straight over to cherries home the very same night as well, telling himself that it was because that she was his friend too and that he only wanted to check in on her to make sure she wasn't crying her eyes out like his other friend was.

But she had opened the door with a smile and a knowing look on her pretty face as she glanced down at the bottle of expensive champagne and chocolates in his hands, as he held them up to her with a curious look on his own face. His breath catching in his throat when she looked him in his eyes and smiled that Angel smile of hers and said casually

"Are we celebrating?" Jokingly.

Only Charles wasn't joking when he answered with a smirk of his own , chewing on the inside of his cheek as hope filled his chest. Their arms brushing as she invited him into her home and locked the door behind them without any hesitation.

"Are we?" Was all he could reply with a curious glance her way. Wondering why she didn't seem upset about her breakup with his friend in the slightest.

Although he really should have known better than to assume that she would be cut up and upset. That just wasn't who she was. She was calm , cool and collected. Still the same old Cherrie with a contagious laugh and sunshine grin, pouring them a tall glass of the champagne that he had bought and handing him his glass with a familiar twinkle of mischief in her eyes.

She had just shrugged at his question for an answer. Then Charles had pulled her into his arms on her fancy couch, his arm never leaving her shoulders even as they played a intense game of Mario kart for the rest of the night. And he should have gone home as soon as the night became the morning.

He Should have went back to check in on his heartbroken friend. Instead he had hopped on a plane the next morning for a weekend trip to Greece with Pierre's now, ex girlfriend. Texting him that he was just going to visit a friend and that he would be back soon.

And he knew that he shouldn't have done it. Shouldn't have done any of it. Shouldn't have felt the way he did towards Cherrie. Shouldn't have been so bitterly jealous when they were together, his stomach turning whenever Pierre would as so much as mention her name.

But he couldn't help it and he had tried to ignore his overwhelming feelings for her for so long. Tried so hard just to be her friend. But nothing worked and each time he tried to push back his love for her, his love would only grow and everything she did made him smile.

He saw her in the sun. He saw her in the stars. He saw her in his night dreams , his daydreams , his past and his future.

Everywhere he looked, no matter where he was in the world. Monaco or Spain. Australia or Texas. She never left his mind.

He would go into a shop and see party style cowboy hats and remember how she always wore these obnoxious, glitter filled and brightly coloured cowboy hats to every single party they went to. Telling him that it was her good luck charm. Then she had made him one two .

She had spent hours gluing and sewing on his name to the rim of the bright red cowboy hat, sparkles and all. And Charles had worn it to the paddock too even though he felt like an idiot as everyone giggled and took photos of him in his massive , glitter filled and faux fur trimmed cowboy hat. He wore it because it made her happy, as silly at is was.

And because she was happy and she smiled like the fucking sun when she saw him wearing it the whole day, he smiled too. Because nothing made him happier than hearing her laugh and feeling the warmth of her smile against his flushed skin.

He saw her in the moon. He saw her at sunset. He saw her in his mornings, in his midnights. At his dining table sharing a large portion of takeaway between them as they chatted shit for hours and hours until they fell asleep leaning against each other , feeling comfortable and safe enough to do so when no one else was around.

She was always with him even when she wasn't there at all. And well, how could he be ashamed of that?

He had read somewhere once that love like that only ever came around once and that you had to grasp the chance of real love with both hands and never let it go.

Nirvana. Eternal happiness and Charles was so sure that she was the one that would bring him that , day in and day out. He wanted her.

He had wanted her from the moment he met her, pierres arm around her shoulders as he introduced the beautiful woman beside him as his girlfriend. Charles hadn't been able to look away from her since then. And he didn't think this feeling was every going to fade, he didn't want it too.

And it was with that thought in mind and the alcohol streaming through his blood and turning his regret into shameless confidence that made him look Pierre straight in his eyes and say

"She's not yours to keep anymore. You need to let her go."

Even Lando looked at him with wide , shocked eyes while Pierre's face hardened in anger towards his friend who no longer seemed to care about the consequences of his own feelings.

"She's not yours either! And what- you want me to just let her go so that you can slide in and play Romeo?!" Pierre spat at him furiously , looking betrayed. Having never thought that it would be his own best friend to do something like this to him.

Charles sighed loudly in annoyance, pursing his lips as he returned his glare easily. "She's not an object for anyone to own mate. I'm just saying- this isn't healthy. She's moved on so why can't you?" He retaliated back to him , fed up with the same old fear of Pierre finding out about how he felt for Cherrie.

He was done being scared . He loved her and that was the truth. And he was almost ninety percent certain that she loved him too.

He felt it in the way she showed up at his doorstep with a boutique of flowers and a congratulations cake she had made in her hands after he had won a race. Pride clear in her voice as she told him that she knew he could do it, and that she never doubted him for a second.

Charles had skipped the after party and spent the night on his balcony with her tucked into his side instead , a content grin on his face that refused to budge the whole night. Even when his friends texted him asking him where he was. He was right where he wanted to be. By her side , sharing cake and cutting the stems off the flower and putting them together in a old vase he found. Cherrie had signed the vase in her messy handwriting 'for the greatest driver in the world. I believe in you.'

Charles put the vase right in between his awards and trophy's and she gave him a new set of flowers when the others withered away. She'd turned up with another boutique and a smile.

How was he not supposed to fall in love?

He felt it in the way she made him a home cooked meal whenever he was home , stressing over him like a mother hen. Making him pick out a recipe and demanding that he stay out of the room so that the dinner would be a 'surprise' even though they both knew that Charles would end up rushing in the kitchen and helping her as soon as the first curse escaped from her lips in frustration. They ended up making a meal together and eating it together too as they both spilled gossip and chatted away about their weeks to each other , backing eachother up and just being there for one another when things got tough.

He felt her love in the way that she silently passed him a water bottle when they were out with friends, knowing that he would forget to keep hydrated otherwise.

It was in the way that she gave him her spare key so that he could chill out at her home when she was away after he had told her that his place just didn't feel like home like hers did to him.

It was the way that she looked for him in a crowded room. The way that he was the first person she would always call. The way she would check in on him over the radio to make sure that he was doing okay during their race . It was the way she would excitedly celebrate whenever he won, the way she would still get excited even when he came p3. The pride never left her face when she embraced him and told him that he did so good and that he would do even better the next race too.

And he knew. He just knew that she was it for him. But how did he explain that to his friend that was still so hung up on her? Why couldn't he understand?

Pierre had fell in love with her too. Just like Charles had. The only difference was that Cherrie hasn't chosen him. Hadn't fell in love with Pierre , no matter how hard she had tried to do so.

And it was a hard pill to swallow as Pierre inhaled sharply , looking at Charles with hurt in his eyes . "Yeah - moved on with you! What kind of friend are you? Getting with my ex fucking girlfriend! What's wrong with you?!" His voice rose in anger , in disbelief.

Lando was looking between the two of them with wide eyes. Completely out of the loop and feeling like he had missed a giant chunk of the story.

He gaped at Charles in shock "you're with Cherrie?" He questioned Charles , speechless by what he was hearing. As far as he had known , Pierre was still in love with Cherrie and her and Charles were just friends.

How wrong he was.

Charles groaned "no! No I'm not! I haven't done anything with Cherrie Pierre! Not immediately-I—And I'd say I'm a good friend- it's been nearly a year since she left you! She doesn't love you and I know it hurts but you can't keep doing this! This isn't fair to you, it isn't fair to Cherrie and it isn't fair to me either mate!" He exclaimed , fed up with holding back in fear of hurting his feelings.

He was done.

Pierre laughed humourlessly "isn't fair to you?!" He repeated incredulously "how do you think I feel?! My best friend is in love with my ex girlfriend-"

"Exactly! Ex! Meaning not anymore! You have no say over what she does or who she's with! Don't you want her to be happy? You can't keep clinging on like this!" Charles cut him off angrily , swiping a hand down his face in annoyance.

Pierre felt like crying, voice cracking as he shouted back "yes I do but not with you!" Downing the rest of his drink in one go. Unable to look at Charles anymore , instead his eyes searched the crowd around them and found Cherrie instead.

He watched her as she laughed loudly at something Daniel had said, both of them cutting themselves even more cake. Stuffing their faces as they gossiped like teenagers , heads bowed together as they judged the people around them with matching grins on their faces.

Charles followed his eyesight and let out a long sigh, swallowing down the sudden lump that was rising in his throat.

"Mate..come on. You've got to know that I didn't mean for this happen. I couldn't help who I fell in love with . It just happened . I never wanted to hurt you like this.." he told him honestly , smiling a little as he watched Cherrie throw her head back in laughter , the club lights shining down on her and making her glow.

Pierre sniffled , exhaling loudly as he shook his head and tore his eyes away from the woman he had thought to be the one. But not anymore.

He glanced back over to his friend and swallowed as he saw the look on Charles face as he looked at her as though she was the only woman in the world. Nobody existing to him but her.

"Charles .. I don't want you to lie to me anymore." He spoke up catching his attention again.

Charles frowned at him , unease growing in his chest as he saw the look he was giving him. "What do you mean?"

Pierre looked at him blankly for a moment before asking him bluntly "when did you fall in love with her? Was it while we were still together?" He wanted to know. Wanted a timeline of this mess.

Meanwhile Lando had found a bag of candy from the table behind him and was chewing on them silently as he watched the scene play out between them with wide eyes , chewing slowly as he watched the show.

Charles hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding his head , guilt across his face as he answered him quietly . "Yes. I felt something for her the first night that you introduced her to us. But Love.. I didn't know that I was in love with her till Austria."

Pierre couldn't believe it. Looking at him in disbelief "that was two , nearly three years ago! You're telling me that you've had feeling for her this whole time and you didn't say a single thing?!"

Charles swallowed and simply shrugged "like you said. You two were still together and I wasn't going to ruin that. I wouldn't do that to you Pierre. I promise." He needed him to know that he had never made a single move on her the whole time they were together . Had only ever let himself be her friend back then.

Pierre slowly nodded his head, sighing loudly as he felt his anger slowly began to fade . Being replaced with a feeling of defeat and dread instead.

"But you did do something. There's no way that you just continued to be just her friend when we broke up." He stated matter of factly . Reading the guilt on his face easily . "Did you tell her how you felt?"

Charles shook his head , feeling bad. "No. Not then.”He mumbled, looking away from him uncomfortably. Unable to look him in the eye, already knowing the questions he was going to ask him next .

Knowing that he couldn't lie his way out of this one anymore. He was done making excuses and lying to his friend. He was tired of sneaking around. Tired of the guilt and worry.

It was time to confess.

Pierre slowly nodded his head , never taking his eyes off him. "Did you kiss her that night? When we broke up and you went to her place after mine?"

Charles looked down at his feet, fidgeting with the glass in his hand as he let out a deep breath. Nervously glancing back up to him after a moment of tense silence between them.

"No." He finally breathed out quietly "I didn't. Not-not then." He muttered , swallowing thickly.

Pierre's eyes narrowed at him "when then? Cause you have kissed her haven't you?" He knew.

Charles pursed his lips and looked him in the eyes as he reminded himself that it was time for the truth.

"I have , yes. But not till a few months ago. When I was sure.." he admitted to him , fiddling with the ring on his finger that Cherrie had bought him.

It was a crystal ring , supposed to ward of bad energy. But from the air of suppressed fury and upset he was getting from his friend. He had a feeling that the ring would no be working for him tonight.

"Sure of what?" It was Lando who asked him the question .

Both of the drivers had momentarily forgotten that he was even there as they looked over at him in surprise , he had been watching their drama unfolded with keen interest the whole time .

Thoroughly enjoying himself.

Charles sighed , shaking his head to himself as he glanced over to the crowd again. Finding Cherrie easily , his heart skipping a beat in his chest when she turned her head and caught his gaze on her. Giving him a bright smile and a cheerful wiggle of her fingers before Danny dragged her into yet another conversation.

"That she loves me. I didn't want to - to kiss her until I was certain that it wouldn't be for no reason." He told them truthfully .

There was a long Stretch of uncomfortable silence between them. Pierre simply looking between his ex girlfriend and his best friend quietly , arms folded over his chest tightly as he let the truth (the truth that deep down, he had already known.) sink in deep.

"How are you sure that she loves you too? She's not exactly a fan of commitment. What makes you think that is it different for you , that you're the one for her and not me?" He asked him genuinely. Wondering what made him think that way.

Charles looked at him apologetically, knowing that his next words were going to hurt him but he needed to say them anyway. Pierre needed to understand that truth, no matter how much it hurt.

"Because she looks at me in a way that she never once looked at you Pierre." He stated with a grimace , not enjoying hurting his friend like this at all. But how could he let her go and let the idea of them fade away if he didn't listen to him?

If anything Charles was giving him some closure , giving him the answers to all the unanswered questions he had wanted to know all year round.

Charles just wished that it didn't have to be like this.

But he loved her. He was in love. Falling more into each day. Cherrie was the woman that he wanted to spend the rest of his life making her happy , making her giggle till she had tears of laughter in her eyes.

She was the reason he even believed in love. They just had their timings mixed up a little.

Because the night they Pierre had met Cherrie was the same night that Charles had meant to be at the gala in his place. But he had gotten sick and asked Pierre to go in his place instead. Leading him to meet her that night instead of him.

Charles had always wondered what would have happened if he had been the one to arrive there. Would Pierre's story have been his? Would he have fallen in love with her that night as full heartedly as he had the night that pierre introduced her as is girlfriend in the summer? He didn't know.

He had a feeling that it was fate being tested twice. Two chances for him to meet her and fall in love. He had missed the first chance. And took the second one given to him and he wasn't planning on letting this one go. Because he knew that there would be no third chance if he did.

"I love her Pierre. I'm sorry that you did too but I'm not going to apologise for being in love with her. I'm not sorry that she makes me happy. And I'm not sorry that I can make her equally as happy too." He told him sincerely , meaning every word .

He knew then the truth. And defeat weighed on him heavily as he let out the breath he had been holding in. Uncrossing his arms from his chest with a loud sigh , running his hands over his face in defeat .

"She's-this isn't a fling to you is it? It's serious? You want forever? Because if you don't-" he started to warn him.

Charles hurriedly cut him off just as they heard her loud voice echo across the room towards them, both of there heads turning at the same time as she shouted Charles name over and over again . Trying to get his attention.

She was beaming over at him brightly , waving her hands towards the cake that was left on the table. Less than half left.

"Can we put this in your car Charles?! I want to save some for my family! Dad wanted a big slice!" She shouted over to him drunkenly , hands on her hips as she inspected what was left of her giant cake.

Charles laughed affectionately, shaking his head at her with a grin. "Yes! Don't touch it though! I'll grab it!" He hollered back to her in amusement.

Forgetting that Pierre was even there for a moment , his gaze locked on cherries as she pouted at him. Hair a mess and makeup smudged across her eyes as she swayed with a bottle of half drunken champagne in her hands.

"But I want to go now! Dad is coming in the morning and taking us to that car meet up remember?!" She screamed back to him.

Uncaring off those around her wincing and giving her looks as she screamed across the dance floor instead of simply going over to him and telling him. She decided to shout instead .

Charles laughed loudly "I know! He texted me to remind you! You're the one that sleeps in!" He grinned before pausing as he remembered that he had been mid discussion about their love to her ex boyfriend and his best friend before she interrupted him and made him forget what he was doing in the first place. Again.

He sheepishly looked back at Pierre , Lando grinning to himself as he looked between them all in silent amusement. Not saying a thing, just enjoying the show.

"Sorry.." he mumbled blushing, scratching his jaw awkwardly as she screamed his name again . He pursed his lips and turned to look af her for a moment , holding up one finger for her to wait .

"I'm coming in a minute! Grab your things! Get your purse and meet me at the door!" She just gave him a thumbs up in response before hurrying off to find her jacket and purse again. Trusting him completely.

Pierre looked at him in disbelief "her dad texts you?"

Charles felt smug even though he knew that he shouldn't . But he managed to keep his face straight and solemnly nodded his head . "Yes. Er-he helped me with the cake actually . Well- he just told me her favourite since she was a kid. We both like vintage cars so he's taking us to see some in the morning. I've been helping him fix up his own vintage Chevy too.. well, more like he's fixing it and I'm watching but .. it's fun, yeah! He's really nice and-" he exhaled nervously. Rambling on. "Yeah." Completely flustered .

And Pierre knew then that he had no chance at all. That this was it. Cherrie wasn't his to love anymore and it was clear to him now that he was never going to be the one she chose. She had never even mentioned her family to him, definitely never let him meet her father.

And while it hurt he knew what he had to do.

So he smiled tensely at his friend and said "if you fuck up, I will be there . Swooping in to play Romeo. So.." he inhaled deeply , looking at him seriously. "Be careful and treat her right." He mumbled quietly , focusing back on his drink. Having a feeling that he needed another whole bottle now.

Charles looked at him in shock , having expected a fist to the face. Not the go ahead . "You're not mad?"

Pierre scoffed at him "oh I'm fucking furious but there's nothing I can do about it is there?" He gave a sarcastic shrug . "You love her and she clearly loves you. There's no stopping you is there?"

Charles slowly nodded his head in agreement , glancing over to the door where Cherrie was impatiently waiting for him. Waving her hands at him like a crazy person . Miming a arrow sign with her body as she leaned towards the exit door making him chuckle quietly at her antics.

God. He loved her.

"There isn't." He confirmed to him softly "and I won't fuck up. I can promise you that." He then hesitated as he went to walk away, patting Pierre's shoulder gently . Apologetically. "I am sorry though. I didn't mean to fall in love with but.." he sighed long and hard, motioning hopelessly towards Cherrie who was now trying to do a handstand against the wall and failing miserably . Making him laugh softly beneath his breath .

“Look at her! I didn't have a chance against it. She's it for me mate. She's-"

"She's the one."

Then he patted his shoulder again , giving him once last look before quickly walking off, hurrying over there to Cherrie before she could break her face from her sudden desire to become a gymnast at the club.

Pierre and Lando could only watch silently as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder , the other one snaking around her waist as she leaned into his side with a bright grin on her pretty face. Squeezing him tightly as she tilted her chin up, saying something to him that they couldn't hear.

Then she reached up and closed the gap between them without any hesitation , kissing him softly as she ran her fingers through his hair. Breaking away momentarily to giggle against his lips , both of them locked in their own loved up bubble together . No one else mattering to them as Charles fixed her dress for her , pulling it down her thighs further and then straightening out her hair too.

Looking down at her with nothing but love in his eyes as he cupped her face in his hands gently , leaning forward to lay a small kiss between her eyes. Smiling softly as he did so.

And Pierre turned away from the sight with a thick swallow , sighing shakily as Lando just patted him on his back in sympathy. Wincing pitifully for him.

"Do you think any other of our friends are in love with her as well?" He unhelpfully blurted out curiously . "I mean- Lance and max are-"

Pierre just shoved at his head with his hand and huffed moodily at him . "Shut up. If someone else is in love with her then that's charles problem now. Let him see how it feels!" He exclaimed bitterly before stomping away to find another bottle to down his sorrows in.

Leaving Lando to simply shrug and pull out his phone to text his friends to tell them what had happened. Max and Lance too.

God did he love some drama. He couldn't wait to give a play by play act to Carlos and Daniel about what had happened. They weren't going to believe this!

#f1 imagine #formula one imagine #f1 fic #f1 oneshot #charles leclerc imagine #formula 1 imagine #charles leclerc fic #charles leclerc oneshot

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pantoneyoongi · 2 years

Text

neon signs [masterlist] | myg

title ; neon signs [ drabble series ] pairing ; campus crush!yoongi x campus crush!you

description ;

namjoon doesn’t think it can get any clearer outside of yoongi building a giant neon sign saying i have the absolute biggest crush on you but apparently, book smarts don’t exactly translate when it comes to you and your massive crush on min yoongi.

(alternatively: namjoon and hoseok try for three years straight to get you and yoongi together.)

tags ; college!au, fluff, idiots to lovers, they’re both kinda shy and also stupid dense and therefore terribly cute, both of them know the other is the university’s campus crush but neither of them know they themselves are campus crushes, best friend!namjoon, yoongi’s best friend!hoseok, namjoon and hoseok are the most patient and exasperated besties in the world

tracklist ; happening again - katherine li, something - gnash, first love - exo, dimple - bts, healthy - prettymuch

notes ;

um so i absolutely had an angstier fic planned for yoongi but then i thought of this and well. i couldn’t resist

this will probably be another drabble series where i release it out of order but the masterlist will be in order :) i don’t have a schedule planned but i hope y’all enjoy !!

blog tag ; series: nsyg

freshman year

↠ it’s a small world after all alternatively, the first time you and yoongi meet

↠ we are not cut out for this alternatively, the origins of campus crush

↠ you do this for fun? alternatively, yoongi catches feelings (real)

↠ hoodie to marriage to children pipeline alternatively, namjoon gets sick of lending you his sweaters

↠ interlude: do you know something? alternatively, namjoon and hoseok try to pry a (not-so) secret out of each other

↠ nice gloves alternatively, yoongi decides winter isn’t that bad

↠ just a really nice friend alternatively, namjoon knows you better than you know yourself

↠ jealousy is a disease alternatively, yoongi meets seokjin

↠ let’s talk about it alternatively, yoongi considers sending hoseok to an early grave

sophomore year

↠ not this again alternatively, you definitely still have a crush on min yoongi

↠ interlude: welcome to the family alternatively, hoseok adopts taehyung

↠ absolutely, without a doubt, no -- coming soon! alternatively, yoongi turns someone down in front of you

↠ i thought you were telling taehyung -- coming soon! alternatively, namjoon and hoseok forgot to tell taehyung The Plan

↠ who do you think you’ve been fooling? -- coming soon! alternatively, you’re beyond the point of denying your feelings

↠ those are called dates alternatively, you and yoongi have weekly dates (fake)

↠ troy bolton has nothing on yoongi alternatively, yoongi tries to impress you (and succeeds)

↠ whenever you need me alternatively, you have a bad day

↠ coming soon!

junior year

↠ halloweentown is a top tier movie -- coming soon! alternatively, hoseok is not allowed to plan halloween anymore

↠ chocolates are not a friend gift -- coming soon!

↠ almost -- coming soon! alternatively, that one time yoongi almost kisses you

↠ coming soon!

senior year

↠ coming soon!

#yoongi x you #yoongi x yn #yoongi x reader #yoongi x y/n #yoongi fluff #yoongi #min yoongi #series: nsyg #all the planning for this fic happened at 2am in the span of one night so i have literally zero idea how well this is gonna pan out

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imagineyourgassyotp2 · 1 year

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There was a special ball being thrown in town, and A & B were organizers who had been helping prepare for a couple months, making sure everything was right. The decor, the bouquets, catering, waiting, bussing, and music. They were more than excited to see the turnout and spend the night dancing with each other, rubbing elbows with their colleagues and friends.

Come the night of the ball, A and B rode together, singing to their favorite music. A wore a deep purple suit, with floral embroidery, and a bowtie to match. B wore a matching gown that hugged from their shoulder to their behind, becoming loose and flowy around their legs. The two of them chatted happily about who they'd invited and what business they'd talk about, A keeping their hand on B's thigh the whole way.

Upon arriving, the ballroom was set up splendidly, just as planned. There was already quite a few people and healthy chatter. Gorgeous bouquets placed around the edges, the dining areas along the sides of the dance floor in two tiers with candle lights, and two long charcuterie table spreads at either end.

A and B both went their separate ways to socialize and take part in the appetizers and drinks. A went with their friends and a couple business partners to a balcony with a classic old fashioned, a plate of cheeses and fruits, and a cigar. B stayed inside, meeting with friends at the spread they arranged. The spreads A and B agreed on with their team was frivolous in taste, with great variety. There were assorted crackers and bread, and fruits both dried and fresh. For the cheeses, there was muenster, brie, yellow and white cheddar, blue cheese, and feta. For meats, there was prosciutto, salami, and pepperoni. It was impressive and incredibly tempting.

"B, you and everyone else did amazing organizing this, I'm sure I'll be stuffed when I go home tonight."

They smiled, "Thank you, I ordered catering in excess to be sure," they gestured to their full plate, "Don't forget there's an open bar between the balconies."

The others looked over, ears perked.

"Oh, do tell me you have rosé.."

"And some good vodka, with a good bartender ?"

"Of course, I did say it was open!"

After ordering from the bar and heading to a table, B chatted and laughed with friends, finishing their plate a while before dinner would be served. Having eaten so quickly and having a glass of champagne, B's gut was already feeling some turbulence, letting out a noisy gurgle. They felt bubbles coming up their throat, and swallowed them down, blushing. B's friends heard the noise, piping up to tease,

"Your belly rumbling already?"

"Awe, are you still hungry B?"

They put their hand on their stomach under the table, gently rubbing, hoping to silence it. "Ha, just a bit," they laughed, "but I'll wait for dinner so everyone else can get some of the spread. And like you said, C, we'll all definitely be full after this, just wait till you see what we've planned."

To B's dismay, their belly let out another loud series of gurgles and squelches. They felt their food and air shifting around, emptying into their small intestine. Some air bubbled upward, leading to a belch that couldn't be stifled this time. They covered their mouth quickly,

"E-excuse me, that must be from the champagne..."

Their friends laughed, C, patting their own gut and letting out a rattling burp.

"Oof, I'm there with you, B. Just wait till after dinner."

They laughed along, feeling less embarrassed, for now.

"Don't forget dessert, too."

Before dinner, A returned inside, finding B to have a dance with them. They held each other close, providing some relief for the pressure already in B's stomach. A noticed, feeling some vibrations against their own stomach, but they didn't say anything.

"Did you have a good time with your friends, darling?"

"I did, we have a good deal of laughter you know. C is doing very well, she has a fiance, now. Did you, my love?"

"I did, we discussed some projects moving forward from next month, and planned an outting soon."

"I'm glad to hear that, you don't relax nearly enough."

After a short while of dancing to the lovely musicians tunes, the waiters all walked out with platters, and more bottles of wine.

Once they all lined up, it was announced by the lead organizer that the main course would be served. A and B headed off to sit together with all of their friends. B put a hand on their belly, feeling a dull ache beginning, regretting eating so much so soon.

Upon everyone sitting, they were served. First was soup and salad, the soup being a mushroom bisque. Following shortly after, they were served with choices between the main dishes. There was a creamy pasta with mushrooms cooked in wine and garlic, lasagna with fresh herbs and parmesan, or a steak with shrimp, and various sides to satisfy any guests. B contemplated, knowing the steak would be far too much, and they didn't want to leave any food on their plate for the staff to clean. Either pasta would surely mess with their belly even more, but it was better than being rude or anything of the sort. Making their way through the mushroom pasta, they sipped on a glass of red wine and some water. They felt full and bloated already, wishing for relief. Soon enough after finishing their meal, dessert came, and they rubbed their stomach passively with pressure. At first, they declined the cake and ice cream. Though, their dear friend, C, spoke up again,

"Come on, you've earned it, working hard to make this night happen. You deserve to indulge with the rest of us."

A, having noticed their trouble, stroked their side, "Only if you feel like it though, love."

B smiled, trying their best to uphold their politeness, "C is right, and I wouldn't want to be rude to the chef and cooks when we've hired them to cook for so many."

Despite their stomach's protests, they ate the cake, and the ice cream, still sipping their wine. They were glad they decided to eat it, as it was delicious. The salted caramel was rich and wonderfully gooey. They chatted and laughed for a while, rubbing the tender spots in their tummy under the table. B was blissfully unaware that their partner was looking in concern. A had indulged a bit themself, sharing the bloat with B. But B, they ate much more than usual, their gut even more rounded out than during their dance. A knew that B's belly would be throwing a fit, remembering their wedding night. God, their belly was so rumbly and full of air.. it was amazing.. A shook off the thought, knowing they'd see it all the more later, and returned to socializing and eating.

Like clockwork, B's tummy cramped, feeling like lightning. They felt rumbles all around their sides and lower belly, in their large intestine. There was enough chatter and music to cover the noise when a fart rumbled out of B without their permission. They clutched their belly, blushing and embarrassed all over again. A saw their expression change, and watched in worry and interest as the smell hit and B stood up.

"Excuse me, I've got to visit the powder room to freshen up a bit. I'll be back shortly."

A few of their friends looked over, seeing B's pooched out gut, understanding quickly. They walked away quickly, a hand still cradling their stomach. Once across the ballroom and out of their friends' eyeline, they pulled the drawstring off the curtain to the balcony door for privacy, and went outside. They sat and rubbed their stomach, letting out a belch. "Ohh... .. I should not have eaten so much dairy..."

Their belly grumbled, and they felt the bubbles move through their intestines and downward. A few seconds later, they couldn't control it, and a toot rumbled out, deep and long, not at all quiet. B groaned, rubbing their gut in circles, letting out some more gas. They were deeply regretting their dietary decisions at this point, everything sloshing and bubbling, cramping all over. Their dress was definitely a bit stretched from this evening. Not to mention, the foul and impolite gas leaving either end of their digestive tract... They felt terribly embarrassed having stuffed themselves, and having digestive troubles in public with their friends and colleagues.

Their belly didn't quit pitching a fit, gurgling and squelching, pushing air up, down, and out, so B didn't dare leave their seat on the balcony. Inside, A was still chatting with all their friends and enjoying themself. Though, they noticed B's prolonged absence, and checked their watch. It had been well over fifteen minutes, and A worried they were having some rough tummy troubles, so they excused themself,

"I'm going to check on B, they've been gone for a while."

C was also a bit worried, "Ah, there was a lot of dairy served and I may have encouraged them to eat more.. I do hope they're alright."

"I do too."

As A approached, B heard the knob to the balcony door turn, and they straightened up, removing their hand from their stomach.

"Are you doing alright darling? You've been gone from the table for a while."

"I suppose you are right.. I'm okay though, just getting some fresh air."

A sat next to them, putting their hand on B's shoulder knowingly. Inevitably, B's stomach emitted a deep rumble, and their hand flew to it for comfort. They clenched, trying their best to hold in their pungent and obnoxious gas in front of their partner.

"E-excuse me, dear. I'm sorry about that noise."

"Oh love, you don't need to apologize for that, I know your stomach is unhappy."

B blushed, looking down, and squeezing A's hand. A squeezed back, putting their other hand on B's stomach. They felt it, applying pressure. It was hard, and the pressure caused a gurgle and a hiss of discomfort from B.

A continued rubbing B's belly with pressure, causing more gurgles, and more for B to have to hold back.

"Oh, darling.. it's very bubbly in there, you must have so much gas."

B was successful at least for a minute at holding it back, even if it meant more grumbles and cramps.

"I'm so sorry you have to deal with this, A.. all the dairy is disagreeing terribly with me."

"I thought so my, dear," A smiled softly, blushing, "I felt your tummy rumbling while we danced, and I saw later at the table you were getting more.. uh.. bloated and you held your stomach."

B blushed, looking away, speaking quietly,

"I really shouldn't have indulged so much.. I feel so embarrassed. I'm sure everyone saw.."

"Don't worry about that, now. If anything, they're worried and hope you feel better."

More deep rumbles sounded off in B's intestines, cueing A to apply more pressure. This made B's belly cramp terribly, the rumbles heading downward toward their rectum. Their hand flew to A's to stop the pressure, but it didn't make a difference. A low and bubbly fart rumbled out of B's backend, lasting a few seconds.

B blushed and looked down, clutching their lower belly. They could still feel the bubbles rumbling through.

"E-excuse me, A, I'm so sorry. I-I couldn't hold it…"

Another cramp hit B, and they gasped, a long string of bassy, gurgly gas leaving them. It smelled a bit of rotten eggs, making their belly churn even more.

"Oh lord, I'm so so sorry. I really don't feel well."

A smiled, and chuckled lightly, trying to comfort B.

"Darling, it's alright, like I said. I know your stomach is quite gassy. I honestly think I will be later, too," They said, unbuttoning their jacket to show B their own rounded out tummy. "It's alright to indulge on special nights. I want you to feel better, so may I rub it again?"

B frowned, unsure, but looked up to see A's smile and loving eyes.

They nodded, "Yes, y-you may."

A returned their hand to B's bloated gut, and slowly began rubbing, more pressure with each circle. B rested their head upon A's shoulder, gripping their jacket. They both felt the bubbles and stomach contents shifting very easily, intriguing A. Most of the activity remained along their sides and below their belly button. A pressed a bit harder, working B's lower stomach. They whined, gripping tighter. A few short toots bubbled out of them, and more gurgles followed, everything in their intestines moving down.

"Oh.. Please excuse me for those…"

"Of course, B. I want you to let it out and feel better."

"O-okay, only if you're sure.. dinner is disagreeing with me more than a little bit…"

"I'm sure, darling. Relax your tummy."

B did as their partner said, hesitantly. As they relaxed their muscles, their belly groaned, and showed how bloated they truly were. They came to the party with a toned, nearly flat stomach. Now, their dress was stretched slightly, and they looked pregnant.

B whined into A's shoulder, their guts twisting and cramping as an airy fart exploded out of their rectum.

"Ohhh, my belly.. I'm so sorry, please make it stop, A."

"I will my love, just let it out and I'll keep rubbing."

A began using both hands and used their fingers to apply pressure on B's stomach. The gurgling was deep and low, and it smelled even more of eggs now, as B couldn't help letting out their gas any longer. Below B's belly button, it was rumbling constantly and audibly.

"My goodness, you're very bubbly, B…"

A decided to start rubbing with one hand around B's belly button, hoping to soothe their troubles. Not long after, a liquidy rush of bubbles was heard, and B felt it move downward. They squeezed A's shoulder, a cramp rolling through their colon.

They were very lucky no others decided to utilize the balcony to the left, as following that ominous gurgle, B let out the worst of their gas yet. It was deep and long, ending with a string of wet and gurgly bubbles.

"God .. I'm so sorry," B moaned out as more wet gas exited them freely.

"My bowels are a mess… please excuse me, I can't control it…"

"I promise, I don't mind. Would you like to go home early darling? I-I have something to share with you, and I can give you medicine to make it feel better."

Their belly gurgled, and they sighed, "Yes please. I would only embarrass myself if we stayed. What is it you would like to tell me?"

A stood and held their hand out for B, wanting to tell them now, "It's nothing much, and it should wait till we're home and you're relaxed anyway, love."

B tooted again as they stood, the sound ending with a sputter, "Alright my dear. Excuse my gas again, please."

"It's quite alright, love."

B was not looking forward to what else the heavy dairy would do to them if their gas was already like this. A, on the other hand... they were lucky to be wearing a long enough jacket to hide their excitement.

A patted B's stomach gently, "We'd better get going quick."

"I agree, I can barely hold it back.. and I'm still feeling bloated.."

They both walked inside from the balcony, A with their arm around B's waist and a hand on their tummy. B put their hand atop A's, and clenched their rectum to keep from letting out too much gas. They made their way to bid their friends goodbye, C wishing them to feel better.

They left the ballroom, walking through the parking lot to their car. A helped B into their seat, quickly getting in the drivers side. As soon as B buckled in, they unclenched, a series of gurgles echoing in their gut, and a long and gurgly fart burst out. They groaned, pressing their tummy, worried for their underwear. They felt just awful, letting out such foul gas in front of their partner. The sound and smell were offensive. The endless bubbling and cramps in their tummy were ignorable. Though, they just couldn't stop thinking on how their friends heard and saw their upset tummy, and they ended up leaving because of it. Just because B was gassy with the bubble guts.

"I'm so sorry for ruining the night, A. I know you don't want to be hearing or smelling my stomach troubles…"

A turned on the car and A/C, then squeezing B's thigh, "I'd rather be with you tonight after all the activity anyways. Plus, that one was the most impressive yet, dear. I want you to get all of that out of you and feel better. Let's hope there isn't much traffic for your poor stomach."

B groaned in unison with their gut, farting again.

"Ugh… let's."

#submisson #eproctophilia #long post #farting #sfw #otp #ot3 #eructophilia #submission

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dipodiidae · 9 months

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fallen london extensions/addons

i only log in when there's new content these days but i wanted to make a list of extensions i found helpful for newer players. bolded names are ones i can personally vouch for/have seen a lot of people use. descriptions are mostly taken from the addon descriptions themselves because tumblr ate my original draft and i don't feel like typing everything out again. PS: Switch to Firefox.

Goat Farmer (Firefox/Chrome): Calculates and displays your total wealth each time you visit the Bazaar page in Fallen London. It includes options to exclude certain items from the calculation. (My note: mostly useful for figuring out how many Echoes you get if you liquidate everything you have in order to buy expensive items.)

Conversion Helper (Firefox): Collects each tier of convertible items in your inventory into its own category for convenience. (My note: A "tier" is a term for items that sell at the same price at the Bazaar; for example, Memories of Light and Memories of Distant Shores are "tier 3" items that both sell for 0.5 Echoes each.)

Fallen London Favourites (Firefox)/Playing Favourites (Chrome): Allows you to mark storylets and options inside storylets with green/red marks, moving them to the top or bottom of the page respectively. You can also choose to disable discard and action buttons for certain storylets and cards. (My note: Definitely recommend this one, it saves you so much scrolling.)

One-click Wiki (Firefox): Adds a small "button" near the storylet title. When clicked, this button opens a new tab with a Fallen London Wiki page corresponding to the current storylet.

Small Mercies (Firefox): Just... a lot of small UI changes. Some of them are helpful (like showing the amount of Favours for each faction you have in the sidebar), some of them are silly but mildly beneficial (like sorting the "A Mystery of the _th City" qualities in numerical order).

Quirk Master (Firefox): Telegraphs storylet choices that influence your quirks, if the game doesn't already tell you they do.

Duly Noted (Firefox): Lets you leave small notes on the branches and storylets in the "Fallen London" browser game. (My note: For clarity, the notes appear within the storylet itself.)

Masquerade (Firefox): Lets you switch between alt accounts more easily within the game UI.

Genius Loci (Firefox): Plays background music whenever you're in specific locations. You'll have to supply your own music. Intended for the Fallen London/Sunless Sea OSTs (which can be found online), but I guess you could add your own music?

Chandlery (Chrome): Displays your current number of actions/opportunity cards in the tab title so you can keep an eye on it when you're tabbed out.

#fallen london

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fanfictionroxs · 7 months

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My little thoughts and feelings about each character in Only Friends (post ep7):

Boston - Love him. This guy is single handedly responsible for the drama and glee and joy I get from this show. Of course there are other factors, but ugh Boston what a great guy! Hope he records more of his friends kissing and causes havok and gets more beatings by Mew in swimming pools. Hilarious!

Nick - Pathetic little menace lol. He has a cute vulnerable face that is so damn adorable that I get even Boston falling for it. Complete traitor though. Responsible for all the problems in his love life though he likes to pretend otherwise. I hope Sand fucks him and calms him down. Boston couldn't do it.. maybe Sand can.

Top - Mr. Top tier playboy, whose fame I don't buy because if you don't care for your partner's pleasure, who the FUCK would recommend you LMAO! Anyway, he is actually a fucking romantic at heart with top tier date ideas. This man just needs someone to househusband him and fuck him nice and proper and Mew is just the person for it. But since Mr. Idiot fucked up things big time, who knows if they will even end up together?

Ray - Thailand's gay Devdas. If you don't know who that is, shame on you! Anyway, I have feelings of extreme fury towards him while also wanting to yeet him into rehab asap because this child is not crossing 25 otherwise. Needs to get his behaviour in fucking order and needs to treat Sand better or else I'm jumping in that show to beat him up like Mew jumped in the pool to beat Boston. Also, he's super hot and I totally get Sand, but I would still kick his ass to the curb. But I kind of want to cry at his beauty, bl drama gods have mercy!

Mew - MY SON! I have adored him in his calm era and I adore him in his raging era. Such a self-aware king. Vengeful as FUCK! Calm like the ocean, but if you piss him off.. well be ready for a fucking tsunami. I hope by the end of the show, he is able to find a balance between both sides of his because there is as much strength in being kind as there is in being cunning and sharp. And together, these traits make for a lethal combo! I'm fine whether he takes back Top or not. I just want him happy by the end with that honor student batch and sipping some nice mock-tails with his moms.

Sand - MY SON! Will definitely become Thailand's pansexual/bisexual Taylor Swift with the amount of banger songs he is going to make after all this drama. A self-aware king much like Mew, though I think he has more issues poor boy. I wish he loves himself more and dumps Ray's ass lol (I say that while my RaySand heart cries like a little bitch). Anyway, he is single-handedly responsible for feeding my angsty fanfiction heart. Heartbreak makes him look SO pretty, no wonder Ray keeps doing that to him (I'm a horrible person dont kill me please!). BUTT! I want a happy ending for him whether it's with Ray or not. Also, I need someone to attic husband him (hint hint RAY nudge nudge though in my fanfic Top does it hehe) and take care of him because this man cares for everyone, BUT NO ONE DOES IT FOR HIM! WHERE'S THE LOVING FOR MY LOVEY DOVEY BABY?!

Well that's all folks! Can't wait for ep8 to cry some more!

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i-bring-crack · 9 months

Note

What dynamic do you think Jin-Chul has with important shadows? Jin-Woo definitely assigned each of them at least once to Jin-Chul just to make sure man won’t die from overworking.

/okay but it’s funny to think Jin-Chul was literally ready to fight a shadow over his right to work because apparently shadow decided it’s enough for today

Even funnier I think is that animal shadows absolutely adore Jin-Chul (and Jin-Chul secretly has a soft spot for them). People just walk in and there’s Jin-Chul having half unconscious nap on a giant fucking bear who absolutely allows no one near poor man or you know a wyvern and a dragon being therapy animals wheeze.

Oh dear God this is so cute!!

And honestly the situation would prob arrive with Jinwoo having to let each one of his shadows try to protect Jinchul. Especially when the dangers begin to lurk near him since he is the closest person to Jinwoo so most of the people will likely try to get close to him in order to get the man to spill information about Jinwoo. And even if he is an A tier rank, highest among them, Jinwoo doesn't want to risk it anymore as he gets to find out that Jinchul tried stopping S ranks (Dongsoo) in the past just for him. (Other reasons too but Jinwoo was the strongest gest among them).

Jinwoo has surprisingly underestimated how difficult this duty would be.

Beru was instantly eliminated when Jinchul found out he liked K dramas and thus put them on to keep him distracted.

Igris was the best candidate he had. Nothing could sway him, he was stronger than Jinchul, he was respectful and understood the man. But sadly it also required Igris to have his undivided attention, which meant Jinwoo would also loose one of his best soldiers in battle and also to protect Jinah when Beru was busy caring for Kyung-Hye.

So up to option number 3 Tank.

Unfortunately Tank destroyed the house because Jinchul in fact lives in an apartment (owned but still an apartment). The neighboors were not happy about that.

Titans were a no from the start.

Tusk provided a good quality service in protecting the man until he almost burned the place down for making pancakes.

Jima often made the couches wet, not a great thing for jinchul who sometimes slept on them when he felt the bed was too far away(one room over).

Kaisel was a great option once Jinwoo got around taming the other dragons to be his flight vehicles, he still likely uses kaisel more but when it came to protecting jinchul, he made kaisel, who could shrink and grow, to be under jinchuls shadow.

Also cutest thing, if Kaisel did have feathers instead of scales, it's just that the feathers look so sharp they look like scales. (Mostly due to the lightning that was always around him.)

Kaisel is also very soft and pr3fers long naps whenever possible, an amazing contrast to our overworked jinchul which is juat what he needs.

Working too much? Kaisel will just get on the computer and sleep.

I'd like to also think he has the little trio of 2 Knights and one mage to help him out around the house and also played table game's with him since they are human enough to understand him and keep him company,, the little mage also knows how to cook food well, without burning it and can preheat any coffee at just the eight temperature.

Great, Jin-Chul's roomates are centuries old dead souls.

(Does he Absolutely have a castle just for him and cuddling in the Shadow realm? Yes, yes he does, Kaisel and Tank wrap around him whenever possible. It's the warmest place in the Shadow realm)

#solo leveling #manhwa #sung jin woo #solo leveling spoilers #woo jinchul #jin chul #my beloved #solo leveling shadows #igris #kaisel #beru #tank #tusk #woo jin chul x sung Jin Woo

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