#this is what happens when i'm up late and end up watching a playthrough again

[malicedafirenze]

I unintentionally skipped a lot of the romance content in Baldur's Gate 3 and I want others to learn from my mistakes:

So: I managed to lock myself out of romance entirely and ended up alone, which was a huge bummer and a serious crack in my motivation to play the game. I finished my playthrough (because I was already close to the end of Act 3 when I realized it), and plan to do another one eventually. I'm making this post in hopes of a) keeping others from making the same mistakes and b) to possibly get some additional insight re. what to watch out for in my next playthrough.

PSA: Pick a Partner before Act 3

The key learning here for me was this explanation from the poly mod

In BG3, romance is divided into 2 steps: dating and relationship(also called partner). Dating is basically where you are at after the 1st romance scene. Relationship is where you are at after the 2nd romance scene (relationship also unlocks the kissing menu). BTW, If you enter A3, all dates will break up with you (partners won't, ofc).

I hadn't realized this until well into Act 3, at a point where going back to a save to properly fix it would have meant replaying large parts of Act 2 as well - I decided to finish my run instead and then start a completely new one later.

Note: lots of spoilers below. (click here to read this post on reddit instead)

My Romance Woes

I read in advance that you couldn't romance multiple people (except for the specific Halsin combos with Shadowheart and Astarion) and therefore turned down Gale and Lae'Zel early in the game (not realizing you could just date/bonk them without fully committing or getting anyone upset)

I didn't take approval all that seriously, thought I'd have more opportunity to fix things later. I was playing pretty good guy, and ended up with high approval for Karlach and Shadowheart, but low for Astarion. Weirdly, I don't recall an option to romance Shadowheart (no clue what I missed?) and the only option I had for Karlach was at the Tiefling party, where I went with Astarion instead. I had a scene or two with him, but then didn't progress further in the relationship, without really realizing what I was missing.

I wanted to romance everyone, sat on the fence for too long, and ended up not romancing anyone at all, by missing a thing or two in act 1 and 2 and being too late to fix it in act 3. Don't be like me, it feels bad man.

Early Act 3, I got Astarion's breakup dialogue ("we haven't spent a night together in some time" --> him explaining it was just transactional and he doesn't see the value in it anymore) and got super worried, but when trying to look up if I'd messed up, I didn't find a clear answer for without more spoilers, so I just continued playing Act 3, including all of the companion quests.

I later learned that I missed out on at least one important Astarion romance interaction by not going to Moonrise Towers until after freeing Nightsong. (when the Towers are already on high alert, i.e. I could only fight and not have a lot of conversations)

After realizing I had messed up companions romance, I instead fucked everyone it was unwise to fuck (Emperor, Mizora, Harleep...) for fun and to see what would happen... but chickened out and reloaded after Emperor and Mizora. Still, got to enjoy some fun content that way!

The ending I got (going to Avernus with Karlach) was really cool and made me cry a lot. I then did try to reload my last save though, to see if I'd get any other epilogue content if I didn't go to the Hells, but... apparently that scene on the docks (Astarion goofily running off, everyone kinda agreeing to go party after this, no other conversations with anyone again.... is just... it?

Idk how much of this is the lack of romance, but I really felt like something was missing there. I at least wanted to talk to everyone again one last time.

This is a post about my romance failures and regrets so I'm not gonna talk about everything else that I loved about the game, but just in case this is getting a bit too negative: I had an absolute blast with the whole game regardless, I'm stoked to give it another go the "proper" way (i.e. with romance). I also generally think it's really fucking cool that this game's romance options depend on how you behave, and that you can't just e.g. give someone the right kind of gift 20 times in a row to make them love you, like it works in games like Stardew Valley.

Next Playthrough Plans

I'll probably wait for another patch or two - considering how much got fixed and tweaked with the first three patches, I suppose it's worth to wait a bit and see what's coming

I'll play with the Poly mod next time and try to romance all of the Origin characters.

I plan to play with the camp notifications mod, as well as the approval ratings in dialogue mod. Both in hopes of being able to game the romance a bit better and get much of the romance in one playthrough

I'll play Dark Urge (haven't seen any of that so far!), but probably still go for a "good" playthrough mostly

I plan on equipping & levelling all Origin companions and switch them out more freely, in order to get approval from everyone and edit my party as makes sense depending on story events (e.g. take Lae'Zel to the Creche, take Gale to the Ketheric fight...)

I want to romance everyone. I already saw some tips for early game Astarion approval and assume the aforementioned mods will help in optimizing this

Am probably not gonna do anything all that differently otherwise because my heart can't take an actually evil playthrough

Aand that's about it. As mentioned, I'm mostly posting in case this helps anyone else.

I was really damn sad when I realized I had locked myself out of all romance, because the romance was a significant part of my motivation to start playing this in the first place. At the same time, I loved so much about the game that I still got a lot out of it in 110+ hours even with minimal romance content.

If you see any red flags about my plans for the next playthrough (or if you have experience with the mentioned mods!), I'd appreciate comments and insights. Other than that, here's hoping others can learn from my mistakes. Thank you for reading <3

#bg3 #baldur‘s gate 3 #baldur's gate #astarion #bg3 romance #karlach #gale #lae'zel #shadowheart #astarion romance #baldur's gate 3 romance

[cuddles-with-dragons]

So I'm watching a playthrough of Republic Commando

Me: My favorite character won't be the homicidal one.

Me 1 hour later: ...Fuck.

38: Sev is not a morning person. Or a night person. There’s really only about seven minutes a day you are fun to be around.

Sev: The best part is you never know when they’re coming.

Sev: I think I should be allowed on ghost hunter tv shows. 38: I think that would be dangerous for the ghosts.

Fixer: Remember! Curiosity killed the cat! Sev: Yes, but you forget that satisfaction brought it back. So yes, Scorch, go find out if that thing can catch fire! Fixer: You're a bad influence. Sev: And you don't know your sayings

38, to Scorch and Sev: *holding knife out in front of them* Are you or are you not an enemy of the people?! Scorch: ... Sev: ... Scorch: That is such an open-ended question. Sev: Yeah, it really depends on a lot of different factors-

*Delta Squad responding to being stabbed by a sword* Fixer: Rude. Scorch: That's fair. 38: Not again. Sev: Are you gonna want this back or can I keep it?

Sev: I wish I was a cat, but not in a furry kinda way, more like a “I can sleep all day and hit people with no consequences” kinda way.

Scorch: Guys, there’s a monster under my bed and it’s really ugly. Fixer, on the bottom bunk: Honestly, fuck you.

Sev: It's called cauliflower, not ghost broccoli. Scorch, eyes wide: I know what I saw.

Scorch: *texting* Hey can you pick me up I’m drunk. Scorch: Oh you don't have to anymore. I'm home now. 38: Yes, I'm aware of that after dropping you off at home.

Sev: I failed my safety training course today. 38: Why, what happened? Sev: Well one of the questions was "In case of a fire, what steps would you take?" 38: And? Sev: Well apparently "FUCKING LARGE ONES" isn't an acceptable answer.

Sev: Given the circumstances, I will let you hug me for four to five seconds. Scorch: Forty five seconds?!? Sev: No! I said four TO five seconds. Scorch, hugging Sev: Too late.

Fixer: Go to hell! Sev: Where do you think I come from?

38: HYDRATE OR DIE-DRATE! 38: *aggressively throws water bottles* Sev: Uh... what's up with him? Fixer: He's trying to yell mental health and wellbeing into us. 38: I APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU! Scorch, crying: It's working.

#republic commando #they're the bad batch but professional #seriously #we got the homicidal sniper #the immature pyromaniac #the IT guy #and the leader that is done with their shit

[writing-good-vibes]

another lonely valentine's day

💗 happy valentine's day !! 💗 what better way to celebrate than to make our favourite babygirl suffer? this takes place in an au where the accident never happened, and corey is still working towards his college dreams by mowing lawns, having affairs and babysitting.

WARNING for corey cunningham x roger allen relationship, age difference, infidelity, unhealthy relationship dynamics, smut (non-penetrative and oral sex), angst from a guy who is upset that his married boyfriend doesn't love him, some mildly stalkerish behaviour, and some arguable hurt/comfort. 4.5K word count.

🎀 very cute dividers by @/gigittamic 🎀

taglist: @slutforstabbings @ethanhoewke @voxmortuus (just let me know if you want to be added or removed !!)

"Corey?"

Corey sighs and checks the time. It had only been ten minutes since he put Jeremy to bed.

"Corey?!" Jeremy calls again, louder this time, his voice high and lifting at the end of his name. It grates on Corey's nerves.

"What is it now, Jeremy?"

"I'm thirsty!"

"You've just had a glass of milk."

"I want another one!"

They had a deal -- since Jeremy had gotten in so much trouble for his silly prank last Halloween and Corey had very generously done some self-serving damage control -- that Corey would let Jeremy do whatever he wanted (within some reason, as negotiable on the night, but usually involving too much energy for Corey's liking), and stay up as late as he wanted after he went to bed, in exchange for leaving Corey alone for the rest of the night. And if he didn't, Corey would tell Mr Allen just how much of a little shit Jeremy had been for him. It was a system that worked, even if it meant telling a couple of white lies about the evening's activities.

Jeremy was always a brat, it must have been coded directly into his DNA, but he'd been extra irritating before going to bed tonight. He tended to talk Corey's ear off anyway, asking personal questions that Corey would always lie in response to whether he strictly speaking needed to or not, and tonight he had extra ammunition.

"Don't you have a girlfriend?"

"No."

"Why not? It's because you're so ugly, isn't it."

"No, I just don't have one. I could if I wanted to."

"No you couldn't. Girls don't like boys who are ugly and poor. That's why you're bossing me around on Valentine's Day."

The back of Corey's neck itched. Sure, that's why he was spending his Valentine's Day babysitting the brattiest kid he'd ever met. Because no one wants to go out with him. Not because Jeremy's dad says "Jump," and Corey asks "How high?"

He shuts Jeremy up by letting him watch a playthrough on youtube of some horror videogame that one of Corey's friends back in high school would talk about nonstop. Turns out the game is way less scary when some hunk just talks over it, and although some of the music starts to freak him out a little, Corey surprises himself when he laughs along with Jeremy at most of the scares, even at the rabbit.

After traipsing back upstairs with another glass of milk, warm this time, Corey leaves Jeremy with a warning not to bother him again. Our deal, remember?

"What are you doing on Valentine's day?"

"Nothing," Corey replies, much too quickly. He can hear Mr Allen stifle a chuckle on the other end of the phone. Corey's cheeks burn, "Um, I mean, I don't have any plans, yet." Yet. As if they're lining up round the block to take Corey out and he just hasn't decided who's worth his time. "Why?"

"Well, Theresa and I were wondering if you'd be able to babysit Jeremy for a few hours?"

Corey bites his lips so hard he can taste blood. He soothes it with his tongue, "Sure, no problem." He kicks himself later for being such a sucker.

Mrs Allen is flustered when he arrives, putting the final touches of lipstick and perfume on while she explains the usual ground rules. Corey knows the drill. She looks beautiful, with her hair loose and curly around her shoulders and red flowers on her dress. He tries to imagine his own momma getting dressed up for a date, but he struggles to remember Momma and Ronald ever going anywhere without him. They hadn't even had a honeymoon.

Corey hovers awkwardly, trying to keep out of the way as Mrs Allen buzzes around, from the mirror to the coat stand by the door. While she puts her coat on, Corey's eyes wander as Mr Allen comes downstairs in a pressed suit. He waves at the older man, who gives him a wink that dangerously toes the line of 'friendly', before he disappears towards the kitchen.

"Oh!" Mrs Allen starts, before lowering her voice. "There's a box of chocolates in the kitchen for you, Corey. Roger put them on top of the fridge so Jeremy wouldn't see them; a little treat for you after he goes to bed."

Corey checks the time again. He hasn't heard a peep from Jeremy for a while, which is a good sign.

But the TV isn't holding his attention tonight like it normally does, and even though the Allens always tell him he can use their Netflix, he just can't settle on a movie.

Instead he scrolls through Roger's profile for a while, looking at his watch list and what he's been currently watching, what's been recommended to him and his most popular categories. Corey makes mental notes of where their tastes are similar and where they differ, thinks of how he can subtly integrate all of this into a conversation, to show just how interesting he is, how compatible they are.

His rumbling stomach puts an end to his media-stalking for now. Momma had made meatloaf for dinner, as grainy and bland as always, and Corey hadn't been able to stomach much of it. Not with the butterflies fluttering in his gut as he watched the clock, desperate to get out of the house a soon as possible tonight.

He lets a movie start playing, some 90's thriller than everyone in his American Lit. class used to rave about, before pulling himself off the couch and wandering into the kitchen.

The Allens' fridge is always fully stocked. Fruit and vegetables in the crisper, health foods that Corey's never even heard of before, branded candy and juice and condiments fill the door, cuts of meat that they probably actually knew how to cook instead of turning them to rubber or relying on boxes of lean cuisine. They even have an ice maker. There's a couple of bottles of Heineken -- because Roger only drinks Heineken in the house -- at the very front. It feels like a trick, Corey takes one anyway.

On top of the fridge, amongst juice boxes and tin that could be cookies but Corey guesses might be their sewing kit, is a red, heart-shaped box of chocolates. Just like Mrs Allen promised. Corey holds it in his hands, rubs his thumb against the satiny pink ribbon that wraps around it.

In middle school, Corey had gotten a Valentine's candygram one year. He walked into homeroom and found the pink paper heart and a cherry flavoured dumdum sat conspicuously on his desk.

There was a chorus of hushed giggles from behind him. Over his shoulder he sees Kelly and her friends, whispering. Whispering made Corey nervous. Then, Kelly waves at him shyly, a knowing smile on her face. He waved back, face burning.

He ate the lollipop over lunch, and folded the pink paper heart and put it in his pocket, carried it around with him all week. Sometimes he'd take it out to look at it, reading the message over and over and over again -- Be my Valentine?

Momma found the heart when she collected his laundry at the end of the week, emptying out his pockets onto the kitchen table, picking up the pink paper heart with her probing fingers.

Corey didn't hear the end of it for weeks.

There's a gift tag pre-attached at the bow on his Valentine's chocolates and Corey flips it open, expecting a list of the candies that are inside, but that isn't it. It's a message, handwritten in black biro in neat print-capitals. The words start to swim in Corey's vision, merging into an inky pool until he pushes his glasses up to wipe at his eyes, trying to hide his tears from an invisible audience. He isn't fooling anyone, because his lip starts wobbling instead.

He brings the candy back into the living room with him, along with his beer and sits criss-crossed on the couch, then rips the ribbon off in one go.

Corey sinks half the box before he can stop himself.

The rest he tries to savour, rolling each chocolate in his mouth, letting them melt on his tongue until he can figure out the flavoured centre while he watches his movie. The truffles are his favourites, then the pralines, followed by caramels, vanilla cream and pecan clusters, then finally the strawberry ones come last.

Between eating, he drinks his beer like a palate cleanser, finishing it only to go get the other bottle from the fridge. Two beers down, Corey can feel the buzz under his skin, in his tear-pink cheeks, and the relief of tension leaving his unsettled self.

If he takes the candy box home, Momma would ask too many questions that he didn't want to answer -- that he didn't even want to think about -- so he throws the empty tray in the trash can in the Allens' kitchen and chews a stick of bubblegum to cover the alcohol on his breath. It wasn't fool proof, but it was the most he could do.

Upstairs, Corey listens for movement from Jeremy's room. The hallway is dark, lit only by the lamps downstairs glowing up through the spiral of the staircase. Corey circles the warm light, never quite letting it catch him, as he dips into Jeremey's room to turn his TV off, then continues on to the master bedroom.

It's dark in there too, as Corey stands in the doorway. The bed is made neatly, sheets tucked cleanly under the mattress but rumpled in places where someone had sat down to pull on a stocking or tie a shoelace. He looks around familiarly, at the contemporary beige art on the walls and at the framed family pictures on the dresser, goes through the jackets and dresses that line the closet, and the messy draws full of almost designer sweaters and workout clothes and underwear. Mrs Allen's expensive lotion sits on the nightstand, next to where Corey always discards his glasses.

Laying in their bed, on Mr Allen's side, Corey looks up into the darkness. His cheeks are wet and getting wetter, and he rolls onto his front, muffles his sniffling in Mr Allen's pillow and breathing deeply the faint, shouldn't-be-comforting scent of the older man's cologne. Dark and woody, but classic in a way that compliments the rich floral perfume Corey always smells on Mrs Allen's pillow.

Part of him hopes Roger will know, hopes he'll feel the dampness there on his pillow while he tries to sleep, hopes he'll catch the taste of salt, and know exactly what he'd driven Corey to.

It's long-past midnight by the time Mr and Mrs Allen get home.

Corey hovers awkwardly by the door while Mrs Allen kicks out of her heels, hangs her coat on the stand, her conversation slower now as she thanks him again for babysitting. Corey preferred her like this, when she no longer had to worry about making their 7:30 reservation, or whether Jeremy was ready for bed before they left. When she isn't so tense, it made it a lot harder for Corey to interpret her tension as something else, something worse.

She counts his money out for him, but as he zips his coat up and prepares to cycle back home in the cold, Mr Allen stops him.

"Hold on, Corey, I'll give you a ride." The first words he'd spoken directly to Corey all night.

"Oh, no," Corey insists, hesitating anyway. "It's okay, really. I don't want to --"

"It's no trouble. We wouldn't want you out alone at this time. Unless you've got a secret black belt you haven't mentioned?"

Corey laughs, his real boyish laugh that Mr Allen likes so much.

Mrs Allen leans up, whispers something in her husbands ear, a perfectly French-manicured hand patting his chest once. Corey averts his eyes.

Then, Corey and Mr Allen are stood outside in the biting February air.

"Did you enjoy your night?" Corey asks as they pull out of the driveway. He rubs his cold hands together in his lap.

Roger turns the heater on high. "We did, thanks."

"What was the restaurant like?" He doesn't normally ask questions, doesn't normally like to know the answers, but he's feeling just a little vindictive tonight. Curious, too.

Roger catches his eye through the rear-view mirror. He smirks. "It was nice. We've been wanting to try it out for a while, actually. We don't go out as much as we should anymore."

"I just watched a movie," Corey says with a shrug, like it's no big deal. Like it's how he was going to be spending his Valentine's day anyway. "One that my friends at college always recommend, but I never get time to watch movies. Momma -- my mom -- she's always so picky about movies." Corey can hear himself start to ramble, clutching at the straws of interest. "And Jeremy was okay tonight," he lies, then changes his mind. "Well, he said I don't have a girlfriend because I'm ugly. But he didn't get up after he went to bed."

Roger sighs, "Ignore him, you know what he's like. Theresa coddles him, but he's a little terror sometimes, same as any other boy. And besides, you know that's not true -- you're not ugly." His hand leaves the wheel and lands on Corey's thigh.

The younger man hums, suppresses how utterly pleased he feels at being told that. You're not ugly, and god if Corey won't be thinking about that for who-knows how long. He doesn't say anything when Roger takes a right turn, heading for the long route back to Corey's side of town.

A stupid, sappy old love song comes on the radio. Corey reaches out to change the channel, settling on WURG, where Willy the Kid is hosting the Anti-Valentines show till late. Heartbroken love songs for all those unlucky enough to be without action tonight.

"You liked the chocolates?" Roger says. It ends in a question mark, but Corey hears a period.

"Yeah, I ate the whole box." He did like them. They were perfect and thoughtful and he's so very, very grateful because he shouldn't expect anything at all.

They pull into the empty lot of the Dollar General and Roger turns the car off, letting the sudden silence -- the stillness of the night -- settle over them. A distant streetlight casts a sickly orange light into the car, the light and shadows chiselling Roger's features deeper, more stern. Corey chews his lip until he tastes blood.

Still, it's Corey's hands that wander first. Because he's been so lonely, waiting all night long for Roger's attention. Looking after Roger's son and drinking Roger's beer and eating Roger's cheap Valentine's present, while Roger was at an expensive restaurant, eating his $80 steak, with his wife who deserves so much better. Corey doesn't though.

And Roger, not for the first time, thinks What the fuck am I doing? when his lips meet Corey's through the darkness. The younger man tastes of bubblegum and beer, but beneath that he can taste those damn chocolates. The taste suits him; sweet and boyish, a little bit cheap.

Any lingering thoughts of Theresa, of how it shouldn't take more than half an hour to drive to Corey's house and back, of how she's waiting for him with a promise -- whispered in his ear as he picked his car keys up off the the table by the door -- are quickly replaced with thoughts of them getting caught, of one of Haddonfield's finest driving by and seeing them, of a sharp tap on the window that makes Corey look up, mouth open and eyes wide and looking every bit the pretty boy he is, of talking their way out of a night in the cells for public indecency because This isn't what it looks like Officer, I swear!

And then Corey's pulling away, twisting himself around in the passenger seat so he can lean down, and Roger can't really make himself think of anything else but the way Corey is so obliging. Undoing Roger's belt, his fly, Corey pulls the older man's boxers down low enough to free his cock, slapping heavy against his toned stomach; Corey presses a wet, pouty kiss to his tip. "I missed you."

"You did?"

Corey nods, wrapping his hand around Roger's length, his fingertips just about touching. "So fucking much."

Another kiss, kittenish licks, Corey's soft hand stroking him slowly, working him like Roger isn't already rock hard for him. Roger closes his eyes, lets himself enjoy Corey's ministrations, learnt precisely by what Roger -- and Roger alone -- likes. They shouldn't be taking their time, however Roger is downright incapable of stopping Corey's hand as it smears his own precum down his shaft, slicking the younger man's movements, but not enough to take away the hint of hot and heavy friction that keeps Roger on the edge.

"I'll make it up to you, hm?" Roger manages, and Corey finally goes down on him, mouth wet and warm and always welcoming, as if to say, Go ahead.

With a sharp inhale, Roger starts, "I'll take you out somewhere. Somewhere nice. I know a restaurant that you'll love, where they do the best desserts you've ever had in your life. You'd like that, right?"

Corey hums in agreement; the vibration makes Roger throb even harder, pulsing against the soft roof of his mouth.

Roger always sounds so sure of his words, so assertive in his thoughts. It makes Corey believe him all the more, makes him want to nod and agree to whatever it is Roger tells him he thinks. Like how he always says Corey was such a tease, all those weekends he'd take his shirt off to mow the lawn, skin glistening with sweat right where Roger could see him. And how Corey had known exactly what he was doing with his wide-eyed virgin routine, as though Roger could have ever said no to him. And that Corey's so easy, so eager, so desperate. That Corey will always say yes.

"Or we could go to a bar. Shoot some pool, have some beers, catch the game. We could have a boys night." He grabs Corey's hair, applying a pressure that is more a suggestion -- more, deeper, please -- than a command.

"And then back to the hotel. Somewhere we can get room service, of course, I know you love that. And I'll take such good care of you. You know that, don't you, baby?"

Roger's getting close and he knows it, especially when Corey swallows, his throat tight and hot and clenching around Roger's cock and he's almost --

He pulls Corey off him, a thin trail of saliva dripping from his plush lip to Roger's spit-shiny head, and watches as the younger man wipes the rest of the drool from his chin with the back of his hand.

"I think you feel guilty," Corey says, voice level and surprisingly measured. There's no elaboration on what Roger should be feeling guilty about, just Corey's wide eyes and swollen lips, and Roger's left to fill in the blank space that Corey leaves behind.

Guilty about making me babysit. Guilty about driving me home. Guilty about doing this with me and then going home to sleep with your wife too.

The list goes on and on and on, and Roger tightens his grip in Corey's hair while he thinks, feeling the smooth, waxy strands twisted between his fingers. Corey will fuss over it in the rear-view mirror on the way home, combing his own fingers through those locks, back into his neat side-part, and Roger will watch him for too long, wishing he could see Corey's hair in it's full glory, not just sex-mused but his natural, bouncing cherub curls, more often.

Roger's hand is still in Corey's hair but he doesn't move, just waits to be told what to do.

"Get in the back."

It's only marginally less cramped in the back seat and darker still, the warm orange glow of the streetlight even fainter as Roger pulls Corey into his lap, lets him burrow into his neck while Roger slips a hand between his legs, palms the growing bulge over rough denim. Corey keens into it eagerly, legs twitching as he tries to keep himself from clamping his thighs around Roger's hand and humping it.

When his whines get louder, a strong hand grabs the back of Corey's knee, moving him to straddle Roger's trim hips, makes sure he's settled before teasing the zipper of Corey's jeans down, once again feeling that hard swell in his underwear.

There's a growing damp patch on the white cotton, sticking it to the leaking pink head of Corey's cock. Roger thumbs the wetness, smearing it through the fabric over Corey's burning skin, and Corey doesn't want to wait. He desperately pulls at the elastic of his briefs, pulls them down and hisses with relief when his dick springs free, resting against the pudge on his lower stomach, leaving a streak of precum on his auburnish happy trail.

Roger clasps one large hand around the both of them and Corey moans like it hurts; he grips tight, squeezing just right to press at the sensitive spot beneath his tip every time Corey's length slides against his.

Corey bucks in Roger's grasp, enough that Roger doesn't even have to stroke them anymore, just holds them still and grinds up against Corey's needy frotting. The developing rhythm is less co-ordinated than Corey can usually manage when he's on top, but the newness of the sensation, the way he can never quiet repeat the same motion or hit the same spot twice is maddening.

With all their clothes still on though, it's almost like it was back then, back when the most they did was dry hump on the couch while a football game played forgotten in the background. And it's not fair, Corey thinks. This is it? This is all he gets?

Roger once told him, "More is just never enough for you, is it, baby?", and although Corey had been kind of preoccupied at the time, the thought had burrowed it's way into his mind, repeated on a loop in Roger's low voice while Corey twiddled his thumbs in class the next day. Momma always told him something similar, when she'd decide he was being ungrateful over something or nothing -- it was always nothing -- that she didn't know what more Corey could want. A roof over his head, food on the table, his mother's love, always. Did he not already have enough? What more could Corey want? Boxed chocolates, empty promises and messy back-seat fumblings.

Roger is proven right. It's Valentine's day and Corey wants more.

"That's it, good boy. Feels good doesn't it?"

As Roger's hand slips further down the back of Corey's jeans, beneath his underwear, Corey catches his wrist, slowing the movement of his hips but not pausing, and tries to direct Roger's fingers closer to where he wants them.

Roger pulls back, resumes simply palming Corey's peachy ass. "Not tonight," he says firmly, and Corey makes a dissatisfied noise against the crisp white cotton of Roger's shirt.

"Please?"

Roger chuckles, "No, Corey." Still firm, but letting Corey down gently. "I know you want to play, but we can't. Not tonight."

"But I really want to, really badly," Corey pleads, scattering kisses up Roger's neck. It's not often Corey has to do the convincing. Rutting harder to prove his point, leaning back so Roger can see that playful little smile on his lips that always get him going, "And it's Valenti --"

"Corey," and it's a warning this time, given in a tone that Corey's never heard Roger use on him before. It's a tone he'd heard him use with Jeremy, though.

Corey shuts his mouth instantly, which is what he's always done best, and tries to ignore how his cheeks burn. The way his skin itches makes him want to scream.

After being told off, he can't bring himself to look back at Roger's disappointed face, so Corey looks down at their cocks instead, both wet with spit and precum, which is somehow less awkward. The spark in his gut rekindles slightly at the sight of Roger's dick, smaller than his by less than a half inch but big enough to knock the breath out of him, rubbing against his own.

Roger's hand has resumed stroking them together -- quickly, efficiently, like he's doing them both a favour.

A loud squeak breaks through the near-silence when Corey reaches out to brace himself against the window, his hand slipping in the condensation made up mostly of his own panting breaths. Another time, perhaps, it would have made him laugh, and his breathy laugh would have made Roger laugh and then --

Roger comes hard in his hand because he really can't let his shirt get dirty, and Corey follows with a shuddering groan, a half-word that could have been anything -- Fuck, Roger, Sorry -- warbles out with it.

"It's okay," Roger answers. "You're okay."

Corey licks Roger's hand clean, sucking the mess from his fingers. Tongue working between each digit till they're soaking wet. Tentative, playful nips at fingertips, biting just barely at his knuckles, never hard enough to leave a mark. No evidence gets left behind.

Feeling each ridge of Corey's teeth, Roger remembers the look on Corey's face from earlier, how his cheeks burned and he shrunk in on himself, making himself small and docile. If Corey bit down hard right now, sinking straight to the bone, then Roger would probably deserve it.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Corey whispers, lips brushing Roger's wet fingertips. Even in the quiet of the car, Corey's voice is smaller than it deserves to be. His big, brown eyes are glazy when they meet Roger's cold blues.

Roger stays quiet, feeling the warmth of Corey's heavy breath between them. In, out, in, out. He holds Corey's flushed face in his wet hand, strokes his thumb softly against his cheek, feels the barely-there stubble under his palm, watches Corey's eyes flutter shut, his lip twitch with the hint of a smile, his brow crease, fat teardrops well under his lashes until they spill down his cheeks.

"Let's get you home, hm?"

Mr Allen drops him off right outside his house -- "You're coming to do the gardening tomorrow, right?" -- and watches as Corey climbs out of the car and up the front porch steps. Joan lurks at the window, the curtains twitching closed once Corey gets to the door.

With one hand on the door handle, Corey turns to wave. Mr Allen is mostly shadowed in the driver's seat, but Corey half-smiles at him anyway, still looking even as Momma pulls him into the house by his scruff for being home so late.

As Corey lies in his bed, he stares up at the darkness of the ceiling. Or maybe his eyes are just closed because his fingers, slippery with the lotion from his nightstand, are shoved down his underwear. The gift tag from his chocolates -- For my Good Boy, ❤ R -- burns a hole beneath his pillow.

#corey cunningham x roger allen #💗💌 corey's love letters 💌💗 #corey cunningham #i am a sweet tooth corey truther #corey baby that married man doesnt love you !!!!!!! #and they're such a cliche 🙄 fooling around with the babysitter ?? derivative #but i will never give corey a break #and thats a bona fide anna promise 😎 #canon divergence my beloved !! they need more time together to make each other worse and ruin their lives even harder #some bonuses for the dedicated readers who also read my tags: #the game playthrough corey and jeremy watch is for f/naf #corey defo had a f/naf stan friend at school who would explain all the lore as it happened. like early days f/naf #corey watched his friend go through the trenches of the 1 - 4 timeline #the 90s movie that corey watches is the tal/ented mr rip/ley #the chocolates are russell stover. i added the pink bow though because 🎀aesthetic🎀 #you know that gif of jude law in Wilde 1997 ?? yeah that one. #cunningallen

[mentalmeles]

OKAY.

Finished my first playthrough a hot minute ago, but got to talking with my roommate about my thoughts and feelings, so now I'm gonna put them down here! Spoilers under the cut obviously--

What I liked:

The fight atop the brain was SO cool. Struggled with it a bit at first, but once I figured out what I had to do, it became a really fun experience! Being able to summon all of my allies was so rewarding too ❤

Orpheus' sacrifice was so utterly sad that I started crying over having to kill him despite not knowing him for too long. He chastised me when I first freed him, sure, but he was a wonderful ally and a true prince to his people. I wish there was a way to save him, but alas...

Going straight from Orpheus into Lae'zel's ending. Honestly the best ending of the origin characters, hands down. The way she earnestly tells you that she'll never forget you, her promise to make sure that none of her people will either, and the sad smile she gives before flying off on Orpheus' dragon and into the Astral Sea--presumably never to be seen again... Gods, it was beautifully bittersweet. I don't even want to imagine what would've happened had I tried to persuade her to stay. It wouldn't have felt right either way. My only complaint is that I would've loved to give her a hug. I'd even settle for a handshake or something, but oh well

Karlach and Wyll going to Avernus together really felt like a 'just married' celebration tbh. Only with more fire and bloodshed, which is honestly way cooler

What I didn't like:

I really wish there was a cinematic after you kill the Emperor during the final fight. After being used and manipulated by him for so long, you'd think there would be SOMETHING. I mean, the game is named after him for crying out loud! But nope! Just a one liner from the character that ended him and that's it

Astarion's ending was like a kick to the stomach. You spend so much time showing this man that love and joy still exists in this world and that he doesn't have to be like his abuser in order to find it and he becomes so, so grateful to you for it...but he ends up like that?? Burning in the sunlight and left running away in agony all alone?? Why didn't Tav or literally anyone else simply cover him up and shield him from the sun?? We all become friends--family, even--and yet we all presumably abandon him to a life of solitude in the darkness?? And don't even get me started how jarring it is to see THAT and then watch everyone immediately run towards Karlach when she starts dying ldkfjs

There's no celebration scene like Gale mentioned. Why couldn't we have had a nice, traditional DnD tavern moment where everyone is drinking and laughing and having a wonderful time together? Hell, we could've even had this little celebration run late into the night and Astarion shows up! It would've been so nice 😭

Lastly, where is my lovely, domestic cinematic of me and Shadowheart living happily together, surrounded by a multitude of animals big and small and colorful flowers?? WHERE IS IT, LARIAN?? WHERE???

All in all, a fantastic game. I just wish Act 3 was as fleshed out as Acts 1 and 2. I heard that we're supposed to consider the character endings as early access but idk if that's true or not.

Does it change my feelings about the endings? Not at all. Will I play the game again anyway?

DAMN STRAIGHT!!!

#baldur's gate #baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate playthrough #although i have encountered an unseen complication....... #i've grown far too attached to calliope to make a new tav ldfkjflk #sadly i deleted my first save WAY before i realized this so it means i'd have to remake her all over again if i wanted to replay as her #but i mean??? #i'd be willing ldkfjfkl #the star child speaks

[tagfer]

I would love to see the nerd essay on why you hate Nuzlockes :)

well, if it's requested...

this is ABSOLUTELY a "just me" thing but like. if there's something I don't particularly care for but am mostly ambivalent about, and that thing becomes unavoidably popular, I'm going to fucking loathe it. this is unfortunately my nature and it's the reason behind why I hate many of the things I do. (well, not exclusively for this reason. but still.)

and that's where nuzlockes come in. while there's absolutely nothing inherently wrong with em, they've been an absolute plague of the pkmn fandom for over a decade. since they hit the scene, they've been unavoidable.

at first it started with a comic. and people wanted to do it too, and make their own comic. which was fine. but soon, doing just a normal comic wasn't enough, because there were so many people doing comics that comics had to start being ~unique~ (this usually ended up being grimdark without any irony). I even vividly remember one that, for whatever reason, had a fucking sex scene. off-screen. played off as half-humorous. while the pokemon watched. now i do think sex scenes can be good, but it's a comic about playing pokemon.

on the record, i never ever looked anything up about nuzlockes. this shit was just endemic to the places i hung out, as it is was to the fandom in general. apparently part of being into nuzlockes is having to talk about nuzlockes. which is how liking stuff usually works, but it's inconveniencing ME, so I don't like it.

in the places I hung out at the time, there was this whole "pokebro" culture on nuzlockes too. a good chunk of people played nuzlockes cuz it made you "bond" with your pokemon more. they added a rule, that you had to nickname your nuzlocke mons, y'know, to make their possible death "more impactful" or something. now I'm all for personifying bits of data. so fucking guilty here too. but c'mon. it didn't help that these people dialed the drama about it up to ten, too, holding memorials for their fallen mons and such.

i actually tried a nuzlocke at this time, cuz "maybe I'm just being a hater" and it was very much not fun for me. first of all, in contrast to the "pokebro" people above, knowing that these mons could be only temporary, i "bonded" with them less. Also, even with the best strategy and well balanced team, RNG could at any time randomly punish me, and the only way to avoid that is grind n overlevel til everything is a curbstomp. Neither of those sound like good times!

at this point, there was a vibe around the entire fandom that, well, if you're replaying a pokemon game and you're not doing a nuzlocke, well it just wasn't as Good as a nuzlocke. even if you were doing something different like a mystery egg run, or a solo run, or whatever, it was inferior. god forbid you play normally, what are you, some sort of coward?

now all of this was like late 4th gen / early 5th gen. so streaming was a niche hobby at the time. but then Twitch came to town and streaming became an actual thing. and for the people who were just playing the game (instead of shiny hunting or wifi battles or whatever), they were literally all doing nuzlockes. I've basically stopped going on twitch but up until the day I did, that was always a problem. you literally could not find someone playing the game normally. and god forbid, other types of playthroughs? unthinkable.

remember before how i mentioned when everyone was doing a comic, people tried to get unique about it? happened here too. well EVERYONE'S watched a nuzlocke, so how about a ~randomizer nuzlocke~? or, now with 6th gen here, they absolutely lost their shit. not even nuzlockes anymore, they were wonderlockes! oh that's not creative enough anymore, so now we're doing wedlockes! because what nuzlockes need is forced heterosexuality. fuck it let's throw them together we're doing wonder wedlockes! we can't just have a few arbitrary rules, we need a whole book of them.

again, there's nothing inherently wrong with any ot this. but i think it's incredibly dumb. y'all's can make up rules about how you need randomly obtained wondertrade zigzagoons and ralts from fans of known pedophile thekingnappy, and how they have to be heterosexually paired off, and how if one dies the other does too for some reason, but you can't use any of that brain power to think of literally any other way to play?

and this is about when I dropped out from the Pokemon fandom to my own little corner of shiny giveaway blogs before my computer died and i had to stop doing that as well. and i absolutely refuse to interact with the general pokemon fandom these days because it is just absolutely insufferable. and I'm happier as such.

but I know Nuzlockes are still unbearably prevalent. there are people out there who have huge fanbases and make profits off of doing nuzlocke videos. and because it's by far the most popular way to play Pokemon beyond just playing it normally, there are many people who don't even know that there are sooo many other ways to possibly play! and the cycle remains unbroken and the loop will continue

i am a spiteful little beast tho. a while back (8-10 yrs ago) i was working on a custom Emerald romhack and I put a few notably difficult battles early on to literally prevent the romhack from being nuzlocked. never finished it, unfortunately, but que sera sera! wish I had. that'd have been amazing. I'd even put up a sign saying fuck nuzlockes if I were to finish it. LOL

ghrrrrhhhhghhhhh I've had that brewing for such a long time it was good to get out

(yes, I know it's Not That Deep, but don't pretend like accidentally stepping into a murky puddle in your favorite shoes wouldn't put a damper on your day.)

#long post

[dimonds456]

Totally random question, but I need to ask this to people and you seem very smart when it comes to these things and I want to ask: do you think people should consume media critically? Like, be aware of all its flaws?

Oh yeah, absolutely. I think you should definitely be aware of a story's flaws- both plotwise and thematically- so you can better enjoy the story and engage with it, but that's not to say that media should be only consumed critically. It's entertainment, and if it's bad, then there is still value in it from a purely escapist perspective. But, you should be aware of flaws to learn from and understand in order to really engage with it.

Let me explain. Spoilers for Doki Doki Literature Club and Bendy and the Ink Machine / Dark Revival. Also mentioned is HTTYD: RTTE, Twilight, HP, and Little Nightmares.

I believe that your first watch / playthrough / read of a story should 100% be to enjoy the story and characters, engaging with the worldbuilding and just letting it take you for a ride. Now, some stories will have foreshadowing you pick up on and can figure out, but some stories will be pretty unpredictable going into them, but either way, you're letting a story tell itself.

For example, Doki Doki Literature Club (2017) is a dating sim horror game. For the first hour or so, you might forget the "disturbing imagery" warning at the front of the game, but the further you go on Sayori's path, the more you realize she's been struggling. Depression hits her hard, and she's barely holding on. As the Player, most felt bad for her and wanted to help her in some way, but it was already too late.

By the time you find out what happened, Sayori is dead. For both spoiler purposes and to make sure people who don't know this game and don't want to know what happened to her, I'm not going to say how she dies.

But, the game resets, this time without her in it. She's the heart of the group, and without her, things go to shit, even if the other Club members don't realize something is missing. There's an argument in both timelines, an argument Sayori is able to resolve peacefully in her timeline, but one that tears a deep gash in Yuri and Natsuki's relationship without her. This moment really hits if you engage with the story.

At the end of the game, which I won't say here (again, go play it and engage with the story yourself), you're left to make a pretty massive decision, which you could only figure out that that's what you need to do because of the game's meta look at itself by this point.

When I was first watching a playthrough of the game (I think through Jacksepticeye) I remember it helped me a lot since I was struggling just like Sayori was, and it turned me off from doing harm to myself for a long time. And understanding why goes into thinking about it critically.

Sayori's depression was almost word for word what mine was back when I first heard her talk about it. So, when she [REDACTED], it genuinely scared me. That could be me, I thought. It made me sure that I didn't want to go down the same path, and even helped me talk about my depression a bit more than I had been up to that point.

Does the game have flaws? Hell yes. A lot of the conversations go on a little long (but it's a dating sim, you signed up for dialogue lol), sometimes the scary bits can feel a bit out of place, there's a couple lines of dialogue that feel a bit off, ect.

However, I love DDLC despite its flaws simply because I love the story, it helped me, and it's just a good story with a powerful message. Critically, there are a few flaws, which I take in stride when I replay the game, but it doesn't hurt my experience.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, we have Bendy and the Ink Machine (2017). I remember being absolutely obsessed with Bendy, but looking back, the game is (subjectively) Not Good. So, why did I love it so much?

Well, for starters, the game released in 5 chapters from early 2017 to late 2018. This gave the fandom huge lengths of time to theorize, to fall in love with the characters, and engage with each other. By the time Chapter 2 came out, people already had an idea of what the story was going to be in its entirety because they filled in the blanks. And, we were half right, half wrong throughout the game, because the creators started centering plot points around things the fandom came up with rather than what they themselves came up with.

The primary example is Alice Angel from Chapter 3. In Chapter 2, all there was was one voice log explaining that there was a voice actress who liked playing the role, and a singular poster in which she starred in a short called "Sent from Above." That was it. But, the fans had her design, and without any knowledge of the character herself, suddenly there was fanart, shipping, character dynamics, and emotional attachment. So, the devs behind the game went and made her the focus of Chapter 3 simply because they thought that that's what the fandom wanted.

That was why I loved the game so much. It wasn't the game I loved, but the fandom and the fan stories created about the game.

However, I still have a soft spot for BATIM. I was hyperfixated on it for two whole years, and even had a fan story of my own called Demons Inside, which is still one of my better stories even if there are a lot of major flaws. And, despite how all over the place the game turned out, I still love it.

That's why, back in February, I got the idea to make a BATIM Rewritten video. I'd do something similar to what The Closer Look did for the Star Wars sequels and make a video explaining what went wrong, only to propose my own story and how they should have handled it.

However, that never came to pass. Bendy and the Dark Revival (2022) dropped not too long ago, and because the devs decided to release all the chapters at once instead of separately, there were no fandom points to go off of for this game. They had complete creative control, and used it well. When not doing what the fandom wants, these guys can create a genuinely good game. BATDR did a lot of what I wanted to do with the original, so making that Rewritten video is kinda a moot point now.

Back to BATIM, though, that game has a lot of flaws. Pacing, character inconsistency, introductions, set up, payoff, the whole thing. The voice acting, music, artwork, designs and stuff were all on-point, it was just mostly the story that was a mess lol. But despite that, BATIM and its fandom are like comfort food to me. I still go back and listen to BATIM fan songs constantly, and rewatching old comic dubs is like stepping into an old house. I still like BATIM, even if I constantly joke with my friends about how bad it is.

No piece of media will be perfect. You're allowed to like the Star Wars prequels and sequels, even if I cannot join you on that opinion (I think, it's been a literal decade since I've seen the prequels). You're allowed to like Twilight so long as you recognize that every single relationship in that series is toxic and you should not idolize any of them.

H*rry P*tter is nostalgic to a lot of us and I know I still love it, even if I cannot enjoy it because of what the creator is doing. HP is an exception because J. K. R*wling is an awful human being.

Even my favorite video game ever, Undertale, has its flaws. Quite a few of them, actually. People have complained that the battles get repetitive and it's annoying that they appear suddenly, and you can't choose whether you want to engage with them or not. People have complained about some of the characters, that there's individual character arcs that are bad (most commonly criticized is Alphys' and I strongly disagree, and I will defend her place in this story with my entire online existence), and stuff along those lines.

But, when Undertale made me cry that hard, when it said so many things I needed to hear, when it made me fall in love with so many of its characters, when it made me completely change my ENTIRE worldview... what else was I supposed to do but enjoy it?

Not to say that to enjoy a story, it must impact you, no. You can enjoy any piece of media without it impacting you. But, you should be able to connect with the characters, world, and story no matter what, despite its flaws. The mark of an enjoyable story is one that does that with you specifically. Now whether that's because you're crying or laughing at it is still up to you, but entertainment value ≠ objectively good.

You should be aware of flaws. You should be able to say "yeah they should have introduced Viggo Grimborne much earlier in Race to the Edge than they did, since he would be a much more looming threat" while still being able to enjoy Dragons: Race to the Edge. Recognizing flaws in a piece of media is pretty key to really connecting with it from an analytic standpoint, which I recommend doing with any story to really see how it works as a story.

But you don't have to.

Entertainment is escapism. You should watch or engage with it to let go of reality for a little while. I recommend being aware of flaws so you can learn from them and talk about the story to other people, but you don't have to do that. I've played Little Nightmares... never, but I've watched a bunch of playthroughs and it's a great game. I'm sure it has flaws, but I can't think of any off the top of my head. It's a great game with a lot of atmosphere, and it's told pretty much exclusively through worldbuilding, which is awesome, but I don't know everything there is to know and that's okay.

Enjoy a story however you want to. Everything has flaws, and although they should be taken into account, that doesn't define the experience.

#dimond speaks #sorry this was so long

[earl-grey-love]

Sunny~ 💕 I'm here to loiter around in your askbox for a bit 💫

So, how are you? Did anything cool happen lately? Any new interests you want to talk about? and who's that rs crush hmm? pls share if you want to :3

Heyy, Ky! You're welcome to loiter in my askbox as much as you like. Help yourself to the biscuits!

I'm doing pretty good! I had tons of college work to do but I'm getting on with it now, so I'm back to my cheerful self again. Thank you for asking!

I've actually be up to a lot, so I'll do a quick list for convenience;

I watched season 2 of Bridgerton and both seasons of Russian Doll. I enjoyed them both! I liked the complicated emotions and protagonist of Russian Doll. I wish I could say I liked the couple in Bridgerton but I wasn't all that invested. Likely cus I don't really like the man involved in it. The new family introduced are great though!

I've played an obscene amount of Stardew. Like over 70 hours in two weeks... my responsibilities suffered for this. Worth it ;) I have strong bestie feelings for Alex, and ofc love for Harvey which I've had since 2019.

I'm setting up a new playthrough of Skyrim with my partner. This also involves renewing/revising my Skyrim OC's ship with Cole... their dynamic is one of my favourite I'vr done with AUs of his ship. Mostly cus my OC is incredibly feral and this makes their ship very strange.

I played a bit of RuneScape too. A long, long quest which covered so much crazy new historical lore. Including flashbacks to the early days of the universe. It was bonkers. The ending was really hard hitting as well. I'm anxious to learn more when I find the time!

Alongside this, me and my partner decided our two RS OCs are going to finally get married after 20 years of knowing each other. They've had their ups and downs. I should really talk about my OC for the game sometime.

So, that's what I've been up to! Its... a lot. I've also been spending more time with my friends. I'm a bit of a loner so I'm putting in effort to break this habit. Its going well so far!!

Um... I really wanna talk about my crush. This is a long answer already I know but I have feelings about him. And you did ask! So yeah ;)

His name is Tzkal-Zuk. This is what he looks like;

Which um hellooo 🥵

Yeah he's imposing and basically a giant, but he was once a human man. A really, really long time ago. Like several thousand years if not more kinda long time ago. He's basically ancient. He was in one of the early human tribes on the planet (most sentient life forms on Gielinor are technically aliens as they were brought there from other planets many ages ago). He was a tribal chieftain.

That was until The Zarosian Empire invaded and enslaved his people. He was thrown into the fight pits as a gladiator, and boy did he demolish everyone. He fought his way so far up the ranks he was eventually challenged by Torva himself (a famous warrior even 4 ages later)... and Zuk won. Torva then used his political influence to free Zuk from slavery, but Zuk wasn't done fight. He kept going, fighting his way across the land until he reached the Elder Kiln.

Blah blah blah theres basically super powerful hard to fight sentient obsidian creatures here who can be reforged endlessly. Zuk fought through waves and waves of them for days on end until he nearly collapsed from exhaustion. These creatures then accepted Zuk as their own, and he was reforged into the half-human, half-obsidian form he holds today. Also he basically ascended to demi-godhood at this point too. Hence the immortality and inhuman strength.

Time passes and then another major historical event happened - The God Wars. Zuk basically came out his volcano and just joined the fighting... for fun... and that was a serious problem. Long story short, Zuk fought THE GOD OF WAR 1v1 and NEARLY WON. By sheer luck the GoW managed to harm Zuk enough that he had to reforge. In order to keep Zuk out of the way, the GoW damaged the forge so Zuk could not fix himself. This left him unable to fight.

There's also some other stuff where one of the Gods who created the Universe tried to get Zuk to do their dirty work, and he basically just said No and didn't do it. Incredible. All of this is literally ancient history though, but Zuk is very much alive present day. He is currently the strongest boss in the game right now. I haven't fought him myself but I watched my partner do it, and the way Zuk acts *wipes brow* his voice *fans myself* I mean hes so strong... *faints*

......... Anyway, tl;dr this insanely strong giant monster looking guy who has lived only to fight for thousands of years is incredibly hot (pun intended) and I'd very much like to ask him on a date. That's my crush.

If I could draw I would draw my 5"4 40 year old OC cupping her hands over her mouth as a megaphone and yelling "WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO ON A DATE WITH ME?!" up at Zuk while he sits on his throne.

Thank you so much for asking 💖 and for reading. This was so fun to answer. It got a little long but I hope you enjoyed it! 💕✨

#my type is uh #fighty boys #fighty girls #fighty thems #anyone who can fight and fights good? my type. #sunny answers #thirst thrist no mi

[jackienautism]

hi again!!! no worries about taking time with my asks, they are very long i totally get it!! rereading my last ask i realize there were a handful of times where i just. left out complete parts of sentences LMAO whoops. that will happen when you are typing and watching someone play a game at the same time.

anyway i finished my vw playthrough yesterday! my brother is almost done with his playthrough as well. he ended up siding with edie :) he also decided to buy his own switch so he can play on his own LMAO.

hmmm.. thinking about the fics i've read (since i hit part two on my deer playthrough i was playing more and reading fic less lol). immediately after playing i was like hm. this is great territory for time travel and time loop related fanfiction given the whole. divine pulse plus new game + mechanic. i'm sure there's interesting stuff related to this. and i was right. then i think i looked through some edelgard related tags, and then some marianne related tags? i was mostly sticking to one-shots and like. mid-length multichapter fics, and sending the really long ones to my read later list lol. saving those for when i finish at least the three lord's routes.

as for art, i was mostly just searching a character or dynamic i liked on here and going from there LOL.

yeahhhh. ingrid and felix's paired ending isn't Bad or anything but like after the b support i just. don't like the idea of them ending up together lol. and meanwhile any ending where ingrid has children bothers me? so. absolutely not to the sylvain ingrid paired ending. and honestly i kind of hate the whole.... 'oh she's always cleaning up his messes' thing that their c support (and other general interactions) suggest. like i do like sylvain but i am Not subjecting ingrid to him LMFAO.

i ended up reading some bernie/edelgard fanfiction and Really liking their dynamic in that which is. funny considering i've never seen their a support LMAO. as for dorothea and edie, i've seen their a support now thanks to my brother's playthrough!! they're sooo good. i think you're right about marianne supports with girls outside the deer?? which is annoying. let marianne interact with more girls she deserves it. and YEAH i did end up seeing the marianne lysithea supports and like. they're fine! but man there were so many interesting directions they could've taken those two and they just. didn't. very unremarkable supports imo which sucks extra because they could've been so good!

i got mercedes and annette to b support! so they had their fight and then the next time they see each other they are facing each other on the battlefield. which was very fun. i loveeeed creating scenarios like that caspar killing linhardt was also so :((( i was gonna have sylvain kill felix but he failed so bad annette had to kill felix too LMAO. and i had dorothea kill ferdinand which is :( and. for edie i had petra, claude and byleth all land at least one hit on her for maximum interesting dialogue.

i love how last ask i was like 'sylvain is going to end up alone because i can only pair him with byleth or dorothea and i'm not pairing him with dorothea again, and im either pairing byleth with claude or dorothea' and then i ended up. s supporting sylvain. idk what it was about claude.... i absolutely loved him as a character, but i was not feeling the romance at allll. like that's my dear friend claude.. as for dorothea, i was thinking that i probably want to s support her if i ever go for silver snow, because i think the idea of byleth and dorothea who both like. still really care about edelgard and maybe even regret their decision to side against her in a split second but hey it's too late to turn back now, right! getting together is just. so. there's sometihng about it. will i ever actually bring myself to play silver snow?? maybe.. i think if i dont let myself s support dorothea until i do, though, i'm more likely to play it, and i do want to see all the routes.. i also really wanted to see the dorothea petra paired ending.

i ended up with completely different paired endings than i initially anticipated, which i ended up really liking! aside from sylvain and byleth, and obviously petra and dorothea, i also got claude and hilda, which. LOVED their a support. i am an absolute sucker for characters who are both wearing masks of sorts calling each other on it.... also got marianne and ashe which was really sweet :) caspar and annette as well, which, again, i really liked and thought was sweet. i also ended up with leonie and shamir, which was good as well. honestly maybe one of the best endings for leonie, who i ended up getting more attached to than i expected during my playthrough. OH and ignatz and raphael, whose supports started strong but like.. his sister? ignatz marries his sister? okay. i wasn't aware i was doing the supports for ignatz and raphael's sister but. whatever. like i don't mind it, i wasn't particularly attached to them like. ending up together? but it felt like a cop out from making them romantic honestly.

circling back but MAN dorothea and petra's a support and paired ending.... i love them they're sooo good. dorothea is sooo special to me i love when she gets to be happy...... she deserves it!!

i ended up REALLY liking annette, way more than i expected to lol. very excited for the lions to see her sylvain and mercedes specifically. i thinkk i'm gonna recruit marianne again, since like. why wouldn't i recruit marianne. dorothea as well because. well. it's dorothea and i love her. i'm probably gonna recruit bernie because i didn't last time, and maybe ferdinand as well? i could get caspar since i hear he's got a paralogue with mercedes but, as much as i like caspar, i want to recruit some different people this time around and i'm already set on getting dorothea again lol.

i'll probably get leonie as well, and then either raphael or hilda? haven't decided yet. i like hilda, but i think my first real character defining experience with her being her literally dying for claude in CF (before i used divine pulse to prevent that lol) has like. solidified and defined my interpretation of her and i don't feel right recruiting her away from the deer. soooo funny to me that hilda 'i would never die for my friends' goneril is now stuck in this role in all of my subsequent playthroughs. i don't even know if you fight her in the lions route but i'm still not pulling her away from the deer and claude. sorry girl.

i like avoided using lorenz like the PLAGUE because well. i didn't have to use him. and i really didn't want to accidentally get a paired ending with him LOL. idk i feel like his whole lack of respect for claude was reallyyyy grating especially after a certain point. and the fact that the byleth c support is you going 'hey lorenz stop being weird to women??' idk. like i'm sure there's Something interesting there but i didn't care enough to look for it honestly he just has too many unlikable qualities and not enough charm or interesting stuff to make up for it. to me.

OH IGNATZ AND MARIANNE..... i loved their supports actually. they were so good. i keep forgetting about them and then remembering all of a sudden and going. oh those were good. the claude and petra supports were also good, as were annette and claude's! and i didn't see all of annette and ashe's, but they were sweet too. hmmm sylvain and marianne's b support was surprisingly good, as was his b support with hilda (once again. characters wearing metaphorical masks is sooo interesting to me and i love when they interact..). claude and marianne's were SO good i loved them. i love how marianne is in the ending tapestry/mosaic thing for VW too, especially considering the ending of their supports! leonie and claude's were good, marianne and hilda's were pretty sweet, and so were ashe and caspar's..... man i'm trying to think of what other ones i got. i want to like.. say how i feel about all of these but i don't want to spoil any you haven't gotten yet so! i think i'll just leave it there.

anyway! excited for the blions route! gonna go play with my brother again lol so he can finish CF and start his own playthroughs on his new switch, and so i can move onto the lions! as much as i love the other houses, going through this game twice i Have noticed that a lot of the early game stuff skews towards having the lions be plot relevant, and the themes and connections between the lions just seem. really deliberately woven if that makes sense. so i'm looking forward to seeing it all play out! i think before i play silver snow i'd have to do another CF route tho bc i can only go so long supporting the church before i feel the urge to not do that LMAO. anyway i hope you're doing well!!! have a good day/week, it's always nice talking with you and hearing your thoughts :)

HIII thank you so much for understanding! its very much appreciated :] and fdkndg no worries man, im pretty sure i understood what you were saying and all. but yeah that prob is gonna happen when youre watching someone else play at the same time, so no worries!

OHH GOOOD. GLAD HE SIDED W/ EDIE AFTER ALL YIPPEEE but i suppose that was assumed right? glad it came true!!! and CONGRATS ON FINISHING YOUR VERDANT WIND PLAYTHROUGH!!!!! you play fast fdgndfg took me a good like 2 years to finally get back to it and finish it 😭 good for you! glad youre enjoying everything!

and yeah that makes sense ! glad that the game had you that hooked and stuff (eyeballs) but yeah it sucks that its between either playing or engaging w/ content... and that can be a difficult thing to decide sometimes jdfgfd YOU ARE SO RIGHT ABT THE TIME LOOP / TIME TRAVEL POTENTIAL!!!!! AND SPEAKING OF THAT? HAVE YOU SEEN AN EAGLE AMONG LIONS? ITS GOOOOD. its like 80+ chapters BUT ITS SOOO GOOD. i myself am only like ? not even a quarter of the way through but it plays on different timelines and time travel and stuff. and it has a HUGE focus on edelgard. def couldnt recommend it enough. makes sesne that you stuck w/ the shorter ones though... since it does get time consuming. any ones you read that you recommend :o? glad youve found a bunch of good ones regarding that concept though

AND NICE. MAKES SENSE. it just sucks that sometimes if th edynamic isnt very popular it gets difficult tofind stuff</3 esp art stuff. like. for example. i wanted to find som e marianne and lysithea stuff. and not even like romantically. i just want to see them together. and i couldnt find any art but i DID find a few fics but </3 sometimes i just wnat Them you know? and they were often accompanied by several other characters / dynamics. there were 2 that i rly liked though

I DIDNT EVEN KNOW THAT INGRID HAS ENDINGS WHERE SHE HAS CHILDREN!!!!!! IS THE GAME DAFT? IS THAT /NOT/ WHAT THEY ESTABLISHED AS SOMETHING SHES AFRAID OF? gosh dfkgnfdg jesus christ. and no youre sooo right abt the whole sylvain and ingrid dynamic. like. of course its funny to a degree and ingrid doesnt have to place all that onto herself but............ i think both the game and the fandom play it up a bit too much. but yeah fdgjdfg i totally understand why you wouldnt pair her w/ either felix or sylvain

OOOO i know bernie and edie is ? sort of popular? so im happy that youve enjoyed their dynamic, i still need to go through their supports myself</3 AND YIPPPEE glad you enjoy edie and dorothea together and that you liked their A support<3 yeah ): i like just didnt remember seeing marianne have supports w/ any girls outside the golden deer... which SUCKS bc 2 out of the 3 she only goes up to B. SHE DOES DESERVE IT!!!!!! and like. ive thouhgt abt this before but..... dorothea and marianne........ they both have themselves in their dislikes section........ thoughts in my brain. AND FOR REAL !!!! ABT LYSITHEA AND MARIANNE. THEY COULDVE DONE SOOO MUCH MORE AND YET THEY DIDNT ): and not only that, they dont even have a post timeskip one ?? which i feel they TOTALLY deserve. esp since lysithea's whole thing was like. enjoy lfie while you can! look at the positive! and then she DOES post timeskip! i dont knooow they couldve so much, like you said

and ah okay! i guess i shouldve assumed that you were referring to mercie and annette, just based on their supports and all. but thank you! but also. BOOOO. i get wanting to create a scenario like that but 😭😭😭😭 the sheer POTENTIAL of something like that though is SOOO good. i assume mercedes was w/ dimitri during that one battle where all 3 armies clashed on gronder field? i haven't gotten caspar and linhardt's special dialogue on the battlefield.... and i probably never will TBH. THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME LMAO w/ sylvain and felix. atleast in my CF run. i got their special dialogue and then sylvain was GONNA kill him but felix's pavise or some shit activated and ALMOST KILLED HIM RIGHT BACK!!!!! it was very unfortunate. glad annette was able to cover for him i guess though 😭 /AND/ YOU HAD DOROTHEA KILL FERDIE???? GODDAMN...... you are very strong my friend. getting special dialogue is fun but at the same time </////3 it makes me Hurt. does petra and edie have special dialogue together? i didnt realize that :o

OHHHH YOU ENDED UP S SUPPORTING SYLVAIN???????? THATS CERTAINLY A SHOCK FGNJDFGF i thinki believe ive seen your account? you hva e a bi sylvain icon right? if youre not comfortable w/ me saying that just lmk and ill remove it asap. BUT GOOD FOR YOUUUU FKNGFGDF I CERTAINLY WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT LMAO. and yeah i feel that for claude and byleth. i honestly cant say anything bc i had no intentions of S supporting him to begin with but. yeah. WHEN HE CHANGES FROM "TEACH" TO "MY FRIEND"...... I THINK THATS SO CUTE THOUGH. and ouuugh the potential of silver snow byleth / dorothea.... i like that concept a whole lot. i think you def should do that if you go down that route. but at the same time. are you even able to keep any of the black eagles in your class during that route? or does edie turn against ALL of them? i have yet to play so i dont knooow. nbut the potential scares me. since going against edie after gaining her trust is one thing, but to have to go against the WHOLE CLASS? very sad. but no ytoure absolutely right... i think theyd have a particular bond after going agsinst edelgard, and i think that may increase their relationship and all. they get to revel in that guilt together!!!! mmm, using dorothea as a reason to play it is dfngdfgk it gives you incentive you know? and i believe thats needed as a route like SS

yeah!!! claude and hilda's A support was very good... makes sense why theyre so drawn together and all. because, like you said, its interesting how characters who tend to put up a mask themself also tend to see through someone else's, especially if its a close friend. ooo didnt realize marianne could A support w/ ashe! or annette w/ caspar! thats very interesting. i knew abt leonie and shamir, i dont quite understand Why yet (since i have yet to see them) but. i suppose it makes some sense considering that shamir is sort of a mercenary? it was something like that right? i forgor. glad to hear that thats one of the best endings for leonie! i literally just recently finished VW and i already forget who leonie ended up w/ oops. andd getting attached to her is epic as well, bc i just couldnt get myself to tbh. ofc i like her and alll, but i just. eh. you know? I DONT EVEN REMEMBER WHO IGNATZ AND RAPHAEL ENDED UP WITH!!!!! NO WAIT I DO. NVM. anyway. i had no idea thats who their (ignatz and raphael) ending plays out?????? thats so :/ i get not everything ahs to be romantic but come OOOOON.... ESP SINCE WE DONT EVEN GET TO SEE RAPH'S SISTER??????? LIKE 😭😭😭 gosh. thats so annoyingg. but no youre right, them adding in maya like that is such just ..... like you said, a cop out. and it sucks. not all the endings are specifically romantic, like raph and lysitheas for example iirc, but CMON !!!!!!!!

RIIIIIIGHT....... in my playthroughs i tend to only get the supports of the characters in my house (as i also tend to use only those characters and maybe 1 or 2 recruits) but MAN. FOR MY AZURE MOON ONE I JUST CANT LET DOROTHEA BE ALONE...... SO IM GONNA GET HER TO A SUPPORT W/ PETRA AGAIN......... she deserves to be happy andd knowing that she has the potential to be alone makes my heart hurt.

annette is a real sweetheart. and i love her little songs dfkgndf and ofc her relationship w/ mercedes is real nice. BUT YEAAAAH GOOD RECRUITS AS USUAL.... im only on like the first chapter of the timeskip actuallly dkfgndg i havent played azure moon in a bit, i rly need to change tha.t. i actually havent played the game at ALL in a little bit, for reasons i wont get into, which sucks but </3 gonna try and get into the groove again soon. dont blame you for wanting to get different people, and yeah caspar and mercedes do have a paralogue together! it has to do w/ the death knight iirc. anyone you plan to recruit in place of caspar? or are you just gonna wing it?

OH guess the next paragraph answered my question mb. BUT OOOO HILDA... THATS VERY INTERESTING TO THINK ABT..... i totally forgot that she was like that in terms of dying and stuff... unless i just misse dhtat entirely? and i cant remember her dying quote / special interaction w/ marianne or byleth rip. BUT YEAH. I CAN DEF SEE HWY YOU DONT WANNA SEPARATE HER FROM THE DEER / CLAUDE..... they both already go soooo well together.... so i totally get it. aside from hilda literally dying for claude after saying she wouldnt ddo such things for them, what was your other character defining moments for her? if any?

LMAO LORENZ..... i like. gosh. i dont blame you at AALLLLL. his first impression is just so bad and ugly and..... iugh. i went through all his supports w/ the golden deer (except for claude's. i missed out on it. which. im not too disappointed abt LOL i can imagine he goes through some growth hopefully nbut i cant rly say that he truly does) and yeah... he has some redeeming qualities. like. hes a very caring and nice guy beneath it all. but you're right. his distrust in claude is so just annoying and UGLY if you really get down to it. /I/ dont like him either but going throuhg his supports w/ the deer made me appreciate him a littl emore? not by much though. i still think hes annoying. and honestly i dont even remember his A support w/ byleth LOL which probably means it wasnt that memorable. but yeah i dont blame you for avoidinig him at all costs lmao hes a really unlikable character imo lol. and as youve siad, his whole thing w/ claude rly puts me off

YESSSS IGNATZ AND MARIANNE'S SUPPORTS WERE SO SWEET.... I ESP LOVED WHNE HE SAW THE SUNSET AND THOUGHT TO HIMSELF "OH, MARIANNE WOULD LOVE THIS" THATS SO NICE AND CUUUUTE 😭😭 OOO i dind realize annette had supports w/ claude... interesting. i think i stilll need ashe and annette's A support but they were so fun dfngdfg esp them getting Scared together and stuff. i dont rly care abt sylvain very much but i do enjoy most of his supports. rly shows a different side of him, which made me realize just how strong of a character he is. character wise, i mean. but yeah! OHHHH CLAUDE AND MARIANNE'S WERE SOOO GOOD.... I ESP LOVED THEIR A SUPPORT AND HOW HE GAVE THAT STORY ABT HIMSELF AND ALL..... TO RELATE TO MARIANNE AND HER STRUGGLES W/ BURDENS AND SUCH...... i also got their ending (out of pure chance which i was VERY happy about)AND OHH YEAH, SO THAT WAS MARIANNE ON THE END ART HUH? i mauyube thought she was there just because of my game getting their ending but fkgnfg THATS SO CUTE !!!!!! I LOVE U MARIANNE . i vaguely remember leonie and claude's which sucks, ill prob have to go throuhg them all again separately since i just BINGED most of them during the end of my playthrough. marianne and hildas were good too.... i thought it was so cute how hilda got her to laugh so hard during their A support )): and i still need to get ashe and caspar's! and thank you for not wanting to spoil stuff for ): that's very nice of you, feel free to talk abt the ones in specific you rly liked! its ok if i havent gotten them before :] ill def just go through them again regardless! but, just so you know, ive gotten all the golden deer's supports w/ each other. excluding lorenz and claude. and pretty much all of the blue lions' supports w/ each other, i have just a few left

HAVE FUN W/ THE LIONS ROUTE!!!!! youre def right to say that white clouds is very heavily biased towards the blue lions... esp narrative wise... you'll. def see what i mean. even more so than the obvious. i wont say much but it regards edelgard. but yeah! like. sylvain and miklan... mercedes and the death knight... i swear there was more but my mind is drawing a bblank rn. OH aand ashe and lonato. imo it was clear that azure moon was meant to be the Bulk of this game. like. you were meant ot play this route and that's it. you're absolutely right abt it seeming deliberately woven. they rly dont try to hide the bias lol which isnt a bad thing ofc but. just seeing how much the fandom is prone to hate edie...... i blame the game's targeted narrative for that. AND I FEEL THAT L,MAO. being on the church's side is so just... it pisses me OOOFF tbh. i can only take so much of that. so i def agree that you plau CF again before doing SS or another one fkndgffg

HOPE YOUREDOING WELL TOO !!!! HAVE A GREAT DAY / NIGHT AS WEELLLLL. and hehe thank youu..... im glad you enjoy reading my thoughts, bc i feel the same about yours!!!! :D

#mine #text #asks #anon #my FE tag #FE #FE3H #my thoughts #sorry if anythings wonky i didnt feel like rereading fdnfdg

[valkyrie-selfships]

am i focusing on john today? yes. do i have work today? yes. have i written out a whole plot for the resistance au? yes. will i be imagining it all day? you bet your bottom dollar.

#valkyrie.exe #this is what happens when i'm up late and end up watching a playthrough again #and see the perfect point for john to switch sides #when is a monster not a monster?

[barbwritesstuff]

THat was AWESOME! Heartpounding! Like seriously, I got the chills and then the "oh noes" and then I laughed bc Gaius actually took us literally and watched the show and wrote a letter in LIPSTICK. And while the whole neighbourhood massacre made my stomach drop, that's what it is SUPPOSED to feel like. Holy shit, I mean you kept dropping the hints that those poor people wouldn't decompose and were mostly thralls and just sacrificial pawns, but it's not like you can take it easy on them, when they outnumber you AND go for the kill. Also, yes dammit, I called it, Minjo of course was a total badass and had her baby in the middle of all this, by herself and kept it safe. Holy shit, this woman! Alex never stood a chance, who wouldn't fall in love!? And as for Mom powers, I'm glad I didn't bother helping Marta. After realizing that she's Terry's mom I was fairly sure that she would neither need nor accept any help, so I went for Farro like my heart told me to (and I promised his alpha). Only one of those two choices still has a living kid to protect and the repercussions with Roe's pack would hurt, so yeah, heavy hearted bc it feels like being a bad alpha, but it's actually the political choice (and the private one coincidentally). Terry and Elma made me sad, but it would have been a little unrealistic to suffer no casualties whatsoever, I guess. Besides throughout the series Terry was always a little reckless when he came up. Poor kid! As for Elma, well, my wolf will make that up to Izzy and remember to protect the kids, like Elma wanted me to. *sniffle* Having her be the first to run up to us and hug made my heart melt and all my protecc instincts were instantly on the baby, but also, future alpha right there, leaving the pantry, scouting and finding the alpha all by herself. I'm so proud! Seeing my gang (team stray for the win!) all in one piece (though a lasting scar on a werewolf after a full moon? holy shit Ed, how close did you get to having your face clawed off? on that note super glad we dragged Lee into it!) made it feel worth it and the confused howls that answered back were frankly adorable. Especially Sergi. Marco was adorable and super supportive best friend the whole fight and aftermath and I'm gonna romance the heck out of him in my next playthrough!

I'm still wondering what happened with Roe, did Blackwell send someone after them already? Were they attacked? Did they just feel too undecided to answer the phone? Or was it just that they were au naturel romping naked in the forest? I'm really glad Lee keeps in contact and a little sad that Ruby apparently breaks contact after that last phonecall? Also a little concerned bc I still don't know which spells involve werewolf bones.

The credo from the beginning being tied into the ending wraps this story up really nice, but having Farro and Hani move in and giving my Noelle their very own family almost made me cry in joy! Jay stayed, too and I kinda feel sorry for poaching Roe's coolest wolf (Hani, obviously), but since he wants good relations - one of his marrying the alpha, with Hani's aunt still in his pack, isn't the worst choice. Also, everyone needs a giant tall dark and handsome to cuddle in their bed and a math hating step daughter, with endless energy. Izzy needs a friend that can keep up with her. THANK YOU FOR WRITING THIS and giving me all these feelings and making me fall in love with those super sexy lovable (asshole) characters!! ♥♥♥ (only now I'm slightly late for work, sliding hours or no. oops.)

Thank you so much for this message! I've been hoarding it for a wee bit and reading it again whenever I needed a pick me up. 💙

[levithestripper]

The Princess’s Chosen Hero

✩ Masterlist! ✩

✩ Warnings: marking/biting, hickeys ✩

✩ Taglist: @the-1-sin-bin ✩

✩ If you want to be added to a taglist, fill this out! ✩

✩ Length: 3.4k || Read on Ao3 ✩

✩ A/N: kinktober day 10: marking/biting!! we're gonna pretend that i'm not 8 days late with this lmfaooo.. but anyways, i've been watching pointcrow's playthrough of skyward sword recently and i absolutely fell in love with the game. tbh, this is far more fluffy than kinky, but it fills the prompt, so deal with it lol. this was heavily inspired by art from @pawthko! specifically this ss zelink work from july! (i hope you don't mind me tagging you!) ✩

One of these days, Groose is gonna work Link’s last nerve, and that’ll be the end of the damn bastard. Link’s just fucking had it at this point. All he talks about is how he and Zelda are going to have a ‘special moment’ on the Goddess statue after he wins the Loftwing Race. Yeah, Groose actually believes that he’ll win, which is crazy in itself. If he even touches her, Link swears that he’ll punch him into next week. He doesn’t care if it’s an innocent touch, either! Groose will have to think twice about touching what doesn’t belong to him.

Wait, no, that’s wrong. Link hasn’t worked up enough courage to ask Zelda out yet. Regardless if they’re dating or not, Zelda isn’t property; she can’t belong to him. It’s just that Link can’t help but daydream about how she would look with hickeys strewn about the column of her neck, brazenly advertising that she was off-limits. Link would never let them fade away, always keeping one or two a nice dark red. He can’t help but imagine what it’d feel like to press Zelda’s small frame against a wall, his hands pinning hers above her head, to feel the quick rise and fall of her chest against his. It seemed weird having these feelings for Zelda—his childhood friend—no less. He guesses that they’ve always been there in one form or another. Being with Zelda just felt right to him, like it was his destiny to be the one allowed to marry her.

But none of that can happen if Link never confesses his feelings towards her.

Link was able to make it through most of the day without running into Groose, thankfully. When it came time for the Wing Ceremony, Groose and his underlings were already there, chatting amongst themselves. It didn’t take long for the redheaded bully to notice Link’s appearance, however. “You ready to lose, pretty boy?” Groose taunts, walking over to where Link was standing. “I’d hate to be you after the race! Standing around sulking since Zelda’s with me on the Goddess statue, alone and having a special moment with me instead of you. You better get it through that thick, ugly head of yours, Link!” he sneers. “Don’t think your crush on her is any secret ‘round here, Link! Everyone knows about how you fell in love with your ‘childhood friend’,” Groose made finger quotes for emphasis, “It’s so cute that you think someone that out of your league could ever fall for you, even if you did grow up together. We all know that your precious Zelda’s gonna be on my arm, never giving you a goddamn second thought!”

That was all it took for Link to snap and smack Groose straight across his face. It left a red handprint on his cheek, the color rivaling his hair. Groose brought a hand up to his pinkened cheek in shock; Link’s never hit anything—or anyone for that matter—before! “Keep your mouth shut before you lose the ability to open it again. You’re not the one that dictates who she can or can’t have feelings for. Zelda’s plenty capable of deciding for herself. She needs no help from the likes of your sorry ass.” Groose was about to fling his fist at him but was rudely interrupted by Zelda and Owlan’s timely arrival.

She ran to Link, ignoring everyone else, excitedly taking his hands in hers. She was close enough that their foreheads could touch, their noses bumping against each other sometimes. A sweet smile adorned her pretty face, causing her blue eyes to shine even more than they already are. “Sorry I’m late, Link. It took a bit longer than expected to finish your—I mean—the gift for the ceremony. I didn’t want to miss watching you race.” Having Zelda so close to him made Link’s heart beat faster, his face flushing slightly too.

Link rests his forehead against hers, lovingly gazing down at her, taking in all of Zelda’s beauty. Her soft golden hair flows down her slim shoulders, stopping at the small of her back. It framed her face perfectly, extenuating just how flawless she was. How did Link ever manage to get so lucky? “It’s okay, princess. All that matters is you’re here now.” Link manages to shimmy his hands out of her grip, setting them on her waist instead. His thumbs quickly found a place to rub circles into her hips, subsequently pulling the pair closer together. She didn’t complain, simply wrapping her arms around Link’s shoulders. “I’ll make sure to win for you. Can’t let my gift go to someone else,” he teases her with a playful smirk.

“You’ll win, I’m sure of it,” Zelda reassures him before pecking his cheek innocently. She plays with the golden-brown hair at the base of Link’s neck, slipping it in between her fingers. It sent shivers down his spine, the blush dusting his cheeks deepening. The bell tower started to ring, harshly interrupting their supposedly platonic conversation and announcing the start of the race. “That’s our queue, Link. See you on the statue later?” she asks, pulling away from Link’s grasp.

Link was hesitant to let her go, but he knew he had to. Every moment with her in his arms felt like they were the only two people in the world who mattered. But to Link, Zelda truly is the only person who matters. “Of course you will, princess.” He watched her walk away until he couldn’t see her anymore, a look of pure love plastered all over his face. The spot where Zelda kissed his cheek tingles. It’s official: Link’s never washing that cheek ever again for as long as he lives.

The race lasted not even thirty minutes, Link crossing the finish line miles ahead of Groose and his cronies. Groose was whining up a storm, but he congratulated Link on his win since it was part of the rules. With the bird statuette in tow, Link flies to the Goddess statue, where Zelda is waiting for him. He’s quick to bring her into a big hug once he lands, relishing in how Zelda’s head nestles perfectly into the crook of his neck. “I told you I’d win, princess,” he whispers, pushing a stray hair back behind her ear. But in all honesty, it was just an excuse to touch her face.

Zelda’s small hands clenched the fabric of his shirt, pulling him impossibly closer. “You flew so well, Link. I’m so proud of you.” Hearing her say she was proud of him causes Link to tighten his grip on her, the gentle embrace morphing into a bear hug. “I’m so proud of my Chosen Hero.” Zelda kisses his cheek again. “Regardless if you had won today or not, you’ve always been—and always will be—my one and only hero.”

“And the Chosen Hero will always and forever love his Princess.” Link rests his forehead against Zelda’s like before. His free hand squeezes her small waist, the other cupping Zelda’s face, his thumb stroking her cheekbone. The amount of udder adoration Link has for her is immeasurable. How was it possible for one girl to be so goddamn beautiful?

She giggles softly, leaning into his warm hand. “I’m not a princess, Linky. You’re the Chosen Hero, and I’m s’possed to be the Goddess.” A blush quickly settled across her cheeks, the color matching her dress nicely. She met Link’s gaze, smiling at how blatantly flustered he was. It was cute seeing him trying not to trip over his words.

“I’m not talking to the Goddess right now, Zelda.” Now she knew he was serious; Link next to never uses her given name; it’ always was a nickname from him. “I’m talking to you.” Link’s boots slotted themselves between Zelda’s fuzzy ones, the air around them growing tenser the closer they got to each other. “You’ve always been my princess; I’ve called you that since we were kids. At first, it was just ‘cause I had a hard time saying Zelda,” he chuckles, eyes fluttering over her face nervously. The tip of Link’s nose brushed against hers, making Zelda giggle again. “But now, I’ve been thinking about how a princess eventually needs to find her prince,” Link cranes his head back, anxiously running a hand through his hair. It didn’t take long for it to return to Zelda’s cheek, though.

She presses her palm against his chest, grounding Link back in reality and pushing any anxiety left out of his body. “It’s okay, whatever it is, you can tell me. I love you; you’re my best friend. You can share everything and anything with me; I won’t judge you.”

‘You’re my best friend.’

It rang through Link’s head just like the bell tower does, but worse. The moment the words came off Zelda’s lips, a gut-wrenching pain blooms in his chest as if someone were stabbing from the inside. He doesn’t want only to be her best friend; he wants to be her prince. Link wants to be the person to make the nickname complete. Will she not want to be his friend anymore after he tells her? Will she think he’s weird for harboring these feelings? Link panicked, taking his hand away from Zelda’s face before speaking. “I slapped Groose before the race today. He kept talking shit about you, about how he was gonna be the one up here with you. He kept talking about you like you’re some fucking object to be won, then kept on a shelf somewhere and admired from afar. So I smacked him.”

Zelda gasps, a look of pure shock plastered on her face. “Link! Language! You don’t curse, much less in front of the Goddess! And secondly, you hit Groose?! You don’t hit people; you’ve never hit anything! Sure, he gets on my nerves too, but there’s never a situation that can’t be fixed with communication!”

“Well, what am I supposed to do when he’s mocking me?! All I’ve ever done is stand there and take his grief, but hearing him talk about how I don’t deserve you made me lose it, okay?!” Link backs away from her in an attempt to not scream directly in her face. Fear washes over him, and suddenly, he wants to be anywhere but here. They’ve never fought before. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Zelda, please forgive me!” Link’s voice cracks at the end of his plea, tears welling up in his eyes. Balled fists came up to wipe them away aggressively. “What am I supposed to do when all he talks about is how my feelings for you don’t matter?” It was barely a whisper; if the wind was any louder, Zelda would’ve missed it completely.

Throughout the entirety of their friendship, Zelda has never seen Link cry. Not once. Link skinned his knee on the pavement once when they were eight and didn’t shed a tear, nor when he fell down the stairs when he was ten. But this was what made him cry? It seemed odd, Groose being the catalyst for Link’s bottled-up emotions to finally be released. Why would Link ever think his feelings towards her didn’t matter? She’s quick to pull him in a warm hug, rubbing his back soothingly. “Link, sweetheart, your feelings always matter! Why would you ever let Groose of all people convince you they didn’t?”

Link buries his face in her soft hair, breathing in the scent of her coconut shampoo. “He kept tellin’ me you’re out of my league. That no one this beautiful could ever like me,” he mumbles, arms wrapped tightly around her. “Hey, princess?”

“Hm?”

It took all of Link’s courage to swallow the lump in his throat. He prays to Hylia that this doesn’t fuck everything up. “I want to be the person lucky enough to marry and grow old with you. I want to be more than just your best friend. I want to show the whole world that you’re mine and I’m yours,” he met her eyes again, “Can I be your prince?” Link watches as the gears turn in her head, processing everything he told her.

Without hesitation, Zelda yanks him down by his shirt collar, stealing his first kiss. Her hands tangle themselves in his hair, keeping Link from pulling away. Not like he wanted to. After the initial shock passes, he kisses her back eagerly. His fingers worm their way into her hair, holding the back of her head as she did to him. Link pushes her against the cold ornate wall of the statue, careful not to hurt her.

“Link—!” she gasps against his mouth, giving Link the perfect opportunity to make out with her. “Link—! Hold on a minute!” Link stops immediately, not daring to overstep her boundaries. “You want to be my prince? You’re not messing with me, right?”

He nods. “I’m in love with you, Princess. Always have been.”

She kisses him again, but softer this time. “I love you too, Link,” she giggles, “Who would’ve thought that my Hero would also be my prince?” Zelda kisses all over Link’s face, pulling a happy giggle from him too. “Were you worried that I’d end up marrying Groose?”

Link nods bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck with his palm. “I was worried that you’d think my feelings for you were weird or somethin’, ‘cause we’re best friends and all. I didn’t want to ruin what we had by confessing how I felt.” Now it was Link’s turn to lean down and kiss her. It wasn’t nearly as hungry as the first one, instead gentle and loving. Their noses brush against each other, causing them both to laugh. “But I’m sure glad I did.”

“Me too. I don’t know how much longer I could keep dropping hints at you, Linky,” Zelda said with a coy smile. “You really had no idea that I felt the same way?”

A dumb look washes over Link’s face. “You were dropping hints?”

Zelda just shook her head with a small laugh and a sigh. “Never change, Linky. You’re too cute for this world.” She leans on the stone behind her, gazing up at him with her big blue eyes. The position made her feel even smaller compared to him than she actually was. The atmosphere surrounding them changed from an innocent one to a heated one. “So…do you wanna continue from where we left off?”

Link nods, pressing himself against her lithe frame. “Mhmm, but there’s one thing I wanna do first if you’ll let me.” He holds her hips, fingers spreading across her sides, fingertips ghosting at her rib cage. “Let me mark you as mine. So you can show the entirety of Skyloft that you’re spoken for.” The moment Link asked, his pointy ears turned a deep shade of red. He squeezes her waist gently, trying his best to express the feelings that refused to form themselves into words. “I’ve heard guys talk about how hot it is seeing their—” he lingers for a moment, “—partner with hickeys covering their necks. Makes me think that if I gave you some, Groose would stop bothering me about it.”

“Hmm, does that mean I’m your girlfriend now, Hero?” she teases, twirling a lock of golden hair between her slim fingers.

The way her head tilts to the side absolutely just tortures Link. There’s enough room to cover her pale skin with marks that’ll take weeks just to start fading away. Link’s desperate to show the world that Zelda is his and his alone. “I’d like you to be my girlfriend. No, I’d really really like it if you were my girlfriend. I could take you out on dates, and we can have a sleepover and stay up late together like we would when we were kids.” A sweet smile graces his features, eyes sparkling with delight. “And maybe I’ll let you win a Loftwing race once in a while, just ‘cause I love you,” Link teases right back at her, drawing a laugh from her again. Oh, how he loves hearing her laugh; it’s everything good in the world all wrapped up in one sound. The heated atmosphere that previously surrounded them was gone now, replaced by an innocent veil once more. Don’t fret; it’ll be back soon enough, at least, that’s what Link hopes will happen.

Zelda nods, kissing his smile-thinned lips over and over again, which just made them both delve into a fit of giggles. “Of course, Linky. I’ve wanted to hear you ask me that for like forever.” Once their laughter dies down, Zelda kisses him properly this time. Link’s nose pressed into her cheek; however, instead of being uncomfortable, Zelda oddly found it rather soothing. The boy’s lips tasted like a mix of vanilla—her chapstick must have rubbed off on him—and the salty leftovers from his sweat. “Don’t you start getting soft on me now that we’re dating, Linky. When I beat you in a race, though, I’ll beat you fair ‘n square. Like how I beat you in dominoes every time.”

He purposefully ignored the dominoes comment, pouting over her being right. He sucks ass at dominoes, but like hell, he’ll never admit to it. “Oh, alright. You run such a hard bargain, Princess,” Link sighs dramatically, rolling his eyes. “What ever shall I do?” he kisses her forehead, right in between her eyebrows.

She giggles at his words with a coy smile, “Oh, I have no idea, Linky! You’re in such a predicament, aren’t you, baby?” Zelda pretends to think, humming audibly. “I know just the thing!” She tilts her head to the side once more, the smirk shedding into a smaller; but more genuine smile. “Maybe if you mark me some, I’ll stop running such a hard bargain, hm? How’s that sound, Chosen Hero?”

“Sounds amazing,” Link says, wasting no time in burying his head in the crook of Zelda’s neck. He litters soft kisses along her throat before sucking deep hickeys into the crook of her shoulder. They blossom into red and purple marks along her skin, loudly claiming her for Link. “Mmm, fuck…” he mutters against her. His hands roam

“Link! Language!” Zelda gasps, never hearing him swear before. She threads her fingers through his hair, keeping his head snug against her shoulder. She could feel every mark forming on her skin, each one causing her face to flush harder than it already was. Zelda kisses his ear gently, doing her best to reciprocate the affection in some way. It felt too weird to her, standing there and not giving Link anything in return.

He chuckles, offering an ungenuine apology. “Just can’t help it, Princess.” Link bites behind her ear—not hard enough to hurt—but enough to send a shot of pleasure up her spine. He kisses the spot repeatedly until he sees a red ring of teeth marks starting to form. He steps back to admire his work. The left side of Zelda’s neck was covered in purple and maroon bruises, ranging from small to egregiously huge. How she was going to cover this up later was beyond Link; it was his plan, after all, to make them blatantly obvious. He stares at Zelda like she’s a work of art displayed in a museum and he’s a professor, desperate to analyze every inch of the art in front of him. “Can I do the right side, too? It looks lopsided.”

His gaze was too much for Zelda to hold, her eyes darting about until he spoke. “On-Only a couple, it’ll be hard to cover up the ones I already have,” she says, tilting her head in the opposite direction compared to before.

Link obeys Zelda’s wishes, only leaving around five lasting marks on her. The faint ones would clear up in under a day, so he figures they won’t be an issue. He places a dark hickey behind her ear, by her jawbone, and right above her collarbone. They were in much better hiding spots this time around, luckily enough for Zelda. Hopefully, it’ll be chilly enough to warrant a scarf for the next couple of days. Link gazes down at her again, nothing but love and admiration for her in his eyes. “I love you so much, Zelda. Always have, always will, Princess.”

She giggles softly and gives him a quick kiss on the lips. “I love you too, my Hero. It’s pretty hard not to.”

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