SHIP QUESTIONS! For Quinchelle, I would pretty please like 4-6 in pre-relationship, 1-3 in general, and 1, 7 and 9 in love. <3 Five domestic of your choice for Namasiao! Aaaand all the pre-relationship questions for Atlas/Beckett!
I'd be happy to, thanks for the request!
Quinnchelle:
4. Who felt romantic feelings first?
Quinn. At first she spent much of her time on La Huerta at first being afraid to get too close to anyone, afraid of burdening them with her terminal diagnosis. After being healed, Quinn had a lot of inner confusion as she adjusted to her new reality; through it all, Michelle was always there as a sort of emotional anchor for her. It wasn't long before Quinn realized just how much she wanted Michelle in her life; not just as a friend, but as something more.
5. Did either of them try to resist their feelings?
Quinn was very shut down to any romantic thoughts prior to her recovery, as mentioned above. After being healed, she quickly became open to the idea, though Michelle took a little longer to come around. It took Quinn flat-out asking Michelle on a date for her to acknowledge her feelings.
6. If you had told one of them that the other would be their soulmate, what would they think?
Quinn would've been sad at the idea that anyone would be "cursed" to be the soulmate of someone like her who was destined for a short life. She'd have hoped Michelle found someone who could stick around for her a bit longer, if possible. Michelle probably would've been a little skeptical of the idea of a "soulmate" at all but gradually opened up to the idea of dating Quinn.
1. Who initiated the relationship, and how did it go?
Quinn initiated; it wasn't long after she was healed that she decided to take the risk and ask Michelle out. She asked her while at the Elysian Lodge with the other Catalysts; Michelle was a little hesitant at first but finally acknowledged that she was starting to feel something for Quinn and was willing to try it out. Quinn was very relieved and somehow managed to be even cheerier than usual for the rest of the night, a feat the others acknowledged should probably have been impossible.
2. Did they have an official first date? If so, what was it like?
They had two, actually! Their first first date was at the Vaanti festival of shak'nalen, a rough equivalent to Thanksgiving. The two of them danced, enjoyed some Vaanti games, and ate plenty of food! The other Catalysts were all incredibly supportive and happy to see the two of them find each other.
Later, after returning from La Huerta, Michelle had the idea to ask Quinn out on a "second first date" now that they were back home. It was a bit silly, but it was really a way to take Quinn (and her own) mind off of everything that had happened. She took her to a fancy restaurant in downtown Northbridge, and then afterward to visit the opening of The Grand nightclub nearby. Here, they briefly ran into Sasha Stevens, who Quinn realized had a strong aura, similar to the one she'd started to notice around the Czasa twins near the end of their time on La Huerta. They quickly lost sight of her, and put the strange aura out of their minds as they enjoyed the rest of their night before returning to Michelle's dorm and spending the night together.
A few weeks later, Quinn would remember what she'd spotted that night. She immediately reaches out to Estela and Jake with what she'd found, leading them to investigate Northbridge further... but that's another story altogether!
3. What was their first kiss like?
New Year's Eve at midnight, at the tallest platform of Elyys'tel during the Catalysts' second New Year's party. They were both a little shy about it at first, but then Quinn took her attitude of "living life to the fullest" and went in for the kiss. Michelle reciprocated, to plenty of cheers and whoops from the rest of the Catalysts.
1. Who said “I love you” first?
Michelle! They were falling asleep together late at night in Elyys'tel; she didn't think Quinn could hear her at first, and was a bit surprised when she heard a mumbled "Love you too, 'Chelle."
It turned out Quinn hadn't remembered hearing that the next morning, but Michelle asking her was essentially saying it again, and Quinn reciprocated, this time while wide awake!
7. What are their favorite things to do together?
If you asked Quinn, she'd say "Anything as long as we're together." But, to be more precise, they really love having time to themselves; a night cuddled up on the couch together watching a movie is heaven for the two of them. They also enjoy baking together. Despite plenty of practice, Michelle hasn't gotten very good at it, but Quinn appreciates her effort and enthusiasm for helping out. They don't really have much fun when out in large groups; their experiences on La Huerta have set them apart from the rest of the world in a way they can't quite place, much like the other Catalysts. For that reason, they're always eager to invite some or all of the Catalysts to visit any chance they can. Furball appreciates the attention, too!
9. Who’s more protective?
Michelle tends to be the more protective of the two in most situations. She will not tolerate anyone insulting or belittling Quinn or herself and always makes her anger known very quickly. In contrast, it takes a lot to make Quinn truly furious, but when she does... the powers that awakened on La Huerta are enough to scare off most "normal" threats fairly quickly.
Namasiao:
1. If they get married, who proposes?
Zahra proposes a few years after returning from La Huerta. She dropped increasingly obvious hints to Craig, who missed each and every one of them, including straight up asking "you ever think about gettin' married?" to which he replied "well, yeah, of course we should" but didn't follow up whatsoever. She later went out and bought simple matching engagement rings, asked Craig the big question, then as soon as he said 'yes,' she put the ring on his finger telling him "You're stuck with me now!" He was, of course, plenty happy with that arrangement.
2. What’s the wedding like? Who attends?
As fitting Zahra and Craig, they had a very small wedding, held in the most isolated place they could think of: La Huerta, the Celestial ballroom. (It also helped that Aleister and Grace didn't charge them a cent for the venue.) The Catalysts and some of the Vaanti were invited, along with a few others they had met during their adventures. It was a Catalyst party like no other, and mostly an excuse for everyone to drink a lot, but they wouldn't have had it any other way.
6. Who worries the most?
Craig worries about every possibility under the sun, including those that are completely outrageous ("what if a meteor hits the bridge today and we fall in the ocean while driving and drown?") Zahra's better at keeping him down-to-earth and prefers to stay realistic. It does annoy her a bit that the definition of "realistic" keeps getting stretched with each new adventure they and the other Catalysts find themselves wrapped up in, as Craig is fond of reminding her.
7. Who kills the bugs in the house?
Zahra always insists on taking care of it herself, since whenever Craig tries to kill a bug, he usually ends up destroying everything in the room except the bug in question.
10. Who’s the better cook?
The one thing that Craig can cook is scrambled eggs, for some reason, which is still one more food dish than Zahra can cook. Their diet largely consists of take-out and frozen meals, save the rare occasions when one of the other Catalysts (typically Quinn or Raj) decides to cook for them while visiting.
Atlas/Beckett ("Batlas? "Ackett?" never mind those are both terrible)
1. How did they first meet?
Their first meeting was in Penderghast's library, though Beckett didn't realize it at the time since Atlas was in disguise as her twin sister Fiora. Atlas was looking for information on the Dread, and encountered Beckett early in the morning.
Beckett's first time meeting Atlas not disguised was during the surprise birthday party for Fiora. He was completely taken off-guard by the reveal that Fiora had a twin sister who he had been interacting with all this time, though he tried to pretend he'd known all along (no one believed him.)
2. What was their first impression of each other?
Atlas found Beckett annoying at first, especially in her efforts to not be noticed while in disguise as Fiora. Gradually, particularly once she no longer had to disguise herself any more, she started to respect Beckett for his abilities.
Beckett, for his part, didn't realize it was Atlas he was talking to, and simply thought "Fiora" was behaving strangely on the occasions he saw her in disguise. After the reveal, things made a lot more sense to him. He was reluctantly impressed by her abilities with her Water- and Energy-Attunement, and quickly started to see her in a competitive light.
3. Did any of their friends or family want them to get together?
Zeph, from the moment he discovered Atlas existed. He even physically dragged Beckett over to ask Atlas to the gala, since he was reluctant to do it himself. Fiora was also very encouraging of the two of them, but in a less overt way than Zeph.
4. Who felt romantic feelings first?
Neither one could say when exactly their mutual competitiveness and respect for one another evolved into true friendship, and from there into romance. It sort of happened over time; they don't even have an anniversary of their first date. They use Atlas and Fiora's birthday, since that was the first time they met with Atlas out of disguise. Their feelings grew naturally, and by the end of Beckett's second year at Penderghast they were official.
5. Did either of them try to resist their feelings?
Not when it comes to romantic feelings, but in terms of friendship, Atlas was very reluctant. It took some time before she was willing to let the Pend Pals--including Beckett--truly befriend her.
6. If you had told one of them that the other would be their soulmate, what would they think?
Beckett would laugh and explain fifteen different scholarly proofs as to why the idea of a "soulmate" has been thoroughly debunked by the highest Attuned scientists.
Atlas would send you flying into the nearest body of water, or create her own if there was none nearby.
7. What would their lives be like if they had never met?
Atlas would still open up to the others as friends, but she likely would have taken a long time before she found someone equally as skilled and driven as Beckett to impress her. She probably would have ended up spending a lot more time with Fiora and Shreya, simply because they're the only family she'd have.
Beckett, likewise, would not find a romantic partner for many years, if at all, simply because of his incredibly high standards. He would live most of his life alone and would not go out of his way much to seek out the others. The other Pend Pals would end up forcing him to join in on their get-togethers.
...And, of course, Beckett III, Evie, little Zeph, and Rel would never have existed. Though the house would still be standing at least, so there's that.
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Thanks again for the asks! This was fun!
