#//this was technically for the story based thing but i wanted to have fun with this
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I enjoyed a lot about the ending of "Dungeon Meshi" (SPOILERS) but especially its depiction of an ascension to kingship. Laois does become king kind of on a legal technicality, yeah, but it's that PLUS the backing of all of the allies he's made along the way. His claim is kind of tenuous and it's obvious that more powerful nations could probably steamroll him if they choose to violently challenge it, but that would be a big mess that no one really wants to get into right now.
It was just extremely refreshing after recently dealing with some more magical-bloodline-based and divine-right-chosen-one fantasy. Laois gets that tenuous claim to the throne because of stuff that he actually did, but the claim only really goes through because the local community allows it and supports him (not unanimously, for various reasons), ALSO because of stuff that Laios actually did to make them want to do that. Democracy is not suddenly invented because that's not really how this world works (that's not the focus of the story here), the foreign nations involved probably wouldn't respect that kind of move, but even so, monarchy isn't something that goes forward here without other people behind it and behind Laios.
Laois is Just Some Guy with a tenuous claim and a force behind him to solidify that grip to persuade everyone else to go along with it! Which is historically how a lot of "kings" have happened! And it's clear that he has and needs a lot of people around him to actually do the work of governing a country. (There does admittedly end up being a anti-monster demon curse helping Laios's position here, but that's again specific to Laios because of things he did, and that alone wouldn't cut it.) It's neat to actually see that... social balance and maintenance at the forefront of his ascension, which matches all of the ecosystem-related messages throughout the story.
I also enjoyed the fact that Laios Did Not Want This and that it only really happens because other characters are yelling at him to grab the opportunity to maintain their nation's crumbling independence. That was funny. He's simultaneously a person with agency, a responsible and skilled leader, and also kind of a figurehead! It's messy and fun.
#tossawary dungeon meshi#laios touden#spoilers#kabru: *grabbing laios by the shoulders and shaking* DECLARE YOURSELF KING RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!
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You should go visit the frogs. You know the F in frog stands for Friend!
#He's washing the marinara pot teehee :0)#may have sneaked a taste#or a few#//this was technically for the story based thing but i wanted to have fun with this#pizza tower#pizza tower ask#pizza tower oc#Cheesed to meet you~!
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Impulsive concept art for my alien boy Ji-Yeong's weird alien dad.
His name is the King of All Stars, his mane glitters in the same way water reflects light, and he moves the same way a very large puppet would.
#concept art#monster oc#original character#alien oc#body horror#(< for the eyes)#recall draws#my ocs#laid out in lavender#hes currently technically from that extended universe#ji yeongs whole thing is hes like a natural chimera#him and his guardian just refer to everything as aliens instead of fey bc they dont know Whats Up and didnt grow up on that folklore#theyre very science minded. sciencepilled. so obvs its aliens#they have no impact on anything in universe tho or the story despite the big title#its just like fun designs and a thing to rotate in my head#what if they had a ghibli movie this time? well then thatd be ji yeongs time to shine#bc that was part of the inspiration w this guy. i want him to look like one of the rlly weird ghibli monsters#but hes also based on a qilin bc i call ji yeong a unicorn
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how to disappear. (opla!zoro x fem!reader)
synopsis: joining luffyâs crew made you believe that youâd finally escaped your former pirate crew and nightmare of a captain for good. that is, until a certain butler starts looking a little too familiar. good thing zoroâs keeping a close eye on you.
warnings: opla spoilers (ep 3), some direct dialogue from opla, mentions of verbal/physical abuse, kuro is just a weirdo tbh, reader is called a bitch, protective zoro, for the sake of the story sham and buchie joined the black cat pirates after reader left
word count: 4.7k
âthis guy is full of shit.â
you knock your shoulder into zoroâs wider one. âbe nice. and so what if he is?âÂ
zoro gives you a pointed glare. âthen we should turn around and look for someone who can actually help us find a ship.âÂ
âall business, as per usual,â you reply, with a purposefully dramatic sigh. âwhy canât you have a little fun?âÂ
âwhat about this is supposed to be fun?â zoro spits out the word like itâs poisonous. âthis is the blandest village iâve ever seen.â
you scoff. ânow youâre the one thatâs full of shit. nothingâs ever bland with us and you know it.âÂ
the us in question was your newly formed pirate crew⌠if you and luffy could even be considered that. having left the ship youâd been on a few years ago, you were in search of a new crew. luffy was persistent and charming â when youâd crossed paths in shells town, it took little to no time for him to convince you to join his hunt for the one piece. zoro and nami, on the other hand, had yet to follow in your footsteps.Â
âwell, considering that weâve only been traveling together for a day and a half and iâve already escaped a marine base, defeated a marine captain, and fought a clown with devil fruit powers⌠iâd actually have to agree.âÂ
you canât help but giggle at his sarcastic delivery. âbe grateful, zoro. not many pirate crews are this fun to be on, trust me. oh wait, thatâs right, you still havenât officially joinedââ
âtell me about your old pirate crew,â interjects zoro, your comment having piqued his interest.Â
you notice that the playful atmosphere dissipates. âgod, where do i even start?âÂ
zoro answers that for you. âwhy did you leave?â
âstarting with the hard hitting questions, huh?â you joke, mostly to stall. you clear your throat before you answer. âwell, it was different. nothing like what luffy has going on. he actually cares about his crew⌠and even those who arenât technically on it.âÂ
at that, a smile tugs at the corner of zoroâs lips. even you crack a small grin. although as you continue speaking, it fades.Â
âon my old crew, we were dispensable. anytime something went wrong, our own captain would threaten to kill us. it was⌠scary, to be completely honest. there were so many times when i thought iâd die with that filthy crew. and i never wanted that. so as soon as we docked at shells town, i left.â Â
zoroâs jaw clenches as imagines the things youâd seen and been subjected to. âthis old captain of yours sounds like a realââ
âhe was a nightmare,â you tell him. âhe didnât care that i was the only woman on board, he treated me just as horribly, if not worse.âÂ
zoro stops so suddenly that it takes you a second to realize heâs not walking alongside you.
âwhat do you mean by that.â the way zoro phrases the inquiry doesnât even make it sound like a question. more like a demand. his narrowed eyes are fixed solely on you. holding his gaze feels⌠intense.Â
you canât help but glance away as you answer him. âhe was just a bit of a creep.â
before zoro has the chance to try and extract more information out of you, a familiar voice calls both your names. youâre not really sure when you and zoro had fallen behind but from where you currently stand, the rest of your group looks miniature. or perhaps itâs just the massive size of the mansion behind them that makes luffy, nami, and usopp look pocket-sized in comparison.Â
âwhyâd you stop walking?!â your captain shouts, hands pressed on each side of his mouth to amplify his voice. âget over here, weâre about to go in through the top secret entrance!âÂ
you vaguely make out usopp gesturing for luffy to keep his voice down. youâre sure that would warrant another comment from zoro about his reliability but heâs too busy staring at you with that expectant look in his eyes.Â
âwe better catch up,â you tell him, heading in the direction of the deluxe home.Â
he allows you to dodge the subject and sighs, walking in long strides to catch up to you. Â
âiâve never seen a house this big before,â luffy admits, admiring the mansion along with the wellkept greenery surrounding it.Â
âawesome, right?â usopp gloats, walking around like he owned the place. âkayaâs given me an open invitation to drop by anytime i want.âÂ
âwow.â youâre not sure if luffy was just going along with usoppâs act or if he really believed him. knowing the devil fruit user, it was more than likely the latter. âall this for just one person?â
âwell, she lives here with her butler and a few other staff,â usopp replies, leaning against the stone well that sat in the middle of the lawn.
âmoney really shows you who people truly are,â nami mutters, eyes scanning the property. âmost people only care about themselves and whatâs theirs.â
zoro is quick to throw the insult back at her. âsounds like someone i know.â
you roll your eyes at his comment, though you make no effort to disagree with him. nami was a little on the materialistic side.Â
âand a small staff makes for easy pickings,â she continues, proving your point.
âwe just got here and youâre already planning on robbing the place blind?â you ask though you already know the answer.
âat least a little blurry,â she smirks, following behind luffy and usopp who walk toward the entrance.Â
you and zoro share a look. one that says disappointed but not surprised.Â
going under a shrub shaped as an arch, youâre met with a beautiful pond. you admire the pink lilies that float at the top and the bushes that were intricately trimmed into the shape of various animals. even if the people that lived here were filthy rich, at least they had good decorative taste.Â
âso if you have an invitation, why are we going around the back way?â luffy ponders.
usoppâs answer is nonchalant. âoh, i never use the front entrance. like i said, this is the vip entrance reserved for special guests.â
zoro scoffs. âthis guyâs definitelyââ
âdonât start,â you groan, cutting him off.Â
abruptly, usopp freezes and spins around, attempting to usher your crew back. âyou know what, thereâs actually a more exclusive entrance this wayââ
the sharp swoosh of a knife cutting through the air and burying itself in the ground between usoppâs feet cuts him off. from the direction the kitchen utensil was thrown stands a heavyset gentleman with his face wrinkled in anger. his demanding voice booms through the garden, âthe hell are you doing here, usopp?âÂ
the dark-skinned boy fumbles over his word. âbuchi, buddy, uh, kayaâs expecting me.â
âanother one of your lies,â the man â seemingly named buchi â seethes, grabbing him by the collar. âyou ainât welcome here and you know it.â
âi know nothing of the sort,â usopp retorts, keeping his cool even when he was practically being lifted off the ground by his shirt. âiâm here to give kaya an extra special gift.â
before buchi can get another word out, a feminine voice calls out for your companion. coming down the steps is a frail looking girl in a pink dress. on her arm is a man dressed in a crisp suit, presumably the butler usopp had mentioned earlier. though, from where you stand you canât see either of their faces too clearly.Â
âwhat a wonderful surprise,â she exclaims, breathlessly.Â
âkaya!â usopp exclaims, returning her enthusiasm. buchi has no choice but to let him go, begrudgingly. usopp makes sure to shoot him a smug look before walking towards the young girl. âhappy birthday.âÂ
the butler clears his throat, not afraid to intrude on their special moment. âusopp, weâve discussed this before. you mustnât show up unannounced.âÂ
ânonsense, klahadore.â kaya smiles warmly. âhave you come to tell me another story? i do love hearing about your adventures.âÂ
âiâll do you one better,â usopp smirks with such confidence that even youâre left wondering what kind of surprise he has up his sleeve. âi brought some of my crew!â he gestures back towards the four of you, proudly.Â
your excitement vanishes. âoh. the surprise is⌠us.â
âwell, thatâs boring,â luffy agrees, just as disappointed as you are.Â
kaya, on the other hand, is none the wiser. âitâs so nice to meet you. you must all stay for dinner.âÂ
klahadore lowers his voice. âmiss kaya, it is a bit last minute. iâm afraid the kitchen hasnât prepared for any extra guests.â
âplease,â begs kaya, softly. âitâs my birthday. canât be too much trouble can it?âÂ
giving in, klahadore purses his lips. âanything for you, miss kaya.âÂ
luffy claps his hands together. âalright! when do we eat?âÂ
âyou donât. not dressed like that, at least.â the butler directs himself to a staff member with teal colored hair. âsham, kindly show usopp and his friends to the guest suites. you will bathe and change before dinner.â
she follows his orders and leads the way. luffy, usopp, nami, and zoro trail behind her and you go to do the same. however, all it takes is a quick glance to stop you dead in your tracks. usually, you werenât one to stare but klahadoreâs face. that stare. so dark and depraved.Â
âyes, miss?â he asks, holding your gaze. âcan i help you?âÂ
ân-no, iâŚâ your throat goes dry as you attempt to recover smoothly. âi just wanted to, um, thank you for being so hospitable.âÂ
his lips curve upwards into a sinister grin. âthe pleasureâs all mine.â as if to confirm your worst fear, klahadore uses his palm to readjust his glasses. his beady eyes gauge your reaction closely.
the familiar gesture sends chills down your spine. appearance-wise, he had changed drastically but his aura was still just as menacing as you remember it. he was still the corrupt pirate captain you used to serve under. you feel like a weak and helpless subordinate all over again.
âklahadore!â giggles kaya. âyouâre smiling! thatâs certainly a rarity.â
he hums. âiâve simply come to the realization that having guests once in a while can truly be a delight.â
his sickeningly sweet tone makes your stomach turn. just the fact that you were standing in front of him â captain kuro â again after all these years was nauseating in itself. last youâd heard he had died at the hands of captain morgan. how was this even possible? then again, he wasnât dubbed kuro of a hundred plans for no reason. he always had a trick or two up his sleeve. you assumed this was no different.Â
âhey, you cominâ?â
you turn around to see zoro waiting for you. he meets your gaze for a moment. the softness of his eyes is a stark contrast to kuroâs. itâs a breath of fresh air. he then shifts his attention to your former captain and you swear his eyes darken.Â
âyeah, sorry,â you mumble, trying not to look shaken as you walk up the steps.Â
zoro follows behind you, this time closer than before.
âwhy would anybody even need this many clothes?â
âitâs not about need with these people, luffy. itâs about want,â nami spits, thumbing through the various fabrics on the wall.Â
âat least sheâs rich and nice,â luffy replies, innocently.
nami rolls her eyes. âyeah, letting us stay for dinner must be her idea of charity work.âÂ
âwhat are we even supposed to wear?â luffy continues, uninterested in namiâs criticism of the rich.Â
âanything you want. when are you ever going to get the opportunity to wear things this nice?âÂ
you step out from behind the changing board where youâd swapped out your old tee and cargo skirt for an elegant satin dress. it was a stunning shade of olive green and frilly lace decorated the edges. not to mention, it hugged your curves in all the right ways.
namiâs eyes widen. âsee, sheâs got the right idea. you look amazing.âÂ
you smile, bashfully. âhonestly, i feel amazing.â
âyou look the same to me,â your captain shrugs.
nami shoots him a death glare but you intervene before she can scold him.
âway to keep me humble, luffy.â
âno problem!âÂ
at that exact moment, a freshly showered zoro arrives donning a silk robe. he eyes the multitude of garments that cover every inch of the room, not particularly impressed.Â
âthere you are. donât you think she looks nice?â nami asks him, gesturing towards you. she doesnât notice how you shrink under zoroâs gaze. neither does he, as his eyes take their time raking over you, from top to bottom.
he hums. âsuits you.â with that, he sets off towards a chair in the corner of the room. Â
âseriously?â sighs nami, exasperated. âare you two physically unable to give compliments or something?âÂ
âhey, doesnât that butler seem familiar to you guys?â zoro asks, promptly ignoring namiâs complaint.Â
his question causes your breath to hitch. youâd pushed the kuro problem to the back of your mind while you were in search of a suitable dinner outfit. you figured that as long as your crew was by your side, he wouldnât dare try anything. and even if he did⌠well, youâd seen what had happened to axe-hand morgan and buggy.Â
âyeah, i think he was at the last dinner party i attended,â nami replies sarcastically, taking a handful of dresses behind the changing board.Â
as he takes a seat, zoro grumbles, âi swear iâve seen him before.âÂ
âwhere?â you canât help but ask, fiddling with the lace on the neckline of your dress.Â
âso far, iâve got two suspicions. a wanted poster or funky bar on mirrorball island. you ever been?â
you know zoroâs teasing you, judging by the grin on his face. after all, funky bar was known to get insanely rowdy; never would he imagine finding someone as gentle as you there. but what he didnât know is that it happened to be one of kuroâs favorite bars. per his request, you and the rest of the black cat pirates frequented it often, so he was more than likely right about having seen kuro there. heâd probably even seen you in passing, once or twice. thankfully, he doesnât seem to have any recollection of that.
the thought of zoro knowing about your past forms a knot in the pit of your stomach. would he think less of you for having joined such a ruthless crew at one point in your life? what if it put a strain on the friendship youâd worked so hard to form?Â
âiâve, uh, heard of it,â you decide to reply, pushing down your worries for the time being.Â
he tilts his head slightly, thinking out loud. âthen again, i have seen a lot of wanted posters and bars in my time as a pirate hunter.â
you feel a grin creep onto your face. âprobably more bars than posters, huh?â
zoro mirrors your smile. âshut up.â
by the time dinner rolls around, the entire crew is doing what they do best.Â
luffy is stuffing his face, nami is attempting to swindle one of the staff, zoro is hanging by the drinks, and youâre hanging by zoro.Â
âhey zoro, you gotta try this!â luffy calls through a mouthful of food.
âiâve got all i need right here,â he mutters, taking a swig out of his champagne flute.Â
âyou know, i donât think iâve ever seen you choke down something that isnât alcohol,â you comment, watching the way he downs the glass in one go.Â
dryly, he replies, âthatâs because i havenât.â
âvery on brand.â
âladies and gentlemen,â calls out that voice from the top of the stairs. âmay i present⌠miss kaya.â
arm in arm, kuro and kaya walk down the steps, all eyes on the birthday girl and her stunning gown. well, except you. your eyes never leave the so-called butler by her side. your jaw clenches when he has the audacity to meet your gaze and hold it. shameless bastard.Â
once they reach the bottom, merry leads kaya to the guests while kuro takes his post at the bottom of the stairs⌠right next to the drink table. before you can think about steering yourself and zoro away, kuro speaks.
âforgive me if i am speaking out of line, madam, but i must inform you. you look positively radiant,â he purrs, soaking in your appearance. he looks ready to pounce.
you canât stop your eyes from rolling. good to know heâs the same pervert he used to be.
looking between you both and sensing your discomfort, zoro steps in. âand you look familiar.âÂ
kuroâs head stiffly turns to face him, eyes peeling away from you. âhighly doubtful, sir.âÂ
âfunky bar? mirror ball island?âÂ
âfunky bar?â kuro repeats, disgusted. âwell, i can assure you iâve never patronized that type of establishment.âÂ
while it was amusing to see your highly esteemed former captain lie through his teeth, the tension between him and zoro was unbearable.Â
âwell then.â zoro continues with his little interrogation. âever been on a wanted poster?â
you cringe at his bluntness. sometimes it seemed like he had less of a filter than luffy.
kuro puts on a scandalized face at the question. âsir! such an accusation is highly offensive.â tugging on his collar, he goes to remove himself from zoroâs probing. ânow, if youâll excuse me, iâm going to help prepare the dinner table.âÂ
he leaves, en route to the dining room. zoroâs eyes follow his figure until he disappears, squinting as he racks his brain for any further recollection of this suspicious butler.Â
you sigh. if zoro was going to continue being so relentless, you were sure the night would end in bloodshed and uncovered secrets.Â
âkeep this coming,â zoro demands, handing the empty wine bottle to sham. she takes it with a glare.Â
âwould it kill you to say please?â you ask, slicing the slab of fish on your plate into smaller pieces.
âthe service here is shitty. why should i have to be polite?âÂ
you scowl. âremind me to never have dinner with you again.â
zoro turns to you with that cocky grin of his. âwhat if i asked nicely?âÂ
his quip makes your heart flutter but you manage to keep your composure. âyou can try your luck.âÂ
before he can respond, usopp speaks up. âluffy, isnât there something that you wanted to talk to kaya about?âÂ
luffy gesticulates enthusiastically with his fork. âoh, yes! usopp told me that you own the whole shipyard.âÂ
âwell, actually, my parents founded the shipyard and merryâs been running the business since they⌠passed. but all thatâs about to change. tonight, at midnight, i will become the sole owner.â she smiles somberly.Â
âwell, thatâs great,â luffy says, raising his drink at her. âbecause we want to buy a ship from you.âÂ
âah, i see. usopp mentioned that youâre sailors.âÂ
ânope, not sailors. weâre pirates!â
youâre certain at least three people at the table choke on their food, yourself included.Â
âthis ought to be good,â zoro mumbles behind his glass.
youâre too busy coughing into your napkin to chastise him for finding this entertaining.
âpirates?â kaya repeats, unsure of how to react.Â
âyup! we havenât sailed together for very long but weâve already defeated an evil clown, raided a marine base, and taken down a captain with an axe! for a hand!â luffy holds up a fist, presumably to impersonate axe-hand morgan.
âsounds a lot like your adventures, usopp,â kaya says, turning to the brunette.
all he can do is laugh dryly. âyeah, thatâs⌠thatâs crazy.âÂ
âand weâre just getting started!â luffy continues, climbing up onto the table.
âsomeone put me out of my misery,â you mumble, looking down at your plate to ignore the secondhand embarrassment.
a tap on your shoulder answers your plea.
turning around, you find yourself face to face with kuro once again. âmadam, a word please?â
âmight i ask what for?â zoro cuts in before you can so much as think of a response.
kuro offers him the most forced grin youâve ever had the displeasure of seeing. âiâm afraid that is between the lady and i.â
the swordsman turns to you, scanning your face for any ounce of discomfort. âyou okay with that?â
you inhale, figuring it was finally time for you to confront the darkest part of your past. it was silly to assume you would be able to ignore him throughout your entire stay here. besides, you were sure zoro, just like the rest of your crew, would be on standby if kuro got brave enough to try anything. âsure. just⌠keep an eye out.â
zoro understands completely. truthfully, you didnât even need to ask â he always looked after you. âgot it.â
you push yourself out of your seat and smooth out your dress. you allow kuro to lead you to the doorway â he was smart enough to know that was the farthest youâd let him take you.Â
âwhat do you want, klahadore?â you seethe, folding your arms.
he arches a brow. âwhy must you call me that? itâs ridiculous.âÂ
you tilt your head with faux innocence. âoh? is that not your name? must have misheard.â
he gives you an irritated look, dark eyes drilling into you.
âi remember that look,â you mutter, your memory serving you well. âitâs the same one youâd give me before youâd threaten to slice me to bits with your claws.â
kuro has the audacity to chuckle dryly. âbut i never did, did i? although there were certainly times times where i shouldâve.â
âwhat you should be is dead,â you hiss bitterly. âwhen i heard the news, i knew it was too good to be true.â
âyou wound me, kitten,â he drawls, reaching up to fix his glasses.Â
the condescending nickname makes your skin crawl. it carried so many awful memories of your time spent with the black cat pirates. it reminded you of just how weak kuro viewed you â nothing but a helpless, pitiful kitten in his eyes. typical of the man that abused his authority and treated you with not a single ounce of respect.Â
he continues, putting on a sweet tone. âafter all these years, stuck waiting hand and foot on that spoiled brat, thereâs nothing iâd love more than to hear my favorite crew mate say my real name.â
you snap at him. âiâm no crew mate of yours.â
he sighs, dramatically. âsadly, youâre correct. after all, you did slip off the ship the moment we docked in shells town. locating you on an island crawling with marines proved to be nearly impossible. we had no choice but to leave without you.â
âthatâs exactly why i chose to escape there.âÂ
âand to this day i canât for the life of me figure out why you would ever do that. why would you want to leave us? leave me?â
you actually laugh right in his face. âis it really that hard to figure out? you were evil. you threatened and harassed me on a daily basis.â
âso your solution was to join that ragtag crew?â he glances at the table. âitâs pathetic, even for you.â
you lean into his face, lowering your voice down. âiâm happier than i ever was on your shitty crew. every day i wake up grateful that i managed to escape you.â
you see that vein on his forehead bulge before heâs gripping you by the chin. âlisten here, you little bitchââ
the shiny silver of a sword slides between you and kuro, coming to rest against his neck. his adamâs apple bobs as he gulps anxiously, releasing you. thanks to zoroâs sword, it seemed as if he finally remembered where he was. you were no longer on his ship, he was no longer allowed to treat you like the dirt he walked on. not without someone noticing, that is.Â
âwhy donât you step away?â zoro offers simply.
that much was a kindness. usually those who found themselves on the end of zoroâs blade(s) werenât lucky enough to receive a warning. however, the swordsman didnât wish to cause a scene. at least not when you were right there and everyone was watching with shock from the dinner table.
kuro obliges, stumbling back. he meets kayaâs horrified eyes, feeling ashamed that he allowed his act to slip. surely this would cause some setbacks in his plan. with no excuse for his uncharacteristic behavior, the raven haired man scurries away and up the stairs.
zoro turns and locks eyes with luffy, giving him one singular nod. luffy returns it, jumping out of his seat and going after the butler. quiet murmuring breaks out at the dinner table, everyone surely confused.Â
sheathing his sword, zoro directs his attention to you once more. âare you alright?â a calloused hand comes up to grip your chin, much like kuro had. however, this time, the touch is gentle. loving, almost. you welcome it.
âyeah, iâm⌠fine.â your heart is beating out of your chest and it has everything to do with your close proximity to zoro.
he tilts your face around, inspecting every inch of it. once he finishes, he pulls back. his demeanor goes serious once more. âwe need to have a talk.â
you nod. âi know. iâve been keeping some things from you guys andââ
âjust tell me whatâs been going on,â he demands. âand donât overcomplicate it. you can be straightforward with me.â
his sincerity makes you start over, this time far more candidly. âklahadore used to be a pirate. i was part of his crew. he was my⌠captain.â
the shame in your voice pulls at zoroâs heartstrings. didnât you know there was no reason to feel guilty with him? âis that it?âÂ
you open your mouth to speak but come up empty. all you can do is furrow your eyebrows at his unexpectedly dismissive reaction.
âi knew it,â zoro continues, annoyed. âi knew iâd seen him on a wanted poster before. just didnât have any proof.â
âwait, so you donâtâ you really donât care?â you ask, still avoiding eye contact. âme being a former black cat pirate doesnât bother you?â
he shrugs. âyou said it yourself. âformer.â all that matters is that you got the hell out of there. and away from that creep. would he always put his hands on you like that?â
you blink a couple times, sighing. âhis temper was really bad soââ
that seemed to be enough for zoro. âiâll kill the bastard,â he hisses. âwanted to slice him to bits the moment i saw him grab you.âÂ
though itâs a violent threat, you canât help but smile. the idea of zoro being so protective that heâd kill a man just for touching you made you blush. pirate love language, you suppose.
âwell, i wouldnât have stopped you,â you tell him, more than ready to see your former captain go.
zoro clicks his tongue. ânah. couldâve stained your new dress with his blood. i never would have been able to forgive myself.â
âso you do have a soft spot,â you tease.
âonly for pretty things.â
âdo you mean me or the dress?âÂ
now itâs zoroâs turn to become bashful. though, his lack of response is an answer in itself. you canât help but giggle.Â
a loud bang from upstairs interrupts your moment with the green-haired man. you assume luffy had gotten his hands on kuro⌠or vice versa. zoro must be thinking the same thing judging by the way he instinctively rests a hand on the handle of his blade.
âyou should go up there,â you tell him. âiâll stay with kaya.â Â
he gives you a nod, though he doesnât make any effort to leave. he stands there like he wants to say something⌠or do something. before you can think about it too much, you pull him in by the collar and crash your lips onto his. theyâre slightly chapped and taste like the wine thatâd come from the cellar â itâs pleasant. his large palms come to rest on your lower back; his hold feels tight and secure.Â
when you finally allow yourself to pull away, youâre biting back a smile. âkick his ass for me.âÂ
âwill i get more of that if i do?â asks zoro, wetting his lips. they now taste like the cherry lip gloss youâd borrowed from kaya. he takes a step forward, attempting to close the gap between you two once more.
you shrug, pushing him away by the chest. âgo help luffy and weâll see.â
you both know that means yes.
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Stede's journey screams demisexuality to me. (And as someone who is demi, I love it.)
I've posted about a reading of Ed as demiromantic as well.
Stede doesn't leave to find (romantic) love. He set out to find himself, to find a community. And he finds that! His crew becomes his family (it's also part of why he starts crying and really starts to self-destruct in 2x7 when they start to leave.)
Along the way he finds not only a best friend, but the love of his life: in that same person. Stede's journey is a blatant queer allegory: a man who has never fit into society, who is treated poorly for not fitting into *pick your societal norm*, who finds himself through community, fixing some of his past relations, but also discovering his sexuality: gay and demisexual.
Stede and Ed's connection is based on friendship â their emotional journey. We see an instant connection in 1x4 where both of them are fascinated by each other.
Stede tries to be open with the crew beforehand, an open door policy to the cabins, various other rooms, and the library. He tries to form that connection with others (to varying degrees at first.)
But when Ed enters the picture, they immediately have that connection. They are interested in each other and their idiosyncrasies.
We see their friendship grow over the course of the next few episodes. They remain equal in all things, learning and teaching each other. We see the deepening of friendship of course in the big scene of the bathtub.
Ed shares his biggest secret (secrets technically), trusting Stede with it. And Stede responds in kind, using the term friend for the first time. Their emotional intimacy grows deeper here.
We also see their connection and friendshio in the small moments. From how well they match each other with playing/riffing off of each other, finding in one another a partner. Something they always wanted. Someone who gets them for who they are, but also meets them at that level, letting them unmask and have fun.
And in small gestures such as learning basic things about each other: Stede knowing exactly how Ed likes his tea. That Ed will be cranky that he has sand in his beard. That Ed would set the world on fire or die trying, etc.
So much of Stede's s journey is having an emotional connection to Ed, and from there a sexual one. But it takes him a while to figure it out. I don't read his season one trek as repressed but rather not ever having that connection with another human being before â particularly a man. He knows about same sex relationships (he presumably went to boarding school and is on the queerest pirate ship in the Caribbeanđ) but I don't think he ever attached it to himself.
Their friendship crosses the line at their first kiss. But the focus of the kiss isn't sexual, it's emotional. It's that sigh at finally finding the thing you always wanted but simultaneously didn't know you needed. That feeling of oh, there you are.
We don't see Stede show (romantic/sexual) interest in anyone else. (Same thing with Ed in a way, but Ed's journey is another topic.)
Even during their time apart, they are both pining for each other, no hints of feelings or acts with others.
Stede is having sex dreams about Ed at night and writing gorgeous love letters during the day. And when they finally connect again, Stede and Ed take it slow. Stede tells Ed exactly how he feels about him, and it isn't about how he wants to jump his bones. He tells him he just likes being near him. And respects Ed's boundaries, never crossing them and telling him he doesn't have to say anything back.
One of my favorite things about their relationship is their consent and bodily autonomy respect in each other. He knows Ed and respects Ed. Ed knows and respects Stede.
They are friends first and lovers second.
At the surface his dreams may be about becoming a pirate (not really being a pirate but rather using the stories of pirates he read in books to achieve his dream of getting community), but ultimately, his dream is just really getting to be himself, love himself, and in the process, he picks up a found family. It's mutual.
Stede no doubt knew about sexual attraction, particularly others having it, but not so much himself having it nor acting on it. Not until Ed at least. And when he does discover and puts into words those feelings, everything going on with his sexuality, Stede does not hesitate, he does not doubt. He goes after Ed, after love.
Watching Stede discover love for the first time, a deep emotional friendship that then evolves into a romantic and sexual one. His demisexual journey over the two seasons (so far) has been wonderful to watch and connect with.
That's my demisexual king! And queen! Everything!
I've written pieces of this before, but I wanted to combine all of it together into one post.
Happy Asexual Awareness week, loves! đ¤đŠśđ¤đ
#ofmd#our flag means death#stede bonnet#demi!stede#demisexual#demisexual stede#edward teach#gentlebeard#blackbonnet#happy asexual awareness week#happy asexual sunday#ok i may be a week late on it#but I've been super busy and sick this week
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Forever In Between - Invictus
Robin appears to have stumbled into a rather nightmarish situation and itâs up to you to ensure he makes it out alive. If he dies-.. well, maybe thatâs it, or maybe he just wakes up, or maybe he wonât die at all?! Probably best not to find out the hard way though, right?
Invictus is a multiple-choice Halloween special based on Until Dawn, various other classic horror games, a teensy bit (read: a lot) of brain rot, and an overactive imagination; mine or Robinâs, you decide.
I know that creepy, slightly gory things aren't for everyone so below is a list of potential trigger warnings and if you want to sit this one out you can block the tag "fib invictus" and we'll pick up where we left off storywise in November! đ¤đ§Ą
creepy dolls, various monsters, weapons, blood, death, murder, corpses, fighting, injuries, needles, electrocution, experimentation (not the good kind) and general peril!
As a side warning: I will be continuing with regular previous/next links as it's still technically part of the story, though I will provide a link to skip past it all when the time comes, so look out for that when normal posts resume! My usual mon-fri schedule will probs go out the window too as some posts will have votes that last a day so I'll either take the day between those off or post later than usual idk we'll see what happens đ¤¸ââď¸
Last but not least I'd like to give some shout outs to those that've helped me during this process đ¤
Props to @softpine for some of the Until Dawn assets used and for inspo from this post! đ§Ą
To @sirianasims for helping me find ridiculous amounts of disgusting, amazing cc and generally spit balling ideas with me from the very start đ¤¸ââď¸
A big thank you to @zosa95 for being my beta reader, listening to me witter about this project since fkin forever ago and sharing my excitement đ¤
Thanks to everyone in the story server for putting up with numerous out of context screenies and for enduring my whinging about how tired I've been recently skdjsk.. particularly @lynzishell @hannahssimblr @madebycoffee @daniigh0ul and @sirianasims for consistently cheering me on when I was pooped đŠ
Okok last LAST but not least, some rambling.. I've been busy with this project in the background since the end of July and keeping up with regular story nonsense whilst working on this and adulting in between was NOT it đ
(if you noticed my regular posts lacking in their usual vibrancy no u didn't.. but ur also right cos i've had to be super lazy with it recently to keep up with two things at once, so SORRY! fkjfk)
Anyway, hopefully it's worth it, I had a lot of fun making this special and I'm pretty proud of it so I hope everyone enjoys our October shenanigans this year! Maybe I'll find some time to make some gifts for simblreen but I'm not promising anything cos I'm eepy.. maybe my gift this year is just danger and violence instead ehehe đťđŞ
#ts4#sims 4#simblr#ts4 story#sims story#forever in between#fib#fib invictus#i'm very excited for this and i hope you are too!#i can't wait to see what options u guys vote for on stuff#clapping my lil handies like a seal let's GO!!!#weeeee#đđ
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I have a small proposal for you! I want to do a sort of... event? I'm not sure what exactly to call it, but something interactive! I think it would be fun, just to get back into the swing of things creatively as well as have fun with those I haven't been able to talk to!
"THE REM EXPRESS"
a game? i suppose it is! I'm not sure what it is! but i do know i want You to "play" it!
Only if you are interested in it though! it is largely based on interaction!
Let me explain! Think of it as a visual novel, but just in the form of posts! (I do not have the technical prowess to actually make a visual novel...)
I will need 8 participants! (disclaimer, mutuals will have a preference! So, sorry! But don't feel discouraged! i don't think i have that many mutuals hehe!)
Those who wish to participate and take part in the "game" will need to send in their ocs! any will do! however i do take a liking to welcome home ocs!
(I should probably note that participants and "players" are two separate things! Players are those who just interact with the post!)
The game is a mystery! and i will most likely make a separate blog for it! the synopsis is as such:
"After missing your first train, you find there's another right after it, seemingly heading to the same destination. After getting acquainted with the passengers on the train, you find that they are a little strange, along with the train that drives on no tracks."
of course, the story will be pushed along by You! as polls and certain asks will dictate how things will go!
again it's only a silly idea! i'd love to hear your opinions!
anyway, i hold out my hands and present to you Train Conductor Rainy! hehe!
(credits to @thatthirstyweirdo for coloring the Rem Express poster! mwah! she did a wonderful job!)
#rainy dewdrop#the rem express#hey you! pspspspss you!!!#i would love to know if you'd like to participate!#if you wish to send in an oc please dm me!#mwah!#i suppose this would be a project...#ahh another to add to the pile!#yippee!#welcome home oc#oc...game???#im not sure what it is yet hehe!#ocs#theremexpress#remexpress#tre
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Dead Boy Detectives Fic Recs Part 6
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
Sorry its been a while, last month was crazy! Not too crazy for my emotional support fandom, though! You guys are giving me life. So please have another fic rec list. :)
We two boys together clinging by Aliquis
Charles and Edwin explore their romantic and sexual hangups and also help Crystal search for Niko. This fic has everything: excellent writing, developing relationship, rituals, first time, Beltane, a hot priest. This is already a fandom classic and now I've finally read it, I can confirm it's very good! Read the rest of the series too!
The stranger the better by ghostinthelibrary
Everyone's alive and basically the supernatural version of the Men in Black. I love the whole series, but this installment has the boys' first meeting, Edwin insisting he doesn't need a new partner, office gossip and an intriguing case. The prequel also has palasaki and background catwin! Anyway, I'm obsessed with this AU.
Partridge in a Pear Tree by Vamillepudding
Cinderella AU! Charles is basically a Disney Princess and Edwin is Secretly The Prince, it's wonderful. I also loved the worldbuilding and nods to old school Cinderella lore, like the gift-giving tree. So charming, highly recommended.
Wunderkammer by dear_monday, two_ravens
Edwin and Charles (and later Crystal) are functionally immortal and running a magical museum. This fic has a fantastic sense of place (the Athenaeum is a character in its own right) and an intriguingly gothic horror vibe with its sentient exhibits, doors into other planes and unnerving nonchalance about disappearing staff and guests. I would probably die, but I would absolutely go there.
pinch me (I don't want this to be a dream) by shadowquill17
The pince-nez fic! Charles finds a pair of glasses that show him a person's desires. Then he looks at Edwin. It goes about as well as you'd expect. It was inspired by this wonderful comic by technically-human so check that out too!
Let Me Follow by LikeMmmCookies
Time loop fic! The boys get trapped in Crystal's mind, replaying the day of Charles' death. Only Edwin is the New Boy in school and he's alive... Fantastic concept, so intriguing. Plus Crystal being a badass, The Sandman crossovers and Niko!
Oaths of the Forsworn by e_va
Vampire AU! The boys meet while Charles is dying so Vampire!Edwin agrees to turn him. The story is ongoing, but so far it's been focusing on Charles coping with being a fledgling vampire. Compelling.
lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate by KiaraSayre
Edwin is in Hell. Or is he? Fabulous writing, Hell worldbuilding and gut-wrenching detail. Cw for body horror and torture.
'Cause You Cut Through All the Noise by DontOffendTheBees
Edwin doms Charles in a therapeutic and non-sexual way. That's it and it's great. I loved this for its exploration of intimacy, trust and kink.
Instructions on Being by thewritingotter
Everyone is Alive Modern AU based on an AITA post featuring Charles convincing himself he's homophobic when he realizes he hates Edwin dating other men. It sounds like a funny premise, but really brings the angst and poignancy.
in an alternate timeline's light by plentyghost
Charles finds comics!Edwin hiding in the office. Sweet.
Become So Numb by snowkatze
AU where the Night Nurse doesn't help Charles and Edwin spends another 50 years in Hell. Loved Edwin's mechanism for escape, kind-of-dark Charles and the angsty reunion.
unidentified affectionate object by lyres
Edwin is struck by a curse that manifests his feelings as random objects. Good thing Charles isn't also effected... Very cute with mild angst and a happy ending.
between you and me, suddenly something is on my mind by lolotr
Beach episode! A proper one. Just fun, friendship and emotional support. Plus Edwin in an Edwardian swimming costume, complete with a handy visual aid.
Other Types of Intimacy by Asidian
After a tough case, Edwin takes care of Orb!Charles. (Chorb? Is this chorbwin?) I guess I have a thing for non-sexual intimacy. Seriously, though, what could be more beautiful than someone cuddling your soul?
(black is the colour) of my true love's hair by ObsessedWithFandom
Charles has long hair: the fic. Interesting ghost lore with Charles' hair kind of working like his mood-ring polo and growing when he's happy. And this is an established relationship payneland fic, so lately he's been very happy. đ Honestly, as a child of the 80s, Charles deserves to have long hair. I need more fanart!
@ghostinthelibrarywrites @shadowquill17 @tumblerislovetumblerislife @lolotr @technically-human @dont-offend-the-bees @neurodivergent-fangirling @fishy-lava @many-gay-magpies @cordelia-noir @whatthehorsedoicallthisblog @shazziez @extremely-eager-reader @atariakana @tragedy-machine @guardianspirits13 @colourmornings @herebehunters @dearheartdont @avoiceofnerat @littlepocketuniverse @overlord-of-chaos @fairandfatalasfair @handwrittenhello @every-moment-a-different-sound
I've added some tags for people who left fun tags/comments on previous lists. Let me know if you'd like me to add you on the next one. :)
#dead boy detectives#payneland#fanfiction#fic recs#my fic recs#my recs#dbda fic#dbda fic recs#payneland fic#payneland fic recs#dead boy detectives fanfiction#dead boy detectives fic recs#palasaki#fic rec list#chedwin#fic rec friday#painland#dbda fanfic#dbda fanfiction#charles x edwin#paineland#payneland fics#dbda fandom#vampire au#beach episode#crossovers#modern au#dom/sub#time loops#cinderella au
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Life Day Wishes
Hunter/Fem!Reader
Words: 4,478
Summary: [Modern/Neighbors AU] You had long since become a true member of Hunter's family, even if it took him over five years to actually admit to you how he feels.
Prompts: gift exchange || "i hope you know how much i love you" (which was slightly modified to fit the fic - i hope that's okay!)
Note: this is one of my contributions to the @cloneficgiftexchange life day exchange, which i ran! i was so excited to receive @captainpains as my giftee, and i wanted to write something silly, fluffy, and fun for you :) hope you enjoy!
Clone Troopers Masterlist
Holiday advertisements were playing on practically every channel as you flipped through the stations on the TV, different snippets of Life Day music being cut short with each press of the remote. Itâs not that you were tired of the holidays or that you disliked them, but right now everything was a constant reminder of the fact that you wouldnât have anyone to spend them with this year. Your sister and her family would be spending the holidays at a soccer tournament for your nephew, so you didnât really envy her, but it still meant that you would be spending Life Day completely alone for the first time.Â
An infomercial for a fancy kind of chiller was lighting up the screen as you turned back to check on Omega. Hunched over the kitchen table with homework spread out in front of you, she was hard at work. You worked at the school she attended (though you didnât usually see her at all during the day), so you drove her home in the afternoons and made sure she didnât accidentally set the house on fire until her dad got home from work.Â
âYou almost done over there?â you asked, a smile on your face. This evening, Hunter had told you that he would be home a little later than usual, so you had a small surprise for Omega.Â
âJust two more math problems!â she called back, still focused intently on the papers in front of her. âI already did my social studies homework.âÂ
You hummed in response as you turned your attention back to the TV, not wanting to bother her while she was still working. Despite the fact that it was a Friday and she technically didnât have to finish everything, you had heard stories in the past of forgotten projects and her rushing to get everything done before bed on Sunday night, which you werenât looking to facilitate.Â
A few moments later though, you were getting up from Hunterâs (incredibly comfortable) armchair and pulling a folder out of your bag. âSince itâs gonna be us this evening, I thought we could order a pizza and then make some Life Day cookies,â you said, watching Omegaâs face light up at the idea.Â
âYes!â Omega said, running over and throwing her arms around you as you pulled out a cookie recipe. âCan we get the tooka shaped pizza from Dexâs?âÂ
âOf course!â You said, returning her hug. You knew that Hunter tried his best to be there for her, but the fact that he was a single dad certainly made things a little more difficult. He had confided in you that he picked up some overtime to make sure he could get the best Life Day gifts for Omega, but she didnât know that, and you could tell she was probably feeling a little sad that she didnât see him as much.
A little while later, after the two of you were done tearing into your adorably shaped dinner, ingredients for cookies were being removed from cabinets as you asked Omega about her plans for Life Day.Â
âMy uncles are going to come over and weâll have a big dinner,â she said. âI think next weekend my dad and I are going to put up the decorations.âÂ
âThatâs great,â you said. âDo you know what youâre going to get your dad and uncles yet?âÂ
Omega shook her head. âI donât, and I donât think the holiday market at school will have things theyâd want.âÂ
You laughed; she was certainly right about that statement. The school holiday market, which was great for getting kids used to handling money and making a budget based on how many people they had to buy gifts for, was not the best place to look for meaningful presents. âIâm sure your dad and uncles would appreciate anything, as long as it came from you.âÂ
You werenât lying about that. Living next door to Hunter and Omega for the past five years meant that you were also close with her uncles and even some of her extended family, and many a summer night had been spent sitting around the fire pit in their backyard, drinking with Hunter and his brothers as Omega hung out with her friends on the swingset. You knew for a fact that even if she handed them a pile of painted bantha shit, Tech, Wrecker, Echo, and even Crosshair would smile and pretend she had gifted them a priceless artifact.Â
âI know,â she said, placing her measuring cup in the container of sugar and starting to scoop out what the recipe required. âBut I still want to get them something nice.âÂ
âWhy donât you ask your dad to take you out shopping?â you asked. âHeâs spent enough time with his brothers to help you pick something out.âÂ
Omega nodded. âThatâs a good idea.âÂ
âAnd if you want, I can help you out when it comes to shopping for your dad,â you said. âI donât even know what Iâm going to get him anyway.âÂ
Your statement was not one you considered to be scandalous or abnormal, but Omega stopped what she was doing to stare incredulously in your direction. âWhy are you getting my dad a gift?âÂ
The real answer was considerably more complicated, but you didnât dare get into that with a middle schooler as you stood in the center of her kitchen. âBecause weâre friends,â you said. âI got him and your uncles something last year, why would this year be any different?âÂ
âOh,â was Omegaâs response, and the way she latched onto your words certainly struck you as odd. There was no way she picked up on your feelings for her father, you had done so well hiding them from everyone (yourself included, since you didnât even realize you liked Hunter until a little over a year ago). âI forgot how long weâve known you.âÂ
âThatâs okay, sometimes I do the same thing,â you said, a smile on your face. âYou can make it up to me by telling me what your dad might want for Life Day though.âÂ
The young girl paused before speaking. âThere is this caf machine heâs been looking at,â she said. âBut I think itâs pretty expensive.âÂ
You nodded as Omega tried to remember the name of the machine, but it just wasnât coming to her. âDonât worry about it,â you said. âIf he talks about it again, let me know and we can look for it when we go shopping. If you still want to go shopping with me of course.â Omega nodded brightly, and the conversation trailed off as things began to require your full attention.Â
Hunter walked in the door about an hour later, and the house was alight with laughter as the two of you rolled out cookies and dipped them in sprinkles and sugar before placing them on baking sheets. The moment she noticed her dad, Omega dropped her rolling pin and ran over to tackle him in a hug, effectively covering him in flour as it transferred from her clothes.Â
âHey Megs!â Hunter said, happily returning his daughterâs powdery hug. âHaving fun?âÂ
âWeâre making cookies!â
âI can tell,â he said, gaze meeting yours as he surveyed his (now very messy) kitchen.Â
âWeâre almost done,â you said warmly, holding up the last dough ball that has yet to be shaped. âDo you want to do the honors?âÂ
 Hunter nodded, walking over to you (after a quick detour to the sink, where Omega made him wash his hands) and taking the rolling pin from where it had been discarded before, and with a little bit of help, the last cookie took shape.Â
Once the kitchen had been cleaned and the cookies lay cooling, it was just you and Hunter. âThank you for doing this with her,â he said sincerely. âI know she can tell Iâve been gone longer than usual.âÂ
You nodded. âShe doesnât blame you, but I think she worries.âÂ
âI know,â Hunter sighed. âMaker, I wish things were easier.â
âYouâre definitely not alone with that sentiment.âÂ
âI have the week after Life Day off, I think Iâm going to see if she wants to do anything special.â
âThatâs a good idea,â you said. âI know things get busy as youâre planning everything for the holiday.âÂ
Hunter nodded. âYeah. At least you only host half the time.âÂ
âAnd this year I donât have to do anything,â you said, continuing when Hunter shot you a quizzical look. âMy sister and her family are going to a soccer tournament over break, so Iâll have the day to myself.âÂ
âYou should come over here,â was his immediate response, followed by a rushed âonly if you want to.âÂ
âPlease, you know I enjoy spending time with your family,â you laughed. âI donât want to be any trouble though, if things are already planned.âÂ
Now it was his turn to scoff. âYou could never be a bother,â he said. âI promise.âÂ
âThen Iâll be there,â you said.Â
The smile he gave you in response nearly stopped your heart right then and there. Now your gift for him definitely had to be perfect.Â
***
The rotations until Life Day were slipping away faster than Hunter could have ever expected, and it still felt like he hadnât even started preparing. There was still so much to shop for, plan for, and donât even get him started on the pile of gifts for his daughter slowly accumulating in the trunk of his car and the back of his closet (that would all need to be wrapped when she wasnât around to peek at them).Â
It was something of a relief when you offered to take Omega shopping for Life Day presents one weekend, because that meant he could recruit his brothers to help out in other ways and he didnât have to worry about Omega walking in and seeing any of her gifts.
Tech and Crosshair were in charge of gift wrapping, and they operated like a well-oiled machine as they sat on the floor in the living room, tinsel, bows and patterned rolls of paper spread all within armâs reach. The mountain of presents had been pulled from their hiding places, and it appears that Hunter may have gone a little overboard this year when shopping for Omega.Â
Echo and Wrecker were in charge of the menu and the grocery list for Life Day dinner, and Hunter could hear the playful bickering between the two as they squabbled over how many side dishes they should have and whether or not three dessert options was too much (Wrecker believed there should be at least five options, a sentiment Hunter did not disagree with, if he was being honest).Â
His job out of all this was looking at the gifts already purchased and making a list of people he still needed to shop for, along with making sure the gifts they had for Omegaâs teachers were done. Omega would (hopefully) be returning from her outing today with presents purchased for all her uncles, but that still meant Hunter had to buy something for them, as well as for a few other friends. He had just finished the list of people he would need to shop for when he heard Crosshairâs voice over his shoulder.Â
âI expected that weâd be low on the list of priorities, but your girlfriend? Thatâs just mean.âÂ
Hunter, his mind still running through a list of all the people he knew in an effort to make sure he hadnât forgotten anyone, looked up at him with confusion. âWhat are you talking about? I donât have a girlfriend.âÂ
Crosshair raised his eyebrows, and everyone else in the house stopped what they were doing to stare at Hunter, because they knew exactly where this conversation was heading. âReally? Whereâs your kid right now?âÂ
âSheâs with-â Hunter started to respond before catching on to his brotherâs implication. âHow many times do I have to tell you that weâre not together?âÂ
âYou could be, if you just asked her out already. Honestly, if you keep at this pace Omega will have bought a house of her own before you even think about making a move.âÂ
A heaving sigh left Hunterâs mouth. âFirst of all, I donât like her in that way.â
Before he could continue his statement, the house erupted with laughter (a reaction that Hunter did not appreciate). âGive it up Hunter,â Echo said as he looked up from the menu he was penning. âOmega practically calls her mom and you get a stupid look on your face whenever you mention her.âÂ
As much as he would have liked to continue denying his feelings to protect his pride, Hunter had to admit that his brothers were right. He had been absolutely smitten from the first moment he met you five years ago. You had knocked on their door to introduce yourself, with homemade muffins in your hands and a smile on your face, and he had almost forgotten how to talk. As the years went by and you got closer and closer to him and his daughter, it had become increasingly more difficult to ignore the attraction he felt. âFine, you diâkuts are right,â he said. âBut she doesnât feel the same way, and Iâm not going to ruin the positive relationship she has with Omega. Besides, I canât afford an actual babysitter.âÂ
âOmega is more than capable of spending the afternoons by herself, and she could take the bus home after school,â Tech said. âAlso, you are decidedly incorrect about her not feeling the same way.âÂ
âGuys-âÂ
âItâs true!â Wrecker boomed. âWeâve spent enough time with her at your summer barbecues to catch how she looks at you.â
âAnd now sheâs coming to Life Day dinner,â Crosshair said. âFace it Hunter, youâre in love.â
âI invited her because she didnât have anywhere else to go!âÂ
âTwo things can be true at the same time,â Tech said.Â
âMaybe you could say something on Life Day,â Wrecker cut in. âWhat are you going to get her?âÂ
There was a significant pause before Hunter responded, his voice much quieter than it had been before. âI donât know.âÂ
Hunter loved his brothers, he truly did. But right now, as they rattled off endless suggestions of things he could get you, he wanted to be anywhere else but here at the moment.Â
The feeling of his phone buzzing in his pocket provided a welcome distraction, and he looked down to see your name on the screen. Omega and I are going out to lunch and then weâll be home, youâve got about an hour left to finish wrapping her gifts, the text message read.Â
Thanks for the heads up, he texted back. Iâll make sure things are all cleaned up by then.Â
No matter how hard he tried to hide the smile that crossed his face, it was an impossible feat, as was getting his brothers to stop teasing him and get back to work, since they really didnât have much time to get everything done.Â
He still needed to think about a gift for you, and time was certainly running out. Trying to ignore the way his brain wandered towards easy daydreams was another unattainable goal, and he couldnât help but play through all different scenarios in his head of you and him, hearts and souls intertwined in domestic bliss.Â
As much as he didnât want to admit it, his brothers were right. Five years was long enough, he just needed to find the courage to actually tell you how he felt without chickening out, and maybe this Life Day he would prove successful.Â
***
Hunterâs home was less than a minute walk for you, but your heart was racing as you stepped up to the front door, as if you had run a marathon on the way. But the homemade cake you had brought was balanced precariously atop the gifts in your hands, and a single misstep could have spelled imminent disaster.
Thankfully, the door opened before you had finished ascending the porch stairs, and Hunter immediately pulled the cake from the top of the gift stack. âNeed any other help?â he asked.
âNo, but thank you,â you breathed, stepping inside and immediately walking through to the living room. Once the presents in your arms were deposited safely next to the tree, you were nearly tackled in a hug.Â
âHappy Life Day!â Omega said brightly, arms tight around your middle.Â
âHappy Life Day to you too,â you said, unable to keep a goofy smile from appearing on your face. Despite the fact that you didnât live here, something about this space, and especially these people, felt like home in a way you could never truly articulate.Â
When Omega finally let you go, you turned to Hunter. âAm I the first one here?â Even though you lived next door, you would have thought someone else would be here by now, especially since you arrived a little late (trying to close your own door with the gifts and cake was quite a challenge, but you managed).Â
Hunter nodded. âThe others arenât supposed to be here for another half hour,â he said. âOmega wanted to give you your gift as early as possible.âÂ
You looked back at Omega, who was practically vibrating with excitement. âWell, I canât leave her waiting any longer, can I?âÂ
After being directed to the couch, you watched Hunter sit down on the armchair across the room with a smile on his face. As Omega brought over a small box wrapped in tooka-patterned paper, you jokingly shook it, feeling something heavy rustle around. As you tore open the paper and opened the box, your eyes widened.Â
Glittering in the light of the tree across the room were two crystalline statues of your favorite animal. You had spent many hours doodling with Omega when she was younger at her kitchen table, and it was clear that this gift was her idea, as she had seen enough of your attempts at drawing these to know they were your favorite. âI love them,â you said sincerely, placing the statues on the couch side table before sweeping her up in a hug. âDo you want to open your gift now?â you asked, and her eyes lit up.Â
Hunter watched in amusement as you walked over to the tree and presented Omegaâs two gifts to her. She was much less gentle with the wrapping than you were, but that didnât really matter. âWow!â she said as she realized what it was, eyes wide as she took in the present, a high-quality set of paints, paintbrushes, and a pack of canvases, since she talked all the time about how much she enjoyed painting in art class.Â
Hunter opened his mouth, probably to prompt his daughter to say thank you, but she beat him to it, wrapping you in a hug once more and babbling excitedly about what sheâs going to paint with her new supplies.Â
When she finally let you go, you got up from the couch and stepped over towards the tree, where you picked up a large box and presented it to Hunter. His eyes widened. âFor me?âÂ
âYes!â you said. âOmega helped me pick it out, so technically itâs from both of us.âÂ
He took the box from you. âItâs heavy.â
You watched with bated breath as he ripped open the paper, a smile crossing his face as he realized what it was. âOmega spilled the beans about you wanting a new caf machine,â you said. âAnd Iâll admit, we did get a slightly better model than the one you have now.âÂ
âThatâs an understatement,â he said, staring at the graphics on the box that outlined all the different things this machine could do. âYou didnât have to get me anything.âÂ
âI wanted to,â you said, and the two of you locked eyes for a moment. There was so much you wanted to tell him, but you didnât exactly want to do it with an audience.
âThank you,â he said warmly, putting the box down to get up from his chair. He moved to hug you, but his daughter beat him to it. You had hugged Omega so many times today that part of your mind wished Hunter was the one to wrap your arms around you, but you tried to push those thoughts away.Â
After the moment had ended, you immediately moved to grab the used wrapping paper from the floor, and Omega took off somewhere else in the house, excitedly talking about how she couldnât wait for her uncles to arrive.Â
You and Hunter worked like you could read each othersâ minds, something you only noticed when you realized that you had wordlessly begun setting out hors d'oeuvres on the table in preparation for the rest of the family to arrive. Maker, things just felt so right here, with him, so much so that you never wanted to leave. Â
âHey,â Hunterâs voice interrupted your thoughts. âYou didnât open all your gifts yet.âÂ
You looked at him with a confused look on your face. âBut-âÂ
He shook his head. âWe- I have one more thing for you.âÂ
You took note of the way he corrected himself, watching as he left the kitchen and returned with a small box in his hands. It was completely silent as you tore open the paper and popped open the jewelry box to reveal a simple necklace, your first initial hanging from a silver chain.Â
âI didnât know what to get you, and then my brothers got in my head about making sure I got something good, so-â
âHunter,â you said softly, cutting off his rambling. âI love it.âÂ
He breathed an obvious sigh of relief, and you gently put the box down on the counter before moving towards him, throwing your arms around him and breathing in his scent. He returned the hug, and you felt as though you might die right here and now. You had hugged Hunter before, but they had always been quick goodbyes and polite greetings, never something like his.Â
As you moved to pull away, he gripped your side a little tighter. âWait,â he said, voice soft. Your faces were much closer than they had ever been before, and you wondered if he could hear the way your heart was beating faster than usual.Â
âWhat is it?â you breathed.
âCan I kiss you?âÂ
Despite having daydreamed about him saying those words to you multiple times since you met, it took a few seconds for you to register that they were actually leaving his lips at this moment. âYes,â you responded, allowing him to close the gap between you.Â
Kissing Hunter was like coming upon an oasis in the desert, the feeling of his lips on yours suddenly becoming a desperate need. If you were dreaming, you never wanted to wake up. One of your hands moved to his hair as his tightened around your waist, every ounce of passion that both of you had been keeping locked away finally bubbling to the forefront.Â
The sound of excited shrieking was what finally detached your lips from each other, and you both turned to see Omega standing in the doorway of the kitchen, a smile on her face. âDoes this mean I can call you mom?â she asked, looking expectantly at you.Â
Hunter shifted where he stood. âOmega-âÂ
But before he could say anything, you jumped in. âIf you promise not to say anything to your uncles, yes.âÂ
She nodded excitedly and ran up to the two of you for a hug before mumbling something about giving you space, leaving the room as empty as it had been a minute ago.
âIâm sorry if Iâm overstepping,â you said quickly. âIf you donât want her to call me that I can tell her I was mistaken.âÂ
âI was about to tell her that it was your decision,â he said warmly. âI donât want you to think that just because we kissed I was expecting anything more.âÂ
âWhat if I wanted something more?â you asked. âHunter, Iâve cared about you for so long now I barely even noticed my feelings until a year ago. But thereâs no mistaking how I feel anymore, and I want you to know how much I love you.âÂ
He pulled you into another hug. âI think I fell in love with you the moment we met,â he said. âMy brothers have been bugging me about you for longer than I want to admit.âÂ
You laughed, only imagining the types of teasing he has endured over the last few years. âThen letâs go for it.âÂ
Hunter responded by leaning down to kiss you again, and you certainly werenât complaining.Â
The next thing to grab your attention was the sound of the doorbell ringing, and you pulled away from Hunter (who, swear to Maker, emitted something of a whine as he lost contact with your lips). âHow long do you think itâs going to take Omega to spill the beans?â you whispered as you heard her footsteps through the house, no doubt moving to open the door for whichever of her uncles had arrived first.Â
âSeconds, probably,â he whispered back.
You laughed. âCome on, letâs go see who it is.âÂ
âDo we have to?âÂ
Playfully swatting his shoulder as his face morphed into a pout, you nodded before pulling away from his touch.
You greeted Crosshair with a bright smile and a polite hug, and he didnât say anything about knowing what had just transpired between you and his brother moments before, so there was a small sliver of hope that Omega had been able to keep your secret.Â
However, the moment you sat down on the couch with a plate of snacks, you could feel your phone buzz in your pocket, and a text from Crosshair to both you and Hunter reflected on the home screen.Â
Have a good makeout session?Â
Before you could think about what to say, a response from Hunter followed.Â
Did Omega tell you?
Crosshair, who was sitting on the armchair as Omega rooted around under the tree for his gift, just smiled as he typed back.Â
She didnât have to, one look at your hair told me everything I needed to know.
Hunter quickly tried to tame his hair where your hands had mussed it, and Crosshair just watched with an amused smile. As the doorbell rang once more and Omega ran to greet the next arrival, a sincere smile appeared on his face. âCongrats you two.âÂ
âThanks,â you said sincerely. âWe finally figured things out.âÂ
As Hunter sat down on the couch next to you and intertwined your fingers with his, you realized that you couldnât have dreamed of a more perfect Life Day, and you would never again have to consider spending the holiday alone.
- the end -
i no longer have a taglist! if you're interested in being notified when i post, you can follow my library blog @ghostofskywalker-library and turn on notifications!
#LDE24#tbb hunter#tbb hunter x reader#tbb hunter x you#tbb hunter x female reader#the bad batch x reader#sergeant hunter x reader#hunter x reader#star wars x reader#clone trooper x reader
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Warnings; bg3, full party (because I want them all there to talk), Druid Tav*, Slight druid path spoilers I guess?, Owlbear, Protector type Tav, yandere companions (ALL of them), basic identity spoilers for first act followers, slight early story spoilers, they/them reader, yandere Raphael makes an appearance too.
* Tav is the name that always appears in the character generator first, so technically Tav is the unofficial term for the player character- or Reader in this scenario.
~~~~~~~~
The large owlbear lumbered slowly amongst the fallen undead, using the sharp beak to pick around the bodies for anything useful. Of course, not everything picked up by the defacto leader of the group was typically deemed useful. Such was the way of the unusual soul the group found themselves following the every whim of.
Countless battles had been won with their leadership and each companion had true respect for their leader, even if respect for the other companions was variable. To take them from desperate and hopeless about their plight to truly believing they could succeed their impossible mission. Each odd soul brought in to the fold by the odd druid may not believe, but they believed in how much their leader believed. For them, this was enough.
This meant that when their trusted leader wandered around as a creature that could feasibly carry three of them, they just followed along and grabbed what they wanted if their leader didn't pick it up first. They trusted their leader to distribute loot and treasure adequately based off of who could best use what was collected. Still, that didn't make the experience any less surreal, even for those who were familiar with druids that favored their bestial forms.
"Astarion, do you ever feel like we, as a group, just adapt to everything around us a little too well?"
Gale, the wizard of the group walked next to the rogue vampire spawn, his arms crossed in a contemplative way. Never before would he have imagined himself having light banter with such a being without bloodshed, but here he was regardless.
"Do tell me you are joking, right?"
"No, should I be?"
"God's, Gale, we're all stuck here as a group with only one thing in common- the fact that we're facing impossible odds to simply survive- and we can barely keep ourselves from killing each other. On top of that, just what do you think we're doing right now? Hm?"
"... Collecting the spoils of our battle?"
There was a distinct moment of silence as the beautiful vampire spawn stared at the wizard with a look of disbelief and disgust. The apparent pause catching the attention of the rest of the party- minus the owlbear lumbering ahead of the group- as they all decided to listen in. It was good fun to hear the others squabble and it gave a sense of comradery despite the situation they were in, misery loving company in most ways, though things weren't seeming too miserable now.
"We are in a temple that is inside of a crypt- some depth underground- picking amongst the remains of reanimated corpses that have all been stomped to death by our Owlbear leader. Not to mention this leader who just so happens to be the most balanced person among us and somehow isn't corrupt as all hells while doing it."
Some of the others nodded along in their own ways, knowing Astarion's assessment wasn't too far off from the crux of the situation they found themselves in. A few cast glances at the afore mentioned owlbear leader who seemed rather content rooting through what little remained from their earlier rampage.
"And they're hot as the hells while doing it."
Karlach, the literal flaming tiefling barbarian, commented, putting herself in the conversation with a wide grin.
"You're one to talk, Karlach," Wyll playfully jabbed back, "You've literally got fire coming out of you!"
"You know I'm right though!"
"Well, I didn't say you were wrong."
Before the two could continue, Astarion cut them off, bringing the now group conversation back to Gale.
"Anyways, my point still stands. We are not the ones who make this all work. They make it work for us. We are stuck together- like it or not- and they call the shots. We can get used to anything because they can get used to anything. Don't pat yourself on the back too hard now, it might get you excited."
Gale slightly winced at that jab, given the fact that he was the most obvious about being smitten with the group leader, and yet his beloved was completely unaware of how hard he had fallen. How hard they all had fallen.
"Are you all fools," Shadowheart hissed in a low voice, "you know they can hear us, right?"
It was Lae'zel's turn to bark out a laugh, her lips curled in a sly grin as she regarded the Sharian cleric. It gave the Githyanki soldier a sense of satisfaction to know something about their leader the cleric didn't.
"They can't understand us in that owlbear form. Why else would these fools talk so plainly?"
Unknown to them, their leader could understand them, but simply didn't want to cause in-fighting or favoritism to arise. So they simply carried on as if unaware of the conversation, just trying to focus on finding what was salvageable.
Unknown to them all, a demon watched from the rafters. His arms were crossed and a grin played across his lips. He had to admit, that druid was certainly a fetching prize as they clearly enamored not only their mismatched companions but him as well. Time would leave him the last among them by the druid's side, he would ensure it. Besides, he had plenty of time to wait.
#kiame-sama#yandere#x reader#yandere x reader#reader insert#tw yandere#yandere bg3#yandere astarion#yandere Raphael#yandere gale#yandere lae'zel#yandere shadowheart#yandere karlach#yandere wyll
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Why do you need to change your story based on The Book of Bill at all? Itâs not like there was something wrong with your original vision. Why do you need to change it so it matches Alexâs version? Your story is already a fanfic, right? It can be its own thing. Itâs not like itâs any less for being different.
Oh, lucky, somebody just asked me this in replies so I can just expand on the comment I gave them.
I don't match canon because I think I "should" or "need to"; I match canon because being rigorously canon compliant is something I enjoy and take pride in. There's an extra challenge in finding a way to tell the exact story I want to tell while keeping it TECHNICALLY 100% canon compliant and I like succeeding at that challenge.
(Plus, a lot of the stuff in The Book of Bill enhances the story I was already telling, so working it in just makes the story cooler. There's actually a whole lot more enhancing bits than clashing bits! I was fully prepared to leave TBOB out if it had clashed too much, though I wouldn't have liked it.)
I call the way I like writing fics "canon malicious compliance": I am, technically, 100% canon compliant, and nobody can say I'm notâbut I'm gonna find a way to bend canon to my whims to make it tell the story I want to tell. If Bill says he helped fake the moon landing, I'm not gonna go "it's canon that Bill faked the moon landing, so I've gotta go with that"; I'm gonna go "it's canon that Bill said he faked the moon landing, so I can mention in my fic that that's a lie he commonly tells people," because it's still TECHNICALLY canon and I like that better.
I treat things as canon that the show's own creator has explicitly said are not canonâthe Bill Reddit AMA, Little Gift Shop of Horrors, Time Pirates' Treasure, the fricking coloring book, cheap disney.com flash gamesâbecause treating these ridiculous things as canon adds to the fun of the challenge for me even when Alex et al don't treat them as canon themselves.
It's like those cooking challenges where you get five weird wildly-clashing ingredients and you're told to make a dish that uses all five of them. In the privacy of your own kitchen you could go, "well, it's too hard to figure out how to make something edible with grilled chicken and green gatorade, so I'm gonna leave the gatorade out," and I'm sure you'd make something delicious with the remaining four food items; but for me, it takes some of the satisfaction out of the food challenge if I don't figure out how to make the gatorade work.
Fics that tweak or change canon to suit the writer's tastes/vision are wonderfully creative pieces of art and I support any writer's right to do that; but it's not how I personally enjoy writing. I'm gonna make my fic 100% canon compliant because that's how I like writing them.
And in the end, it will still be my original vision. I just plan to whip, bend, and twist Alex's vision until it serves mine. It's no big deal if I've got to tweak mine a bit to help everything fit.
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THE BIG QSMPSTUCK LOREDUMP AKA: I finally get to do all the lorebabble I wanted to do.
EDIT (11/1/2023): THIS VERSION IS NOW OUT OF DATE AND DOES NOT INCLUDE THE PEOPLE IN THE ICE CUBES. I AM CURRENTLY REWORKING PARTS OF THIS BUT MOST SHOULD STAY THE SAME FOR THE NEW POSTS SANS BAGHERA, KAMETO, AND DANTDM'S CLASSPECTS! LOOK FORWARD TO UPDATED POSTS IN THE FUTURE.
SOME NOTES: 1. I have a very specific version of qsmpstuck going on with my art I make that I made with a group of friends (thanks Slimercord!) 2. There are other people who made other classpects and takes on QSMP characters that are more character based, mine is not that case, it looks at how QSMP as a whole would work as a full sburb session, and balancing how many people would be on each aspect or class to carry that motif of Homestuck's balancing/equal duality theme. This means I am looking at and using Classpects as a narrative & plot device, not necessarily a personality test like how someone would classpect a real person (This is how the Extended Zodiac works, and why I choose to ignore it for character classpecting. It works great for classpecting real life people though, so by all means you can use the EZ for you and your friends!). 3. AND WITH THAT! It means two people per aspect and and class, with the exception of space and time having three people, and knights and heirs having three people. 4. FAIR WARNING: IF YOU HAVE NEVER READ HOMESTUCK, THERE IS LOTS OF DEATH IN IT, WITH LOTS OF RESURRECTIONS. I WILL BE DISCUSSING DEATH IN A VERY JOKING MANNER HERE! 5. For posterity in case things change in the future: This post was made August 2nd 2023, after the French were added, and right before the Election arc finished. I'm sure if I came back to this after QSMP is over my classpecting would be different. (Updated August 20, 2023)
I'll add this again at the bottom but if you want more of my notes and thought processes or just more qsmpstuck in general here's the link to my tag for all qsmpstuck on this blog, and here's the link to all qsmpstuck on my regular mcyt blog. (my regular blog includes other people's qsmpstuck takes & reblogs however! But every classpect analysis I reblogged in there w/ an anonymous ask sent to the OP was me on anon lol)
HERE WE GO! The big ol google doc sheet I had to make for this. Every note on that godtier order list is how we decided the character would godtier, and we still aren't even technically done! I have so much information built up for this AU I am not sure I could include all of it in this post.
CLASSPECTS
Anyway, in terms of classpects, the way we went about deciding was 1. Finding symbolic meanings we felt fit the characters best 2. If the classpect was funny and had a fun double entendre to the character 3. If we really struggled, we went and picked up Dahni Witch of Light's classpect analyses and found which class fit a character best within an aspect we had a vague idea of. I find Dahni's analyses to be the best at classpecting non-homestuck characters with, because they give enough leeway in interpretation and are somewhat broad, while still applying as a fictional character's story arc, rather than solely a personality test. We also basically ignored most classpect's assigned "role" concept thingy, they were too nebulous in meaning to help much, with the only ones we kept being Sylphs are the passive creation class with Maids as the active creation class, and then Bards are passive destruction, Princes are active destruction.
AND NOW BACK TO THE CUBES YOU CARE ABOUT: As stated before, we did lay it out so we (mostly) only had two per aspect and class, to get that true fan session balancing spirit. Space/time and knight/heir are the only ones with three members. Here's how the outfits look!
My favorites here & their reasonings are: - Etoiles: Sylph of Blood - We all agreed him getting a classpect that is at least somewhat silly would be fitting, but all immediately came to the conclusion that he would hands down be a blood player. From his love of fighting, and the way he goes about befriending everyone he meets to help them, he's just so blood player. To balance out our initial silly classpecting idea, we made him a Sylph! It fits, like, really well! He creates friendship, he helps people, like. What more could you want from a classpect for him. - Mariana: Maid of Doom - I sent these two asks to this other person about this and liked their reasonings lol. - Spreen: Prince of Breath - Look I'm a Spreengirl I think he would play a great active destruction class and he takes away other's freedom (in minecraft). He kills people. He's just so Prince to me. It's really funny. - BBH: Knight of Life - Do you know how funny it is to take a guy who's whole thing is that he's like entirely black and red themed and put him in the burlap sack outfit. Also Knight & Space player frog breeding combo. He's working with Foolish on those frogs. - Foolish: Page of Space - This guy is the ultimate builder of all time ever. He was hands down the easiest to look at and go Oh he is THE space player here. - Fit: Prince of Space - Y'know 2b2t and hacked clients and griefing people? Prince of Space. Plus since he's a space player, soooo - Philza: Knight of Rage - Another great Space & Knight combo. This guy is such a hater on QSMP (positive) he doubts easily distrusts whenever necessary. Such a rage player. - Missa: Bard of Time - Missa is really failgirl I know quite a few people haven't like... watched much of his MC stuff. However you should check out when he had to be placed in a box to fish by himself so he wouldn't die a third time in Minecraft Extremo. He's a perfect Bard, and then he does music. Great set up for a Time player. Wouldn't want it any other way. - Antoine: Seer of Void - truly. Truly. A guy I looked at for two minutes and immediately knew what classpect he needed. That scene where he just like lightly questioned Cellbit after he escaped the federation and it made Cellbit so nervous he started just saying things that made him look way more nervous than necessary? Core Antoine moment for me. The fact he has a basement filled with so much writing on every candidate? The fact he hides his true face so much? We don't even know what's going on there? Void Player. Seer. So fitting it's beautiful to me. - Felps: Maid of Breath - Look, breath is THE aspect of freedom and doing what you want at your own pace. I think I would be committing a cardinal sin if I DIDN'T make Felps a breath player. - Tazercraft: Witch of Doom & Page of Time - They get to do a fucked up glitch timeloop. With these two classpects they can literally do whatever they want forever. Witch of Doom is a classpect that you give to a character if you know they can rip everything to shreds, have fun doing it, but wouldn't (usually) use it to actively hurt people out of true malice (for no reason) (a witch can DEFINITELY respond negatively if push comes to shove). Page of Time is so funny as a classpect also. Just like... Look up what the Page godtier outfit looks like. You'll see what I mean... And why Pac is a page. - Rubius: Waste of Breath - This classpect sounds really mean, sorry. I promise I like Rubius. He's supposed to be a stand in for what the Hussie author insert was in Homestuck, opposing Doc Scratch and fighting him. Hussie was a Waste of Space, I wanted to keep the pun with waste here. Breath worked the best. The federation has a Lord of Blood ability to counter him. Neither of these two count for the main classpect total.
One day I might post a copy of the google sheet and link it for more in-depth reasonings for every character, but like... almost everyone had reasonings like this where we spent waaay too long analyzing everyone LMAO. This is getting long as is, so I'll cut off classpecting here.
DREAMING MOONS
I am about to say something that will make people either really mad or really happy. There is no canon true definition of what assigns you a dreaming moon in Homestuck's text. The only thing we can glean from canon about which moon you get is that Prospit humans make their bed in the morning, and Derse humans don't. Needless to say, this doesn't help when you want to individually give each person a dreaming moon, but it IS great news for me: it makes assigning dreaming moons based on dividing the cast in half really, really easy. That is how it worked for the troll session, it was cut in half with teams, and then assigned based on red team vs blue team. So that is what I did here. All of the English speakers were given Prospit, and all of the Hispanic side were given Derse. This has lore relevance. We'll get back to it in a moment.
Also for note, the Federation is Prospit, with Dersite carapacians being a more nebulous identity against the Federation. Hispanic side was given Derse because they just seem more like Derse guys. Plus the whole Time on Derse/Space on Prospit theme going on in original HS canon is something I kinda wanted to go along with.
Quackity was given dual dreamer, with one of his dreamselves being ElQuackity, hence why he isn't listed. To balance this, we had to make another dual dreamer, and figured handing it to Kameto, who basically is permanently lost in the void, would be a good balance.
The French and Brazilian sessions were assigned using the "well this character would make sense here" method.
Server/Client Orders & Session Chains
If anyone needs a brief refresher, a client is the person you get into a sburb session, and a server is the person gets you into the session. Everyone is a client and a server to someone different. (tl;dr John was Rose's client, Rose was John's Server.) THAT BEING SAID! It means the loop for sessions close once you're all connected to both a client and a server. There are three separate sessions here, and one of them is a mobius double reacharound.
For clarity, the arrows mean: Client <- Server
The Original session, the mobius double reacharound, is the Spanish-English session. The order is
Quackity <- Mariana <- Spreen <- Roier <- Missa <- Vegetta <- Maxo <- Luzu (<- BBH)
BBH <- Foolish <- Slimecicle <- Jaiden <- DanTDM <- Fit <- Philza <- Wilbur (<- Quackity)
Because of the nature of a Mobius Double Reacharound, it means BBH and Quackity enter the session first, by technicality. The first person in a session is also the person who does the ectobiology. Unlike the troll session which only had Karkat as the ectobiologist, if Q!Quackity were the sole ectobiologist, no clones would be made and everyone would be stuck in a paradox, so I think it's funnier if BBH and Q had to work together on Ectobiology. I find their dynamic hilarious. Anyway, Luzu and Wilbur had to be the last in their respective chains, because no one else would be able to enter.
The next chain is the Brazilian closed Session, which is
Forever <- Mike <- Pac <- Felps <- Cellbit (<- Forever)
As previously mentioned, Pac e Mike (uou uou) have very good classpects to make up for the fact they have no space player. I'll come back to this.
The final chain is the French closed session. It goes
Baghera <- Antoine <- Etoiles <- AyPierre <- Kameto (<- Baghera)
They have balanced moons! They have a space player! They have a seer even! Both light and void! However, in missing a time player, they are forever doomed to fail the session.
LANDS OF PLANETS AND PARTNERS
Now I can finally explain actual lore. My apologies for making you read about 1000 words before this.
The Hispanic-English session is glitched. There is not a planet for each person. They have to share planets with a person from the opposite dreaming moon, generating lands that are a combination of two different aspects entirely. The planetary pairings for this prime session are the same pairings used for the initial egg pairings.
I really love designing lands for Sburb AUs it's my favorite thing in the world. The first one is the Land of Acid and Alcohol, Slimecicle (Heir of Heart) and Mariana's (Maid of Doom) land. Its oceans are acid and gasoline, and then covered in bottles that are a Russian roulette of alcoholic beverages, and then Molotov cocktails! The second is the Land of Steam and Dreams, Roier (Witch of Blood) and Jaiden's (Seer of Hope) land. It's filled with buildings built in an industrial revolution style architecture, playing on how people could believe in social mobility and "making it" in that time period, while also being reliant on heavy metallic machinery! I have a lot of fun conceptualizing lands.
The session's glitches don't stop at the planetary pairings on their own however, and it continues when Luzu attempts to enter the session. The session glitches from him being BBH's client, where it refuses to match pairings if they're connected directly, as the game would be unable to generate the gates above each player's house, it would simply loop back to connecting with the same Land. Luzu ends up being paired onto Quackity's land because of this, because the Game still detects him as having a dreamself on the opposite moon, even if he technically has both.
This causes BBH and Wilbur's land to glitch, and they end up paired together (as a bit of a nod back to how BBH and Wilbur were initially intended to be paired, before admins just made a new egg for Wilbur). We'll get back to this in a bit.
Some other lands from the AH session I enjoy are - The Land of Lush Forests and Iridescent Lakes, also known as LOLFAIL, BBH and Wilbur's land, which is a double Life player land, so the oceans are filled with gemstones and the land is covered in the most dense forest imaginable. It has the most difficult underlings spawn on it compared to any other land in the Anglo-Hispanic session. - The Land of Frogs and Typhoons, Spreen and Fit's land, which every space player is guaranteed frogs as part of their land, combined with Spreen being a breath player, it is a constant hurricane with frogs in it. They do not work on trying to calm the storm. They just start killing the frogs. There are so many frogs. The frogs are constantly flying at anyone who enters the land. Fit's slogan is FTF. Thank you to crow qsmp-yaoi for saying this idea because it truly brings me to tears every time I think about them being hit by those frogs flying at Mach 10. - The Land of Synapses and Static, Maxo and DanTDM's land. It's a darkened land, caused by Maxo's void, and then covered in a blanket of constant fog so thick a lighthouse can barely cut through it. The land also has mimicking noises to make familiar sounds to any player that steps on it, caused by Dan's Mind. It is an overbearingly lonely land. One where you understand what it truly feels like to be alone. One where you can lose someone as soon as you take your eyes off of them. Maxo last saw Dan on this land. No one else has seen him since.
I'm going to stop myself here, but I might come back and draw some more Land illustrations for these, haha.
Denizeggs
With the planetary partners, you might have seen this coming. Each planet in the combined session is missing a Denizen. Instead, what each player finds at the heart of the land is a little egg they need to help raise. They all find eggs at different points, however. Some people find their egg before they godtier, some find them afterward.
All of the eggs correspond to the land of their respective parents, however Luzu joins into the session too late to ever meet Tilin, second to last of the chain, she's already dead by that point.
And then the final major glitch in starting this session, when Wilbur joins as the final member of the chain, and enters, the only land open is BBH's land. Due to the nature of Sburb already knowing how things would end, it was always going to be this way, and there was no other option on who's planet he would join. The game glitches again, and detecting a second Prospit player, spawns in a new Denizen: Tallulah.
The eggs generally follow how they were in QSMP proper. Some of them die early. Some of them don't. Juanaflippa is as tragic as she is in canon. Two dads who are just bad at raising a child and it would have never worked out. Slime still kills Tilin by accident. Spreen doesn't care about Ramon, ditched him etc you know how it goes. The eggs are partially a planet quest too, so it's best if the eggs do live here.
Also in the glitches with this, there's a lack of consorts on any of the combined planets. There are a few, but not really as common as canon proper would have.
BRAZIL! đ§đˇ
The Brazil Session is a closed session between the five Brazilians. One of the requirements to complete Sburb is that you need a Space player (required to have forge in order to complete the final genesis frog & launch it into creating a new universe) and a Time player (required to keep the session in the proper timeline). The Brazilians have a time player (Pac), so they're halfway there!
There's some hiccups along the way. Mostly just Cellbit accidentally killing Felps and having to sprite him so Mike could make him a robot body to live in, but same old same old etc. Pac and Mike also kill each other by accident, but some other stuff happens there.
They still don't have the main aspect to actually continue the session, realize this, and also have a guy with one of the most conceptually powerful classpects to exist in terms of being able to glitch a game and save everyone. They manage to contact the primary session, reaching out to two grieving parents who are desperate to do anything to revive their daughter, one of whom is also a very powerful Doom player.
Brazilian Lands (brief edition)! - Land of Vultures and Culture, Forever's land, is a Hope land based around having Forever work to help save consorts who are hiding beneath intense structures and live in very isolate communities from each other. There's also massive megafauna in the skies that are always trying to kill them. - Land of Electronics and Experiments, Mike's land, is a pretty typical doom land, based around Chume labs, and has a constant lightning storm overhead - Land of Dancefloors and Dollhouses, Pac's land, is a combination of a land quest he has to get through, and a typical time land. All time lands have a clockwork or a music theme, I think him having a hot pink land that's massive amounts of dollhouse rooms attached to each other he has to make it through is just a fun concept. - Land of Cloud and Sky, Felps's world, is just a land with everything high in the sky. His whole quest is about him harnessing his ability to go with the flow to connect his consorts together. This is hard when he's sprited himself after dying upon entering due to Cellbit fucking up and accidentally killing him, and living in a robot body built by Mike. Aradia style. - Land of Searchlight and Bone, Cellbit's world, is a giant panopticon style prison. With so many bones, both decorating the prison, and filling the prison cells. His final moment is when he gets to the office of the panopticon, and it is his quest bed. He has a whole ordeal over it.
RICARLYSON! So these guys have regular consorts and Denizens, Richarlyson spawns in the heart of Skaia, and gives the quest for the other five guys to raise him.
Pac (Page of Time) has the ability to manipulate time as he wants once he realizes his abilities. Mike (Witch of Doom) can rip a hole in the universe so big it saves all of the players and sets them smack in the middle of another session, especially a previously contacted session with the connection being a Maid of Doom. With a time player land as well, they get a scratch construct on the Land of Dancefloors and Dollhouses, setting up their ability to scratch their session and set loose a whole new universe where theirs once stood.
French
The French session has probably the most normal planets of everything going on here, what really starts their journey going awry is that they have no time player.
Antoine, being a Seer of Void, can see something is going wrong. He makes contact with people outside of their session in an attempt to restore things to balance. He goes off into the veil and contacts the horrorterrors, and sets up a connection between two Doom players who seem they both desperately need it.
While he's doing that, the rest of the French proceed to have the most normal Sburb session out of anyone. Etoiles is having a great time on his planet. Aypierre gets a genesis tadpole. Kameto has two backup lives.
French Planets (Brief Edition) - Land of Apples and Airplanes, Baghera's land! It's probably the nicest land of anyone's. There are many jokes about how she doesn't get why everyone keeps complaining about their lands being horrible until she reaches theirs. - Land of Sham and Soil, Antoine's land, it's a dark land with tall dirt towers that make it impossible to see where you step. You'd need to be someone who could find where you're going in the pitch dark to even survive here. - Land of Bonds and Breakouts, Etoiles's land, is a land of a giant maze dungeon labyrinth. It's a nightmare for everyone but him. He loves it. - Land of Bogs and Frogs, AyPierre's land, is a land with frogs in a very thick swamp. I'll be honest i Just need to cook on this one some more. - Land of Hidden Leaves and War, Kameto's land, is a Naruto joke.
POMME! Is like Richas she's in the middle of Skaia. An easter egg if you will.
The French session is brought into the primary session when Antoine manages to contact with everyone else fully, rather than quietly watch from the outside. Etoiles and Baghera lose their original selves, and are their dreamselves when the universes collide in, and were unable to godtier, due to not knowing about the quest slabs.
GODTIERING! & the rest of the chronological story
THIS is the order of the godtiers from the beginning of the Spanish-English session. Anyone in the other sessions who godtier before their universe collide event has a red numeral to keep them distinct. I feel pretty strongly almost everyone would godtier here, they're all characters based on gamers. Sburb au works exceptionally well when you know everyone's gaming style.
Also, yeah I have notes listed on each godtier order for how each person dies. Like it's that detailed atp.
Spreen has the highest kill count out of everyone on purpose. I think he'd be down to cut his friends down knowing they'd be revived immortal afterward. As well as, the federation is Prospit in this scenario, they want everyone to godtier. I think him playing to what they want out of him feels his style. Anyway, he sprites his own dreamself due to ElQuackity messing with timeloops. To make his living player self trust him, Spreensprite convinces him to godtier Roier first. It is himself he's talking to, after all. Roier becomes the first godtier in any universe, and not out of his own volition. After seeing it really did work with Roier, Spreen godtiers himself. He gets li'l bear ears ala Jade getting doggy ears with her dreamself sprited, he threw in a Rubius cubito to his kernelsprite first. I like the bear ears I'm biased .3. q!Spreen being really fun in a Sburb concept is why I got hooked on this au after all.
After the first lore is repeated, BBH godtiers himself by decapitating himself with a sendificator to fuck with Foolish. He's kinda bitter about getting beige clothes. He befriends the midnight crew at least. This is before he has Dapper. He finds out about godtiering from Roier by accident and then is like. Oh I have the BEST idea.
Vegetta is killed by Spreen by request, wanting to be stronger to protect Leo, and then Spreen godtiers Missa in order to use his time powers on Derse to throw his dreamself at the kernelsprite, locking the time loop. Anyway, Missa is essentially locked in a tower on Derse's moon after this, now permanently in his Dreamself's body, who hadn't awoken prior. Fit realizes people are walking around in weird clothes, hears about it vaguely from BBH, sends a text to Spreen who'd been ghosting him, and goes like. Hey man. Wanna kill me? And gets his first reply in months.
Phil is attacked by an overpowered monster and almost dies, and Missa manages to get the message to Fit that this is happening through time shenanigans, and Fit manages to get him to his questbed before he fully dies and loses his dreamself. Phil is not happy about this and could not be angrier. He doesn't blame Fit though it's like a self anger thing.
THE BRAZILIAN CASCADE HAPPENS! PEOPLE DIE. By which I mean Slimecicle and Mariana work together to try to help the Brazilians into the session in a bid at saving Juanaflippa, hoping one of them have the ability to revive her. Slimecicle is murdered in the crypts of Prospit by Quackity in a duel, where he cuts off Quackity's arm in exchange for Quackity cutting down his life. Truly one of those luck moments where Charlie dies on his questslab. Mariana is murdered at the same time by Spreen, who is now fully working under orders from the Federation.
Pre-cascade, Pac and Mike both godtier, because they stumble into a stable timeloop, by Mike accidentally glitching Pac's questslab into throwing it at him and killing him. He godtiers with this. Now, as a fully godtiered page of time, they make it to Mike's questbed, and godtier!Mike nudges Pac's slab at Past!Mike to pick up and throw when fucking around with powers.
Felps godtiers in the cascade along with Mariana and Slimecicle, they leave behind Derse and its moon, and they both get destroyed. Where his body sleeping on the quest slab godtiers. Aradia style. Except... as a Maid of Breath, his robot sprite body doesn't explode. He just sort of... exists in both. When one falls asleep the other wakes up. The rest of the Brazilian session just assumes the Cascade fucked with his robot body's energy sources. He kind of just figures each side is a weird dream he keeps having.
Cellbit is staunchly anti-godtier, while Forever wants someone he trusts to godtier him. Cellbit refuses to godtier Forever, and causes a major fight between them. Then Spreen murders Cellbit into his godtier under orders from the Federation, which is preceded by a long Scooby-doo-esque chase, where BBH sees them both, and decides to follow. BBH is a fully godtiered Knight of Life here, he has resurrection powers for other players, and Spreen is functionally immortal as well. BBH 100% catches up to him after he kills Cellbit, and proceeds to put Spreen in a torment nexus of dying and undeath. Thus ends the Killing Spree(n).
AND THEN THE FRENCH CASCADE HAPPENS! The final session connects, and Baghera sacrifices herself to make it happen. After they make it in, they learn about Quest slabs, and there's a whole thing with Etoiles dramatically getting her to her questslab before she fully dies. Etoiles then proceeds to go kill himself on the questslab immediately after. Felps is also hanging out with the French, they found him hanging out in the void and take him with them. They lose Kameto in the void however, nobody's really sure where he went.
Pre-French Cascade, Antoine is the only French player to godtier, and no one will explain how it happened. It seems like no one really knows, but Etoiles keeps saying more fantastical descriptions every time someone asks. He's never taken his seer hood off of his face.
Back in the order of the godtiers, Forever befriends Baghera, and eventually her and Etoiles and Cellbit help him godtier. It's a whole event. Richas is having a blast.
Bobby dies, and Jaiden decides to godtier in order to get into the Federation's good graces, as well as out of guilt of feeling that if she were stronger and godtiered she could have saved him. Roier godtiers her.
AyPierre is godtiered in a tragic accident with one of his many machines. Etoiles helps pull him to his quest bed. He's a Thief of Space he has fun with it.
Foolish is the second to last person to godtier, and he is godtiered by Pomme by accident. He wanted his godtier to be as cool as possible, and somehow managed to not godtier by this point. It's just very him. He's down with the page pants.
Quackity is the final member to godtier. BBH kills ElQ at one end of the universe with the aid of Maximus. Slimecicle kills the regular QQ in one final duel.
At the end of the universe, the only people left alive and able to contact the rest of the sessions to never godtier are Wilbur and Maxo.
DanTDM disappears on the Land of Synapses and Static, never to be seen again, along with Turnip following soon after.
Luzu finds a glitch and is absorbed by it not long after he enters.
Nobody is really sure if Kameto godtiered or not.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
We're currently working on figuring out sprites for everyone, so hey! I might come back and add an update on that, but this post is so long my computer is lagging. I have a gaming laptop. It shouldn't be doing that. Here's some stuff on the sprites we do have + some misc notes.
Cellbit's flashlightkind is like how Kanaya's lipstick works. It's a chainsaw.
Spreen has Spreensprite, BBH has Skeppysprite, Missa has a sprite that is a mysterious skull sprited twice called Skullskullsprite, and Roier has his dog with a spiderman called Dogmansprite, and Jaiden has Arisprite, who's Miku & Ari combined :D (thanks icarus!)
It is 5 am as I finish typing this and queue it. I think I started typing this at 5 pm yesterday. Feel free to comment any thoughts you have or play around in this au! Also feel free to @ me if you do, either on my main mcyt blog (@etoilesbienne), or here!
qsmpstuck tag on my art blog / qsmpstuck tag on my regular mcyt talk blog
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On Deck Part 1: Hot Corner
Pairing: Jack Daniels x Female Reader Baseball AU
Word Count: 8,117
Rating: M (language, general adult thoughts, etc.)
Summary: Taking your best friend's little brother to a minor leage game to see his favorite player just might lead to a lot of changes in your life.
And you're ready.
Authorâs notes:Â
This story has been in progress for more than two years. I've written about Baseball Jack many times before ... but only the "after". It's time to see how - and where - it all began.
(On Deck universe masterlist for all the extras!)
Thank you to everyone that convinced me to work on this and to keep this pairing going / to flesh them out more. I have had so much fun with this because I have such a love for the MLB (and the men who play in the league) - and I'm so excited to share it.
While there are a lot of baseball references within this story, you only need to know the basics to enjoy it and understand them - we're not getting overrly technical here.
As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out. I hope you enjoy this as much as I am.
Third base is often called the âhot cornerâ due to the prevalence of right handed hitters - and subsequent on-field action - in the league. The third baseman is typically the infield position player closest to the batter, so to excel in this position, players need to display quick reaction times and exceptional hand-eye coordination.Â
âWeâre going to be late.â He stood next to you, arms crossed over his chest. âWe still have to walk to the stadium.âÂ
âCaleb.â You sighed, closing and then locking the car door before sticking your keys into the small bag youâd bought specifically for games. âWeâre here. Weâre parked. The stadium is right there.â Pointing with one finger, you raised a brow and grinned. âThe parking lot is only half full, and weâve already got seats, so -â
âYeah, but weâre going to miss warm ups and the pregame.â He rolled his eyes, turning away from you and heading toward the ballpark. âAnd those are the best parts.âÂ
You agreed, but for a very different reason than the twelve year old you were with.Â
Youâd been to games with him and Erin before. You and your friend sat a few rows back while the pre-teen hurried down to field level, a baseball and a pen clutched in one hand, hoping to meet at least one of the players after theyâd finished warming up and stretching.Â
From your vantage point, the two of you had been free to whisper about the players - pointing out the way their uniforms fit, discussing whether or not their asses were in mid-season form yet, or even commenting on the stretches they chose to warm up with before the game. Typically, you didnât have a thing for men in uniform - but baseball pants were a different story.Â
You loved the game, and had been visiting The Distillery - your local teamâs home park - since you were a child, attending games with your family and friends and even dates as the years passed. Baseball games were the perfect summer activity no matter who you were with, and that was even true when your company was the younger brother of your best friend⌠and the game wasnât a Major League competition.Â
âSheâs got the tickets.â He made the announcement when you reached the gates, the boy pointing back over his shoulder at you. âTwo of them.â You smiled at the attendant, sliding your unzipped bag across the table so she could search it, and then returned your eyes to Caleb. Heâd already removed his ballcap and the wallet he carried, pushing them forward and stepping through the metal detector.Â
âHeâs excited, hmm?âÂ
âYeah.â Letting her scan the ticket barcodes, you laughed. âHe really is.â Caleb waited for you to follow him through the turnstiles, his hat flipped backwards on his head, and you could see the impatience on his face. âCaleb, do you want to get something to eat before we -â
âNo.â He shook his head. âNot yet. Before the game starts, but âŚâ He glanced over his shoulder and you looked down at the field, where the grounds crew were still getting everything ready. âCan we go down there? I want to try and meet him. Heâs playing today. They said it on the news.â
âGo.â Your smile widened, head moving up and down in a nod. âIâm right behind you, kid.âÂ
Caleb took off running toward the stairs that led down toward the third base line, and you followed him slowly, taking your time and eyeing the seating situation. There were people already waiting; a handful of kids and their parents, along with a few women that looked to be your age or a little younger, but there were still plenty of seats open adjacent to the field.Â
You sat closer than you normally would have, deciding to take a seat in the row directly behind the boy. Just in case. For the next ten minutes, you paid no attention to the field, instead scrolling through social media and waiting, the music pumping through the speakers fading to background noise as you mindlessly browsed and clicked âlikeâ on a few posts.Â
You also let Erin know that youâd made it to the game, and that Caleb was exactly where he wanted to be. But when you glanced up, ready to take a picture to send to her, you were distracted by the sight of the team taking the field. Caleb was too, the boy bouncing up and down in place as he leaned forward, resting his hands on the low wall in front of him.Â
You watched for a few minutes - eyeing the players as they did their sprints and stretches, your lips twisting into a small smile at the sight of some of them utilizing their trainers for extra resistance during a few of the exercises. âHeâs not here.â Caleb turned back to look at you, disappointment on his face. âWhy isnât he here?â
âMaybe heâll come out late.â You shrugged, still looking at the field. âYou never know, kiddo. You said heâs in the lineup, right?âÂ
âYeah.â He turned back to the field, leaning forward. âThey talked on the radio about how he was coming back today, because they want him to back in Louisville by the end of next week, and -â Caleb stopped mid sentence, straightening up. âThere he is!âÂ
You couldnât help it, your attention snapping in the direction that he was pointing. Sure enough, Jack Daniels and one of the trainers - a woman with short, dark hair and glasses - were taking the field to a low chorus of cheers, many of them coming from the section you were sitting in. There he is.Â
Despite yourself, you leaned forward to watch him, staring as Jack began his warm up. He started with a few stretches - knee hugs and focusing on his quads, carefully extending and testing his arms, and then bent forward at the waist, the man almost able to press his palms flat against the ground without bending his knees.Â
You didnât take your eyes off of him, because like Caleb, one of the reasons you liked going to the Statesman games was looking at Jack Daniels. And thereâs so much to look at.
The trainer watched him closely as he continued to warm up, speeding up his movements and then doing a series of static stretches. But when Jack started to do lunges, you actively fought back a groan, settling against the backrest of your seat and chewing on your lower lip. Thatâs hot as fuck.Â
He looked healthy, and you were happy to see it, because the truth was that the Statesman needed him to be. âHe didnât warm up yesterday.â You turned your head toward the voice, watching as another woman next to you stared at Jack, her smile wide. âHe stretched a little, and took batting practice, but he didnât warm up.âÂ
âOh, you were here yesterday, too?â She nodded, and when you glanced back at the field, you saw that Jack and the trainer had switched to more arm exercises, warming up the muscles of his upper body.Â
âHe pinch hit late in the game.â She leaned forward, her smile widening as she watched Jack start arm circles, the trainer standing a few feet away from him with her arms crossed. âSo I knew heâd play today. And thatâs why Iâm here.â She leaned closer, lowering her voice. âGonna shoot my shot when he comes over here to sign for the kids. Why not, right? We both know he goes for it sometimes.âÂ
The girl was pretty - and definitely dressed to get his attention. She wore one of his t-shirts artfully slashed to show off her cleavage and had her legs on display in a pair of cutoff denim shorts. Good for her. âYeah, why not.â You smiled, turning your head away from where the players were sprinting into the outfield and back to give her your full attention. âEven if heâll be back in Louisville pretty soon, you might as well. See what happens.â
âItâs only 40 minutes away.â She shrugged, looking out and pointing at where the man was laying on the field, one knee bent and his other ankle resting against the top of it. The trainer was applying extra resistance, and you hummed in approval as you watched. I wish I was that trainer.  âIâd drive there if I needed to.âÂ
Her eagerness didnât surprise you. Jack was a notably eligible bachelor, and one of the most desirable men on the team. Unlike the others, though, he didnât often publicly date. But that doesnât mean that he doesnât hook up. And ⌠You returned your attention to the field, watching as he stopped to talk to the woman, pointing at the front of his left shoulder and grinning. And Iâm sure heâs got his pick in every city he visits.Â
âOh, I think theyâre coming over now.âÂ
She adjusted her shirt and you watched her posture change, the womanâs shoulders straightening and her smile widening. Instead of staring at Jackâs strut toward the seats, you looked at Caleb. The boy was buzzing with excitement as he turned toward where the man was headed - about ten people to your left, where a small crowd had gathered. âDo you think heâll come over?â Caleb said your name, frowning. âThereâs not much time, and -â
âHe will.â You leaned in, reaching out to touch his arm. âYouâre wearing one of his shirts, right? Heâs gotta stop for you.â Caleb grinned, turning back toward the field, though he kept his head turned to the left.Â
You watched Jack then, smiling as he interacted with the fans. He signed autographs and posed for a few pictures, his smile genuine. But you noticed that he was really only focused on the kids and teenagers, spending more than a few seconds with them instead of moving along as quickly as was politely possible the way he did with adults. He took pictures with a few women, the man leaning in but keeping both hands behind his back. He puts his hands on the kidsâ shoulders, but doesnât touch the women⌠interesting.Â
âKeep your phone out. Iâm gonna need you to take a picture.â Caleb was excited, the boy happier than you ever remembered seeing him. You laughed but did as he asked, leaning to the right and angling the phone so that you could snap a picture of the two of them, though Jack was barely in the frame.Â
The girl next to you leaned forward when he was only a person or two away, and then seemed to second guess that decision. You bit back a laugh as she stood and climbed over the seats, standing next to Caleb and effectively blocking your view of the man on the field. Gee, thanks.
He finished with the little girl that heâd been speaking to, handing her back a signed baseball and a pen, and then took a step to the side and in front of the woman, saying hello.Â
Clearly hearing his voice in person shocked you - the manâs accent thick, even in the few words he spoke. You desperately wished that you could see him, but you didnât want to shift in your seat and draw attention to yourself. Iâll see him when he talks to Caleb.
âI heard you were playing and had to come today.â She leaned forward, fingertips resting against the wall. âItâs been too long since Iâve seen you.â
âYeah?â He laughed, reaching up to pull his hat off and then set it back down on his head, taking a few seconds to think. You caught a glimpse of the bullseye tattoo on his hand, biting down on your lower lip at the sight. âWell thank you for cominâ out. Itâs good to be back on the field.â The woman giggled and then held her phone up, tilting her head to the side.Â
âCan we get a picture? Iâll tag you in it on Instagram, and -â
âSure.â You watched as the woman spun around and then leaned backwards, holding her phone up to take a selfie. âHope itâs a good one.â He smiled, peering at the phone from over her shoulder, and you fought back a roll of your eyes at how wide and practiced her smile was - the womanâs head cocked to the side - and toward his.Â
When she straightened up, he took a half step toward Caleb, already tipping his head down and toward the boy. But the woman spoke up before he could fully move on, reaching out to touch his arm. âThank you, Jack. You have no idea how much I -â He flinched - just barely, but you saw it, his shoulder jerking back slightly as her fingertips made contact.
âNo problem. Thank you, and enjoy the game.â She stiffened, but you didnât focus on that. You turned your attention to the boy in front of you - and in turn, Jack, whose face split into a grin, the manâs dimple on display, even beneath the shade from the brim of his hat. âWell hi there. Iâm Jack, whatâs your name?âÂ
âCaleb.â He leaned forward and you opened your camera app again, your smile widening, too. Calebâs going to be so excited later. âI had tickets to see you play in Louisville and then you got hurt and I didnât know if youâd be back this season but then my mom bought me tickets for today after I found out you were going to play again, and so we drove all the way here -âÂ
âSlow down there, big guy.â Jack laughed, giving you a glimpse of his teeth, and then gestured to Calebâs hand, the boy holding a Sharpie tightly. âYou want me to sign somethinâ for you?âÂ
âYeah. This ticket, please.â Caleb held the marker out, looking up at Jack. âAnd Iâve got your jersey, but it was too hot to wear it today, so I picked this t-shirt instead.âÂ
âOf course I will.â He nodded, taking the Sharpie and the paper, scrawling his name across the front of it. âTurn around and Iâll sign real big on the number on the back.â Caleb spun around and you were thrilled to see that he was almost delirious with excitement, his eyes wide and his smile nearly splitting his face in two.Â
âCan I take a picture of you signing for him?â Jack glanced up at the sound of your voice, his smile faltering for a split second and a confused look passing over his features. âI didnât want to just do it and have the flash go off, andâŚâ
âGo right ahead.â He smiled again, giving you a nod. âThank you for askinâ.â It only took a few seconds for him to sign, but you took multiple pictures, and then as Jack capped the marker, you decided to speak up again, not wanting to make Caleb ask.Â
âAnd can I get one of the two of you looking at the camera before he turns around again?â
âYouâve already got your phone out.â Jack smirked at you, and then reached up to tilt the brim of his hat back, showing you more of his face. Holy shit, look at him. âIâm moreân happy to take a picture with my new buddy Caleb.âÂ
You couldnât help smiling at that, and when Jack settled his hand - the Sharpie poking out from between his fingers - against the boyâs shoulder and squeezed, it widened. âGot it.â You lowered the device, mouthing the words âthank youâ at Jack at the same time Caleb spoke them out loud, turning back to face the man.Â
There were only two more kids to the right of you waiting to talk to Jack, but before moving to them, he hesitated, looking between you and the boy. âWhere are you and your mom sitting today, Caleb?â Mom? Do I really look like -
âSheâs not my mom, sheâs my sisterâs friend. And weâre over there.â He pointed at the outfield. âSomewhere.â Why is he asking?Â
âThe section right at the end of the dugout.â Jack pointed, but looked directly at you. âFirst row. Aisle seats, 23 and 24. Theyâre mine, and if you want âem, today theyâre yours.âÂ
âWhat? Jack, that -âÂ
âIâve gotta go.â He nodded, looking at Caleb and grinning, and then back at you, his smile softening. âEnjoy the game.â He didnât say anything else before he stepped down the field and then stopped to talk to the other kids waiting. What the fuck just ⌠âThat was so cool!â Caleb spun back to look at you, his eyes wide. âHe signed my shirt and took a picture with me and now we get to sit in his seats, and -â
âCaleb.â You took a breath, still trying to process what had happened in the previous few minutes. âI donât -âÂ
âWeâre going to sit in them, right?â You didnât know how to answer him. Should we? You sighed and then looked to your right, watching as Jack signed a baseball and handed it back to a little girl before laughing with an older man that was with her. âI mean he told us to, and -âÂ
âI definitely would.â The girl next to you spoke up, and when you looked over, you saw that she was jealous, her eyes narrowed as they looked you over. âDo you know him? Is that -â
âIâve never spoken to that man before just now.â You shrugged, unsure of what else to say. âI have no idea what ⌠or why, or âŚâ You would have been lying if youâd said that no part of you was a little smug at the fact that heâd offered the seats to you and not to her, but you didnât want to be that woman. âHe must have liked you, Caleb.â
âYeah, thatâs it.â She rolled her eyes, scoffing. âWhatever. Iâll just see him after the game at the playersâ parking lot.â She stood then, but didnât say anything else before she spun away from you and headed down the row and toward the aisle.Â
Caleb watched her go, his head tilted to one side.âWhat crawled up her butt?â You snorted at his question but there was no way you could give him an actual answer - so you gave him a partial one.Â
âSheâs probably just sad that you get to have a great view of the game tonight, kiddo.â With a sigh, you stood up, sliding your phone back into your bag and zipping it. You looked at Jack, watching as he said goodbye to the last of the fans and then headed for the dugout.Â
But he didnât go straight there - instead, he stopped and spoke to one of the security guards, pointing at the stands. Oh, heâs⌠And then you were stunned when both men looked back in your direction, Jack raising one arm to point at you while nodding. The security guard caught your eye and nodded too, and you then watched as Jack gently smacked him on the arm and smiled again, finally turning away to disappear back into the dugout.Â
âCan we go and see the seats? And can I get french fries? Will you send the picture to my mom? And Erin? And -â He was excited - and you couldnât blame him - but you still laughed, gesturing for Caleb to follow you down the row and toward the opposite aisle, closer to your new seats.Â
âYeah. Weâll do all that. Letâs go.âÂ
There was plenty of room for the two of you to walk to where Jack had indicated, and when you got close, the same security guard that Jack had spoken to stepped forward, gesturing with one hand. âYouâre right here tonight.âÂ
You thanked him, letting Caleb choose which seat he wanted, and when you dropped into the remaining one, you pulled your phone out again as the boy leaned forward, resting his elbows on the back of the wall in front of him.Â
You had just enough time to send off a few quick texts to Erin - the pictures of Caleb and Jack, as well as one that you took from the seat and a message that said we got upgraded, Iâll explain later before the National Anthem started.Â
You rose to your feet again, keeping your eyes on the field. Once the music faded and the announcer began to give the starting lineups, you were excited, your smile just as wide as Calebâs.Â
And when they announced Jack and the man trotted out onto the field to even more cheers from the crowd, you clapped along with them, pulse quickening. I love watching him play.Â
He and the shortstop tossed a ball back and forth a few times while the pitcher made his way from the bullpen, and the grin never left the dark haired manâs face. By the time the ump signaled the start of the game, he was settled in place and standing a little behind the bag, knees spread and both hands resting on his thighs.Â
It took a few batters for him to see any action, and when you heard the crack of the bat, Jack sprung into motion, moving toward second and bending over to scoop the ball off the infield before tossing it to first for the out.Â
You cheered just as loudly as Caleb did, clapping your hands without looking away from the field - but you werenât expecting to catch Jackâs eye when he turned to move back into place at third⌠and you definitely werenât expecting him to grin at the sight of you.Â
The moment was over quickly, and as the players ran off the field after the third out, you turned to Caleb, clearing your throat. âYou said you wanted fries?âÂ
âÂ
You made it back to your seats just in time to watch the bottom of the second, both of you carrying a drink and a snack. Jack was batting 8th, so there was a good chance he wouldnât hit until the next inning, giving you time to eat before he headed to the plate.Â
You also checked your messages, a series of exclamation points from Erin and a thumbs up from her mother the only two you had waiting. You showed Caleb, the boy laughing and then scrolling up to look at the picture of him and Jack, his smile so broad that you thought it must have hurt.Â
There were no seats in front of you, which meant that you had an unobstructed view when the man finally headed to the plate, the familiar sound of his walkup music - Hungry Like The Wolf - blaring through the stadiumâs speakers. Here we go. Câmon, Jack.Â
He took a few practice swings and you were relieved to see that he didnât wince or hesitate. His swing looked comfortable, and when you leaned forward, resting your hands on your knees, you nodded as he took another, pointing the bat outward before settling it on his shoulder and waiting.Â
He swung at the first two pitches, making contact on the second one and hitting a long foul down the first base line. But Jack ended up walking, taking his place on first and then getting into position as the catcher stepped to the plate.Â
You watched him closely - taking in the way the dark blue jersey fit him, the V of upper chest skin - and a peek of the gold chain he wore - visible thanks to two of the buttons being undone, his socks pulled high to accentuate his muscled calves. He always looks fucking great.Â
You knew it meant nothing that heâd offered you and Caleb his seats that day - that heâd just done it to be nice. But you would have been lying to yourself if you said that it didnât make you feel good, Jackâs momentary attention a confidence boost, especially after the reception heâd given the woman next to you.Â
The batter hit a single, and when Jack advanced to second and stopped, you cheered again, the man clapping his hands and shouting something that you couldnât hear at his teammate. But it was all for nothing, because the following player popped out, ending the inning.Â
Jack trotted across the field and toward the dugout, the disappointment on his face evident - but again, when he saw you he smiled, the expression only there briefly ⌠though you certainly didnât miss it.Â
As you settled back against the seat, halfway listening to Caleb as he recounted team stats, you wondered why Jack was making so much of an effort when nothing would come of it. You thought of the womanâs comment about the players lot, wondering just how likely it was that youâd be able to meet him if you went, too. But not with Caleb here.Â
The night would be a good memory at least - for both you and the boy, and that would have to be enough.Â
By the time Jack stepped to the plate, you were more than ready. The setting sun shaded the sky in hues of orange and purple, the stadiumâs lights brightening up the field. Your eyes flicked from where Jack stood to the scoreboard, scanning over the information about him that was displayed there and lingering on the giant image of his smiling face.Â
But when you heard the groan of the crowd, your attention snapped back to home plate, where Jack was arguing with the umpire over the previous call, his head shaking back and forth. He stepped back into the box, but you could see his irritation, though it didnât last for long.
He swung on the next pitch and made contact again, sending the ball straight through between first and second. It rolled halfway into the outfield before anyone got to it, and you got to your feet and cheered, the sound signaling that a run scored loud through the speakers. Not only had he gotten his first hit after the injury, but heâd batted someone in, giving the Cavalry the lead.Â
And when the next player swung hard, sending the ball up and out and over the center field wall, the stadium erupted - Jack raising his arm and pumping his fist as he rounded third, before stopping to wait for his teammate to make it home. They celebrated for a few seconds and then off the field, and you slung an arm around Caleb as both of you cheered, too.Â
They took a three run lead into the next inning, and then handled their business, setting the batters down 1-2-3 thanks to a double play that Jack initiated. You could see his confidence in every movement; his body remembering exactly what he needed to do to be successful on the field even after weeks away. And heâs good at it, too. That makes a difference. Â
Caleb left the seats to fill up his cup from the fountain at the top of your section, and by the time he came back the game had started again. It was a productive inning. You spent more of it on your feet than sitting, joining the crowd in cheering as the Cavalry scored three more runs. But when Jackâs turn to bat came, you realized what the celebration meant.Â
âThey took him out.â You looked down at Caleb, watching as he frowned. âTheyâve got such a lead, that itâs better to rest him, and âŚâÂ
âThatâs stupid.â Caleb crossed his arms, sighing. âHe only batted twice.â You agreed, but you also werenât the manager of a baseball team. You figured he had a better idea of what the right strategy was when it came to Jackâs rehab ⌠even if it did disappoint you that you wouldnât get to see him at the plate or on the field again.Â
The rest of the game went by quickly, and though they gave up a few runs, your team ended up winning handily. Caleb requested to stay and watch the on-field celebration after, and as the players lined up for high fives and handshakes before leaving for the locker room, you focused, too. Maybe heâll come back out for a second.Â
It was stupid and you knew it, but the moment the field emptied, it meant that the night - and the experience in Jackâs seats - was over⌠and you didnât want it to be.
He took his place in line - still wearing his uniform but without his hat - and you watched as he greeted the other players, smiling and laughing with them as they interacted. You couldnât hear him, but you could tell he was happy, and that made you smile, too. Maybe he really will be back in Louisville by next week.Â
The handshakes ended, and when Jack headed back toward the dugout, he didnât look in your direction again - until right before he made it to the top of the steps.Â
It was then that he stopped, eyeing the seats until he saw the two of you. You tried not to react, but Caleb didnât hide his response; the boy raising his hand and waving wildly. Jack laughed at the sight of it, lifting one of his hands in a wave, too.Â
You thought that was it, but then his head turned just enough that he made direct eye contact with you.Â
Even from the distance, you could see one side of his mouth lift into a half smile as he nodded, raising one hand and touching the tips of his fingers to his temple before tipping them toward you. Your smile grew and you nodded in return, but before you could do anything else, Jack disappeared into the dugout, leaving the two of you standing in front of the seats.Â
Well that was something. Biting your lip and letting out a breath through your nose, you turned your attention toward Caleb, saying his name. âAlright, kiddo. Weâre going to go to the bathroom before we head out, because I am not stopping twenty minutes into the drive to let you pee.âÂ
âÂ
Youâd expected Caleb to talk your ear off the entire drive home. Instead, he fell asleep before you made it back to the highway, leaving you with your thoughts on the drive back.Â
And you would have been lying if you said that most of those thoughts werenât of Jack.Â
The interaction with him had been limited, sure. But it had been meaningful in more than one way, for both you and Caleb. He had a cool story that he could tell his friends, and pictures that he could show them. Youâd look back on the way his gaze on you had felt and remember the thrill of being on the receiving end of one of his bright smiles.Â
You didnât know him any more than any other person that had ever seen him play or interacted with him briefly, but that didnât matter. Even if you never spoke to him again, and never saw him in any capacity aside from on the field, youâd have that night as a memory. And a damn good one.
After dropping Caleb off and promising Erin a recap the following day, you drove the short distance to your house and parked in the driveway, turning the car off and enjoying the silence for a few seconds before unbuckling your seatbelt.Â
Your house was quiet and dark as you moved through it, leaving your shoes and bag by the front door and grabbing your phone before heading upstairs. You tossed that onto your bed and went into the bathroom, scrubbing your face and changing into your pajamas before staring at your reflection in the mirror.Â
Youâd been single for six months, and though youâd talked to a few men through the same dating app Erin had used to meet Troy, none of the conversations had led anywhere past the first awkward meetings. It wasnât that the men werenât interested, it was you that was selective, opting not to waste your time with anyone that reminded you of the time youâd spent with your most recent ex.Â
You knew that you were being picky, but you were content with that knowledge, even if it meant a longer period of being on your own before you found the right person. And Jack couldnât ever be the right person. You wrinkled your nose while you brushed your teeth, still watching yourself in the mirror. Because heâs been consistently single for his entire career.Â
Jack kept much of his personal life private, but Janie was the exception to that.Â
And after climbing into bed and plugging your phone in, you searched their names, refreshing your memory of the story that youâd become familiar with when The Statesman had first drafted Jack.Â
Theyâd been high school sweethearts, opting to go to college together. He was going to play ball and major in engineering, and her chosen field was communications. It was clear from all of the pictures of the two of them you found that though they were young, they were in love.Â
Everything had gone well for the first few months; Jack and Janie settled in on campus, started classes and began making friends. Theyâd come home together for Christmas, and Jack was set to begin baseball in January with the rest of the team.Â
But only a few weeks into the pre-season, the unthinkable happened: Janie stopped at a convenience store to buy coffee on her way to meet her study group off campus while Jack was at a team workout, and was caught in the middle of a robbery. She hadnât even made it to the hospital, and Jack had considered quitting the team due to his grief.Â
Her parents had convinced him otherwise - reminding him that heâd worked hard for years to get to where he was, and that she wouldnât have wanted him to give up on his dreams on her account. His parents had agreed, though there were interviews where they admitted that they would have understood if heâd chosen to take a break or even quit outright.Â
And Jack had taken a few weeks off, but was ready to go on opening day, dedicating his season to Janie and her family. He was a skilled player, there was no question about it, but the coverage of a D1 athlete losing his girlfriend in such a shocking manner helped draw attention to the man and his performance, and it hadnât taken him long to grab the attention of scouts.Â
Heâd had some attention in high school, too, though nothing had panned out - aside from the offer of a partial athletic scholarship. That all changed in his sophomore year when everyone really took notice of his exceptionally high fielding percentage and his infectious enthusiasm toward his teammates.Â
Jack declared for the draft that was to take place a month after finishing his junior year - only days after his 21st birthday, and The Statesman had taken him with the fourth overall pick in the first round.Â
The rest was history.Â
Heâd played with The Cavalry for almost four seasons before getting his first call-up, and though it had been toward the end of the regular season, Jack had received an invite to Spring Training the following year ⌠and heâd never gone back.Â
In his second season with The Statesman, heâd been named the starting shortstop, making a name for himself with both his agility and personality. His teammates loved him. The community loved him. The cameras loved him, and in the five seasons heâd played in his original position, he earned two gold gloves and got voted into the All-Star Game once.Â
But he was injury prone, and after careful consideration, they moved Jack from shortstop to third base. It was an adjustment period for everyone involved, though after a few years of playing the position, it seemed almost natural for him, and there were fewer injuries.Â
Until earlier that season, anyway, when Jack had misjudged a slide into second and jammed his shoulder, spraining a muscle and knocking him out of all baseball activities for weeks. Heâd gone on the 60 day injured list, though youâd seen him at more than a few games in the dugout before heâd headed down to rehab with The Cavalry.Â
He was lucky he hadnât needed surgery, and even luckier that thereâd been no complications with his healing. According to the newest articles you read as you scrolled online that night, Caleb was correct and the team was aiming to have Jack re-activated by the following weekend so that he could finish the final 7 weeks of the season in the majors. Which is where he deserves to be.
You sighed and rolled onto your side, eyes still on the screen - and on a picture of Jack that had been taken a week or two earlier during a Statesman season ticket holder event. He was grinning from behind the bar, one hand holding a glass and the other pulling on a tap to pour someone a drink.Â
âEnough.â You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of your nose with your free hand. Doing a deep dive on Jack wasnât going to change anything, even if it was keeping you occupied as you wound down for the night.
But before you put the phone down and rolled in the opposite direction, you couldnât help opening his instagram page and checking his tagged photos, just to see if the woman from next to you had posted the picture like she said she would.Â
There were countless pictures of Jack in his uniform posted - everything from on-field screenshots to pictures of him with his teammates and family - but those were dotted with more personal ones; people tagging him in photos of themselves, edited photos, or photos of Jack alone that had been taken from other sources. You didnât have far to scroll before you found the picture of Jack and the woman, tapping it with one finger to make it bigger.Â
Sheâd put more than one filter on it, smoothing out her features and his, and when you zoomed in on it, you wrinkled your nose. Why would you filter him? He doesnât need it. Even with the filtering, you could see the bored look in Jackâs eyes, his smile small and tight. Not like it was with Caleb.Â
Sheâd captioned the picture with a black and a yellow heart bracketing the number 7, and it already had more than a few likes. She also had a story, and even though you knew that sheâd be able to see who viewed it, you didnât care, hesitating for only a second before tapping on it.Â
The girl - whose name was Brittany - had posted a few times throughout the game; pictures from in her seat, a video of Jack walking up to the plate, her grinning at the camera at the end of the game with the scoreboard behind her⌠but the final story post was clearly a picture of a parking lot with a tall fence around it, and what looked like a security guard in the corner. She went to the lot.Â
You sighed, backing out of the story - and her profile - and going back to Jackâs, eyes lingering on his accountâs picture. You followed him, and had for years - liking and commenting on the pictures he posted as well as tagging him and the other players in the occasional ones youâd taken at games. Heâd never replied or acknowledged them in any way, though.Â
And he wonât, you admitted to yourself as you closed out of the app and opened your alarm, making sure that it was set. âGood luck, Jack.â Closing your eyes after setting the device down on your bedside table, you rolled away from it and got comfortable. As you settled in, you let your thoughts wander back to earlier - to the way Jackâs eyes had warmed when heâd smiled at you, and the way his smile had widened when he saw you and Caleb sitting in his seats.Â
You would have been lying if youâd said that the memories didnât make you feel good. It didnât matter that heâd likely smiled at hundreds of others in the same way. Heâd made the night special for you and for Caleb, and that was the important thing.Â
It didnât take you long to fall asleep - and Jack followed you into your dreams⌠which you didnât mind at all.Â
âÂ
You didnât have a meeting until 10:30 the following morning and so you slept in a little, taking a shower and getting dressed before you even checked your messages.Â
There were a few from Erin, asking for details, and you promised youâd reach out once you had a break. But before then, you needed to focus and settled in in front of your laptop, clicking open your first email of the day. Back at it.Â
You worked steadily until almost 1 PM, checking things off of your to-do list and scheduling a second consultation with the same client for the end of the following week. You typically worked virtually - and had since your uncle had hired you a few years prior - but there were occasional accounts that required your presence in person. And this oneâs going to be one of them.Â
That wasnât an issue. Their offices were located in New Orleans, and you were looking forward to potentially spending a few paid days in the city. But weâll see.Â
While you waited for your lunch to heat, you called Erin, your friend picking up on the second ring and groaning into your ear. âWhatever happened yesterday must have been incredible because Caleb hasnât shut up since he woke up this morning.âÂ
âIt was pretty great, Erin,â Taking a seat at your kitchen table, you laughed. âI sent him the pictures, did he -â
âHeâs already set the one of him and Jack as his phone background. And heâs been bugging me to take him to get them printed.â You werenât surprised; Caleb loved baseball, and the opportunity that heâd had at the game the previous night had likely meant the world to him. âSo how did that happen? He just offered you the tickets?âÂ
âPretty much. He stopped to sign for Caleb, and just out of nowhere, asked where we were sitting.â You wet your lips, laughing. âAnd then once he knew we were in the outfield seats, he just ⌠pointed at the dugout and told us that we could sit in his instead.âÂ
âHe offered them to Caleb? Or to -â
âWell⌠sort of.â You stood, looking out your back window. âHe asked your brother where we were sitting but he was looking at me when he offered the ticketsâŚâ You pulled your food out of the microwave and set it down to cool. âAnd then when we were in the seats, he made eye contact with me a couple times, but -â
âHow hot is he up close?â You snorted, but she continued. âBecause that picture of him and Caleb? That manâs hand is -â
âReally hot.â Humming in agreement, you reached for a fork. âAnd he seemed really nice, too. Paid more attention to the kids than to the adults. There was this girl sitting next to us and she was clearly trying to catch his eye, but he barely looked at her.â You figured that he was a professional and wouldnât have done anything to jeopardize his reputation while on the field - and in front of younger fans. But still. She made it obvious. âHe was polite, but he was just ⌠going through the motions.âÂ
She hummed again, the sound non-committal as you took your first bite. âBut not with you. And not with Caleb.â No, I guess not. âYou should post those pictures and tag him.â
âErin, Iâm not trying to -â
âNo, just hear me out. Maybe heâll see them. And maybe heâll remember you. And maybe heâll -â
âErin, come on. Thatâs a fantasy. Iâm sure heâs got a million people tagging him every day. He wonât even see it if I do.âÂ
âYou never know. It canât hurt.â She said your name, the tone teasing. âAnd since Calebâs account is private since heâs twelve, it makes sense youâd post âem for him. He really had a lot of fun with you. Heâs already asking if you want to go to a game again.â
âYeah. Thereâs still a little over a month left this season, so Iâm sure we can figure out a weekend to see the Statesman. Iâll third wheel with you and Troy.â She laughed at that, agreeing. âIâm going to go, though. I need to eat. I have to run and analyze metrics for two campaigns this afternoon, and itâs going to take forever.âÂ
You hung up soon after, but as you ate, you contemplated what sheâd said about posting the pictures. It was really no different than any of the other games youâd been to or posted about. Youâd taken pictures that werenât of Jack, and those could go up, too. Why not post the one of him and Caleb? Itâs a good picture.Â
After sending the final email for the day, you shut your laptop and changed into more comfortable clothes before stretching out on the couch. You needed to go to the store, but figured it could wait til later ⌠and you had pictures to post.Â
You chose five of them - one of the field from the concourse, one of the scoreboard, a picture from the seats, and then two of Jack and Caleb - one while he was signing and the other of them looking at the camera, which you made the main image. Choosing a caption was harder than picking the pictures themselves, but you finally opted for something extremely neutral: First @The_Cavalry game of the season. Great game, even better seats, and @CalebOnBase got to meet his favorite player.Â
You tagged the picture - adding Jack and The Statesmanâs accounts - and thought about adding one of Jackâs walk up songs to the post. No. That looks too desperate. So you posted it without, taking one final look at the images - and lingering on Jackâs smile - before you checked the Cavalryâs account to see if theyâd posted that nightâs lineup.Â
Jack was starting again, but instead of being in at 3rd, he was the designated hitter. So heâll get to bat, but can save his arm. It made sense, and you figured that if all went well, heâd only play in a game or two more before being called back up to the majors. And heâll be back here. It made you smile, and the expression widened when you got a comment on the post from Caleb - four baseballs and the thumbs up emoji.Â
Youâd done your part, and that was that. Caleb could see that youâd posted the photos, and if by chance Jack saw the tag, heâd also see that you appreciated the seats heâd allowed you to sit in. With one final look at the pictures, you nodded and then sat up, sighing.Â
âAlright. Grocery shoppingâs not going to do itself.â
âÂ
You were stunned the next afternoon when you got an alert that The Cavalry tagged you in a story, and didnât even try to hold back your grin when you saw that theyâd reposted your pictures. You got a comment from their account a few seconds later - Glad you had a great time, thanks for coming! - the words accompanied by a blue heart and a baseball.Â
After sending the link to Erin so that she could show her brother, you set your phone down, returning to the work you were doing. You stayed busy throughout the rest of the day, and even though your phone kept lighting up with new alerts - strangers liking the pictures and commenting on your post, it didnât break your focus.Â
And by the following day, things were pretty much back to normal. The story was gone, strangers werenât still finding your profile, and youâd opted to work for most of Saturday morning to get ahead, which meant that you could take Monday off. And I can take a nap. I havenât been able to do that in weeks.Â
You pulled the drapes shut and then climbed into bed, the darkened room helping you to relax much faster than you anticipated. There was no need to set an alarm, and so you didnât, figuring that youâd wake up on your own when you got hungry⌠which you did, just after 6 PM. Maybe Iâll order food. I donât feel like cooking.Â
You stretched, pointing your toes, and then reached for your phone, mentally flipping through restaurant options. But you froze with the device in front of your face as the screen lit up, eyes zeroing in on the alert in the center of it.Â
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ive seen you post about doctor robotnik's ring racers occasionally on twitter and would like to hear your overall thoughts on the game
I'm enjoying it a lot! It plays well, has a ridiculous number of unlockable characters and tracks, and is generally just really polished. This would be impressive even for a paid indie kart racer that cost like $20-$30, but for a freeware fangame that's somehow built off of Doom? It's nuts. So much love and care went into this. I've been having a lot of fun playing through all the Grand Prix cups and clearing out the challenge board, which I've only completed 47% of it even with over 15 hours of playtime logged.
It's absolutely one of the most hardcore kart racers I've ever played, though, and that's gonna turn some people off. While playing solo even easy mode can be difficult, especially thanks to the rival system that gives one CPU buffs over the others. Anything below 150cc is a complete joke for me in Mario Kart, but even playing on the "normal" difficulty in Ring Racers (now renamed "intense" in the 2.2 patch) kicks my ass, and if you place poorly in a Grand Prix race it gives you a game over and makes you redo the race. I can't even imagine touching the higher difficulties at my current skill level.
This is compounded by how technical the game is and how many options are at your disposal. Spin dashing, tricks, fast drops, collecting and spending rings, an item roulette that can be manually stopped, a high risk high reward chargeable melee attack when you have negative rings, the ability to harass and be harassed by other racers while positioning yourself before the start of the race, gates that can only be passed through when you have a high level of boost, lots of items with different quirks that reward skilled play. And of course, perhaps most daunting of all to new players, there's the game's unique slope physics designed to mimic how they work in the 2D Sonic games, which will often require you to either spend rings for a small boost or stop and charge up a spin dash to get up a steep hill.
All of these add a lot of complexity to the game that can be pretty daunting early on, which is why it has an infamously long story-driven tutorial to introduce all of these mechanics. I'm not sure said tutorial actually does the best job introducing how those mechanics will actually be put to use in races, but I can't blame them for thinking the game needed it. (I do have to admit I am annoyed by the game's insistence upon framing everything via Sega Saturn inputs, though. I had to open the settings screen to figure out what buttons the tutorial actually wanted me to press.)
Some of these things have already been addressed in the first couple patches, of course. You can now exit the tutorial way earlier, some unlock requirements have been relaxed, there's an option to let the game automatically use your rings for you, easy mode has been made easier, a handful of problematic courses have been tweaked, etc. And I'm sure they'll continue to refine the game based on player feedback. But it's probably always going to be a fairly hardcore game. It's hard and has a high skill ceiling by design. Nintendo's never gonna make a super technical new Mario Kart for sickos - not on purpose, at least. They need it to be a pick-up-and-play party game that sells 70 million copies. But a freeware fangame not beholden to shareholders can experiment more and try to cater to that more hardcore crowd. Say what you will about Ring Racers, but it absolutely has a specific creative vision of its own beyond "Sonic Mario Kart," and I respect that even if the game sometimes frustrates me
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Nagi Hachinoya Novel
Essence of a Bouquet
Track 01 - Secret Energy that can attract Happiness
Please note that the novel contains some major spoilers in regards to Nagi's past that is revealed in L4mps main story before you read!
The dialogues do not actually state who is speaking, but I noted it anyways to make it easier to understand.
"Now, let us dive deep into the sea of memoriesâŚ"
As if guided by the voice I hear from the podium, I close my eyes, and dive deep into the depths of my memories.
The earliest memory I have is that of my mother, the two of us having fun at a park.
The fresh and vibrant four-leaf clover.
The happy times, immediately followed by our separation at the laundromat.
The moment I learned that the scent of partings was the smell of fresh laundry.
'âŚâŚ'
I open my eyes.
'Why did you have to leave me behindâŚ'
'I want to go back to that day, a day that should have been filled with happiness.'
In the corner of a special venue in mahorova, I look around and see the avatars all around me were in tears. I had already come to terms with what happened with my mother, so I didn't join them in their tears. But I could still understand their feelings very well.
If it were truly possible for me to return to that day, I would be willing to make any sacrifice. That's what it means to be 'sad'.
This was the orientation for beginners who want to join the "Society of Secret Energy to Attract Happiness". The gathering had around 30 members, and since everyone was in their anonymous avatars, there was no way to tell anyone's age nor gender.
The person talking at the podium was known as the Flower Princess, Master Hideko. She was the one responsible for leading this gathering. She had the avatar of an old woman in her sixties⌠but I had a feeling that's how she looks in real life as well.
Master Hideko looked around as everyone was crying, and with a solemn yet gentle expression on her face, she started speaking.
Hideko "Please, dry your tears. I am certain that you will all be able to return to those happy days once again. "Good fortune" is simply an energy that attracts happiness based on the principle of attunement wave function, in other words if you can access your "Secret Energy", you can-"
She was using a lot of technical terms, but it was very informative. I'm glad I attended.
After joining HAMA Tours, although I was late to the party, I started browsing videos on dazzle. Strangely enough, after a bit of searching, I found that my feed was full of videos that were related to luck.
One day, I asked Buchi-san about it while I was in the living room with him.
Nagi "Seeing all these videos on the topic of luck, I wonder if it's all the rage these daysâŚ"
He responded with-
Daniel "That's just the target algorithm doing it's job."
Nagi "Algo-huh?"
Daniel "I mean, it's because you keep watching those kinds of videos all the time- ah forget it. It's too much of a pain to explain."
Nagi "So what does it mean?"
Daniel "Yeah it's all the rage, but only in your phone."
-Is what he said.
I thought it was popular because it was effective, so I'd immediately applied to join the gathering.
I myself had a predisposition that made me attract bad luck proportional to the happiness that I receive. But rather than simply wanting to be happy for the sake of being happy, I wanted to be able to spread happiness through my flowers, which meant I had to be happy first.
Hideko "Say it together now, Secret Energy!!"
Master Hideko's voice grew louder. As if everyone was pulled by an invisible force, they all stood up together. I got up in a hurry as well.
"Secret Energy!"
"Secret Energy!!"
Before I knew it, everyone was chanting "Secret Energy" over and over while hugging the person next to them.
I see, this is the power of "Secret Energy".
Everyone was hugging the person next to them as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do.
In which case, the person next to meâŚ
Black cat avatar "Secret Energy!"
When I looked over, a person with a black cat avatar was already waiting with their arms wide open.
Nagi "Secret Energy!"
That's why I returned the hug as well.
I don't think I've ever hugged anyone before, but now that I have, I could feel my heart being filled even in this virtual space.
I don't even know this person, and even if it's just through virtual avatars, this is not something that I'd experience normally. Is this one of the secrets to happiness?
As a matter of fact, the avatar in front of me seemed quite happy. There was something about it that made you feel a connection, beyond age, gender or even words.
Once again, Master Hideko's voice full of love washed over us.
Hideko "The next gathering will be for the intermediate level, so make sure you all do your assignments before you attend!"
Nagi "Phew⌠that was quite the passionate session."
I got a glimpse into ways of increasing happiness from a perspective that's different from mine. As I thought, it was good thing that I participated today.
Just as I was about to log out, I felt a tap on my shoulder-
Black cat avatar "Hello again! I just wanted to say, it was a really fulfilling time despite being a beginner's session."
It was the person with the black cat avatar.
Nagi "I agree. I'm looking forward to the next session."
Black cat avatar "Right!"
Since I felt like I shared in some happiness with this person, I couldn't help talk with them at that moment.
Apparently, he was a 35 year old male. Although I was one generation younger than him, he didn't mind at all and was very frank, all smiles.
Black cat avatar "I'm glad I got to meet someone I can get along with! Feel free to talk to me the next time you see me!"
Nagi "Yes, I will."
Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 /Part 5
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I read your rewrite of Chapter 2 (which was great, by the way) and would like to clarify some things. Of course, you wrote that the fixes were just you exploring possibilities, so you don't need to justify anything if you don't want to. 1. How would Leona join the investigation? Correct me if I am wrong, but Leona didn't seem to know about Yuu and co. until Riddle and Qater confronted Ruggie. For him to know about them so soon, someone (like an injured Savanaclaw student or a Savanaclaw student who overheard Yuu and co. questioning others) would need to let him know. Even then, would he be able to join without looking suspicious? 2. How does Leona plan to frame Diasomnia and get it to stick? He can point fingers all he wants and use the circumstantial evidence they gather to prove it, but Diasomnia has no reason to sabotage others when they have Malleus. Leona would most likely be aware of Crowley's biases, so is he just hoping casting enough suspicion would force Crowley's hand? Does he intend to convince students from other dorms to demand their disqualification despite the lack of motive?
[Referencing this post!]
Wow, people are still reading that?? đ
As I said in the original post, my book 2 rewrite was more of a compilation of shower thoughts without much care given to fleshing out the finer details. It is by no means perfect, nor is it meant to cover everything.
Thereâs enough wiggle room left for various different interpretations using my book 2 rewrite as a basis. Itâs meant to be flexible!
Just for fun, here are my thoughts:
To your first point, I donât think Leona would come off as suspicious if his introduction was framed a certain way (which Iâm sure he could plan around). Yuu and co. would be investigating all the dorms (since theyâre all suspects), which includes Savanaclaw students. Leona could easily hear it from Savanaclaw mobs and then reintroduce himself to the group, claiming he also wants in on the investigation to seek justice for his injured students. Since Riddle is already investigating with Yuu, Leona could easily use that to distract from his true intentions. He would come off as just another pissed dorm leader trying to stand up for and avenge his dorm members. (And if we really want to get technical, we could reason the other dorm leaders are not getting involved due to other reasons, like Azul being busy with the inter-dorm event organization, Jamil not trusting anyone with Kalim but himself, Vil preoccupied with his professional gigs, Idia being Idia, and no one knowing where the heck Malleus has wandered off to now.)
To your second point, I think Leona definitely has the capacity to trick/manipulate other students into believing Diasomnia is responsible. He could set up situations which incriminate certain Diasomnia students (based on their unique skillsets), then leave the other dormsâ students to come to their own (false) conclusions based on that. Obviously, it would look too suspicious if he and Savanaclaw students are the only ones pointing fingers, so he has to convince the others to parrot the rhetoric he wants them to. If it was done this way, we achieve many things: 1) Leona comes off as way more intelligent than in the original book 2, 2) it sets up more parallels between him and Jamil (who also tried to get a lot of people to side with him under false pretenses to convince someone of higher authority to change their mind) for delicious book 6 payoff, and 3) it adds to the sense of betrayal the other students experience at the end when it turns out Leona deceived them.
Something I feel that the main story fails to do well is to define the rivalries between each dorm. Itâs only mentioned a few times off-handedly, like how Octavinelle and Scarabia students are intelligent and are thus always neck and neck in terms of grades. In my revised book 2, an opportunity arises to utilize this untapped potential. Think about it: what if the other dorm members are more likely to suspect Diasomnia because the main story calls more attention to how the dorms do NOT get along with each other?? Diasomnia is described to us as a place where skilled all-around mages go, and this has resulted in the Diasomnia students being more arrogant than your average NRC student (which by itself is already very arrogant). From that point of view, itâs not too hard to believe that the other students could think Diasomnia is injuring other students âjust because they canâ. Theyâve grown too arrogant and think they can get away with doing whatever they want because they wonât face the consequences of their actions. (Malleus himself is THE poster child of that across multiple events and vignettes too.) There doesnât necessarily need to be a motive in the traditional sense; people could suspect that Diasomnia has gotten too high and mighty, so they are conceited and feel entitled to doing whatever the hell they want. It would be a perfect way for Leona to weaponize the preexisting animosity and pride of the NRC students against them. The injured students would then feel slighted because Diasomnia are being held up as the metaphorical âgolden childrenâ (despite their theoretical unethical behavior) while their suffering is looked over. These feelings ironically also parallel how Scar feels cheated of the throne because of his careless older brother and son, or even how the hyenas are not seen as part of the Pridelands.
#twst#twisted wonderland#Leona Kingscholar#disney twisted wonderland#disney twst#book 2 spoilers#notes from the writing raven#question#Jamil Viper#book 6 spoilers#Riddle Rosehearts#Malleus Draconia#Azul Ashengrotto#Kalim Al-Asim#Scarabia#Idia Shroud#Vil Schoenheit#twst rewrite#twisted wonderland rewrite
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