#ALSO...SAM AS BUCKSTER?!

[verosvault]

Y'ALL! GO WATCH MICE & MURDER! IT'S SO GOOD!!!!

🚨MICE & MURDER SPOILERS IN THE TAGS!!!🚨

Okay so I'm slowly going through the massive backlog of Dimension 20 because it is PRECISELY my speed for actual plays and the first old season I watched was Mice and Murder because my husband and I are huge murder mystery fans and. You guys. This season is so good.

I know I'm preaching to the choir because the m&m Tumblr tag consists entirely of "Mice and Murder is underrated" and "this is a post about D20 in which I have tagged the name of every season," so I will leave most of the gushing to one side and just give my biggest takeaway.

Mice and Murder is a masterclass of how to start playing D&D and how to support people who are just starting playing D&D. From Brennan's patient leading of players to conclusions without being pushy or condescending, to Ally's welcoming energy as the one experienced player, to all the newbies learning their rhythm and just diving in...it gives some really good models of what an early D&D experience can be like and I just respect it so much for that.

(If you are intrigued by my thesis and haven't watched that season's Adventuring Party, absolutely go do that, cause they really get down into it and I love it.)

[thisisnotthenerd]

following up on my previous posts about d20 seating: 1 & 2

seat archetypes (all seasons)

as you can imagine, finding a throughline that exactly fits every d20 character that sits in a seat is never fully going to work. i'm not jamming them into an archetype that doesn't fit. these are big general thoughts, just like they were for the intrepid heroes seasons. anyway:

L1: pretty even mix of martial and magic--lots of partial casters. 3/4 d20 paladins. i checked. in game, there's a penchant for big swings and wild decisions. sometimes the payoff of that is insane: ricky's sacrifice in the final battle, fig making arianwen lose her magic, liam's wish, sunny & the bell, maggie giving birth, rick diggins' everything, antiope killing charity in one round, gunnie going ftl with gnosis, conrad's appeal to madam loathing, i could go on. many who sit in this chair have a penchant for party guidance/leadership. they may or may not be an official leader, but many of them are the heart of the party morally and just generally.

Characters:

Fig Faeth, Maggie, Ricky Matsui, Rick Diggins, Liam Wilhelmina, Sunny Biscotto, Gangie Green, Whitney Jammer, Antiope Jones, Terry Talbo, Gunnie Miggles-Rashbax, Dr. Aleksandr Astrovsky, Andhera, Rosamund du Prix, Thane Delissandro Katzon, Troyánn (Karkyn?), Conrad Schintz/Conscience

L2: Martial lean--only a couple of full casters. in game, these characters kick ass in high stakes scenarios (sometimes), or hit rock bottom. there is no in between. sometimes their entire arc is getting knocked down and the getting up from rock bottom in order to kick ass: leiland's whole deal, sofia's chapter 2 arc, timothy . a bunch of tanks. also, a tendency towards older men.

Characters:

Gorgug Thistlespring, Leiland, Sofia Lee, Boomer, Theobald Gumbar, Barbarella Sarsaparilla Gainglynn, Buckster $ Boyd, Katja Cleaver, Riva, Captain K.P Hob, Mother Timothy Goose, A. Tension/Attention

L3: the magic chair. lots of full casters. all 3 d20 wizards sit here. the lowkey chosen one energy persists. think about it. strong narrative investment. several characters who make the hit that takes down the BBEG. either some kind of chaotic gremlin or a parent. oftentimes both simultaneously. actually the split more reflects parent or parent issues. isolated characters who feel ignored in some way taking control of their narratives.

Characters:

Adaine Abernant, Efink Murderdeath, Kingston Brown, Agnes, Jet Rocks, Saccharina Frostwhip, Cheese, Daisy D'umpstaire, K | Dream, Penny Luckstone, Megan Mirror, Norman "Skip" Takamori, Squing, Lady Chirp Featherfowl, Pinocchio, Bishop Raphaniel Charlock, Princess Foehammer, Hunch Curio/Curiosity

R3: slight magic lean. it's the bard chair. 5 of them, to be exact. a lot of charismatic characters sit in this seat. if they're not charm-based, they go the complete opposite direction. not friendly, surprisingly violent, quite abrasive at times. learning to really understand other people and move past your perception of your own needs by contrast. this can go either direction: you can have a fully self-interested character like margaret or you can have danielle barkstock's insane selflessness.

Characters:

Fabian Seacaster, Sokhbarr, Misty Moore, TI-83, Ruby Rocks, Myrtle (the Bitch), Iga Lisowski, Rowan Berry, Vicar Ian Prescott, Sam Black, Danielle Barkstock, Tuti IV, Margaret Encino, Wetzel, Lord Squak Airavis, Puss in Boots | PIB, Karna Solara, Gertrude, Imelda Pulse/Impulse

R2: Split of martial & magic. it's high WIS or no WIS, people. trying to do better than you did before in various ways: kristen's religious crisis, kugrash's atonement, cody's whole deal, gerard's whole deal, dan fucks' revolution, rue coming out, jack's whole deal. there's a very funny split that i've found here; the ladies who sit here have a lot of power and use it to devastating effect. examples: kristen making a god and naming an old god, ostentatia's commune & divine intervention, lilith's everything, sidney taking a vercadian out in one shot. the men? they either hit rock bottom during the season or start there and work upward. the only exception i can think of is bean. and the nbs, rue and lars, are just fabulous.

Characters:

Kristen Applebees, Lilith, Kugrash, Bean, Amethar Rocks, Jack Brakkow, Cody Walsh, Lars Vandenchomp, Ostentatia Wallace, Sundry Sidney, Delloso de la Rue, Gerard of Greenleigh, Colin Provolone, Dan Fucks/Desire

R1: the rogue chair. it's more than R3's bards, with six rogues. no multiclasses. it's the rogue chair. otherwise, a bunch of rangers and sorcerers. this chair is for the plothounds. they're searching it out and making connections, or they're making big magic swings and connecting themselves to gods. they tend to put the detectives here. everyone here is going to make the dm's job easier by idk, communing with a death god (2 nickels for this seat), or going off on their own to find clues to a greater mystery.

Characters:

Riz Gukgak, Markus St. Vincent, Pete Conlan, Car-Go Jones, Lapin Cadbury, Cumulous Rocks, Marcid the Typhoon, Sylvester Cross, Evan Kelmp, Sam Nightingale, Seven, Big Barry Syx, May Wong, BINX Choppley, Ylfa Snorgelsson, Lady Amangeaux Epiceé du Peche, Twyla, The Fix/Hyperfixation

and that's all for this installment of thisisnotthenerd's d20 stats. feel free to tell me what you think, whether you agree or disagree. as always, the spreadsheet can be found here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1g7skmX8WuPRsjvU1K0lAjVf4rNVnuuarW3Zb87A5hx0/edit?usp=sharing

@perksofbeingalittletwat you inspired this with your comment on the last seating chart, so thank you for that.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

also it's making me laugh at how thirsty Sam is lmao he is NOT subtle!

Nope. He's horny. He is matchin readers energy but she's distracted by the beefy buckster

[sylvansleuth]

Buckster “Right on the Money” Boyd🐗

[lilxberry]

Librarians And Coffee Stains - James Buchanan ‘Bucky’ Barnes

Requested By: @iwazoomingouttahere 

Could I have a Bucky x reader SOULMATE Au and he meets his soulmate and she’s covered in scars and looks really scary but is Infact a very sweet librarian who loves sweets?

I changed it slightly from a soulmate AU to a sort of cute meeting ect. I couldn’t see how I would make it a soulmate thing without it being something like “they have the same scars as their soulmate” sorta thing and it didn’t sit right with me. I will be doing a soulmate AU at some point which I’ll tag you in, but I really couldn’t see myself making this into a soulmate AU. (Although, re-reading your request, I definitely could have done it differently, it was just misinterpreting the request in the first place.)

I also changed it from a female reader to gender neutral. I wanted people to feel included as much as possible.

And finally, the last change I made was to make this a headcanon, which I discussed the possibility of doing so with you.

I tried sticking to the thing but it’s so hard to do so when you SUCK at writing lmao

HEADCANON

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x Gender Neutral Reader

(A/N: I decided to use a gif from TFATWS simply because most of our sweet long haired boi gifs are hella sad and Ion wanna see our baby cry.)

• So, it all started cliché asf

     • Like real cliché

• You were both walking down the street

• You were walking to the library where you worked

• Bucky was walking with Sam in the opposite direction just drinking some coffee and getting some “fresh air”

• You both hadn’t noticed one another since Bucky was talking animatedly to Sam and you

     • Well, you haven’t got the best track record of staying focused

• Next thing you knew, Bucky ain’t got no damn coffee left in his cup and your t-shirt no longer looks as white as you remember

• All eyes snapped down to your t-shirt which

• Did I mention was no longer white

• Bucky began apologising at an intense rate

     • Like “sorry”’s were just spewing out of him

• He kinda looked a bit confused when you chuckled and told him it was okay

• Looking up at you and finally taking in your appearance (minus the massive coffee stain on your t-shirt), he lowkey felt kinda intimidated

• You had a serious biker look going on

     • Boots? Check

     • Ripped jeans? Check

     • Leather jacket? Check

• You also adorned some pretty gnarly jewellery, tatts, and scars

• Do you kids still use “gnarly”?

• Anyways

• He kinda became speechless when he looked at you

• And that kind smile you wore became awkward

• Bucky was only broken out of his revier but Sam knocking his shoulder harshly

• Like get it together, dumbass

• He said sorry again

• You told him that it was okay…again

• It was kinda funny to him how you apologised about his coffee

• But that was basically the entire interaction

• And you went on your merry way once more to head to work

• You would think that you would never see him again

• But not if Buckster had anything to do with it

• His eyes followed you right until the moment you turned the corner

• Then BAM

• “I need to follow her.”

• “Dude wtf that’s creepy. You can’t just follow some girl/guy.”

• He somehow persuaded Sam into following you because he swore that, no much you majorly only slightly scare him, he was in love

• He swore you were his soulmate

• So, with their crazy fucking spy skills or some shit, they stalked you all the way to the library

• And they were surprised, like surprised, you turned into the library

• They kinda shared one of those dumbass, comical looks that Scooby and Shaggy do

• ANYWAYS

• They head inside

• Tryna look like normal ass people wanting to peruse through books

• And they spot you

     • Behind a desk

     • Jacket off

     • SMILING ALL CUTE AND SHIT (Buck’s words more or less)

• Helping some young student out with finding the right book for his up-coming assignment that’s due next Monday

     • “How tf did you know that?”

     • “I have super hearing, man.”

• So, once they spot the lad walk off to find his books, Bucky walks up

• Trying to look unsuspecting and oblivious

• The second you spot him, a shy smile grows on your face

• “Oh. Hello, again.”

• He melts at your sweet tone and welcoming smile on your face

• You get to chatting, just simple things really

     • Mainly about books

• Then, he just goes for it, yanno

     • “Uh, hey. I still feel really bad about uh, destroying your t-shirt. Can I take you out sometime, maybe make up for it?”

     • He’s not the smooth-talking Casanova he used to be, but some of that confidence shone through

• A faint dusting of pink settled over your cheeks and just from a quick first glance, you wouldn’t seem like the type to blush

     • But God, he finds it CUTE ASF

• “As long as it isn’t for coffee, I’m down,” you joke

• With everything agreed upon and details were swapped, he left feeling ecstatic whilst you felt light and giddy trying to sort out shelving the books and whatnot

• Come the first date, still looking badass, and smoking, as usual

• He learns that, although you may dress and look a certain way, you are the COMPLETE opposite

     • Bucky found out you LOVED sweet things, a serious sweet tooth

• It was easy to see the love of books you had and how you were very passionate about your job, even with the lack of people going to libraries and bookstores nowadays

     • With everything being available at your fingertips and all

• He appreciates your slight old soul and finds a common ground upon that

• You two share your favourite books over two muffins and hot chocolates

      • You never said that “all hot drinks were off the table”

• Overall, the date went great and it certainly wasn’t the last the two of you embark on

_______________

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Once again, not that it’s a surprise anymore

I didn’t know wtf I was doing lmao

If you wanna be added to a taglist lemme know

Anywho, I hope you enjoy

As always, constructive criticism and requests are welcomed and greatly appreciated :D

_______________

MARVEL taglist:

@thanossexual​ @iwazoomingouttahere​ @xxxtwilightaxelxxx​ 

[d20stats]

Mice and Murder Episode 1: It Was A Dark and Stormy Night Stats

General Stats

Like most roleplay episodes, this one did not have a lot of rolling, but there was still some, so let's see how everyone did*!

First, who rolled the most? Unsurprisingly, Katie Marovitch (Gangie Green)! She rolled 7 times, one of which was our first nat 20 of the campaign!

Who rolled the best? Well, Katie rolled the highest, with the nat 20 that turned into a 29, but Sam Reich (Buckster $ Boyd) has the highest average roll at 18.667!

What about the worst? This would, unfortunately, be Raphael Chestang (Vicar Ian Prescott) who rolled the lowest roll, 7, and who has the lowest average roll at 13.25.

Fun stats

Number of Mice? So far we have only seen one mouse, though our dead mouse has obviously been mentioned numerous times.

Animal noises? Raphael seems to be the biggest fan of animal noises so far having made 8 owl noises himself. Sam and Ally Beardsley (Lars Vanderchomp) have each made 1 animal noise.

Oh shit faces? Wow there have been so many of these! Sam has had the most by far at 11. Ally has had 6. Grant O'Brien (Detective Sylvester Cross) has had 4. Rekha Shankar (Daisy D'umpstaire), Katie, and Raphael have each had 3. And finally, Brennan has had 1.

Criminal Acts? Our biggest criminal is obviously Katie, who has already discussed having committed arson, theft, and graverobbing!

Also notably, we have had 3 notepad slaps from Grant!

Animal Check-In

So far we have seen 22 different species of animals!

That number includes a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Weasel, Mouse, Owl, Goat, Doberman Pinscher, Fox, Armadillo, Skunk Pig, Racoon, Frog, Pug, Lizard, Badger, Squirrel, Magpie, Ram, Cow, Hedgehog, Rat, Mole, Rabbit, and Deer.

Pop Culture References

We have had 7 references so far! 3 of those came from Ally, and Sam and Grant both said 2.

References: lumbersexual, Downton Abbey, Elon Musk, A Hand-book of Proverbs (1855), German "Francs," Astrology, and Never Have I Ever

*Keep in mind that regardless of whether or not a roll is done with advantage or disadvantage, it is always counted as one roll. This is done to account for the fact that we rarely ever get the number for both of those rolls.

[jq37]

The Case File – Mice and Murder Ep 1

The Case of the The Pernicious Party  

Hello, hello, hello! It’s been a hot second but your resident D20 recapper is back to tackle the newest season: Mice and Murder! Y’all had to know I wasn’t gonna sit out the murder mystery, are you kidding me???

I might be playing around with the format a bit in the coming weeks to make sure I have the best possible system for keeping track of possible clues, suspects, and theories as we untangle whatever web Brennan weaves for us this season so don’t be surprised if things change a little. 

Anyway, without further ado, onto our mystery!

Summary

In case you missed it, this season takes place in an alternate, Zootopia/Wind in the Willows-esque universe where all the characters are animals but history seems to have happened in more or less the same way--for example there was still a King Charles but he was a King Charles Spaniel (cute Brennan). Our story specifically takes place in the English village of Tufting Meadows.  

We start with Katie’s character--Gangie Green (Weasel/Thief Rogue) in the graveyard of the Anglican Chapel (Our Lady of Prayerful Paws). Gangie, we learn, is an orphan who was kicked out of the orphanage at some point for thievery. Obviously, he’s not reformed of the habit because he is here to do some graverobbing. On a nat 20 (that Katie hilariously doesn’t notice even though her total is like a 29) Gangie can see through the window of the rectory that there is a weeping window inside--Catherine McCabbage who is being (dubiously) tended to by Raph’s character, Vicar Ian Prescott (Owl/Bard, College of Eloquence). 

Ian comes from a line of men of the cloth but he’s not exactly the best speaker despite his subclass. He’s doing his best though! The widow’s husband (Conor McCabbage) died at the local mill in what has been declared an accident but she suspects foul play. She’s been hearing his voice on the wind and wants Ian’s professional opinion on whether this could be a sign from God or if her husband might be speaking to her from beyond the grave or something like that. Ian gives a very muddled and not very comforting answer but seems pretty sure that something sketchy did in fact happen. Then, he sees a crack of lightning outside which illuminates the graveyard where he gets a glimpse of Gangie. 

He goes to check it out (and Gangie fully has an elderly goat he’s dug up slung over his shoulder) but “gravedigger” is his legit job so Ian decides to assume whatever’s going on is legit and not ask too many questions. He goes back to the widow (who, before she leaves, says that maybe sometimes people need to work on God’s behalf) while Gangie takes the body Loam Hall (a massive manor, built into a hill).

We cut to the next day and our next two characters! 

At 22B Hamsted Street in a pretty well appointed home are Ally and Grant’s characters. First up, we have Lars Vandenchomp (Huge ass Doberman/Battlemaster Fighter) who is so tough looking but also so Swedish sounding--it’s A Lot (so, incredibly on brand for Ally). Lars is security for Grant’s character Sylvester Cross (Fox/Inquisitive Rogue) who is a kinda (to use Grant’s word) “foppish” Sherlock Holmes type. He was hired by Squire William Thornwall Brockhollow to figure out what happened with Conor McCabbage (and clear him of negligence in running the mill) but he couldn’t find any evidence of any funny business, making this the only case he’s never cracked. He’s not as young or popular as he once was so this is, understandably, bumming him out. He’s even more bummed out when he realizes that William has invited him to his 60th birthday party that’s happening that night (as kind of a prop to show that he did his part in trying to solve the mystery) and Lars has already RSVP’d yes. He grudgingly agrees to go as it’s one of those asks that’s really more of a veiled demand but decides to pull the money he was paid from the bank first so he can return it and really stick it to the guy.

Finally, we cut to our last set of PCs who are on their way to Tufting Meadows via a very luxurious train. Inside are Sam and Rekha’s characters! Sam is Buckster $ Boyd (Peccary which is like a small boar/Mastermind Rouge) a Texan Oil Tycoon who acts exactly how you’d expect a Texan Oil Pig to act. Yes, you pronounce the dollar sign as “dollar sign” (even though as we find out later his middle name is Cassius so it’s like Cash which I think is super cool). With him is Rekha’s character, Daisy D'umpstaire (Raccoon/Assassin (???) Rogue another American (from South Carolina) though it seems she’s My Fair Lady’d herself into an upper class socialite (her last name was previously Dumpster). They’re traveling with their accountant, an Armadillo named Armond who seems kinda skittish and concerned about their travel expenses but Buck tells him that to make money you gotta spend money and they’re gonna make a *ton* of money on this trip. They’re also so so mean to him for absolutely no reason. 

When the train stops, they’re greeted by Templeton Padhop (a frog, natch) who is the chauffeur of Loan Hall, sent to fetch them. A wheel on his car is broken so he joins in on the Armond abuse immediately and has Armond roll into an Armadillo ball and replace it. Poor guy. When they show up they're greeted by a footman--a pug in a bowler hat named Milo Snout.

Meanwhile, Lars and Sly (Oh, Sly fox, I see what you did there Grant) are similarly greeted by another footman--a lizard named Basil Baskins. On a 23 perception check, Lars sees that Jeremy “Jez” Brockhollow is inside (the son of William who is a badger btw) and also clocks Gangie (who they know as a career criminal who disappeared like a year ago). Gangie doesn’t notice Lars though. 

Ian, who is also invited, shows up at about the same time as Sly but very quickly, the conversation is taken over by Lucretia “Lucy” Brockhollow, William’s older, eccentric sister who immediately gets into it with Lars about astrology and the occult (she thinks bad stuff is happening because of a curse let loose when Sly’s old rival--a rabbit named Fletcher Cottonbottom who is the son of his former employer--opened an Egyptian tomb). They’re thick as thieves right away because Ally is a nonsense magnet. And not like a regular magnet, one of those big electromagnets. 

Daisy and Buck spot William’s kids--the aforementioned Jez and his older sister Constance--along with their husbands Dr. Corbin Magpie (Constance’s and obv a magpie and a doctor) and Osmond Sheffield (Jez’s who is a Ram and a lawyer). Daisy is too stuck in her conversation with a truly unhinged squirrel (Lady Eugenia Bristlebrush who clearly does not know she’s in a murder mystery because she just keeps talking about how much she hates and wants to kill everyone) to hear what’s going on but she indicates the conversation to Buck who is able to eavesdrop and hear that they’re lamenting that Catherine--the widow--RSVP’d no which is gonna look really bad, like they didn’t invite her (bad PR). 

Buck, introducing himself as a business partner of William, eases into a conversation with the husbands which their respective spouses also join into and we learn that Buck's dad was British and a friend of Willian’s. Buck bonds with Jez (who is a bit of a dilettante) really quickly since Buck is ready to go drinks-wise immediately (and there’s a stellar pun about the “American [Drinking] Constitution''). Through the window, Buck notices Gangie outside getting his attention. 

At the same time, Ian is going from party guest to party guest, giving out the penances he forgot to earlier at church (as one does). We see him talking to the Lord and Lady Bramble (a cow and hedgehog, respectively) and while she wants to pray her way out of situations without doing any legwork, he wants to buy his way out and gives Ian 250 pounds. A frustrating but financially lucrative conversation.  

Buck goes outside to talk to Gangie who has a list of names of the bodies he’s been collecting. We’re not told what Buck is doing but it seems that this list is extremely valuable to him in some way. Gangie (who Buck keeps calling Gangly, to his annoyance) pays him handsomely (like, with a 50% tip) for the list (and Gangie gives him the real list, despite Brennan saying he didn’t have to). We also learn that Gangie has allegedly been getting the orders from someone in Loa Hall and they flow from William himself.

Matilda Molesly (a mole and the head maid) invites Gangie to come in from the rain--she’s the only person who’s been consistently nice to him and he agrees to come in for tea and scones. 

Everyone is ushered together by the butler (because of course there’s a butler--he’s quite literally a fancy rat named Thomas Gilfoyle) and William gives a speech where he wishes Conor well and kinda highlights that he did hire Sly to solve the case in a “Hey, I did my bit don’t blame me” kind of way. He also makes a 150k pound donation to the church (and Ian thought 250 was good) and tells his daughter not to read the praise he got for it from the cardinal when she mentions it (I wonder if that was choreographed). Sly interrupts the speech to “magnanimously” give his money back, to William’s annoyance. Buck notices that Lawrence Longfoot (a nouveau rich, rabbit photographer) takes a pic of the scene but with Sly in the foreground and William in the background. 

Then, a few things happen at once (in a very cinematic way):

As the camera flashes, Mrs. Molesly drops her tray, eyes hurt by the light. Lady Calliope Fawnbrooke (Deer, Matron of the Arts) helps her up.

In the moment of dark, after the flash goes away, the butler disappears. 

Buck thinks he sees a shape through the window, out in the rain. 

A cheer goes up for Sly for returning the money but all Sly can focus on is one figure he recognizes in the back of the room. Daisy, who is downing her drink and not cheering for him. He downs his as well, and looks at her until she breaks the stare and leaves the room. 

And this episode doesn’t end with a dead body like I thought, but with a flashback to a younger Sylvester, 12 years ago when he first met Daisy.

PC INTERPERSONAL DRAMA Y’ALL!!! Get HYPED! 

Case Notes

Here is a compilation of all the characters (PCs and NPCs introduced in this episode). 

Sly mentions that Ignatius Cottonbottom faked his own death as a part of some scheme which seems like a backstory point that might come back later--we now know that there exists a way to convincingly fake your own death in this world. 

Sly walks with a walking stick because of some “mysterious accident” but we’re jumping into a flashback next week so it looks like we might find out about it pretty soon. 

Sly also mentions he used to be the personal physician to the elder Cottonbottom so those are skills he has. I wonder if that’ll be useful to this healer-less party. I wonder if cleric was even an option in this world which seems to be low to no magic. It would explain by Ian is a bad and not a cleric. 

Lars has a military background which I wanted to mention in case it becomes relevant later. 

And Dr. Magpie grew up poor and still acts it a bit even though he married a very rich woman. Brennan uses the very good line, “He forces his body into the shape of an apology”

This might be a really deep cut reference but did anyone else here was the old Britcom “Keeping Up Appearances”? Cause I was getting serious Bouquet/Bucket energy from Daisy. 

This is an all College Humor season and it shows. The energy of 6 (7 if you count Brennan) top notch comedians sparking off of each other, trying to one up each other is off the charts. Some of the best bits this episode:

“When God closes every door but one, you go through the door that is open.” followed by “I’m an owl by the way.”

“Time is money, here’s both” from Buck re his inscribed gold pocket watch--everyone at the table loved that so much and they’re right. 

Armond going from being a third to a fourth wheel. 

And the names--I already shouted out a ton on the main recap but also a rat butler (like Rhett Butler) and naming the mouse Cat(therine). Can’t forget Gangie Green/gangrene from Katie. Also points to Ally for the data stealing Eel Musk which broke Brennan a little. 

I know we just went through this with Crown of Candy but what are these animals eating? Like, in Zootopia there were only mammals so we can assume the carnivores are eating like birds and fish but there are sentient birds here. I know this isn’t important. I’m not trying to do a CinemaSins gotcha. I just wonder, you know?

Y’all were waiting for all the lights to go out during that speech and then come back on and there’d be a body too, right?

If Brennan makes the bad guy a chicken or a duck or something so he can make a “fowl play” joke, he is cordially invited to catch these hands. 

I have been waiting for Raph and Katie to do D20 forever. Their specific brand of nonsense on Rank Room was always amazing. 

I love love love that Grant and Rekha are the PCs that have ~a past~ because they are so funny together. If you haven’t seen their episode of Game Changers, you absolutely must (it’s also a murder mystery actually!). 

[thevalleyisjolly]

Semi-crack theory, but based on 1) the setting; 2) my love of the British murder mystery subgenre; and 3) wishful thinking, I’m convinced that the staff banded together and did it:

The means:

Who would be better placed to figure out the secret passageways and trick features of the house than the servants?  Historically, British aristocracy preferred to see as little of their servants as possible, there are whole hidden stairwells and passages built into those big houses just so that the lords and ladies never have to come across servants doing their business.

Likewise, who else is better placed to set up all this wiring than the servants themselves?  Tell the Squire that they need to get an electrician in because the lights are on the blink, use that as a cover for putting the wiring in place.  Theoretically the lord and/or lady of the house is supposed to be going over weekly accounts with the housekeeper...but they also don’t want to be bothered with mundane things.  If a trusted longtime servant tells them they need a repairperson in, are they really going to question it that much?

Alternatively, Squire Brockhollow himself set up the wiring for his own purposes, the servants just piggybacked on top of what he was doing.

I’m also thinking that if it weren’t for the murder victim (presumed to be the Squire) trying to gouge the shrapnel out of his chest, a death by electric current would resemble a sudden heart attack.  It’s only because the victim had Buckster’s knife on hand that there was such a bloody injury, unfortunately making the death look instantly suspicious.  If there hadn’t been a knife, a cursory look at the scene might conclude it was some kind of heart condition.  And if someone had looked closer and found the wiring, they’d hardly suspect someone like Mrs. Molesly to have set the whole thing up.

Objectively, Mrs. Molesly is the best person you want in the room when the murder happens.  She’s getting on years, is not very physically strong, has impaired vision and a medical condition, and character-wise is just such a sweetheart that you really wouldn’t suspect her of anything.  The only reason anyone did suspect her was because of the wound and her being the only person in the room.  If there hadn’t been a wound and she’d claimed it was a heart attack, you’d hardly suspect her of lying.  At most, even if foul play was suspected, people would just think she misinterpreted what she saw.

The police!  Gilfoyle claims to have called them after the Squire’s murder, and it takes them 12 hours to get here?  Even Mrs. McCabbage gets here before they do!  And then they arrive almost immediately after the second murder, the very incriminating murder that directly puts a non-staff member of the house in the frame, just in time to arrest him.

Also, wasn’t it Harding who gave Gangie all the instructions?  Sure, the Squire might have his own reasons for wanting the bodies, but who’s to say Harding couldn’t slip Gangie a few extra instructions of his own?

Mrs. Molesly is an absolutely sweetie, but she’s far too calm about finding out that Gangie’s a criminal.  I mean, good for her, end the stigma around people having criminal records, but everyone else in the house reacts so suspiciously to Gangie’s presence, especially after a murder, and Mrs. Molesly’s just chill?  Unless she already knows quite a few criminals in the staff, and does not consider it an issue (good for her!)

Also, everyone always ignores the staff in murder mysteries, mostly because the upper classes don’t even consider them important, and given that Brennan has to have some critique of capitalism and the class system somewhere, it seems thematically appropriate.

The motive:

If we take away Fletcher Cottonbottom and the ghosts and the smoke and mirrors, what do we really have here?  We have a dead badger who may or may not be the Squire, but who is certainly presumed to be.  We have another dead badger and a dead magpie, who may or may not be Lady Constance and her husband, but who are certainly presumed to be.  Three fairly competent members of the Brockhollow clan, possibly the most competent members of the Brockhollow family.  Lady Lucretia is distracted, Jeremy is shaky and certainly not the badger his father was.

Squire Brockhollow was certainly a cantankerous fellow who was up to something.  And he was willing to let Mrs. Molesly go just like that after so many years of service.  If the Squire treats his longtime housekeeper like that, who’s to say how he treats the rest of his staff normally?  Whose employment is really so secure with someone like Squire in charge?  With the Squire out of the way, and perhaps with Lady Constance and Dr. Magpie out of the way as well, Loam Hall is left with Lucretia and Jeremy, neither of whom are exactly the imposing figures that the Squire and Constance were.  Who really runs the house then?  The staff.

The red herrings:

Like a typical British murder mystery, there are multiple agents and motivations at work here.

Cottonbottom is definitely alive!  But he didn’t do the murder, he’s just taking advantage of the confusion to get one over Sylvester.

Honestly, would not be surprised if Cottonbottom arrived a while ago, figured out what was going on, was incredibly amused, and then realized the opportunity he had here to frame Sylvester.  After all, Sylvester has deduced and foiled every plot that he’s ever come up with...but what if he’s not the one coming up with the plot?  Sylvester can outwit a mastermind if he suspects there’s one present, but that also means he’s more likely to miss the forest for the trees.  Can’t see the bigger picture if you’re scrutinizing all the little details.

Squire Brockhollow definitely has some kind of plan going on as well.  Perhaps it’s even those plans which made him a target.  He could probably keep a secret from his family, but how much can he keep hidden from the servants that he relies on to keep everything in his life running smoothly?

Anyways, the Squire definitely had plans, and Hawkins was probably in on some of them.

Why kill the Squire at a big party with lots of guests?  Well, it widens the suspect pool.  If the Squire suddenly keeled over on any old day when it was just the servants and the family in the house, an investigator might focus more closely on each of them.  But at a party full of known enemies?  Who’s going to look at the butler or the maid, except to give them orders?

I’m just thinking about so many Agatha Christie novels where the killer arranges for a detective or specialist to be in a certain place at a certain time just so that they can witness something the killer wants them to or give the killer an alibi.  

The victim trying to remove the shrapnel made the death look instantly suspicious, but there’s always the possibility that someone would have investigated anyways, especially if the Squire didn’t have a history of bad health.  But a famous detective like Sylvester could probably figure out the wired desk, and wouldn’t that surely put the staff to the back of the suspect queue?  After all, who would suspect the servants of having any great electrical knowledge?  And of course, if Sylvester gets too close to the truth, they can always frame him.  After all, Sylvester is certainly not on good terms with the Squire.

TL;DR The staff (who’ve been here ~the whole time~) unionized to overthrow their employers.  *Sam Reich on Game Changer voice* Con-gratulations players, you’ve ~UNIONIZED~!

[punkbarbarian]

d20 obv. give us your blorbos

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most)

- on constant rotation between riz, fabian, and aelwyn (fh brainrot obviously)

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped)

- gorgug my boy

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave)

- mr buckster boyd of course. i need more sam reich on d20.

- also rick diggins

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week)

- before the seven it was sam nightingale, now it's the bone guy from bloodkeep

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave)

- tuc1 pete (problematic and pathetic) + aelwyn <3

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason)

- cody walsh 100%

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell)

- gilear </3

[masculinepeacock]

Thoughts on Buckster $. Boyd??

first off, before i talk about buckster, i was pleasantly surprised by how texan sam has managed to sound. at least from my experience.

BUT i think buckster is such an interesting character!! because he's a conman and thief but doesn't get his hands dirty? (this bo burnham song anyone?) and that's an interesting character distinction between him and daisy and gangie (also criminals, but they do their own dirty work). i also think it's cool that he's a conman because his dad got played so he's protecting himself before he's even hurt!

i think sam is doing such a good job playing a smooth talker (every time he tells a lie i remember that he's an economist's son lmao), like i'd buy whatever lie he's selling. i also like how he carries a knife that it's implied he's never used...and is Texan at heart but something the common man could never afford most likely? chef's kiss. i love it.

anyway i love criminals <3

[glassblossomsthunderstorm]

Mice & Murder Speculations Pt.2

A continuation of my thoughts from this post:

Obviously still spoilers ahead!

So I’ve finally got around to watching the latest episode of Mice and Murder and it just solidified so many of my suspicions! Longfoot being portrayed as this overly jovial, pro-Sylvester kind of character was suspicious to me from the get-go but this episode made it make even more sense!

Honestly, what’s a better disguise for a white rabbit than a black hare? Sometimes the best strategy is to hide in plain sight. He wouldn’t even have to cover up his ears or anything!

Some things I forgot to mention in my last post are how suspicious it was when Brennan described the way Longfoot took the picture in the beginning with Sylvester in the foreground and Squire Badger brooding in the background. What a photograph to put in a newspaper article; perhaps about how Sylvester Cross - allegedly - murdered the Brockhollow familiy. Also, why have the players make perception checks only to notice that, something so seemingly trivial? Longfoot also asked for a picture of Buckster and Sylvester together. Buckster, whose knife was later planted as the murder weapon of Squire Badger. Ominously topping it of by saying, “Don’t worry, we got something planned just for you [, Sylvester]”

And where would this article be published? In ‘The London Grazer’ perhaps? The “dirtiest rag (in this case referring to a low-quality newspaper, for people like me who aren’t native english speakers) in London” according to Brennan’s texts to Sam, in which - what a coincidence! - Squire Badger holds a controlling stake.

I‘ve also been pondering the fine glass Sylvester found in the secret entrance. Could this somehow have something to do with the bulb of the camera or with something else photography related? Maybe with the fact that the kind of box cameras that were used at this time used glass photographic plates to take pictures? I really don’t know, but I sure hope we’ll find out what was up with that...

Another little connection, again in the character art, that may or may not be relevant, is that when I first saw Fletcher’s art I was like ‘ooh those are some sparkly eyes’ and thought it was a funny tongue-in-cheek joke to give the villain cutesy anime eyes, but hey, we saw those eyeshines in another character as well, didn’t we... I‘ve also just now realised, looking at Cottombottom’s art again, that he too has those purple-ish bluegray and red coloured elements in his outfit that I‘ve mentioned before.

I don’t know why the players are so fixated on the shell idea, but at this point I am almost willing to bet that ‘Longfoot’ is the guy to look for (Also, is he possibly Josiah Jackrabbit as well?? Is he just every goddamn bunny character in this fucking story?? I‘m losing my mind!)

On a side note: I‘m really interested to see if Lady Calliope Fawnbrook might be somehow involved in this as well since she was introduced as a ‘Matron of the Arts’ and hoo boy did we learn a thing or two about art smuggeling today.

In conclusion, I am REELING right now and I honestly can’t wait for the grand finale to arrive!

[browneyedhimbo]

My Girl

Pairing: Thor x Reader, Platonic!Steve x Reader

Warnings: language, smut, oral sex (fem receiving), penetration, unprotected sex, 18+

Word Count: 2.5k (kinda got away from me)

A/N: Haha so this is my first time writing smut ever so feedback is greatly appreciated. Also thank you to whoever requested! And to @agentpeggybarnes​ for beta reading, thanks babe!

"Steeeeviieeeee," you whined, "give me back the blanket."

"Nooo, it's soooo warm," he responded, pulling it up closer to his chest.

"Ugh but Steve!" No matter how much you whined or groaned or cursed him out he still wouldn't let up. "Steve," you went to your last resort, the puppy dog eyes. "Pwease?" You stuck out your bottom lip.

He turned his face away, knowing he'd give in. The only thing that could ever change his mind about something was puppy eyes. A pout and puppy eyes and he'd feel bad, turn into mush. A goner.

You tapped his bicep and he made the grave mistake of looking at you. He sighed and scooted a bit, raising the blanket.

"Fine, we'll share." He rolled his eyes dramatically, a smirk on his face.

"Yay!" You clapped and got comfortable next to Steve under the blanket. "Ya know buddy? You really are dramatic like Bucky said." This earned a howling laugh from him. You chuckled and played the movie you put in moments before.

------

Thor had just got back from Asgard and was on a mission to find you. Things got rough back home and he couldn't leave without things being in order first. Something you admire about him.

"Ah, Natasha. Have you seen Y/N?" Thor asked her, running into each other in the kitchen. 

"Last I saw she was with Steve in the common room watching a movie." She gave a half smile and continued making her sandwich.

"Thank you," he smiled and headed to finally see you. But what he didn't expect was to see you and Steve cuddling together under a blanket fast asleep. 

His heart sunk at the scene before him. He knew you and Steve were best friends and you've told him countless times that Steve was like an older brother to you, but he couldn't help his blood boil a bit and his heart clenched.

----

A few days have passed since then and every time Thor saw you and Steve laughing and joking he couldn't help but get jealous. The image of you and Steve cuddling coming to the forefront of his mind. 

Lately he took to either dragging you out the room whenever Steve walked in or making sure your attention was on anything but Steve. 

He thought he was being discreet, but you knew something was up. You didn't know exactly what, but you had an idea. You were going to ask him first, but if he didn’t tell you,  you were going to your plan into action.

With that in mind, you decided to try it over dinner tonight. Tony had rented out (at least that's what he said) a patio bar and had food catered there, saying it's for a team dinner/outing.

----

After throwing on your jeans, a nice blouse and some heels, you turned around to ask your boyfriend if he could do the cute little braid in your hair and was met with shining two shining blue pools of love staring right at you, a small smile adoring his features. You giggled and blushed before making your way over to him. 

“Can you do the braid please,” you asked, a smirk creeping its way on your lips.

“Of course darling.” He was almost done with the braid when you decided to ask him.

“Babe, does Steve make you jealous?” The hands working your hair stopped a moment before continuing. By facing the opposite of Thor, you missed how his eyes fired up and his jaw set.

“Steven? No, of course not,” he chuckled, “He’s just a friend, right?” He huffed. But you didn’t miss how he said friend, or how tense he got after. If he wasn’t going to admit and let his masculinity rule, then why not have some fun with it?

----

The party was in full swing. Of course it was, it was a Stark party. You had a few drinks, not enough to get you drunk but just enough to give you the liquid courage to go forth with your plan. You looked around eyeing for your target. You saw Steve with Sam and Bucky by the food. You rolled your eyes, putting a big smile on your face as you neared them.

“Stevie! Sammy! Buckster!” You laughed, looking through your peripherals at Thor who was just a few meters away talking to Bruce. “How’ve my favorite super soldiers and bird been?” 

“Y/N your drunk,” Bucky smiled politely at you. 

“Nope! Not yet, could use a dance though. Stevie?” You grabbed his hand before he had a chance to respond and dragged him to the dance floor. You didn’t miss the way Thor’s fingers turned white with the new found grip he has on his drink, nor the way his eyes burned holes into Steve’s head. 

You moved along to the beat of the music, swaying your hips and trying to teach Steve how to keep up. You laughed and smiled and actually had a pretty great time, and you really weren’t one for dancing in public. A crack of lightning and vicious thunder roared in the darkening sky. Everyone looked up checking to see if it was going to rain, but you looked at the man you knew who was responsible for it. It was a distraction so no one would see you both exiting the party. You met him on the ledge and he wrapped an arm around you tightly, swung his hammer and you both flew off towards his floor of the tower. 

“What the hell was that?!” He boomed as you landed. 

“That was nothing! And you know it! Jesus Thor, nothing is going on between Steve and I!” You sighed. “He’s like an older brother to me.” You really didn’t want to have this conversation again.

“Then why did I catch you two cuddling while I was out dealing business on Asgard? Why do I catch you two flirting all the time and sharing those looks?” You saw a flash of hurt in his eyes before they turned a stormy blue. The lightning outside got worse.

“If you would just ask me instead of drag me out the room,” you shook your head, a small laugh escaping. “I’m helping Steve catch up on how to flirt because he wants to ask Sharon out. Both Natasha and I have been helping him build up the courage.” You gave him a pointed look. He stalked forward until your faces were mere inches apart.

“Then next time warn me,” with that he crashed his lips to yours. A surprised squeak left your lips before you kissed him back. He kissed you with desperation and determination. “You know who you belong to, yes?” He growled in your ear.

“Y-yes.” You gulped, a shiver running down your spine. He pulled back and you saw his pupils were so dilated to the point you could hardly see the crystal blue. He cupped your jaw and nudged his nose with yours.

“Who do you belong to princess?” He whispered loud enough to cause your breath to hitch.  

“You,” you breathed out. He dipped in for another heated kiss, his mouth immediately dominating yours. You whimpered against his lips as you felt his hands travel from your waist to your ass.

“You’re mine, don’t forget that. Ever.” He squeezed your plump ass before picking you up. Instinctively, your legs wrapped around his waist, feeling the bulge made you breath out as your hand flew to entangle in his hair. 

“I won’t.” You mumbled breathlessly, feeling the wetness in your core build up and dampen your panties. The rush of anticipation and the feeling of lust coursing through your body.

“I’m going to make sure of that.” He stated, his voice had lowered an octave making a shiver run down your spine. He gently laid you down on the bed, his large frame hovering over yours. “Do you know what I’m going to do?” He asked, nipping at your neck. Not trusting your voice, you shook your head no. “I’m going to fuck you into the mattress until you can’t walk straight for a week.” He mumbled as he sucked on the sweet sensitive spot on your neck, eliciting a soft moan from your lips.

He pulled away and stared at you, his eyes boring into your soul. You didn’t think possible, but his pupils were blown even wider, two dangerous black pools with hints of blue around the corners; pure lust and desire extremely evident. He slowly got off the bed and slipped off his shirt revealing his toned chest and abs, a sly smirk making its way on his face.

“Darling,” his voice was deep and dripped with lust, “take off your clothes.” And you did so at lightning speed. You threw your clothes and kicked off your shoes leaving yourself in nothing but your underwear. Your chest was heaving in anticipation as he stripped to his boxers. 

He sauntered to the foot of the bed, eyes locked on yours. Slowly he crawled his way up, brushing his lips against yours. “Mine and only mine,” he growled before pressing his mouth to yours. A small gasp escaped your lips allowing him the opportunity to slip his tongue into your mouth. You moaned against him, not even bothering to fight for dominance. He pulled away and started peppering kisses down the valley of your breasts. 

He looked up at you before leaning down and attaching his mouth to your left nipple. The sensation of his tongue flicking against the small bud made your back arc as you moaned out his name.

“Thor,” you panted, your hand finding its way back into his hair. He hummed as he brought his free hand to your other breast, his fingers kneading and pinching the bud. You felt the coil in your belly grow as he repeated his actions with his mouth on your other breast. He kissed his way down to your stomach, nipping at the skin every now and then. Marking you as his. As his face got closer to where you needed him most, your breath began to quicken.

He looks up as his hot breath fanned over the wet spot on your panties. You whimpered as he pressed a curt kiss to it, your head hitting the pillow behind you. He pressed open mouth kisses to the inside of your thighs before ripping the last piece of material from your body.

“I’ll buy you another,” he groaned as he licked a broad strip up from your dripping entrance to your clit. The back of your head dug further into the pillow as you let out an embarrassingly loud moan. He chuckled, the vibration caused your breath to hitch as you moaned out his name. 

He never once let up, eating you out as if a dying man eating his last meal. Your hand was entangled in his locks as you willed your hips to stay still. But the way he was lapping at your clit made your hips buck up as your hand pressed his face further on you. He reached a muscular arm around your waist, stopping your jutting hips as he licked a particular sweet spot.

You felt his teeth gently scrape against your sensitive bud, the movement building up the pressure you felt in your belly. Curses fell from your lips as you kept squirming, the arousal growing more intensely.

“You taste so delicious,” he hummed against your heat. All you could do was whine.

“I-I’m, fuck, Thor I’m c-close,” you stuttered out between breaths. His tongue started moving faster as he pressed a finger inside you, your slick making for perfect lube. He pumped his finger inside you before adding a second. 

“Shit!” You moaned, feeling his fingers curl and gently rub at your g-spot. “Oh f-fuck,” you felt the band snap as you orgasmed, your cunt clenched around his fingers.

Thor hummed in approval as he drank up every last drop. He slid his fingers out of you, your juices coating them. You whimpered at the loss but was quickly silenced and bit your lip as he sucked them clean. You gulped as his face neared yours, his nose nudged yours as he brought you into a deep kiss. Your tongue swirled around his mouth and all you could taste was you. He moaned into your mouth and you felt the fire ignite once again in your belly. He pulled away and slipped out of his boxers, his long hard length bobbing between his legs. You licked your lips as your eyes trailed all over the God before you.

“Not tonight kitten,” he chuckled darkly. In an instant he was over you again, splitting your legs open. “You’re mine princess,” he growled, “as well as this pussy,” his finger slide up from the crack of your ass to your clit making your hips buck up, “and this ass,” his hands ghosted over your waist and slid underneath you, squeezing your cheeks, “these tits,” his hands ran up your back over your chest, gently caressing each one, “and especially this mouth.” He finished nipping at your bottom lip. He pumped himself a few times before lining himself up with your entrance. 

“Fuck me into next week my king,” your voice died by the end of your sentence as his dick slowly slid in, your slick covering him up. You both moaned as he bottomed out. He waited a few moments before pulling out completely and slamming back into you. 

“I plan on it,” he moaned, gently biting on your shoulder, setting a brutal pace. You knew you weren’t going to last long at all. His hips snapped into yours causing the bed to creak and hit the wall. He filled you up nicely, the veins of his cock rubbing against your velvet walls. 

“Fucking mine. Fucking, shit,” he cursed as his hips started rocking faster with each thrust. The sound of skin slapping skin was the only other sound that could be heard besides breathless moans. 

“Fuck Thor,” you moaned. His hand snuck in between your bodies and started rubbing at the sensitive nub, making you chant his name as a prayer. “O-Oh god, THOR,” the pressure started building up again. 

“That’s it my princess,” he moaned, feeling you start to clench around him. “Cum for your King.” You let out a few more curses before screaming his name in ecstasy. Your body arched into his as your walls clenched tight around his dick. Your vision went white as your second orgasm crashed over you. You felt his stutter and get sloppy and you knew he was close too. You clenched around him again as he stopped. His dick swelled as hot sticky juices coated your walls. He rode out both your orgasms before he pulled out and collapsed next to you. 

“Are you okay my love?” He asked breathlessly, looking adoringly at you.

“I’m okay,” you responded with a sweet smile. “I’m sorry for not telling you about helping Steve sooner.” 

“That’s alright my princess.” He brought you closer to him. You tucked your head under his sweaty chin he played with your hair. “Just remember you’re mine and always will be my girl.” He hummed, pressing a kiss to your hair. “Ready for round two?”

▬▬▬▬▬

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[takaraphoenix]

Protective! possessive! Buck Barnes meets Reckless! Oblivious! Tony Stark and wants nothing more than to protect him from the world and grabby hands because "Steve you may be my best friend but if you try and touch Tony's ass one more time, you gonna get a beating"

Writer’s Month: Day 7 - Sports

“It is the fight of the century. The showdown theworld has feared. Avengers versus Avengers. On the side, Team IronMan, with the leader Tony Stark. At his side, War Machine, the Visionand the Black Widow. Their enemy, Team Cap – with Captain America,the Winter Soldier, the Falcon and Hawkeye. Who will be the superiorAvengers team?”

“…Seriously, Stark, tell your AI to stop narratingthe game”, commented Clint and rolled his eyes.

“Why? We need a commentator”, huffed Tony where heand his team were warming up. “With Thor off-world and Bruce justrolling his eyes at us and walking away, Fry is stepping in.”

“We’re going to win”, declared Nat with a vicioussmile, balancing a ball on her knee.

A game of soccer. Avengers versus Avengers. Bucky wasn’tentirely sure how he had gotten himself into this – any of this,all of this. He had just…followed Steve Rogers home, because he had wanted to learn who thehell Bucky was. He did. Steve brought him to a tower, to a man namedTony Stark who was a genius and had the technology to help Buckydeactivate the trigger-words and with that technology, coupled withsome actual therapy, Bucky had slowly started to find himself againand now, two years later, he had an understanding of his self again.He wasn’t the same man he used to be back in the day, but he hadfound himself again and that was more than he had thought possible.

So now he was here, living in New York, in the towertogether with the Avengers – the Avengers who had only really cometogether when Steve, Bucky, Sam, and then also Clint and Natasha hadknocked on Tony’s door, homeless and hunted. And now Bucky was anAvenger – after he had passed the psych-evaluations, after hehimself was happy with his recovery.

His life really hadchanged a lot in the past two years. Two years ago, he had faced theAvengers as an assassin working for HYDRA, now he was playing a gameof soccer with them. It was ridiculous but in an exciting, relievingway. Bucky was… a normal human being again. He had a home, he hadfriends, he had hobbies, he had a job, he had fun.He even had a someone he might like.

It was just a littleproblematic who Buckyliked. Because the person Bucky was slowly, with every single day,falling more and more in love with was Tony Stark. The man with thekindest, largest heart possible. The man who had opened his doorswith a look of bewilderment for only a split moment, before smilingbrightly and inviting them all to stay ‘as long as you need’. Twoyears later, none of them were even thinking about leaving, becausethey were at home at the tower. Tony Stark, who had helped fixBucky’s brain, fix the conditioning that had turned him into a weaponto be controlled by others, instead he was his own person now.  TonyStark, who had built Bucky a new arm – one that didn’t hurt, onethat was so much lighter than the old one, one that could actuallyfeel. And Tony had no obligation to do anyof those things, yet he had done allof those things just… out of the goodness of his heart. And Buckycouldn’t help but fall in love.

The problem was thatTony Stark was, well –Tony Stark. He was awealthy businessman who could have anything and anyone he wanted. Hewas a genius too. What would someone like him want with a formerassassin with so much blood on his hands…?

“Come on, Buck. Let’s win this game”, declared Stevewith his All American Grin.

He slapped Bucky on the shoulder, brimming withoptimism. It was incredibly contagious and Bucky knew it affected allthe Avengers just the same. Sam was puffing out his chest next toSteve.

“How about we make this more interesting, Barnes?”,asked Sam. “Put a bit money on it? Whoever scores more gets it?Just you and me?”

“It’s on, Wilson”, agreed Bucky with a smirk.

“Oh, can I join that bet?”, asked Clint eagerly.

“You’re the goal-keeper”, stated Sam slowly.

“Yeah. I’m betting against both of you. Because theirgoal-keeper is Nat”, smirked Clint.

He motioned over to Team Iron Man, where Natasha wasstanding in the goal already. The redhead smirked fiercely at them.Rhodey, Vision and Tony were warming up in front of her.

“Okay, people. Timeto play ball. Actualball”, called Natasha out.

“No digs against American football”, called Samback.

“You don’t play itwith your foot, or with a ball. Why call it football when a game thatis played with yourfeet and with a ball,and without a damn armorlike a coward,exists?”, asked Natasha.

“Don’t let the mean Russian lady bait you, Wilson”,warned Clint delighted.

Natasha just smirked viciously. There was a reason theyhad put Clint and Nat on different teams. It was safer for everyoneinvolved. For the next half hour, the eight Avengers ran around andplayed soccer with each other, before Friday called a break.

“Good game so far, right, Tony?”, laughed Steve andslapped Tony’s ass in passing.

“You’re just happy no one has scored yet”, chuckledTony amused.

While the two leaders were laughing and joking around,Bucky glowered. His eyes grew darker and expression more sour andwhen Tony and Steve parted, Bucky cornered his best friend, wrappinga rather painful arm (the strong metal one) around Steve’s shoulders,squeezing.

“Steve, you may be my best friend but if you try andtouch Tony’s ass one more time, you gonna get a beating”, hissedBucky lowly.

“It was just a friendly slap, Buck”, laughed Stevemischievously. “And it’s not like Tony complained. Or like you havea right to complain for him, do you? It’s not like you ever actuallymanned up and confessed to him, right?”

Steve smiled lightly ashe escaped from Bucky’s grasp. For the rest of the game, Buckycontinued glaring dangerously to the point that everybody seemed totry and avoid him. And then ithappened. In the fight for the ball, Tony got an elbow into the ribsand went down flying, scratching his knee and arm on the ground,bleeding and holding his side. Before anyone else could even react,Bucky had already picked Tony up bridal style, cradling himprotectively to the chest.

“Uh, Winter Wonderland, I… can… walk”, offeredTony surprised.

“No. You’re hurt”, grunted Bucky gruffly and carriedTony off.

“Oh, come on. Put a bandaid on it and we can continueplaying!”, called Rhodey out. “Where-”

“Forget it, Rhodes”, sighed Steve, patting Rhodey onthe back. “Let fate unfold.”

“What does fate have to do with Mister Stark’sinjury?”, inquired Vision confused.

/break\

Vision was not the only one confused. So was Tony, whenhe was being placed on a bed in the med bay. Bucky kept glaringirritated as he rummaged through the cabinets and got everything totake care of Tony’s “injuries”. Really, they were nothing. He hadhad worse scrapped knees as a kid.

“Buckster?”, asked Tony gently. “I’m alright. Youknow that, right? I’m not actually injured. This is nothing. Youdon’t need to be angry with Clint for it. It was all just in thegame.”

“You’re bleeding.Barton will bleed for that”, growled Bucky.

And okay, Tony could literally see before his inner eyehow Clint, somewhere, jumped a meter high without knowing why andhopefully, he was going to hide somewhere. The one thing Tonycouldn’t figure out however was why Bucky was reacting this way?

“Hey. We’re a team. No maiming team-members,Snowflake”, chuckled Tony teasingly.

He nudged Bucky a little, but Bucky still looked veryserious as he, with very gentle hands, cleaned Tony’s wounds,disinfected them and then wrapped them. Tony couldn’t help but blushat just how gentle and careful Bucky was with him. He smiled softlyat it.

“Thank you, Buckaroo”, whispered Tony.

“I don’t… like whenyou’re hurt”, muttered Bucky frustrated while putting everythingaway, effectively avoiding Tony. “I don’t like it during missionswhen you get hurt. I don’t like when you accidentally hurt yourselfin your workshop. I don’t like… this…either.”

“I…”, started Tony, unsure what to say to that.“It’s okay? Everyone on the team gets hurt every now and again. Theimportant thing is that we’re all there for each other, right?”

“No. Not theteam. You”,grunted Bucky, frustrated that Tony didn’t get it.”I don’t likewhen you get hurt,Tony. Or… Or when people just… flirt with you and you flirt back,because you’re charming and nice and I just stand there and watchand-”

“…That… nearly sounds like you’re jealous”,laughed Tony amused.

His laughter died whenhe saw the hurt puppy-dog look on Bucky’s face. Oh. Oh.

“I… I get that you don’t-”, grumbled Bucky,running his fingers through his hair. “…want me.”

“Huh?”, grunted Tony with furrowed brows. “Whywould you get that? You’re amazing. Anyone would be an idiot not towant you. Look at you! You’re literally a super hot super soldier andhave you tried your baking because that enough would be enough tomake me want to marry you!”

Bucky’s head snapped up and he stared wide-eyed at Tony,tilting his head.  “What?”

Huffing, Tony got off the bed and walked over to Bucky,cupping his face. “You’re amazing. And I… like you a lot. I’mjust very busy and inter-team relationships can ruin everything and Ididn’t want to make things awkward by telling you and ruin the teamso, you know.”

“Okay. And if we… don’t ruin the team… do youthink we could… go on a date?”, asked Bucky.

He looked worried andunsure, which looked decidedly too adorable on Bucky, so Tony leanedin to kiss him very gently on the lips. The smile Bucky offered himafterward was simply blinding.

/break\

“Damn. I didn’t think your plan would work”, gruntedClint, stuffing his face with popcorn.

“Buck’s a naturally jealous fella”, chuckled Steveand shrugged.

“But couldn’t there have been a better way thansmacking Tony’s ass?”, snorted Rhodey.

“The flirting hadn’t been enough to push him”,shrugged Natasha thoughtfully.

“And something hadto happen about their sexual tension”, grunted Sam seriously.

The Avengers weresitting in the living room together, watching the live-feed from themedical center, where Bucky and Tony were currently kissing. Stevesmiled, very proud of himself for helping his two best friends gettogether, finally,after all these months of pining.

[not-sebastian-stan]

Bucky Barnes Imagine- Shirt Thief

Request by Anon: “ is that my shirt? “ and “ are you sure you’re okay” with Bucky?

A/N: Wow I made this extra fluffy because school is killing. Also, I might seem a bit inactive but I’m studying my but off for school and I deleted the Tumblr app from my phone because I spend way to much time on it. But lol

Warnings: just fluff

pairings: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!reader (non-gender specific )

Word count: 1 K

You remember the first time Bucky came into the Avengers building. Steve had his arm swung around his shoulder, holding his best friend tight as if he could slip out of his grip any moment. Bucky’s eyes were glued to the ground as everyone introduced themselves. But he couldn't help but look at when he heard your sweet voice. He quickly noticed the sad faces of the rest of the team, they all heard of the missions he went on. But you, you looked happy. A warm smile spread onto your cheeks. Bucky felt himself smile as well like you gave his some kind of contagious smile illness.

You and Bucky quickly grew close together. Sitting next to each other during dinner, making breakfast for the team together. Yet, it still felt like there was an icy layer of glass between the two of you. You thought that it would melt over time. But, a year later, it’s still there.

“ Bucky! Buckeroo, Buckster! “ you say as you sit down on the couch next to Bucky. He flips to the next page of his book, not even looking up as you lay your head on his right shoulder. “ What is it this time? “ he asks. You take your head off his shoulder, quickly missing the contact, as you slap his arm lightly.

“ I don’t always need something from you! “. Bucky looks up from his book now and gives you an “ are-you-serious “ look. “ Okay, so, I kind of need you to-hey! Don’t walk away! “ you say as you try to pull Bucky back onto the couch. He turns around to face you, crossing his arms over is his chest. “ You need my arm for another prank, don’t you? “. You give him a pout as you hold your hands up beggingly for him. He sighs as he throws his book onto the couch. ‘ Fine! “.

You sneak through the dark halls. Your left-hand drags over the wall to make sure you’re going to right direction. You stop when you feel your hand hitting a doorknob. The kitchen door. You open the door. You are met with another wave of darkness and silence, except for the soft buzzing of the fridge. 

You grab a chair from the table and drag it towards the fridge. You lift the heavy metal arm you have been carrying over your head as you stand on top of the chair, placing the arm on the top shelf of the fridge. 

“ I-Is that my shirt? “ a voice, who you quickly realize is Buckys, asks behind you. You turn around to face Bucky. “ O shit. It is. I thought it was Steve’s, “ you say as you continue preparing your next prank of Sam. “ I always steal his shirts, they’re so soft. “. You take the fabric in between your thumb and pointer to feel the soft fibres against your skin. 

“ I would give it back to you but...I’m kinda wearing it. “. You step off the chair and softly place it back. You can now see that Bucky’s face is bright red and his eyes are close to popping out of his skull. 

‘ Buckster, are you okay? “. The nickname brought him back out of his thought. He nods his head furiously as he takes a step back from you. “ Y-Yeah, I-I’m fine, “ he says turning around to walk out of the kitchen. 

“ Are you sure you’re okay? “ you ask, not believing him. Maybe he just has a nightmare? Could be, but Steve said his nightmares stopped a month ago. “ Yes, “ he whispers as he storms off. Weird.

You walk into the common room. Natasha and Clint are sitting on top of the counter as they whisper something to each other. God knows what those two are talking about. Wanda and Vision are sitting on the couch as they stare at each other, probably talking telepathically. Tony, Bruce and Peter are talking about the new sciences convention coming up while Sam is mocking what they are saying. Bucky and Steve are chatting together. You can see Bucky fidgeting with his hands, he does that when he’s nervous.

You walk towards them as you start to hear their conversation better. “ -No but I saw Y/N wearing it and I just...I don’t know. Should I tell Y/n that I-” 

“ That you what? “ you ask as you stand next to Bucky. He smiles nervously at you as a soft blush covers his cheeks. “ Umh- Nothing-”. Steve quickly cuts Bucky off. “ That bucky wants you to go with him to Tony’s party. “. You sigh is relieve. “ Thank god, I really didn’t want to go alone. “.

Steve smiles at Bucky as he looks even more nervous than before. “ Y-Yes that party. Tony’s party. The party of Tony. The party that Tony is hosting. “ he repeats. You can’t help but smile at his nervousness. You always found it cute how he would stumble over his words.

You step out of your bathroom as you pull the oversized green shirt over your head. “ God, that was one hell of a party, “ you say as you walk over to the bed and let yourself sink into the softness of it. “ I still can’t believe that Tony actually got NSYNC to perform again. “. You turn around to lay on your stomach facing the tv as your grab the remote too but a movie on. 

Bucky walks in with his arms full of food ranging from crisps to ice cream. “ Are you- Are you wearing my shirt a-again? “ Bucky asks as he softly lays the food on your covers. “ Yep, “ you say, adding a pop to the p. “ I stole it. It’s mine now. “. You look up at him to see that dusty rose colour on his cheeks again.

He randomly lets out a soft giggle, quickly clasping his hands before his mouth. You can’t help but giggle at him as well. He slowly removes his hands from his mouth to reveal that handsome smile that makes your knees weak. “ You’re cute when you giggle, “ you say as you press play.

Bucky settles in next to you, leaning softly against you to soak in your body heat. He throws the plush blanket you keep on your bed over the two of you. his nostrils flare open as a wave of your scent hits him. He smiles in his little moment of heaven. “ You truly are a shirt thief.

A/N: this is bad and short but o well

Permanent taglist ( OPEN ): 

@thecrazyoneshavetakenover @rangotangomango @a-kiddo-with-a-doggo @frayedichor @baibs @storiesfrommirkwood @dewy-biitch

[sagittree]

|Renascent|- Chapter 2.

Summary: Thrust back into the world she had barely escaped before, will she be able to forgive herself? Will she be able to save broken friendships and restore lost trust? What happens when she falls in love with a man who’s barely able to feel and afraid of the world?

Takes place after the events of Civil War.

/renascent/: adjective- being reborn; springing again into being or vigor.

Pairing: Bucky BarnesxReader (eventual)

Words: 2,116

Warnings: none, I think. rusty writing

A/N: I’d like to thank everyone for reading this fic. It really means the world to me. And thank you so much for the lovely comments you left on the previous part <3

I’m very sorry for my rusty writing, I’m trying to get back to it. Please bear with me. I also apologize for my grammar or any mistakes, English is not my first language. Please feel free to correct me. Thank you so much for reading. It means the world. Lots of love <3

Chapter 1., Chapter 2.

The great paradox of this universe is that the closer we are to death, the most alive we wish to be. When we realize our life is about to end, our mind suddenly fills up with an endless spiral of unsaid words and things we wish we had done but never did. Things we were supposed to do in the near future, but now won’t have the chance to fulfill. The time slows down, the air gets thicker and it’s hard for us to even breathe, let alone move to somehow change the course of events that would ensure our survival. And suddenly, all we’re filled up with is regret. The regret of an unlived life. We don’t realize the value and potential of our existence until our existence is no longer our own. And when the regret becomes too heavy to bear, crushing us down, we try our best to hold on to even the slightest glimpse of us still being alive. And how else to know that we’re still alive than to breathe?

And so Y/N breathed in until there was no room left for oxygen in her lungs, thoughts swirling and calculating all possible outcomes of the situation she found herself in. It was, no doubt, either life or death. But would the person she once called her friend really take her life? Was her life even his to take?

It was hard for her to stand, cold sweat tickling down her back and her knees slightly trembling, for she knew that loyalty was the top priority of her former friend. Even if it meant killing the one you once loved dearly.

„Samuel, what are you doing?“ her voice came out surprisingly even, though barely audible. Her hands went up in surrender just as the lights turned back on. She closed her eyes for a split second and breathed out in relief, for it meant that at least Steve was okay. Now she just had to protect Bucky.

She diverted her sight from the head of the gun into her friend’s eyes, What she saw was a person torn between doing what is right and what he ought to. 

„Y/N, you know I don’t want to do this. You were once one of my best friends for god’s sake. But now you’re a fugitive, a threat to the nation. And you’re hiding a killer behind your back. A killer capable of killing us all in a blink of an eye, no doubt wanting to“ he tilted his head to the side, his voice strong and firm.

„You know none of that is true. He’s not like that. He didn’t have a choice. They made him like that, they used and abused him. He’s a victim, and now he’s suffering even more because of it. You of all people should know what that’s like“ she tried to reason, to make him see that he has taken the wrong side, though she wasn’t sure what made him change his mind.

„Really? Then why is he reaching for your gun?“ he pointed the gun in his hand at her thing. Only then did she register Bucky’s hand on her thing, suddenly stopping all movement, her breath hitching in her throat. 

„Because you’re trying to kill me,“ she said dryly, the words too heavy on her tongue. Something changed in Sam’s eyes once those words left her mouth, and she wasn’t sure whether it was good or bad.

„You’re both a threat that needs to be eliminated“ Sam stated, his teeth scraping as he clenched his jaw. He was just about to pull the trigger when a force suddenly knocked Y/N forward, sending her to the ground and tackling Sam’s body under her own, a loud gunshot resonating throughout the room.

Too shocked to be able to react in any way, she barely registered Sam reaching for his collar, ripping it apart and taking a tiny device out of it, then proceeding to throw it against the wall, it breaking into tiny pieces.

„I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry. Are you okay?“ he pleaded, his arms sneaking around her, bringing her close. He moved their bodies into a sitting position, trying to calm them both down.

„What the hell just happened? You wanted to shoot me you unsalted cracker?!“ she snapped, pushing Sam’s body away from her. She could feel heat spreading through her cheeks as she tried to understand why she suddenly felt so angry, loud ringing resonating in her ears.

„Y/N, for the love of god you know I’d never hurt you. I’m sorry, but I had to do something to avoid suspicion. They have ears everywhere. They’re watching our every step, listening to our every word to ensure our loyalty. I had to say all those things, even if they’re not true. I mean, I don’t really know what to think, man. You did run away, leaving nothing behind. And as far as I know you, you really are a threat to the nation with your clumsy ass and brilliant brain. But there’s no doubt they’ll be coming here shortly because I just threw their little eavesdropping device against the wall. Buckster, how ya doin’?“ Sam said, rubbing his forehead while pulling Y/N’s body up to stand.

Bucky’s only answer was a soft grunt. Y/N was glad to hear her friend's cheerful voice again, a gigantic weight lifting off her chest. A soft chuckle left her lips as she hugged him tightly.

„Yeah, you know why I left, but I’ll explain everything later. He’s not well, I need to tend to his wounds, we don’t have much time and you’re a distraction. Where is Steve?“ she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, turning back to Bucky just in time to stop him from falling forward off the bed.

„You’re okay, you’re alright,“ she said more to herself than to him, trying to steady him by his shoulders, Sam’s hands immediately helping her.

„There’s a steve? Didn’t hear of such thing. And what the hell is wrong with this dude, isn’t he supposed to be healing like, super fast?“ Sam said teasingly, pretending to rub his hands against his pants as if he had just touched the dirtiest thing in the world.

„He is. That’s the problem and I don’t know what’s wrong with him. We need to figure it out“ Y/N said, worry lacing her voice as she reached for a gel and began spreading it on white pieces that would later stick to Bucky’s chest and temples.

„Well Tony blew off his arm, pretty obvious, though, you can’t be that oblivious“ he stated whilst pointing at his missing arm, taking a step back.

„Tony did this? What the hell happened?“ her voice came out sharper than intended, Bucky wincing at the sudden noise so close to him.

„I’m sorry. I need to stick these on your chest and temples, is that okay? They’re neurotransmitters that will help me monitor your heartbeat and brain activity. I need to be able to see any change so I can make sure I don’t accidentally hurt you in any way.“ she informed him while moving closer to him. Bucky only nodded, keeping his eyes on the ground.

„We’ll explain everything later, please just help him. Hey, Sam. Everything alright?“ Steve’s voice came from behind them, his footsteps almost inaudible if it wasn’t for the glass on the ground he shattered more with every step.

„Yeah. If by alright you mean the government basically having us tied on leashes. Which just makes the situation a hundred times worse. Tony’s locked in his lab and he refuses to talk to anybody. Everyone’s on edge, man“ Sam said as he leaned against the table, crossing his arms over his chest.

Once Y/N made sure the white pieces were securely placed on Bucky’s warm chest, she scanned his face with her eyes, trying to determine the state of his mind. She then reached for his face slowly, until her fingers came in contact with his bloody cheek. The soft touch of her fingers made something in Bucky’s stomach twist, and he could feel his chest tightening, making it harder for him to breathe. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, suddenly feeling more alert than ever, and when his cold blue eyes met with hers, his lips slightly parted in realization, for her soft touch made him feel as if he hadn’t been touched for an eternity.

„Are you okay?“ her voice barely audible, yet ever so soft, her own eyebrows furrowing, though not in confusion, but rather in concern. She caressed his cheek in an almost loving way, or so he found himself wishing it to be. He was unable to speak, and so he just nodded slightly, the whole world vanishing from his mind.

Her finger’s moved along his face, barely touching him, for she feared she would somehow scare him away. Once she reached his hair, she tucked it behind his ears and placed the other two neurotransmitters on his temples.

„S.T.O.R.M-B., can you please do a scan of Bucky’s body. I need you to monitor his heartbeat, brain activity and how what’s left of his metal arm is attached to his body.“ Y/N commanded, moving away from Bucky, perhaps too fast for his liking, leaving a cold spot where her hand lay only moments ago, the coldness seemingly running through Bucky’s veins, making him shiver slightly. His world began spinning again as if she lifted off her spell once she stepped away.

„Yes, madam“ the A.I informed. Suddenly, the room filled with blue projections of screens proped by the air., all information about Bucky’s condition written there.

„How did you do this? I thought only Tony was capable of this with his fancy tech. And your house is a dump“ Sam exclaimed, his hands flying upwards in awe.

„Oh god“ Y/N whispered, her eyebrows furrowing in concern. She scanned the screens, trying to process the information as fast as she could, her teeth digging into her lip, quickening heartbeat hammering against her chest. She then ran to the refrigerator that was placed in the corner of the room, taking out a few bags of ice.

„What is it? What’s wrong?“ Steve demanded, worry and confusion lacing his voice, as he leaned forward slightly, his arms crossing on his chest.

„His heartbeat is rapid, and his body is basically on fire. See that?“ she stated, pointing at the scan of Bucky’s body, where his metal arm was attached to his body. Steve nodded his head, his eyebrows furrowing and breath hitching in his throat as he signaled for Y/N to continue.

„Well, what is left of his arm is pretty burnt, and if you heat metal, the heat spreads throughout its entire structure. If you look close enough you can see that the metal is basically welded to his bones and muscles. Which means that seething hot metal was literally in contact with his bones and skin. It must have felt like his entire arm was on fire, except he couldn’t do anything about it. And because the metal is connected even to his ribs, as you can see on the scan, not only were his bones on fire, but the organs near them were pretty much burning with the arm. And there’s no way he could have controlled his arm like he did if it didn't have any intervention and some sort of connection to his brain as well. So not only were his bones and organs on fire but so was his brain. When we sum all that up, he shouldn’t even be alive, which is probably why he isn’t healing as he should be. We need to ice him down“ she mumbled in distress, not sure if her words even made sense while placing the ice bags against Bucky’s skin trying to lower his body temperature.

„No!“ Bucky exclaimed loudly, pushing Y/N’s body harshly, sending her flying across the room. A sharp pain ran through her back as she hit the wall, making her cough.

„Bucky, calm down, it’s okay. We’re not going to hurt you!“ Steve exclaimed as he tried to hold Bucky’s body down in a tight grip, stopping him from punching Sam. Loud beeping filled the room, making them look at the screen in the air. 

„Oh god calm him down. Calm him down!“ Y/N proclaimed as she pushed herself off the ground, sharp pain firing up her arm as a piece of glass stuck in her palm. She ran to them just as the loud beeping vanished, leaving the room in a grave silence as Bucky’s lifeless body fell to the ground.

Chapter 3.

[jq37]

The Case File – Mice and Murder Ep 2

The Case of the Dismal Dinner

Summary

Welcome back to our flashback/Tisch fight already in progress where we learn what Daisy and Sly’s shared look was about while Rekha and Grant go for the proverbial jugular emotionally. It’s 12 years ago and Sylvester is tracking down a stolen diadem, the very same diadem that he sees Daisy swipe off the thief who has it (a jackal named Roscoe McCoy in case that matters). Sly swipes it back from her and, when she notices, she sniffs it down to his train car where he is sitting in the dark, waiting for her. He doesn’t turn the lights on, opting instead to dramatically strike a match to light his pipe, illuminating himself sitting in a big chair, holding the stolen item.

Daisy tries to bluff like she’s Virginia Chase, the owner of the diadem, but Sly knows that’s not true because he was hired by the real Virginia to track it down. Daisy is usually a better liar than this but she is insta-smitten by this figurative and literal fox and it’s throwing her off her game. But before they can continue their little tete-a-tete, they hear a gunshot ring out from Daisy’s room and know Roscoe and his guys are coming after her. Sly stuffs Daisy in a trunk before the boys show up and they actually seem a little impressed to meet him, him being a famous detective and all, but a Nat 1 deception means they hear Daisy being huffy in the chest and a fight/escape scene that Brennan takes over narration for ensues. 

After that, Sly and Daisy become close really quickly and partners in both senses of the word. Daisy tells him she’s an American PI and they work together on cases, travel the world, and become engaged within the year. But, the day before the wedding, when Sly is alone, he discovers all the documentation proving that Daisy lied about who she is, is actually a criminal, and has been using their partnership to sell information to other criminals.

She shows up and tries to pretend like she’s being set up but he replies, “You being duped is the only lie you’ve told I can’t believe.” He says that being with her changed him. He didn’t think he had it in him to actually love another person. He forgives her. He still wants to get married. Daisy is thrown by this reaction. She tells him she’s not gonna change for him and he might as well leave her. She’s being all unapologetic femme fatale about it but he gets the sense that under her bravado she’s low key pleading with him to give up on her. He doesn’t want to. He can’t. He still shows up the next day in his wedding tux. Daisy is nowhere to be seen. When he goes home, there’s a deerstalker cap on his porch and a note that just reads “-D”.

And we snap back to the present where Daisy is trying to figure out if she can take advantage of Lucretia’s fascination with the occult and all the rich vulnerable people present to make some money. Meanwhile, Sly has been totally rocked by seeing Daisy and is drowning his sorrows at the bar with Ollie, the otter bartender. Squire Badger (which is what I’ll be calling William) shows up and, in not so many words, threatens Sly for having not solved the case and making a fool of him. He says, “You’re not gonna rub my nose in this.” Move your nose then bitch, says Sly on a dirty 20 intimidation check. He’s sad about girl problems, not you! Squire Badger is scared off, but he looks like he knows something that Sly doesn’t. That someone is coming for him. 

Buckster (and Ian too btw) clocked the above conversation and sidles up to Sly at the bar. See, not only does Buckster know about Sly and Daisy’s history, he knew it was happening *while* it was happening. Sly used up all his cool swagger on the Squire so by the time Buckster shows up he’s a whole mess over Daisy. Buckster starts implying that maybe they can help each other out since they both dislike the Squire and with Sly’s Nat 20 Insight, they can totally clock each other’s double meanings perfectly. It’s a very cool game thing where Sly and Buckster are having an innocuous conversation about the weather or whatever but Grant and Sam are just saying what they mean. It’s like they’re having a telepathic conversation. Sly agrees that the enemy of his enemy is his friend and he’ll go along with Buck’s plans as long as he can keep his hands clean, even if he doesn’t really care for Buck himself. 

At the same time Gangie is in the kitchens getting fed (see the notes for a full list of kitchen staffers and other NPCs) and after the staff leaves, Gangie is told by Ambrose Harding (the Squire’s turtle valet) that there’s is business for him to attend to after dinner. 

Buckster talks to Lawrence Longfoot--the rabbit photographer from last ep who we learn runs a trash newspaper. He and Buck bond over being trash and he gets a pic of Sly and Buck together. 

Vicar Ian goes to talk to the Squire and basically tries to (openly) suss out whether the money was a bribe or a setup or what? Like, people are fully there (including the Lady Fawnbrook and her gossipy cat wife Tabitha). They snipe at each other a bit and then the Squire reveals that he’s talked him up to the Cardinal and the Cardinal agreed that he’s such a good vicar, he should be moved to Siberia. The decision has already been made and Ian doesn’t have the pull in the church to do anything about it. Yikes. 

Before dinner, the rat butler catches Buck and asks if he has time to talk to Squire Badger. Buck agrees to go with him and he’s taken to the billiards room where the Squire is along with Harding and James Hawkins, Squire’s Hawk war buddy (a literal war hawk). Buck immediately puts his foot in his mouth by messing up the Squire’s title with his American ignorance of British peerage rules which annoys him, the elitism of it all. The Squire’s friends leave and then Buck starts talking about PR and how this whole situation has been bad PR for the Squire and it would be a shame if his PR got even worse. The suggestion of blackmail sends the Squire into a full honey badger don’t care style rage and he knocks TF out of Buck, flips the pool table, and then catches himself and scurries off. Daisy, Sly, and Gangie all hear this conversation from their positions in the house via the pipes running through the manor. Buck picks himself up and, on a 25, realizes that two of the mouse maids were hiding behind a curtain, hearing the whole thing (specifically, Edwina Thimble and Carolyn Dickory--oh like hickory dickory doc, BRENNAN) . They were playing hooky so he flips them a coin each and they all agree that no one saw or heard anything. “Two blind mice, see how they run,” he quips as they leave (sidenote, what a morbid nursery rhyme to exist in that world--to be fair, it’s pretty morbid as is).

Lucretia decides to turn the séance into a post dinner séance but still brings Daisy and Lars to see her occult room which is full of crap from, as Rekha said, “1800s Party City”. Lucretia does a hilariously vague read on Daisy and says that there’s something happening with her involving a man she knew or maybe still knows but she’s in her feelings about Sly so it kinda shakes her up. She tries to get Lucretia to charge for her “””incredible gift””” (so she can skim off the top of course) but Lucretia thinks it would be a misuse of her ~talents~. She does give Daisy an incredibly broad as to be useless even if magic exists blessing before she leaves. 

Once she does, Daisy scopes out the room (which she realizes must have been retrofitted for Lucretia and wasn’t previously a séance room) and sees that the one thing in the room that doesn’t really match the aesthetic is a giant portrait of one of the previous squire badgers. On a 24 she notices two things: (1) the painting has recently been restored with new paint and (2) the frame is bolted to the wall. She wants to check it out but Lars is right there so she makes a note to check it out later and leaves. 

Lars, being a very ride or die friend for Sly, bounds after her and basically calls her trash and tries to tempt her with garbage so she’ll lose composure and start chowing down. She drools at the sight but keeps it together and leaves. Lars runs off to tell Sly that they were a good good dog and gives him a full play by play. 

Gangie meanwhile is watching a small argument between the butler and Harding in the servant’s quarters hallway and he realizes that he’s being talked about in veiled language. The butler is questioning Gangie’s employment and Harding says that, as servants, they shouldn’t question their master and that Gangie is employed for reasons that Squire Badger is aware of and reasons he is not. Hmm. Gangie realizes that Harding knows about his past which is weird because Gangie’s criminal record doesn’t follow him. There’s no internet. So what reason would this guy have to know about him?

Gangie doesn’t like this and decides to dip and steal some silverware on the way out. Mrs. Molesley (who I’ll be calling Mrs. M from now on) helps him (lol I’m not entirely sure if she didn’t know what he was doing or if she’s just down with stealing) and says that she’s been working there since Squire Badger was in diapers (she was his nanny) and if anyone bullies Gangie, she’ll take care of them. She also offers to make him a sweater so he doesn’t get cold and she’s just so nice that Gangie has to say yes. He looks to make sure no one is around and gives her a dandelion he picked. Cute!!!

And now it’s time for dinner and our very first box of doom roll for the most terrifying encounter of all: how close you have to sit next to your bitter ex! This is of course for Sly and Daisy with higher than a 15 meaning they don’t have to sit next to each other and anything lower meaning they have to sit pretty close. It is the first BOD roll I’ve ever wanted them to fail (mmm, except maybe Adaine’s werewolf roll but that’s a different conversation). 

It’s in the 6-10 bracket which means they’re sitting across from each other (below that would have been them next to each other). Everyone is seated based on how on Squire Badger’s shitlist they are. So you have Ian at the absolute back. Sly to his right and Daisy on his left. The Buckster and Lars to the right and left after that. Then Armond (armadillo lawyer guy) and a snail guy because Brennan is a madman who cannot be stopped. Constance (Squire’s daughter) makes a toast to her dad wishing him well even though they haven’t always seen eye to eye (hmmm).

Buckster fills in Daisy on his confrontation with the Squire quietly enough that no one else hears. Daisy then turns to Sly and says she hopes they can be civil. Sly is like, “Sure Ms. DUMPSTER.” They’re the kind of exes who know exactly how to hurt each other but are also super open to being hurt. Emotional glass cannons is how Brennan describes it. 

Buckster is given a note by Harding from Squire Badger and, once dinner is over, he takes Daisy off to the side to read it. Gangie follows, unseen. Ian, who recently prayed to God and got not super clear results goes to talk to Luecretia to see if maybe ghosts can help him instead. She is, as usual, not super helpful but does rush out to get her very necessary ritual dagger and declares to everyone that if anyone sees a ghost they have to tell her. As she says this, there is a flash of lightning and, through the window, Sylvester sees just for a moment the form of his nemesis, Fletcher Cottonbotton (who is by the docks).

Anyway, Buckster reads the note. It’s a document from the Squire selling his interest in BB Industries (Buck’s oil company) to Hazel Hogswallop who is another small shareholder in BB Industries. But, in doing so, it names Josiah Jackrabbit (one of his competitors) her proxy which means he’ll be able to vote on things (and with a lot of power with all that stock).  The contract was written in fresh ink which means (1) it was probably written after their fight and (2) hasn’t been mailed yet (I smell a heist attempt). Buck rolls insight on the writing (mastermind rogue ability) and with a 27 senses that the Squire has gone off his rocker. This isn’t going to make him any money. Josiah doesn’t have enough liquid cash to pay him what this is worth. And the thing with Hazel would have taken time to set up. This has been in the works for a while and he’s been sitting on it until the time was right. And he senses, like Sly and Gangie did earlier, that someone besides the Squire is pulling the strings. 

Then Gangie suddenly hears Constance’s distressed voice through the pipes from upstairs: “Father you’re possessed! You’re a mad man! This will never work. Speak of this to me never again.” And she slams the door (Buck, Daisy, and Gangie all hear). Constance comes downstairs and Squire Badger follows, looking upset. Mrs. M checks in on him too see if he’s eaten and he kind of gruffly has her follow him (along with Mr. Harding) into the drawing room.

There is a scream. Something drops. Silence. Footsteps. A door opens. Then a voice, “My God!”

Everyone rolls initiative. Ian moves first and, upon hearing all the commotion, gathers everyone together to go towards the sound (interesting choice but sure). Daisy recognizes that the scream heard was Mrs. M but barely knows who she is. She goes towards the commotion anyway. Gangie also goes towards the scream. Buckster grabs his gun (well he says “weapon”, but it’s gotta be a gun, right?) and makes like he’s following her but actually hides. Lars and Sylvester go towards the scream. 

With everyone gathered, Ambrose opens the door. Inside they see Mrs. M, her hands covered in blood (my guess? From trying to stop the bleeding), kneeling on the ground over the dead body of the Squire. The room is a mess and stuff is scattered everywhere. There is a bloody knife in the Squire’s hand and a stab wound over his heart. Ms. M, who is distressed as hell, says there was something wrong with him. There was a flash, and she looked down and he was stabbing himself. Everyone thinks this is suspicious as hell. She was the only one in the room. Everyone looks to Sly, the famous detective who is not in the presence of a murder case in progress. What does Sly say? “Lady Lucretia. I’ve seen a ghost.”

Case Notes

I have to acknowledge how ON FIRE Grant was this episode. Like everyone was. Buck was great with the Squire. Daisy and Lars sniping at each other was fun. But man Grant had so many good lines. The “move your nose”. The heartbreak with Daisy (ugh, so sad!) And that blackout line!!! I am biased towards foxes as you can see from my avatar so I am very here for this great fox rep.

Based on the way their staredown went last ep I kinda thought Daisy was the wronged party but ugh. Slyyyyyyy. He forgave herrrrrrr. And he still went to the alter. Daisy how you could youuuuuuu?

Also, sigh, Fox and the Hound. I keep getting hit with these after the fact. 

I loved Rekha’s “Of the Chase Sapphire’s?” improv.

That racoon/mink line was so sleazy. Weird compliment but Brennan is good at being animal-racist. Sidenote, Daisy makes a comment about being careful being a fox in England which I presume is a ref to fox hunting and like the implication of that are como se dice troubling. 

Here are all the new NPCs for this ep and here’s a full NPC guide that also includes the list of names Gangie gave Buck which Buck shares with Daisy this ep.

And on that topic I can’t get over the concept of a married couple named Millie Molton and Mollie Milton. Like, did they get married solely for the bit???

The best Ian-ism of the ep was him talking about getting rejected from Siberia. Poor guy.

Fave OOC moment was everyone at the table getting aggressively patriotic in response to the Squire being dismissive to Buck. There is nothing funnier than someone singing a purposefully overwrought version of I’m Proud to Be An American. 

“It’s 2020 for us bitch!”

The moment Mrs. M said she was gonna make Gangie a sweater I was scared for her. Sweaters take a long time to get made. I was like oh no. The plot is gonna stop you from making that sweater isn’t it. I’m willing to be proven wrong (Brennan loves his maids with secrets, see: Cathilda) but she seems super sweet and if anything happens to her I’m going to be upset. 

What’s behind the painting Brennan. I know there’s a door. I know this house is full of secret tunnels and revolving bookshelves and all that. Let me see it!

One great little moment was when there was a flash of lightning and the minis for Sly and Lars like stop motion moved to look at it. Just great attention to detail. The work that gets put into this show is incredible.

Edit: A note I forgot to mention. There’s gotta be a secret door in the room where it happened, right? Like, creep in, flash of light to mess up her vision, do some shenanigans, peace out.