#Best Marked Deck Tricks

[dietpitt]

💚🎃Green Is Definitely Your Color🎃💚

Stan Pines x AFAB!Reader Explicit | 2.8k words Tags: Gender-Neutral Reader, Reader wears a dress, Halloween Costumes, Trick-or-Treating, Sexual Roleplay, Cunnilingus, Praise Kink, Voice Kink, Stan is a Leg Man, Body Worship, Marking Kink, Reader Plays Bride of Frankenstein

In which body paint and Stan's mouth save the day (but ruin a perfectly good costume).

{Read on AO3}

Author's Note: Originally posted 2020 on AO3, but I wanted to give it a proper tumblr post. I'm very proud of this one except I didn't know how to end it and it shows lol

Thankfully, there are only a few things you and your boyfriend don’t see eye-to-eye on. Stan takes his coffee black (old habit from the days of shoddy motels and a life on the run), while your own brew of choice is iced (lasts longer and doesn’t get cold since it already is). He thinks it’s perfectly reasonable to scare a baby every now and then, and proceed to laugh in their pudgy little tear-streaked face. You? You told him he’d be the one bawling if you ever caught him pulling that in your periphery again.

Tonight, though? Tonight is the perfect example of just how good you two are together. Because tonight, you weren’t scaring babies. Tonight, on Halloween, you were scaring kids. And that was worlds apart from wreaking havoc in the grocery store, which happened the majority of the remaining 363 days of the year.

Sure, Stan always goes all-out for his beloved Summerween, but October 31st is when his freak flag really flies. It makes sense--  Fall brings less tourists than usual, and shorter daylight hours means fewer parents letting their kids come out to the woods to trick or treat, making every opportunity for a scare count.

With the Mystery Shack trading its typical kitsch for spooky ephemera-- fully decked out in giant spiderwebs, ghoulish figures, and angry jack-o-lanterns-- it’ll truly be a dramatic sight to behold.

But, for all the elaborate planning, special effects to make the eyes pop out of his skull and the bolts on his neck to spark and smoke, Stan still manages to miss a few spots needing body paint. 

“Alright, alright, I think y’got it,” Franken-Stan fake-grumbles up at you from his seat in front of the full-length mirror.

“Will you relax? You’re gonna sweat, and I’ll have to do your makeup all over again,” you scold, though your painted lips curl into a fond grin despite yourself.

Though the kids will start coming any minute, you’re set on completing the finishing touches, if for no other reason than to keep Stan from further grumbling later.

… And most certainly not because you also love the opportunity to dote, holding him close in ways he’d otherwise be too shy about. Not at all.

“Are you going to wear your glasses?” You ask, getting his ears nice and green with the sponge brush.

He gives it some thought. “As much as it hurts the spook factor, I can’t really scare anybody if I fall on my face.”

Another, final once-over at your work and you’re satisfied, stepping back and raising your arms in the air triumphantly to steal yourself for your best mad-scientist cackle. “My creation! It’s aliiiive!” 

Stan laughs, quickly standing and caging you with his arms against the wall. “Damn right. Alive as ever.”

You shoo both him and the remark away, looking over your white “dress” (old sheet) to check for any green that may have made its way onto your costume. “I thought you were in a hurry, hmm? There’s no time for a touch-up. Now, be a good ‘husband’ and carry the train.”

Stan’s eyes roll as he lifts the gown, following your lead downstairs. “Yes, honey.”

Trying very carefully not to trip, Stan helps you down the stairs. “I still think it’s dumb that The Bride of Frankenstein doesn’t get a name, though. Sure, she’s in it for all of three minutes, but she gets the movie named after her and doesn’t even get a line?”

“Nah, she just screams,” Stan laughs, dropping your dress as you meet the front door. “Like it hurts to exist.” He swings the door open and the both of you speak in unison.

“She gets it.”

You share a small laughing fit at that, making your way outside into the crisp autumn air, giddy to begin the festivities. A few to last-minute adjustments and tech checks, and The Shack will be ready.

“Seriously though-- why can’t she be, like, Victoria or something?”

Over by the skeleton crawling out from under the porch, Stan snorts. “Victoria? Why?”

You shrug. “Why not?”

“Touche.”

It’s finally the tail-end of the second hour, and you’re in position behind the semi-trapdoor mechanism on the porch, hidden behind a dark and stormy castle standee. You’re high on the energy so far, after making some kids scream-squeal in delight. Although, you did manage to terrify a toddler on accident without even trying-- the poor thing burst into tears at the mere sight of you walking out normally from the porch.

Maybe it was the semi-realistic stitches on your flesh? Who knows. All that’s clear is you felt awful, but Stan was very clearly amused-- and jealous, you’d wager.

But now that it’s past bedtime for most little ones, it’s time to up the ante with some added special effects-- and the fast-approaching gaggle of baby teens seem to be the first that’ll enjoy them.

Always on top of it, Stan lets out a Frankenstein-like groan, marching further from the end of the porch, arms raised in cheesy classic style. The kids stop in their tracks as he clears his throat roughly to give the spiel he’s practiced all night, an extra ~spooky~ lilt to his otherwise mostly-normal voice:

“Foolish humans! You daaaare demand gifts, when your hubris created me from cursed flesh, and your hatred ensured my demise?!” He’s truly in his element as his neck bolts flicker for emphasis, making most of the middle schoolers jump and gasp.

The one at the front of the pack though, doesn’t budge, instead holding their pumpkin bucket out with an overall look of disinterest. “Yeah, duh. Trick-or-treat, old man. Hand over the candy.”

“Rude little shit,” you frown, not even needing to see Stan’s face to know he’s going to enjoy this particular scare very much.

“Hold it, kid, ” Stan sneers, continuing his introduction, “if you want anything good to eat, you’ll need to ask the most blood-curdling-- ”

You flip the switch for the fog machine, and bellows of grey creep in around the Shack--

“--The most SPINE-TINGLING, repulsive monster of us all--!”

You quickly step on the nearby button, and lightning flashes across the house as thunder sounds--

“ --MY WIFE! ”

At his signal, your spring forward, eyes crazed as a horrendous banshee screech leaves your throat and white tendrils wave in the wind.

The rude kid screams-- and while Stan bursts out laughing and you smile evilly, you miss them reflexively reach into their bucket, pull something out, and chuck it right at you before scampering away.

With a dull thud, the projectile lands on your head with a muffled thud, sending you off balance and toppling off the platform in a second. You hear Stan’s barks at the hoodlum, but soon he’s up the porch at your side, just as surprised as you are.

“The hell-- you alright, babe?”

Stan helps you up as you glance around for the offending object that’s left your head and the arm that broke your fall aching. “I-- what the fuck was that?!”

A large, off-white sphere rolls along a groove in the deck, moved by your shifted weight. It hits the edge of your shoe, and you pick it up to find it’s…

A popcorn ball.

A really fucking heavy, rock-hard popcorn ball.

With a splotch of white from your forehead smeared across it.

Stan’s bursts out laughing, though he doesn’t let his supposedly helpful grip on your waist go. “Who the hell gave that thing out?? They must’ve been saving it for last century-- ”

It’s funny. Like, really funny. Comedy freaking gold.

But your head hurts and you fell, and shit, your wig’s messed up…

Your own laughter breaks suddenly, and before you even know it you’re tearing up.

Franken-Stan blanches the soon as it hits him. “H-hey, sweetheart, I’m sorry-- are you alright?”

The comforting hands on your shoulder, the concern in his voice breaks the dam, tears spilling out despite your mind knowing better, and wanting to continue laughing it off like you should-- like you want to.

“I’m fine Stan, I’m fine, I-- I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m crying, I really don’t,” you laugh, dabbing at your eyes with a bandage-covered hand. “That was too perfect.”

“Don’t apologize, that kid’s an asshole.”

“An asshole with a hell of a pitch,” You laugh, finally meeting Stan’s eye. 

“Wanna go inside? It’s gettin’ late anyway,”

“No! No, are you kidding? We just got started with the lightning! I’m fine, I promise--”

He raise an eyebrow skeptically.

“Really, I am. I’m the most horrifying creature of them all, right?”

“Hah! Sure are, sweet thing, sure are.”

“Then let’s get back to scaring. I’ll be ready to duck this time.” You laugh, elbowing Stan before getting back into place, and Stan follows.

11:27pm

There hasn’t been a kid in nearly 30 minutes, and with another hour under your belt, the pair of you are content to turn in for the night for some movies and the Halloween goodie bags left behind by scared trick-or-treaters.

Flopping down on the bed, your tired body practically sings. “Goddd, that kid really got me good.” The hands on your face muffle your words, but Stan gets the idea.

Taking pity on you, he pulls up the nearby chair and starts unlacing one of your boots for you. “Happens in the line of duty sometimes. Shoulda seen what one fairy princess threw at me one year-- actually, I don’t even wanna know what it was.” He jokes(?), tossing the shoe aside and beginning on the other.

“Knocked me down at the top of my game…” you mutter, twiddling with the end of a splayed-out strip of your garment.

“Hey,” Stan drops the other boot to the floor with a thud, quickly peeling off the striped sock that lay underneath. “Don’t forget, you scared the absolute shit out of that brat.”

You let out a hum, then chuckle. “Triggered his fight and flight.”

"Exactly,” he replies definitely, sling-shotting the second sock in the air. It lands on your chest, but you quickly toss it over to nowhere in particular.

“I don’t know if I can even get back up. Just let me die here,” you groan, only half-joking as the strenuous activities of the day catch up to you. “I’ll be a corpse for next Halloween.”

“Well, yer already halfway there in that getup,” Stan shrugs off the jacket of his costume and lets it fall on the chair. A glance across your form reminds him of the “bolts” attached to his neck, which he peels off with a wince. “And I’m not far behind ya.”

“I’ll be lucky if I look this good when I’m dead,” you laugh, adjusting to get more comfortable and fully prepared to just pass out, wig and all.

Stan’s eye catches on the bare skin of your leg that’s revealed when you shift, the stark white of your gown falling to the side as it bends at the knee and the other still hangs off the bed uselessly. He hums, appreciative of the sensual view of you before him: limbs draped out, black eye makeup smudged...

Your eyes fly open at the feeling of Stan’s large hand on your knee, and you’re met with a familiar mischievous grin on Stan’s still-green face. “Mmm, you’re already bewitching, babe.” 

That look always manages to send a pang through your gut. “Oh, stop it…”

This wasn’t exactly how you’d imagined the night ending, but don’t mind all that much if it’s headed where you think it’s headed.

“‘M serious,” Stan chuckles. “Yer right about The Bride too… never appreciated enough,” His thumb rubs a circle on the soft flesh on the inside of your knee, and you can’t help but sigh at the nice pressure. 

Your stomach nearly flips when he slides to his own knees, grip moving down your calf and lifting your leg to place a playful kiss to your ankle. His name falls from your lips in a whine, equal parts warning and pleading, for exactly what you can’t decide. You’re answered nonetheless by another peck just above the previous, then another with the slightest bit of teeth that makes you gasp and prop up onto your elbows.

The sight is absolutely ridiculous -- Frankenstein’s monster himself between your legs, smiling dumbly as he nips at the neglected one before he pushes excessive fabric up and off to reveal more of your form. “Stan, we-- oh my god--”

It’s when he pulls you forward on the bed that you see it: the splotches of deep green coloring the trail Stan is continuing up your thigh with a knowing look.

You laugh at first, starting to push him away so you can properly remove your dress, but he tuts, gripping your hips instead and curling an arm around your thigh, slinging it over his shoulder with an in-character groan: "You go nowhere.

You’re torn between teasing him about the fact that he’s really roleplaying as fucking Frankenstein right now, and the shudder that rolls through you as Stan noses your center through the cotton, saying: “Mine .”

“Oh,” is all you manage to say when his mouth meets between your thighs, teasing your folds through the fabric with a brazen tongue. You let yourself go then, leaning into the anticipation as after a moment Stan tugs the garment down and off, though it catches on your foot and is left dangling there uselessly.

“You’ll be screamin’ for me, don’t you worry,” he says, breath ghosting over your core before fully tucking in.

There’s no energy left in you to scream, but the needy whimpers and moans that escape as he ushers you up towards pleasure are melodic, a siren song that urges Stan to keep delving into your cunt, to hold your thighs open with a possessive grip.

“F-fuck,” you cry, reaching down and threading your fingers through his mop of black-sprayed hair between your legs. He groans mid-lap at your clit, and you gasp as his hands join in on the ministrations, caressing and petting from your hips to your stomach.

It’s when he starts sucking that you start to really writhe, tugging roughly at his locks to push him deeper. He slurps your arousal right up, the sound mortifying yet helping thrust you closer to the fast-approaching peak.

“C’mon, honey,” Stan says, thumb maintaining a rhythm on your clit. “Come for me, darling.”

The foreign pet name does it, sending a rolling orgasm that hits you in waves, crying out Stan’s name and other sweet nothings before going limp.

After a moment he sits back, more than proud as he wipes his mouth and watches you twitch and moan through the lingering pulses.

“Wow-- what was that all about?” You manage to pant out, made curious again as Stan stands suddenly, walking over to the mirror on the far-side of the room.

“Check it out,” he says, bringing the mirror to the edge of the bed and leaning against it with a self-satisfied grin.

Sitting up, your reflection stares back at you, wide-eyed and glowing-- with a prominent mess of green smeared along your skin, practically outlining each and every touch that made you come undone. A few complete hand prints are even visible, on the backs of your knees, on your hip-- even a comically clear outline against the stark white of your covered chest.

Your face burns hot as you can’t help but laugh in disbelief, both at what you see and the unexpected thrill of it; it’s delightful, and silly, and sexy, and overall just an image you think won’t leave your head for a while.

Stan chuckles at your reaction, pleased. “S’a good look on ya-- damn near electrifyin’ , some might say.”

“Come here,” you ask, arms out to beckon him forward. He does, and you don’t miss the prominent bulge in his trousers as he walks over.

Pulling him down by his shirt, you lock him into an appreciative kiss, raking your nails across his scalp and practically pulling him on top of you to continue the makeout, bed size be damned.

Needing air, you finally break away, glancing back at the mirror to see green now decorating your mouth and cheeks. “You’d missed a spot,” you inform Stan, pointing to the new addition to your face.

He hums, ducking down to nip at your neck and clavicle, painting them just the same. “Could think of a few more spots needin’ a touch-up,” he growls, rolling his hips.

Snaking your hand into the band of his pants, Stan lets out another groan at your touch and when you say lightly into his ear:

“Looks like you could use some white with that green, hmm?”

Happy Spooky Season!! 🎃💚🎃

[Masterlist]

dividers by @strangergraphics and @firefly-graphics

[cosmic-ghost-hermit]

What is the best way for You to astral travel? pick a card

Hey homies! Please donate to my CashApp or interact with this post so I can do this full-time, thank you so much in advance for your support! The decks used to day are the Romance Lenormand, the Ethereal Visions Illuminated Tarot and the Necronomicon Tarot.

🌎Donate to my CashApp🦋

(please pay for my queer quality of life)

Take what resonates and leave the rest behind but always be open to new experiences.

Also here are some basic Astral Realm Tips

mirror's there are portals to other places (go through at ur own risk)

eating any food there will effect your physical reality

ask your guides for protection over your soul and your body before traveling

ground urself before you travel

_________

PILE ONE

Astrology: Pisces, Aquarius, Gemini

Song: Femininomenon by Chappell Roan

Vibes: Indigo, green, lavender, white, pomegranates, reading, 99, unicorn, plumbagos, book marks, adventure time, X's, crossroads, armor, Hades, Hekate, Athena

Cards: Book, 10 of Swords, Judgement, 6 of Cups, 5 of Pentacles, Knight of Swords, Queen of Cups

Welcome, in pile one. The message I'm receiving first and foremost, is you can best Astral travel if you do it 'by-the-book'. There is a reason for this being so prominent. You have tried many times to astral travel and you believe it's impossible at this point. I'm here to tell you that you are capable. The only reason it has felt so impossible is because the most important step you need to take has been skipped unintentionally every time you have tried. You must ground yourself. Seems kind of counter intuitive but it's true.

Most likely, what has been happening is you have actually succeeded in your astral travel attempts. Being ungrounded can make it difficult to remember your adventures. Forgetting who you are can also make it harder to recall your experiences. Remember my friend, we are all a part of Spirit and when we travel in that way we are releasing our consciousness from our bodies and back into Spirit. Without being properly grounded we can lose ourselves in the experience until we return to our bodies.

I see you used to travel through the astral a lot as a kid. I also think you probably slept walked or had night terrors while you were astral traveling a lot as a child too. You have always been capable, my dear. You are extremely skilled in this area. Don't sell yourself short, dude.

Another trick you can do to succeed in your travels is to light a candle for your guides as an offering. They want to assist you but I feel you are the type of person who would rather ask for help than have someone take your freewill from you to assist you. Your guides know that and respect that about you. Which means only you can let go of your pride and ask for help. Also try and attempt traveling while sitting up instead of laying down. Good luck!!

__________

PILE TWO

Astrology: Scorpio, Libra, Cancer

Song: Starlight Brigade by TWRP and NSP

Vibes: Aquamarine, black, grey, brown, kayaking, sea horses, sparrows, seagulls , nests, swings, plantain, carrots, 22, 666, 639, directions, Hermes, Hekate, Hestia

Cards: Stork, Crossroads, 6 of Cups, Queen of Cups, 9 of Swords, 6 of Swords, Chariot

Hey pile two! Welcome to your reading. The main vibe I am getting from your cards is that there is some shadow work you gotta do before you are going to be able to freely Astral travel. I have a feeling you use escapism as a coping mechanism from your trauma. Which is why you have been barred from the Astral for a while. If you were to enter right now, unhealed. It would be hard for you to take part in everyday life in the same way. This is a very similar message to pile one actually but with more emphasis on the healing rather than just grounding. You really gotta figure out who you are, my dove.

Spirit does apologize for all the nightmares and all the pain you have been through. You didn't deserve it, dove. I see you have faced much violence in your few years on earth. It was scary and probably bloody or bruising. It isn't your fault. Everything you have faced isn't your fault. Unfortunately, it is your responsibility to make it right and lick your wounds. I wish it wasn't, dove. I wish someone could scoop you up and take away all the hurt you had to go through. You have to be the one to take that role. Cradle yourself in a blanket of safety and be there for yourself. That will be the best way you can begin to astral travel.

There is an interesting underlying focus of choice in your cards. It is as if you are choosing to continue the immense pain you have been through or to stop it in its tracks. Will you allow to cycle to continue or will you grab the wheel's fate and flip them in the opposite direction. Spirit and I know you will make the right choice. No matter which you decide. It is the right choice. Believe in yourself, dove.

__________

PILE THREE

Astrology: Leo, Aries, Sagittarius

Song: Devil's Train by The Lab Rats

Vibes: Orange, gold, brown, periwinkle, thistle, cherry blossom, open windows, thorns, 88, 5555, 1122, caduceus, red cloth, blue jay, pyramids, chains, lion, tattoos, Ares, Aphrodite, Eros, Eris

Cards: Whip, Birds, The Tower, Hanged Man, 2 of Cups, 8 of Pentacles, King of Wands

Welcome pile three to your reading. Oh boy yikes, this is a tough set of cards, my dear. I see you are struggling to venture into the Astral because there is mess that is in need of care in the physical. I think you might be in a really bad relationship with someone. This person is draining your spiritual power. For some of you it is romantic but it could also be familial. For a select few I think this might just be self destructive relationship with yourself. Letting this person treat you the way they do is killing you. The worst part of it is that I think you already know this. You have dedicated so much time and energy into this person that you can't bring yourself to leave. They drain your power and give nothing in return. You have convinced yourself you can't escape.

The cards are begging you to make a change in your physical reality. Once you remove the source of your anxiety and torment you will be free to use your power to do any spiritual thing you want to do. You have to rock the boat even if it is scary. You have to scream for help even if it will provoke someone. You have to make a mess of what they created. It would be so cathartic to wreck shit, babe. Just let yourself explode and watch as their tyrannical reign topples.

However, be sure you aren't exploring at people who do not deserve it. After all of the craziness is over you are going to need a support system to help you out. Please stop giving your power away so you can use it for yourself. Please let your suffering end by starting a new journey and break your current cycle. Please. Good luck, my dear. Have fun wrecking that horrible person's control of you. <3 Once you have dealt with your physical reality it'll be safe for you to venture into the Astral's unknown. Stay safe.

__________

PILE FOUR

Astrology: Taurus, Capricorn, Virgo

Song: Dead Inside by Younger Hunger

Vibes: Gray, forest green, off white, sky blue, moths, petunias, beakers, blackberries, scales, yellow teeth, 7777, 8, diamonds, moss agate, Nyx, Hypnos, Hades, Thanatos

Cards: Coffin, 7 of Pentacles, 6 of Pentacles, Hierophant, 7 of Wands, 10 of Cups, 3 of Wands

Hello and welcome, pile four. Now this is interesting. I see that you are intrigued by the idea of Astral travel but never really put in a lot of effort to attempt it. Maybe you put on a guided meditation for it but it didn't really go anywhere. You have done basic research but never really put everything you had into it. You are almost too grounded to astral travel. Unlike pile one and two you are very focused on reality. Anything outside of reality is fascinating to you but you are too logical to allow your mind to open to more mystical experiences.

These cards recommend that you find a professional to help you ease into it and teach your the techniques. I see you have plenty of resources to get the help you need to explore your spirituality. It will take some work to find the right professional and much more work for you to accept that there are things outside of our physical reality. Take as much time as you need, my dear. Don't overwhelm yourself with information that is difficult to process. If you open your mind too wide it can be extremely intense to accept everything you will learn. Go easy for a while to see if you like what you are getting into.

I can tell your friends might be into this kind of stuff or perhaps your family is. Don't feel peer pressured to believe anything if you don't want to. Just because of the people around you do this stuff, doesn't mean you have too, my dear. Faith is a very personal experience and it should be something you want to do for yourself, not for other people. If you are still interested in astral traveling after you have explored a bit, then you will know when the right time is. Happy hunting!

[breakfastteatime]

Today's Fallen Order request is 'Gone' for @wrencatte

Greez won’t allow anybody off the ship.

“I wish to explore the town,” Merrin says.

“We need to restock,” Cere reminds him.

BD wants to find something new and exciting to scan.

“I’m hungry,” Cal says.

“No one is going anywhere until we find it!”

Greez’s lucky spoon has gone missing. Again.

“Maybe you should strap it to an arm so you never lose it,” Merrin says. “It will turn up, it always does. Now let me off this ship or I may find the spoon and curse it to never be found again.”

“You do that, and I’ll find a way to curse you,” Greez growls. He jabs a finger at Cal. “You! With the echoes! Find one that will tell you where my spoon has gone.”

“No way, Greez. The last time I did that I saw things that scarred me for life.”

“What things?” Merrin asks.

Cal shoots her a withering look. “What part of scarred for life is unclear?”

“Greez, we’ll all search for five minutes, and if we don’t find it, you will let us off this ship,” Cere says, ever the voice of reason.

Eyes wide, Cal stares at her. Is she going to mind trick Greez? She’s using that tone of voice.

Two of Greez’s hands find his hips. “Ten minutes.”

“Seven, and I’ll go no higher,” Cere counters.

“Seven. Starting now. Get looking. Droid, you take the vents.”

“Why would it be in the vents?” Cal asks, knowing perfectly well why it might be in the vents.

Greez narrows his eyes.

“Fine. BD will search the vents.”

Given that the last time the spoon went missing Merrin found it on the lower deck, Cal announces that’s where he and BD will start and dashes off to the back of the ship. The moment they’re alone, BD bursts into evil laughter.

“BD, you did not take it again, did you?”

And why would BD need to do that when they have a bogling on board who’s perfectly capable of doing so herself?

Groaning, Cal opens a nearby vent and shoves BD inside. “Grab it from her and bring it to me.”

BD returns three minutes later with the very battered spoon. Cal’s eyes widen in horror. “She’s been chewing on it?” He takes it from BD and nearly recoils. “I do not want to know what that smell is.” It’s bad enough to distract Cal from the hum of echoes – all of them happy memories of Greez cooking. If he can get to the refresher without being seen, maybe he can wash off the stink… but how to explain the teeth marks?

BD nobly offers to say he grabbed it too hard with his feet, damaging it. Rather that than revealing the bogling’s existence. It’s still way too much fun having Greez be clueless about their extra crewmate.

“You’re the best, BD.” Cal climbs to the upper deck and almost jumps out of his skin when Greez stands in the doorway.

“My spoon!” Greez declares. “Just in time, too. I gotta stir the curry.”

Cal stares dumbly at the spoon still clenched in his hand. Rookie mistake. He should’ve hidden it in his pants until he could clean it.

Greez grabs for it.

Cal pulls it out of his reach just in time. “I gotta wash it,” he says. “I, uh, I found it on the lower deck. It smells bad. You don’t want to poison us.”

“I know it stinks, I can smell it from here. Gimmie my spoon, Cal. I’m not going to use it.”

“Maybe leave it to clean all night,” Cal says. “Use another spoon.”

Greez stares at him. “You’re being weird. Have you done something to my spoon?”

BD says he may have damaged it. Greez doesn’t understand a word. “I just hope I didn’t damage it pulling it out of the deck where it was stuck.”

“Ah, a few new dents won’t hurt it. A lucky spoon should have some character.”

“Oh, okay then.” Cal hands it over.

Greez checks it over. “Perfect. Aside from the stink.”

“Wait, it’s not damaged?”

“You mean all these nicks and dents?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Have you never looked at my spoon before?”

“Yeah I…” Actually, no, he hasn’t, not in detail. And given the hum of Greez’s happy cooking memories bubbling away in his head, he’s never touched it before either. “No, I guess I haven’t.”

Greez leads him back into the galley, regaling him with how he made that dent, and how he caused that discolouration. Cal looks to Cere and Merrin, knowing they get the message: go, run, while you still can.

The women escape.

“Now that we’ve found it, I’m going to head out too,” Cal says.

“Sure, sure,” Greez says.

Cal heads for the hatch.

“One other thing.”

“Yeah?” Cal goes for innocent, honest, he’s a Jedi, he wouldn’t keep secrets or tell lies or –

“The next time we’re on Bogano, the bogling stays there.”

[specialagentlokitty]

Zuko x Male!reader - wisdom

Hiiiii, it's me again! I was wondering if you could do a Zuko x male airbender! Reader where the reader is Aangs older brother? - @just-call-me-m00n 💜

Looking towards your little brother, the water tribe behind him and the fire nation ship, you took a daring step forward.

“(Y/N)!” Aang hissed.

“Shut up!” You snapped quietly.

You took a few more steps forwards towards the Prince.

“I am the Avatar, if I come with you will you swear to leave these people as well as my brother?”

The prince regarded your first a moment before he nodded his head.

You handed your glider over to the soldiers and let them lead you on to the ship.

You were chained up in a room, listening to the prince rant on about how he was going to restore his honour and be able to return home.

“All of this just to return home?” You asked.

“Shut up. I’m going to hand you over to my father, and he’ll restore my honour.”

You scoffed a little, shaking your head at him.

“Your honour is nothing that can be taken from you, you always have your honour, and only you can determine how you keep or loose it.”

“Quiet with your monk speeches.”

You shrugged a little and waited for him to leave, once it was quiet you flexed your wrist around, getting a feel for how much movement you had.

After a moment you stopped and took a deep breath, carefully moving your hand you felt the air being built up around your chains.

Finally, you trust your hands out and the chains were pulled apart with a small pop.

Falling to the floor, you crouched and leant down, pressing your ear to the metal of the ship.

You could hear the echoes of some movements, but they were a few floors up.

Standing up, you kicked your leg up, knocking the door of the hinges you started to run around and finally you found your glider tossed to the side.

Grabbing it, you sprinted straight to the top deck and before anyone could see you, you glided away.

“(Y/N)!”

Turning around, you saw the flying bison and turned around, landing on Appa’s head, you smiled at Aang as he crushed you into a hug.

“Don’t ever do that again…” he mumbled.

“Sorry Aang, no promises.”

Every single time you encountered Zuko, you would always pull the same trick, or you would somehow distract him so the rest could escape.

This time was different, Zuko was following Aang, choosing to ignore you as you ran the opposite way.

“You’re mine this time avatar.” Zuko snarled.

You spun around just to see the flames surging at Aang, and you rushed in to action, spinning around, you threw air at the flames, instantly putting them out.

You stood in front of Zuko, holding your arms out, a scowl on your face.

“You will not hurt my brother Zuko.” You sneered.

You and Zuko started to battle it out, throwing attack after attack at one another, neither of you managing to land a solid hit.

After a while, you finally managed to find an open spot, and you struck.

Zuko watched as you jumped over his flames, landing on your feet, you quickly crouched and swept your leg out, the air knocking him from his feet.

Standing over him, you had your arms up and ready.

“You will never amount to anything if you keep crashing other visions of who you are supposed to be Zuko. You must find your own destiny and create your way path in this life.”

With that, you stepped down and walked away.

“You’re really powerful!” Sokka beamed.

“(Y/N) has been training ever since he could walk, he’s the best airbender I know!” Aang beamed.

“But why don’t you have the same tattoos? It’s like a right of passage isn’t it?” Katara asked.

“Well, yes. But I did not want my tattoos, I was the best air bender at our temple, but I was still childish, I wasn’t ready to grow up and accept my markings like I was supposed to. When Aang left, I went with him so I didn’t have to grow up.”

They nodded along, they understood why you wouldn’t want to grow up at a young age, and they were glad you were here with them.

With you being Aangs brother, they couldn’t imagine you being separated.

When Zuko finally changed his way and decided to help bring the reign of his nation to an end you were beyond happy.

You met up with them after the attack on the air temple, and you walked over to the prince and sat next to him.

“I am proud of you Zuko.” You smiled.

Zuko turned to face you with a frown on his face.

“Why?”

You laughed a little and stood up.

Zuko watched you intently as you started to slowly move, gently you moved the air around you with such ease and Grace.

“Zuko, do you know what air and life have in common?”

“Nothing.”

You laughed again and shook your head.

“No, like life, air can be harsh, cruel and unforgiving, but with a little work, you can tame it, befriend it and show it how to move with kindness.”

You stopped and turned around.

“All the elements work hand in hand, each helps strengthen as well as destroy one another. Sometimes people make the wrong choices in life, and that’s okay, without taking a few wrong turns we can never find where we are supposed to be.”

Zuko sighed, shrugging his shoulders as he looked away.

“I don’t understand where I’m supposed to be in life…”

Walking over, you knelt in front of him, placing a hand on his shoulder as you gave him a smile.

“You are exactly where you are supposed to be, and where you’re supposed to always be Prince Zuko. And you are exactly who you are supposed to be.”

Patting his shoulder a little, you got up and walked to the edge of the cliff and sat down, taking a deep breath as you closed your eyes and began to meditate.

Zuko walked away but he kept thinking about what you told him, he still couldn’t fully understand what you were trying to tell him.

“(Y/N)?”

Zuko walked over to where you were still sat, and he sat down next to you.

Glancing at you, he turned away back to the moonrise.

“How do I know if I am the person I am supposed to be?”

“You won’t know, it isn’t something you simply know. But you will feel it, maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow but one day.”

“Do you know if you’re the person you’re supposed to be?” Zuko asked.

You sighed, and opened your eyes.

“If I’m to be honest with you Zuko, no. I am not the person I am supposed to be, I know this. The person I am supposed to be was over a hundred years ago, when I declined my markings. That was who I was supposed to be, I was supposed to gain my tattoos, showing that I had indeed passed all my training.”

“But you didn’t?”

“No, I refused to accept that I was no longer a child, so I ran away. I gave up being the person I was supposed for my childish mentality and for my brother.”

“Would you change that if you could?”

Turning to face Zuko, you waited for him to do the same before you spoke again.

“No. I wouldn’t change the things I have done, they have made me who I am today, as have yours. You are not a bad person Zuko, I know that for sure.”

He smiled at little and you smiled back.

“Thank you (Y/N).”

“You’re much welcome.”

You and Zuko sat staring at the moon for a little bit before he spoke up again.

“(Y/N)?”

You turned to face Zuko.

“Yeah?”

“Tell me more above what the monks taught you.”

“Sure, come with me.”

Standing up. You held you hand out to help Zuko up, and when he was you let go.

Zuko brush his hand against yours, and you smiled a little bit at him, letting him take your hand in his again.

You led him away from the camp and stood staring at the stars hand in hand as you imparted on him all the wisdom that you had been taught all those years ago.

As Zuko stood there listening, he wondered why they would try get rid of the air nation, you were smart, caring and gentle, nothing like him.

He looked down at your hand in his, and turned back to looking at you.

You had taught him everything everything he knew about changing the world for the better.

And in that moment he decided he wanted you to be by his side for the rest of your times on earth, he wanted you to be the one to keep him on the right path and fix the damage his nation had created

[zukkaoru]

hehehe

naogin + "gin i'm sorry you lost"

ultralemon + "come on babygirl"

gingershipping + "they be chillin', they be killin'"

fyonikonathan/whatever nikolai rarepair + "did you just bite me"

dazai/ranpo (i forget their shipname) + "i am going to bite you"

HIII BELOVED <333 here are the sillies for you

naogin + “gin, i’m sorry, you lost”

Naomi starts giggling before Gin has even finished putting their card down. They hesitate, their hand not leaving it so they can still take it back, but—

They don’t have another option. There’s nothing else in their hand that they can play. Besides, this could just be a trick; Naomi is cunning and she knows how to manipulate people without them even realizing what’s happening.

Gin sighs and lets go of the card.

Naomi’s laughter increases in volume. “Gin,” she says, “I’m sorry. You lost.”

She plays a draw four, and before Gin can even draw another card from the top of the deck, she follows it up with another wild card.

Gin swears under their breath. They throw their cards at Naomi, but she only continues laughing under the attack. And as much as Gin wants to be mad, they can’t quite bring themself to truly hate anything that leads to Naomi smiling.

ultralemon + “come on, babygirl”

Ranpo looks up at Kajii through fluttering eyelashes, one hand pressed firmly against his chest. He smiles, teasing. “Come on, babygirl. You know you want me.”

Kajii swallows thickly.

He does, but only as an experiment. Only to see what it’s like, only for a night or two, with no strings attached. Ranpo must know this if they truly are the world’s greatest detective, but when matters of the heart are at play, Kajii has learned it’s best to lay the rules out before you begin.

“This isn’t going to be a long-term thing,” he says.

“I know. I don’t want it to be.”

Kajii nods, and then he tugs Ranpo into a kiss. As long as Ranpo has agreed to be the subject of his study, he has no reason to hold himself back.

-

gingershipping (tanitachilucytwain??) + “they be chillin’, they be killin’” (i changed the wording slightly on this just so it would make sense dgfhgjhk)

“What’s happening?” Lucy hisses, elbowing Mark in an attempt to get them out of the way so she can see better.

They push her back. “You have your own spot!”

“I can’t see anything!”

“Would you two shut up!?” Jun’ichirou snaps. “They’re going to hear us!”

Obediently, Lucy and Mark both fall silent. Though there’s still the occasional jab between them as they battle for space.

“There’s nothing exciting going on anyway,” Tachihara assures them. “They be chillin’.”

Lucy raises an eyebrow. “I thought this was their scheduled fight to the death? Shouldn’t they be killin’?”

“Don’t ask me what’s up with them; I’ve never understood Akutagawa-san.”

“Haven’t you known him for, like four years?”

“Well, yeah, but—”

Jun’ichirou clears his throat, cutting off the argument. Before anyone can ask why, he points towards Atsushi and Akutagawa who are no longer just chillin’. Though they aren’t exactly killin’ either—they’ve gone from simply walking beside each other and talking in hushed voices to full-on, grasping at each other like their life depends on it, making out.

“Oh,” Mark whispers.

Lucy claps her hands together. “I knew it! Oh my God, Dazai-san owes me so much money. Guys, our next date is on him.”

“And by him, you actually mean Chuuya-san?” Tachihara asks.

“…Yeah, probably.”

-

fyonikonathan + “did you just bite me?”

“Did you just bite me!?”

Nikolai giggles against the warm skin of Nathaniel’s throat. He sucks and licks at the blood, hoping by the time he’s done, there will be a bruise. Hoping Nathaniel won’t shove him away before he’s left a mark.

He shudders beneath Nikolai’s touch, but he does not try to escape.

Nikolai bites again, and Nathaniel’s breath hitches.

His gaze flits upward, looking beyond Nathaniel, to where Fyodor sits watching them. The ghost of a smile is etched across their face. Half-pleasant and half-malicious. Nikolai wants to bite them next, but he has to prove he is worthy to touch them first. He must bring the priest to his knees before he can lay a finger on the Savior.

This is their game, and this is the only way Fyodor will allow themself intimacy.

Nikolai’s eyes fall shut as he toys with the hem of Nathaniel’s shirt. He’s close to his breaking point. Nikolai will not stop until he’s drawn out the delicious sounds he knows Nathaniel is capable of producing, and then he will be permitted to move onto the main course.

-

souheki + “i am going to bite you”

“Dazai-kun. Hey, hey, Dazai. Dazaiiiiiiii, c’mon c’mon pay attention to meeeeee…” Ranpo pokes his cheek, then yanks on his hair. Dazai doesn’t even blink.

Ranpo huffs, frowning to themself. Out of other ideas, they plop themself onto Dazai’s lap and cup his face in both hands, forcing him to look at them. “Dazai Dazai Dazai Dazai Dazai—”

“I am going to bite you,” Dazai threatens, finally snapping. He’s so good at annoying other people, but Ranpo will gladly take their prize for most annoying in the Agency.

They grin. “Do it, then.”

Dazai scowls at them. “I’m not in the mood.”

“For biting? That’s fine, we can do other things—”

“I’m not in the mood for your games,” he interrupts. “Go bother someone else.”

“But that’s no fun!”

Dazai rolls his eyes, and Ranpo realizes maybe they misjudged how much they could get away with before actually upsetting him.

They change course of action immediately, wrapping their arms around him and burying their head in his shoulder. “I’ll be quiet,” they promise, “but can I sit here for just a little longer?”

Dazai sighs, but he brings up to Ranpo’s back, absently rubbing it. “Fine, fine. Whatever. I’ll still bite you if you start bothering me, though.”

“I’m still not opposed to that.”

Dazai laughs, and Ranpo breathes out a silent sigh of relief.

[voidsdamned]

Wicked Natures - The Ghoul/OC (Female Character) Chapter Five

Summary: Bounty hunters are frequent customers at Mulholland's Saloon, and Rue's taken quite a shine to one gunslinger in particular: a cantankerous, old Ghoul in a tattered duster. Witness her unabashedly lust after him in all his irradiated glory (as we are all currently doing), as well as navigate the precarious relationship she unfortunately has with local law enforcement.

Minors, do not interact.

Content Warnings: more spice. Blood. Begging. Spanking. Roughness.

Enjoy.

Chapter Five: Stray Cat

Rue is fitfully sore when she wakes, and her back aches mildly, the curled-up position she slept in having done her no favours. She stretches until something pops –her left shoulder, maybe– and looks around the sunlit room. There’s not a soul in sight. No Ghoul. No Artie. She’s not terribly surprised. Artie doesn’t like staying too still, and the Ghoul… well, Rue’s equating him to a stray cat. He’ll just come and go as he pleases.

She drags herself to her feet, an old, grey bedsheet falling off her. It drapes over her feet, and she just stares at it for a moment, heart warming stupidly. She folds and stows it quick before shutting herself in the bathroom.

In the cracked mirror hanging above a pedestal sink, she can see the events of the night spelled out plainly on her body. Her neck is covered in splotches, the area around her pulse –where the Ghoul must have concentrated his efforts– is particularly bruised. Then there’s an ugly spot on her left shoulder where dried blood stains honey skin. There’s an outline of teeth amongst the bruising and split flesh having scabbed over. Telling bruises litter her breasts, and her wrists are a little red where the ropes rubbed her.

Rue, for once, is thankful she works in a glorified whorehouse. She knows a few tricks to disguise the marks the Ghoul left on her, and she’ll definitely have to. Deck may be out of town and his posse isn’t being as attentive as they should be, but they do still pop in on her. If they saw her in this state…. There would be a shitstorm when Deck returns, one Rue isn’t too keen on imagining. So, she doesn’t, she just sets to fixing the problem.  

She’s quick about a bath. Quick to dress, donning a blouse with a more conservative neckline (but still standard for her). It covers the bitemark completely, and a bit of yellow concealer and some kind of cream almost her skin colour disguises the bruising on her neck decently well. She halves her hair, weaving twin braids to fall over her shoulders. With them providing more cover and a bit of shadow, Rue can’t even tell the Ghoul had gone to town on her.

As for the marks on her wrists… her blouse sleeves cover them mostly. But if anyone asks, she’ll say she got tangled up in the clothes line again.

Made up to the best of her abilities, Rue goes about the rest of the morning as she normally would: breakfast, laundry, and general tidying. There’s a period of time where she goes back into her bathroom, strips off her shirt, and studies the Ghoul’s handiwork again –and it gets her worked up horribly. She’s still sore, almost too sore to touch herself.

Almost.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rue leaves the house earlier than normal, heading straightaway to Artie’s to check on him. She finds him in the schoolyard, working on one of the garbage sculptures he likes to put together –and most of them aren’t bad at all. Some don’t even look like garbage anymore he’s done such a good job with them. Some of the smaller pieces, he even manages to sell.

He’s on his knees, bent over working on an abstract shape of jagged edges, all of metal bits and shards of glass. It glints brightly in the noon sun, causing Rue to shield her eyes as she picks her way across the yard to him. He doesn’t notice her, doesn’t look up from his project, until she’s tapping him on the shoulder and giving a very gentle, “Afternoon, Artie.”

Artie jumps a touch, head snapping up to look at her with wide eyes –well, eye. One of them is black and swollen nearly shut, and it hurts her heart to see it –and to see all those other bruises peppering him. The little cuts. But his nose looks straight and fine.

He settles once he realizes it’s her, giving her a bright, toothy smile. “Rue! Y’see this? Got the idea in a dream last night. A bright, burnin’ star sharp enough to cut.”

She crouches beside him, examining his work and nodding her approval. “It’s nice. Really does have a kinda starburst effect to it. …How ya feelin’ this mornin’?”

“Bit foggy when I first woke,” he tells her, fiddling with a piece of metal, “bit sore. And ‘course I can’t see all the way. Havin’ to keep an even sharper ear out for the Dust Devils.”

“Y’know, I haven’t even seen the first one today.” Rue hopes that will calm him, allow him to relax a touch more. “Thinkin’ that wind storm we had a few nights ago really scattered ‘em.”

Artie gives a deft nod. “Good. Real good. Get a breather in before they start congregatin’ again.”

“I plan to. …You manage to sleep okay?”

“Like a baby. That um… rum? Yeah, rum. It knocked my lights out. Don’t think I want it again, but it did help me last night.”

Rue smiles bright. “That’s good to hear, Artie. Oh, here. I brought ya this.” She pulls out a small, glass bottle of painkillers Doc Nguyen had given her when she twisted the hell out of her ankle a few months ago. “It won’t knock your lights out, and it’ll help if you’re havin’ any pain. Doc Nguyen told me it’s okay to take two every six or so hours.”

Artie takes the bottle from her hands, shaking it. Holding it to his ear as he listens to the contents clink around. “No worms?”

Rue shakes her head. “No worms.”

He nods again. “Thank ya, Rue. Can I keep the bottle once it’s empty?”

“Of course. I can bring you by that empty rum bottle, too, if ya want it.”

Artie nods ecstatically, that toothy grin taking his mouth again. “That’ll be just what I need.”

“Great.” Rue pulls herself up to her feet, dusting off her skirt as she rises. “I’ll bring it by tomorrow, and I’ll try to get your clothes patched in the next few days. Got ‘em dryin’ on the line right now.”

The artist’s toothy smile transforms, becoming something sweet and a little watery. “You’re always real good to me, Rue. I appreciate it.”

“You’re very welcome, Artie,” she assures, squeezing his shoulder. “And I’d love to stay and watch ya work on this lovely piece, but I’m already late gettin’ to work. Take the meds if ya need ‘em, and try to get some rest, okay?”

Artie nods dutifully. “Yes’m.”

Rue gives him another smile and a small wave as she bids him goodbye for the day, and Artie goes right back to working on his sculpture, pausing only for a moment to pop two pills into his mouth before moving right along.

She moves right along as well, into another long, busy night at Mulholland’s.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Jimmie Boone brings in a fresh shipment of moonshine, Mullholland’s tends to see a big crowd. It’s good shit, apparently. Volatile as rocket fuel. Rue’s never tried it, because it smells like it could kill her (she does have a gifted bottle of it at home, though). She also doesn’t like the particular brand of stupidity her tables exhibit when they’ve had moonshine. They get drunk, fast. They get clumsy. They get a little testy. They start throwing fists.

And then Rue finds herself watching full-out brawls transpiring in the midst of the saloon until Hal unholsters his revolver and fires a warning shot into an old dartboard pocked with bullet holes. That usually settles things down, but tonight… tonight, two men get a bullet to the ass and Hal gets so fed up he calls it early. He just about decides not to order anymore moonshine from Jimmie -but, of course, that’s a decision Deck will ultimately make once he gets back to town (and Rue already knows he won’t even consider it).

Rue meanders her way home in a fantastic mood. She seldom ever gets off early, and she really is looking forward to a long night of sleep after how hectic Mulholland’s has been lately. She also has a basket full of muffins curtesy of Hal, and she’s so excited to eat one in the morning for breakfast. They go beautifully with coffee, and she’d managed to get her hands on a small bag. She doesn’t have milk, though, which is unfortunate. But she can’t justify buying it when it doesn’t keep and she doesn’t have a fridge.

Home is quiet and dark. Rue sets all her belongings down on her wardrobe and shimmies out of her clothes, catching sight of bruises almost faded and a bite mark almost healed. All so faint, it’s almost like her encounter with the Ghoul didn’t happen. She needs him to come back around and leave some fresh ones (and she knows she’s stupid for that, considering the murderous prick of a warden she’s under the thumb of).

Rue dumps her caps into the slowly-filling, glass jar by her wardrobe, sighing long and deep through her nose as she gets on her tiptoes and stretches her arms high above her head. She doesn’t get a pop like she wants, but the stretch of her muscles feels good regardless. She tries again, rolling her shoulders, touching her toes, and twisting, but earns nothing for her efforts.

Giving up, Rue tosses herself onto the misshapen form of her couch, settling into the lumpy comfort of it. It doesn’t take long for her mind to go sleepily wandering, drifting further and further. She starts seeing a hare with antlers hopping around in her mind, every movement it makes sounding like the jingle-jangle of spurs.

Those jingle-jangles are a little too crisp and clear, and they tickle something in Rue’s mind into a state of quasi-awareness. Her eyes part a fraction, blearily focusing on a dark figure breezing towards her, steps soundless except for the jingle-jangle that excites her heart.

Rue pushes herself up onto her elbows, rubbing at her eyes with the heel of her hand as her lips tilt sleepily up at the Ghoul. “Hey you.” She yawns largely. “Want a muffin?”

The gunslinger pauses, giving her a look that tells her exactly how stupid he thinks she is –narrowed, tired eyes and incredulity. “I ain’t here for muffins, ya thick thing.”

“I know it.” Her grin stretches, teasing and smug. “You’re here ‘cause I’m stuck in your head.”

He rolls his eyes (why does Rue delight in that so much?) and shakes his head. His steps towards her are slow, resounding in the small space. The jingle-jangle of spurs stokes a heat in her belly. “I’m here ‘cause I got an open invitation to ruin you any-fucking-time I want. Remember?”

Rue rocks a hand from side to side, feet kicking idly. “That sounds like me, though.”

He comes to the edge of the couch, close enough Rue could lean forward and plant a through-the-clothes kiss to his dick if she wanted to (and she kind of wants to). She licks her lips, eyes picking their way up to his, holding. His gaze is always so severe, so serious. Rue thinks he could peel back the layers of her with eyes like that.

“Think you’re cute, huh?”

Rue, not looking away, dips her head forward and presses her lips to the front of his trousers. “I think I’m adorable.”

And there comes the fire, that smoldering glint in whiskey eyes. His voice is gruff, a growl, as he orders her to, “Get up.”

Rue complies, drawing herself to her feet to stand pressed to his body –firm and cool with all that leather. “I was thinkin’ ‘bout ya not too long ago,” she shares, stretching her arms above her head. Her back finally pops, and she can’t help the pleased, little moan that escapes her. “All my lil’ trophies are healin’ up, and I like havin’ somethin’ to remember you by.”  

Rue watches his trailing eyes, how they fix on a spot on her neck –one of the more lingering bruises. A cocky, little smirk twists at a corner of his mouth that she wants to pepper with kisses. “With the way you’re runnin’ that mouth, I dunno that you deserve ‘em.”

“Can’t help myself. You’re so fun to tease.” She reaches to touch his leather-vested chest, but he snags her wrist, holding tight enough to have her wincing.

He clicks his tongue in disapproval. “Ya ought not tease a man like me, sweetheart.”

Rue sticks her tongue out at the mean, old man. “Would ya rather me just sit there all quiet like and take it?” 

The Ghoul snorts. “I don’t think ya can be quiet.” His other hand ensnares her free one, and he pins them behind her back. “But I like to watch ya take it.”

Rue’s smile goes wide. “Challenge accepted.”

He cocks a browless brow at her in question.

“I won’t make a sound.”

He laughs, timber low and vibrating into Rue. “Shit, we both know I can getcha screamin’ if I want.”

Rue doesn’t say a word, only waggles her brows.

The bounty hunter gives an amused, “Hmp,” and tips his head. “Alright, then. Ya make a peep, and ya don’t come. I’ll just find out how deep I can shove my dick down your throat and be on my merry way.”

Just the threat of it makes Rue want to moan, but it’s much too early in the game. In fact, it just started. She raises her chin in a short motion she hopes he reads as, “Bring it.”

The Ghoul drags her in closer, letting her feel all his sharp edges and the hardening bulge of his cock beneath his trousers as he slowly ruts against her. Rue’s eyes flutter, and she bites down on her bottom lip to keep the whimpers in when his free hand tangles in her hair, pulling her head to the side so he can lavish her neck with his brutal brand of attention. 

Against her pulse, he tells her, “I guess I can admit to thinkin’ a bit about ya –the kinda games I’d play with ya. What positions I’d put ya in. Thinkin’ I want ya from behind this go ‘round.”

Rue shivers and squirms, wanting that desperately. They didn’t get to that position last time, and she thinks it would hit like nothing else. She nods her approval probably a little too exuberantly.

The Ghoul grinds against her a final time before his body pulls back a touch. He fetches a length of rope from his belt, and Rue holds still as he binds her wrists behind her back. Then he takes a few more steps back from her, eyes thoughtfully, hungrily, scanning her body before they latch on hers.

Pure wickedness brews in those whiskey eyes, and the devilish curl of his lips promises her undoing. So do those goddamn hands when he takes his gloves off. He really isn’t playing fair.

And he’s playing rough when those hands greet her breasts, the tweak of her nipple something that wracks its way down her spine and has her biting down on her lip. She doesn’t make a sound, only shakes as his fingertips ghost against the flesh he’d just abused. And he makes sure her other tit gets the same treatment. Along with her clit, and goddamnit, is he particularly thorough down there, hooking his fingers into her, curling and coaxing. Flicking. That has her eyes wide around, and her hold on her lip harsh enough she tastes blood.

Rue silently quivering, watches the Ghoul suck his fingers clean of her. “Huh. Guess I gotta admire your determination,” he comments, eyes raising from her cunt and to her face. They go straight to her lips. The grin that takes his is feral as he licks his fingers. “Now, look what ya did. Makin’ a mess. I’m the one who’s supposed to be doin’ that.”

Why is that when he speaks she wants to moan the most? To whimper and swear?

The Ghoul grabs hold of her face and presses his lips harshly to hers, tongue trailing. The taste of blood intensifies as he deepens the kiss, as he bites at her. When he pulls away, his mouth is smeared with crimson. He licks that clean, too.

Rue almost goes to her knees, a series of swears threatening to spill from her battered lips. But she’s good at games, and she’s resolved herself to win this one. She wants to feel his body pressed to hers from behind, fucking her absolutely silly.

She steels herself and smirks, winking at him for good measure.

His eyes go half-lidded, dangerous. He clicks his tongue, a short laugh rumbling from him. “You’re just a glutton for punishment, huh?

Rue’s first instinct is to fingergun at him, but with the state of her hands, cannot do so. She settles for a nod and a slow, exaggerated licking of her lips.

The Ghoul is fast, grabbing and spinning her around. Pulling her down as he plops back on her couch. She lands across his lap, ass in the air and his fingers digging into the plushness of her left cheek. Which is all just fantastic, but what really has her attention is the way his dick presses against her stomach. It’s all she can think about until a breath-stealing, skin-searing, open-handed smack lights up her rear.  

It robs her of her voice (most definitely the opposite of the desired effect), leaving her tense and wound tight as she awaits the next. And it does come, the sound sharp and the contact right where the first had been. But Rue was braced for it, ready, not a sound escapes her; but in her mind, she is gasping and giggling. On the outside, she squirms, toes curling and uncurling. Fingers clenching and unclenching. Her head hangs until a third smack has her snapping upright and biting down on her raw lip all over again.

“Tougher than you look.” The Ghoul hums, almost sounding impressed. His hand leaves her rear to grab her by the hair, tipping her head back further and making a “tch” sound. A scarred-up thumb drags across her cheekbone. “But ya sure are pretty with tears in your eyes.”

That small touch has her wanting to whine. She swallows thickly instead.

“That’s nice, too.” His thumb drags over her lips. “Wish I could see from this angle when you’re swallowin’ me down.”

Rue could make those dreams come true if she could get him on his back. Then she could approach from his right or left side, and he could have a nice side profile of her going to town. And if he was feeling sweet, he could finger or spank her. Or nice mix of the two.

Fuck.

Thinking of it has Rue squirming, needing some kind of friction below. There’s a pressure, a pulse, down there fast becoming unbearable.

Another disapproving sound from the Ghoul as his thumb withdraws from her mouth and his hand from her hair. “Nuh-uh, sweet. None of that. Not ‘til I say so.” One hand ghosts down her spine while the other rubs the tender spot on her ass in slow, lazy circles. Then pinches. Rue’s whole body goes tense, winding so tight it’s almost exhausting.

But I’m gonna win.

She chants that to herself, and almost immediately loses when that cruel hand slips between her legs to be so sinfully sweet she wants to purr and plead. Her head and eyes roll, breath gone completely erratic. Heart a mile a minute. Building and building and building, and-.

SMACK.

It truly takes every single drop of Rue’s resolve, stubbornness, and self not to scream. To shout and gasp raggedly and likely sob just a little. All she can do is shake and bleed and feel tears slip hotly down her cheeks.

The Ghoul huffs. “I was sure that’d get ya.... You don’t wanna sing for me, Rue?”

A dirty, fucking play to use her name, but she nods her head like crazy, curls spilling all around her shoulders and face until she’s shrouded by them.

He’s back to sweetness, touches gentle on her thighs and the spot on her ass likely to be as raw as her lips. Then he’s shoving her off his lap, and Rue’s hitting the floor with a bang that shakes her vision.

“You’re gonna,” the Ghoul promises, voice rough, husky, and even vaguely threatening. “You’re gonna sing and scream and pray for me.” His spurs jingle-jangle as his boots hit the floor as solidly as Rue had. She hears his belt buckle jingle, too. A zipper unzipping. Fabric sliding.

The Ghoul is on the floor with her, hands on her hips, jerking her onto her knees as the left side of her face scrapes against the floor. A knee firmly spreads her legs, and Rue, so excited, tries not to quiver as she feels the hot, rigid girth of him prodding at her from behind. The sharpness of his hip bones pressing into tender flesh.

She doesn’t expect gentleness, and she doesn’t get it. He’s as forthright as he was the first time, slamming his way into her completely in one, debilitating stroke that nearly pulls a whispered, “Fuck, fuck, fuck. Yes,” from her throat.

The Ghoul’s groan does something to her, that deep, throaty, purely pleasured sound. It stokes the fire he’s built up. She wants to hear more, loving to know the feel of her can draw out such a musical sound. That she can make him sing.

But the Ghoul’s grip is like iron, not allowing her to shift or angle her hips any differently. Or let her attempt bouncing off him herself. His fingers only dig in deeper, aggravating the spot he’d favoured, and Rue’s body clenches. The Ghoul’s hands hold tighter, an expletive hissing raggedly out of him.

He spanks and grasps her ass, tone rough and chiding, “That ain’t fair.”

Rue wants to laugh, to risk a glance up at him, but she thinks her smile would only work him up more –which isn’t really a bad thing, but it would only make the game harder. She’s struggling with it now. Really, really struggling when the Ghoul pulls back only to stroke roughly, fully again. Her eyes flutter. Her heart stutters. She needs to claw at the ground. She needs something to bite down on. It’s so good. The friction. The feel. Scratching at an itch so deep she wasn’t even aware of its existence.

She wants to tell him, “Again,” but doesn't have to. He’s a mind reader (more likely he planned on it already) because he does it again. Again. Again. Slow and deep and firm. Excruciatingly saccharine and biting. Something croaked and begging tries to escape from Rue, but she bites down on it with all her might, breathing roughly. Wildly.

She wonders if breathing counts as a noise? Hers is loud and unbelievably lewd right now –even to her own ears.

“So close,” the Ghoul muses, a genuine, wolfish delight underscoring the deep timber of his voice. His hips still. “Ya need a few more of those, huh?”

Rue bobs her head like a desperate fool.

“Ya gotta beg me.”

She shakes her head firmly. She wants to come. She needs to. She can’t have him running off on her tonight, not when she’s in such a twisted-up, terrible way.

A sharp smack greets her ass, and mercifully, it’s not on the likely-bruised cheek. She doesn’t make a sound, but her cunt throbs.

“Stubborn.” One of his steadying hands leaves her hips to fist in her hair, dragging Rue up, pulling her taught against his chest. The hand on her hip snakes to her front, between her legs to press firm, dragging circles against an overly sensitive bundle of nerves. The hand in her hair disengages, reaching around to grasp at her breasts.

Rue’s shaking from her head to her toes. Dizzy. So close to losing her mind.

“Beg me, Rue,” the Ghoul coaxes, voice low and beguiling. “And if it’s sweet enough, I’ll let you come.”

Grey eyes flutter open. She wants to ask him, “Promise?” but she doesn’t trust the offer in full. She wiggles her pinky against his chest.

The gunslinger pulls back a touch, the motions of both hands stilling. He scoffs out a disbelieving, “Really?”

Rue bobs her head.

An aggravated sigh and a grumbled, “Fine then.” A hand leaves her tit; the Ghoul’s pinky hooks with hers. “You’re a bit of a brat. Y’know that, right?”

“And you’re everything,” Rue gasps out. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Please, keep doin’ what you’re doin’. Please. I want you so bad it hurts. I’m about cryin’ over it in the best fuckin’ way.” She tilts her head back, hitting against his shoulder and finding his eyes. They’re hungry, dancing, delighted. And she knows hers only help her case. Wet, wide, and pleading. “You fill me up so fuckin’ good. It’s all I can think about. Please. Please. Fuck me. Fuck me ‘til I see stars. ‘Til I can’t walk. ‘Til I’m screamin’. Make me scream. Make me sing. And, darlin’, if ya gave me a name, I’d pray to it.”

The gunslinger’s hips buck –involuntarily or not, Rue doesn’t know. She just feels everything so acutely that a reedy, pitiful whine rips from her, her head dropping, lolling. Another plea marked by desperation.

A pull back. A stroke that sends her eyes to rolling. The Ghoul growls into her neck, “Ya don’t need a name. Anytime I hear ‘oh god’ come from ya, I’ll know it’s for me.”

Rue decides she’ll give him plenty of that, and she has every opportunity to. The Ghoul hears her pleas, and he answers. He gives her the slow, powerful thrusts that feel as if they reach to her gut. Hands pushing her buttons all the while. His pace alternates, him holding her tight and fucking into her with wild abandon, the snap of his hips quick and brutal.

She’s nonsensical. She hears her voice but cannot understand the words she might be speaking. No thoughts exist in her mind other than those of the Ghoul and everything he makes her feel. She’s lost completely to the mix of aching pleasure and too-sweet pain. And it really doesn’t take him long to send her toppling over the edge. Coming hard and shaky and loud. Her entire body tautens, especially around him. She can hear the way he swears around the buzzing in her ears. She feels every touch, how grasping and desperate his hands become. The unsteadiness his strokes devolve into.

His grip on her torso disappears, and Rue cannot hope to keep herself upright. She has no strength, no control, and no hands to catch herself with. Her chin strikes the floor, setting her teeth to ringing and eyes to swimming. And still the Ghoul fucks her, his hands on her waist and hips until a final, broad, shattering thrust spells out his end. As well as a second one for her that disconnects her brain from her body. She floats, overwhelmed and awash. She could happily drown in such pleasure. 

But the Ghoul's voice and touch keep her afloat. Has her trying to reattach her scattered parts as she picks up bits and pieces of what he says. A bit of praise, him telling her he loves the way her filthy, fuckin’ cunt milks him for all he’s worth. How she’s such a good girl taking it like she did, singing like she did. He could get used to being worshipped.

“I’d exalt ya every-goddamn-day,” Rue mumbles, barely there, not even realizing he’s untied her hands until he’s flipping her over and she doesn’t crush her own arms. They just flop out uselessly beside her. She hazily watches as the Ghoul spreads her legs and kneels between them, his half-hard cock on full, lovely display before her eyes roll back into her head and her body seizes at the way he fingerfucks his way back into her.

“Hell, that’s a fuckin’ sight,” he breathes. “Fillin’ you up and watchin’ me spill out.”

Rue half-whimpers/half-gasps/half-laughs. “Ohhhh, that’s... that's fi- filthy. I... l-love it. But ya -fuck– you’re killin’ me.”

The Ghoul laughs at the state of her (most likely), and through lidded eyes, she watches him sit with his back against the couch and tuck himself away. His head hangs, chest rising slow and steady, and sweat glistens on his forehead and neck. A fucking painting, a masterpiece, is what he is.

Rue can’t help herself. “You’re so handsome.”

He’s close enough to reach out and pinch her. “Gonna make you eat your own tongue.”

The pinch is easily ignored, nothing compared to what she just went through. “So, so handsome.” Rue rolls over on her side, grasping for the couch and using it to haul herself up. She’s not successful. Her limbs are useless. She grins lazily at the cowboy. “Think ya broke my arms… and my legs, maybe.”

A short, bark of a laugh. “Ain’t sorry ‘bout it.” 

“Neither am I.” Rue gives hoisting herself to her feet another go, barely managing to get on her knees. It’s an even greater feat that she manages to get to her feet. She feels wobblily, like a newborn radstag, as she crosses the floor. “I look as silly as I feel?”

“Like an idiot, but that’s nothin’ new.”

Rue snorts, sticking her tongue out at the Ghoul before shutting herself in the bathroom where she cleans up just a bit. When she emerges, she’s pleased to find the Ghoul sitting right where she left him, head tipped back and his boots kicked off. She leaves him to relax for the moment, going to her kitchenette and fishing out the sealed mason jar full of Jimmie Boone’s moonshine. She also fills two glasses with water.

She returns to the Ghoul, handing over the moonshine and a glass before joining him on the floor, back pressing into the couch. She upends her glass of water quickly before tilting her head back to relax and bask in the presence beside her. But the tired hits heavy, letting Rue know she's about to have a proper sleep whether she's ready for it or not. She fights to keep her eyes parted, to enjoy the Ghoul for just a little longer. She watches him unscrew the jar lid and take himself a sniff. Or as good of one as he can. She doesn’t know how much he can smell without a nose.

“Think I’ve had this before,” he mutters before taking a swig. His face screws up. “Goddamn.”

Rue grins smally, drowsily. “Two people got shot in the ass tonight ‘cause of that shit.”

“If they were drunk off this, bet they didn’t even feel it.”

“Sure howled like they did.”

The Ghoul snickers and takes another draw from the ‘shine.

She smothers a yawn, asking, “Ya set to head out after another bounty?”

“Yup. Got some raiders in the hills not too far from here goin’ after caravans. Boy standin’ in for Deck’s offering a hundred caps a head.”

Rue perks slightly at that. “Damn, that’s good money. …Ya sure I can’t bounty hunt with you?” It’s a question made in jest, but… some small part of Rue is stupidly hopeful.

The Ghoul tips back the moonshine, taking a deeper glug. When he pulls the jar away, his sharp intake of breath sounds like a hiss. He shakes his head. “I maintain that you ain’t built for it, sweetheart. I don’t even think ya got a gun.”

He’s not wrong about the gun. Rue doesn’t have one. Deck won’t let her have one. No one in Dust will sell her one either on account of her being not quite right in the head. They think she’ll hurt herself or someone else. But she has a fucking pocket knife. That’s all fine and dandy.

“I used to,” she mutters, eyes too heavy to keep open. He really does wear her out in the best way.... “It was pretty. Bolt-action rifle. Real antique lookin’ thing with gleamin’ wood and all these pretty lil’ whorls carved in it. I think it burned up with the ranch.” Her lips quirk at the thought of it, the mental picture in her head. The blurry sensation of what it felt like to hold it and fire. To feel the assuring weight of it strapped to her back.

She felt tough enough to take on the world back then. She knows that’s still somewhere in her. She feels it stirring sometimes, making her want to rip her skin off.

“Always noticed you take care of your guns,” Rue goes on, voice soft and sleepy. “Appreciate that ‘bout ya.”

“Gotta. They make me my money.” A pause. A shift she can feel vibrate through the couch they both lean into. He might be looking at her? She thinks she can feel his eyes on her, but she can't check. “Ya gonna fall asleep like that?”

“Yeah.”

And she does.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Ghoul is gone in the morning, not that Rue expected any different of the stray cat. But she didn’t expect to wake up in her bed with the covers draped over her –or to find the glasses and jar they used last night washed and drying by the sink. It’s a nice, small surprise. One that has her smiling while she brews her morning coffee.

And her smile takes in her ears when she goes to grab a muffin from the basket on the kitchen table, finding half of them gone.

[ramble-bloo]

Realized I haven't gone into how Bitterbat reacts/gets revenge on Freebird…at least on this account SO lemme drop that here because he definitely has STRONG reactions to him.

Freebird is stationed in mainland America so he isn't a permanent resident of Decking City. He only really visits when there is hero business to take care of. But when there is word that Freebird is coming to the city, Bitterbat becomes way more territorial over Sweetheart.

He can read people's emotions like a book and Sweetheart has discomfort written all over her. She tells him she can deal with Freebird because yeah he's a pushy asshole but he isn't a complete monster and he eventually backs off but it's annoying every time.

And the guy has only become more assertive after Bitterbat showed up.

Bitterbat knows Sweetheart doesn't like missing a hero meeting but he tries to get her to call out when Freebird is in town. And if that doesn't work, he tries to figure ways to sneak in. And if that doesn't work, then he's always lurking somewhere nearby the place.

In the beginning, Sweetheart has def turned down having him accompany her because it's too risky but at a point she realizes how much anxiety she is beginning to get by just thinking about running into Freebird and she decides to pull the "Itty Bittybat in boobies" maneuver.

It works pretty well and helps her make it through the day when Freebird is around with the only draw back being how hard it is to keep Bitterbat from leaping out and attacking his face. It hasn't happened YET but the chances of Bitterbat snapping are low, never zero.

Her has certainly pulled a fair share of tricks on the bird man, like making him trip and fall or making something spill on him but it's always something to seem like a freak accident.

Another thing he does when Freebird is in town…and make sure Sweetheart leaves him with some "battlescars". Of course she makes sure to reel him back so he doesn't go hog wild but there's a bite here, a hickey there.

There's finer details I cannot get into because this is a sfw account but he makes sure she is absolutely covered in his scent so if she ever runs into Freebird, he might not know what it is he's sensing, but he def can tell something is "off" about her.

Because of how much more "aggressive" Bitterbat gets during battles when Freebird is in town, the two can lie and say it's just actual scars from them fighting. Speaking of their battles, they def get more risque.

It's nothing too explicit but those stolen kisses get a whole lot deeper. Like "Bitterbat makes sure the camera sees tongue" deeper It drives Freebird up a wall. Especially with how much Bitterbat loves to have his hands on Sweetheart during battles.

Of course, this leads to Freebird trying to talk Sweetheart into letting someone else handle Bitterbat because he claims that he seems to be "too much for her to handle" but Sweetheart stands firm that she is more than capable of dealing with him...because it's true tbh.

Does Bitterbat kick Freebird's ass at somepoint. AT LEAST twice with the first being him going easy on Freebird because he tried to step in during a battle between him and Sweetheart.

The way Decking works, heroes claim what villains are theirs. Heroes know their villains the best so they always are the ones sent or called when a villain they claimed pops up. The Decking Defense Force state it's because they are the most qualified to handle them...which is true.

Things are different in mainland America. Heroes tend to just deal with a villain they have run ins with but there's no paperwork to assign them, it's just "oh yeah that guy usually takes on that other guy".

And while it's not breaking the rules necessarily for a hero in Decking to jump into battle against an unassigned villain, it's often advised against if the designated hero doesn't have them marked down as "other capable heroes". So when Freebird tries to take Bitterbat, Bitterbat drops his weights and fucks him up JUST enough to make him know his place.

Bitterbat considers this fight to be his "warning" to Freebird because the guy could still walk away from it and he left his face quite in tact. Plus he was still going by the "script" he and Sweetheart vaguely have in their heads.

But the second fight they have…it's definitely an unscripted event. And while Freebird could walk away from the first battle with his tail between his legs-Bitterbat makes it his mission he crawls away from the second.

Sadly, Bitterbat cannot kill Freebird as he would basically be marked down as one of the biggest threats to America and that's a whole headache for Bitterbat and Sweetheart to deal with when they just wanna cuddle and kiss while binging movies. But maiming is def on the table.

[housano]

About skateboarding

Since I'm bored out of my skull I thought I would talk about one of my other interests: skateboarding

Deck size: 8.125

Wheel size: 52mm

Trucks: Thunder

Favorite deck brand: Either Krooked or BBS Alien Workshop. Actually any deck brand made by BBS. If we're going with strictly aesthetics and graphics, then Magenta.

Least Favorite: Any brand made with Clutch wood. Those nose and tails are way to steep

Best trick: Frontside flip or frontside 360

Trick I want to learn: Overcoming my psychological barrier of switch ollieing up curbs. Other than that I would like to learn smith grinds

Advice on tricks: For frontside 360s, the key is to use the upper part of your body to complete the first 180, and then use your legs and bottom half to force the last 180. Learning how to do late 180s are extremely helpful.

Favorite skate video: 3 way tie between Tilt Mode Army "Man Down", PJ Ladd's Wonderful Horrible Life and Girl/Chocolate "Yeah Right"

Favortie Skaters: Mark Appleyard, Heath Kirchart, Rick McCrank, John Rattray, Gustav Tonnesen, Mark Suciu

Favorite Shoe brand: Hmm that's a tough one, but New Balance has consistently lives up to my expectations. More niche, I'm a sucker for DC, Kalis models always deliver. Anyone that makes a good cupsole and not focused on vulc (*cough* Vans *cough*).

Gear you would love to own: Enjoi with the Butterfly Lite concave, Lakai Howard 2, Lakai MJ1, Tum Yeto era Zero and Foundation, OG eS Accel Plus

[hasufin]

So, yesterday I spent about 45 minutes making a jig which I then used for four cuts.

Why? Because that's what it took to make those four cuts just right. And they had to be perfect, so I put in the time.

With most creations, the crucial difference between "okay" and "incredible" is an absolutely ridiculous amount of preparation. It's learning how to write in Arabic in order to make one work of art. It's buying 26 identical decks of cards to perform a simple "can I find your card" trick. It's spending hours laying out and marking material to make a simple shirt.

This isn't to say that if you spend a very long time or a lot of money on something you are guaranteed to get remarkable results: it's quite possible to put in superlative effort only to get nothing. But if you don't put in the effort, especially in the preparation and planning, you're certain to get mediocre results at best. You need to not only be putting in the work, you need to be putting in the right work. That work, though, will always feel like it's too much.

This will always be the case - the effort to do something incredible will always feel disproportionate - if it were not, then everyone would do it, and it would not be incredible. It's not about doing a little bit more: it's about a LOT more. So much more that most people think it's ludicrous.

So if you're crafting, working, creating, and you're despairing because it feels like you haven't even really started, remember: preparation is part of the process.

[z-iridest]

Yu-Gi-Oh: Renegade

Chapter 5:

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh: Renegade:

' "In 3 months, I will be holding a Derby Duel Tournament. It is open to all who wish to compete." Leon Dracnus announced on live TV.

"Look, everyone deserves to play the game they love without facing prejudice, without consequences… This baby," Yuko gently patted the broken down Phoenix Whirlwind, "is the key to jump starting that change. But, I'm gonna need you guys behind me on this."

"There'll never be a time you can't count on me." Adom replied.

"Good luck, Yuko, my girl." Pops told her before Yuko raced out of the garage and away from her chosen family.

"Remove your helmet and deactivate the gear, reject. I know you're a duelist, and one from the Jade Phoenix Duel Gang judging by the symbol on your back."  

"You have Derby Duel gear yourself, right, Takano? Duel me. If I win, I go about my business and you act like nothing happened." 

"And why should I listen to what a reject like you asks of me?"

"Winning against me means you could get redemption from the big man topside. See, you're right in assuming I'm a duelist, I'm the leader of the Jade Phoenix gang, their best duelist."

"You're on, Birdie. You're in for one heck of a match, I hope you know what you're getting yourself into, kid! Wait, that Duel Disk... Where did that come from?!" Yuko felt a smirk cross her face at the Chaser's shock of the tech she'd built herself.

"I built it into my gear!"

What have I gotten myself into? She thought nervously as a countdown began to the beginning of the duel.'

With the Duel World spell activated, the world around them had changed giving it a bluish hue. "Ready... Set... Duel!" The computer counted down. Both duelists took off, their Life Point counters set to 4000 Life Points. Wait, are my eyes playing tricks on me? Why are my Life Points only at 4000? Yuko thought, her brow furrowing.

"In case you aren't familiar with Derby Duel combat, allow me to explain the rules. In Derby Duels, our decks are cut down to 40 cards each and our Life Points are only set to 4000 points. Unlike Turbo Duels back in the old days, we're allowed to use normal spells, but we do have hurdles that make things harder. For one thing, in the actual arena, if you knock your opponent out of bounds, they automatically lose. The first two to take that first turn are the first duelists to begin dueling. If one of the duelists in focus gets knocked out, either by a duelist or an obstacle, either the duelist that butted them out or the duelist closest to the remaining duelist takes over the duel. Much like Turbo Duels, though, if you hit zero while Derby Dueling, your wheels will lock up and you'll be forced to wipe out." Takano explained.

"In other words, you wanna be the last duelist standing." Yuko summed up.

"Too bad it won't be you, Birdie." Takano smirked. 

"We'll see about that, Takano." Yuko glared.

"Ready... Set... Duel!" The computer counted off, the two taking off as soon as the countdown hit the go mark.

Yuko- 4000                                           Takano- 4000

"Ladies first, reject." Takano smirked. Yuko rolled her eyes as she drew. A frown crossed her face. Mystical Space Typhoon, Spell Shattering Arrow, Shield Crush, Blast Magician, Monster Reborn and Unexpected Dai... Not too much to work with defense wise, but one monster's better than nothing but spells the first draw... Yuko thought. "What's the matter, giving up already?" Yuko scoffed at Takano's taunt.

"You wish! I'll kick this off by activating Unexpected Dai from my hand! Since I have no monsters on the field, I'm allowed to Special Summon a Level Four or below Monster from my deck, as long as it doesn't have any effects... So, Flamvell Guard, take to the field in defense mode!" The metallic dragon roared to life, flames coming off its body as it curled up in defense mode (ATK/ 100 DEF/ 2000). "Next, I summon Blast Magician in attack mode!" Blast Magician spun his staff, taking his place next to Flamvell Guard and standing at the ready, his eyes trained on the enemy (ATK/ 1400 DEF/1700). I'll end my turn there for now. Your move, Takano." 

​​​Yuko- 4000                                           Takano- 4000

"My turn! I draw!" Takano observed the cards in his hand before smirking a bit. "First, I'll summon Honest in attack mode!" An angel looking monster took to the field on Takano's side of the field, his wings unfurled and his eyes glaring fiercely (ATK/ 1100 DEF/ 1900). "Now, since I'm not dumb enough to attack you with a monster that has less attack power than Blast Magician, I'll end my turn with a facedown." 

"Wow, who knew you guys were actually smart? It's my turn now!" Yuko remarked, but before she could take her turn, she noticed something hurtling her way. She moved to the side, dodging it by a hair. Takano laughed at her. 

"I told you there were hurtles... From here on out on every other turn, the Duel World field spell automatically throws obstacles our way. In an arena, it would have obstacles set up, but this isn't your typical arena." Takano revealed.

"You were hoping I'd get knocked down by one of those, didn't you?!" Yuko accused.

"Don't accuse me of such a ridiculous thing, girl, now take your turn or I'll take it as a surrender!" Takano threatened.

Yuko- 4000                                           Takano- 4000

"I draw!" Yuko kept a steady pace as she looked at the cards in her hand. While she'd gotten one spell card out of the way, she still had her original four, plus her trap card: Trap Jammer. Least he won't be able to do anything to me with a Trap Card this upcoming turn... Yuko thought. "Blast Magician, let's leave a scorch mark! Attack Honest!" 

"You won't be able to touch him, Birdie! I activate the trap card, Compulsory Evacuation Device! This card allows me to target one monster and return it to the owner's hand, and I choose my Honest!" Takano smirked.

"I guess your dueling skills are rustier than you thought, because all that does is switch Blast Magician's target from your monster to you directly!" Yuko called out his mistake as his monster returned to his hand and Blast Magician turned his attention on Takano. His eyes grew wide.

"Wait, wait, wait!" He shouted but it was too late, Blast Magician closed in on Takano and sliced through the Ex Chaser with his scepter. Takano stumbled due to the damage he took, but managed to get his footing back. Yuko smirked.

"I'll end my turn by throwing down a facedown. Your move, Takano." Yuko smirked.

Yuko- 4000                                           Takano- 2600

"You snot-nosed, insignificant little- AH!" Distracted by his need to insult Yuko, he was tripped up by an obstacle thrown his way, the teenager snickering as he barely managed to stay on his feet. "What?! You cheater! You did that on purpose!"

"You forgot one of the rules: Since it's just the two of us dueling and we're outside the normal arena, any time one of us takes direct damage, we have to avoid an obstacle at the end of the turn." Yuko reminded him, smirking. Takano growled in response. 

"I draw!" Takano drew a card, but the look he gained on his face made Yuko uneasy. What is he planning? She thought as she kept pace with the ex Chaser. "I summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level Four! (Atk/1600 Def/1000)" Yuko's face paled as she came face to face with her own brother's dragon. There were 3 dragons with the same name: Level Four, Level Six and Level 8. Liam's entire deck had gone missing, and it chilled Yuko's blood to know that the dragons that her brother had once held dear were now on the hands of someone like Takano. Takano, meanwhile, smirked. "What's the matter, little duelist?! Dragon got your tongue?!" Takano cackled. Yuko glared.

"Take your turn, snake!" Yuko yelled. 

"As you wish! Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level Four, destroy her Blast Magician!" Takano announced the attack. The dragon roared and did as it was told, making Yuko cry out in pain as 400 life points were taken from her, her magician destroyed. "Now, his special effect activates! When I destroy a monster this turn, I'm allowed to send him to the graveyard and Special Summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 6 from my hand or deck!" He laughed as the level four dragon disappeared, it's Level 6 version taking its place. It roared, Yuko recognizing the pain it was in. Don't worry, I'll find a way to get you guys away from him... I promise! She thought, hoping the dragon could hear her. "I end my turn due to Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level Four's effect!"

Yuko- 3600                                               Takano- 2600

"Then, it's my move now!" Yuko shouted before she dodged the hurtle coming her way and drawing her next card. Keeper of Dragon Magic! Yuko thought, smiling a bit before schooling her features. "I summon Keeper of Dragon Magic in attack mode! (Atk/1800 Def/1300)" She watched as the dragon armored magician burst to life, facing Takano and the level 6 dragon. 

"What is it with you and Spellcasters! You know that magician's far too weak to beat my dragon!" Takano called out.

"I know, I'm not attacking with him!" Yuko called out. "I activate his effect! By discarding Spell Shattering Arrow, I can draw Polymerization from my deck to my hand. But, that's not all! By revealing a fusion monster from my deck, I can special summon one of the materials needed to summon it in defense position! So, Luster Dragon, join us on the battlefield as I reveal First of Dragons!" She showed the fusion card as she summoned Luster Dragon (Atk/1900 Def/1600) in defense position. "Now that the effect is complete, I activate Polymerization from my hand, fusing my Flamvell Dragon and Luster Dragon together to Fusion Summon First of Dragons in attack mode! (Atk/2700 Def/2000)". First of Dragons roared to life, his grey scales glistening in the street lamp light and his tail hitting the ground as he roared. Yuko smirked. "Now, First of Dragons, attack Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 6!" Yuko ordered the attack, and watched as a black lightning ball left her dragon and hit her brother's dragon, destroying it and knocking Takano's life points down another 400 life points. Takano cried out in pain and once again struggled to maintain his balance as Yuko took the lead, easily turning around to face Takano and skate backwards. The ex Chaser growled and the smirk on her face. "Now, Keeper of Dragon Magic, it's your turn, attack Takano directly!" She extended her hand, making Takano's eyes widen as the Spellcaster attacked, knocking his Life Points down another 1800 points and causing Takano to falter once more." I set two cards facedown and end my turn!"

Yuko- 3600                                                 Takano-800

"You no good reject! You'll be locked up for sure! I draw!" Takano barely avoided another obstacle before drawing his next card, and a flash of red caught Yuko's attention. The Dragon Kings were nearby...

"Says the guy about to lose this duel! Make your last turn count, Takano!" Yuko fired back. Takano suddenly started laughing.

"I plan to! I use the effect of Monster Reborn to bring my Black Flame Dragon Level 6 back from the Graveyard! Next, I summon my Honest back to the field! But, instead of attacking, I'll set one card facedown and end my turn!" Wait, why isn't he attacking? Yuko thought. It didn't make any sense...

Yuko- 3600                                               Takano-800

"I draw!" Yuko announced her turn as she drew a card. "I summon Dark Blade in attack mode! (Atk/ 1800 Def/1500)" She smirked behind her helmet. "Dark Blade, attack and destroy his Honest!"

"Not so fast, I activate the trap card Rising Energy! By discarding my Two Headed Dragon, I can give my Honest an additional 1500 attack points! (Atk 1100+ 1500= 2600)."

"Nice try, but you forget about my facedown! Trap Jammer! Using this trap, I can negate and destroy Rising Energy!" 

"WHAT?!" Takano exclaimed in horror as he watched his trap crumble and shatter.

"And that means Dark Blade is clear to keep his attack going!" Yuko exclaimed. Dark Blade's sword slashes through the angel, making it give a cry as it shattered and Takano yell in pain as he took the 700 point damage. He stumbled, barely managing to catch his balance for the final time. "First of Dragons, let's finish him off once and for all! Attack his Black Flame Dragon and end this duel! Black Lightning Attack!" She yelled out, the dragon roaring as it fired off another ball of black lightning, once again destroying the Black Flame Dragon. Takano cried out as the last damage of the Derby Duel rendered him down to zero, taking his last 100 Life Points and making him finally fall as Yuko came to a stop, standing tall.

Yuko- 3600                                         Takano- 0

"Should have attacked while you had the chance." Yuko snarled. "Now, you're going to give me my brother's dragons back right now. All three of them. It's the rules of a Derby Duel. Any rare cards the losing duelist has go to the winner." Takano growled, the snarl eventually growing so loud it eventually became a roar of rage!

"NEVER, I'M TAKING YOU IN!" Takano yelled in anger, but before he could lay a hand on Yuko, a punch came from over the female's left shoulder. When Yuko turned her head, she had to admit that she was surprised to see Kai Cunningham behind her, along with the other members of the Dragon Kings.

"Not in our turf. She beat you fair and square, and you had some of the rarest dragons in the game since the creation of the Blue Eyes. You don't deserve to be a duelist." Kai threatened, scooping up the cards Yuko had requested from the deck and glaring at him. Yuko tensed, ready for a fight if that's what it came down to. "Relax, Adonis, and take off your helmet already, Yang wants to see you." Yuko hesitated for a minute. "Look, idiot, you want your brother's dragons back or not?" He questioned. Yuko pressed a button on the side of her helmet that made the skates and her helmet collapse, allowing her to walk freely. Kai placed the dragons in her hand before leading the way toward the Dragon Kings' hideout. Yuko placed the dragons in her deck, smiling when she heard their spirits purring on happiness. Once inside the hideout, Yuko saw that it was a den, filled with members of the Dragon Kings either training or cooking a hearty meal, the smell of which made Yuko's stomach rumble. "Being this close to an entrance of Cypher City has its perks." Kai told her as he held her to the center of the den. "We also have informants all over Cypher City, they keep us updated if anyone even murmurs about an attack on the Underground." The closer they got to the center of the den, the warmer it became. Yuko noticed many of the members of the rival duel gang stopping to stare at her. Kai glared at them once they reached a door, making all of them head back to their stations. "Yang's through here." Kai opened the door for her, letting her go through.

"Thanks." Yuko spoke. "For the backup back there and bringing me here." 

"Just following Boss's orders." Kai replied before closing the door behind her. When Yuko turned her back to the now closed door, she found a haven of an office. Books of Duel Monsters history lines the shelves, titles listing the pat Kings of Games, their rivals and the history of the fame itself. A picture frame sat center stage in the middle of it all, a picture of a young girl with snow white hair and sapphire blue eyes next to a younger and much happier Yang.

"My younger sister." Yang clarified from the desk in the center of the room before Yuko could ask, not glancing up from whatever he was working on. "The last time Cypher City tried a raid, my sister was coming up the stairs and was killed. We were able to fortify the passageway to not allow anyone but residents of the Underground in, but the update came too late to save her. Her name was Kisa, and no, I don't want to talk about her other than to make you understand why I don't mention her." Upon closer inspection, Yuko noticed a locket around both siblings neck in the picture, a locket that still hung around Yang's neck now despite the pain it must have brought him to remember his sister.

"We're similar that way, I guess." Yuko responded, remembering her own grief as Liam's face flashed in her mind. She heard Yang's chair scrape against the floor before the sound of his boots marked him drawing closer to her.

"Sometimes I wonder if you're just as crazy as your brother. Risking your neck to go up top, all to take part in some tournament that'll just be another blip in the history of Duel Monsters and end with your death." Yang told her, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I have to. Especially considering I have the chance to kickstart the chance for people to be able to duel freely." Yuko replied, facing her rival. He easily towered over her, his ruby red streaked, jet black hair hung in his face, his hazel eyes regarding her.

"You know they'll be able to keep track of you with your prosthetic, Yuko. You're not an idiot, don't do this over one stupid tournament."

"The gang and I thought of that, Raven was able to hack the systems so my ID shows as someone else rather than who I am, and it's also why my hair and eyes are a different color. I'm two steps ahead of you, as usual." Yuko turned to leave but found her arm in Yang's grasp.

"Yuko, please. One leader to another, don't go up there. You'll get caught, tortured and killed and your friends will be left down here alone." Yang reminded her of the punishments that waited for her if she were caught.

"And you know why I have to do this. Any day now, a piece of vital information could slip past your informants, Dracnus could lead an army down here and then Duel Monsters would be destroyed forever. That risk is why I have to fight back for us, because no one else will." She argued. Yang stared at her.

"I still think it's a stupid idea... But, nothing I say or do is going to change your mind, I've seen that look enough times to know. You die up there, I'll kill you." Yang let go, leading her to a bookcase that swung open when he pulled on a book titled An Incomplete History of Underground City and other Adrenaline Junkies. Yuko gave Yang a deadpan look.

"Cliche much?" She asked.

"Hey, it hides it better than an out of place stone tablet that's impossible to move." Yang replied. Yuko passed him to climb up the steps when a thought crossed her mind and she stopped, facing Yang.

"If something happens to me up there, will you make sure my gang stays safe?" She asked. Yang nodded.

"You have my word." He swore.

"Thanks... For everything." A smile crossed her face before she ascended the steps without looking back, the secret door swinging closed behind her. Her boots smacked against the cement stairs as she climbed higher and higher until she reached a heavy metal door. She touched the center of it, causing it to slide upward. Once she exited the staircase, the door slammed shut behind her. She was in someplace that looked like a normal apartment. It was abandoned, covered in dust and most of the furniture covered with a white cloth. Where she had just come from was behind a dusty old bookcase. Really? Just when I thought that guy couldn't be more cliche? She thought, shaking her head as she looked around. Since the applications didn't open back up again until the morning, Yuko set to work sorting out the apartment, dusting and cleaning until it looked almost like a new apartment. Once she finished, she looked out the window she had just finished dusting watching the stars glimmer in the sky above her. She gave a small smile, taking the stars as a sign of what she hoped would be a bright and peaceful future to come

But only time would tell for sure.

(Taglist: @kitsunephantom09 @iheartbarbie)

[pokemon-card-of-the-day]

Pokemon Card of the Day #2913: Celesteela (Celestial Storm)

Ultra Beast cards always had some sort of weird effect. Celesteela's was that a really expensive, rather strong attack was made really cheap if there was a specific amount of Prizes on the field in total. It was really easy to end up missing the mark with Pokemon that gave up multiple Prizes and the opponent sometimes being able to knock the number out of range before getting to use the attack. On the other hand, Celesteela could be a big surprise that scared even slightly weakened Pokemon-GX if everything was met, and it wasn't always obvious that a Celesteela was available. This was a self-contained Basic Pokemon, which lowered the risk for a Pokemon that was very inconsistent.

140 HP was a pretty solid amount, especially before the Tag Team era where Zoroark-GX was still running around everywhere and the Fighting-types were still notable. The Fighting-types also had to deal with a Fighting Resistance, which could cancel out one of their typical damage boosts. On the other hand, the Lightning Weakness became a big problem the moment the Team Up set was released, and while Pikachu & Zekrom-GX decks hit over 140 anyway it made Zapdos a big problem. The Retreat Cost was 4, so if Celesteela survived or was stuck up front with the wrong number of Prizes for any reason, a Switch or Escape Rope was almost mandatory.

Moon Raker, in most cases, was not worth using. 160 damage was great, but putting a Metal and 4 Colorless Energy on a single Pokemon was not worth the investment unless you got even more out of it. There was a catch, however. If the total number of Prizes between you and the opponent added up to 6, the attack just cost a single Metal Energy. 160 for a Metal Energy was absurd, and while it just missed the KO on most Pokemon-GX, any prior damage would do the trick as would a Choice Band against the Basic ones. This could fit into any deck running Rainbow Energy or even Beast Energy Prism Star, with the obvious note that it wouldn't be useful in every game due to Prize counts and you would fall short rather often against Pokemon with 200 or more HP.

Celesteela only got a bit of play due to how specific it was. It was best in single Prize decks that also used Rainbow Energy, which were much harder for the opponent to play around if you ended up needing to play Celesteela earlier than you wanted to. When it did come together, Celesteela was a rather impressive Pokemon that hit hard once for very little Energy. It was at least worth considering in that style of deck, at least in the BKT-On and early in the SUM-On formats before Team Up was released.

[dizzyoatman]

squidbeak splatoon poker night: the video game

i came up with this idea 30 mins ago i need to inform the internet of this

you play as Neo 3 and this event was organized by cuttlefish to "bring the team closer together for future missions." The REAL reason is that cuttlefish was bored as fuck and thought it would be really fun

Captain A.K.A. Agent 3: Competent and has a very very very subtle tell but dosent bluff too often.

Agent 4: Isn't actually there (they had finals the next day) BUT they do call Marie sometimes when thier parents arent paying attention

Agent 8: Is not playing and vibing with Acht (ill get to them later)

Neo 3: who you play as

Cuttlefish: Cracked. Hes an old man playing poker im not quite sure what you expected. Probably won a few tourtaments and plays recreationally. Suprisingly, he only has the second best AI at the table...

Callie: Surprisingly good. Shes played against cuttlefish many many times so shes picked up on his tells and also learned a few tricks over the years

Marie: A rival to Cuttlefish, 3rd best AI at the table easily. Snarky as all hell and generally fun to play with. One big problem with her though: Sometimes when Agent 4 calls, 4 asks for her hand and shes just. Says her whole ass hand. Out loud. And then asks for advice. Sometimes Callie elbows her if shes still in the game but everyone else is frantically memorizing her hand.

Pearl: Never played before today. Goes about as well as you would expect. Cheers on Marin a lot when she gets out. She does not know what a Full House is and thinks its like go fish so every time she won the pot she would shout "FULL HOUSE!!" And everyone would be really confused

Marina: There because Pearls there. Shes doing her best. She at least knows how the game is played but shes waaay too nervous to bluff.

Acht: Here because 8 invited her because 8 didnt know anyone else besides the weird old man playing poker and she didnt really wanna 3rd wheel Pearlina. Acht is the dealer because she had a stint in whatever the splatoon equivalent lent of vegas once while she was taking an extended leave from school. She's actually pretty good but just never plays. Marina is very surprised to see her, but happy nonetheless.

also acht in formal wear seems like such a vibe

Shiver: She is there to WIN. She dosent give two shits about team bonding or whatever, she just wants to rub it in this old geezer's face. Teamed up with Frye to keep Big Man away from the Squid Sisters. Middle of the pack AI but has really obvious tells. Warms up a little after losing to both other members of Deep Cut. Cheats in early rounds. Acht notices she marked the cards the whole time, but instead of calling her out she quietly gets a new deck between rounds just to fuck with her.

Frye: Fawns over Off The Hook the entire time and Shiver gets kinda annoyed. Slightly better than shiver with less obvious tells. Folds hands very angrily.

Big Man: Remember when I said Cuttlefish was only second best? Meet the REAL king. Gambling is in his BLOOD. How do you think the Manta Family Clan rose to power? Kraken racing. They would illegally give some of the krakens swim speed up in splatoon 1 days before it was banned. His family is all CONS and CHEATS. So it's no wonder Big Man is a sweep. The only other person who can really challenge him is Cuttlefish, and thats part of the reason cuttle organized this whole event (Cuttlefish only lost his tournaments to members of the Manta Clan). Cuttlefish and Big Man are throwing so much trash talk around the whole time. If he wins the pot he dosent split it, despite Shiver and Frye's protesting, because the Squid Sisters cuss out Shiver and Frye and they just sigh dejectedly and apologize.

anyways thats all nintendo hire me

[whowhatwhycast]

Who, What, Why S35.E08 :: A General Chat about Generative AI with Joe Slack

Joe Slack, a frequent guest of the show, joined me once again to help me dip our toes into the conversation about AI art in board games. We did our best to explain AI art from our knowledge base and to explore some of the uses of it so far and even what future uses should look like.

I have an ongoing cough, so I did my best to remove those loud coughs.

I asked ChatGPT to write me a script for a podcast about AI art. I will release that as an episode in December.

Also, I asked ChatGPT to create an Arkham Horror trick-taking game. The game is enclosed in quotation marks.

"Absolutely! Let's call it "Eldritch Echoes: Arkham Trickery." Here's a basic idea for how the game might work:

Number of Players: 3-5

Objective: Players aim to gather Eldritch Echoes, fragments of cosmic knowledge, by winning tricks through strategic card play.

Setup:

Deck: A custom deck with suits representing different aspects of the Arkham Horror universe (e.g., Mysteries, Artifacts, Creatures, Spells).

Eldritch Echoes Cards: Special cards with varying point values representing the cosmic knowledge players seek.

Gameplay:

Dealing: Deal a set number of cards to each player, creating their starting hand.

Trick-Taking: Players take turns playing cards to form a trick, following suit if possible. The highest-value card of the leading suit or the highest trump card wins the trick.

Eldritch Echoes: Certain cards hold Eldritch Echoes values; winning a trick earns those points for the player who won it.

Special Cards: Include special cards that can alter gameplay (e.g., Ancient Tome that acts as a wild card, Shub-Niggurath as a powerful trump card).

Strategic Elements: Introduce elements like sanity cards or mythos cards that add unpredictability or risk, affecting the outcome of tricks or forcing players to discard.

Winning:

The game can be played over several rounds or until a set score is reached.

The player with the highest accumulated Eldritch Echoes at the end wins.

Strategy:

Players need to gauge when to play their powerful cards strategically to win high-value tricks.

Balancing the use of trump cards or Eldritch Echoes cards with keeping useful cards for later rounds becomes crucial.

Thematically: Incorporate elements of Arkham Horror lore, where players are investigators seeking cosmic knowledge, encountering mystical artifacts, eldritch creatures, and otherworldly spells.

Remember, the fun in trick-taking games often lies in their simplicity and the layers of strategy that develop as players become more familiar with the deck and its nuances. Adjustments and balancing may be needed through playtesting, but this framework could provide a solid foundation for an Arkham Horror trick-taking game!"

Right-click to download this episode.

[uenodivision]

Satsuma's Wrath: A team made up entirely of brothers, each of whom are successful in their own respective areas. Whether it is leadership, strength, charisma, or smarts, there is no place where these young men born out of an ancestral line do not shine. And though you'd think that with so many teams (possibly) gunning for them in the D.R.B., they'd be worried, you'd be wrong. Why? Because much like their ancestors, there is nothing these men like better than to have the deck stacked against them! Chesto!

Sleight of Hand: 'Now you see them... now you don't!' These three "magicians" make a living by entertaining the masses with their "magic tricks". Truthfully, though they call themselves "magicians", they are actually just thieves using their innate talents and skills to rob easy marks of their wealth. Whilst one entertains the crowd, the other two are busy lining the team's pockets. If you wish to find out how they do it, come to one of their shows and try to find out the trick! Just don't be surprised if your wallet feels strangely lighter by the time the performance is over...

Soul Sister: Growing up on a ranch that their father owns, these three sisters know almost all there is to know about farm animals, which they've taken care of their whole lives. But what they're really known for is their wine, Âme Sœur, which they've taken, perfected, and has made them famous amongst wine drinkers all across the world. But while having a brand name is all well and good, what these three women really want to be known for are their rap skills!

Sounds of Silence: You ever heard of the phrase, 'silence is golden'? Well for these three, that advice rings true. Hailing from various countries, these three secret agents have recently arrived in Japan. The threat of Chuohku has grown so much that other countries in the world are starting to become worried about the threat they present. And if another World War is looming in the distance, then it is absolutely imperative that it be stopped before it can start! Therefore, three countries have made a temporary alliance and have sent their best agents to Japan with one goal: find out what Chuohku is up to, and put a stop to it at all costs!

[theladyregret]

D&D Character: Caerrak

Just felt like putting together a little thing for the characters I’m currently in a homebrew campaign with. This is my primary.

Homebrew element of note here that I can actually mention are his age because elves and half-elves age differently from normal D&D here. Half-elves reach physical and mental maturity in equivalent years to their mother race. So a half-elf with a human mother reaches maturity at human rates but half-elves with an elven mother do so like an elf though their total longevity remains the same regardless. 

Aside Note: The DMs preference in play-style that PCs are “people of extraordinary talent” so players are allowed to either be a jack-of-all-trades type (average or above average in all stats but nothing 18 or higher) or a master-of-one type (allowing one stat to be 18-20 at the sacrifice of another stat).

Appearance: Caerrak is a young male half elf. He stands at 5′ 8″ with a lithe build. He has shiny deep black hair that gains a subtle iridescence very much akin to crow feathers in direct light. It has a very fine silky texture and always has an untamed quality that gives it a permanently messy appearance. His eyes look like they belong on a bird instead of a man in the shape of the iris and pupil. They are also heterochromatic, with one eye being a bright robins egg blue and the other a deep black. His pointed ears are pierced several times each though he doesn’t often have the patience to wear jewelry in all of them. Caerrak wears a lot of clothing dyed in various colors of blue under a long jerkin made of animal hide dyed almost black. Long black feathers have been sewn into the jerkin around the shoulders and across the back.

Backstory: Caerrak was marked at birth as being god blessed because of the appearance of his eyes, a feature that had long been a symbol of favor from his home regions patron deity. Despite being told this his entire life Caerrak lived most of his life showing none of the supposed abilities those around him claimed he should have. As a child he would argue this fact but was so often ignored that he eventually gave up and simply learned to fake it. He began learning various ways to fake the miracles he was meant to perform, learning to throw his voice, mimic sounds, and perform various sleight of hand tricks. In addition he became very proficient at telling fortunes through the use of cards and using basic alchemy to cure various ills. Both real and perceived (or suggested).

Then...one day...it all changed. Magic he had formerly faked became real spells and he could lay out his cards and actually understand them, and what they told him was the truth...and it wasn’t good.

Personality: Caerrak is very kind at heart, and while he can lie, con, and steal without batting an eyelash...he does his best not to harm those who seem undeserving. On the flip side...he absolutely can’t stand those who choose to be hateful or cruel without reason as well as general rudeness. He particularly loves cheating those who meet these criteria...even if the end result doesn’t lead to much gain. He can be a bit greedy and has a hard time turning down opportunities that could lead to making himself money...though he will just as eagerly spend or give that money away. His joy seems to be in the making or taking of it...and not so much the need for it in general. He is prone to making decisions on a whim and rarely takes into account possible consequences, even in dangerous circumstances.

A fun extra: These are Caerrak’s dice sets and some cards from his tarot deck which doubles as his divine focus. The clear dice have UV activated glowing sparkles and the darker set are blue galaxy dice.

Portrait Art Credit: Myself <3

Custom Character Sheet Credit: Liath

[anattempttostudyharder-blog]

silly question- i’m currently studying anatomy & physiology in an accelerated course and am having a lot of trouble on the anatomy front due to sheer memorization. any tips or tricks?

Yes!

Honestly the only reason I passed anatomy was diagrams. It helped me really understand what went where, and even simple line diagram with different pen colors (orange- muscle, red-arteries, blue-veins, yellow-nerves and green-fascia) led me to making quick diagrams and securing good marks in my papers.

If you check on YouTube there are a lot of study aids available. I personally love osmosis for both anatomy and physiology

For topics like brachial plexus- you can see these fun sing along videos to help you memorize (they're also available on YouTube)

I used to end up drawing on myself a lot too-eg skin supply of various nerves on my hands and legs and it helped me memorize things better. I also made weird little dances- for example C5-elbow flexion, C6- wrist extension, C7- elbow extension, C8- finger flexion and T1- finger abduction and adduction

Lastly - spaced repetition is your best friend. Use apps like anki to help you remember things. It's almost impossible to study for medical subjects at the last moment because of the sheer volume and fact based content so you need to chip away at it regularly. Anki decks or manual flashcards really help you remember points and revise quickly too.

I hope this helps ❤️