#But as someone who plays a lot of casual games I am so tired of farming and crafting constantly being added to them

[jennifershysea]

Me when I already struggle with repetitive stuff and see the new features for the Hollow Wood

[artful-aries]

Hello, I loved your oblivious reader confession request!!

Would you mind doing the same question but for Pantalone and Ayato?

Please stay hydrated (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠❤

It is a STRUGGLE for me to drink anything let alone water simply bc I am dumb. But thank you for the sentiment!!! I hope you enjoy this

Confessing To An Oblivious Crush (Pantalone, Ayato)

Pantalone

He’s a bit of a flirt when it comes to the right person, he’s always going to give you special looks, grazing touches, and subtle winks, all of which will fly completely over your head

Needless to say, he’s a little bit stunned when you act so casually around him as though he hasn’t been throwing enough money at you to make anyone flustered. You are flustered to a degree, but not in the way that he wants you to be. You just think of him as nice, a sentiment he almost abhors

Pantalone doesn’t think himself as a particularly cruel man by any means, but the last thing he wants you to think of when you think of him is nice. Seductive? That’s his ultimate goal. Reckless? He certainly can be when it comes to things he wants. Sleazy? He’ll take it if it means you actually realize he wants you. But nice? Nice is for your average, mundane man, and he is anything but that

The subtle dance around your obliviousness is fun for the first few weeks, but he begins to grow just a tad bit impatient as time goes on

He briefly considers buying advertisements in all of the newspapers in Teyvat to announce his feelings for you, but he figures that would go over your head too, likely chalking it up to some strange prank of his, as if he were ever the type to play juvenile pranks in the first place

When monetary sentiments fail to catch your attention, Pantalone shifts gears and gets more touchy. He won’t be inappropriate, but he always manages to find a way to have his hand linger on your shoulder, or his chest graze your back as he scoots by you

It’s in this subtlety that he realizes his efforts are futile, and he has to bite back his pride when you ask him why he’s been so clumsy lately

Pantalone will not stop his efforts until you have returned his feelings or rejected him outright; even if you were to reject him, he would likely just double down and try to win you over even more. When he sees something he likes, he won’t stop until he gets it

Eventually, he grows tired of waiting and just calls you into his office one day, borderline cornering you as he stares down at you with a smirk and announces his feelings for you

He won’t let you leave until he at least gets confirmation that you understand exactly what he means. No, he doesn’t just like you as a colleague or friend, his heart burns for you

When you admit that you feel the same, Pantalone feels a sense of accomplishment, feeling like he is one step closer to being the man who has it all

You are certainly his sweetest conquest so far, and he can’t wait to grow even closer to you in order to see just how much this boon is worth

Ayato

He almost prefers the oblivious types, not only for the cat and mouse like game both of you will take part in even though it’s without your knowledge, but also for the genuine honesty that these types of people often display

It provides almost a sense of mental stimulation for him to piece you together like a puzzle, finding out what buttons to press and how in order to get the reactions he relishes in

You also save him the headache if wondering what you’re thinking or what your goals are; it’s painfully obvious that you have no idea that you have attracted the attention of the head of the Kamisato Clan

He is never cruel or unfair, but he’s certainly not without mischievousness as he flirts shamelessly with you

As much as he would love to spend quality time with you, Ayato is extremely busy, so he makes up for this by sending you lots of thoughtful gifts (gifts so nice that you clearly wouldn’t buy them for anyone else other than someone you deeply cared about)

When he does get to spend time with you, near endless words of praise will flow from his lips, some of his compliments purposefully worded as innuendos solely to watch how you blush and squirm

Ayato finds it remarkable that you can get so flustered at his words yet somehow not realize he is being completely serious. But that just adds more layers to this game of his

He flirts and pulls back, repeating this pattern with various intensity to see how you react, but he will stop if this ends up upsetting you somehow

As his feelings grow more serious, he begins to take a more genuine, straightforward approach with his feelings for you. To his amazement, you still act as clueless as ever despite him talking at length about how he thought you would make a good partner for someone (it’s him, he’s someone)

This will end up pulling a genuine laugh out of him, one that would likely leave you confused because you hadn’t said anything particularly funny

When you ask him about it, Ayato will come clean and say that he found it absolutely adorable how oblivious you were to his advancements

If somehow you were still confused as to what he meant, he would gently take your hand and kiss the back of it, looking up at you with smoldering eyes and asking you if that answered your question

[soda-n-dinos-andmore]

✨I have brain rot✨

so here! Have more incorrect quotes!!! (This time with more blorbos included)

California : sighs I have no friends… Alaska: Alaska: coughs Bitch, what am I? A roach?!

Gov: Hey, Florida? Florida, playing a video game with the squad: What? Gov: Can I share something with you from earlier today? Florida: Wh- what is it, Gov? Gov: Well, I sent you a text early in the morning. Florida: Mhm. Gov: Because I have to go out of town for a weekend this month. And, so I was like- I won't give specific dates, but I was like, do you have any preference whether I go this weekend or the next weekend? Florida: Yeah? Gov: Your response. Florida: trying not to crack up Gov: At 9:30 in the morning. Gov: "motherfucking Jesse Eisenberg jesus Christ motherfucking Facebook movie jesus can you believe this shit" Florida: laughing Gov: No- no- no punctuation. Random capitalization. Florida: You just made me dieeee… Gov: So I respond, "I have no idea what we're talking about right now." Gov: 45 minutes pass. I get a text from you. Gov: "goddamn created Facebook and fucking lawyers and shit right fucking winklevoss twins goddamn rowing the boat fuck yo shit i cant even fucking believe this shit have you seen this shit fuck I just watched this shit fuck Jesse eisenberg man" Florida: wheezing with laughter Gov: I respond "Florida, you're scaring me." An hour passes- Gov: You respond, "motherfucking spiderman Spiderman you put in the time fuck put in the time motherfucking built shit with his bare hands fucking best friend shit jesse eisenberg" Gov: "im very tired" Florida: struggling to breathe Gov: And- and I'm just like, "No- no worries, Florida, I'll- I'll do most of the talking at the hangout today-" Gov: IMMEDIATE, like, response, like I'm talking 5 seconds later, Gov: "no man ill just talk all day shit man you have to be so interested in the shit I have to say about the Facebook movie fuck dude I just watched it a year and a half ago fuck Jesse Eisenberg man he fucked over Spider-man crazy Winklevoss twins rowing Trent Resin or did the soundtrack fuck this guy who invented Facebook I don't like dying I can't think of who the fuck invented Facebook All I can think is who played the guy who invented Facebook who the fuck invented Facebook" Gov: And then, in all capital letters, two hours later, Florida: falling over with laughter Gov: "MARK ZUCKERBERG."

Washington: Please, California , after everything we’ve been through together. You can’t do this. Washington: I’m sorry California . Washington: I’m begging you. Don’t do it. California : It has to be done. Washington: California : Washington: California : Places +4 Uno.

Massachusetts : Everything’s fine, Maine. New York: Massachusetts , I know your relationship with the english language is strictly casual, but you- I- deep inhale ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU WHAT’S NOT FINE.

Maine: H-how do you ask someone out? Louisiana : Well, first- Florida: Don't ask them, they asked me out in a McDonalds parking lot. Maine: …And you said yes?

Gov: Are you an ‘arr’ pirate or a ‘yo ho ho’ pirate? Nevada: I’m a ‘I’m not paying $600 for photoshop’ pirate.

[hikaritakaishi]

Takari Week 2024 - Day 2: Second Year

Days: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Title: Invisible [Prologue II] (Second Year)

Characters: Hikari Yagami, Takeru Takaishi, Taichi Yagami, Yamato Ishida.

Summary: It takes time to find our place. And sometimes that place isn't a place, it's someone. And even if the castle falls, we can always put the pieces back together and build it again.

Note: A collection of stories that gives us an insight into Takeru and Hikari's relationship over the years. It was really hard to put all the prompts explicitly in the story, so I tried to metaphorize some of them, in order for them to make sense at the end.

It is composed of two prologues, one for Takeru and one for Hikari, exposing events before 1999. And a final epilogue, summarizing all the feelings exposed in the previous chapters. In the intermediate chapters, we follow all the challenges that a long-term friendship has to face when it becomes a romantic relationship, and how we form solid and permanent bonds with the ones we love the most.

・。。・゜゜・。。・

She waved goodbye to her classmates from the bottom of the street and continued alone to the cluster of buildings where her house was located. It was Friday, finally.

She felt exhausted. Not physically, but emotionally. I mean, physically too, but not as much as emotionally. Her legs felt heavy, but her heart was feeling even heavier. What a suffocating week.

Several trips to the doctor later, and successive hospitalizations over the years made that physical weakness something customary to her. Casual almost. She was breathing heavily. Each step felt like a different kind of torture. And the worst of all, no one could tell her if she is ever going to be perfectly recovered.

Would she ever be healthy?

All of that caused her an almost constant absence at school. Treatments, days she could barely get out of bed, leaving classes earlier because she felt dizzy, tired, exhausted. Was impossible for her to make real friends. She barely knew anyone in her class. It's not like they ignored her, but they simply had no time to create a bond with her. A real connection. It was not something that was allowed to her.

She had no idea what they liked to talk about. What kind of games they liked to play. She felt out of place. Constantly. Most of them had good intentions, they were good kids, and they cared about her. But time. Nothing pays for the time we spend creating something with someone. It is rarely spontaneous. 

Time was cruel. And ironic. Hikari felt that no amount of time would be enough to heal that wound.

“I am home. “

She tried to sound as normal as she could.

“How was school, dear?” Asked her mother as she saw her cross the hallway.

“Great!” She faked a weak smile. “I just have a lot of homework to do.”

“I see. You must catch up the rest of the class. “

“I am trying my best…”

She went to the bedroom she still shared with her older brother and closed the door. She placed her backpack on her desk and sighed. Another day has passed, and no progress has been made. She took three steps back and fell back onto the bed.

Would it ever get better?

・。。・゜゜・。。・

“Hikari! I have a surprise for you!”

Taichi’s voice sounded like an alarm clock to her.

She was at the dinner table finishing some schoolwork when he approached her. He came near her and stood by her side, irradiating confidence.

It was a sweet and warm Sunday morning, and she didn't expect her brother to wake up so early. He had football training on Saturday and usually rested until lunchtime on Sunday.

Today was not the case.

Taichi had woken up early and she had heard him on the phone with someone shortly after waking up. He wasn't exactly… careful with the noise he made or the tone of voice he used, so he ended up waking her up unintentionally.

“Guess who's coming to visit!”

She blinked. No idea, she thought. Taichi had so many friends that it was impossible to predict. School friends, football mates, neighbours… unlike her, he had unbelievable social skills.

“Sora?”  She finally guessed. He loved spending time with Sora, so it sounded like a plausible possibility.

“Oh, no, not Sora. Do you have a second guess?”

“Ah… not really.” She looked back at what she was previously doing.

“Yamato!”

“Oh, I see. “She said unsurprisingly.

 Yamato was a regular visit as well; he often came to play with Taichi or do some homework. Although they had some conflicts in the past, it seems that now they have learned to be best friends and support each other in every possible conceivable way.

“…and… Takeru is coming along!” 

“Really?” She got up from the chair where she was sitting. “Is he really coming?” Her eyes were like stars, bright and clear.

“Now I captured your attention!” Taichi let out a genuine laugh of delight before continuing. “They are coming after lunch. Me and Yamato have some homework to do together, and since Takeru is in Odaiba, we thought that it would be nice for you two to see each other again.”

“I don’t see him since… “

“Yes, I know. I am glad you still remember him. And I can see your enthusiasm!”

She never told anyone about it, but Taichi knew how hard it was for her, not to be able to make friends. He knew how wonderful his sister was, and he knew how cruel life had been to her. She was kind, honest, and caring, she just needed an opportunity. She just needed to be seen for who she really was.

And how could she forget about Takeru?

Everything that happened was still fresh in her memory.

The laughter, all the tears, the fear.

The way they had to act like a team to survive. The way he did not let her down and cared for her, even though he barely knew her at the time. They clicked so naturally. It had never happened to her before. Time did not mean a thing for them. 

But did he remember her, the way she remembers him?

・。。・゜゜・。。・

“So…” She said shyly “Do you want to solve a puzzle or build a castle with some blocks?” 

“Oh, I love building blocks!”

“Great, me too!”

Despite everything that happened, they were still kids. They were still nine-year-olds. Who wanted to play, to laugh together and to forget their problems that seemed bigger than them.

“So, you decided to build a castle!”

Taichi’s voice sounded loudly in the living room. He looked like he had come to get something to drink from the fridge. He was in their parent’s small home office with Yamato doing schoolwork.

“Do you want something to drink as well, or to eat? It will not take us too long to finish but you can have something now if you want.”

They shared a look.

“We can wait for you!” Takeru said.

“Yes, we can wait!” 

Taichi smiled and went inside the room again.

He felt very content. Hikari never brought a friend home to play. And he was overjoyed by that little achievement of hers. It finally seemed like she was enjoying sharing a moment with someone.

Some time had passed, and they had made a lot of progress on that castle. It was almost as tall as them.

“Oh…”

Takeru couldn't say anything more; after touching one of the blocks at the top of the castle and seeing them all fall to the ground, one by one.

He blinked nervously and looked at her in the eyes. He had screwed up, he thought.

“I… am sorry, Hikari.”

She smiled.

He couldn’t believe it, but she just smiled sincerely and started to collect the blocks again.  Wasn’t she even a little upset? After all the effort they put into building that castle.

“It’s ok.” She said after a few seconds. “The base was fragile, you see. If we want to build one that would not tremble so easily, we must focus more on the base next time!”

“Ah… sure.” He answered a little insecure. “But�� It was my fault that…”

“Oh no!” She stopped him. “If anything, it was OUR fault. Because we built it together. And we can always re-build it again and again…” She continued collecting the blocks.” Until it’s perfect!”

“You are… right. We can always build it again…”

“That’s the spirit!”

Their brothers, who had heard the blocks castle falling moments before, were near the door listening to the conversation, exchanging the most genuine sights of pride.

They knew that those two kids would grow up to be wonderful adults if they maintained and cultivated that empathetic and caring attitude.

“You know what Yamato… can you please bring Takeru more often?”

“Yes… definitely I will.”

・。。・゜゜・。。・

You can also find it at: Fanfiction.net & Wattpad

[thomotomo]

To pin or not pin - Faker x Male Reader

A/N: I hope you'll like it ☺️ Took a bit of time but here it is~ I've got 5 more fics in writing for the T1 cuties and I'll try to publish 1 per week depending on how busy I am ✌️ Please leave a comment and/or reblog if you enjoyed the story 🫰

Being the first openly gay player of the LCK hadn't been easy to you, after all, many people in South Korea weren't open about that yet but you didn't want to hide who you were and even if you had been dropped by a few teams throughout your career who didn't want to bother with bad press, you had been lucky to score a spot in the legendary T1 team.

The whole process had taken a huge toll on your mental health and for the longest while, you had struggled, but now, with all of your teammates and staff being unconditionally supportive you had never been better. And it had reflected in your gameplay, you probably had never been better, basically shutting up any kind of game related homophobic comments. Of course you still had your detractors but you didn't care anymore about them, after all you were part of your dream team, playing alongside Faker. And yeah maybe throughout the time you had been playing with him you might had developed a crush on the guy but this had stayed between you and Minseok (who caught you more often than not trying to keep yourself from grinning brightly every time Sanghyeok was not looking).

The young support was teasing you at every occasion available, laughing at your misery, but luckily for you the famous midlaner was quite oblivious to your turmoil and you would love to keep it this way. Today had been no different than usual, you had been streaming your solo queue to the fans, showcasing your skills while casually chatting with the chat.

[xxxx] donated 25000wons: Hyung do you have a crush on someone?

Oh fuck you hadn't expected that and your heart jumped on your chest. You did your best to keep your face as it had been previously, forcing a chuckle out.

"Ah that's not polite to ask~ If I had a crush you wouldn't know it, it's my private life after all."

You checked the chat, luckily they seemed more interesting in chastising the donator rather than pushing for an answer. Your phone vibrated and you saw a message from Minseok, laughing at you, meaning he was definitely watching you. You bit back a snort, focusing on the game happening and no "incendent" of the sort happened for the rest of the duration of your stream. Once you had ended, you stretched and headed to the common kitchen, grabbing some food from the fridge to cook yourself a nice heartwarming meal.

"So... I you had a crush huh?" Your froze for a second before turning quickly a sending a glare towards your friend.

"Shut up Minseok!"

The younger male laughed at you as you rolled your eyes and turned back towards your cooking, some tofu jjigae, meat and dumplings. Streaming always took much energy out of you that you had to eat a lot to gain back energy.

"Waaah (Y/N), your food smells so good!", you chuckled, Minseok being your best friend, he was the one who ate most of your cooking, and you'd think that he would get tired of the smells of your food. You took a spoon and stirred the stew.

"You want a taste?"

The younger male nodded excitedly and you laughed, bringing the stew filled spoon to his mouth, grinned as he hummed as he took in all the flavours.

"This is so good... You're really the best cook man!"

You beamed at him and patted his head, continuing your conversation, oblivious to the witness who was quietly leaving the area.

Once you had finished preparing the food you and Minseok headed to the common area where everyone usually took meals. Your friend was staring at you intently and you were doing everything in your power to ignore him, knowing what (more like whom) he wanted to talk about.

"So, do you plan on confessing?", ah so he had decided to break the silence himself.

"Probably never. I don't know why you're asking this every few days, it'll always be the same answer."

He groaned in frustration, maybe because he was a hopeless romantic, he was adamant about you having to confess to your captain. You ignored his annoyed complaints and just focused on eating.

" Hm why are you ranting about (Y/N) being a coward Minseok-ah?"

And here was the object of your affections, taking a seat next to your grinning friend and now looking at you intently. You couldn't let the young support say a word about a potential crush or anything in the like so you used his silence to speak.

"It's because I don't want to try to make this new recipe because it's... Pretty complicated."

Sanghyeok looked at you in a confused manner, after all, you were renowned at T1 for being an awesome cook it didn't really make sense for him that you would be scared of trying out a new recipe.

You avoided his gaze, focusing on your meal instead. You could see Minseok trying to keep a straight face, biting his lower lip to keep himself from laughing. The meal was awkwardly quiet, Keria trying to make the two of you speak more but you were just too awkward around Sanghyeok and you didn't want to blurt random mess.

By the time you finished eating you were exhausted and you cleaned up your mess and bid the guys goodnight, quickly shuffling to your room. You closed the door behind you and immediately changed into pajamas and jumped in your bed, trying to gather your thoughts and trying not to cringe at the way you behaved around your crush.

Falling asleep you decided that it was time to put a stop to your crush. The next morning you decided to put your plan to execution, you were going to avoid Sanghyeok as much as possible until eventually your feelings would fiddle out and the problem would be solved.

It couldn't be worse than confessing and then being rejected which surely would've put a more awkward atmosphere than your current plan.

For the next few weeks, you did your best to avoid Sanghyeok or keep interaction to minimal, to the confusion of everyone since you usually liked to ramble about the meta and possible new ideas of counter of some champions and such. You could feel the confused stare of the staff and Tom even took you aside to see how you were doing, wondering if anything bad had happened, after all the team atmosphere was important to maintain a good cohesion. You assured him that everything was okay and that he didn't have to worry about it.

When you and Minseok were chilling in your room, one night, he was quite vocal about the disapproval of your plan, hitting you on the back of the head, but he knew ultimately that he couldn't do anything to reverse your decision and (in his opinion) shit plan.

Sanghyeok had tried to get informations from Minseok since he was your best friend, but the younger man didn't said anything and he just wanted to understand what he had done wrong to you, but he didn't recall anything an

One night Sanghyeok decided that he had enough and one night after your stream he waited until you headed to the kitchen to join you and close the door behind him, effectively trapping you with him.

You were gathering the ingredients to make yourself some instant noodles with eggs and dumpling when the door shutting up took you by surprise. You turned around to see who it was and seeing Sanghyeok standing there with an unreadable expression was kind of scaring you.

"Why have you been avoiding me so much?"

Oh fuck.

"Huh? I... Haven't been avoiding you, I'm just... Busy."

"(Y/N)." Fuck he was using his serious voice on you which was both terrifying and hot but now wasn't the time to think about that.

"Don't lie you have been avoiding me for the past few weeks."

You sighed.

"Ah... It's complicated... Promise me that whatever I say won't change a single thing between us", he blinked at you and nodded whilst you were gathering your thoughts and strength.

"I... Kind of have a crush on you? But I don't want you to be uncomfortable so I've just... Tried to keep it down. So don't hate me for that please. And you know I don't have a good reputation in general with the public so... I don't want you or the team to be affected by this you know..?"

"Hate you? You should have told me this earlier it would've make this whole situation easier."

You were confused about the wording of his sentence and you were about to ask him what he meant, he brought his hands to your face and brought it together with his, kissing you gently. Your eyes opened wide, you hadn't expected that your feelings would be returned but you let yourself melt and before you knew it, your hands naturally found his waist as you deepened the kiss, you couldn't believe what was happening but you were making sure to enjoy every second of it just in case it was a dream.

"Oh finally!"

The two of you jumped apart, looking at Minseok who was standing in the doorframe with a wide grin on his face.

"Oh you can go on, I just wanted to fill my bottle, just don't do anything dirty on the counters please."

The two of you flushed a little at Minseok's implication and he just left while humming a song. Sanghyeok smiled a little and took your hand in his.

"Don't do that again right? I don't care what the medias are going to say, I really like you and I just want us to go back how we were right?"

You nodded, too stunned to say anything, your heart filled with love for the other man in front of you. You quickly gave him a peck, it was only the second time you kissed him but you knew you were already addicted to the feeling of his lips against yours. You couldn't help but look at him and ask in a quiet but giddy voice.

"So... Are we boyfriends now?"

He chuckled and the sound made your heart do flip in your chest.

"Yes we are." Sanghyeok had a soft smile on his lips and you couldn't believe you were the one who put it there now. You had almost forgotten the reason why you were in the kitchen and turned to the food right behind you and took out another pack of ramen to cook for your now boyfriend. You couldn't help a grin to form on your face at that new realization.

Once the meal was ready, the two of you headed to the table to eat and he sat across you and you couldn't help but reach with your feet and lock one of your legs together. He chuckled and you grinned as you dived into your meal. So maybe your plan didn't work like you had originally wanted, but the final result was definitely worth it.

[duxfemina]

Not the original anon but reading your answer to the safety on road ask was so fun!

If you have time, could you please rank the following ancient Romans based on how good of a podcast they could produce?

Cicero, Julius Caesar, Brutus, Mark Antony, Cassius, Octavian, Agrippa, Catullus

Cicero would be the first century Joe Rogan, if you define a "good" podcast by it's popularity then definitely he's successful. If you want accuracy and quality maybe look elsewhere but regardless it will be considered entertaining usually

Julius Caesar - Some people listen just for entertainment like it's a good novel, some people religiously follow his pod and swear everything he claims is true. He's often flagged for fake news but he maintains he's absolutely done all the things he claimed to, up to and including the frequent allusions to his many love affairs with married women. His casual fans are fine, that hard core contingent that takes him at his word is toxic as hell and often makes people avoid his podcast but the casual fans are just there for the fun. Sorta like Star Wars fandom vibes

Brutus - his podcast is the opposite of Cicero's it's good, it's really good, it's also only got an audience of a couple hundred and a lot of those are his relatives or family friends, but he perseveres in sharing his deep insightful takes even if most of the people are just listening out of politeness

Mark Antony is podcast god. Everyone loves his show, unlike Caesar he really doesn't care if you believe his escapades are real or not. It's basically like drunk history without the history it's just him cracking up with some friends over drinks and taking the piss out of whatever the weeks topic is. It only gets serious when someone mentions Cicero and then Antony will get upset and either go on a tirade, which will make for a popular episode (some guests will deliberately trigger his Cicerophobia just for this reason) or he will drink too much (even by Antonian standards) and sulk and then the episode will have to abruptly end there

Cassius - I feel is the most likely to have like the life coaching, how to have confidence and succeed kind of podcast. He's relatively popular but never top of the charts and he doesn't mind. He feels he's helping people, he does resent that Caesar's hyperbolic tripe is consistently ranked higher than his thoughtful insights about how to make a better life for yourself

Octavian - he has listeners only because people wanna know if they're on his good side or if they should start selling their stuff and leaving Italy before it's too late. All his other listeners are either bootlickers, trying to casually bring up topics he discussed to make him feel validated and save their necks, or they listen because they're afraid he can somehow see the lists of names of who listens and if they're not on it he might add them to that OTHER list ie. The Proscriptions. Exactly two people willingly listens to three podcast and that's Agrippa, Octavia, and Attia and even Agrippa usually just has it in the background and is only half paying attention and Octavia is the only person to ever give him even a mild critique of his presentation

Agrippa - he only got a podcast because Octavian told him he should have one too. But while no one willingly listens to Octavian's Agrippa's smaller fan base is much more loyal and love listening to him give insights on military tactics and history and it's absolutely a fan favorite moment when he's at home to record his episodes and he has his sons on for a small segment where he lets them explain whatever strategy they employed in their games that day and he'll always find a way to adapt their child's play to a real life battle principle.

Catullus... I am sleep deprived and tired and my mind has blanked on who Catullus was

So instead I'll give you Cato. The Alex Jones of his day. He will rage daily and just keep getting more rabid, he is the king of the conspiracy theory contingent of podcasts. He will warn you about threats that 90% of which are invented and the other 10% somewhat accurate but wildly misrepresented.

*my comparisons to modern podcasters are based off of vibes not inferring that this person was the same in any real way

[taffywabbit]

Favorite blorbo?

hmmmm... I haven't had a LOT of blorbos I've been particularly fixated on recently but I am always and forever at least mildly fixated on the narrative themes that surround BotW Link (and by extension Zelda, who kinda helps put his whole deal in perspective through her own struggles with her dad and her role as the princess).

I've realized in the past year that I have kind of an obsession with impostors and doppelgangers and the struggle of a character trying to pretend to be someone else who they don't fully understand or identify with, and the way BotW plays with that through the whole amnesia angle is always really interesting to me. like here's a guy who was supposed to be an unstoppable badass 100 years ago, was basically killed, and then suddenly revived with no firsthand memories of his past heroics or relationships. nearly everything he learns about himself is through the external lens of other people's stories, so he can't really tell how his past self felt about the pressure he was under. and yet, because he is essentially a fresh new person in the same body, people who recognize Link still expect him to live up to that standard and pick up his heroic quest where he left off a century ago. he finds himself in the unique position of living in his OWN shadow, and it makes him a really interesting stand-in for the player (who ALSO only learns about Link's pre-amnesia life via scattered short flashbacks and the words of strangers, and is left to decide how much of that reputation they actually care about).

there's a scene in one of the memory cutscenes where Zelda asks Link (heavily paraphrased probably, it's been a while) if he would've chosen a different path for himself, had he not been expected since childhood to become a famous knight like his dad. and I like to think about how badly that memory would mess with post-Calamity Link's head if he was stressed, or tired, or scared, or depressed when it resurfaced. it's been 100 years, nearly everyone he knew before is dead, and as far as most people are concerned he's dead too. if he wants - if the PLAYER wants - Link could just fuck off to some remote corner of Hyrule and build himself a house and live a quiet life, leaving the heroics to someone else. the world seems pretty fuckin doomed regardless and he already failed once, so it wouldn't be that hard to choose a different path this time and try to enjoy the second chance he's been given. and in a sense, if you don't finish the game, or if you spend a hundred hours piddling around cooking fish and chasing dragons and practicing rock-climbing, that IS kinda just what happens. the player is just as free to refuse the call as Link is. the point where YOU decide that the role of the pre-Calamity hero is a role worth stepping into, is the same moment he puts aside any personal fears and misgivings he has, and decides that he has to try, even if these memories and stories feel like they belong to someone far more capable and courageous and difficult to kill. even if he doesn't fully remember Zelda or any of his other old friends, he decides at some point that he would LIKE to remember and claim those bonds for himself, and that this land full of strangers whose faces he doesn't recognize are worth sticking his neck out for. BotW, in spite of its shortcomings, is a game where you get to grow and learn and choose to be The Hero You Keep Hearing About right alongside Link himself, in a way that pretty much no other Zelda game allows for, and I think that's really cool! and sad! but mostly cool!

(I also think Link and Zelda both need therapy really really badly but OOPS sequel there's no time for that when we have gimmicks to introduce and storytelling mechanisms to clumsily reuse and character development to casually reset/ignore hahahaha..... 😭)

[alatismeni-theitsa]

I swear I remember seeing your critique/opinion on the Hades game at some point but now I cannot find it. I've scrolled through so many of your posts and tags and I still can't find anything in relation to it. Despite remembering your name attached to the post, I'm starting to convince myself that I saw someone else's post and not yours.

In any case, I would really like to know your thoughts on it. I'm not Greek but I am a casual player of the game, and recently (thanks to a friend of mine who is Greek) I've been interested in how Greek people view the way Greek mythology is being used in western media. So far I've only seen rants on Lore Olympus, which is admittedly a story I've always disliked. Even without the context of it misusing Greek mythology and spreading misinformation about the culture, it is still in general just a bad story with equally bad characters. The fact that it IS bastardising Greek mythos is the cherry on top, but without it it can't stand on its own two feet. It's literally relying on the content of Greek myths, otherwise it would not have gained the positive attention it still has today, yet it still has the audacity to treat the context of Greek myths and culture so poorly. I have a lot of beef with Rachel Smythe because of this. It's why I'm anonymous, I don't want to get harassed by her fanbase if they see this 😅

Hades, on the other hand, is a game I enjoyed a lot, and because of that I want to challenge myself and possibly learn a thing or two from an actual Greek person. I don't want to just agree with someone when it is something I already dislike and then completely ignore them when it has to do with something I do like but possibly has problems.

If you haven't shared your thoughts yet, I'd really love to see them. If you've already made a post or more about it, I would appreciate you directing me to them or to the tags where I can find them, cause I'm genuinely lost (how does Tumblr work???)

I'm sorry for the long ask, I understand you spend a lot of your time answering questions and dealing with ignorant people. It must be tiring. Thank you for your time ❤

Hello! Thank you for the asks and the supportive words 💙 here's the tagged posts :) the tag is #hades game . (Tumblr doesn't make our lives easy, does it?)

TL;DR for those who won't bother to look: Game looks fun and I'm thinking of playing it in the future but it's far from "Greek representation" and "Greek culture". It has some references to Greek mythology; some quite obscure (so they can mess canon things up without being called out xD) and others very superficial, like when someone might think of cowboys when thinking about the USA.

While nobody minds some creativity regarding the Greek myths, and we all enjoy a fun game, it's also good to know when a "Greek myth" product is not what it sells itself to be. To be fair the game itself never said it's going to be accurate, but almost nobody checks for accuracy anymore and they assume that what they see is correct, so the game doesn't have to put a disclaimer "we are inaccurate" to begin with.

[landgraabbed]

thank you for tagging me @irrewilderer! it’s a sims q&a thingamajig, under the cut! i will be very longwinded bc that’s how i roll

01: what’s your favorite sims death? the one you had when you got cursed by a mummy in ts3 world adventures. there is a lot of skeeviness around that whole pack, but i remember stumbling onto it in gameplay and it being deeply fucked up in a way recent installments refuse to match

02: alpha cc or maxis match? i lean maxis mix-ish but i don’t care about which way people lean ngl

03: do you cheat when your sims gain weight? this is a weird question and as someone who is experiencing a resurgence in [redacted] i think that whoever made this originally should be ashamed of themself.

04: do you use move objects? yes, no default sims grid placement may satisfy my hoarding tendencies.

05: favorite mod? ts2 needs a suite of mods to encourage it to not self-explode, but i am an acr enjoyer. with the right tuning it makes sims not breed like rabbits but have their own autonomy and people of interest that i find very enjoyable

06: first expansion/game/stuff pack you got? i believe that i got ts1 bundled with some expansion pack? so whichever one came after that until dad got tired and learned how to pirate so i could enjoy games hehe

07: do you pronounce “live mode” like aLIVE or LIVing? alive, i don’t care if it’s the wrong way

08: who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made? it has to be jess. it’s silly but writing her at times allows me to work through some shit of my own.

09: have you made a simself? i never cared to until i got me a wife who lives very far away from me hehe

10: what sim traits did you give yourself? no idea tbh, i forgot (i reek of ts3 absent minded trait)

11: what is your favorite EA hair color? the witching hour defaults and addon palette by pyxis my beloved

12: favorite EA hair? no friggin’ idea my dude

13: favorite life stage? this question would only make sense if eaxis put any thought into life stages other than young/adult since the release of the generations ep. but i’ve recently been reminded of how fun the ts2 teens are.

14: are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay? is build/buy not a gameplay function? i can’t build to save my life but i enjoy decorating and live mode (in ts2 mostly)

15: are you a CC creator? as need and want hit me

16: do you have any simblr friends/a sim squad? LMFAO what kinda question is this!! no i don’t have a simblr avengers squad or anything and i’m over caring about it. there’s people in the community i’m fond of but i’m not trying to join or create a clique

17: what’s your favorite game? listen. i am going to obtusely pretend that this isn’t a sims interrogatory and talk about the games that have my heart right now bc i can’t choose a single game. you have been warned.

now and forever, the games that miyazaki has directed at fromsoftware, particularly the souls series and bloodborne (i haven’t played elden ring yet but i KNOW i will adore it) are very special to me. bloodborne is a masterpiece. and i am sad that discourse has morphed these games into everything that’s wrong with Gamers and Gatekeeping. the games and the 99% of the community aren’t about that. i walked into them as someone who’d mostly played games casually but loved the games that approach storytelling indirectly. i fell in love with the marriage of gameplay and theming. i love how miyazaki approaches storytelling as an act of archaeology. the world was there long before you. you’re a nobody. things are bleak and you can’t get a straight answer out of anything, but you have other people going through it with you. you can imbue meaning and history into things, and that is beautiful. and i am bitter that one can’t say that the games don’t need an easy mode without being deemed a gatekeeper. (the games were designed with multiplayer that allows other players to cooperate with you and help you. there are gameplay styles that make things easier. all out of the box)

i am a known tes lover but morrowind is the apple of my eye. it’s weird listening to essays about modern day open world design and its pitfalls and to see how morrowind largely circumvents these issues, all the way back in 2002. the lore is amazing and once more it places a large chunk of the meaning making on the player’s hands. vvardenfell is a wonderful region of morrowind and i enjoy the diverse landscapes from the humid and mysterious bitter coast, the harsh ashlands, and the welcoming breadbasket which are the ascadian isles (lovely until you stumble upon the plantations). the exploration and navigation are unmatched and nothing will ever match the skill that is navigating the world through in game directions and learning the silt strider, boat, and stronghold routes. not to get into mark/recall/almsivi and divine intervention. you arrive at vvardenfell as a stranger and the world is hostile, but as the character becomes more familiar with the land you the player master the transversal and that’s honestly some sexy marriage of theming and gameplay. some aspects have aged horribly which is why these days i play with the amazing sexual harassment remover mod.

i think everyone owes it to themself to play outer wilds (NOT worlds). it plays into the strengths i mentioned above. i can’t say much because it ruins the purpose of the game. it’s a tender bastard of a game that makes me so happy that i am alive at a time i can play it and makes me cry every time i listen to tracks from its ost. the writing is maybe the best i have ever witnessed in any art form (“the pain of your absence is sharp and haunting, and i would give anything to not know it; anything but never knowing you at all (which would be worse)”). just play it. i wish i could hire someone to bonk me on the head and give me selective amnesia so i could play it for the first time again. just. play. it.

there’s more, like octopath traveler which is quickly climbing through the ranks, darkest dungeon, pillars of eternity, project zomboid, dragon’s dogma, journey, and more

also, it’s ts2.

18: do you have any sims merch? ew, no

19: do you have a youtube for sims? ew, no

20: how has your “sim style” changed throughout your years of playing? it has, but i’m not quite sure i can describe it? it’s been decades of sims so of course it’s changed.

21: what’s your origin id? come back with a warrant

22: who’s your favorite cc creator? i am a known sforzcc simp

23: how long have you had a simblr? wouldn’t you like to know, weather boy (too long)

24: how do you edit your pictures? i use Very Legitimate photoshop. these days i just run a photopeia action that gives it some color aberration and slap some noise on it.

25: what expansion/game/stuff pack is your favorite so far? i love sims 2 freetime? hobbies are such a great addition to the game that just fits in seamlessly with the rest of the game

26: what expansion/game/stuff pack do you want next? the eaxis stop shoving shit into ts4 and fix issues and let the modders have it pack

[firstdivisiongirl]

Hello! If its possible, can I have a matchup please? If not! That's totally fine! :3 My preference are villians! And I would like a match with a guy!

pronouns she/her!

I am around 156cm height, chin length hair with bangs, brown color eyes and I'm chubby :3 People say I'm pretty cute hehe ^^ I really love lolita fashion and I have only one lolita dress because lolita is very expensive 😭😭 Overall I love cute clothes but I also enjoy wearing sweatshirts, hoodies, sweaters and overall casual clothes (its even better if they are oversized hehe) oh and I also have round glasses!

I am ENFJ 2w3! I am pretty social however I prefer to spend time alone, I love to help other people and make them happy! I think I am a pretty funny person however it depends since I know everyone has a different sense of humor! I love to joke around! I want others to feel comfortable around me. I apologize A LOT, I apologize so much that it might too annoying but I always feel a sense of guilt inside of me. I'm also VERY sensitve and its kinda annoying to me haha. I can be also pretty mean but in a joking way! I can be mean to my friends sometimes but I never mean to hurt them. I also like when people call me weird but at the same time I am afraid of people judging me.Ah and I'm pretty dumb and I am not trying to insult myself I am just silly hehe and I'm okay with that, I would prefer to be with someone who is smarter than me :^) I find high intelligence pretty attractive <3

I actually love opposites of me! I think they are interesting and cute! I just hope I won't be annoying to them or making them tired of me, but at the same time I would like to annoy them but only for jokes haha, not anything serious.

I LOVE LOVE horror and scary things, I would can't imagine my life without it, its just a such interesting genre that makes me happy and intrigued! I adore horror games and I'm mostly interested in them, however most of the time I am scared of playing them so I just watch gameplays and stuff like that haha. You can say I am obssesed with horror! >:3 (its funny because its easy to scare me haha) I also love cute things! Plushies, pink, clothes and other cute things! I just love it so much <3 I like very much games, drawing and psychology! When it comes to music I love energetic ones! I dislike slow music but there can be some exceptions.

I even draw myself! I've been drawing since I was a kid! And I also play games so you can say that its also my hobby :>

I dislike cooking (I love when someone knows to cook however I suck at it </3), insensitve people, stressful situations (I stress a lot)

I hope this isn't too much! I wish you a good day and when it comes to you having a match…For me you would fit Koby! >:3

Hi! Of course, I’ll do a matchup for you. And thank you for my matchup. Everyone who has ever done a matchup for me has said Koby, except for one person who said Sabo. Anyways, the character I picked is a villain. Let’s see who you get!!!

You got…

Charlotte Katakuri!!!

He uses observation haki a lot. So he’d be able to see when you are upset and make sure you

I think you two would have great horror movie date. You can’t tell me this scary looking guy doesn’t like horror movies.

At the same time, I could see him buying you lots and lots of pink plushies!!!

He’s extremely intelligent and you said you liked a smart guy.

He’s pretty calm and an introvert while you are sensitive and an extrovert. It’s just be the perfect balance.

He’d definitely ask Pudding to teach him how to cook for you. If not, he’ll ask her to cook and he’ll pretend he did.

I hope you like donuts. Because you will definitely be having a lot of donut with him!

I hope you like it!

[hexagonalhavoc]

Can I request The hex characters with The reader who easily gets flustered on Valentine's Day hcs

Hex Characters with a Reader who is easily flustered on Valentine’s

hc’s

[Author’s Note: I am fashionably late 😅]

Lionel: 

Doesn’t care much for Valentine’s Day but that’s because he hasn’t celebrated it with many people before you. 

Lionel was never one to actively seek out a partner as he was focused on his work.

If Valentine’s Day is important to you then it’s important to him. If he’s still friends with Carla he would ask her for advice. 

Gets you the usual flowers and chocolates, maybe even a teddy bear. He originally planned to get you something more expensive but he wanted to keep it simple. 

When he sees how flustered you are he feels proud, even if you’re flustered over something simple.

Carla: 

This girl takes Valentine’s Day’s very seriously. She calls off work for the day and takes a month to plan. 

Carla probably gets you one of those Valentine’s gift baskets. 

She loves how flustered you are and will tease you about it. 

Despite her teasing it is very easy to flushed Carla and if you get her something she’s going to treasure it forever. 

She’d like to do something out during the day and then snuggle up to you at night. But if you prefer a calm Valentine’s Day at home she doesn’t mind.

Reggie: 

Even when he wasn’t romantically involved with someone Reggie still loved Valentine’s Day because he’s a hopeless romantic. 

He’d spend countless nights thinking about his future partner and here you are! 

Reggie knows how to fluster you but he is impossible to fluster. 

There isn’t much that can be done in the inn but he still tries his best, he makes origami flowers out of paper to make a bouquet for you. 

He’d prefer to spend his time with you just talking about how much he cares about you. 

Jeremiah:

At first Jeremiah isn’t sure what to do for Valentine’s and he starts to panic. He knows you’ll be happy with whatever he does for you but he wants it to be special. 

He goes to a bunch of different games to get you presents and such. If he finds a game that has no danger he’ll take you there. 

Both of you are probably too flustered to talk to each other and it’s funny. He has no clue if he’s doing things right so he’s incredibly nervous. 

I hc that he writes poetry so he’ll definitely write some poetry for you. 

It doesn’t matter what you get or do for him he’s going to think about it for the rest of his life. The next day he’s still smiling. 

Chef Bryce: 

Cooking is a must but he doesn’t cook for you, the both of you cook together. Bryce prefers to cook with someone and he’ll be happy to teach you. 

Both of you make so many pastries and you’re probably not going to eat all of them but they’re fun to decorate. 

He’s going to fluster you by lightly smearing frosting on your nose or throwing a bit of flour at you. It may even turn into a play fight and by the time you’re done cooking both of you are covered in frosting and flour. 

Bryce is a lot more casual about Valentine’s Day so you don’t have to worry about it being stressful or overwhelming. 

After giving away some of the pastries you made both of you just relax together unless there’s something you want to do. 

Lazarus: 

Lazarus wants to be on the same page as you so he’ll ask what you want to do for Valentine’s Day in advance. 

He’s constantly tired so he would prefer to do something more casual but he still puts effort into it. 

He goes out of his way to make himself look nice for the special day. He’ll wear something other than his armor, brush his probably knotted hair, stuff like that.

He doesn’t mean to fluster you but he does anyways. He loves to hold your hand or lean on you. On the outside he doesn’t have much of a reaction to you being flustered but he thinks it’s amusing. 

The only thing he wants to do is stay in bed and hold you. 

Chandrelle: 

If both of you are still in Secrets of Legendaria she’s going to take you sightseeing. She hates the game but it does have some pretty scenery. 

To most people she seems closed off but she’s a lot more open than people think she is and she won’t hesitate to tell you how much she loves you.

She probably flusters you with her words. Chandrelle is no poet but she has a way with worths in a casual sense.

She does whatever she can to impress you. She practices her sorcery  just so she can see the amazement in your eyes. 

Also if something or someone ruins your special day together she will not be merciful. 

Sado: 

Valentine’s Day with her is going to be the most chaotic thing imaginable. Chances are that Sado doesn’t even have a plan and is just doing things she thinks you’ll enjoy. 

You are going to be so spoiled by her. You’re going to have so many gifts from so many games. 

“I appreciate it Sado, I really do but I don’t even know how to use a sword.” 

“It’s okay, I just thought it matched the color of your eyes.”

She flusters you on a daily basis but on Valentine’s Day she does it a lot more.

Irving: 

He’s so clueless. Chances are that you’re his first romantic partner so he’s still learning how to be romantic.

Irving isn’t great about opening up about his feelings so he’ll get you a card and try to write how he feels about you in it. It’s actually really sweet. 

He flusters you with a lot of cheesy pick up lines and every time you laugh he says another one. 

I can see him slow dancing with you. It’s the complete opposite of fighting but it’s still something he enjoys, especially if it’s with you. 

Since it’s his first Valentine’s with someone he does stress out about it at first but you’re a big comfort to him.

First Person Perspective: 

Gets flustered very easily as well. 

Because he can’t really talk you’re probably the one who makes the plans for Valentine’s but if it were up to him, he’d prefer just to lounge around in bed with you. 

He wouldn’t mind stargazing or doing something as long as it’s on the calmer side of things. 

He’s an amazing artist so he’ll definitely draw you as you are his most favorite thing to draw. He loves drawing you with a smile because you’re the light of his life.

Very physically affectionate with you and he would love to be in your arms for the whole day.

Rust McClain: 

Because he spent a lot of his life in a wasteland with minimal supplies, Rust is great at crafting things. Give him a few pieces of scrap and he’s going to make you something amazing for Valentine’s. 

He’s big on compliments and it increases tenfold on Valentine’s Day. He’s also great with making you feel better about your insecurities. 

Doesn’t mind if you want to do something specific for Valentine’s he just wants to spend the day with you. 

I feel like he’s a happy crier so if you do something really sweet for him he’s going to give you a hug while shedding a few tears. 

Rust may also play some silly pranks on you just to see you laugh. 

Rebecha: 

Rebecha has been all over the game world so she can take you to any game you’d like. 

For once she takes a day off because she wants to dedicate the day to you and her. 

She might have a lot planned as there’s many different games she wants to show you but she’ll make sure you aren’t overwhelmed. 

She’s aware of how easily flustered you get but she actually doesn’t fluster you on purpose. It just happens because she’s a very direct person in both her actions and her words.

Gets you a small but very colorful bouquet of flowers. If she could she would grow her own garden.

[ohchosen]

GET TO KNOW THE WRITER - VAL EDITION !

what  made  you  pick  up  the  current  muse(s)  you  have?   i  first  played  ffxv  back  in  the  fall  of  2017  and  fell  head  over  heels  in  love  with  the  game.  to  this  day  i  don’t  think  there’s  ever  been  a  cast  of  characters  that’s  had  such  a  lasting  impact  on  me  as  the  boys  have,  and  at  this  point  ever  will.  i  actually  first  started  off  writing  prompto,  sometime  in  early  2018  and  shortly  thereafter  kind  of  fizzled  out  of  that  because  i  was  new  and  super  shy  and  didn’t  really  know  anyone  in  the  community.  i  was  around  18/19  then  and  actually  took  a  break  from  tumblr  for  a  little  while,  but  always  kept  in  touch  with  the  xv  community  on  twitter/instagram  so  the  love  i  had  never  went  away.  fast  forward  to  2020  and  after  replaying  the  game  i  decided  to  pick  up  noctis  who  at  that  point  had  been  my  end  all  comfort  character  for  a  few  years.  he very quickly became my little pincushion and then unintentionally a processing tool i used to process a lot of issues in my own life. i notice  a  lot  of  nuance  in  my  old  notes  and  ramblings  that  100%  reflect  my  struggles  at that  time and its like huh! wow! didnt know it did that. regardless, noctis is the muse i hold most dearly to my heart and someone i will love for the rest of my life. < he 3

is  there  anything  you  don’t  like  to  write?  ive  seen  it  all  brother.  i  can  be  convinced  with  one  skimmed  over  ao3  tag  and  then  some.  regardless,  i  don’t  have  any  hard  no’s  that  aren’t  the  incredibly  obvious,  and  i  think  rp  is  a  great  way  to  develop  and  analyze  your  likes  and  dislikes  in  a  safe  environment.  it’s  okay  to  be  into  something  in  one  thread  and  then  change  your  mind  later,  that’s  something  i  had  to  learn  the  long  way  but  i'm  better  off  for  it!

is  there  anything  you  really  enjoy  writing?  i  really  love  angst.  not  sure  what  happened  developmentally  to  get  here  but  we’re  here.  i  think  that  shows  a  lot  in  my  preferred  range  of  media  i  write  in  (or  just  consume  casually,)  there’s  just  a  certain….  je  ne  sai  quoi  🤌  in  writing  your  character  going  through  the  absolute  extremes  of  the  human  experience.  besides  that,  i  really  go  crazy  with  character  analysis/general  meta.  i  love  to  deep  dive  into  mundane  (or  otherwise)  aspects  of  a  character  and  build  up  traits  to  fully  flesh  out  a  muse. 

do  you  write  in  silence  or  do  you  play  music?  i  need  complete  silence  or  i  will  literally  never  finish  a  sentence.  i  am  way  too  scatterbrained  to  focus  on  two  things  at  once  and  need  to  lock  the  fuck  in  when  i’m  writing  a  reply. 

do  you  plan  your  replies  or  wing  them?  who  do  i  look  like  shakespeare.  i’ve  never  planned  out  a  thing  in  my  life  im  consistently  operating  strictly  off  vibes. 

do  you  enjoy  shipping?  im  a  dirty  little  shipping  whore. shipping is god's gift to the planet what else would i do if not daydream about my two little guys passionately kissing in a field of wheat.

what’s  your  alias/name?  val  :3  my  psn  tag  is  a  variant  of  valkyrie,  and  after  i  was  tired  of  my  old  alias  i  looked  there  for  inspiration.  say  thank  you  god  of  war  (2018)  for  shooting  me  into  another  norse  mythology  frenzy,  feels  just  like  middle  school. 

age  &  birthday?  my  golden  birthday  is  this  july  (25th)!!!  ((mild  existential  dread))

favorite  color?   green,  brown,  black  and  purple❗️

favorite  song?  recently  rediscovered  since  u  been  gone  by  kelly  clarkson.  having  daily  religious  experiences  for  it. 

last  movie  you  watched?  lord  i  have  no  idea.  i  don’t  watch  too  many  movies  and  the  last  one  i  can  place  is  catching  the  second  half  of  47  meters  down  when  i  was  having  dinner  with  my  dad  a  few  weeks  ago.  yay  sharks.  and  mandy  moore!!!!

last  show  you  watched?  i  love  a  good  netflix  documentary  and  i  just  finished  one  called  the  program:  cons,  cults  and  kidnapping,  which  was  about  exposing  the  troubled  teen  industry.  it’s  a  super  interesting  watch  but  deals  with  quite  a  few  heavy  topics  so  if  you’re  interested  please  heed  caution!   i  also  just  started  american  nightmare,  but  im  only  about  30-ish  minutes  into  the  first  episode….  gotta  lock  in. 

last  song  you  listened  to?  according  to  spotify  it  was  safari  song  by  greta  van  fleet  but  according  to  the  fortnite  festival  session  i  just  had  it  was  carry  on  my  wayward  son  by  kansas.  literal  war  flashbacks. 

favourite  food?   dude  there’s  this  fucking  sandwich  place  by  my  house  and  they  literally  make  the  best  chicken  sandwich  i’ve  ever  had.  imagine  grilled  chicken  on  a  brioche  bun  w  cheddar,  bacon,  a  corn  salsa  and  slathered  in  chili  aioli.  walk  with  me.  it  sounds  wack  but  it’s  SO  GOOD.  i  dream  about  her…

favorite  season?  i  love  winter  i  love  being  cold  and  tucked  into  my  electric  blanket  listening  to  the  rain  outside.  all  of  you  summertime  elitists  need  to  get  off  my  lawn. 

do  you  have  a  tumblr  best  friend?   i  have  my  gaggle  of  tumblr  friends  turned  irl  friends  in  my  pockets  at  all  time  and  i  wouldn’t  trade  any  of  them  for  the  world.  i  met  one  of  my  oldest  friends  in  ye  olde  supernatural  rp  back  in  2013?  and  over  ten  years  later  WE’RE  STILL  FUCKING  HERE.  so  many  of  the  most  important  people  in  my  life  i’ve  met  through  tumblr and the amount of shit we've seen through the rpc's we've been in has bonded us all for eternity lmfao.

tagged by: @13nth thank u tea my love :* tagging: my homies @sherez @tactition @liegacy + anyone who's interested :3

[spacequokka]

A.C.E Kinks & Turn Ons

When I should be writing, I find myself reading birth charts like they’re the Bible. Except I don’t remember them when I’m writing. Nor do I remember what I thought when I read them. Here’s a Choice shit post.

Donghun || Venus: Aries, Mars: Cancer || Kink: Breeding, low-key dom vibes

When he’s comfortable with you, expect some upfront flirting. He has an innocent, childish sort of charm to him since he’s fun-loving and energetic. Doesn’t like games or beating around the bush. Likes to lead the relationship. Might have on-and-off relationships as he’s prone to falling in love with love itself. For him, sex is tied up with emotional need so you won’t catch him settling for casual stuff. Getting to a point where you trust him fully with your body is what he strives for. Like most with Cancer in Mars, the possibility of making a baby excites him.

Sehyoon || Venus: Aries, Mars: Leo || Kink: Risky sex

Pretty much like Donghan in being straightforward, but a little softer in his approach. He’s a baby, be nice. Sensual yet stubborn. It’d take a lot to get him to change his mind about pursuing you. He enjoys the chase and falling in love. He’s easy to arouse and I see him not wanting to wait until you got home to take care of his needs. Right here, right now. High key competitive, so expect a bet that he can make you scream. But you don’t wanna get caught, right?

Junhee || Venus: Cancer, Mars: Taurus || Kink: Mommy/Daddy, Someone older

Okay, listen, hear me out first. This man just wants to be someone’s little and I’ll die on this fucking hill. We Cancer in Venus folk just wanna be loved and protected with lots of snuggles and kisses. Let. Him. Be. Smol. He cares more about the intimacy and quality time than the physical aspects and I respect that. It’s about being cared for and feeling secure. Tell me a good mommy or daddy wouldn’t be perfect for him? On the other hand, I can see him wanting to provide this for someone else, too. So he’d likely switch roles from time to time to meet his partner’s needs while taking care of his own. His chart also mentions being attracted to someone older than him and while I’m not saying he’s submissive, I am saying he’s smol in every way possible. Yes, this pot is calling the kettle black. Sue me.

Byeongkwan || Venus: Cancer, Mars: Cancer || Turn-on: Confusing me

We got another Venus in Cancer, y’all. Again with the snuggles and soft smol-ness. Give him lots, pls. The only difference I see between him and Jun is his protective aura is a little stronger. He’s smol but feisty. Like Donghun, there’s some breeding kink potential with hints of dom if he’s in the mood.

Chan || Venus: Aquarius, Mars: Aquarius || Turn On: The Pursuit

Congrats! You’ve found yourself a 4D chess player. He wants to be seen as unique and rebellious, “not like the others.” Needs confirmation he’s interesting to you before he takes it further. Once he has that, he turns up the passion. He thrives on adventure and dislikes being restricted or limited, especially when it comes to his sexual expression. Let him be a freak. To him, courting is a game that requires planning and spontaneity to get what he wants. Best part? He’s incredibly patient and isn’t in a hurry to make you crave his touch. Just know that when you do get tired of playing hard to get, you’re getting a guy who’s very imaginative in bed and goes all in. 

[alma-amentet]

I’ve been tagged by @katastronoot @sheirukitriesfandom and @dirty-bosmer (thank you all! 💖) 

This was sitting in my drafts for a while, just forgot to post...

Not tagging anyone ‘cause idk who hasn’t done it yes... Feel free to take if you feel like!

1. are you named after anyone?

Grandma originally named me after her little sister who died in early childhood. She was babysitting and blamed herself for that accident.

But that was too dull, widespread, and didn’t felt mine, so my nomatophobia started progressing. Finally I renamed myself after Fairytopia Barbie. Best friend started calling me Elina in 2008, when I was pretty much into Barbie movies fandom. It stuck, I started telling everyone it was my actual name, even at work. Then finally changed it legally and never regretted. 

Barbie movies is everything, yeah.

2. when was the last time you cried?

One weekend ago.

3. do you have kids?

Nope, and it’s most probable I won’t. Already in my 30s, didn’t start wanting/regretting yet. I like kids, kids are like flowers, but let them bloom in someone else’s garden. 

4. do you use sarcasm a lot?

Not really. Being neurodivergent, I have troubles with a sense of humour in general. Many things feel more offensive than funny to me, and if I try it myself, it might be rather insulting than funny... So only with closer friends, I guess.

5. what sports do you play/have you played?

Drinking games, lol.

Not a fan of sports and competitions. I prefer fitness\wellness, where you don’t have to compete or show off. Never liked team games as well. As a kid, I enjoyed tennis or badminton a bit, but again, just for fun.

I do yoga a bit, would like to excercise more though.

6. what's the first thing you notice about other people?

Style, clothing, hair, accessories. Whether they have some fandom\music\etc merch on. This way I might identify them as the ones like me, the ones worth talking to - at first sight.

I can be generally cautious, even hostile, about people, esp males and elders. And in general, I prefer meeting people online or in some safe spaces / meetups where everyone shares some interests/hobbies/fandoms. It’s easier for me.  

7. eye color?

blue gray. and I do wear color lenses - need them to see things anyway, so why not have fun with colors? Last year I had red ones and wore them casually.

8. scary movies or happy endings?

Happy and clever endings that give you food for thought and make you feel feelings - I’ve been a long time Pixar fan, you know.

There was time I’ve been into mystic horrors, some years ago, but now I’m old and tired even for them. LIfe is a dystopia by itself, I need more kind stuff.

(don’t watch movies much these days, I prefer games).

9. any special talents?

Some say I am outstanding and bold,and that I have great creative potential, and that I inspire some people just by being myself... IDK.

10. where were you born?

a city in the mountains

11. what are your hobbies?

I’m a a self-taught seamstress, I’ve been sewing most of my life (because I always loved creating things myself & from my very childhood wanted some unusual clothes that couldn’t be purchased in regular stores). At times, I took comissions, then were 5 years of cosplaying.

I’m into corsetry (waist-training and making corsets myself).

And drawing, of course.

12. do you have any pets?

Nope. Used to have an aquarium in the past.

13. how tall are you?

5’7″ (170 cm) 

14. fave subject in school?

Biology (just in elem and mid, then it became too complex), english. 

I was also one of the best in literature, but I didn’t like it at all. Just figured out how to get exc grades and did it for the sake of being praised. 

15. dream job?

Illustrator, artist.  

[stormcallgaming]

🖋️ Tiger’s Review; Bully

This has been 5 years and 4 months in the making and I don’t even know what to say about that lmao I’m so bad at starting things and taking eight lifetimes to finish them. In my defense, I get obsessed with stuff and focus only on that for a while but then I move on for a while (in this case 5 years pft.) I thank the Bingo, Kaleidoscope and Casual A-Z challenges for giving me the motivation needed to FINALLY finish this game.

Bully is one of those classic games that can easily withstand the test of time. It’s such a good game with a damn good story and pretty cool characters. The main character has that little brother feel to me and I had that feeling throughout my playthrough.

I wanted him to succeed so I tried my best. And by “tried my best” I mean I failed a shit ton of times. Which brings me to my first complaint. When you fail a mission, there’s no option to retry, it just kicks you out and you have to run ALL the way back to the NPC that gave you that quest. This is super annoying, especially if you’re like me and fail a lot. I ended up giving up a few times because I got tired of having to run back and do everything over lol This is pretty understandable given the game’s age, though.

Another really weird thing for me is the button layout. Like, instead of O being the back button, it’s triangle. The amount of times I sat there pressing the O button repeatedly wondering why the feck nothing was happening lol And to pause the game, you press the touch pad instead of options. L2 and R2 cycle through your weapons/items, while you aim with L1 and shoot with R1. That kept messing me up on Mass Effect because I was pressing the wrong button (but I did learn the Mako has boost so it’s not all bad.)

I didn’t learn this until I was literally on the LAST chapter of the game, but you have to press the left side of the touch pad to get the map up. As someone who gets lost easily, this would have been really helpful lol

The trophies are all pretty simple, at least for the PS4 version. I didn’t really have any trouble with any except for “Sharp Dressed Man.” I’m not really one to buy clothes in games unless it’s my own character, like GTA, so I only have a couple pieces bought.

Between running around trying to make enough money and trying to FIND all the clothes, I think this is the trophy I spent the most time on. I was so confused because I bought out all the clothing stores, the school shop and the fair but still hadn’t reached 250. I read that the barber shop sells clothes, but I went to two and they had none so I didn’t bother checking the third. Turns out, 3rd time really is the charm lol

One thing I really love about this game is the fact that, when the game ends, it doesn’t actually end. It lets you run around and continue whatever you missed so you don’t have to play through the game again to collect trophies. The fact that this game, old as it is, had the thought to do this while new games don’t is honestly incredible. They do make you sit through the credits first, though. No amount of button pushing can skip ’em.

I suggest getting the flower trophy out of the way before finishing art class. You CAN flirt with guys, but there’s only like 2 or 3 that you can flirt with while you can flirt with ANY girl. I wish they had put a bit more into the NPC students… there’s only a couple unique students in each clique before they just copy and pasted them a bunch of times. It was kind of offputting… and creepy.

Maybe it’s just me, but the kiss trophy was painful. It’s so cringey watching them makeout and I had to look away, it’s just uncomfortable lol And the thing with Zoe… it was so weird because he had literally met her TWO TIMES and then they were talking about love. Is that normal for fifteen year olds? Am I just old?

Speaking of romance, here’s a hot take: Johnny Vincent deserves better! The whole game, I kept wishing he would just break up with that cheating [redacted]. Why did he keep taking her back? She claimed to love him but as soon as he turned around, she was making out with another guy. Not just one, either, she was with basically the whole ass school okay.

My man deserves better. Period.

Speaking of characters, whats-his-face nerd leader was creepy and annoying as hell. I thought he was cute at first but after seeing how he behaves, he became uglier every time he was on screen lol Derby is cute but I want to punch him sometimes. He reminds me of Atobe from Prince of Tennis in a way. Russel is the man and he is a precious idiot, okay.

The gym teacher was also a creep and I hate him. Like I said before, Jimmy is great and I view him as a baby brother. Must protect. Finally, I felt bad for Pete. He’s such a good kid but everyone treats him like dirt, even Jimmy – I would smack him for this if I could. Honestly, I think he’s the only sane person in this whole damn town.

I almost forgot to mention Dual Nebula. This trophy requires you to beat the high score in three different arcade games. The sumo one is the easiest, in my opinion, it only took me two or three tries. The one with the squirrel flinging nuts is second. I died a bunch of times but most of that was because I was trying to glitch it, having ZERO faith that I could do it on my own. The glitch didn’t work and I made it! Finally, the hardest one is the monkey one. It took me sooo many tries to get this one because you can’t jump over the spiders, you just gotta wedge yourself in the corner and hope for the best.

It was fun, but it’s time to say goodbye, Bullworth.

I think I’ve covered everything I wanted to about this game. It’s a really great game and I highly recommend checking it out. I didn’t do a playthrough of this game, but I do have some clips posted and a bunch more waiting to be posted. You can check out my playlist here.

I started this game on September 5th, 2017. I completed this game on January 14th, 2023.

My rating: ★★★★☆ (4.5)

Honestly, I wish I hadn’t done the clothes one last. Just look at the damn platinum screenshot, it’s terrible ò_ó) I should’ve waited on the last quest for Kleptomaniac… oh well. Nothing I can do now.

[dragonmuse]

Is there any time line where Izzy left/got with someone else first? Or does he always stay with his first partner?

Loyalty is a huge part of his character, but I imagine there's probably been some scenarios that just played out differently.

(...this was supposed to be a short answer. I am incapable. This one isn't bulleted since I started it as an answer and then it dissolved into a story on it's own. Let's call this the 'just like a one-winged dove' timeline)

There is a timeline where Izzy leaves Eddy. It's extreme, but Izzy is still only human and Eddy was, in the early days especially, capable of such casual cruelty that it's possible it could happen.

It would have to be targeted. It couldn't just be physical because Izzy doesn't really care about his body in a meaningful way. It has to be something where Eddy just tears at the root of where Izzy's affection lives. If Eddy betrayed him, that would probably do it. Sold him out casually like it meant nothing and expected Izzy to forget it when he made it back.

He'd go to a rival first. Izzy does actually like his job, so he'd find someone set against Eddy, so they would know very deeply what they'd done. He'd try to ruin her, if he could. When that doesn't work (because Eddy is smarter, faster and sharper, just is what it is), he might finally free himself from the work too.

What does Izzy without work or purpose do? He doesn't stop to think much. He doesn't give himself the chance to let the idleness seep in. He'd leave the area. Move across the country, so he'd never even accidentally run into anyone from his old life. He'd find a job. Repairing motorcycles maybe, since he has the skill set and the willingness to get his hands dirty.

He'd have to sit with himself. With the anger, the grief, the bitterness. And he'd have a choice. Does he let it pickle inside of him and just stay where he is becoming an increasingly angry old man? Maybe.

But let's say he chooses the other road. Because the alternative is basically a living death and he doesn't actually want to die.

Maybe he starts small. Let's his co-workers invite him out for drinks sometimes. Talks to them about nothing shit, the same shit his high school friends used to bullshit about, but it's more comfortable now.

Maybe one of those guys has a friend. Big guy with scars and tattoos, who invites Izzy over for the game one night and they have a few beers a few laughs.

And the guy puts a hand on Izzy's shoulder and looks him in the eye. Listens to him. It's not a big deal. It's just a friend. The guy maybe used to run with a rough crowd. He knows what Izzy's wariness means, but never asks.

They stay friends even when Izzy changes jobs, finds a bigger garage that pays better. And at some point the guy, George maybe, George says to him 'I got invited to hang out at my brother's bar, you want to come?'

And Izzy knows vaguely that the brother is gay. That it's a gay bar. But George is solid and Izzy likes a drink. What's the harm? Who's left to judge him except himself?

It's a good bar too. There's no stage and no dance floor to speak of. A lot of the guys are wearing more leather than even Izzy and a few of them give him some looks that he could live without, but he's more comfortable there than he's been a lot of places. George's brother goes by Scout and he's a little smaller than George, but not by much.

Scout flirts with Izzy in a direct, kind way. Just gives him the eye, pours him a beer and asks him if he's ever been in a place like this before.

And Izzy means to reject him, nicer than he usually would because of George, but he can't quite bring himself there. He's tired, really and he's not sure what he's running from anymore

Scout has his number from day one. He's not interested in settling down, but he gives Izzy a good introduction to the scene. Teaches him the vocabulary and things to watch out for.

Thus let loose on the world, Izzy manages a few brief flings, but it's not his thing. It sits wrong in him. George teases him about being a swan, needing to mate for life. George is a bit of a playboy, always out with a new girl so often Izzy gave up keeping track of them.

Izzy buys a little house near the beach. It's in awful condition, but that gives him something to do on the weekends. He fixes it with a care he's never given anything before. He doesn't just put in new boards for the stairs, he rebuilds them and figures out how to carve the handrail with a swirly design. He sets in a new door and chooses one with a mosaic of different kinds of glass so the sun paints patterns on his floors.

He's never cared about having a place before. He's not sure he does now, but it's something to do, to think about. That's what he tells himself when sands down the floors and varnishes them a deep and warm brown. He doesn't think about how birds build beautiful nests as he rips out plumbing and puts it back together with an antique tub and a rain shower head. He doesn't think about another body, bigger maybe and with a grip like steel when he buys a heavy wrought iron headboard that twists around itself like the branches of a gnarled tree.

When he can't sleep (often), he walks down to the beach, takes off his shoes and treks down the sand. He lives in a place that's always at least warm if not soaking with heat now and it's good to feel the cool of the night on his feet, sometimes the cold lick of the water around his ankles.

He's out one night when he sees someone else sitting on the sand. It's not entirely unusual, even though it's going on 1am. Usually he and the other midnight walkers give each other a wide berth.

But this person is tucked up, knees under their chin, not walking. And once Izzy gets close enough, it's fairly clear that they're crying. All the more reason to turn around. To give them the space they probably want.

"You okay?" he asks gruffly as he gets near enough, but not too close. Just in case it's a ruse for a mugging or worse.

"Jesus!" The person jumped. "You scared the shit out of me. Where did you come from?"

Izzy pointed wordlessly up the beach. His house isn't visible from here, but it's still true.

"Right," they sucked in a deep breath and expelled it. "I don't have any money or anything."

"I'm not looking for any," Izzy scoffed. "Just out for a walk. Making sure you're not dying or something."

"I'm not," they say sourly and tip their head up. They're a guy, Izzy's pretty sure. Handsome one too with a shock of dark hair and an interesting jawline. "I just...you ever do something you knew was stupid and then get surprised that it turned out to be actually stupid."

"It's happened," Izzy agreed.

"I came out here with someone for a vacation and I knew they weren't serious about me. I'm not serious about them, but I thought maybe we could figure something out. Nope. Just got dumped on a moonlit romantic walk and he fucking took off with the hotel room key card and the rental car."

"What an asshole," he said venomously.

"Right? I mean. It's fine. I'll be fine. I've figured out worse. But shit. I just wanted to get away for a few days and maybe hit up a club and now I just have sand in my underwear and no place to sleep."

Izzy had a place. There was even a couch. A nice one. George had hectored him about not picking something shitty, so they'd maybe not spend every Friday night on George's shitty couch.

But Izzy wasn't the kind of person who invited a stranger to his house. He didn't have a single drop of the milk of human kindness in him.

Except...well fuck it was late, wasn't it? For a tourist, at 1am in a strange place with a broken heart? And who was he keeping the door locked against? No one had found him. As far as he knew, no one was looking. He was patrolling the border of a land no one could be bothered to invade.

"I've got a couch," he offered into the silence.

"Are you a serial killer?" the man asked dubiously.

"Not today," he snorted. "If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't bother taking you home and getting evidence all over where I live. Just do it here and let the ocean take care of it."

"I want you to know that that is so much creepier than if you'd just said 'no'," the man heaved himself up on his feet. "But I'm really tired and thirsty, so if you throw a glass of water in, I'm in. I do have my phone and I will call for help if you're a weirdo. What's your name potential murderer?"

"Izzy," he said, amused despite himself. "You?"

"Lucius. How far a walk is it?"

"Mile or so."

"Yeah, that figures," Lucius sighed, but he kept up just fine.

Izzy always left the back porch light on when he went out. Partially because it's practical, partially because he likes the look of the yellow light beckoning in the dark.

"This is your place?" Lucius ran his hand over the carved banisters.

"Yeah." Izzy unlocked the door, flipping on the light in the kitchen as he walked inside.

"It's nice. Who designed the space?"

The kitchen gleamed under fresh attention. He'd done the room a lighter wood, trying to catch the sunlight that came in through the windows in the early morning.

"I made it," he shrugged. "I like working with wood."

"You...all of it?" Lucius touched the kitchen table that he'd accidentally stained a slate grey-blue and then decided he liked it enough to keep, then did the chairs to match.

"Took awhile, but yeah. All of it."

Lucius let the door close behind him. Izzy took down a glass and filled it with water, passing it to him.

"Thank you," he said with emphasis and drank it down in about three gulps.

In the light, it was clear that the guy had had a rough night. His clothes were wrinkled, sandy and twisted up. His eyes were red rimmed and his hair was a mess. Definitely not playing pretend to get something.

"I've got a t-shirt and some shorts if you want to wash your stuff," he offered.

"Uh, no offense, but I don't think we're the same size."

"Offense taken. It's my friend's shit, I've got eyes. Hold on."

So maybe Izzy and Scout still spent a night together here or there. As long as Izzy didn't ask for much, Scout was good about showing up and giving them both a memorable night. Came in handy now. They'd be about the same size.

The laundry room was off the kitchen, no big deal to grab the t-shirt and loose black shorts he'd laundered for Scout last time, with the intention of returning them whenever they saw each other again. Could be weeks.

When he stepped back into the kitchen, Lucius had taken a seat at the table, slumped over it, head in his hands.

"Here," Izzy set the clothes at his elbow. "Bathroom is upstairs. I'll stay down here."

Lucius just nodded, quietly took the clothes and disappeared upstairs.

Jangling with uncertainty, Izzy cut up some fruit and stuck it in a bowl. Guy could probably use a snack. He refilled Lucius' water glass too and set both of them on the end table by the couch. Belatedly, he realized it needed it's blanket and pillow. George sometimes sacked out here when he had an extra beer too close to the end of the game. Izzy flung them both down just in time for Lucius to come back down the stairs. His legs were longer than Scout's, strong calves carving through dark hair.

"Thanks," Lucius croaked. "I....just thanks."

"Yeah," Izzy cleared his throat. "I'm....bed. It's late. I can drive you wherever you need to go in the morning. Don't have work until noon."

"Okay," Lucius watched him warily which Izzy could only approve of. "I appreciate that."

"Good night," Izzy sidled past him and then was up the stairs and closing the bedroom door firmly behind him.

He surprised himself by sleeping. In the morning, he crept down with the dawn like he usually did and kept things quiet as he brewed coffee. The smell must've roused Lucius because he shuffled in, looking even more disheveled, but at least no longer puffy eyed.

"Want?" Izzy gestured at the coffee pot and Lucius nodded vigorously.

Izzy always drank his coffee on the back porch. He hadn't gotten chairs for there yet, just sat on the steps, but Lucius didn't seem to find that odd and just sat down beside him, clutching the heavy clay mug in his hands. There was an artisan's market in town once a month and the weight of the blue thick clay had appealed to Izzy tremendously. You could kill someone with one of those mugs or just keep your coffee hot.

"Your accent," Lucius said after a fifth or sixth sip. "It's not from around here."

"No," he agreed. "Probably both from the same place, if I had to guess."

"Why'd you leave?"

Izzy snorted, "Why didn't I? Life just fell apart."

"Break up?"

It hadn't been and it had been, but what was the point in splitting hairs with a stranger? "Yeah."

"Yeah," Lucius pressed the mug to his forehead like he was trying to leech heat from it. "I can't thank you enough for last night."

"I'm thanked," he shook his head.

"Okay," Lucius said easily. "So if I ask if you want to have sex, then let's say it's not out of gratitude. Just that you're very hot."

"You proposition every rough looking guy you meet?" Izzy asked, eyes wide.

"Just the ones that hand me t-shirts advertising leather bars, actually."

"...goddammit," he hadn't realized it was Scout's work shirt. With a very suggestive sketch of a guy in a harness.

"So is that a no?" Lucius lowered the mug so he could give him his own suggestive sketch of a look.

"Yeah, fuck, why not," Izzy decided.

The sex was fucking spectacular once Lucius figured out what was what. Izzy melted into the sheets afterwards, fairly sure that karma was real because he'd just been paid back double the small effort it had cost him not to leave Lucius on the beach.

"Wow," Lucius offered, sitting back on his heels. "you're amazing."

"So are you," Izzy said as enthusiastically as he could without moving.

"Wild idea," Lucius traced a finger down Izzy's leg. "What if I get my stuff back from that douchebag and spend the last two days of my vacation here? I know you've got work and a life, but I was mostly hoping to be near the ocean and chill the hell out. I won't be a bother."

Two more days of that?

"We can do that."

Lucius was good on his word too. He didn't interfere with Izzy's schedule beyond what Izzy gave him. They had a truly absurd amount of sex crammed into such a small time period. And maybe Izzy called out for his morning shift after the second night so they could have a last slice of time together before Lucius needed to go to the airport.

"Hey," Lucius said after a last kiss, the Uber waiting for him outside. "Can I write you?"

"Like actual letters?"

"Yes."

"...yeah all right."

It's strange to get mail like that. The first time he received one of Lucius' letters, he was shocked it had come at all, having already written it off. Lucius was young, he kept reminding himself, just 25 and by his own admission, liked playing the field. Why would he bother keeping in contact with a vacation fling with twenty years and a pound of scars on him?

But Lucius did write. The letters were long too. Full of thoughts and doodles. Like Izzy was a kind of diary, except that they had a lot of questions too. Some of them sexy, but a lot of them just about life or work. When Lucius got a boyfriend, he'd tell Izzy about him with a wry distrust that Izzy always affirmed.

Because Izzy wrote back. He'd always liked writing things out and it was easy when Lucius gave him all these things to answer. And Izzy had questions of his own, things like what kind of paintings would look right in the hall or how to approach the only woman at work, who was clearly sick of everyone else being dickheads, but had really cool tattoos and Izzy wanted to ask who the artist was. Lucius gave advice and laughed at him which somehow came through in the way he wrote a sentence.

And then one day, a phone call. They did those too. More infrequently, but Izzy could admit that he preferred to hear Lucius' voice. The sarcastic affection that dug into Izzy's bones.

"Hey," Lucius sighed heavily. "So I broke up with Garrett."

"Mazel tov," Izzy said dryly.

"Yeah, yeah, you were right, I was wrong, but now I'm stuck in this shithole apartment with him and I'm pretty sure he's dealing drugs."

"So find another shithole," Izzy suggested. "Big city."

"I can. I will, but...wild idea..."

"You're always welcome here," he said softly, so softly.

"Just for a week or so," Lucius said quickly. "Just to catch my breath."

Izzy had to work the day Lucius came in, so when he came home, it was to his house lit up, the pretty glass on the door sparkling. And there was Lucius on the couch, a year older, but looking much the same.

"Hey," Lucius smiled broadly at him. "Welcome home."

Izzy kissed him and Lucius pulled him down onto the couch.

That week, Lucius met George and Izzy braced for some weirdness, but Lucius made George laugh right off the bat and then teased him for things that Izzy had told him about. Nothing deep or scary, just gentle ribbing and George returned the favor. Like they already knew each other.

Izzy took Lucius to his usual spaces, the farmer's market, Scout's bar, the single restaurant in town that served exclusively fresh caught fish that had proved trustworthy. Lucius convinced him to go to a museum a half hour away and it was nice, actually. Interesting.

A week passed. Then another. Lucius washed everything he brought, folded it and put it back in his suitcase and still didn't talk about leaving.

On the third week, Izzy made dinner, put a plate in front of him and said,

"Wild idea."

"Shoot," Lucius glanced up at him.

"You can stay here. With me. If you want."

"I've got...I mean my mom." Lucius frowned. "And I have this interview at a bar next week. Weird dude actually. Probably sketchy."

"All right," he nodded. "I get it. Your life is there."

Lucius looked down at the plate, speared a piece of broccoli. "I don't know if that's true, actually."

Izzy didn't say 'it could be here' because what did he have to offer to replace an entire city, a mother, a potential job? Just his house and his shabby secondhand heart.

Yet, the next morning, still in bed, Lucius asked,

"Were you serious?"

"Yeah."

"And if I go out and meet other people....because I will, you'll be okay with that?"

"Will you come home to me?" Izzy asked.

"Yes," Lucius said without hesitation.

"Then all right."

Lucius never went back. He had a friend pack up the things he wanted from his apartment and ship them across the country. When they arrived, they made a quiet afternoon of making space in the house for all of it. A section of the closet, a shelf in the bathroom, a side of the bed.

One afternoon, when Izzy came home from work, Lucius was sitting on the stairs, nothing at all in his hands. Like he'd been coming down to get something then stopped and sat.

"You good?" Izzy asked.

"I was watching the light come through the glass," he smiled faintly. "It's silly, but I was thinking how...I don't know. You don't seem to like things like that and I love them. What made you pick it?"

Izzy turned to face his own front door. The mosaic of glass that broke light into rainbows across his floors.

"Don't laugh," he begged and Lucius gave a short nod. "I think....I think I picked it because I wanted someone to ask me that. To want to come in and stay here."

"It worked," Lucius reached out a hand to him and Izzy took it, let himself to be drawn onto the stairs. To sit next to him and admire the sunlight filter through motes of dust.

At six months, Izzy made Lucius a desk and slotted it under a window in the tiny, unused second bedroom. It overlooked the water and didn't really need additional decoration, but Izzy found a seaglass mobile that would spread color in every direction at the right time of day an hung it in the corner anyway.

"I love it!" Lucius said delighted when it was revealed to him. He'd tried to get a job when it was clear he was staying, but Izzy had finally caved and shown him the bank statements, the money left over from his old life that he'd carefully invested.

"Just do your art," he'd said and Lucius hadn't argued after that. And now he had a space to do it.

"I'm so glad that douchebag broke up with me," Lucius declared and turned to face Izzy with a wide smile on his face. "And that you found me."

"I love you," Izzy told him, and it wasn't raw or painful to say. It didn't hurt to love Lucius. It was as easy as breathing. It was light caught in glass.

Lucius kissed him, pressing him to the door frame. "Love you too."

And they stayed there through many years, trials and tribulations, but mostly just in love, in that house by the sea.