#Details available on Admit Card

[doofsevilinc]

Let Me?

Art Donaldson x reader

Notes: suggestive, fwb-ish, non-tennis AU, university AU, polisci mentioned 😬 first ever work, comments/feedback appreciated 🗣️

Word count: 1k

A/N: sorry for blueballing mike faist call me

Summary: Political science can be a hard major. Everyone needs a distraction sometimes.

Now playing: Play Date - Melanie Martinez

“I’m walkin’ to your house, nobody’s home,

just me and you and you and me alone.”

——————————————————————

Art was so polite. When you first met through your polisci study group friends, he was the perfect gentleman. When you all would go out together, he’d hold the door for you, always pull out your chair when you came back to the table with drinks. You figured he was like that with every girl, your typical midwestern sweetheart.

You couldn’t have caught how his eyes lingered on you when you’d walk past him through the door, or how they drifted downward while you chatted and passed out drinks. No one could. No one suspected it of him. He was too slick about it.

So when the rest of the group wasn’t available and he asked you to help him study for an upcoming test, you thought nothing of it. His roommate would be right next door anyway.

And it really was nice. It was enough to make learning about congressional oversight over the bureaucracy less excruciating. You two laughed a lot (he did at all of your jokes) and he’d smile so sweetly at you that it sort of gave you butterflies. Of course you wouldn’t object when he started only asking for you to study with. You figured it was because you were good at the subject anyway. It’s not like you weren’t getting something out of it too. You had to admit that you liked how he acted like your puppy. He’d do anything you asked, get you whatever snacks you wanted, ever the knight in shining armor. He really was a cutie, especially when got that embarrassed blush on his face hearing his roommate outside the door with the girls he brought back, or the constant EDM blasting from his room.

Midterms were coming up, and you were stressed. You were a high achiever, but studying for 5 classes was a lot to juggle. So of course you took up Art’s offer of a study/chill sesh at his dorm. You knocked, and he opened, wearing his red cap backward, another thing you thought was cute on him. You looked a little past him, noticing the silence. His roommate wasn’t there. Your eyes fell back on him and you noticed that this time he looked more… pensive. He looked tired, his lips looked bitten on. You chalked it up to the time of year. You probably looked out of sorts too. As he held the door and you brushed past him, though, you could feel his eyes on you, stalking you like prey.

You were sat on his bed, and the lack of technobeats in the background made the air feel heavy. Things were more quiet this time as you two once again went through the motions of flipping through flashcards detailing factors affecting political efficacy. It almost felt tense. You weren’t so sure his roommate’s absence was entirely at fault. At some point you put them down and sighed, slumping against the wall.

“I can’t do this anymore. I just wish midterms were over. I feel like I haven’t relaxed in weeks.”

He was still upright, looking at you keenly.

“Yeah. Me neither.”

He put his cards down without taking his eyes off of you.

“I need a distraction. Just for a little. I just wanna stop thinking.”

He huffed in agreement, then paused. Now he looked down. Started biting his lips again. He swallowed.

“I could…help you with that.”

Maybe you were reading too far into the tension in the room, but your mind quickly darted to something…uncivil. Your stomach jumped before you regained your composure. …He was cute. It’s not like in your horny hellscape of a university you hadn’t thought about it before. You had no time for a relationship that could relieve your frustrations, something your major was known for, and which you and your single friends complained about often. It was starting to take a toll. Still, you took the thought out of your head. You just had a dirty mind. That’s not what he meant. He was gonna pull playing cards out of his pocket or something. You laughed a little, lightly, cautiously.

“What do you mean?”

He looked back up, eyes shining, piercing. His face grave, like when you’d came in. It made you feel almost too seen…almost naked. Almost like your minds had gone to the same place.

His eyes went down again, landing on his fingertips, which you hadn’t noticed had reached the edge of your thigh. In fact, you couldn’t focus on much outside of your heart beating in your ears.

“I just…I’ve been really stressed too. Really busy. I mean, the way we all are. Too busy to…you know…” He trailed off a little, his eyes crinkling in an embarrassed huff, softening his features. “And…you know what a good stress reliever is?”

He was hesitant, but the question was rhetorical. The way he said it was enough to give the answer. Your peers talked about their sexual frustrations enough that you knew it was on their minds too.

It was so still that you feared he could hear your heart beating out of your chest. You both being on the same page had caught you off guard.

Your silence caused him to backtrack, trying to read your face. “I mean, we always talk about not having time for dating and wanting hookups and stuff… I just figured since we know each other we could…I don’t know…lend each other a hand.”

You could feel your face getting hot, giddiness rising inside you. Seeing the small smile on your face, and how you watched his fingertips on their trail up your thigh, he seemed to relax.

You felt cheeky. He was into you. “So you wanna help me out?”

“…please?” His eyes turned pleading. “No one’s here.” He said softly, suggestively.

Your face turned even hotter. He was right. You were alone. No one would hear him putting you through the mattress like you’d tried not to imagine before. God, you were getting ahead of yourself. You nodded. He pulled away from you, and the vacant space he left on your thigh felt cold. You weren’t sure what he was doing until he got off the bed, kneeling, and settled between your legs.

He gazed up at you, looking more puppy-like than ever, his wide, desirous eyes a question — a desperate plea.

“Let me?”

[scummy-writes]

Ikemen Prince Envelopes

I have a problem, and apparently it is trying to make the envelopes from these games!

No one asked for this, as per usual this was born out of my want of pritning out my fave letters from the games and keeping them around. I thought for the upcoming holiday, this would be fun to have :) There are envelopes for all 13 charas!

So there are two sets of envelopes this time, with a color taken from the Ikemen Prince japanese website for the emblem along with just a black version. Two different styles as well! One being a box flap that I enjoyed a lot, and another being one as close to the game's envelope style as I could manage! In general, and honesty, these would not exist without @fairy-marshmallow. She helped me find a pattern that was super close to the in-game one!

You can download these here.

Please keep in mind that there may be minor mistakes! More details are below the cut (as well as links to my previous ikevamp ones).

Alright! So this one will be a bit different than the other envelopes, as they're a different style. If we look closely at the in-game ones, we can see they don't have the side flaps visible, so that means they're hidden by an enlongated bottom flap. So when you print them out, you're gonna fold is like this before gluing the bottom flap down.

I recommend using cardstock for these, but that's primarily a personal preference since cardstock does not crumple as easy (but can cause issues folding if you're not careful).

You could use a wax seal on these, but it may cover the emblem a bit when you do.

The top flap is not as big as the in-game one, and, well, that's because it wouldn't fit all on one page without making the envelope itself Very Small. So I had to sacrifice some length to get this to work.

I will admit that I spent a year on and off making these, and there is a minor mistake of the bottom flap maybe being a bit too long.... it may just need to be shaved down a little. Sorry for not fixing it, but I went apeshit trying to get it long enough :') Its just by a few hairs.

Gilbert, Silvio, and Keith have envelopes with this- and I understand that this is clearly a Rhodolite themed envelope. However, they Do stay in the rose palace there so,,, we can pretend they just use what is available and stamp on their emblem when needed (or use a wax seal of it but yaknow,,,,)

If I'm able to ever get a clear image of the Rhodolite crest, as well as the Obsidian, Jade, and Benitoite(?) crest, I'd love to try to make themed envelopes for that separately, but that would depend on how much folks enjoy these and...creativity limits....I know Obsidian would use an all black envelope but that would murder our printers.

I wanted to try and make Ikevil envelopes eventually but :') apparently those are all black, or a very dark grey. So do not count on me doing so. My printer wheezes already, that would end it.

I have a fun set of Ikevamp envelopes here, as well as a version of the envelopes they hold in their 2nd bday gacha card series here. They don't include spoiler characters as these were made years ago.

Taglist (let me know if you'd like to be added/unadded!):

@yarnnerdally @katriniac @kissmetwicekissmedeadly @bakaneko-chan @skoetiepoetie @bestbryn @nightghoul381 @xbalayage @lokis-laugh @queengiuliettafirstlady @candied-boys @drachonia @keithsandwich @bubblexly @ridiculouslly-ridiculous @portrait-ninja @drewadoodle

Also, I normally write! Here are my masterlists.

Ikepri Masterlist | Ikevamp Masterlist | Ikepri/Ikevamp Discord

[crystallizsch]

these valentines day cards for scarabia got me blushing, giggling, and kicking my feet fr (also featuring me unnecessarily analyzing them) (i really hope the cards are in the right order i think they are or else everything that i say here will look incredibly silly)

━━━━━━━━━━━━✦ kalim al-asim:

To my dear friend— Thanks for the present! What colorful and sparkly sweets. They look delicious! I just had an idea! How about we eat them together after school? Gifts like this taste better when shared, after all. I'll pick out a good tea to go with them. Can't wait to see you later! ━━━━━━━━━━━━✦

To my dear friend— Thanks for the gift! It's flattering to know you picked this out for me! I'll treat you to anything you like in return—food, live entertainment, an item you've been pining after... You just say the word. ...On second thought, no. I'll come up with something myself! Just like you came up with this gift to give me. ━━━━━━━━━━━━✦

Hey love, Thank you for that wonderful gift! Getting something like this from you just put a smile on my face! Let me throw you a feast to show my gratitude! After that, I'll take you on a magic carpet ride, it'll be really fun! ━━━━━━━━━━━━✦

SO LET ME TALK ABOUT THE PROGRESSION BETWEEN THE CARDS???

on kalim's first card, it's really cute but it also feels just like his usual demeanor where he treats everyone as a friend.

but on to the second card, it looks like he's definitely feeling more strongly enough about you to think "hey let me get you something too!! let me be your genie of the lamp!" at least right before realizing it would be more meaningful to give you a surprise gift as well like you did.

his "dear friend" on the second card is more real this time.

BUT OMG THE WHIPLASH TO THE THIRD CARD

"HEY LOVE" ???? KALIM WHAT WHEN I TELL YOU MY HEART JUST WENT HFDSNSFHDJFDK PLSS HE CANT DO THIS TO ME 💀💀💀 THE "MY DEAR FRIEND" -> "HEY LOVE" PROGRESSION YOUR HONOR HE IS IN LOVE(???) NO IT’S PROBABLY JUST A REALLY AFFECTIONATE TERM OF ENDEARMENT CONSIDERING THAT IT’S KALIM (*denial* *denial* *denial*)

the closest ones (that are available) to doing something similar is jade who goes from "my good friend" -> "my dearest" and vil who goes from "dearest friend" to "my dear"

anyways, the third card is kalim finally wanting to go ALL OUT as a way to show you how he feels about you and how thankful he is. he's literally all about having fun with the person he cares about. making every moment memorable.

kalim's love language is also very much extravagant gifts since he's raised in a wealthy family where everything has been handed to him. that's probably how he got the mindset that gifts are the way to show love and affection because that's how his family did it for him. so the bigger the gift the better he can show you how he feels.

━━━━━━━━━━━━✦ jamil viper:

Hello— I was surprised to see you gifted me sweets. At first I wondered if you were hinting for me to make you something similar... But when I pulled the gift out of the bag, I saw all the details you put into it, right down to the ribbon. It's clear this was a heartfelt gesture. I'll treasure these treats as I eat them. Thank you. ━━━━━━━━━━━━✦

Hello— I'll admit it. I'm beyond surprised. I suppose a heartfelt "thank you" is in order. In fact, why don't we meet at the school store after class tomorrow? Hopefully I'll be able to find you something to return the favor. ━━━━━━━━━━━━✦

Dear friend, Thank you for the gift. To think I would receive something from you... Well, it caught me off guard. I'd like to give you something in return. Hmm... What should it be? What might you like? Why don't you come down to Scarabia sometime and we'll discuss over a cup of tea. ━━━━━━━━━━━━✦

jamillll;;;

on the first card, he was suspicious of receiving a gift. at first he's like "are you just giving me something so i could give you something as well?" until he realized "oh this is legit" and that you’re not expecting anything back. and then he just enjoys it which is hella cute.

on the second card (unlike the last one) he's now like "let me get you something in return because i really appreciate the gesture". here i think he's still genuinely confused that you still decided to give him a gift. but at this point it feels like he's only offering to get you something in return because he feels like he has to just to show his gratitude. kinda like a fair transaction.

it seems that jamil is still like "why me". like, you cared enough to see and acknowledge him to even consider getting him a gift. which i believe is something he's not used to. so he just wants to "return the favor" by offering you to go find something you like :)

and the third card;;;

"DEAR FRIEND" GOT. MEEE. YOUR HONOR I LOVE HIMMMMM

i know for other people "friend" is not on the same level as the romantic "love" but i personally feel as strong with platonic relationships as with romantic ones (if not more) and this hit me HARD.

for the third one he's finally comfortable enough to consider you a friend. but he still sounds flabbergasted that you still even thought of him (and **you** specifically) (like he didn't imagine that you'd even give him a gift).

and now this is less of a transaction but more of like he *wants* to make sure that he gets you something that you'd really like. it's not simply just "hey let's go to the school store and see what's available as a thanks", this time it's "hey i really appreciate that you got me something so let's discuss what i can get you as well. i'll be your genie of the lamp, anything is possible (within reason)"

(original twitter thread with these cards)

[siancore]

A/N: Written for the @sambuckylibrary SamBucky Summer Bingo 2024 Mission Card — Square Fills: Hurt/Comfort

Summary: Sam is injured during a mission and Bucky, who is on a separate mission of his own, finds out about it in a newspaper article.

Content: Language

Bucky is actually fuming. If he were in a cartoon, there would be steam coming from his ears for sure. He is sitting in the remote and secluded safe house staring down at the newspaper article. What kind of shit show is Rhodes and the others running? What the fuck happened to Sam? Bucky only has a satellite phone and Sam isn’t answering. No one is answering. The newspaper is already an old one. He is going to lose his mind. He reads the words one more time:

The New Avengers have confirmed that the images leaked this weekend were of an injured, unconscious Sam Wilson, better known to the world as Captain America. Sources close to Cap state that he was injured in the line of duty and was being treated at a civilian hospital instead of at the New Avengers Compound. No further details regarding Wilson’s well-being have been provided. Online news outlets and social media have removed the leaked images to maintain Captain America’s privacy. An investigation into hospital staff who may have breached patient confidentiality is underway by the unnamed healthcare facility.

He pinches the bridge of his nose and sees red. Worry churns in his stomach. Sam was hurt. Sam is hurt. He is hurt bad enough to be admitted to hospital. Probably the closest available, hence the reason some jackass was able to take pictures of him and leak them to the press.

Bucky slams his hand down on the table and almost shatters it. He is stuck there, in this fucking place in middle of nowhere while Sam is hurting. Stuck on a fucking solo mission for his new team when Sam needs him. He has no way to get an extraction from the Thunderbolts. The Director wouldn’t allow it either way.

Fuck it, thinks Bucky, as he begins to pack his rucksack. He’ll walk to where the target is, steal his transport (kill him if he has to), and go to Sam. If he gets kicked off this new team, or sent to The Raft, he doesn’t care.

None of that matters.

The only thing that matters is that he gets to Sam so he can take care of him. So he can nurse him back to health. So he can call him a reckless asshole who scared Bucky half to death. So he can hold his hand and kiss his knuckles. To sit at his bedside and spoon feed him soup. To dote on him and love on him. To tell him everything is going to be alright. To hold him close. To kiss his brow lightly as he sleeps.

The life he has built, all of the good he has done, none of it is worth a damn if he doesn’t have Sam with him; if he can’t show Sam how much he means to him; if he doesn’t have Sam to go home to.

[joelswritingmistress]

Last Halloween: Chapter 14

Summary: After a tragedy involving Joel happened on Halloween one year prior, the town now shuns him while ignoring the details of the now closed case. You are seemingly the only one to offer empathy to a man the town is making out to be a monster.

Pairing: Joel x f!reader

Joel's alarm woke the two of you up the next morning and you let out a big yawn.

"Sorry," he whispered, turning it off before rolling onto his back with his eyes closed. "At least it's Friday."

"Yeah." You agreed, not yet opening your eyes as you pulled the comforter up toward your chin. "I have to be in at ten."

"It's only seven," he said quietly. "Stay in bed."

"You're going in for eight?" You asked him.

"Mmm hmm." Joel let an arm fall lazily over you and you brought his knuckles to your lips. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah." You finally let your eyes open and glanced over at him. "I was overreacting last night.. about the pumpkins."

"No, you weren't."

"I have to admit though," you told him, "I was a little sad to see them all smashed up like that after our contest."

Joel pulled you against his chest and hugged his arms around you. "We could always do a second round of carving. Double or nothing?"

You smiled. He had a way of making things better without even trying. "I guess that means the joke was on them. Because I'd love a repeat of last night."

"Is it too much to ask for your company again tonight?"

"I'm available." You grinned and shared a short series of kisses.

"I have to shower and get into work," Joel told you.

You raised your eyebrows. "Want some company?"

..

"Thanks for covering my shift last night," you said to your coworker, Molly, as the two of you wiped down the handful of tables scattered throughout the coffee shop.

"Oh, no worries," she insisted. "More times than not I'm dying for extra shifts. I take what I can get."

"Well, thank you."

Customers paraded in and out regularly until about noon when things began to slow down for the lunch hour. You were sure it would pick up again around two when people were in need of a mid afternoon pick-me-up.

You cleaned up some more before finally checking your phone. A smile formed on your face when you saw a text from Joel that had come in twenty minutes or so earlier.

'Thanks for washing my back this morning', the text read.

You typed something equally silly and fresh back to him and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear.

There was another message from a number you didn't recognize that addressed you by your first name and said simply, 'Just taking a chance and reaching out.' You partially assumed it might be Steve and didn't bother replying.

A pair of college-aged guys came in and you quickly shoved the phone back into the apron tied around your waist.

"Can I help you?" You asked the two of them with a smile.

"Umm.." the first guy in line adjusted a backwards hat as his eyes moved back and forth to read the menu board. "I'll have a medium caramel latte and a slice of the lemon bread." He added, "Please."

"You got it." Your eyes drifted toward his friend. "And for you?"

"I'll have large iced coffee with cream and sugar."

"Is that all?"

They both nodded and the first guy handed over a debit card. You completed the transaction and handed it back over. "Your order will be ready in a few minutes"

Molly began to make the latte while you tackled the iced coffee and sliced a piece lemon cake into a small baggie.

"Here you go guys." The two of you glided the beverages across the brown countertop and handed over the pastry. The guys then sat down by a table beside a cork board that full of pinned ads and cards left by local businesses in search of work.

You hadn't paid any attention to it. Not just that day, but really ever. It was just part of the wall that you walked by a hundred times without taking a second look.

But right then, as you glanced toward the two young men, you noticed something on the wall beside them. It was a pinned there to the cork board by a blue push pin.

You felt your breath catch halfway up your trachea and you walked slowly at first and then rushed the rest of the way to make sure you were seeing what you thought you were seeing.

"Hey, are you alright?" Molly asked. Her short, blond curls bounced as she hurried after you.

The customers looked in your direction when you ripped a paper off the wall and held it in front of your face before burying it against your chest.

"What is it?" Your coworker asked.

You shook your head in disbelief and then held out the green flyer in front of you again. As much as you didn't want anyone to see it, you needed someone right then to confide in. As a close, female work friend, Molly filled that void.

"Look at this." You turned it so she could see it as your hands practically shook.

"What the hell is this?" She asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Who put this here?" You asked. "Did anyone come in today and pin something up on that board? Before I got here?"

"I.. I don't know." She shook her head, "I got here right before you did."

"What about last night?"

Molly looked helpless for you and frowned as she continued to shake her head. "I didn't notice anyone in particular over there."

"I need a minute to think." You took a deep breath and wandered into the back by the sinks. From back there you heard one of the guys ask Molly if you were okay.

You hadn't realized you placed the flyer against your chest again until you held it out in front of you again. It was real. So were the images of you and bare-chested Joel, mid-embrace with your lips locked and eyes closed.

Beneath the picture was the caption: Find love at PsychoMeetUp.com. Below that was your name and phone number along with Joel's. Now the random text message made sense.

You knew it in your gut. The night the police came to the house after a phone call. The rustling in the patch of woods by Joel's driveway. The smashed pumpkins. It wasn't all just a coincidence.

You ripped the flyer in half and crumpled it up before throwing it angrily into a green garbage pale.

Vic. You knew it had to be him. He vowed to run you out of town and what better way than to embarrass you in such a way that felt so personal and unredeeming.

Your first thought was to go to the police, but were they even on your side? You had to try. They had to do *something*. And if not, you'd take if a step further and go to the state police. They had no ties to your small town bullshit.

"Go take care of it," Molly told you, scampering around back. "That's so messed up, I'm sorry."

"You'll be okay?"

"Don't worry about me or this place." Molly shooed you with her hands. "Go."

"Thank you, Molly." You hugged her and retrieved your purse before hurrying out the back door.

Once in your car you started typing to Joel, explaining as best as you could about what had happened. You even warned him not to go home. If someone would do this, what else were they capable of?

When he didn't immediately respond you felt your anxiety climb, but you knew he was safe at work with Ronnie for the time being. You kicked yourself for ripping up the piece of paper as you began to drive toward the police station. Still, you could tell them exactly what happened and even have Molly get the torn flyer for you if need be.

Your ringtone came through the speakers and your eyes frantically scanned the center stereo to see if it was Joel. When you saw Jessie's name instead you picked up.

"Hi, Jess." You couldn't hide the tense nature of your voice.

"Whatever you're doing, you need to sit down."

"What?"

"Can you come home? Or can I meet you somewhere? Are you at Joel's or at work?"

"I just left work."

"Okay, I'm coming to you."

"Jess-"

"Someone left something in our mailbox," she said frantically, speaking a mile a minute. "Something I think you need to see right now."

Fuck, you thought and your whole body went numb.

"Tell me it's not the green flyer."

There was a silence on the other end of the line and you knew this was bigger than you originally anticipated.

"I'm on my way to the police station," you told Jessie. "Meet me there."

CLICK HERE FOR CHAPTER 15

@untamedheart81 @amyispxnk @grogusmum @ghostwritesthings @strawbunnyx @ayamenimthiriel @noisynightmarepoetry @jiminstinypinky @tuquoquebrute @pedr0swh0r3 @runningmom94 @mellymbee

[staycalmandhugaclone]

This blog is NSFW, strictly +18yrs. I dive headfirst into trauma and gore and angst, so please consider this carefully and pay attention to warnings before reading any of my works.

Thus far, I write for Star Wars pretty exclusively, particularly The Bad Batch. I'm only just beginning to actually write things with the intent of sharing them, but requests and comments are always welcome, and all my love to rebloggers!

There are also still a few slots available in my 400 follower celebration!

If there is a trigger warning that you are concerned about but want to enjoy the story, please please please reach out! In many instances I can alter snip-its or tone things down, or at least highlight the sections in question so you can avoid them (I could do a vague summary for continuity).

Doc's Misadventures - Inspired by the prompts of Febuwhump2023, a female medic referred to as 'Doc' deals with the initial challenge of finding her place among the reluctant members of the Bad Batch. Wrought with unending struggles and both mental and physical disaster, a mutual tolerance slowly develops into acceptance and respect, and maybe something more...

OMG THERE BE FANART?! - I will absolutely add each and every bit of Doc fanart yall make to this little list, and I will love and treasure them and and you until I die!

Asks - Have a special request? Lemme know and I'll try to write you up something special to add to this lovely collection (a collection of 1 so far, but that will hopefully grow) - pspsps: my clone adoration is not limited to tbb! I'm happy to write with the others, too!

400 Follower Celebration Asks - Your OCs with various clones in various situations!

Spicy Stuff - 18+ nsfw independent fics with the boys from The Bad Batch. Minors: DNI. Everyone else: enjoy.

My Shame - WIPs that I just couldn't find the gumption to finish...

My Bingo Card - This is really for my personal reference, but can still be used to inspire Asks/Requests!

Unhinged Asks! - Collection of random asks that I've answered, both spicy and not

Prompt Lists - Choose a prompt, some characters, and whatever details yuh like, and slap that all in an Ask. We'll see what happens

I Ranted and Don't Know Where Else to Stash It - Might add more rants/ random headcanons later, maybe? This one's about the reoccurring theme of characters not allowing themselves to admit their mistakes so they double down instead

Click here or message me if you'd like to be added to a taglist!

[txttletale]

bundletober #16: the mystery creature of claytonsville, pa

you thought i'd forgotten about bundletober, didn't you? admit it. no? that's okay. the trial won't be for months. anyway i fell behind a bit but i'm catching up and talking about the mystery creature of claytonsville, pa, a sensibly-named game by nick wedig.

who doesn't love a creature. who doesn't love a game where there is some sort of creature, or beast. the mystery creature is at the heart of this game, and is in fact the only recurring character if you choose to play multiple sessions--you're instructed, if you play this game as anything other than a one-shot, to create a new protagonist for each session and seal the old one's fate (literally!)

this is a diceless and (sort of) GMless game--it operates on cards and questions. if the protagonist's success is in doubt, they draw a card: on red, they succeed, on black, they fail. drawing cards also determine the stakes of any particular scene--at the beginning of the session, the table comes up with four potential fates for the protagonist, each corresponding to a fate. at the beginning of each scene, you draw a card, and set stakes pertaining to that fate--if the scene ends and everyone agrees that fate is creeping closer.

it's a cool mechanic that is communicated somewhat obtusely--but to be fair i think i just communicated it obtusely too, talking about things that are super intuitive as physical objects that you can move around in front of you is just generally difficult to do clearly.

the rest of it should be pretty familiar to anyone who's played a lot of diceless RPGs--setting elements that get passed around from player to player, leading questions creating play--there's a cool detail where after establishing the stakes of a scene, you add details, so a scene can go from 'the protagonist is running for their life' to 'the protagonist is running for their life from the cops', building out the concept of a scene over one or two iteratoins rather than putting pressure on anyone to set up a scene solo.

the setting elements are well-written, giving clear instruction on what the purpose of that setting element is and what agendas to pursue--this is something a few games like this don't give out, so it's nice to see it here. if there's one criticisms i have of this game, it's that it could be clearer in communicating its rules--it took me a twice over to figure out how fates actually get sealed because it's only covered once in the middle of a much broader overall structure of play--and that there's not enough creature! the creatue is one of four setting elements--but it doesn't have any special or unique mechanics, there's nothing in the game that pushes it to be a focal point of the story. and that might work well over multiple play sessions where the randomness of card draw will let you have some very mystery-creature-centric sessions and some where it hangs out in the background--but if you're playing this as a one-shot, i feel like a lack of focus on the creature could feel pretty disappointing in a game named after it. maybe from now on i will always add 'not enough creature' to a game's list of bad points. every tabletop roleplaying game needs More Creature.

the mystery creature of claytonsville, pa is available for purchase as a digital download through itch.io

[onlyjaeyun]

That person yelling plagiarism is probably talking about Verboten, which Verboten and Strictly Business are two total different genres of story, like the only similarities being Enhypen and sexy business men in suits and Sunghoon wanting to hit (and probably not getting to hit). If it wasn't for the fact you are both posting them at the same time, I doubt anyone would be saying anything. I think someone is just projecting their insecurities and is possibly jealous they don't have big sexy brains like you and Cinna, and they can possibly create art like the two of you are.

Also you are welcome, I'll probably send you more ideas as I think of them, secretary and ceo just give you so much you can get away with and I love it. Like there is just so much you can do, and it's so fun. Use some or use them all, they are there for you if you want them.

With the chair, Jay just gives me like brown leather vibes, so I could imagine like one of those fancy leather office chairs in a brown leather, and seeing her sitting in it, all Jay can think is how he needs to buy one of these for his house to fuck her in, since he's gonna do it at work too, but also would like to at home as well. Jay would also have like a brown leather sofa in his office along with a brown leather chair, surrounding a coffee table for more casual meetings, I just see him having like brown leather and deep brown wooden accents on everything, it looks fancy but also kinda homey.

Jay gives y/n a credit card after they get together, and he gets mad when he finds out she isn't using it and instead using her own money. He could just put more money in her account, but instead he takes her bank card and leaves her only with his card, so she has to use it. She could honestly use it all, make him broke, and he would not care. He also gets mad when he realizes she isn't buying much since she doesn't want him to think she likes him for his money, so when she goes shopping the next time, he goes with her, and buys her every single item she grabs but does not buy, since despite saying she doesn't want it, he knows she does, she just doesn't want him to think she is with him for the money.

Jay is quick to memorize y/n's coffee order, so whenever he has a meeting out of the building and she can not attend it, he stops and gets her coffee. It pisses Shiah off so much since even after all these years, he still doesn't know how she takes her coffee.

Y/n's ex shows up at her apartment, and despite leaving, she still does not feel entirely safe, afraid he'll come back again. Jay notices she seems really jumpy and skittish, so one day he pulls her into his office and has her explain what is going on, upon hearing that the ex from the club is bothering her, he is enraged. He immediately hires a security detail to monitor her building, and specifically to fuck up her ex if they see him. Shockingly two weeks later her ex is admitted into the hospital after getting beaten up, he claims it was a fight he lost, but oddly after that he never bothers her again.

Y/n mentions she's never been to a certain country but always wanted to go, then all of the sudden the next day she gets an email, a really important meeting with a client is to be held abroad, in that specific country, and it's such an important meeting that Jay just needs his secretary there with him. Jay however heard her telling her friends about how she wanted to visit, seeing how someone else they know got to visit, and contacts the client claiming they need to meet abroad in that country, or he won't be available for another few months, to which they easily agree.

Jay picks up on y/n's favorite color and finds himself buying stuff in that color for her without thinking. Like he knows she likes 'purple', and finds himself ordering purple paperclips, folders, and pens for the company without even really thinking about it. He would also do little things like wearing a purple tie or having a purple handkerchief in his pocket, in the hopes she notices. He would also do little things like notice she likes this one tea from the breakroom, and makes sure there is always enough of that tea, he could careless if everything else runs out, but he'll be damned if y/n's tea runs out.

Jay hears y/n mention to her friends she would love to go to a concert that coming near soon, but she doesn't have the money to go. Suddenly, the next day Jay is gifted three concert tickets to that exact concert, but claims he can't go due to a prior obligation, and instead offerings then to y/n so she can her friends can go. Little does she know, he purchased the three for them, so they can go, since he wants her to have the world and everything she wants.

Y/n in Jay's office one day, Jay is doing the stereotypical CEO staring out at the skyline while talking and y/n is taking notes of some things he wants done before the meeting next week, and as she turns to leave, she knocks the pencil holder on his desk over, and as she starts to clean it up Jay turns around and all he sees is her perfectly arched over his desk, her skirt riding up showing the tops of the thigh highs from the back, and all he can think of is taking her like that. The sight of her like that, despite the fact she was just so innocently cleaning up what she knocked over, fucks him so much, he's in his private bathroom jerking one out since that sight had him bricked up so badly he was in physical pain from how badly bricked up her was.

my big brained writer nonie i would literally let you write strictly business in my place because WHAT THE FUCK ARE THESE HOW ARE THEY SO GOOD AND WHY DO I WANNA INFULGE IN THEM ALL I DONT HAVE TIME AND THE CHAPTERS PLS 😭😭😭💔 thank you so much baby i read these a while ago and still daydream about all of them so much bc they all fit the whole concept and specifically sb!jay so well youre truly an artist 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🤍

and yeah, when i saw cinna's masterlist for verboten i just knew i'd get these accusations but as you said besides the key elements there's nothing similar in our stories but ppl just love starting drama where there is none 😭 i also havent even read verboten yet AND as long as cinna knows i'm not copying her idgaf about anything else bc thats my baby and one of my biggest inspirations like she was the first writer i found on enhablr when i joined the fandom and now we're friends and i'd never ever do smth as plagiarising her hard work, that's just not who i am. also, even if i took inspiration from any of her work if you know me you KNOW i will give credit where its due bc i've been there and know how it feels 🤕 anyway pls go read @heesbaby 's heeseung smau "VERBOTEN" if you want more enha business men content (i'm unedniably in love with her and her writing)

[unholy-screeching9]

This is my first request, but I was wondering if you can make an angry reader and king dice, also I really love your writing keep up the work work!

Sure thing, honey! I'm so glad you enjoy my writing. I hope this is up to your tastes.

NSFW CONTENT WARNING! 18+ ONLY, MINORS DNI.

💋

King Dice x Angry!Reader Headcanons

(Reader’s got a cock in this one, but the pronouns are gender neutral so everyone can enjoy!) 

King Dice x Angry!Reader Headcanons (GAME)

That slimy, rotten, narcissistic bastard. 

How DARE your husband have the nerve to blow you off in favor of his work? For at least two weeks? And when you finally get the chance to confront him about it, he laughs in your face and tells you the stupidest thing he’s ever said: 

“That’s just the way the dice roll sometimes, sweets. It’s not my fault you can barely keep your dick in your pants longer than a day without blowing a gasket. Perhaps I’ve been spoiling you too much, anyway~” 

And if that wasn’t enough, before you could get past your enraged shock to make up a reply he makes his way to the door, nonchalantly calling back: 

“But don’t you worry, my little pip. Next time I’m available, I’ll give you the best night you’ve had in ages. Nothing but the best, from the best, am I right?” With a deep, bellowing laugh, he steps out the door, ready to start his day on the casino floor. 

Oh hell no. 

How could he say all those things to you like that? There are so many things wrong with both of those statements, you could spend hours ripping them apart. Piece by piece. If only he had given you the chance to bite back. 

He’s really outdone himself this time. Leaving you high and dry in your chambers, for weeks on end. Letting you grow more and more pent up by the day. And when you finally break, when you admit to him that you’re tired of waiting, he laughs at you. 

He. Laughs. At. You. 

That son of a bitch! 

What was this to him, some sort of game? Are you just some piece of entertainment to him in the form of a spouse? …No, that’s not it. He’s not THAT cruel. 

This isn’t a matter of teasing you or using you, sure, but there IS a reason why King Dice has been okay with blowing you off recently. Why he’s fine with leaving you hanging by your legs like a butcher with his meat. 

You are a luxury to him. A luxury he knows damn well he won’t lose, no matter how long he makes you wait. He’s got you in a chokehold. 

Well… not anymore. 

You won’t let him toy with you like this any longer. You are NOT some toy for him to play with whenever he wants. You are NOT a second choice. You are a priority. You are someone he should be afraid to mess with. 

And you know what? You’ll just have to prove that to him. As soon as the King is finished with his damn shift, you’ll make him take back every word he said. You’ll make him your bitch tonight. 

And boy, it’ll be delicious to see your husband begging for your mercy as you fuck him senseless. To have the tides turned on him for a change. His body is yours, and you will make sure he realizes that.

So, after several glasses of red wine and a couple of cigars for good measure, you lie in wait. You head up to the balcony that rests over the main floor of the casino, and you stalk your prey from above. 

Basking in the overwhelming scents of alcohol and smoke, noises of glasses clinking and loud chatter, and the suffocating atmosphere of the pit below, you let the familiar buzz from the wine take over your brain as your eyes scan every last patron, searching for the casino manager. 

You spot him as he talks up some poor souls into joining a round of blackjack, that signature, cocky, disgusting grin plastered on his face as he effortlessly shuffles his cards. He makes it look so easy, it’s like magic.

Your eyes narrow onto him, taking in every last little detail. Each and every movement he makes. The way his lips move as he chats with his fellow players, distracting them effortlessly as he sneakily slips an ace of hearts up the sleeve of his waistcoat. His lucky card. 

Not even that will save him tonight. 

You watch the game, scoffing as Dice successfully cheats his way to the top, squandering his patrons of every last penny they have. Fools. They should know by now that the house always wins, no matter how right you play your cards. 

Sighing to yourself, you suppose you can’t blame them. They fell for the exact manipulations you had. The only difference is, they fell for his game, and they lost their money. You gambled away your heart, and Dice had won. You let him take it and play with it like cat and mouse. 

Well, that will change from now on. This relationship you and your husband have will NOT be some silly game any longer. Tonight, you will level the playing field. Establish equal grounds. And, most importantly, give him a taste of his own medicine. 

You’d be lying if you said you weren’t at least a little excited to see King Dice on his knees, bound not just by ropes, but by fear. Yes… You want to see fear in those lovely greens of his. Oh, how beautiful it will be, seeing Inkwell’s most powerful pit boss wrapped around your finger. 

The night slips by right under your nose. You’ve counted every last soul Dice had swindled since you had started watching: 27. 27 souls were signed away for the Devil’s eternal enjoyment. 27 people fell for Dice’s trap. 

And that was only the soul count. There had to be at least a hundred people who had lost some sort of possession to your lover’s conning. 

You will be taking your sweet sweet revenge tonight, not just for yourself, but for every lost soul. For every dollar unfairly swiped. 

And by the time you’re done with Dice, there’s no way he’ll be able to hide the marks you make on him for work the next day. Everyone will see the aftermath of your handiwork. Maybe, the people who suffered tonight will get just as much a kick out of it as you will. 

Dice leaves the cleanup to his court, who obediently follow his demands as he saunters off the floor, ready to turn in for the night. Show time. 

You leave the balcony, your footsteps echoing through the extravagant halls as you approach the large door to your chambers. You quietly slip inside, grab the spare rope and handcuffs you and Dice keep in your closet, and you wait. 

A bright light floods the room as the King trudges inside your room, lazily undoing his tie as he kicks off his shoes, leaving them at the door. Before he can take so much as a step towards your bed, your hand grabs his wrist. Tightly. So much so that it startles him, a yelp escaping his throat. 

“Shit, doll, you scared me!” he chuckles fondly, turning back to you. He pauses in his tracks, his eyes trailing down to your hand that took his wrist hostage, then the ropes and handcuffs in your other hand. He squints, his suspicious eyes locking into your dominant ones.

“What’s all this, darlin’? Don’t tell me you’re going to try and force me not to work with these–”

“If you know what’s good for you, you won’t say another WORD unless you’re spoken to. Do you understand me?” You growl at him, squeezing his wrist so hard your nails dig into his flesh, drawing a little blood. 

Dice hisses in response, gritting his teeth and glaring down at you, frustrated that you have the nerve to speak to him in such a manner. As if you forgot exactly who he is. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, just who the hell do you think you’re talking to? Because I know for damn SURE it ain’t me–” 

Before he can continue, his lips are overtaken by your own. You smirk to yourself, finally silencing that arrogant mouth of his as you roughly make out with him, shaking your handcuffs threateningly each time he makes a move towards you. He will NOT be making the decisions tonight. It’s all on you.

While you have him in your grip, you take the time to unbutton his vest and undershirt, yanking the clothing off and tossing it to the side. His belt and slacks are next, and soon enough, all his clothes are in a messy heap near the bed. 

Now having complete control over his naked form, your hands get to work. You keep your lips connected with his, relishing in every pained whine he makes when you drag your nails across his flesh, leaving various scratches all over his back. 

Just to keep him on his toes, you bite down hard on his bottom lip, ripping a surprised shout from your lover’s throat. Heh. Who’s in charge now? 

You roughly pull away, grabbing the bottom edge of his head and yanking him down to your level. Getting close to him, you grit your teeth, raise up your hand that’s holding your bondage tools, and sneer right in his face:

“I have had it with your cocky attitude lately, Dice. So you know what? I’m gonna fix that. For the rest of the night, your job is to listen and obey, got it? I don’t give a damn about what you have to say. You’ve said quite enough. You’re my bitch tonight.”

Dice stares into your eyes, getting trapped in the sheer authority in your pupils. God, he had forgotten how addicting they are to look at. He could get lost in them for ages if he had the time. 

Your pathetic attempt at dominance was… strangely intriguing. As much as he wants to punish you for trying to take charge without permission, a small part of him was nagging for him to give you a chance. To humor you. You had been waiting a long time for him to satisfy you, why not see where this goes?

“...Alright, sugar. You win. Your wish is my command.” 

“On your knees. Now.” You demand. Dice blinks for a moment, staring at you in questioning, before slowly obeying, lowering himself on one knee, and shifting his other to the floor. 

He opens his mouth to question your motives, but before words can come out, you slam his legs together, tying him up by his ankles. You bring his hands behind his back and cuff them so tightly that you both are positive the handcuffs will leave bruises behind once you’re through with him. Perfect. That’s one way you’ll mark him up. 

Now that he’s completely bound and barely able to move, Dice looks up at you, watching in interest as you start to undress yourself. As much as you were trying to intimidate him, he was more turned on than anything.

He’ll never complain of the opportunity to admire you as you strip yourself. You’re just so beautiful�� he’ll never admit it, but he truly did miss seeing your naked body. It’s been too long, and he feels slightly ashamed that he had to choose work over you time and time again. 

He supposes… the least he could do is indulge in your sexual fantasies for a second. Let you have a taste of power, and get a feel for dominance. 

However, that does not mean he won’t at least tease you along the way. 

As you finally finish undressing, you lean down over his kneeling form, gripping his biceps and digging your nails back into his flesh as you leave rough hickeys and bites all over his front. And god, as much as it hurts, it’s so amusing to see you try and get a reaction out of him.

“Gee, darlin’, you’re really that down bad for me tonight, huh? And what’s with these silly restraints? Come on, uncuff me. Let me show you a good time–”

“Shut up.” You growl, cutting him off and rendering him speechless. 

Did… did you just tell him to shut up?

Dice’s mood shifts, and not in a good way. He’s no longer amused. No… He’s furious. 

“What did you say to me?” Your partner questions, his eyes glowing in outrage as he stares at you, demanding for you to try him again. 

Much to his shock, you do. 

“What, is your lack of proper ears rendering you deaf? I said SHUT UP. You have some nerve, disobeying me when you’re tied down like that, Dice. Speak again and I’ll make you regret it.” 

Dice’s fists clench from behind his back. How… How dare you?! Not only did you tell him to shut up TWICE now, but you threatened him, AND you called him ‘Dice’ when you know you’re supposed to call him ‘King’ in the bedroom. 

To hell with your puny threats. To hell with indulgence. Your attitude needs a fix, and this silly little game of yours has gone on long enough. 

“That’s KING to you, you little bastard. You’ve got a lot of audacity tonight, and you know what? I’ve entertained this for far too long. Let me out of these restraints RIGHT NOW if you know what’s good for–” 

-SMACK!- 

Dice yelps in surprise, hissing at the sudden, piercing stinging sensation spreading through his ass. You didn’t…

You didn’t just spank him, did you? 

“Did you just… did you just SPANK me?!” 

“I did, and if you don’t straighten up I’ll gladly do it again, princess. You better watch yourself before I smack you so hard you won’t be able to FEEL your ass for the next week. I mean it. I’m not your fucking toy tonight, Dice.” 

Dice… Dice can’t even form a coherent sentence. Where the hell did this side of you come from?! He hasn’t seen you act like this in ages. The nerve you have, to stand up to him and treat him this way, just because he’s had to work a few extra hours a night recently. 

…Why is this side of you so hot?! 

Dice is at a loss. How in the hell do you make the idea of being fucked until he sees stars so desirable? Is this how you feel when he exhibits power over you? Fuck, this is wild! 

Taking his lack of response to your advantage, you grip the bottom edge of his head once more, forcing him to look you right in your eyes. 

“By the time I’m done with you, you’re barely gonna be able to walk. Keep testing me, and I’ll make sure I render you BEDRIDDEN. And then, you can explain to your boss that you can’t come into work because you let your spouse destroy your dignity and your body in the bedroom. It’s your choice.” 

Your lover stares at you in nothing but awe, ass cherry red from your hand, back decorated with around 12 scratches, his collarbone blackened and bruised with 9 teeth marks and 6 hickeys. 

27 marks. One mark for every damned soul taken. 

You find it in you to smirk down at him, grinning maliciously as he has done to you countless times. It feels glorious to finally be the one to make the rules, especially after he’s been nothing but an insolent dick to you for the past few days. Revenge is so sweet, isn’t it? 

“You’re gonna be nothing but a puddle of sweat and bruises by the time I’m done with you, Dice. Maybe, you’ll learn a lesson from this experience.” 

His eyes widen as he stares at you, completely lost on what to say. There’s not much to say at that point.  

He couldn’t lie… you were scaring him a little. A lot. You hadn’t EVER been this riled up before, and the fact that he pushed you to these limits was certainly a shame on his part. He had failed to satisfy you for far too long, and god, was he afraid of these consequences. 

It’s a delicious sight to see. Your husband’s toned, ivory form trembling slightly. His mouth slightly agape. His eyes. Oh, his eyes… 

Bright green, glowing in fear. Yes. Yes! 

You’ve got him right where you want him, and he’s finally going to just sit quietly and let you do your work. 

“I-I…” 

Well, maybe he won’t shut up just yet. 

Another swift spank is delivered to Dice’s ass, cutting off his words and coaxing an agonized groan from his lips. Low, husky, and gruff. God, that was hot. You want to hear it again. And again. 

So, you continue. 

Each new mark you make, each sound coming from Dice’s throat, the look of pleasured pain and slight embarrassment on his face as he grits his teeth and squeezes his eyes shut, it turns you on that much more. 

The bastard is lucky he’s so beautiful when he’s on his knees for you like that, otherwise you’d have kicked him to the curb as soon as he started acting up. 

But you suppose, after a rough lesson on respect, you may be able to forgive him. It’ll depend on how much he whines for you. Begs for your mercy. Screams praises as you completely wreck his ass. 

And you waste no time. 

With a swift stomp on his back, you make him bend over and eat the marble flooring, grinning as his ass bends upwards for you. Perfect. Just where you want him. 

“Ow! Darlin’, not so rough! You coulda- AAHH!~” 

Dice can’t even finish his sentence before your cock is shoved inside of his ass, stuffing him so full any thoughts he had about being shoved to the floor dissipate into mere nothingness. 

And that moan he just made.. oh god, that was beautiful. He’s such a pretty little slut for you. You want to make him moan again. You want to hear him scream and shout for you. 

You want to make him sing. 

As more dirty thoughts enter your mind, your body moves on its own, your hips ramming against Dice’s ass over and over again. Fuck, his ass fit your dick perfectly. He’s so tight around you it almost hurts. 

You don’t get the chance to fuck him like this often. In fact, you don’t even remember the last time you did. You never really had a reason to. 

Until now. 

“You know why you’re being punished by these restraints? You know why you’re not allowed to make any moves tonight? Do you?!” You demand, picking up and pace, your hands gripping Dice’s broad shoulders so tightly that your knuckles turn white.  

Dice groans loudly in pleasure as you slam your erection into him, his eyes squeezing shut as he tries to form a coherent thought. 

“Ngh! I- hah -I d-!” 

“Answer me!” 

“I DO!~” Dice wails in pleasure, throwing his head back and trying to move to your thrusts, desperate for you. Fuck, you feel heavenly inside of him like that. And he wants more of it. More. 

And perhaps, if he plays his cards right, he’ll get a full house.

If.

“Why, then? Why are you my little whore tonight, instead of the other way around?” 

“I- HAH! -I’ve been a bad boy, baby! Ohhh, SHIT!!” Dice cries out for you, screaming in pleasure as you make a particularly hard thrust into him. 

“That’s right. You’ve been a very bad boy, blowing me off for weeks and then laughing in my face the way you did. Do you know what happens to bad boys, Dice?” 

Another hard slam into his ass and your lover whines in pleasure. 

“They get restrained-! And their asses are fucked until they’re raw!~” He answers your question, moaning helplessly in pleasure. What a pathetic little shell of a man you’ve turned him into. 

People cower whenever Dice walks through the door, trembling underneath his looming shadow. They weep for the losses they suffer whenever they dare to play Dice’s game.

And now look at him. The same man who intimidates hundreds, and seduces thousands more, is a whining mess at your feet. 

It was laughable. Pitiful. Adorable. 

As his moans get louder and louder, you watch his cuffed hands clench into fists as he trembles beneath you. You see the telltale signs: your husband is about to reach his peak. 

You’re getting close too. You feel it. Your cock is tightening. God. Every last drop of your seed is about to be shot into his ass, which will certainly push him over the edge as well… But has he earned that? 

Right as you are about to hit your climax, you stop moving. You pull out of him completely, earning a sweet, lamenting whine from the overexcited man beneath you. 

“Ohhh, darlin’, that’s not fair!” he cries to you, looking back at you with pure lust in his icy eyes. The pitiful display of him looking back towards you, silently pleading for you to continue… you almost feel bad for him. Almost. 

“I don’t know if you’ve earned this, Dice. Maybe I should finish myself off, and have you watch…”

“NO! Please, doll, I BEG of you! I’ll do anything you want! I’ll be so good for you! I’ll kneel! I’ll whine, moan, sing, whatever you want! Please, shoot your spent into me!” 

You can’t help but laugh at his desperation. Loudly. A bright, loud, mocking laugh as he looks at you almost heartbrokenly. Just like you had, that very morning. You consider this moment one of the best ways of payback you’ve ever come up with. Surely, Dice won’t make that mistake again. 

“I don’t know… Will you be good for me? Truly?” 

“YES! Yes, sweetheart, I’ll be the best for you! I promise that!” 

“I can’t hear you. Speak up.” 

“I’LL BE SO GOOD FOR YOU, BABYDOLL! FOR FUCK’S SAKE, YOU’RE KILLING ME HERE!” He cries, loudly. Achingly. Longingly. Oh, you’ve got him now. You’ve got him RIGHT where you want him. 

“Hmmm… Alright, pretty boy. I’ll give you my load. On ONE condition.”

“You name it! ANYTHING!”

Your hand turns his head so you can make eye contact with him, staring right into his weary expression. 

“You never pull what you did this morning on me again. Ever.”

“Consider it done! I promise!!” 

Well… you suppose you could work with that. 

“Alright then.”

Dice screeches in euphoria as you slam your cock back inside, growling as you chase your release. Once you find it, you scream in pleasure and bite down on your lover’s shoulder, your seed exploding into his rectum. 

Holy SHIT, that feels good. For the past two weeks, Dice had left you completely full, and about to burst. It feels incredible to finally release all of that fluid pent up in you.

The sheer intensity of your orgasm is enough for Dice to finally reach his own, and he lets out a melodic scream as his fluids burst from his cock, spilling onto the floor in front of him. You smile to yourself as you watch him ride out his high, staring at the delicious mess he leaves behind. 

Your fingers gently trace the still fresh scratches you left all over your husband’s back, chuckling at each flinch he makes. You may have gone a little overboard, but you got your point across. And, you got him to admit his faults. What a fantastic night for you. 

It’ll be priceless to watch him try and get up in the morning. 

Satisfied with your work, you pull yourself out from him, grinning as a small stream of your seed makes its way down Dice’s crack, spilling all the way down to his inner thighs. You stuffed him to the top, and honestly? It’s a precious sight. He really does look handsome tied down the way he is, your fluids leaking out of him. 

But alas, he can’t stay tied up forever. 

You uncuff him and undo the knot bounding his feet together, wincing slightly at the marks the materials leave behind. Ouch… 

“Shit, Dice, I’m–”

“Don’t even think about apologizing, my love.” 

Your eyes widen as Dice shakily gets up, clutching onto you for support, grinning down at you with nothing but infatuation in those lovestruck eyes of his. 

“I’m the one who should be sorry, for how I behaved this morning. I shouldn’t have left you in the dust like that. I hope I was able to make it up to you tonight…?” 

You laugh softly at his implied question, planting a gentle kiss onto his cheek as you guide him over to the bed, making sure he didn’t stumble or fall. 

“You were great for me tonight, honey… your debt is repaid.” 

King Dice x Angry!Reader Headcanons (SHOW)

You had left. For five. Minutes. 

FIVE MINUTES. 

The ONE night King Dice has the chance to treat you to a nice dinner in your favorite restaurant, on your anniversary, what does he do?

He leaves, right in the middle of your date. Your food hadn’t even come out yet. 

You told the bastard you were going to use the restroom, and he sweetly tells you he’ll be there. You leave, for five fucking minutes, and come back to an empty table. Well, almost empty. 

There’s a note on Dice’s end of the table, hastily scribbled on a napkin. Your eyes scan the messy handwriting, your blood boiling more and more by the second. 

“Gotta run, sweetheart. Something came up at the studio. That’s showbiz for ya! I’ll see you soon. - KD” 

That fucking jackass!

He had promised to spend time with you on your special night. This was the one thing you had wanted on your anniversary, and he can’t even give you that? Not even an hour of his time? 

Your dinner is suddenly unappetizing. You barely even touch it, glaring at the empty seat across from you like it had offended your mother. Thankfully, your waiter graciously boxes it up for you. At least someone in this town has some decency. 

You catch a cab home, tossing your leftovers in the trash before shucking off your fancy outfit, kicking off your shoes, and crawling into your four-poster bed. It’s around 11 p.m. at this point, and your husband isn’t even home yet. You can’t tell if you should be relieved or even more angry at his absence. What a damn coward, not even being there to hear you out. 

The bed is cold. Uninviting. Lonely. You spend your anniversary alone, your lover nowhere in sight. Cold, Dice. Really fucking cold. 

What, are you just his trophy? His prize? A toy he plays with whenever he has the time and energy for it? Is that what you are to him?! 

You sleep fitfully that night, tossing and turning, the duvet tangling you up and trapping you in their embrace. Better to be embraced by the sheets than nothing, at least. But, still… 

If only your husband could have kept his promise to you. If only your husband wasn’t such an unreliable, crude prick to you on the one night you both are supposed to spend celebrating your love for each other. 

You feel anything but loved. 

Dice returns late that night to a practically destroyed bed, and a heartbroken, sleeping spouse. Unfortunately, he’s too exhausted to think of anything but getting some shut-eye himself, so he simply collapses beside you, passing out. 

God, what a horrible anniversary. 

The alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m. sharp, right on schedule. But this time, instead of exchanging sleepy ‘good morning’s, you immediately sit up and stare your husband down as he drowsily fumbles his hand over the clock, trying to mess with the snooze button before giving up entirely and chucking the thing off his nightstand. Sweet, blissful silence followed after that. Until…

“Dice.” 

“Mmm… five… five more minutes…”

You slam your palm against your head in irritation, three seconds away from smacking the shit out of him. How could he think about sleep right now after he pulled what he did yesterday?! 

“Dice, wake the fuck up and explain to me why you thought it would be okay to completely ditch me last night!” 

“Mmfh… wha-? Oh, right.” Dice lets out a yawn and sits up, stretching his arms and cracking his back before looking over at you, smiling sheepishly “Sorry about that, sugar. There was something I needed to take care of down at the studio, for tonight’s big weekend bas–”

“I don’t give a damn about what it was for, Dice! God, can you even go five minutes without bringing up your show? You skipped our anniversary! You didn’t even leave anything to pay for the meal you didn’t eat! I had to catch a damn cab home, and I had to fall asleep in a cold bed! Alone! On our anniversary!!” You exclaim, growing tired of your husband’s antics. 

How could he do this to you? He had one job, and he blew it! You have every right to be as angry as you are with him, and boy, were you ready to make it known. 

But Dice? Well, he was not having it. 

“Now hold it, doll. I didn’t want to leave in the middle of our date, but I didn’t have much of a choice! I would have had to leave at some point, and I figured the quicker I got things done, the quicker I’d be back home to-”

“I was asleep by the time you got home!” You shouted, shaking your head. “It wouldn’t have made any difference in how you got back home! The least you could have done was wait until after dinner, but you didn’t!” 

“Look, darlin’, I don’t know what to tell ya. It’s just showbiz. Things happen, and I gotta take care of my responsibilities.” He smirks, cups your chin, and plants a gentle peck to your lips. “However… Maybe I’ll make it up to you tonight, after the show. That is, if you don’t fall asleep of course!” 

Dice laughs. He fucking laughs as he gets up, humming to himself as he gets ready for his day. You… you do nothing. You watch him, mouth slightly ajar as he gets dressed, slips on his shoes, and waltzes out the door. As if he didn’t just blow you off. 

God, you’re so angry you don’t even have the words. 

That egotistical BASTARD!

How dare he treat this like some minor inconvenience that he can make up with some quick fuck after his show? Do your feelings really mean that little to him?! 

…Of course they do. 

When it comes down to it, your husband is a showman, at his core. And showmen are always the ones who let their fame get to their heads. The ones whose egos blimp up to the size of a whale. The ones who have no regard for anyone else’s feelings but their own. Not even their families’. 

Well… THAT’S going to change. Tonight. 

You are DONE being treated as some second-hand object of satisfaction. You are so much more than that. You’re King Dice’s partner. His spouse. You are a person, god dammit, and it’s about time he recognized that. 

So, you get up a little earlier than you usually do, a plan striking your mind. He wants to play this game with you? Oh, you’ll play. You’ll happily play his game. Except you aren’t one of his mindless fools for contestants. He’s yours. 

Dice sighs softly in relief as he strolls back to his dressing room, happy to have some time to relax a bit before the show starts. His rehearsal didn’t take nearly as long as his team thought it would. In fact, they only needed one run-through before deeming the host ready for performance. 

Not that he’s surprised, After all, he’s not Number One for nothing. 

What he is surprised about, however, is who’s waiting for him in his room. 

The lights flicker on, and Dice jumps in shock at your waiting form, seated comfortably on the couch he keeps for you. 

“Oh! Came a little early today, hm?” Dice grins as he shuts the door behind him, making his way over to you and resting his hands on your–

A loud, warning -CRACK!- interrupts his movements. Dice’s eyes trail over to yours, locking with your fiery, raging pupils. He can only stare for a couple moments before he forces himself to break from your gaze, his stare traveling down to what you’re holding in your hands. 

…Oh, lord. 

You brought THAT with you? 

You smirk to yourself, glaring right up at him as your thumbs nonchalantly mess with the ends of the flogger you brought with you, the leather strings curling obediently around your fingers. 

“Hello, Dice.” You start casually, standing up and tracing your fingers along the side of his clothed bicep. “How was your rehearsal?” 

“O-oh, it was fine, dear. It went by quicker than normal.” 

“Oh, good! So that means you have time to play with me.” 

Dice stares at you in slight shock, eyes flickering back and forth from your gaze to the whip in your hand… just what are you planning? 

“Play with you…?” He questions, hesitantly taking a step back. Why are you looking at him like that?

“Yes, Dice. I want you to play with me before your show. You know, to ‘make up’ for your dick move last night.” You sneer, stepping towards him, making another -CRACK!- with the flogger. 

“Look, darlin’, I know you’re still upset, but I don’t think having sex before the show is very—”

“Shut your mouth” 

…What did you say? 

Dice’s shock immediately evaporates, leaving nothing but outrage behind. Did you just tell him of all people to be quiet? 

“…Care to repeat that for me?” 

“I told you to SHUT YOUR MOUTH, you prick. I know you have trouble hearing sometimes, with your head so far up your own ass.”

For emphasis, and much to Dice’s enragement, you bring your hand swiftly over his ass and give it a hard -SPANK!-

…What the fuck?!

What the hell has gotten into you? He understands you’re upset, but there is no way that warrants you the right to talk to him like that. Not when he is the one in charge. 

“Why, you INSOLENT little–” 

Before he can berate you for DARING to spank him the way you did, your lips overtake his own, and you wrestle with his tongue for dominance as you yank off each and every layer of clothing he has. In retaliation, Dice tries to push you away so he can continue his rant, but a warning crack of your flogger puts a pause to his movements immediately. 

Fuck, you’re so intimidating when you break out the flogger. The last time you used that, Dice’s back was so sore he had trouble moving for days. 

He truly was in for it now, wasn’t he? 

You yank your mouth away from your husband’s, gripping his shoulder and forcing him down to your level, your piercing stare stabbing him to his core. 

“Now you listen to me, you egotistical son of a bitch. We’re gonna play our own little game before your show tonight. Treat it as an extra warm-up beforehand, except we’re playing by my rules this time. Understand me?”

Dice is at a loss for words, mouth agape as he stares at you with wide, offended eyes. You really know how to get to him when you’re angry like this. It’s honestly a little terrifying. 

“DO YOU?!” 

“A-alright, alright! Would you keep it down?! Someone might hear us!” Dice hisses in reply, hands resting at your sides in an attempt to calm you. 

That was the wrong move. 

You slam your flogger right onto his stomach, ripping a surprised yell from your partner as he falls to his knees from the impact. Fuck, he forgot how much that hurts! Especially right on his chest like that. It stings, horribly.

“Careful, Dice. ‘Someone might hear us.’” You reply mockingly, stepping around his kneeling form and delivering another blow to his back, relishing in the sweet, sensual whines that emit from your lover’s throat. 

Again, and again. You deliver hit after hit, beautifully marking up Dice’s ivory back with your tool, getting more and more turned on by each and every cry and screech he makes. He sounds so cute when he’s the one following the rules. It’s so adorable, so precious… so pitiful. 

After a few more blows to the back, you decide he’s had enough for a while. However, that doesn’t mean you’re done with him yet. Oh, no… you’ve got a long way to go. 

You better make sure he stays put, then. 

To Dice’s very vocal dismay, you reach into your bag and pull out a long string of rope, forcing him into a kneeling position with his legs spread, and tying him up by his hands and ankles. Of course he feels like he has to get his opinion on how tight you tie his restraints, because Dice’s feelings are so much more important than your own. 

“Shit, doll, easy on the ropes! That hurts! OUCH! For god’s sakes, not so tight, you–” 

“QUIET.” You growl in warning, making a threatening motion towards your whip. “You better quit your yapping, or so help me god I’ll WRECK you so hard you won’t be able to perform on your show for the next WEEK!” You bellow into his face, your nails digging into each of his shoulders, prompting a hiss of pain from him. 

“Okay, okay! Could you please just loosen them a little if you insist on tying me up like this?” 

You pretend to think for a moment, placing a finger on your chin and tapping three times. 

“Hmm… no.”

“Oh, come on! You’re gonna leave even more marks all over–” 

“NO.” 

Seeing no way out of this, Dice rolls his eyes and finally closes his arrogant mouth. It’s about damn time. You’re starting to get impatient with him. 

Luckily for you, it’s about time you start teaching Dice a lesson on respecting your time. And your feelings. 

Forcing him to bend down slightly, you step in front of him and begin stripping down, tossing your top off to the side and kicking off your bottoms. Your underwear comes off soon after, your cock springing to life. 

Dice can’t help but stare at your size, gawking slightly as he feels his own erection start forming. Okay, okay, he’ll admit it to himself… you’re so fucking hot when you’re in charge, It’s exhilarating, not knowing what your next move will be. You keep him on his toes, waiting in anticipation for your call. 

You step in front of him, grabbing the top edge of his head and forcing him to look upwards, positioning your tip right up against his mouth, 

“Suck it.” 

The raw force in your voice is enough to spring him into action, and Dice immediately puts his mouth to work, his lips hugging the length of your dick as he starts bobbing his head up and down. Ohhh, shit… He’s so lucky that tongue of his works wonders for your cock, otherwise you probably would have already cut it off. 

As narcissistic as your husband may be… he surely does know how to satisfy you with his mouth. 

You growl quietly in pleasure, keeping your hand on his head, occasionally guiding him to take more and more of your length until he’s sucking you off balls deep. The feeling is incredible… but unfortunately for him, it’s not enough for your forgiveness. 

And certainly not enough for you to give him your load, either. 

Before he can reap the rewards of his hard work, you yank yourself out of him, finding amusement in the frustrated whine he makes. 

“Dammit, darlin’, quit teasing me already!” 

“Ah! Be careful, Dice.” You warn, grabbing the flogger and shaking it in front of his face. “We wouldn’t want that pretty chest of yours to become my canvas too, now would we?”

With a low, husky growl, Dice reluctantly shuts his mouth again, silently enjoying the remnants of your taste on his tongue. 

There. Now he’s getting it… sort of. 

You smirk down at him, leaning down and pressing a hard kiss onto him, stealing what little taste of seed he had off of his tongue. As you make out with him, you mutter soft degradations into his mouth: 

“How does it feel, to be stripped of your authority for a change? To reap the consequences of your stupid actions? It doesn’t feel very good, does it? Tell me, Dice. How does it feel to be nothing more than a pathetic little brat?” 

“Oh, shut up. We both know I am still the one in charge around here, you little harlot. Just because you’ve got the upper hand on me this time, doesn’t change a thing.” 

“Ooh, strong words, coming from the man who whines to me whenever I make a mark! I wonder how all your little fans would react, seeing you reduced to nothing more than a sweaty little bitch. If only I could record the noises you make. Do you realize how easily I’d be able to end your career? I could do it right now if I wanted. Watch yourself.”

Dammit. Dammit. You… You’re right. 

Dice grunts in defeat, letting you pull away from him, a small string of saliva connecting your mouths together. This is humiliating. He and you both know damn well that everything you say is true. Right now, you’ve got the power. You are the one who makes the calls. You are the one completely in control over him. 

It hurts. It hurts so good. 

You’re incredibly sexy when you display your dominance like this, as much as he hates to admit it. You have him wrapped around your finger… and god, it’s frustratingly alluring. 

He wants you, more than anything. 

Luckily, you’re ready to chase your release. 

With a swift kick of your leg, you force Dice to fall forward, face landing right on the ground as your hands hungrily spread his cheeks open. 

“OUCH! Dammit, doll, not so rOUGHHH!~” 

The suffocating feeling of being stuffed with your cock overtakes Dice’s vocals, choking out a loud moan from the back of his throat as you start slamming your hips into his ass, over and over. 

Oh, fuck. 

You’re going so hard. So fast, Out of nowhere. There’s no time for Dice to adjust to your size. Oh, god, it hurts. It hurts so much, Every thrust feels like it's tearing his ass apart, 

He never wants you to stop. 

Each time your dick slides in and out of his ass, it’s a whole nother world of pained pleasure. And the way your nails dig into his shoulders as you keep him steady? The way you scratch in warning every time he squirms from underneath you? It’s fucking heavenly. 

He’ll never know what heaven is like. He had damned his own soul to hell long before you both even met each other. But if he was asked to describe how heaven would feel? There’s absolutely no doubt in his mind that it would feel just like this. 

Damn his show for starting soon. Damn you for not waiting to do this until afterwards, when he would have more time to enjoy the feeling of your cock ripping him to shreds. And damn him for making you this upset, to the point where you felt you had to do this to him, to teach him a lesson. 

Yes… damn him, Damn him to hell. 

He deserves every last bit of treatment you’ve given him, and he knows it. He’s reaping each and every last consequence of your wrath, and fuck, he deserves it all. 

However…

You’re unknowingly spoiling him. You’re fucking him raw, and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t savoring every last bit of it. Memorizing each way you shove your cock into his hole, hitting him in just the right spot. 

It’s euphoric. Incredible. He doesn’t deserve this type of pleasure. 

Your sudden growling interrupts Dice from his thoughts. 

“You understand why you’re being punished, you little slut?!” You shout, picking up the pace as you scratch his shoulders once more, demanding an answer.

“YES! Yes, doll, I understand!~” 

“Answer me then, Dice. Why? Why am I punishing you, huh? Why aren’t you allowed to move while I fuck you so hard you can barely function? Answer me!” 

“Because I’ve been a very naughty boy, baby!” Dice whines loudly, throwing his head back in pleasure as you pound into him with every last ounce of strength you have. 

“You have been, you pompous bastard. You know why you’ve been a bad boy?”

“I-I skipped out on our special night… I left you at that restaurant, without my wallet, and without a ride-!” 

“That’s right, you jackass! You left me high and dry, on our anniversary!” You feel angry tears prick the corners of your eyes as you ram your cock into his hole, your teeth clenching in frustration. “You made me feel like I was NOTHING! On the ONE night where I was supposed to be EVERYTHING!” 

“I’M SORRY, SWEETHEART!” Dice chokes out, tears of his own leaking from his eyes and running down his cheeks as he finally feels the weight of his mistakes landing down on him like a grand piano falling from the ceiling. “I shouldn’t have left you the way I did, especially on our anniversary… It isn’t fair to you! You deserve better, doll! And I’m sorry I couldn’t be there when you needed me!” 

Faster. Harder. Hungrier. Your emotions elevate along with your thrusts as Dice cries out his apologies to you. Fuck, you’re getting close. You’re getting so close, you feel like you’re about to explode. And the way Dice is whining his tender praises to you is NOT helping your case. 

But as much as he is apologizing, as much as he is trying to right his wrongs of the previous night and that morning, it’s just not enough. You won’t give him the satisfaction he’s looking for. You will NOT give him your load just yet.

Dice’s moans and whines get louder and higher in pitch as he gets closer and closer to reaching his own climax, but before he can reach that sweet release he’s after, you stop moving. You completely pause, only the tip of your dick stuck in his ass as Dice lets out an agonized scream of desperation. 

“OHHH, FUCK, my dear, this isn’t fair! PLEASE don’t stop like that, I’m so close to exploding I can FEEL it! PLEASE, just finish what you’ve–”

“I don’t think so, pretty boy. I don’t think you’ve earned my load and your release just yet.” You growl in intimidation, grabbing his head and twisting it to the side so you can look him right in his helpless, longing, pitiful eyes. A stark contrast to the collected, confident, and addicting irises you’re so used to seeing. 

“Apologizing is not enough. You ruined me. You think that a simple ‘I’m sorry’ is gonna make things better? DO YOU?!” 

Dice squirms and struggles against his restraints, doing everything in his power to at least break a hand free so he can cup your face. All he wants to do is hold you. To caress your skin. To kiss you so much you feel over appreciated. To make up for his foolishness. 

But, you’ve tied him too tight. It’s no use. He can’t break free. It’s yet another consequence he has to deal with. 

So, he leans into the palm of your hand, turning his head and planting several kisses against your skin as fresh tears stream down his face, ruining the makeup from his rehearsal. 

“Doll, I promise you, whenever I get the chance I’ll make it up to you. I’ll take you back to that restaurant, and any other places of your choice for the next week. And so help me, I’ll pay for all of it. And afterwards? I’ll make you feel so loved you’ll NEVER have to feel this way again. And that’s a guarantee, the show be damned. I beg of you, PLEASE let me make this up to you!”

You let him speak, your anger slightly disappearing with every word he spits out. He really does know how to sweet talk you into his arms… It’s what made you fall for him in the first place. He’s got such a way with words…

Except, it’s still not quite enough to convince you to release inside of him. 

However, a mischievous idea strikes your mind, and you pat yourself on the back for deciding to do this before his biggest night of the week. Oh, this’ll make up for his actions. 

But first, you need to play along. 

“Alright, Dicey, I’ll give you what you want…”

Without any warning, you pick up right back where you left off, this time, with the intent of chasing down your orgasm. And boy, when you find it? Your seed shoots right into Dice’s ass, stuffing him so much that his stomach distends slightly with the amount of fluid you’ve released inside of him. 

Oh, FUCK, that’s so warm… that’s it. 

Dice lets out a pleasured scream as he finally reaches what he’s been after since you’ve started this little game of yours, his cum squirting from his hardened erection and spilling in a massive puddle all over the wooden floors. That’ll surely leave a stain… but hey, that’s what carpets are for, right? 

And oh, before you let him off the hook just yet… you’ve got one more surprise up your sleeve. 

As you pull yourself out of your lover, you quickly grab something else from your bag. Before Dice can question what you’re doing, you shove the buttplug up his rectum, effectively keeping every last drop of your seed inside him. 

“Five minutes!” 

You watch in joyful satisfaction as Dice’s face somehow becomes even paler at the call, his eyes locking onto yours in horror. 

“Doll, you wouldn’t…”

“Oh, I would. Consider this your last price to pay, for messing with my heart the way you did.” 

He trembles slightly as you untie the ropes, guiding him onto his feet, and helping him quickly redress. 

You watch in amusement as Dice stumbles to the mirror and quickly removes the streaks of mascara on his cheeks with a dash of makeup remover, laughing in amazement as his cue is called right as he is in the middle of reapplying his eyeshadow. 

Oh, this’ll be perfect. 

“Good luck out there, honey!” You murmur teasingly, pressing a quick kiss to his lips, smoothing down a few wrinkles in his waistcoat, and watching in eagerness as your partner makes his way to the door on shaky, unstable legs. 

He gives you a look of complete and utter betrayal before swinging open the door and doing his best not to fall on his face as he walks towards the stage.

Oh, how SWEET revenge can taste.

[halothenthehorns]

Chapter 6: NICO BUYS HAPPY MEALS FOR THE DEAD

Even when Percy looked moments away from torturing Will just to get an answer out of somebody what happened on this quest, Nico licked his lips nervously before he could start anew. Would it be awkward to ask if it was all in his head every time he got this book it seemed like a worse than usual chapter?

Then he read the new title and sunk low in his seat, waiting for the bombardment of freaking out that would ensue about his next death entrapment of them all.

"Well that was very considerate of you, but I have questions," Magnus tried to begin as politely as ever. "Do they prefer chicken nuggets or burgers? What toys were available?"

"When it says buy, like where did you get the money?" Alex asked with diabolical interest. "Did you ask your dad for it? Try to pay them in drachmas? Mythomagic cards?"

"I'm over here hoping he didn't threaten the cashier with that sword," Jason admitted.

Nico was only blushing a tiny bit as he smiled at them. "Um, a bit of all three." He'd tried to ask Hades for money and information, but hadn't even made it past the front gates of his palace before he was bared by the fury's telling him now wasn't a good time.

Minos had helped him with the details among his own research and he'd just stolen the rest.

That unfortunate incident with the chicken nuggets and the dog chasing him out of the car would not be discussed.

At least I got a good night's sleep before the quest, right?

"Do you jinx yourself on purpose?" Thalia asked him in concern. "Like, you do know when you throw questions like that out into the universe, you're just going to get slapped with the opposite answer."

"I'm starting to get that, yeah," Percy mock rubbed his cheek.

"Will it stop him from doing it?" Alex snorted.

"Nope," Magnus sighed.

Wrong.

"So, should I just start wishing for a horrible night's sleep?" Percy groaned.

"Percy, I don't think anything can fix, whatever this mess of your life is," Jason told him with nothing but sympathy.

"I've already tried shock therapy, so I'm out of ideas," Thalia agreed cheerfully.

That night in my dreams, I was in the stateroom of the Princess Andromeda. The windows were open on a moonlit sea. Cold wind rustled the velvet drapes.

"There is either a really inappropriate dream about to take place, or a nightmare with monsters and dead people," Magnus shivered at that setup.

"My money's on both, Luke's nighttime routine with one of those bear twins," Alex rubbed his hands together. Magnus mock vomited over the side of the couch, though for a moment they weren't sure if he was faking it.

Luke knelt on a Persian rug in front of the golden sarcophagus of Kronos.

In the moonlight, Luke's blond hair looked pure white. He wore an ancient Greek chiton and a white himation, a kind of cape that flowed down his shoulders. The white clothes made him look timeless and a little surreal, like one of the minor gods on Mount Olympus. The last time I'd seen him, he'd been broken and unconscious after a nasty fall from Mount Tam. Now he looked perfectly fine. Almost too healthy.

Percy shivered with the kind of forbidden knowledge nobody could joke away. Somewhere inside his head was the answer to that mystery, and as his stomach churned while he looked down at his own shaking hands, he didn't think he was going to like the answer he'd inevitably get.

"Our spies report success, my lord," he said. "Camp Half-Blood is sending a quest, as you predicted.

Nico really hated that word, traitor. He knew everybody at camp thought he was one bad day away from being one himself. He'd really never gotten to know Silena that well to be calling her anything.

Our side of the bargain is almost complete."

They were already to late, Jason frowned in concern. Their quest hadn't even started and Krono's forces were almost guaranteed through the maze at their convenience. His heart thudded painfully in his chest as he imagined the camp in ashes- No, surely Thalia and Will weren't that good of actors. They'd be more than mildly distressed at this if that were the case. Annabeth's quest had come through, somehow.

Excellent. The voice of Kronos didn't so much speak as pierce my mind like a dagger. It was freezing with cruelty. Once we have the means to navigate, I will lead the vanguard through myself.

"The sarcophagus doesn't grow legs, does it?" Magnus asked in concern.

"Let's be more concerned if he's almost about to leave the coffin," Alex shook his head sharply. "What the heck kind of deal was struck to cause that?"

There was no answer except Thalia playing with her bracelet. She was grateful they didn't seem to connect Luke's life force with Krono's, it was such a twisted bit of magic she couldn't stand to link the two herself.

Luke closed his eyes as if collecting his thoughts. "My lord, perhaps it is too soon. Perhaps Krios or Hyperion should lead—"

No. the voice was quiet but absolutely firm. I will lead. One more heart shall join our cause, and that will be sufficient. At last I shall rise fully from Tartarus.

"Who the heck is that special last someone going to be?" Alex wasn't really joking even as he laced his voice with sarcasm. "Is it going to be some sweet underdog story about an invisible person finally feeling seen by Luke? Is it going to be some mad powerhouse?"

"We really need to take away whatever the heck is feeding his imagination," Percy told Thalia as he watched Alex.

"Or bottle it and use it as a weapon," Thalia agreed.

"But the form, my lord..." Luke's voice started shaking.

Jason shivered right along with him. Was it terror? Excitement? He didn't know which was worse, but any answer wasn't going to be great for Percy.

Show me your sword, Luke Castellan.

"I didn't even think this guy had a last name," Percy jolted in surprise. "I thought he was just born Luke Evil, or Luke Son of Hermes, and just dropped it to Luke."

Thalia didn't even have the heart to smack him for being an idiot. Sooner than she'd like, Percy would know all to well what came attached with the last name of Castellan.

A jolt went through me. I realized I'd never heard Luke's last name before.

"Annabeth never cursed it in front of you," Alex agreed, "we didn't get to hear Chiron chasing him around and yelling it."

"Now we just need to know his middle name, surely then somebody can do an evil spell to curse him or something," Magnus agreed.*

"We're not the fae folk Magnus, that's not how that works," Thalia couldn't help but snicker at him, keeping to herself Luke's middle name was Oro in case anybody wanted to try.

It had never even occurred to me.

Luke drew his sword. Backbiter's double edge glowed wickedly—half steel, half celestial bronze. I'd almost been killed several times by that sword.

"You've almost been killed several times by being in school too and we don't go around reminding you of that," Will said.

"Yes you do, frequently!" Percy yelped.

"It was a silly detail Percy, we assume everything's tried to kill you at this point, including the kitchen sink with lava in it," Magnus rolled his eyes.

It was an evil weapon, able to kill both mortals and monsters. It was the only blade I really feared.

Nico's hand twitched uncomfortably to his own sword that could do the same. That was branded the same. The only difference was his blade had never tried to kill Percy. He hoped that distinction would be enough nobody would try to disarm him if the truth of what he carried came out.

You pledged yourself to me, Kronos reminded him. You took this sword as proof of your oath.

"Yes, my lord. It's just—"

You wanted power. I gave you that. You are now beyond harm. Soon you will rule the world of gods and mortals. Do you not wish to avenge yourself? To see Olympus destroyed?

A shiver ran through Luke's body. "Yes."

Thalia knew in that moment she could hear that a thousand more times and it would still hit her fresh and raw every time. It just wasn't the same person to her. Luke might as well have died instead of her and come back as someone else.

The coffin glowed, golden light filling the room. Then make ready the strike force. As soon as the bargain is done, we shall move forward. First, Camp Half-Blood will be reduced to ashes. Once those bothersome heroes are eliminated, we will march on Olympus.

"It's an honor to be so bothersome we have to be eliminated before the gods," Percy said with all the snap of a dragon.

"C-compliments?" Will agreed hesitantly.

There was a knock on the stateroom doors. The light of the coffin faded.

"Does Kronos only talk to him?" Alex asked with his head tipped to the side. "Like, imaginary friend style?"

"I can't imagine why, I'm surprised there isn't a speaker attached to his lid so the whole ship can hear him monologuing," Jason rolled his eyes.

Luke rose. He sheathed his sword, adjusted his white clothes, and took a deep breath.

"Come in."

The doors opened. Two dracaenae slithered in—snake women with double serpent trunks instead of legs. Between them walked Kelli, the empousa cheerleader from my freshman orientation.

"This book stays rated K right?" Magnus asked with mild concern for their joke from the beginning of the chapter getting another uncomfortable piece set in.

"How should I know? How do you rate monsters turning to dust, because it's pretty traumatic to any age from where I'm sitting," but Percy looked just as queasy why she'd walked in like this was a red carpet ceremony.

"Hello, Luke," Kelli smiled. She was wearing a red dress and she looked awesome,

"The highest amount of praise a teenage boy can give," Thalia snorted.

"Oh gods, please nobody ever tell Annabeth I called an empousa awesome before her," Percy groaned, causing a round of snickering he really didn't approve of.

"You told her she was going to do awesome on this quest," Will reminded fairly without dropping his smile. "I think she'd give you a pass on the demon that's supposed to be hot."

but I'd seen her real form. I knew what she was hiding: mismatched legs, red eyes, fangs, and flaming hair.

"What is it, demon?" Luke's voice was cold. "I told you not to disturb me."

Magnus mock wiped sweat from his brow Luke was disgusted with her. Now they'd just get death threats and insults...though it did make him wonder why Luke apparently didn't have an attraction to her like Percy had. 

Kelli pouted. "That's not very nice. You look tense. How about a nice shoulder massage?"

"I wouldn't let that thing near any part of my body," Jason shivered. "I'm not banking on the fact she'd just drink from my neck."

"Good instincts," Alex approved.

Luke stepped back. "If you have something to report, say it. Otherwise leave!"

"I don't know why you're so huffy these days. You used to be fun to hang around."

Thalia would have rather been slapped than realize she'd ever think the same thing as Kellie, and yet the sick feeling in her gut only seemed to settle in at home. How long exactly had these two been hanging out for her to claim this?!

"That was before I saw what you did to that boy in Seattle."

"Oh, he meant nothing to me," Kelli said. "Just a snack, really. You know my heart belongs to you, Luke."

"My heart belongs to my snacks too," Alex frowned. "Whatever she did to that boy in Seattle has to be something alright."

Magnus had a very concerning look on his face as he struggled with the idea of whether he wanted to know details of that or not. What could she have done that was so awful even this guy deemed it too horrible?

"Thanks, but no thanks. Now report or get out."

Kelli shrugged. "Fine. The advanced team is ready, as you requested. We can leave—" She frowned.

"What is it?" Luke asked.

"A presence," Kelli said. "Your senses are getting dull, Luke. We're being watched."

She scanned the stateroom. Her eyes focused right on me. Her face withered into a hag's. She bared her fangs and lunged.

"Eep!" Magnus jumped in his seat no matter the lack of harm that was coming to him. "Can you die in your dreams!"

"Gods I hope not, I've had enough close calls," Percy was rubbing his chest in here plenty to prove it had been real enough to him too.

I woke with a start, my heart pounding. I could've sworn the empousa's fangs were an inch from my throat.

Percy's trembling fingers brushed over his thumping pulse one last time too. Not a reminder he needed, but when did he ever get a say in those?

Tyson was snoring in the next bunk. The sound calmed me down a little.

"I would have thought it was the ocean," Thalia snorted.

"To each their own, hopefully Annabeth snores," Jason snickered.

I didn't know how Kelli could sense me in a dream,

"I really didn't question that to much," Magnus admitted, "or I'd just fall back down the rabbit hole of wondering how she even existed."

but I'd heard more than I wanted to know. An army was ready. Kronos would lead it personally.

"So what specifically in that would you like to know less about?" Alex frowned. "Because I'm personally interested in any details I can get how to stop that!"

"The part about what they'd be wearing while doing it," Percy rolled his eyes.

"But the details make it!" Alex looked personally wounded.

All they needed was a way to navigate the Labyrinth so they could invade and destroy Camp Half-Blood, and Luke apparently thought that was going to happen very soon.

I was tempted to go wake up Annabeth and tell her, middle of the night or not.

"Regardless of those pesky, man-eating harpies inflicting curfew huh?" Will chuckled.

"Percy is the reason the curfew exists," Jason said in exasperation.

"Nuhu!" Percy yelped. "The Aphrodite kids, or heck the Hermes kids are far worse about that!"

"You're the only person in your cabin, so you get all the blame," Thalia reminded with a smirk.

"So are you," Percy shot back. He felt instantly bad for it though, as Thalia winced and looked away. Clearly that was a bit of a sore subject to her, she probably would have preferred if he'd reminded she was responsible for all of the trouble Artemis's Huntresses got up to when there.

Then I realized the room was lighter than it should have been. A blue and green glow was coming from the saltwater fountain, brighter and more urgent than the night before. It was almost like the water was humming.

I got out of bed and approached.

No voice spoke out of the water this time, asking for a deposit. I got the feeling the fountain was waiting for me to make the first move.

"You're grasping a fountains nonverbal cues better than anything Annabeth has ever actually said to you," Magnus snorted.

"Note to self, teach your cousin sign language too," Alex chuckled.

I probably should've gone back to bed. Instead I thought about what I'd seen last night—the weird image of Nico at the banks of the River Styx.

"You're trying to tell me something," I said.

No response from the fountain.

"It's perfectly normal to talk to inanimate objects," Will said innocently. "It's when they start talking back you should be worried."

"How many cups of coffee has that taken?" Nico asked slyly.

Will blushed and decided against answering.

"All right," I said. "Show me Nico di Angelo."

I didn't even throw a coin in, but this time it didn't matter. It was like some other force had control of the water besides Iris the messenger goddess.

Nico still disliked this coming up as much as ever, because he could never ask what the heck was going on. Would his sister have had different abilities than him, was this a manifestation of using the Mist like Thalia could? If she could send messages to Percy, why couldn't she do the same for him?!

He knew the answer though, no matter how many warnings she would have sent about not trusting Minos and to stop what he was doing, he most likely wouldn't have listened until something else had happened, like Percy saving his stupid life. Again.

The water shimmered. Nico appeared, but he was no longer in the Underworld. He was standing in a graveyard under a starry sky.

"It's good to get out and check the scenery every now and then," Alex nodded as if this had been a serious concern of his.

Thalia twirled her bracelet around and decided Nico might not want to know the Huntress's own ideas of his sister looking down on him from those stars. They might not all get a constellation, but they were a part of Artemis up there.

Giant willow trees loomed all around him.

He was watching some gravediggers at work. I heard shovels and saw dirt flying out of a hole. Nico was dressed in a black cloak. The night was foggy.

"Really setting the mood I hear, all you're missing is the ominous fire," Alex chuckled.

"I avoid human sacrifices if it's not convenient," the morbid joke slipped out only after a moment of hesitation. He finally got the reaction he was expecting too, Alex laughed.

It was warm and humid, and frogs were croaking. A large Wal-Mart bag sat next to Nico's feet.

"Which I really hope isn't left there when you're done, or somebody's going to end up on Grover's shit list," Jason grinned.

"One of the very few lists I strive to stay off of," Nico promised.

"Is it deep enough yet?" Nico asked. He sounded irritated.

"Nearly, my lord." It was the same ghost I'd seen Nico with before, the faint shimmering image of a man. "But, my lord, I tell you, this is unnecessary. You already have me for advice."

"I want a second opinion!" Nico snapped his fingers,

Will hummed with appreciation on that. "You should have like, three at minimum before making whatever life-altering decisions go into digging up holes."

"Next time you'll be the third," Nico promised, not bothering to hide his amusement.

and the digging stopped. Two figures climbed out of the hole. They weren't people. They were skeletons in ragged clothes.

"Cooool," Alex grinned. "How long have you been at this? And you've already got minions at the tip of your fingers!"

"Um," Nico kept finding himself grinning in surprise somebody said cool in regards to him. "Just that past month. It used to take a lot of effort to concentrate and resurrect them without passing out." 

Will couldn't help a frown at the end, watching Nico with concern how somebody could say that casually. Who had been there for Nico when he woke up? Just some old ghost?

Nico just saw the frown, and the concern, and swallowed anxiously if he'd finally freaked Will out. Alex interrupted with, "Sweet, and you could do it down here?" Alex was starting to eye the walls in a bit of a concerning way.

"Probably," Nico shrugged nonchalantly. "There's plenty of skeletons in the ocean to pull from if I wanted to try, though it's easier pulling them from the soil for some reason."

"Please do not," Magnus did not care his voice cracked, it seemed to encourage Nico to move on just that touch faster.

"You are dismissed," Nico said. "Thank you."

"Politeness!" Will chuckled. Nico felt a tiny breath of relief come loose he'd rather not dwell on. He didn't need anybody's opinion.

The skeletons collapsed into piles of bones.

Percy still looked mildly disturbed, but it was definitely at the bottom of strange things he'd seen.

"You might as well thank the shovels," the ghost complained. "They have as much sense."

"Maybe we should thank the shovels too," Thalia sniffed. "I actually do owe my shield a thanks or too for saving my hide."

"I knew a guy who named his vacuum," Percy shrugged.

"That ghost sounds like he's being disrespectful on purpose," Jason frowned. "He's no different than them, just floating there. Is he saying he shouldn't be thanked for all his advice?" His creepy, murdery advice Nico shouldn't be around.

"It wasn't part of the ceremony, just something, I wanted to do," Nico said with a sad smile. He didn't have any specific memories of his mother encouraging manners or anything, but he liked to think that would have made her smile. It had just felt like the natural thing to do.

Nico ignored him. He reached into his Wal-Mart bag and pulled out a twelve-pack of Coke. He popped open a can. Instead of drinking it, he poured it into the grave.

"There had better be some serious reason you're wasting perfectly good Coke," Percy told him tragically.

Nico gave him an awkward smile he couldn't say yes. It hadn't gone remotely as planned. Did Percy consider everything he did a waste?

"Let the dead taste again," he murmured. "Let them rise and take this offering. Let them remember."

He dropped the rest of the Cokes into the grave and pulled out a white paper bag decorated with cartoons. I hadn't seen one in years, but I recognized it—a McDonald's Happy Meal.

He turned it upside down and shook the fries and hamburger into the grave.

"In my day, we used animal blood," the ghost mumbled. "It's perfectly good enough. They can't taste the difference."

"I will treat them with respect," Nico said.

"What's the difference? The grease, I mean, Greek of it all?" Alex snickered at his almost pun.

"The principal," Nico grinned. "It adds that little bit of extra mph," he even sprinkled his fingers like his sister was adding a last dash of cinnamon.

"Mmm, the perfect ingredient then," Alex laughed as he even smacked his lips.

"At least let me keep the toy," the ghost said.

"Be quiet!" Nico ordered.

"Well now you're just not being nice Nico," Percy grinned. "You should always bring enough of those for everybody."

"You can be quiet too," but there was nothing but an exasperated sigh in Nico's voice for knowing he could never make Percy Jackson do that.

He emptied another twelve-pack of soda and three more Happy Meals into the grave, then began chanting in Ancient Greek. I caught only some of the words—a lot about the dead and memories and returning from the grave. Real happy stuff.

"All we're missing is the ball pit," Percy tried to say without sounding too queasy.

The grave started to bubble. Frothy brown liquid rose to the top like the whole thing was filling with soda. The fog thickened. The frogs stopped croaking. Dozens of figures began to appear among the gravestones: bluish, vaguely human shapes. Nico had summoned the dead with Coke and cheeseburgers.

"That is some serious mojo my dude," Magnus told him. He didn't think he sounded that terrified that somebody he now knew, like actually in person, treated this as their casual Saturday night. It was more strange to him than the idea of having a roof over his head again.

"There are too many," the ghost said nervously. "You don't know your own powers."

"As much as I don't trust this ghost, I don't think it's great he's the one cautioning you over that when he's just begging you to do some wild stuff," Jason frowned.

"Yeah, yeah," Nico muttered inaudibly. Like he needed another person to tell him what an idiot he'd been for having Minos around.

Jason heard the reluctance in his voice, he realized he'd said something wrong, but he wasn't sure what. He glanced awkwardly between Percy and Nico, who had been more awkwardly still trying at stilted conversation and avoiding each other all morning, and then Will who looked as confused and concerned as he felt. He felt a flash of sadness for Nico, it didn't seem like he'd made many great friends since his sister's death, he certainly never went around mentioning someone he'd rather have down here who would know what had upset him.

"I've got it under control," Nico said, though his voice sounded fragile.

He drew his sword—a short blade made of solid black metal. I'd never seen anything like it. It wasn't celestial bronze or steel. Iron, maybe? The crowd of shades retreated at the sight of it.

"I've been meaning to ask about that," Alex looked so eager, they could literally not predict what was about to come out of his mouth. "Where'd you get the sword? Does they have a name?"

"Um," Nico looked more baffled at his sword being called a they. Was Riptide a they? "It doesn't have a name, and it's a long story," he sighed. "It involves a clown, a fish, and I'm pretty sure Phil hasn't forgiven me for wrecking that statue, so, later."

"You mean, a clown-fish?" Percy tried to correct.

"No, no, fish, clown, two separate dudes," Nico shrugged.

It wasn't even the top twenty weirdest things any of them had tried to wrap their heads around. Alex still looked very much like he was going to protest until he got this story in detail, but Nico was trying to keep reading and had once again masterfully maneuvered out of sharing his own autobiography Alex was clearly after from all of them.

"One at a time," Nico commanded.

A single figure floated forward and knelt at the pool. It made slurping sounds as it drank. Its ghostly hands scooped French fries out of the pool.

"I really want to say eww here," Thalia looked far to intrigued to sound right anyways, "but I'm more curious what would happen if anybody other than a ghost drank that."

"To clarify, it takes you chanting, right?" Magnus asked with a heavy frown. "Because if I start shoveling fries, a burger, and a coke all at once and swallow, I will blame the consequences on you."

"I promise not to chant over your food while you're eating," Nico said with a little to much of a wicked smile to encompass that promise he'd never chant around him. "Seriously though Thalia, it wouldn't have an effect on anything but a ghost, the ritual just gives them back their human form. So, unless you lost it, it would just taste normal."

"Huh," she grinned, very curious if Artemis knew about this ritual and used it to commune, or if the gods even needed such a thing and could freely interact with any ghosts from their past that lingered.

When it stood again, I could see it much more clearly—a teenage guy in Greek armor. He had curly hair and green eyes, a clasp shaped like a seashell on his cloak.

Percy wondered how self-centered it was of him to feel very awkward that an obvious ancestor of his had been the one to get to drink.

Then Alex laughed enthusiastically and ruined the idea it was just his idea. "I'm really getting the impression why Percy thought you wanted his soul though just from this moment. What are the odds of that one Nico?"

Nico looked like he was going to keel over from stress rather than answer.

Percy swooped in anyways, pigheaded or not, "a child of Poseidon got to the water fountain first, it's a matter of pride!"

Alex just gave one last chuckle and was clearly going to let it go, while Nico took deep breaths and fought back tears of shame how stupid obvious his obsession had been. How Percy wasn't cringing in disgust away from him as far as he could he didn't know.

"Who are you?" Nico said. "Speak."

The young man frowned as if trying to remember. Then he spoke in a voice like dry, crumpling paper: "I am Theseus."

"Cool!" Jason yelped like he'd just gotten the best birthday present and the rest could all stay in their wrappings. "Can you summon back any hero of old?!" The idea of being able to converse with The Caligula for any length of time and ask him about all his rulings and advice sounded like a dream!

"Not exactly," Nico said sullenly. If he could just call his sister up like this whenever he pleased, he liked to think he wouldn't always feel so alone.

Jason didn't ask any further questions, though it was obvious he really wanted to.

No way, I thought. This couldn't be the Theseus. He was just a kid. I'd grown up hearing stories about him fighting the Minotaur and stuff, but I'd always pictured him as this huge, buff guy. The ghost I was looking at wasn't strong or tall. And he wasn't any older than I was.

"That was just depressing," Will frowned. The age of manhood back then had been like fifteen or something. In theory, they all knew the heroes of old had been about the age they were now.

To hear it described so vividly though only emphasized the idea no demigod in history had really gotten an easy life.

"How can I retrieve my sister?" Nico asked.

Theseus's eyes were lifeless as glass. "Do not try. It is madness."

"Does a ghost telling you something's mad make that better or worse?" Magnus asked.

"I'm going to leave that up to the ghost your questioning," Alex shrugged as if this were an every day occurrence for him.

"Just tell me!"

"My stepfather died," Theseus remembered. "He threw himself into the sea because he thought I was dead in the Labyrinth.

"Tragic," Jason said with sympathy.

"Now see, why couldn't my life parallel that story," Percy huffed.

"Because if Sally pushed Gabe off the roof she never would have discovered her passion for the arts," Thalia tragically reminded.

I wanted to bring him back, but I could not."

Nico's ghost hissed. "My lord, the soul exchange! Ask him about that!"

Theseus scowled. "That voice. I know that voice."

Percy felt like there was a mosquito bite on his brain. Something he longed to scratch at but knew he shouldn't or it would just get worse.

"No you don't, fool!" the ghost said. "Answer the lord's questions and nothing more!"

"I know you," Theseus insisted, as if struggling to recall.

"How did Theseus die again?" Magnus asked wearily. "Does dying affect your memory?"

"Very much so," Nico sighed. "They're specters who forgot themselves without the ritual, and even then, it won't all come back."

"And, um, let's just say it wasn't a happy ending I'd want to end up with," Percy said with a wince. He remembered stories about sons of Poseidon mildly better than others and hoped his powers never failed him when he was thrown into the ocean.

"Right," Magnus agreed reluctantly, realizing he probably shouldn't ask again unless it was about the original Perseus.

"I want to hear about my sister," Nico said. "Will this quest into the Labyrinth help me win her back?"

Will's laugh was nothing but sympathetic. "I'd help you out no problem Nico, with anything other than this."

Nico smiled. Will had already said as much, but it was still nice to hear.

"Win her back?" Jason couldn't help but fret over that word. "Is the labyrinth a game and you win a prize?" The dread in his voice made it sound like one he didn't think he'd participate in if given the chance.

"There are many things to discover down there," Nico answered as cryptically as possible.

Theseus was looking for the ghost, but apparently couldn't see him. Slowly he turned his eyes back on Nico. "The Labyrinth is treacherous. There is only one thing that saw me through: the love of a mortal girl. The string was only part of the answer. It was the princess who guided me."

"We don't need any of that," the ghost said. "I will guide you, my lord. Ask him if it is true about an exchange of souls. He will tell you."

"A soul for a soul," Nico asked. "Is it true?"

"A part from the absolute ick factor of that being discussed," Alex said cheerfully, "are we going to get details on how that would work?"

"No," Nico said flatly. The little he'd gleaned from Minos had put him off this idea until his last desperate attempt with nothing left to lose. He would not be sharing what he'd considered doing to Daedalus' soul to retrieve Bianca's with it.

"I—I must say yes. But the specter—"

"Just answer the questions, knave!" the ghost said.

Suddenly, around the edges of the pool, the other ghosts became restless. They stirred, whispering in nervous tones.

"Anything that makes a ghost nervous and I am out," Magnus muttered.

Then again, Nico obviously made them nervous, so maybe that was a little to broad. He still wasn't happy about whatever was coming next, he knew that much.

"I want to see my sister!" Nico demanded. "Where is she?"

"He is coming," Theseus said fearfully. "He has sensed your summons. He comes."

"It's not Hades is it?" Alex asked, sounding far to much like that's something he wanted to happen. "I am honestly expecting him to show up any time now to scold you for messing with this stuff, all the underground talk, the ghosts, it fits perfectly!"

"It was not Hades," but Nico wasn't going to elaborate any more than that. He was not looking forward to that stupid ranch anymore than he was that stupid cavern with Pan.

"Who?" Nico demanded.

"He comes to find the source of this power," Theseus said. "You must release us."

"The one occasion I will always agree the pronoun game is the worst," Alex shook his head with disgust. "Just say his bloody name!"

"He forgot the name of the ghost following Nico around he obviously knows, he might not know whoever it is that's about to show up, just that he doesn't want to be around him," Jason offered halfheartedly.

The water in my fountain began to tremble, humming with power. I realized the whole cabin was shaking. The noise grew louder. The image of Nico in the graveyard started to glow until it was painful to watch.

"Stop," I said out loud. "Stop it!"

The fountain began to crack. Tyson muttered in his sleep and turned over. Purple light threw horrible, ghostly shadows on the cabin walls, as if the specters were escaping right out of the fountain.

In desperation I uncapped riptide and slashed at the fountain, cleaving it in two. Salt water spilled everywhere, and the great stone font crashed to the floor in pieces. Tyson snorted and muttered, but he kept sleeping.

"Man, that was like, the coolest thing too," Alex pouted.

"Hopefully Tyson can fix it," Magnus offered.

I sank to the ground, shivering from what I'd seen. Tyson found me there in the morning, still staring at the shattered remains of the saltwater fountain.

"Nico," Will managed through numb lips. "What happened?"

"I got caught," he shrugged with the kind of nonchalance of this being an everyday occurrence.

Then again, they were all presently kidnapped, so maybe it wasn't such a traumatizing thing the second go around. Better company here anyways.

Just after dawn, the quest group met at Zeus's Fist.

"Where Luke was tied up and this problem was resolved in a timely manner for once?" Magnus sighed.

"I'm starting to get worried about your active delusions man, what are you eating over there," Percy shook his head. "If ever something went that easy, I'd be convinced I was being had."

I'd packed my knapsack—thermos with nectar, baggie of ambrosia, bedroll, rope, clothes, flashlights, and lots of extra batteries. I had Riptide in my pocket. The magic shield/wristwatch Tyson had made for me was on my wrist.

"At least they packed the essentials," Will said in relief, but then continued in a rather concerned tone, "but what about the snacks?"

Nico fought hard to smother a snort of mirth as he looked at this blonde guy in shorts and flip-flops. This was probably his first time ever leaving camp down here. It was all so innocent it almost hurt him.

It was a clear morning. The fog had burned off and the sky was blue.

Campers would be having their lessons today, flying pegasi and practicing archery and scaling the lava wall. Meanwhile, we could be heading underground.

"And they're all jealous of each other," Alex chuckled.

"Are you nuts?" Will looked at him scandalized. "We were all thanking our lucky stars we weren't heading to the place that didn't have grass! We all pitched in and held a thank you seminar Percy and Annabeth were at camp to do this quest!"

"Thanks man," Percy sighed. At least he knew Will was joking that time...or he'd somehow hadn't been invited to a seminar about him and he really wasn't upset about it.

Juniper and Grover stood apart from the group. Juniper had been crying again, but she was trying to keep it together for Grover's sake. She kept fussing with his clothes, straightening his rasta cap and brushing goat fur off his shirt.

Percy recalled watching that with a dull sense of confusion. Like that was something his mom would have been doing, not a girlfriend. His eyes had flickered to Annabeth at the time, who had been staring at the rock as if it were going to move and crush her any moment. He'd reached over and zipped a pouch on her backpack left half open without her noticing like that would be of any help.

It had felt silly and stupid at the time, he was really grateful she hadn't noticed then, and the book not mentioning it now.

Since we had no idea what we would encounter, he was dressed as a human, with the cap to hide his horns, and jeans, fake feet, and sneakers to hide his goat legs.

"One of these days I just want you to not though," Thalia grinned. "The amount of people who will just think he's walking around in the weirdest outfit ever would be so much fun."

"We'll get him a cane so everybody will be to awkward to look long too," Percy agreed indulgently.

Chiron, Quintus, and Mrs. O'Leary stood with the other campers who'd come to wish us well, but there was too much activity for it to feel like a happy send-off. A couple of tents had been set up by the rocks for guard duty. Beckendorf and his siblings were working on a line of defensive spikes and trenches. Chiron had decided we needed to guard the Labyrinth exit at all times, just in case.

"What do you mean? That sounds like the best sendoff ever," Jason smiled. "You get to come back and see all the improvements they made, like a then and now skeleton in the works!"

He seemed to be missing the detail they were doing all that in case they didn't come back, and nobody had the heart to correct him.

Annabeth was doing one last check on her supply pack. When Tyson and I came over, she frowned. "Percy, you look terrible."

"The standard morning greeting," Percy sighed.

"He killed the water fountain last night," Tyson confided.

Alex clasped his hands as if blessing the book for that particularly strange sentence.

"What?" she asked.

Before I could explain, Chiron trotted over. "Well, it appears you are ready!"

"It is criminal he is that excited first thing in the morning, let alone about this," Will sighed.

"He's probably lacing his morning hay with coffee beans," Nico agreed.

He tried to sound upbeat, but I could tell he was anxious. I didn't want to freak him out any more, but I thought about last night's dream, and before I could change my mind, I said, "Hey, uh, Chiron, can I ask you a favor while I'm gone?"

"Of course, my boy."

"Be right back, guys." I nodded toward the woods. Chiron asked an eyebrow, but he followed me out of earshot.

"Last night," I said, "I dreamed about Luke and Kronos." I told him the details. The news seemed to weigh on his shoulders.

"I feared this," Chiron said. "Against my father, Kronos, we would stand no chance in a fight."

Chiron rarely called Kronos his father. I mean, we all knew it was true.

"You didn't until he told you," Thalia snorted.

"I assume other kids around camp actually look up the myths. I just wait to live it all out in person," Percy shrugged.

Everybody in the Greek world—god, monster, or Titan—was related to one another somehow. But it wasn't exactly something Chiron liked to brag about. Oh, my dad is the all-powerful evil Titan lord who wants to destroy Western Civilization. I want to be just like him when I grow up!

"How I imagine every rich brat talks to be honest," Magnus scoffed.

"It's a good thing Chiron lives off the saddlebags on his back then and is nothing like them," Jason chuckled.

Thalia smiled to herself they had no idea they'd met a rich brat, and Rachel would have been laughing right along with them.

"Do you know what he meant about a bargain?" I asked.

"A bargain is offering one exchange for another, usually with one person getting a much better deal," Magnus smirked.

"Now if only you knew the definition of shutting up, then we'd have it made," Percy chuckled.

"I am not sure, but I fear they seek to make a deal with Daedalus. If the old inventor is truly alive, if he has not been driven insane by millennia in the Labyrinth...well, Kronos can find ways to twist anyone to his will."

"Maybe Daedalus is insane, and Kronos will twist him all the way back into being sane, and then you swoop in and rescue him," Alex offered.

"That sounds like a lot of twists and turns," Percy sighed. "Any chance we can just skip to the part where he's on our side?" Then Percy winced for reasons beyond him.

"Then we'd lose out on all your brilliant commentary," Will mock pouted.

"I could live without some of it," Percy huffed. He most certainly wouldn't have advertised his every embarrassing mistake for starters.

"Not anyone," I promised.

Percy smiled with pride for that, until he noticed Thalia's uneasy little wince. He settled quietly into his seat beside her and didn't draw attention to that which Nico had read over without a single bit of surprise.

Chiron managed a smile. "No. Perhaps not anyone. But, Percy, you must beware. I have worried for some time that Kronos may be looking for Daedalus for a different reason, not just passage through the maze."

"What else could he want?" Magnus frowned. "How many things can he get from one dude."

"Hercules has defeated everything in the past," Percy reminded in exhaustion just thinking about him. "It's more than possible Daedalus had more than one thing going on."

"What else would he want?"

"Something Annabeth and I were discussing. Do you remember what you told me about your first trip to the Princess Andromeda, the first time you saw the golden coffin?"

I nodded. "Luke was taking about raising Kronos, little pieces of him appearing in the coffin every time someone new joined his cause."

"Still disgusting and terrifying by the way," Will promised as if anyone had forgotten that.

"And what did Luke say they would do when Kronos had risen completely?"

A chill went down my spine. "He said they would make Kronos a new body, worthy of the forges of Hephaestus."

"Kronos clearly needs to get caught up on all the AI movies proving why that won't turn out like he wants," Jason snorted.

"Indeed," Chiron said. "Daedalus was the world's greatest inventor. He created the Labyrinth, but much more. Automatons, thinking machines...What if Kronos wishes Daedalus to make him a new form?"

"He could tell him no," Alex said stoutly. "That powers within anybody's control!"

"I don't think it worked out so well with that evil king," Magnus reminded uneasily. They didn't yet know what had happened to him and his son from that, but going by the history of all these Greek stories, he was guessing, not well.

That was a real pleasant thought.

"If pleasant means bone chilling," Thalia muttered, getting her own flashes of that all over at just the thought of that reveal.

"We've got to get to Daedalus first," I said, "and convince him not to."

Jason frowned as he wondered how far Percy would be willing to go to convince him though. What level of favor would Percy consider to get Daedalus on his side? Would he kidnap the inventor and drag him back to camp just to keep him away from Kronos against his will?

Chiron stared off into the trees. "One other thing I do not understand...this talk of a last soul joining their cause. That does not bode well."

"Must be a pretty special soul to complete such a ritual," Alex said with an almost serious face for a moment before following it up with, "so I guess that leaves Percy out."

"He's got you there," Magnus snorted, "New Yorker's are one in a million."

Percy laughed along at them downplaying this, as well as trying to take some comfort perhaps if his was the soul needed at least that meant this would never happen.

I kept my mouth shut, but I felt guilty. I'd made the decision not to tell Chiron about Nico being a son of Hades. The mention of souls, though—

Magnus and Alex exchanged surprised, uneasy looks for that. They already knew Kronos would be begging to get Nico on their side by any means necessary, but if Percy's guess was right and he was somehow the child of the prophy meant to help drag Kronos's soul the rest of the way out...well they already knew Minos was evil and could be up to something far worse. What if all this talk of helping bring Bianca back was just practice to get Nico ready for something far worse?

What if Kronos knew about Nico?

"We still haven't gotten clarification how anybody knows anything around here," Will shook his head as if this were a mild concern, "no sense in useless worries until then." He bit back the exclamation Nico would have been safer at Camp in the meantime whether anybody knew his parentage or not only because Kronos was no longer a threat. He'd just have to come up with other arguments.

What if he managed to turn him evil?

"He's literally hanging around with an evil ghost and still making morally ambiguous almost good decisions about not wanting to murder people," Jason reminded with a casual shrug. "I like his chances."

"Thanks," Nico muttered in surprise.

It was almost enough to make me want to tell Chiron, but I didn't. For one thing, I wasn't sure Chiron could do anything about it.

"I'll give you that one," Will agreed briskly. He didn't exactly do a stellar job of the campers already under his care.

"Even the best marksman has a limited range," Thalia said with a bit more sorrow. Even if Chiron couldn't have done anything, he surely would have appreciated a heads-up just in case he could later.

I had to find Nico myself. I had to explain things to him, make him listen.

"Strapping someone in a chair for a lecture is worse than anything Kronos would do to him," Magnus reminded.

"I'd offer snacks?" Percy said.

"Nico?" Magnus let him pass judgment.

He considered for a moment, his stomach in knots over the last time he'd let Percy make him listen. It had only opened a whole other can of worms he was still processing.

So for now, he waved his hand and said, "I'll consider it."

"I don't know," I said at last. "But, uh, something Juniper said, maybe you should hear." I told him how the tree nymph had seen Quintus poking around the rocks.

"Which I'm still mildly offended you didn't do yesterday," Jason scowled, "or her, when this happened!" The safety of their home was not something that should be trifled with!

"Juniper's not great with people," Percy reminded, "and I've had, like, a million other things on my mind!"

"Which is 999,999 more than he usually does," Thalia smirked.

Chiron's jaw tightened. "That does not surprise me."

"What does surprise him is when we spend Father's Day hiding his arrows from him and call it advance practice," Will chuckled. He realized after the fact he was probably being a little to nonchalant about this when he got some strange looks for that, or they just didn't think it was funny. Probably the first though.

"It doesn't sur—you mean you know?"

"Percy, when Quintus showed up at camp offering his services...well, I would have to be a fool not to be suspicious."

"Fair enough," Percy huffed, he still thought somebody could have at least gasped.

"Then why did you let him in?"

"Because sometimes it is better to have someone you mistrust close to you, so that you can keep an eye on him.

"I always hated that saying," Alex scowled, "the adage only works in enclosed spaces to know what your enemy is doing intimately, and even then if they're clever enough they'll pull a wool over your eyes. Otherwise, it's safe to be as far away as possible. Or just kill them."

It wasn't much of a guess which Alex leaned towards.

"There's a certain strategy in both," Jason passively said.

He may be just what he says: a halfblood in search of a home. Certainly he has done nothing openly that would make me question his loyalty. But believe me. I will keep an eye—"

Annabeth trudged over, probably curious why we were taking so long.

"What, is she jealous Percy's having a conversation without her in it for a change?" Alex chuckled.

"She's probably convinced Percy will monopolize himself into being Chiron's new favorite," Magnus mock agreed.

"Percy, you ready?"

I nodded. My hand slipped into my pocket, where I kept the ice whistle Quintus had given me. I looked over and saw Quintus watching me carefully.

He raised his hand in farewell.

Our spies report success, Luke had said. The same day we decided to send a quest, Luke had known about it.

"That's happened the last few quests though where he's up to date," Magnus shook his head. "Can't explicitly blame that on him."

"Take care," Chiron told us. "And good hunting."

"If he asks you to bring him back a skin, tell him to get in line," Alex mock waved.

"You too," I said.

We walked over to the rocks, where Tyson and Grover were waiting. I stared at the crack between the boulders—the entrance that was about to swallow us.

"Well," Grover said nervously, "good-bye sunshine."

"Hello rocks," Tyson agreed.

"Hopefully not the last thing they agree on," Jason said with a wayward smile.

And together, the four of us descended into darkness.

"Real happy, go-getter of a last sentence there," Nico shook his head as he passed the book along to Will.

"At least you never leave camp angry at anybody," Alex offered. "By the rules of writing, that would spell trouble with a capital death."

"My life is not an actual book," Percy told him blankly.

"Well the narrator sure isn't reliable enough for this to be a biography," Magnus smirked. "How many times did you say you're voice has cracked from puberty break?"

"And we're moving on!" Percy yelped.

PJOPJO

*There are no canon middle names for any characters in the series except Will, and it kind of drives me nuts.

[arcplaysgames]

The Persona 5 Post-Mortem, Part Two: What I Did Like 8)

Okay let's talk about what I liked about Persona 5 Royal because despite tearing it a new one last post I think it did a lot of good things.

Joker is a great fucking character.

We made it, folks, we did it. We have a player-directed mostly silent protagonist who is just bursting with personality.

My biggest and loudest complaint about Persona 4 Golden was the protagonist. I felt like he was such a blank, empty void that the game frequently had to compensate for the space he should have filled.

Joker was the perfect answer to almost everything. He was vibrant, funny, heartfelt, and kind of a bitch. He had force of personality. There was backstory to him that drove the story. Instead of "grey dude staying in small town for a year, no further details available" we had

"Do-gooder gets framed for assault and is forced out of his small hometown, moving to Fucking Tokyo to attend a prestigious but strict high school, all while being told at every turn to make himself small, to not make waves lest he fuck up his life more. He tries to do as he's told but his desire to push back and protect people gets him in trouble almost immediately."

P4MC gets involved in the Inaba murder mystery because he fell in a TV; Yosuke is the one with personal motivation to start with. Joker gets involved in the Metaverse because he's genuinely motivated to help people and push back against authority. If you took out the personas, the wild cards, the supernatural element of this story, Joker would still be an interesting person and something would have happened to him regardless.

Joker also is much more than a passive observer to the plot. He is a catalyst. He is inherently wrapped up in the central conflict. He's a showoff, he has a vicious grin when he's pulled off something clever, he's actually a Trickster. He's a fucking character!

And while he is player-directed, Joker absolutely, genuinely has his own motivations separate from player control. He has attachments that the player doesn't decide for him, and in Royal it becomes the most shocking moment of the game.

There is more authorship to Joker, and he is not just the player's avatar. There was zero reason for P4MC to be gender locked because he was almost entirely built from the player's projection. Joker succeeds by being his own person who the player is guiding.

The secondary cast of the game is frequently very good.

Hot take: I think Sojiro is a better character than at least half of the Thieves. He's more complex, has more gravity, and feels like a part of the world in the way the literal main cast often does not.

And it's not just Sojiro. I think the non-teammate SLinks in P5R are broadly speaking much better than the previous games. Yeah, I am annoyed at how much Atlus just cannot stop writing grizzly sad dads while keeping single moms off camera, but. i cannot deny that the actual characters we get are good.

Sojiro, Maruki, Kawakami, Tae, Iwai, Toranosuke, even Mishima who I hated as a person but have to admit he was an interesting link. Compared to previous Persona games, I was more interested and invested in more SLinks in this game than in P3 and P4. And honestly I don't think any were Actively Terrible like, say, P3's Hanged Man or P4's Devil.

I think this is aided by how varied the SLinks are. Many of the SLinks in P3 and P4 are other students, and that kind of limited what stories they could tell, imo. In P5R, we have an ex-yakuza gun nut who adopted an abandoned child, a fairly unethical disgraced doctor who is trying to test a new drug, a failed politician who still believes in governance of the people-- these are interesting! They're good! Not to be flippant but they're better than "yet another classmate, but this one is Wacky because X reason."

Living in digital Tokyo was honestly a delight.

Okay yes I have some complaints about the lack of localization in P5R's environments and how the lack of context really hurt a few sections of this game and I really stand by that.

HOWEVER, as someone with a dear friend and penpal in Tokyo, it was... honestly really nice to explore the city as much as the game let me. One of the real joys of the game was just experiencing a simulacrum of that space for a year. I got a laugh out of the POLLEN WARNING!!!! days and how similar they are to my own days in Georgia. And as someone who has never lived in a city and only academically understands how they are laid out and function, just exploring busy streets was fun.

A few times, i skipped using the Fast Travel menu just to walk to the various places I needed to visit.

I loved Kichijoji the most. 8) And the little moments when i recognized a place (my gasp of delight at the FIRST TIME I saw Shinjuku!!!), that was fun because learning the layout of Tokyo gave all those locations more of a sense of scale and place.

Inaba was frankly very similar to my own super small midwestern town in America. Digital Tokyo was a new experience I really enjoyed.

Morgana was a talking cat that slept in Joker's school desk and rode around in his bag.

Enough fucking said. As someone who is not a dog person, it's nice to finally have a game for the Cat People. Finally some goddamn representation.

Yes, I think Joker faking his own death and Yaldaboath as the final boss were messy as hell, BUT...... they were stylish.

I could (and have) sat here and poked holes in these sequences, the two Huge Setpieces that anchor the game. We all know by now that both are messy as hell, don't make a lot of sense, and don't really hold up to scrutiny.

However: unlike the Izanami reveal in P4G which Just Sucked (and I will never stop mocking), these flawed climaxes are smoothed over by the full tilt all-in bombast employed.

They were fun enough to make me go "well, I can't be mad at every damn thing." Which is something.

The Third Semester/Royal Content.

This probably needs to be its own post, because it is dense enough to be its own game and singlehandedly saved Persona 5.

Part Three soonish!

[yunoteru4ever]

The new Spanish Collector's Edition release of Mirai Nikki is chock-full of goodies

It was just last August that the first Spanish dub of Mirai Nikki was first announced by SelectaVision (alongside the first Spanish dub of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and its follow-up film). And now those Spanish dubs are available on blu-ray and DVD in Europe... along with a really impressive Collector's Edition for Mirai Nikki!

BEHOLD! It's crazy how fast SelectaVision went from announcing this set to fully releasing it. I actually missed the entire announcement window and then BOOM, it was already out when I learned about it.

Items #1 and #2 in the above image are just the box and the actual disks, which actually include the test OVA that predates the series. And while that's a neat inclusion, I think the most compelling content is the rest of the items included in the set.

#3 is a soundtrack CD with 20 tracks from the series.

#4 is a "mini-container box" for the disks (for some reason).

#5 is a series of 9 "Maxicards" — Sakae Esuno illustrations printed in a large size.

#6 is is a 68x48 poster with different artwork on each side.

#7 is a set of die-cut character stickers.

#8 consists of 19 trading cards (made from 9 'card models,' whatever that is).

#9 is a replica of Yuki's signature beanie, of course.

#10 is a 40-page booklet containing character sheets, background information, soundtrack details, and an image gallery.

At a price of 120 Euros, this doesn't come cheap... but I still feel tempted to get one for myself. That asking price actually feels justified (IMO) in light of all that's included! I'm not sure if I'll take the plunge, but either way? I hope we ALL get to see the contents of that 40-page booklet one day.

By the way, the standard edition has different cover art than the collector's set. It looks like this:

I admit I don't care for SelectaVision's cover choices. I think Japan, the U.S., and the UK have all produced better cover art for the series. But hey, what does that really matter? It's the content that's the meat of the package — not the box.

[that-salty-ghost]

As Above, So Below | Chapter 25: For Good Luck | Viktor [Arcane] // Male Reader | Rating: M Throughout

A/N: Forgot to post this on here like a month ago oopsies

Word Count: ~3.1k Summary: Viktor gambles with you in more ways than one and you meet some interesting folks at the tavern Tags: drinking, swearing, gambling, smoking, the usual Last Chpt: Date Night Pt 2 Sinking Ship

// 🎧 Mood Music: Sinners by Barns Courtney 🎧 \\

Check my pinned post for more details/previous chapters/etc.

The main floor of the inn is a tavern, flooded with faces you’ve never seen before that barely pay you any mind despite your still damp attire.

The bar is packed with people and you squeeze behind Viktor while he asks the innkeeper about room availability. You take in your surroundings and notice a pair getting heated over a game of darts, tables of people playing card and dice games, stew and baked bread being served to travelers that looked even more weary than you, and a woman eyeing Viktor fondly off to the side as you hear him say “Is there a chance one might become available?”

Shit. The place must be full up.

You watch as Viktor must’ve felt eyes on him, turning to see the woman smiling at him before he looks back to you. The small lift of his brows serving as a sign that he wasn’t expecting you to be so tightly packed in with him. Still, he smiles softly as he takes you in—seeming comfortable with the closer proximity as he speaks.

“How many cogs do you have?”

“They have rooms?” You ask as you dig in your holster, brandishing a few silver coins from the cutpurse earlier on. You thought you had more, but they must’ve fallen out in the river…along with your pride.

“Room.” He clarifies as he pulls out his own coins and holds his hand out to take yours. “The most expensive one—this whole side of the city has no vacancy. Apparently, there’s some festival going on tomorrow.”

“…So, I don’t get that cheap room after all?”

Viktor grins slyly, holding back a laugh as he shuffles through the combined cogs in his hand. “Disappointing, I know.”

His teasing makes you grin back as you watch him count the amount, his mouth moving silently along as he does. “But for what it’s worth, I do enjoy festivals.” He adds in between his mental math.

“I do too, I don’t get to go very often.” You admit before glancing out the window. Frost glistens at the corners and judging by the haze in the lights it looks like it might start to snow soon. “I bet it’s for the winter season coming up.”

“If you’re not an icicle by morning maybe we can catch it.” He glances up and winks playfully, making you smile ear to ear until he finishes counting with a disgruntled hum.

“We’re ten shy…any ideas?”

The sounds of the tavern call your attention as you scan the room. The buzz of bar talk and laughter rings in your ears as you see a couple tables with coin laid down as they play cards. “Huh. Doesn’t look like these bar games are just for fun.”

Viktor nods steadily as he follows your gaze and your thought process. “Mm…gambling?”

“Looks that way.” You watch as he tilts his head, considering that reality. “See anything you think you would win?”

Dexterous fingers divvy up the cogs in hand while he peers around the tables, pausing at one in particular with both cards and a wooden board riddled with holes. Eyes light up with arched brows as he nods. “Yes, I believe so…what about you?”

If the book club has taught you anything it’s that bar flies can and will kick your ass at cards. Your focus falls back to the dart board, only hesitating when you look at your bruised knuckle—a slight tremble still afflicting your dominant hand. “Maybe…”

Viktor watches your gaze travel from the board to your hand, biting his lip as the gears turn in his head.

You keep focus on the two throwing darts, trying to listen in on what they’re so heated about. The noise of the crowd drowns out most of their conversation, but it sounds like they can’t find one of their friends. When you turn back you find Viktor staring at the small scar on your cheek.

Had he not noticed it yet? Peculiar thought, considering he ran his thumb across it in the boat. Curiosity gets the best of you.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

A quick shake of his head brushes off whatever he was thinking about before he hands over your half of the cogs.

“I’m afraid you can’t afford that right now.”

Eyes wide and mouth agape, you cough out a laugh at his audacity. While he wasn’t completely wrong, his sense of humor easily catches you by surprise. Almost as much as his words of encouragement.

“But something tells me that you have a knack for getting what you want.” Whiskey eyes begin to drink you up and down playfully.

“Thaaat only happens when my luck isn’t dying a slow, agonizing death.” It’s a pitiful thought considering how unfortunately said luck as played out so far tonight.

“Ah, well in that case…” It all happens so quickly that you barely have time to process, let alone react to what’s happening.

As Viktor moves to step past you, he pushes his weight into his cane to turn and place his hand on your shoulder, eyes scanning your reaction while he holds you gently in place. Your heart jumps in your chest, unsure of what he’s doing but choosing to just trust him.

So, you stay still for him.

You catch the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth when he realizes what you’re doing and leans forward until you feel his lips press lightly against your cheek—kissing the faded scar where fletching from your arrow carved into you years ago. Heat rises to where his lips touch your skin and lingers even after he pulls away. With a crooked smile, he finishes his sentence before turning to make his way to the cribbage table.

“For good luck, of course.”

All you can manage is a dumbstruck expression as Viktor walks away—talking up the table to see if he can join the next game. You can distinguish his voice among the others, smooth and charming as always and aren’t surprised in the slightest when they offer him a chair.

You have to bite back the goofy grin trying to creep its way onto your lips as you walk towards the dart board. A new felt confidence rising within as you press now steady fingers to your cheek, whispering to no one.

“Of course…”

Maybe it’s the fact that your clothes were still damp. Maybe it’s because this group was already on edge. Or maybe you just simply aren’t as charismatic as Viktor, but joining the dart game was damn near impossible.

“We’re playing pairs, don’t have room for another.” A short man with dark hair tied up explains as the other eyes your clothes in disdain. At first glance the two men seem pretty ordinary, not wearing anything particularly eye-catching until you see their shoes.

Shiny buckles, polished leather without wear or tear, barely even a scuff on the soles.

Perfect, they’re topsiders.

Which means they’re loaded.

You notice the scorecard on the table next to them and see initials listed ‘DV | JT | JF’, cocking your brow with a grin when they see you catch them up in a lie about how many are in their group.

“If you’re scared of losing you just have to say so.” You tease at their egos, knowing it’ll only make it easier to get in on a game and win some coin as long as your hand behaves.

“Like hell, you look like you just crawled out of a sewer.”

The shorter man chimes in after his friend. “Can you even afford a wager?”

You hold out half the cogs that you have before tucking them back into your holster, grateful that their cocky expressions died down at least a little bit as you answer.

“Yeah. I think I can manage. Can you?”

“Don’t insult us.” The man with his hair in a ponytail holds out his share, the other follows showing his bet as well.

“Good, sounds like we have a game.” You glance at the scorecard again then back up. “So, where’s your third? Are they in?”

“We don’t know where the hell he ran off t—”

“Sorry!” A voice comes up from behind you, slightly out of breath as his steps hurry towards the group. “I found a pawn shop at the night market—couldn’t resist.”

Your attention shifts to the man coming up behind you. He’s a bit taller than you, clean-cut with dark hair and muscles that line his entire frame. The definition of a ‘pretty boy’ with a perfect pearly-white smile to match.

“Cigars. You had one job—pick up some cigars.”

Your ears perk up as you watch the newcomer set a wooden box down on the table, Remy’s seal holding the lid securely until they tear it open. The scent of tobacco mixed with molasses and clove fills the air and you recognize the blend immediately.

“Went with the Slow Burn collection, huh?”

All three sets of eyes are fixed on you, but your focus is on the one who brought the box. It looks like the first time he even realizes you’re there, looking to his friends in confusion then back to you.

“Yeah…the person at the cart said this R&R’s place is the best tobacconist in the undercity.”

“Oh, good to know.” You play with fire and attempt to figure out where the hell you are. “Where’s this ‘R&R’ place at?”

“The merchant said it’s about 4 miles up the ro—sorry, who are you?”

Fuck. That’s…not close, but that’s a problem for tomorrow.

“Oh sorry, I was just asking your friends if you’d be interested in a game?” Your eyes flit to the dart board then back. “Maybe throw some coin down—make it a little interesting?”

He glances at the other two. Ponytail shrugs while the other glares you down until he searches through the box. “Did you get a straight cutter? A light?”

The silence that follows the question has you rummaging in your holster as you anticipate pretty boy’s disappointing answer.

“I—no…I’ve never smoked before! I didn’t even think about—”

You interrupt with a shake of the waterproof matchbox you snagged from the boat; gods rest its soul. All eyes on you again until the one with the long hair speaks up. “Do you have a cutter too?”

“No, but if you give me one of those cigars, I’ll show you how to smoke without one.”

Did you need to take one of their cigars?

No.

But telling yourself that it’ll take the chill out of your bones was helping you feel less guilty about practically stealing a cigar from these poor Pilties. Can’t throw darts if you’re shivering, can you?

Course not.

“Can’t you just bite the tip off?” Between the wording of that sentence and the shorter man’s furrowed brows, it takes all the power in your being not to laugh. Must be the first time any of them have tried cigars.

“Uhh cap, not tip.” You start with a grimace. “And sure, if you want to fuck it up and have a shit smoke.” You shrug nonchalantly. “I’d do that with cheaper cigars though, not those.”

Although the two men you initially met seem put off by your deal, the pretty one is eagerly handing over one of his…well, your cigars to show him what to do.

“You got something that can create a puncture?” You ask before watching the stranger’s face light up, flashing a small gap in his toothy grin.

“Sure do.” He digs through a rucksack before holding out a miniature screwdriver. “Just got it from that pawn shop I was talking about.” As if to redeem himself for forgetting a cutter, the man shoots a glare over to the others before handing it over.

Vibrations trickle into your fingertips as you reach to take the tool from him. You hesitate as the veins that map your hands feel like they’re burning up and glance over to find curious eyes weighing on you. You shake off the sensation and grab the screwdriver to show the class how to puncture the cap…not tip.

It’s going to take a lot of effort and therapy to unhear ‘bite the tip off’.

“I’m assuming Dimitri and Fisher didn’t volunteer to be your partner.” The man asks, his eyes studying your movements and committing them to memory for next time.

Another glance to the scorecard then back to your task at hand has you putting the pieces together.

‘DV and JF—Dimitri and Fisher, that’s their names. Which just leaves JT…’

“That would be an accurate assumption.” You light up your cigar, the ‘J’ guy watching and learning until you pass the screwdriver and matches over to him. “From the looks of that scorecard though that’s not a bad thing.”

He laughs loudly at your insult and starts to puncture and light his own cigar. “Then it looks like we’re partners. I’m Jayce.”

Before he pulls the match away you instinctively reach out to stop him. “Wait ‘til the entire end is lit.” You put two fingers on his wrist to hold it there longer and feel a low, familiar buzz of energy shoot through your fingers, causing you to pull back immediately.

Jayce looks down as you pull your hand back and you speak up quickly. “Sorry, weird static…shock.” You try to explain away. Even if it’s not at all what that felt like. “Uh my name’s—I’m…” You hesitate to use your real name, not trusting strangers from topside with it. “Gray.”

…Can’t get more anonymous than that.

The raw energy running through your hands was baffling. You hadn’t felt this much power since you had a crystal set in your bow years ago. Despite the amount of time that had passed, you recognized the sensation like it was yesterday…but why now?

You glance over to find Viktor hard at work on the cribbage board—making small talk and fitting in well with his table. His peck on your cheek still stirred up warmth in your stomach…could that trigger this sort of reaction from you?

It seemed unlikely…but at the same time you’ve never really felt this way about anyone before.

“Alright, what’re we playing?” Dimitri interrupts your thoughts and Jayce is quick to answer.

“How about ‘Gotcha’?” He turns to check in with you. “You ever played?”

“Yeah—first to 301. Try and match your opponent’s score on the way up to put them back at zero.” You smirk when Dimitri and Fisher lay their coins on the table, adding your own with a quick glance to your new partner. “Let’s take your friends’ money.”

Jayce proved to be a lot of things tonight. A terrible smoker who needed to spit every few minutes from not being used to the sensation. A decent man who never once asked why you smelled like a kraken’s ass (if they even have one?) And a formidable dart player that made you wonder if he was an archer like you too.

The two of you had the best game you could account for. You weren’t sure why your abilities had popped up and stuck around for as long as they had, but you were able to keep your hand steady and zero in on each and every shot, making quick work of getting your share of coins for the night.

“You up for another one?” Jayce seems to be having fun with you. As much as you enjoyed his company, trusting topsiders was not on your agenda tonight.

“I try not to feed my gambling habits when I’m ahead.” You lie with a small chuckle. “But thanks for playing, it was a good game.”

“Really good. We make a decent team.” He holds his hand out for you to shake before finishing his thought. “Maybe our paths will cross again.”

You can’t help but smile at his wholesome grin, offering your hand out as well. “Maybe.” When you make contact, it feels like the air got knocked out of you, immediately causing your muscles to tense and the hair to stand up on the back of your neck.

You look down and narrow your eyes at his hand, trying to find the source of what keeps sending surges through you. “What the fuck is happen—” You cut your sentence off when you see he’s wearing a bracelet, a small blue crystal set into the leather.

A near twin to the one that was faceted in your bow.

And an explanation for what’s causing your magic to go haywire tonight.

You instinctively flip his hand over to get a better look, feeling him resist only slightly as you flick your gaze back up to him. “Where did you get this?”

He pulls his hand away and eyes you up and down defensively. “Why do you care?”

Fisher and Dimitri look completely lost at this entire exchange. You study Jayce’s expression further, unsure if he understands what he has attached to his wrist.

“My sister collects rocks—her birthday was yesterday and she would love it.” You shrug with a grin and pull out all of the cogs in your holster. “I’ll play you for it.”

The two men go wide-eyed at your wager, then back to Jayce. Half of your bet was a bluff. If he was as clueless as the others, he would take the wager in a heartbeat.

But if he did know what it was…

“No. I think I’m done for the night.”

Then that’s exactly what he would say.

As if Syd herself manifested in your mind, you push the topic and call out his inconsistencies.

“But you just said you were in for another?”

“Yeah, but you’re right. Better to stop while I’m ahead.”

“Why the sudden change of heart?”

“I—just. I—"

“Jayce, take the bet.” Fisher looks appalled at his friend’s resistance to playing for the absurd number of coins you’re offering. “It’s a rock man, they’re all over the place. I’ll get you another one.”

You see your partner subtly shake his head, a silent ‘No, you won’t’ that you could respect completely. You’re not sure why he has a crystal, he doesn’t seem to be a mage—if he is he has to be a worse one than you. But he recognizes the value of it at least.

You nod, reluctantly giving up the game to respect his wishes.

“I understand.” You hold eye contact with him, your words holding more meaning than one.

“I don’t.” Fisher all but barks back as you take your leave. You turn your head as you walk away with your winnings, enjoying the energy coursing through your veins while it lasts.

“Get a cutter with that prize money, Jayce.” You joke before walking away, a slight grin pulling at your lips when you hear his answer.

“Get some clean clothes, Gray.”

----------

A/N: Fun fact, Fisher is based on a real person/stranger I met while I was playing darts one night. I'll never know what his last name was but his first was Juan, hence his initials being JF :) Low key though he had hella reader energy, I got hustled pretty good that night.

As always thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Ghost

[daisiesonafield-blog]

Info for Faith In The Future World Tour KANSAS CITY, MO - JUN 10 2023

With special guests THE ACADEMIC & SNARLS!

Important Times:

5:30 PM - Parking opens

6:00 PM - Doors Open

7:00 PM - Snarls

8:00 PM - The Academic

9:00 PM - Louis Tomlinson

Times are all approximate and subject to change.

General admission (pit tickets):

All seats, no need to line up or camp!

The venue is OUTDOORS

Rain/thunderstorms expected - prepare accordingly!

Subject to change. Check the venue’s socials for updates!

⚠️ HYDRATION REMINDER ⚠️

Hydrate before the show, while waiting in line and during the show

For optimal hydration drink something with electrolytes such as Gatorade or LiquidIV

Rain/thunderstorms expected - prepare accordingly!

Eat well!

Here are important policies:

The venue is CASHLESS! Pay with a card or mobile pay!

Upgrade to Applause Club here ($50)

Parking: General parking is FREE and included with ticket purchases. Premium parking is available for $30 in advance only. All Broadway season ticket holders receive FREE paved parking. (Buy it here)

ADA info here and here

Cameras: small non-professional, point-and-shoot cameras (no detachable lenses) allowed. GoPros, selfie sticks, iPads, laptop computers and other devices are not allowed

Water: one 24 oz commercially sealed or empty bottle of water per person ALLOWED

Umbrellas are not admitted into the venue for concerts. In the case of inclement weather, ponchos may be purchased for $1 at our Guest Information kiosks, the Ovation Museum and ticket offices.

NO food

NO alcohol

NO Animals (except service animals)

NO smoking: prohibited in all areas of the venue except the north lawn and east of the Encore Deck. This policy applies to cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, cigars, pipes and any other smoking device.

NO Marijuana or any cannabis products

NO Aerosol sunscreen/bug spray

NO Coolers, umbrellas, strollers

NO Glass, Metal, or Hard Plastic Containers

NO knives, firearms, Brass knuckles, Tasers & mace/pepper spray or weapons of any kind

NO Booster seats or Car seats

NO Fireworks

NO Laptops

NO Lawn chairs

NO Selfie sticks

NO Skates and skateboards

NO Laser Pointers

There is NO RE-ENTRY!

VIEW VENUE MAP

VIEW SEAT MAP

For more details click here 

Bag Policy:

One bag no larger than 12” x 12” x 6” allowed

All bags are subject to be searched.

Banners, signs and flag policy:

Signs are allowed but cannot obstruct other patron's views of the show

Contact:

For additional questions please call the venue at (816) 363-7827. You can also access their website. Email: starlight@kcstarlight.com Message them here. Check their twitter here and IG here for updates. Address: Starlight Theatre, 4600 Starlight Road, Kansas City, MO 64132

[violetvelourr]

Tough life of a Kakashi goodies collector under sanctions. Part 1

My sad (but I’m still hoping for a happy end) Kakashi goodies parcel story 🥲

You don’t need to bother reading it, I am writing more for my own memory, because even as I wrote this I realised that I got the beginning of the story wrong because I’d managed to forget some of the details (which I did remember after I laid everything down here).

So, some of you might be aware, I come from an evil country that Must Not Be Named is currently at odds with a large chunk of the world… I am not going to debate who is right and who is wrong, though I definitely don’t support the war and in a way I humbly accept the corresponding punishment, though it’s still a bit sad since I never personally held any hate for anyone: I’m just trying to live my simple life, enjoy this world, be a decent person and mind my own business... but we have what we have, I guess...  

So anyways, last year, at the end of February, when it all collapsed, I remember I just made my final purchase on eBay – the next day the bank cards were cut off from the rest of the world and eBay cut us off as well (“this item does not ship to your country”). And that final item was Ninja Storm Kakashi action figure, insanely expensive and insanely gorgeous and desired by me...

I nearly had a fit while reading the news updates. Not to mention the general devastation at the absurdity of the situation… it all seemed surreal… 

I was almost certain I would not be getting my parcel and would end up losing my money: payment systems shut (no way to refund), deliveries halted, eBay no longer available. 

But, to my surprise, the parcel did arrive (probably because the seller was in China). And that was basically the beginning and the end of my Kakashi collection back then. I held on long enough convincing myself that I did not care enough for Kakashi to buy merch (bought perhaps 3 small items or so and was totally content with that), but I gave up around January-February 2022, so it was supposed to be the start of my crazy ‘serious’ collector career, haha.

To be honest, I was even relieved when we were banned everywhere – if I still had the same level of access to international purchases, I think I would have gone broke pretty fast, because if I get into something... I become almost uncontrollable. And since I’d basically just got into collecting Kakashi items... So yeah, those sanctions and limitations came in handy, I admit.

I did order minor things from AliExpress, still works with us, but they either sell mostly counterfeit trash, or really overpriced original stuff – so it was nothing really serious (*she said glancing back at her Kakashi collection which is still 60% from AliExpress*).

Anyways, I was sitting happily with my hands tied, my money almost safe, but then I was stupid enough to finally accept a commission request from a foreign customer for the first time since the war began.

I need to mention that alongside with our bank cards being cut off from the rest of the world, our PayPal accounts were also suspended. Well, mine is technically still alive, but I’m pretty sure that I cannot link any new card to it, or, if I can (I have a Kazakhstani card now), the account will be suspended immediately, so I’m not even going to test that. 

Plus, I heard that it is also illegal in my country to have transactions via PayPal now (similar way as it is illegal to even mention Instagram...). 

So this made it a bit tricky accepting payments from foreign clients. And in the last year I had to refuse quite a number of times because of that, I got overwhelmed every time I thought of having to deal with it... I don’t do art for a living, so I didn’t really bother too much about that and considered my mental health more important (it’s a bit challenging constantly struggling because you are basically an outcast). 

But this time for some reason (perhaps I finally got over it – it has almost been a year) I didn’t refuse and decided to test a couple of options. First one was getting paid via a platform similar to Patreon which worked in my country. It did work, but the % the platform charged for the transaction was insane. 

And then I had the second option… A gift card on eBay. 

And this was where I made the mistake…

I was thinking that I had it all covered because I met a girl who was about to move back from the USA. I had selected 3 items on eBay that were so tiny that this girl had no problems at all bringing them back with her.

What I did not expect was that in order to use a USA gift card, I had to be localized in the USA. When I tried creating a US eBay account, I was instantly banned and after trying to object the decision I was specifically told that the decision was final and any attempts to create more accounts would result in them getting suspended as well. I tried checking out as a guest using VPN with a US IP, but eBay still figured it out somehow, and I was not allowed to finalize the payment and check out...

So yeah, I ended up having a $75 eBay gift card (and I still have it, haha) and a strong desire to get the items I laid my eyes upon. I was fixated on getting them... And actually as time went by (while I tried to find ways to hack the system), my appetite grew and soon what was initially 3 small items became 9 items.

And so, at that point I felt already too shy to ask my friend for help with buying them for me, because not only I needed her help with the purchase, but also she’d have to receive 9 parcels, unpack them, etc... and… uh... um... see how crazy I am with my Kakashi fever 🙈 Not to mention that she was moving back after 3 years abroad and probably every cm / gram mattered…

So I started looking into other delivery possibilities...

Part 2 is here…

[oseathepebble]

Tsukiko Kawashima - Holiday Wear SSR Vignette 1

The vignette to go with Tsukiko's Holiday Wear SSR Card for the fan event created by @bunnwich

Part 1 | 2 | 3

20 Days Before Christmas Day

Ramshackle Dorm - Lounge

Between decorating Ramshackle for Yuletide and keeping their friends out of trouble, Tsukiko hardly had much time to gather everything for their special surprise for Jack. They sat on one of the couches in Ramshackle’s lounge as they quickly sketched out all the details of one of Jack’s presents

Grim lay by their side, snoozing away as they enjoyed the warmth emitted from the fireplace in the lounge. He spoke random words about food, a sound Tsukiko was familiar with

A knock on the front door drew them from their extreme focus. They groaned as they slammed their sketchbook shut. With each knock, they became more annoyed until they shot up from the couch and made their way to the front door

Ramshackle Dorm - Entry Hall

Upon opening it, they discovered Ace and Deuce shivering from the cold. “Hey Prefect, let us in!” Ace said through his chattering teeth

Tsukiko let out a sigh. “Come in,” They quickly shut the door after their two friends walked in. “Why are you two here? I’m busy,” To prove their point, they held up their sketchbook

Grim pranced into the entrance hallway. “You two knock too much,” He said groggily, clearly upset from being woken up from his peaceful nap by Tsukiko’s side

“We were just checking in, Tsukiko, you’ve been so busy lately you’ve forgotten all about us!” Ace dramatically cried. “But seriously, it’s been forever since we’ve got to hang out! What’s making you so busy? Ramshackle is already decorated,”

“Well if you must know, I’m preparing a surprise for Jack! It’s almost Christmas Day after all! This time of year is so romantic,” Tsukiko let out a dreamy sigh. “I have twenty days left and I’ve created a list of what I need to do and when!” They opened up to a page in their sketchbook that was completely covered in writing. “Today, I’m finalizing the details on the jacket I’m making for Jack. I already have a pattern made and all the fabric cut out. Then, tomorrow I’m going to buy ingredients as well as table decorations,” They shut their sketchbook. “And also on top of that, I have to make my other friends presents!”

Ace and Deuce listened as Tsukiko went on about all the things they needed to do within the next 20 days. Once they were done, Deuce spoke up, “Are you sure you can get all that done in just twenty days?” He said it not to express doubt, but concern for his friend

“Yes! If I stick to my plan and strategize in order to maximize the time available, I’ll be able to get everything done! With time to spare. I’m not gonna half-ass my presents this year. You guys deserve to get something nice for the holidays!”

“They’ve been talking like a crazy person this entire month! I can’t wait until Christmas when they finally stop making lists,” Grim added. Ever since the first snowfall, he had to deal with a frazzled Tsukiko, which he didn’t like. Their nights spent awake to plan caused them to be out of sorts the following day

“I’m sure we, especially Jack, will like whatever you get him, have you seen the way his tail wags when he’s around you? I don’t understand why you have to go all out for Christmas. Just wrap up your present for him real nice and he’ll love it!” Ace crossed his arms as he shook his head. He did have a point

“But I have to! Christmas is the most romantic holiday of the year! I can’t half-ass my present! I’d be a fool if I didn’t go all out for Jack,” The more Tsukiko explained, the more they sounded crazy to their friends

“Romantic? I don’t see how Christmas is romantic,” Deuce openly admits. His head tilted in confusion. 

“Well, maybe it’s because you’ve never been in a relationship before! How could Christmas not be romantic? Spending an evening looking at the pretty lights, exchanging gifts from the heart, and on top of that, a cuddle session with your partner to warm each other up!” As they explained, their eyes lit up with excitement. It was clear they were very passionate about the subject

“We should go, I don’t feel like spending Christmas collared,” Ace grabbed Deuce’s arm and tugged him towards the door. The Ramshackle Prefect wished them goodbye before going back to work

10 Days Before Christmas Day

Ramshackle Dorm - Fashion Studio

Tsukiko snoozed away at their sewing machine. Their sleep schedule had been so out of sorts, they had ended up passing out in the middle of making Jack’s new jacket. They were only awakened by the sound of Grim’s whines

“Tsukikoooo where’s my tunaaa,” Grim whined as he pawed at their pant leg. Usually, Tsukiko would wake Grim up and then they go eat. But strangely enough this day, Grim had woken up before Tsukiko

The Prefect stirred awake. “H-huh? Grim? What time is it? Why don’t you ask Yuuta or Yume. . .” They asked as they sat up and stretched. Their eyes adjusted to the light and they noticed instead of their bed, they had been sleeping in their fashion studio

“Yume and Yuuta are ou with their boyfriends,” Grim answered. “And I think it’s the afternoon,” Though he didn’t know how to read time, based on how bright it was outside, he assumed it was the afternoon

Tsukiko’s eyes went wide. They looked at the wooden clock that hung above the door and just as Grim had said, it was the afternoon. 1:00 pm to be exact. “No no no no! I’m behind schedule!” They jumped out of their chair and raced out of the room to get ready

When they finally got their things together, they grabbed Grim a can of tuna to eat while they carried him out the door and took him along for their errands. “Okay, if I hurry, I’ll get everything I need! And with just enough time to finish my other presents!” Tsukiko went from place to place, gathering everything they needed

To Be Continued