#I thought about the meaning of the card and how it can look like a road and the fact that the castle in the anime is literally in reverse
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RAFE CAMERON - not for the money
x FEM!reader - MASTERLIST
SUMMARY: you are scared that rafe thinks you’re only in the relationship for his money
WORD COUNT: 833
GENRE: fluff
CONTENT WARNING: soft!rafe cameron
the scent of saltwater and pine carried through the open balcony door of rafe cameron’s bedroom, where you perched, fidgeting with the hem of your sundress. it had been a week since you overheard them—the cruel whispers in the back of the country club that claimed you were only with Rafe for his money.
“she’s so lucky,” one girl had sneered. “he pays for everything. i wouldn’t lift a finger either if i had a guy like that.”
“she’s totally using him,” one said, her tone dripping with disdain. “i mean, look at her. rafe’s always paying for everything.”
“right?” the other chimed in. “hair, nails, those dinners? she’s just in it for the money.”
another had laughed. “she just loves the chanel.”
the words striked you like a blow. was that really how people saw you? you’d never thought of yourself as someone who’d take advantage of him, but now, doubt crept in, wrapping around your chest like a vise.
their words kept echoeing in your head as rafe entered the room, his usual confident swagger softened by the adoration in his eyes. he set a bag from your favorite boutique on the dresser—a clear sign that he’d picked up yet another surprise for you.
“hey, sweet girl,” he said, crossing the room to kiss your temple. “i got you something.”
your chest tightened, guilt swarming you.
“baby,” you started, forcing a smile as you turned to face him. “you didn’t have to—”
“i wanted to,” he interrupted, his brows knitting together. “what’s mine is yours, sweet girl. you know that.”
you hesitated, the nagging doubts pulling at your resolve. if the people at the club thought you were a gold digger, you couldn’t stand the idea of him believing it too.
so, that’s when you decided: no more gifts, no more dates entirely on his dime. you were going to prove that you loved him for him.
the next week, your new approach to things began to show.
at your usual dinner spot, when the waiter brought the check, you quickly grabbed it before rafe could.
“what are you doing?” Rafe asked, blinking at you in confusion.
“splitting it,” you said firmly, pulling out your card.
“splitting?” He looked at you like you’d spoken a foreign language. “babe, no, put that away.”
“rafe,” you insisted, your tone leaving no room for argument. “i’m paying for my half.”
he frowned, but he let you do it. that frown deepened over the next few days as he noticed more changes: no more nail or hair appointments showing up on his credit card statement, no impromptu shopping trips with bags of chanel or prada waiting at your apartment.
by the time your next date rolled around, he’d had enough.
“okay,” he said, sliding into the booth across from you at the diner. “spill.”
“spill what?” you asked innocently, focusing intently on your menu.
“don’t play coy, sweet girl. i know you. you’ve been acting weird all week. no more letting me pay, no more gifts—what’s going on?”
you sighed, setting the menu down. “i just… i overheard some people at the club. they think i’m using you just for your money. and i don’t want you to ever think that too.”
his expression softened instantly, and he reached across the table, taking your hand in his.
“baby,” he murmured, his voice low and full of affection. “that’s the stupidest thing i’ve ever heard.”
you looked at him, surprised by his reaction. “rafe—”
“no, listen to me,” he said firmly. “i don’t care what those people say. they don’t know you. i know you. you’ve been there for me when no one else has. you’ve stuck around through my worst. you think i’m dumb enough to think it’s about the money?”
you blinked, his words sinking in.
“i buy you things because i can and want to,” he continued. “because you deserve the world, and i want to give it to you. not because i think you need it, or because i think it’s the only way to keep you around. got it?”
tears pricked at your eyes, and you nodded. “i just… i didn’t want you to feel like i was taking advantage of you.”
he chuckled softly, standing up to slide into the booth beside you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders.
“sweet girl,” he said, pressing a kiss to your temple, “you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. don’t let some jealous nobodies make you think otherwise.”
you leaned into him, a small smile creeping onto your face.
“okay,” you whispered.
“good,” he said, pulling out his card as the waiter approached. “now let me pay for dinner, and stop being weird.”
you laughed, swatting at his chest. “fine, rafe. you win.”
and as you sat there, wrapped in his arms, you finally let yourself believe it—rafe cameron loved you for you as you loved rafe cameron for rafe cameron.
and that was more valuable than anything money could buy.
#lizzieswrites𝜗𝜚#rafe cameron x reader#rafe cameron#rafe cameron imagine#rafe cameron outer banks#rafe cameron fanfiction#rafe cameron x you#rafe cameron x y/n#drew starkey x y/n#drew starkey x you#drew starkey imagine#drew starkey x reader#drew starkey#outerbanks rafe
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★ — Enemies to Lovers w/ sevika
CW : age gap , oral sex , THE STRAP , ditzy reader , brat taming , dirty talk , caught in the act
A/N : part 2 maybe coming soon
Summary : sevika being madly inlove wih you but masks hate over it. you were silcos biological daughter. silco barley paid attention to you and you were getting bored of the men from the bar.
MINORS AND MEN DNI
You held your breath watching sevika walk into silcos office with her arm broken and shimmer leaking on the ground. You sat on his couch with your knees to your chest, “the sister is back” she said, out of breath “from the dead?!” Silco turned to look at her. “She attacked me at a card game” sevika leaned on the other couch “wait,” you say moving your feet down, “she attacked you?! And you lost?” you laugh “i didn't lose, she had some girl enforcer with her” the brunette said looking at the floor “winners don't have excuses” you say giggling. “Keep patronizing me and i'll tear that laugh from your throat-” sevika was cut off by silco “sevika.” he started “y/n, leave.”
“What-” you furrow your brows as Sevika hid her smirk. Silcos face showed he wasn't joking as you stood up. Your silk dress barely covers anything as you leave, you press your ear against the door when you close it behind you. “You raised her to dress like that?” sevika looked over to silco “my focus was jinx. I regret it now since she can't fight.” silcos voice darkened. You look down at your hand, it was true. You always need someone coming and saving you. But at the same time you didn't mind it, you liked being vulnerable. “Tell me everything,” silco said. You already heard enough, blah blah sister blah jinx.
You find yourself in Jinx's workshop going over and sitting on her couch “sevika needs to be humbled” you pick at your nail “what’d she do” jinx asked, trying not to stray from the golden boys research. Your eyes widen, telling jinx about her sister might send her into an episode so its best to wait for her to find out on her own “nothing. She's just-” you pause earning jinxs attention “she's just being cocky.” you excuse. Jinx smirked, returning to the research journal.
You lay down sideways, watching jinx work as your eyes feel heavy.
Sevika couldn't help but have those late night thoughts about you. The way your hips moved when you walked, and honestly she loved your thigh split dresses, how when you move too fast you can see a peak or two. She could escape that one time you got cut and your cry of pain lowkey turned her on. She found her hand palming herself at night thinking of you on more than one occasion. Your voice haunted her. She's had to fight the urge to smell the jacket you forgot at the bar lots of times
But your personality, it enrages her. You argue with her all the time, it's like you get off on arguing. If she had the misfortune of having to babysit you on a mission, you fight her every step of the way. Sometimes there are peaceful moments like when you fall asleep at the bar and it's just you and her.
Sevika knows you're stronger than you look, she's seen you pissed off before and how much damage you can do. She also knows when your pretending to be weak, but…you were a little dumb for example she will say “there's someone on your left” during a mission and she watched you look to your right, realize your mistake, check your hands, then look left and by the time you look left she's already knocked out the person coming at you
She definitely feels bad about how young you are and you were her boss's kid. But silco didn't really care about you. I mean don't get her wrong but she notices what he talks about and she looks back on your childhood, he always focused on jinx and just left you to defend yourself. Eventually just making his goons watch you 80% of the time. She also reassured herself from how you dress and act. She swears you know what she thinks about at night and feeds her on it.
Sevika followed vi and cait best she could before they disappeared. So she swallowed her pride and went back to silcos office “we lost them” sevika sighed “lost who?” Jinx turned in her chair, throwing the clipboard on the desk. Sevikas eyes narrowed as she walked forward, accidentally tripping a wire. She tried to cover her mouth from the grey but it took over her lungs making her pass out on the desk.
Sevika woke up, tied to silcos chair. Still drowsy before feeling jinx's hand on her cheek, surely waking her up “i know your secret” jinx moving sevika closer “oh really?” sev asked “yes! You have a crush on y/n” she said smirking, sevika felt her cheeks flush “what gives you that idea?” she asked “oh you know the way you stare at her ass when she leaves” jinx mocked “so who did you lose?” she continued earning a sigh from sevika “you sister is alive.” sevika said watching jinx's face change
“She's just so scary” therium sat in the booth as you cleaned his face up. The bar was empty and you found therium behind the counter covered in jinx's paint. “You cant let her get to you” you say taking the damp cloth running it over his cheek “and she keeps calling me chuck, my names not chuck” therium says “i know that chu- therium” you giggle as he looks at you with a serious face “sorry it suits you” you say as jinx stormed down the stairs “y/n there's a surprised for you in dads office.”
You look over at her as she leaves the bar “why don't you take the night shift off? Get someone to cover you” you ask therium as you walk away. He chuckles “is that a joke?” “maybe” you tease going up the stairs and into silcos office. You walk over and sit in his chair looking at his desk. You followed the arrows looking up at the ceiling to see sevika hanging from the roof, with vulgar words written on her with marker “Holy shit.”
You helped sevika down, not without laughing of course. Watching her clean herself up on silcos couch. “So what happened?” you sat next to her “jinx is off the rails.” sevika said “no shit, i don't think she'd hang you from the ceiling for fun” you giggle crossing your arms. Sevikas eyebrows furrowed “somebody really needs to put you in your place.” she looked over at you “okay if you're gonna insult me and not tell me what pissed her off ill go find out for myself, maybe tell silco about your slip up.” you stand up, sevika rose as well, towering over you.
She grabbed you, turning you to face her “what exactly are you gonna say? That you knew something was wrong with your sister and yet still let her leave?” Sevika was right. What would you say? “I-” you found speechless. Your face scrunched up as she squeezed your wrist, she got close to your face, your noses basically touching during this stare off
You both cave at the same time, your heart skips a beat as she pulls you into her. Sevika wanted her mouth on yours for months and now she finally has it. You lean into the kiss, fluttering your eyes close as you hand cups her cheek. She lifts you up, your legs automatically wrapping around her waist. She carries you to your bedroom, throwing you on the bed. Sevika climbed onto you, settling herself between your thighs. She leaned down, forcing her tongue into your mouth.
Your spit mixed together as your hands found themselves in her hair. She kissed you like it was keeping her alive, that she would suffocate without the taste of your spit. “I have been waiting to shut you up” she held your face. “I-” you started but before you could come up with a snarky comeback she pressed her knee into your cunt “what? Speechless? Im flattered” she looked into your eyes, full of nothing but lust
“I know you've been wanting this too.” she slid her hand up your thigh “with these dresses, and the days where you “forget” your bra” sevika smirked pulling your panties off with ease “i'm gonna treat you better than any of the pricks that you pick up at the bar” she moved off the bed and on her knees, forcing your legs on her shoulders “really? Cause there faster than this.” you spout out finally. You felt the burn of sevikas hand on your ass “do you get this wet for them?”
Sevika licked your clit. You were already sensitive so it made you arch your back. “Sevi-” you moan. She flicked her tongue against your clit. You clenched the sheets in your fists, sevika already had you on the edge of your orgasm. She pulled away right as you were about to cum. “Wha-” you lift your head up. she was looking up at you, kissing your stomach. She was back on top of you, taking your top off. She watched how your tits bounced down after being pulled up.
“I don't suppose a dirty slut like you has a strap?” sevika asked, you pointed to your night stand. She smirked, pulling it out and putting it on over her clothes, she moved your skirt out of the way revealing your sensitive cunt. “Whos cunt does this belong to huh?” sevika roughly grabbed your face. “Yours” you cry out. That was enough for her to push the plastic purple cock into your entrance. Giving you a second before she started at a fast pace. Your breath hitches squirming under sevika
“Mommy” you said in a needy way. She moved her hand to your tits, squeezing one “your body's mine.” she leaned down to bite your neck, still bucking her hips into yours “are you gonna cum for mama? Cum on mamas cock” sevika growled, your body sent shock waves down to your stomach. Your body stuttering as sevika slowed down for you “that's a good girl” she whispered
Suddenly the door opened, surprisingly neither of you heard the knocking “y/n? I heard you yelling- OH MY GOD WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING” therium quickly closed the door “i'll come back later!” he yelled
#arcane#arcane sevika#sevika#sevika x reader#lesbian#wlw#winners love winning#wuh luh wuh#sissormetimbers
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Big thanks to @stealingyourbones for providing much needed context to Jason's search for his birth mom. This wouldn't exist without some semblance of canon to lean on! (Even if I do twist it in fandom fashion....DC stands for Disregard Canon after all)
===
When Jason gets a hold of himself, he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and takes a deep breath.
It's a mistake.
When he heaves in air, it's with the acrid stench of dumpster and sewage, not to mention Jason's dinner in the form of glop.
Ugh.
When he gets his wits about him, he straightens up to find that he's in a familiar place: Crime Alley.
Dani, who had been rubbing his back, backs off with a sheepish smile. "Whoops! Forgot first timers can have a rough go of it."
"…Right." Jason spits out the last of the vomit taste, surveying their surroundings. He was just here, not a couple hours ago, when he was given his parents’ box of things. Even so, something is off. Different.
It's Crime Alley, no doubt about it, but…
"You're too young to have much of a past," Dani grabs his hand once more, floating them up to the rooftop, "But that doesn't mean there's nothing to show you."
Jason's been picked up by Superman, he's flown before, via hero or grapple, but he doesn't think he's ever felt gravity fall away quite like this. When she first picked him up this way, there wasn't enough time to even feel disoriented. Here and now, it takes him a minute just to get his footing, not that feet are all that involved in the process.
Dani doesn't help, doesn't even give him the space to properly get oriented, propelling them up and up and up.
But he does, at the same time he realizes that she's looking for something and referencing a piece of paper she's gotten from somewhere. No, wait. Jason squints. It's a post-it, a neon green one with a little map drawn on it in purple ink.
That's…a color combination for sure.
"A-ha!" Dani perks up, stuffing the sticky note in her pocket and jetting them forward.
Straight towards a building. Straight towards a wall.
"Wai—" Jason tries to tug himself free, brings his free arm up to, he doesn't know, brace himself? He braces his feet forward, as if to possibly stop their inevitable slamming into the side of a building.
"Oh don't be such a baby," Dani doesn't even look over at him, green eyes flashing bright green as her grin goes feral. They speed up, Jason's heart seems to beat out of his chest. He cries out, shutting his eyes as a shiver works its way through him, the chill of the wind slamming through him, a feeling of something jamming itself from his feet to his legs to his chest to his head—
But the impact never comes. He opens his eyes, and he stares behind them at the now interior side of…presumably, the building wall they were about to slam into.
Before he can really comprehend what that means, that chill crawls through him again, quick as a slap to the insides, from his feet to the back of his head, and then he blinks.
Density shifting.
Huh.
"You could have just said—" Jason grumbles, focusing once more on orienting himself. How did Ender do it? The enemy's gate is down.
Jason huffs. Thanks for nothing, Orson Scott Card.
They dip and dive and curve around buildings, going through some of them, with no real rhyme or reason. Dani hoots and hollers, and eventually, Jason joins in. It's fun, going through his neighborhood from this angle.
He thought he knew every nook and cranny, from the ground as Jason Todd and from the roofs as Robin, but even still, it was never like this.
It's like a rollercoaster, instead of the swoops and curves grappling gives, it's like gravity keeps shifting, like he's looking at his home upside down, left side up, right side diagonal. Every single little thing is new.
Most of all, this weightlessness.
Even when Dickie taught him those flips, he's never been so light.
He wonders if this is how a true robin feels, hollow bird bones and all.
Soon enough Dani pulls them up above some kind of warehouse, one of many in the district surrounding them.
"So here's the thing," Dani grabs both his hands now, forcing him to look at her, "I've got another trick up my sleeve, but the one thing I can't do is stop sound."
"Sound?" Jason is so very confused, but then right before his very eyes, Dani disappears.
No, they both disappear. What the—
"Invisibility?" Jason can't help but say. So much for bat-training.
"Dingdingding," Dani sing-songs, "Now be quiet, you want to know the truth, right?
Before Jason can say anything to that, his mouth clamps shut as he's pulled downwards through the building. The scene they arrive at isn't a pretty one.
There're men littered around the floor, unconscious, but mostly woundless. Only two occupants stay standing.
One is a woman with a stiff upper lip, muscles almost stocky in nature, if not for the petite stature that frames it all. Hair cut into a sharp, angled bob; everything about her screams fighter. She's beautiful and rough at the same time.
She's also standing above, bloody knuckles and all, Jason Todd's very own birth dad: Willis Todd.
"You're gonna regret this, Shiva." Willis growls, hand clamped down on his bloodied arm.
The woman, Shiva, scoffs as she flicks blood off her knife. Jason resists scoffing himself, looking at the state of them.
Willis is bloodied, covered in knicks and cuts all over, but Shiva?
Pristine, save for the blood of her apparent enemies.
"Regret?" Shiva saunters over to Willis where he's collapsed and leaning on a stack of crates, "Do not be delusional. Your boss is the one who will regret this."
Willis bites his lip, but wisely keeps quiet. Shiva tilts his face up with a finger to his chin, getting in real close to whisper something in the scant space between them.
Jason stiffens from where he's watching with Dani, is this where they fall in love? Did Dani bring him here to witness something nasty right now?
But no. Shiva straightens up, pushing Willis' face away roughly with the tips of her really long nails. They look like claws, especially when they leave a cut on Willis' chin.
"Give your boss my regards, Todd." The click of Shiva's heels echo almost in time to Willis' pants of pain, "You know where to find me, once he regains what little sense he has."
It takes a long time for Willis to gather himself after that.
He wants to say something real bad, but Dani had said other people could still hear them in this state. The only reason Jason even knows he's not alone is the warmth coming from the hand in his.
He watches as his father limps his way out of the warehouse silently, the scrape of his shoe louder than any other noise.
When Willis turns the corner out of the warehouse, Jason feels himself being tugged up and through the ceiling to float in the sky, visibility returning as well as it can in the dim lights of Gotham.
Dani's eyes are focused on the distance, where his father is still limping away.
"What was that?" Jason finally asks, "Why did you show me this, is Shiva my mother after all?"
"That look romantic to you?" Dani rolls her eyes, dragging him to follow his wayward father, "I just wanted to give you context."
"Context?" Jason watches as his father enters what looks like a backdoor clinic, "For what?"
Dani doesn't answer, simply nose-dives them through the clinic’s ceiling.
There, Willis is getting patched up by a blond woman.
They look close.
They look intimate.
"Willis," The woman coos, "You have got to choose better employers."
"I know, I know," Willis soothes as she cleans out his cuts, "Soon, I promise."
"First they chose that secret agent double-crossing you," The woman clearly doesn't believe him, "Now this mercenary!"
"Sharmin, Shiva, I'm sensing a pattern," Willis chuckles weakly, "Got shit luck with the ladies, huh Sheila?"
Sheila rolls her eyes. "Do not lump me in with those…those harlots!"
Willis guffaws, and Sheila smiles as she finishes wrapping him up, giving in and laughing with him.
When they've calmed down, they stare into each other's eyes for a long moment, smiling.
"You've at least got one lady you get lucky with." Sheila grins, placing a gentle hand on Willis' chest.
Jason wants to gag.
"Helluva lady." Willis intones with a gravelly voice, "Might buy a lotto ticket."
They lean in, hard to say who does it first, to share a soft and gentle kiss.
"Aaaaand that's enough of that." Dani whispers, swiftly pulling them back through the ceiling.
She shivers dramatically, the movement of it jerking Jason a little, "Ugh. Old people flirting."
"You can say that again." Jason can feel his face scrunching up in disgust.
Dani twirls them up, and soon enough they're swallowed by the smog.
Here, in this faint darkness, it feels like Jason's in a dream. The smog feels endless and relenting, and perfectly encapsulates how lost he feels.
"So this Sheila woman is my birth mother?" Jason says into the abyss, not really expecting an answer.
"Yep." Dani answers f, "Was it everything you hoped for?"
"….They looked cozy." Jason says instead of answering. "In love, even. Gross as old people love can be."
"They were, I think." Dani agrees but doesn't expand, letting the silence float away into the smudge of Gotham Smog. It percolates, drifts around him as his emotions whirl within him like a silent tornado, zipping this way and that, sweeping all his thoughts away like a house in Kansas.
The sound of his blood pumping in his ears overlaps with the sounds of wind whipping round and round and round.
"….He was never like that, with Mom." Jason doesn't recognize the voice, at first, realizing too late that it was his own, raspy and lost, "Is it because he's younger, here?"
"I don't know." Dani shrugs carelessly, though her brows are furrowed in worry.
"I thought, even after everything, that my parents loved each other once upon a time." The smog surrounding them makes it hard for Jason to feel tethered, so he focuses on Dani's neon green eyes. "I thought maybe things just went wrong, that Willis changed because of—because of his job."
He doesn't realize how tightly he'd been squeezing her hand until she squeezes back. He almost lets go, before remembering he's only floating by virtue of her powers. She sighs.
"It's not your fault," Dani whispers, raising her free hand to hover over the medallion. The gears start to turn slowly again, the ticks and tocks jerky like they're being forced to spin. "No matter what, you have to remember that."
The smog starts to swirl, but Jason knows better now. He braces, shuts his eyes, and breathes as the world starts to shift again.
It's both quicker and slower than before. When he blinks, he's floating and thankfully not even a little bit nauseous. But it takes him longer to realize where, or rather, when they were.
They're in the old Crime Alley apartment, the one that Jason used to live in with his parents, floating just above the sofa.
Willis is digging through the fridge, grumbling, looking worse for wear.
Dani tugs his hand, snagging his attention, a finger to her mouth in the universal sign for quiet. Half a second before Willis slams the fridge door closed and turns around to see them, they both go invisible.
The noise begets another rustle, a little disgruntled murmur.
"Quiet," Willis soothes, "Mama ain't here anymore."
The man comes over to a crib, set in the living room for some reason, groaning as he rocks the baby back to sleep.
It takes another second for Jason to realize it's him.
"C'mon kid, I know you miss her." Willis gruffs out, "But she left you for dead."
The man sighs as baby Jason squirms, as if to refute him. "Still got shit luck with the ladies." He squeezes the baby, touches forehead to forehead. Baby Jason settles real quick after that. Much to Willis' apparent relief.
He looks tired, Willis. He looks broken down and on the verge of wasting away.
There's a knock at the door, soft and delicate. Willis stiffens but relaxes when Baby Jason stays asleep, gently placing him back in his crib.
He goes over to the door, and oh.
"You Todd?" Catherine asks, twitchy and young. In her early 20s, if Jason's math is right.
"Who's lookin'?" Willis leans against the door jamb, blocking the woman out of his apartment.
"Somebody wantin' to flip a coin." Catherine drawls. It's clearly a code phrase, and Willis grunts.
"Stay here." Willis tries to shut the door, but Catherine shoves a foot into the path, eyes blazing like she's daring him to shut the door in her face again. Willis darts a glance at Baby Jason, tense, but clearly deciding it would be faster to just grab the thing and make the lady go.
"Stay. Here." He growls out, letting go of the door and stomping back into the bedroom.
Catherine scoffs, but doesn't step further in.
That is, until Baby Jason makes a little noise.
She perks up, gently pushing the door in to find the source, eyes widening at the sight of the crib.
She looks towards the hallway where Willis disappeared, and Jason can practically feel the way she thinks fuck it.
Baby Jason is sniffling now, almost full-blown crying, startled by the stranger near his crib.
Catherine coos at him, ignoring the sounds of Willis running towards the commotion.
He stops in his tracks when he sees her soothing Baby Jason, bouncing him up and down in her arms and softly whispering nonsense into his ears.
Willis stays tense, his only son in the arms of a stranger, as he watches her put a now calm baby back into the crib.
"Are you hungry, little man?" Catherine asks, before snapping fingers at Willis. "Where's his milk? When's the last time you fed him?"
"Two hours ago," Willis bristles, storming over now that Baby Jason is relatively safe and pushing a small box into the woman's hands.
"So he's due for another meal," She says, not taking her eyes off of Baby Jason. Willis growls, using that box to push her away from the crib, towards the kitchen and the front door next to it.
"I know." He pushes her towards the door, "I'm gonna feed him after you're gone."
True to his word, he shuts the door, huffing and puffing for a moment like an angry cat, before heading to the kitchen to start the process of warming up formula.
He crosses his arms and leans back against the counter as he waits for the milk to finish warming up, eyes shut and clearly trying to keep it together.
Jason and Dani watch as the microwave dings, quickly followed by a comical yelp as Willis opens his eyes to see Catherine, sans box, opening the microwave door and snagging the bottle to beeline towards Baby Jason.
"Wait—you—" Willis dashes over, thrown off guard, "You didn't test the fucking milk!"
"Don't swear in front of the baby." Catherine sniffs, stopping beside the crib and testing the temp on the back of her hand. She hums, making an approving face at Willis, seemingly deeming it perfect.
She pushes the bottle back into Willis' hands just as he comes to a stop before he can reach out and grab her. The momentary confusion allows her to gently pick Baby Jason back up into her arms.
"Here you go big guy," She coos, putting her palm out and flexing her fingers in a demand for the bottle, which Willis dazedly acquiesces to. "Dinner's served."
Jason watches as his birth dad slumps, defeated, and tries not to fucking laugh.
He must be close to losing it, because suddenly his arm is yanked up, and he goes through the roof into the open air of the Gotham sky.
He looks over, Dani coming back into visual, and they both burst out laughing.
"Is—" Jason heaves a breath, getting himself back to rights, "Is that how they got together?"
Dani's giggles echo through the buildings, "Actually, no!"
"What???" Her giggles peter off as she wipes a tear from her eyes, grinning at Jason's confusion.
"It takes them a while," Dani’s eyes are so very bright in her mirth, "She has a couple more pick-ups to do, and every single time she comes a little earlier, leaves a little later, all so she can play with and feed you."
Something warm bubbles in Jason's gut, like steam traveling through the nooks and crannies of him. It goes out from the center until the very tips of his feet and hands and head are warmed through.
"And then she comes by a week later, unannounced." Dani pulls them back down through the building, landing them outside the apartment, down the hallways of it. She drags him as the medallion spins once more, this time smoother, quicker, and it's like a hop, skip and a step as the world becomes a mirage, solidifying again.
The once-empty hallway now has Catherine, duffle bag in tow, knocking gently at the door. A minute goes by, and a sleepy Willis Todd opens up, confused as all hell.
"I love your baby," Catherine says. "I love him, and he's mine."
Willis stares at her through bleary eyes, brows furrowed in indignation.
"I can't steal him away," She continues, ignoring the way Willis puffs up in threat, "And you can't do this alone."
A beat.
And then Willis deflates. He brings up a hand to ruffle his hair, grumbling and frustrated and clearly knowing that she's right.
He steps back and opens the door wider.
Catherine beams, before skipping inside, the door closing with a soft little snick.
"They loved you." Dani says, once more visible, "Whatever happened after, they did love you."
"I know." Jason whispers, a little broken, "I just don't know why they stopped."
Dani bites her lip, fingering the medallion, before clutching it in trepidation. Teeth worrying her lip, she looks at him, and breathes a cold, heavy sigh that stirs up the wind around them.
"Willis loved Sheila," Dani begins, walking towards the end of the hallway as it starts to ripple, like a mirage. The medallion hums more ticks and tocks and starts to whirl, spinning softly yet too fast. It makes it hard to tell which way it's spinning, clicking this way and that in an optical illusion.
Dani chooses a door, a dark purple one that wasn't there before, opening it up and pulling him in.
The room is equally purple, dark, and dimly lit, with just as purple furniture: A single sofa and a small TV, staticky and glowing a faint green.
Dani leads him to sit on the sofa, gesturing to the TV as scenes start to play, skipping and fast-forwarding and pausing and playing as she talks.
"Her leaving broke something in him." Sheila with a suitcase, slamming the door on her way out. Willis with his head in his hands as Baby Jason cries and cries and cries.
"Catherine loved you," Dani smiles at a series of moments, Catherine blowing raspberries, tickling his belly, having baby food fights with him just because, "And she made it easier, made it better."
"Eventually, she came to love Willis too." This particular scene plays in slow motion, Catherine and toddler Jason giggling with each other, drawing what looks like a family portrait in crayons. Toddler Jason's isn't too bad for his age. Catherine's isn't too bad for her age either.
It makes current Jason smile, until something catches Catherine's eye, her smile never dimming as Willis comes in to laugh at their drawings, eyes going all gooey as this invisible camera zooms in.
"But Willis…" Dani bites her lip again, watching with him as the scenes skip and fast forward. "Willis was stuck."
Willis watching Catherine and Jason playing on the living room floor, Catherine coaxing him to bed, Willis sitting alone on the couch, over and over with different activities, different clothes, different days.
But always, with Willis sitting in the dark, a single beer in one hand, a torn-up picture in the other.
Until it’s two beers, then three. Eventually, Catherine tries to coax him to bed only to get rebuffed.
More bottles of beer, more times away. Catherine finds a stash.
Catherine crying in the dead of the night, after smiling all day for Jason. Until eventually she can't, chasing a high she can't have.
"I don't love you." Willis is saying, voice boxy and tin-like through the old school speakers, "I don't love you, and that's the problem."
Catherine is sobbing, and Jason knows that pre-teen Jason is sitting on the other side of that door behind her.
"All life's a game," Willis hiccups, taking a long swig, "And we're all fuckin' losers."
Jason watches as more scenes flip through, familiar ones. Painful ones, phantom bruises on his arms and face.
The TV goes static again, but Jason doesn't look away. Can't.
He thinks about Bruce, his fight with him. Jason throwing those exact words at him, how powerful being Robin makes him feel.
All life's a game, Jason had said, not knowing, not remembering where it came from.
"I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Jason mutters, clenching his fist.
Dani sighs again, grabbing his hand and lifting him up, the medallion coughing and sputtering as the room around them fades back to a familiar sight: his room at the Manor.
"I didn't show you these things so you could wallow." Dani grumbles, dropping him unceremoniously onto his bed.
He bounces once, twice, a breath knocking out of him lightly from the sudden drop and impact.
"Why did you show me then?" Jason grumbles back, maintaining his position as a depressed starfish in the middle of his stupid giant bed.
"You're the one that wanted to know!" Dani throws her hands up, exasperated, "You're the one that wanted answers. I gave them to you, and now you're no fun. Isn't this what you wanted?"
Jason doesn't answer. Can't, really.
Because she's right. It is what he wanted. He knows who his birth mom is, he knows why Catherine was like that, and most of all, he understands Willis Todd's shitty fucking life.
Great Tragic Backstory, still a fucking asshole.
"I should have listened to Danny…" Dani mutters to herself, floating upside down as her face scrunches up in consternation, "He can probably fix this…"
"Did you forget your cane at home?" Jason jolts up, turning to see Danny's head popping up through the bed, like some kind of fucked up swamp creature, without the water. Jason shakes his head, plopping down again when Danny fully emerges to float up to Dani.
"What cane?" Dani tilts her head in confusion, but allows Danny to fuss over her.
Jason scoffs, He's the one being taken for a ride, what danger would she be in? Talk about overbearing.
"Your seeing cane," Danny answers matter of factly, before grinning with sharp teeth, "It's just, that was a lotta blind faith you got there, y'know?"
"I thought big brothers knew everything!" Dani giggles as she pushes Danny away. "But I guess you're right, that was too much to expect from you, huh?"
His grin gets a little sharper, if that's possible with the fangs he's rocking, as he lunges for her to put her in a headlock. They tussle like that, Jason watching from where he's still starfishing.
It's nice to see, if a little envious. He thinks about Dick, and then adamantly doesn't. He sits up to ruffle his own hair in frustration.
He's still not sure how to feel about Willis, about finding out about his birth mom leaving him for dead.
About Catherine, the mom he always knew about, the mom he knew nothing about,
The mom he lost.
Bruce was right, he's a fucking mess about this. He doesn't know what to feel, but he knows this at least:
Robin is magic, and Jason?
Jason's just an unwanted kid running around in tights.
Playing.
He blows out a breath, wallowing.
"He's doing it again." Dani's voice breaks him out of his funk, lifting his head to look over at the ghost siblings.
"I see what you mean." Danny tilts his head in thought, "A real self-deprecating sort, huh?"
"Tell me you have depression without saying you have depression." Dani grumbles, grossing her arms and hunching her shoulders up.
Danny hums, giving her a pat on the head and looking contemplative as he watches Jason straighten up to sit at the edge of the bed. If Christmas Carol was the theme, that means it's Danny's turn. Ghost of Christmas Present and all that.
Jason's not really looking forward to it. Sure, it helped Scrooge to see the current state of things from the other side, but Jason already knows his state of things.
Bruce is mad, Alfred's disappointed, and Dickie couldn’t care less. If Sheila's alive, she probably already thinks he's dead. Mrs. Walker has washed her hands of his family, he's sure, and the rest of the Alley…Well.
It ain't unusual to lose an acquaintance or two over there.
Dani throws her arms up, huffing as she jerkily takes the medallion off to toss it at Danny. "He's your problem now."
"Mom wants you home for dinner!" Danny calls out as he puts on the medallion and opens up a glowing green portal for Dani to go through.
Dani mumbles and grumbles as she passes through, Jason catching phrases like wanted to know and not be fudge and disappearing with the portal in a little pop!
Leaving Jason alone with the ever-present looming of the Present.
A Christmas Carol AU
Inspired by a prompt found in the @haunting-heroes-creative-games :) (i.e. back on my shit again)
When a 15 year old Jason, pissed at Bruce for taking Robin away from him, finds his birth certificate he realizes Catherine Todd is not his real mother.
Just as he resolves to go out and search for his birth mother, Jason finds himself accosted by three ghosts in his room, talking about A Christmas Carol of all things.
===
"So, what? We're gonna Christmas Carol him?"
Dan scoffs, crossing his bulky arms with an unimpressed look. "We hated that movie."
"I didn't." Dani chirps, disturbingly cheery, "I didn't see it!"
"We hate Christmas," Danny corrects, "But the movie was alright, and the logic is sound."
"I don't hate Christmas," Dani once again interjects cheerily, "I've never participated!"
"Sound my ass," Dan growls over her, throwing his hands up. "We don't even know this guy!"
"Minor detail." Danny insists, "Tuck can look him up."
"He's a fucking Bat, Danny." Dan scrunches up his face, pinching the bridge of his nose just like Vlad does when he's disgruntled with any of Dad's shenanigans.
"He's a Robin, actually." Dani pipes in, "And he's just a kid. How hard is it gonna be to pretend to be this kid's Ghosts?"
"You're a kid," Dan reminds her, crossing his arms, "And you didn't believe me when I told you sticking a fork in the outlet would shock you."
"I believed you," Dani sniffs haughtily, crossing her arms and pointing her nose up with a snooty voice, "The warning simply did not deter me from doing it anyway."
"We don't have to convince him we're his Ghosts, or even that we knew him before," Danny reasons, needling, "We just have to convince him that we're…"
He hums, pointing at Dani. "Past."
He points at himself, "Present."
He points at Dan, "Future."
Dani does a little cheer, arms up and twirling into the air before landing with her legs over Dan's shoulders, hands and head settling atop Dan's fiery, but harmless, hair. It flickers, before going limp into long white strands that Dani messes up by gently scrunching up the strands and running her fingers through them.
Dan lets her, huffing and looking weirdly like a downtrodden, wet cat. "Why am I future?"
"Because." Danny doesn't continue, because he knows it makes Dan annoyed. True to form, his scowl gets worse, like sucking on a lemon. They all know why anyway.
Dani grins, triumphant and knowing, letting her voice go real deep, "The future," she intones into Dan's hair, "is here."
"The future is now," Danny corrects her, but doesn't lose his smile, floating up to tuck a strand of her hair back behind her ear.
"The future is already here," Dan mumbles his correction, or is it a follow-up? "It's just not evenly distributed."
"How about you distribute some of those muscles, Gibson," Danny sighs, shaking his head "Waiting for puberty is such a drag, and we both know you didn't get the mass from Vlad's side of the family."
Dan makes a moue of disgust, but it serves him right. The consequences of his own actions, and whatnot. He looks up at Dani, who simply shrugs. "I think you'll do great." She leans down to give him two pats on the arm.
"So how's acting out A Christmas Carol gonna help us stop this Jason guy from blowing up?" Dani fiddles with Dan's hair, tongue poking out as she attempts a braid, "Will he even see us? Ghosts in this dimension taste funny."
"He'll be able to see us, it's magically rich enough for some ghosts to maintain a semblance of themselves," Danny explains for the third time. Dani and Dan hum at different pitches, and even though Danny is the common denominator he kind of hates that Vlad has more of a lasting impression on them. "The ectoplasm here is scarce and mostly corrupted, though, so it's rare."
"So there's lotsa bad ghosts here?" Dani eyes the messy braid she's made, proud, even as Dan's silky hair immediately causes it to fall apart, "Or 'mentally unsound' or whatever Frostbite called it."
"No," Dan grumbles, annoyed and indulging all at once, "Corruption begets ecto-rot, but the scarcity means they're not strong enough to actually retain their sense of self enough to rot."
"Shades," Danny explains when Dani looks even more confused, "There's lots of shades."
"Is this one of the Olympian dimensions?" Dani groans, flopping over Dan's shoulder as he sits down on the sofa, "I love Pandora and all, but if I see Zeus again I'm gonna lose it."
"It's one of the hero dimensions," Danny hums, taking over braiding Dan's hair the way Jazz made him when they were little, "There's a couple of Amazons walking about, but on the whole no Olympians."
"I don't know why he didn't just dump me in a Norse dimension." Dan leans back and closes his eyes to their ministrations. "Especially with my current occupation."
The three of them are sitting in Dan's apartment, a large loft studio located somewhere in the UK of the aforementioned hero-dimension. Alber-something, Danny can't remember. Doesn't need to, it being a different dimension from his anyway.
Dan doesn't have a lot of things: a sofa and TV, a bed in the corner, a decent but small kitchen. They're still trying to figure out decorations, but Dan on the whole is a minimalist so it's been slow going.
He's working as a bartender these nights, whiling away his odd existence now that his form has stabilized.
And wasn't that a trip? Learning that hey, adult lightning halfas shouldn't really be mixed with teenage ice halfas, actually!
Apparently, ectoplasm can become corrupted if you try to combine incompatible sources.
Apparently, side effects include (but are not limited to) unmitigated violence and a devastating need for vengeance.
Sound familiar?
"This dimension has a lot of time continuity errors," Danny reminds him, "Dropping you here gave the least amount of pushback."
"Yeah, yeah," Dan flaps a lazy hand, "Praise be the speedforce and flashpoints and whatnot."
"Plus," Dani adds softly, absent-minded as she watches Danny finish up the braid, "Lotsa heroes to help out if you relapse."
Dan heaves a slow, controlled sigh. Danny and Dani both pretend they don't notice.
"Is it bad?" Dan doesn't open his eyes, his voice is so low Danny can only hear him by virtue of his ghost powers, "Like me levels bad?"
"No." Danny shakes his head, leaning into his older self, his older brother of sorts, "He decapitated eight crime lords, killed a couple of assassins, maybe an innocent or two depending on your definition of things."
"Past tense?" Dan scrunches his nose. They all hate how confusing Time Shenanigans are.
"He's living as Red Hood, right this very moment."
"Red Hood?" Dani questions, "That his hero name?"
"Crime lord alias." Danny corrects her, "But he's more of a vigilante these days. Has a bat on his chest and everything."
"But it's bad enough to warrant a trip to the past." Dan points out, "Bad enough for us to try and persuade him. Does he relapse?"
"Not…exactly." Danny scrunches his face, not wanting to explain Clockwork's ambiguity.
Dani floats to spread over Danny and Dan's laps, sprawling out and purring like a cat. Self-soothing, though it's more for their benefit than hers.
"Like Dani said, there’re lots of heroes here, and he doesn't have powers." Danny continues, petting at Dani's soft hair, "The world doesn't end. He doesn't have the means to, even with the ecto-rot."
Danny pauses, and chooses his words deliberately and carefully. "And deep down, Jason Todd is a hero through and through. Relapse would be…difficult. His Obsession is similar to yours."
Dan lets that sit for a moment, but nods, Danny moving a little with the motion. The tension slowly bleeds out as they wait like that, enjoying each other's company.
"If the world doesn't end," Dani whispers, "Why is Clockwork sending all of us?"
Danny thinks on that, on his meeting with Clockwork. The Ancient's voice when he explained what would happen.
He thinks about Jason Todd, about Bruce Wayne, and Catherine, and Sheila. He thinks about Batman, and Robin.
He thinks about Dick Grayson and Tim Drake, about Damian Al Ghul, about Cassandra Cain, and all of Jason's Outlaws.
He thinks about a tattered uniform that stays up in a glass case for a long, long time.
Most of all, he thinks about Dan.
He thinks about regrets and one bad day away.
And then he stops thinking about it, because sometimes the past is the past, and other times, it's the future that never happens that haunts you instead.
"You know, Dani." He settles on, "I'm not sure. He probably has his reasons."
Dan leans heavier onto him, and they lean together like that, with Dani in their laps.
Ghosts of decisions made, unmade, and never to be.
Follow the story on AO3 here!
#i wanted dani to be feral#having her be dani instead my customary ellie was on purpose#for maximum confusion#also i like how most of this chapter was me writing the love story of a character i literally know very very very little about#this goes out to you willis#dead beat dad of the year ig#i wanted to make him sad and pathetic#but /derogatory#Meanwhile I just wanted Catherine to be unhinged#i wanted her to look at baby jason and think#yep thats mine now#danny phantom#my writing#dpxdc#dcxdp#dp x dc#dc x dp#rambling#danny fenton#dcu#jason todd#dani phantom#dan phantom#christmas carol au
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The Lost Boys: What does their room in the cave look like?
Marko
- I think he would have a small little alcove up on the “second”level of the cave
- It’s very small and it attached to the big opening we’re his pigeons like to hang out
- When I say small, I mean SMALL
- Like he has to sit on his butt, and scout in
- He fits comfortably though
- He built little shelves in it so he can display his trinkets
- This is also we’re he stashes his art supplies
- Dwayne calls it Marko’s “drawing spot”
- Because every time he goes up their looking for Marko
- He is listening to his Walkman, and in a deep trance, drawing
- He doesn’t have any fancy sketch books so most of the time he draws on whatever he can find
- Like napkins
- Drift wood
- Concert flyers
- Card board
- He’s room is definitely a site to see
- It’s decorated with his drawings, feathers, pieces of bright colored fabrics, basically anything that he can find around the board walk that looks cool
Paul
- he really likes to find old album covers and hang them up on his wall
- He typically finds them from dumpster diving or his friend at the record store will give him the ones that are shipped to the store broken
- I think his room is a shallow spot, where his head barely misses the ceiling when he stands up
- He is the only boy that’s room is somewhat open to the elements
- There is a small hole that he can just about stick his fist through, that faces the ocean
- I think he also has a shoe box that he keeps concert flyers in
- But only the ones he has been to, and actually liked
- It’s like a little scrap book
Dwayne
- I envision it to be a lot like how Star’s was in the movie
- You have to walk down into it, kind of like those conversations pits from the 60s you see in old magazines
- Marko likes to call it “The Pit”
- It’s a decent size, and out of all the boys most resemble an actual room
- It’s EXTREMELY MESSY
- But not in a horder type of way, its in a, if he just took the time to organize and put stuff back for once then just leaving it on the floor the room wouldn’t look half bad, type of way
- He has books and mechanic magazines everywhere
- He has a tool box
- Does he use it though?
- Maybe if he could find it
- He has mason jars filled with various nuts, screws, and bolts.
- Just think “dad basement/garage”
- There is a alcove, hidden by large rock formation towards that back of his space
- The alcove contains a small, somewhat shallow ocean pool
- Dwayne is the only one that knows about it, and he wants to keep it that way
- Out of all the boys he seems to be the cleanest
- So I think he uses this piece of ocean as his own little bathing spot
David
- I think his room would be on the first floor of the cave
- I think it would be smaller then Dwayne’s, but bigger then Paul’s
- He can fit an old recliner, and a side table in there while still having a little space to lay down in the back if he felt like it
- There is a loose rock on the right side of the wall in his room
- This is we’re he keeps his emergency stash of cigarettes, and his journal
- *audible gasp* DAVID KEEPS A JOURNAL???
- Yes and no
- He definitely doesn’t keep it after he fills it up with his thoughts
- As we all know he is a little paranoid, so whenever he finishes a journal he burns it
- I think he also has a little hook he hammered into the wall so he can hang up his jacket
- There is a deep, wide, indent into the cave wall, above the back wall of his room
- He has a trunk there that contains some extra clothing he has scavenged and some items from his past
#david tlb#dwayne tlb#lost boys 1987#marko tlb#paul tlb#the lost boys#tlb fandom#tlb fanfiction#tlb fanfic#fanfic#tlb headcanons#tlb dwayne#tlb david#tlb 1987#the lost boys 1987#the lost boys paul#the lost boys marko#the lost boys david#the lost boys dwayne
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Christmas Bingo Card 2024: Surprise Gift - Joe Velasco x Reader
Tagging: @kmc1989 @plaidbooks @witches-unruly-heart @storiesofsvu @rosaliedepp
The squad room is quiet when Joe gets in. The brightly coloured lights along the bank of glass panels twinkle in the dimness of the office, an attempt by Curry to inject a little holiday spirit into a place where people come at the worst time of their lives.
When he gets to his desk, he doesn’t expect to find a neatly wrapped gift sitting upon it. The paper is forest green, his favourite colour. The corkscrewed ribbon a glossy gold.
It must be a mistake, he thinks but then he picks up the tag and it’s his name written on it in your pretty italic scrawl. There’s an ache in his chest because he remembers that conversation in the car during a stakeout a couple of days ago.
“I don’t do gifts.” He’d told you as you were sorting the skittles on the dashboard. You always separate out the yellow ones from all the others because you know they’re his favourite.
“Giving them or receiving them?” You ask him half serious and Joe doesn’t respond. He just stares out the window, his gaze firmly fixed on the building in front of him.
“Oh.” You say and his jaw tightens. “Has it always been that way?”
“For the past couple of years.” He concedes and it breaks your fucking heart to imagine him with nothing to open on Christmas Day, thinking that no one cares about him. “It’s not a big deal."
But it is, to you it’s a big fucking deal.
When he removes the paper, he’s surprised to find a watch box amongst wrapping. His mouth turns dry as he opens it. It’s a practical time piece, something that closely resembles an Omega De Ville Prestige but a fraction of the cost. The face is white with a silver rim and gold numbers, the strap made of brown leather. When he removes it from the box, he can feel something etched into the metal on the back. When he turns it over he sees his name engraved on to the silver plate, not his American name, his real one.
Jose.
He can’t express in that moment how much this gift means to him. It’s not just a watch, it’s a symbol of your partnership, the affection you have for one another.
He thinks about the message he got from you this morning.
Come over after your shift, help me with the left overs my mom makes me bring home.
He hadn’t responded, he thought it must come from a place of pity but now when he looks down at the watch he knows that it comes from a place of love.
He withdraws his phone from the pocket of his biker jacket, his thumb typing out a message.
That offer still open?
He sees the three dots and his heart beats a little faster in chest.
Always, you tell him. You’re always welcome.
Love Joe? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.
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Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee
#joe velasco#joe velasco x reader#jose velasco#jose velasco x reader#law and order special victims unit#law and order svu#svu#law and order: special victims unit#l&o svu
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Ok so how does one MAKE a tabletop game because this is something I want to try!! Are there good references out there for non-d20 systems or how to balance mechanics yourself?
oooh, hell yeah! honestly the big thing is to just do it, unlike board and video games the gap between idea and execution in ttrpgs is incredibly narrow, so if youve got an idea just start writing stuff down and see where it starts pulling you, where it feels like something's missing, find what excites you and what you feel isn't working. but that's not very specific, so let's get into it!
first off, read games! read weird games! there's tons of free ttrpgs on itch, lots of people sharing their work here and on other social media, there's 200 word rpgs here and here, and lots of system reference documents written specifically for people looking to hack games. reading other games is a great way to enrich your work whether you're building systems from scratch or working in an existing framework, because every game you read will show you a new way of approaching design problems.
on that note, draw inspiration outside of ttrpgs too! i pull a lot from video, board, and card games in my work, as well as poetry, novels, movies, etc etc etc. im autistic, and ive spent a lot of my life thinking about and dissecting unwritten social rules, so that's another big source of material for me. take your passions, whatever they may be, and put them in your work!
next up, think about the core of your game, sometimes called the minimum viable product. this is whatever the fundamental idea at the heart of your work is, and it's important to keep in mind because it keeps you from spiraling down unnecessary tangents. the core of your game can change, don't get me wrong! in fact, it likely will. what you want to do isn't prevent your work from growing and changing, but have a point of light you can always refer back to and ask "is what im doing important to this game?" you might be surprised by what you find isn't actually as important as you thought at first, and what turns out to be vital to the experience you're going for.
next up, once you start working, don't throw things away. if youre working in a word processor or google docs, it can help to have a section at the bottom of your document that you copy anything youd otherwise delete into. i do the same with my Affinity documents, ill have a few pages i dont export to store all my scraps. i know other folks who keep a dedicated scraps document that they use across projects. whatever works for you! the reason you do this is twofold: it makes it easier to cut things if you know you can always put it back later if you change your mind, and it gives you a lot of raw material that you can pull from in the future. months or years from now, you might find yourself looking to fill a gap in a new design and realize that some cool toy you set aside is exactly what you were looking for.
lastly, i wanna strongly encourage you to practice finishing things. that's often the hardest part for people, cuz we have a lot more experience starting projects than finishing them. here id like to once again direct you to 200 word rpgs, because that strict limit means you wind up with a finished first draft really quickly, and the rest of it is polishing and editing. once you've finished some bite-sized projects, you'll have a better idea of what it entails, what parts you're good at and what parts you struggle with, when to keep working and when to cut yourself off. i find it really helpful to add arbitrary limitations and deadlines on my work because that helps me push myself to finish something when otherwise i'd just keep adding and tweaking, but you'll find what works best for you!
#also gonna add a note about “balance” in a reblog#cuz ive got thoughts about how balance applies to ttrpgs
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NUMBER ONE GIRL
31. you're mine (written)
prev // m.list // next
Neither of you talk much, but you have a great time nonetheless. It's almost as if you both know what the other is thinking and words weren't exactly necessary. However, something similar to fear keeps you from letting go; fear of your feelings not being reciprocated, of saying the wrong thing, and of messing up the weird and comfortable relationship you've built.
However, little by little the awkwardness disappears and everything seems to fall into place. You joke around and laugh. Everything feels easier without the weight of expectations and labels hovering over you.
"Can I ask you something?" His voice drowned by his own laugh.
"What?" For some reason, you can't help but smile.
"Why were you hiding in the bathroom?" He seems nervous, "I got worried for a second."
"I wasn't hiding," you can feel your face hot. "I was talking to my friends. Don't ask." You try to laugh but it comes out as a sigh.
And just before you go on a rant about everything and reassure him that you weren't hiding from him, he smiles and reaches for your hand. He knows. You're not sure how, but he knows; he wouldn't be smiling like that if he didn't.
Dessert arrives and you're so lost in his presence that you barely notice how people have started to leave the place. Has he always been so alluring?
When you finally have to go, you reach for your card just to be left waiting. "We haven't paid."
"I did. I paid in advance so you wouldn't pull any funny tricks."
You want to argue and say it's not fair for him to pay every single time you hang out. Then it hits you, are you really hanging out? This whole dinner thing has turned out to be more date-like than you anticipated.
"There's something I want to show you..." His voice interrupts your spiraling.
You just nod and follow him back to his car. Of course, you won't say it out loud but you just realized you'd go basically anywhere with him. Are you supposed to feel like this? Is it wrong?
After a short drive, you finally arrive at the place he wanted to show you. It's a recording studio, although way different than the ones you have at school. This place has a lot more equipment and looks cozier.
"Is this like your personal studio?"
"Something like that," he explains turning on everything, "I share the place with Heesung."
"I didn't know he's also part of the music program."
"He's not. His parents are doctors so they wanted him to follow their steps and, after a lot of arguing and screaming, they compromised on psychology so Heesung could still have time for music."
"He sounds brave."
"He is, but don't tell him that, his ego is big enough as it is." He jokes, but you see the fondness in his eyes. He sure loves his friends.
"Like you're one to talk..."
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
You both keep on bickering and laughing. Then silence sets in, but not the uncomfortable kind of silence, it's more like a natural kind of quietness. The same type of silence that comes before the sunrise; a breath of fresh air in the loudness of your lives.
"What did you want to show me?"
"Me."
You must look confused and maybe even concerned cause he laughs and looks away before explaining. "I know why your friends didn't like me, and I know at least one of them told you not to hangout with me or whatever.
I'm not saying they're wrong or that people misunderstand me, but they don't know the whole truth. They don't know me beyond the persona that, I confess, I've built to keep them out. But I want you to know me, all of me.
I'm an asshole, I was in love before and got my heart shattered, and I used that as an excuse to play around and maybe even hurt people. I'm not saying my actions were justified, but I did what I thought was necessary to not be hurt again..."
He is almost spiraling. This is the most honest he's ever been, but he sounds just so desperate.
"Yeonjun..."
"Please, let me finish. I like you. I'm not a good person, and I've hurt people and I'm a mess and I might fuck things up... and I like you. I know I was the one to say we should take things slow and see where it got us. From the moment I first laid eyes on you I knew you were gorgeous but now, after spending time with you and getting to know you a little, I like you and all of the things that make you who you are."
You don't know what to say. He likes you. You like him too, but you don't know how to say it or where to start. So kiss him.
You pull him in and he seems surprised. For a second you start to think that maybe you rushed a little with the physical contact but then you feel his arms engulf you and his lips moving against yours. Has he always been that good of a kisser? Your mind can't even begin to comprehend what got you here.
"I like you too..." you whisper when the contact stops. Too nervous to look at him.
"I kinda figured." He laughs and you feel his hands cupping your face and his thumb caressing your skin. Just a light touch.
"Shut up." You try to hide from his gaze.
He brings you closer and wraps his arms around you, as if he were scared you'd change your mind. "You ruined my speech, though. I even wrote a song so you'd hear about my feelings while I uncomfortably stare at you for four minutes straight."
You can't help but laugh, of course he would do something like that. "Play it for me."
"No way."
"Come on! I'll even pretend to be surprised and everything."
He gives in. Part of him thinks he'd say yes to anything you ask but that's a door he won't open yet. He just admitted he likes you, there'll be enough time in the future to worry about the intensity of his feelings.
he takes off his blazer and walks to the piano. "Please remember that you asked for it."
"You're doing great sweetie!"
He rolls his eyes and you can see his blush but he starts anyway, "This ain't for the best..."
His hands move swiftly yet hesitantly. It's been a while since he's felt so vulnerable. Your soft gaze follows his every movement and he can feel his skin getting warmer by the second. You smile for a moment enjoying the effect you had on him. Until he looks at you while singing.
Now you get it. It's not uncomfortable at all. It's rather intimate. Having someone so openly expressing his feelings for you in such an emotional moment makes you feel helpless and bare. It's almost magical.
"... delicate." He finishes and avoids your eyes.
"Don't get all shy on me now." You try to joke.
"I'm not shy!"
You bicker for a while and everything feels so natural. You don't know what made you feel so nervous at dinner, he's just Yeonjun.
"I do want you to know that I don't expect us to put a label on this right away." He explains while holding your hand. "I want us to go on dates and have like the whole experience. I wanna court you or whatever it is old people call it."
"I'd really like that." You can stop smiling. You didn't know it was possible to smile this much but here you are.
The drive home is different; the feeling of his hand in yours is comforting and yet it also makes you feel anxious. A good type of anxious though.
You talk about school and your plans for the week. It's all so natural and domestic, you've never felt like this before. Not even with Sunghoon. This is the first time you've let yourself be with someone after him and somehow it feels so much more real and authentic. Yeonjun doesn't make you feel as if you need to tone down who you are; you can just be yourself.
When you arrive at your apartment complex, he opens your door and tries best not to stutter while saying goodbye. You laugh and can't even figure out why. You're just so happy.
"See you tomorrow?" He asks shyly once you get out of the car.
"See you tomorrow." You confirm still holding on to his hand.
And then you seal your promise with a kiss...
notes:
I was so excited for this chapter
once again we love a communicative king
had an issue with the format but it's ok now
happy holidays btw
taglist: (32/50)
@estella-novella @poetryforthesad @lisaswifey @angelzforu @ihrtlix @gloriousqueenking @domfikeluva @circus-of-thoughts @conwunder @miniature-tragedy @jeonginplsholdmyhand @sh0dor1 @yourenzoo @tkshairband @realrintaro @castingjinx @amara-mars @hwangrfrnd
#Spotify#kpop au#kpop smau#skz smau#txt smau#5targh0st#5targh0st number one girl#lee know imagines#lee know x reader#stray kids#tomorrow x together#kpop fanfic#kpop scenarios#aespa karina#social media au#itzy yeji#le sserafim yunjin#lee know smau#yeonjun imagines#yeonjun x reader#yeonjun smau#txt scenarios#txt imagine#txt imagines#txt x reader#skz x reader#skz imagine#skz imagines
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Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! *holds out this post*
Grian, grinning: I have a knife! Scar: Put it down, Grian. Grian: Make me! sprints away
Grian: What's the most illegal thing you can do with one dollar? Scar: Exchange it for a hundred pennies, put them all in a sock, and then beat someone to death with it.
Scar: Can you be serious for five minutes? Grian: My record is four, but I think I can do it.
Scar: Are you an F5 key? Because that ass is refreshing. Grian: Are you a software update? because not right now.
Grian: Hey, can you do me a favor? Scar: Sorry, I have to go do literally anything other than this. Grian: You don’t even have a legitimate reason? Scar: Oh, no, I do. Grian: Well, what is it? Scar: You see, I simply don’t give a fuck.
Grian, holding a box of Lunchables: Ah, I loved these when I was your age… fine dining. Scar: Fix yourself.
Scar: Okay, help me, please! Grian: Got two words for you. Scar: I bet they won't be helpful. Grian: Your problem. Scar: I was right.
Grian: Can I borrow five dollars? Scar: If you’re only borrowing it, does that mean you’ll pay me back? Grian: Of course. Grian: Not directly, but with my love and affection. Scar: So that’s a no.
Grian: Wow, did you hear that voice crack? Scar: That wasn't a voice crack, that was a whole voice meth.
Scar: …My man Grian just killed a goldfish. Grian: licking their lips Yup. Delicious.
Scar: I just got the best idea I've ever had in my entire life! Later Grian, to Scar: That was the worst idea you’ve ever had in your entire life.
Scar: Grian, you need to calm down. Grian, slamming their fists on the table: BUT HOW CAN IT BE "BIRTHDAY CAKE" FLAVOR IF A BIRTHDAY CAKE CAN BE ANY FLAVOR?!
Scar: I’m proud to say I’ve come over my fear of ghosts! Grian: Eyy, that’s the spirit! Scar: gasps whErE???!!!??
Scar: So you're looking for information on this thing, huh? Well, I feel like it must be from far away. Grian: What makes you say that? Scar: If it's something even I don't know about, then I'm sure nobody else must have a clue. So it's gotta be from some faraway place. Impeccable reasoning, isn't it? Grian: Scar… You don't have a clue about this thing, do you? Scar: screams in anger
Grian: Scar, you look deep in thought. What’s wrong? Scar: Did you know you can look at any object and know what it’s like to lick it? Even if you’ve never touched it before? Grian: I’m never asking you anything ever again.
Grian, looking at their reflection: Now, that's rubbish. Who's that supposed to be? Scar: Well, that's you. Grian: Me?! Is that what I look like? Scar: You don't know? Grian: Busy day.
Grian: Good morning! Scar: Is it? Is it really?
Grian: Urrrgh…I’ve never felt so sick in my entire life… Scar: Ouch. Shit sucks, man. Grian: I feel like I’m dying… Whyyyy… Scar, under their breath: Because I want to go back to some peace and quiet in this house. Grian:,/b> …DID YOU FUCKING POISON ME-
Scar: Pick a card, any card. Grian: Fine. Scar: Wait, that's my credit card! Grian: You said any card.
Scar: I’m going to get so much done today. Grian: I’ll hold you to that. 8 hours later Grian: So how much did you get done? Scar: One thing. Grian: Well, that’s one more than usual.
Scar: I wouldn’t put it in those words exactly. Grian: Why not? Scar: Because I don't know what they mean.
Scar: When did you become a hero? Grian: Um… the moment I saved you from getting killed. Scar: You’re the last person on earth I wanted to rescue me. Grian: Well… sucks to be you, don’t it.
Grian: You’re a horrible person! Scar: Maybe. But I’m rich and I’m pretty, so it doesn’t really matter.
Grian: Pulls a glass a water from out of nowhere Scar: Where did you get that? Grian: My pocket. Scar: How do you keep a glass of water in your pocket? Grian: Skills.
Scar with a gun to Grian's head: What happens if I pull this trigger? Heaven? Grian: Bold of you to assume I'll go to Heaven.
Scar: That sounds super! Doesn’t that sound super, Grian? Grian: No. Scar: I think I speak for Grian when I say it sounds really super.
Scar: Are pigeons drones? Grian: What? No, I'm trying to sleep. Scar: Think about it. How come you've never seen a baby pigeon? And why do you never actually see a pigeon nest? Because they're DRONES! Grian: Crying Please let me sleep…
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Insatiable Madness
Diverted-Dimension (Christmas 2024)
|Sagau Yandere Fatui Harbingers x Reader|
Why am I back here again!? Take me back to the canon!
Reader is Gender Neutral!
"Finally!" You cheered, stepping back to admire the Christmas tree in the corner of your living room.
"It looks good." Pantalone commented, looking at all the trinkets placed on the tree. "Although, I believe this gadget would look better placed there... And this bauble, yes, hmm, perhaps on the branch above rather than--"
Y'know, it always takes one person to ruin everyone else's happiness doesn't it? Especially when their name is Pantalone. You rolled your eyes, ignoring his fiddling with what you considered a complete and beautiful tree.
Let's just hope Columbina doesn't see him fiddling with her decorations. For Pantalone's sake, you pray she takes five extra minutes in the bathroom so he can have a safe getaway when he's finished with something he sees as necessary.
Anyway, you've been preparing for Christmas day tomorrow. You wanted to put up the tree earlier, not wanting to leave it this late, however being busy babysitting and making sure all the Harbingers go to work with a happy mood sure takes up a lot of time. Not only does it feel like you're playing a very dangerous version of the Sims, but more importantly, it sucks that when all of them leave you have to entertain the others that don't go to work in the first place.
"It feels like the tree is missing something." Dottore chimed in, standing back with a finger on his bottom lip.
"Please don't say that, The Regrator is already driving himself mad with his own activities." Arlecchino stated
Ignoring those two... They're right, something seems wrong with the tree. But you used everything in the box, what could be missing --
Oh, of course! How could you forget!?
"It's missing an angel on top!" You pointed out, walking over to the Christmas box and rummaging around.
After a while of digging and loud crashing noises consisting of you throwing out whatever you thought could also be added, you found a dusty china angel missing a hand.
"Agh, this won't do." You scolded yourself. "We'll have to go with a star instead. I'll have to cut one out later."
"Cut one out? How are you going to cut a star out of the sky?" Childe asked with a bewildered expression.
"They mean they'll cut one out of paper you damn idiot." Scaramouche glared out of the corner of his eye.
"I often see the Children of the Hearth doing something similar when I pass by..." Signora thought to herself out loud, leaning on one of the arms of the sofa.
"Yes, the children love cutting out different shapes and animals. It just so happens stars are one of the easiest things to make." Arlecchino nodded in agreement.
If it's so damn easy, why don't you do it for me?? You grumbled with an angry grin. It took you a few days to learn how to cut a good looking star out of paper due to your clutzy fingers, how dare they call it 'easy' in front of you!
"Hm? Why do you look angry at me?"
"No reason." You answered her, sharply turning your head away from her tilted one. "Do I even have any paper left? Ugh, I might have to use lined paper and paint it using gold nail varnish if push comes to shove."
"Absolutely not." Sandrone interrupted you. "That sounds messy and unnecessarily more difficult than if you just bought yellow card."
"And where do you propose I get this yellow card? Out of my arse?"
"No." She looked repulsed. "The shop? I saw some in an isle."
"When and why did you go into the corner shop?" You caressed your head, sighing when hearing her solution.
"That's unimportant."
"Sure it is. Anyway, I need to start thinking about how I'm going to cook Christmas dinner--"
"Oh no you don't." Scaramouche interrupted you with a cold voice. "The last time you cooked a genuine meal that didn't include those 'instant noodles', you poisoned everyone who has an organic stomach."
"No way, the Balladeer cares enough about me to not want to see me bedridden again?" Childe gushed with a chuffed smile.
"That's not important!" You raised your voice with flushed cheeks. "How did you know that what I cooked was 'instant' noodles? I never told you that!"
"I asked a staff member in the shop down the street when I saw the exact same package for sale in one of the pasta isles."
"Oh my god, how many of you have been in that damn shop without me!?"
The room stayed silent, some looking away with a cringe whilst others looked at you with unbothered faces.
“Do I count? I’ve never left the house.” Capitano raised his hand innocently.
"Unbelievable." You cried to yourself dramatically.
"I can't believe he's still fiddling." Pulcinella sighed with judging eyes, watching the banker radically move around the tree mumbling to himself like a robot given an impossible task.
"So this is what happens when you don't give him something to do after a long period of time. Lesson learnt." Pierro sweated, coughing into a clenched fist with shut eyes.
"It's not my fault." He turned to the group with hysterical eyes, every so often one twitching. Considering his eyes are always closed, you’re impressed that his mania has managed to do the impossible. "The Decider won't let me do one of the things I'm best at, manipulating an economy. Denying me access to undermining this country's government is making me go mad!"
"What a lunatic." You ignored him, eyeing his antics as nothing more than a regular occurrence at this point.
"So, we're up for cutting a star for the tree then?" You turned back to the group.
"It's your decision and your tree, so of course." Signora shrugged.
"I'm baaaack!~" Columbina burst through the door like a canary, singing with a pep in her step.
She stopped when she saw Pantalone running around the tree, her energy from earlier vanishing as fast as a bird when hearing a gunshot.
"Erm... It's not what it looks like." He turned around slowly, feeling her menacing and dangerous energy piercing his back.
He put his hands in the air, his smile shaking in fear.
"It better not be what it looks like." Her smile contrasted his own. "Because it seems you've been touching something I specifically warned all not to touch.~"
"He's dead, he's actually dead." Childe commented on the sidelines.
"Amen."
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
Sandrone left to go get yellow card whilst Columbina forced you to tear down the Christmas tree and start decorating it from scratch. She said it was a punishment for you also, due to letting him rearrange it despite hearing her warning. What bullshit, she just couldn't be bothered to do it again. Anyway, Capitano helped you hold the christmas tree up so you could wrap the tinsel around it without trouble. What a nice guy… even though he technically isn’t helping you with what counts most.
"I don't understand why we're cutting out stars. Can't we just use me as the angel?" Columbina giggled to herself.
"No, that would be weird." You frowned at her. "What I don't understand is why everyone is cutting stars with me. Didn't the majority of you say this is going to be boring? Do something else!"
"The 'something else' you're talking about was also boring." Scaramouche picked up his pair of scissors, tracing his finger on the sharp side.
“I’d much rather cut something up than count how many particles are in a cloud.”
“What does that even mean!?”
“Anyway,” Dottore coughed with an irritated stretching smile. “I propose we make this a competition.”
“Of all the childish suggestions–” Arlecchino was cut off.
“I agree, I agree!” Columbina nodded with a happy smile. “It can’t be too hard, maybe we should have a reward for who wins the competition?”
“Although I find the idea of a competition to be senseless, a reward does sound quite… boosting.” Pantalone thought out loud, a greedy smile on his lips.
“This is not happening.” You sighed to yourself, head planted onto the table with exasperation radiating off of your slumped form.
“But what reward could we put on offer? I’m not against competition, heck, I encourage it! But what could we all fight for which would allow us to fight at our strongest the whole time?” Childe leaned against his chair.
The Harbingers thought to themselves, the room erupting in silence with the occasional cough or sniff. All of a sudden, their heads turned and looked at you. Feeling their gazes burning into you, you looked up from the table to see them expectantly eyeing you.
“Ohhh no. No way in whatever thoughts you’re all sharing am I getting involved in this. I’m not becoming some trophy you can flaunt for the rest of the evening.” You denied them.
“But you’re the perfect solution!” Childe playfully pouted.
“Quit torturing them, Childe.” Signora scolded the young ginger. “I propose this; let whoever wins ask The Decider one question. That question can be related to anything, the future or the past.”
“Hmm, but how would we know whether The Decider wouldn’t lie to us?” Dottore suggested.
“I’m staying out of this one.” Pulcinella put his hands in the air, leaving the room. “You youngsters go have fun, I’ll sit this one out.”
“Rooster, I would suggest staying to supervi–”
“So you can go back to that dirty office you keep closing yourself in to work? No thank you, I shall handle your paperwork today. You supervise this time.” He gave the director a harsh glare, making sure to purposefully hit him with his walking stick before walking away.
“Sometimes I can’t tell whether the Rooster is secretly a teenage girl or is just simply strange…” Pierro muttered to himself. Sighing.
“How about both, mixed in with the fact that he’s a psycho with more control issues than you think.”
“Hm? You think even more than the Regrator?”
“Deffo.” You clicked your tongue. “He just hides it because he’s a champ like that.”
“Don’t change focus!” Scaramouche raised his voice. “I order you to answer me. You will tell the truth to the victor of the contest, no?”
“Hold on, didn’t we agree to ask our own questions once we deliver them to the Tsaritsa?” Childe questioned.
“That was just to get you to not hound The Decider back when we first found them.”
“Fine.” You agreed with an eye roll, secretly crossing your fingers behind your back like a five year old. You’ll probably just make something up that sounds accurate when the winner asks their question. You’re betting that Sandrone will win this though, this kind of has something to do with her job after all.
“It’s decided then!” Columbina clapped in delight. “The Decider and The Director will be our judges. We’ll work for 10 minutes to create a star suitable to be put on the tree, then will be judged to see who has the best!”
“This is not gonna go well…” You said, trying your best to cover the shaky smile on your face. This is the best! You’ll just pick someone who won’t ask a question you don’t mind answering! Thank you Columbina for giving you this chance.
“You’re telling me!” Pulcinella shouted from the other room, sarcasm oozing like tar glooping down a slope.
“Count us down, count us down!” Columbina couldn’t contain her excitement, her body practically vibrating.
“Alright, alright… Ugh, I regret this… On your marks, get set, cut!”
“Seriously? ‘Cut’?” Pierro turned to you.
“What was I supposed to say!?”
The Harbingers sat at the table immediately started cutting, the sound of card shredding and small pieces emitting everywhere. Guess who’s going to have to clean that up? You thought with a frown, watching card pile up in the small crevasses in your carpet.
Looking around at the Harbinger’s cutting paper, you realise one was just sitting there watching the others work.
“Uhh, Capitano? Aren’t you going to begin?” You asked him.
“No.” His deep voice answered in return. “I am not going to join this display, no matter how entertaining it will be for you. Firstly, my fingers won’t fit in the holes of the scissors. And secondly, I have no question to ask you so entering just for victory would be pointless.”
“Brother, your fingers can’t be that big.” You deadpanned, letting your mind wander a bit too far with the thought.
He simply crossed his arms and continued to watch the others, ignoring you from then on. Oh well, he’s not interfering or arguing back like a child so you’ll let it happen. Besides, it looks like he quite likes watching so it’s the least you could do.
Pierro put an arm on your shoulder, getting your attention. You turned to make eye-contact and saw him hesitating in what to say to you.
“Do you need a defibrillator? You look like you’re having a seizure.”
“Who do you think is going to make the best star?” He said after, not registering your insult you said a few seconds prior.
“Wow. Did it really take you that long to think of what to say to me?”
“Quiet.” He warned you.
“Hmm… Who do I think is going to win?” You mumbled out loud, pretending to give it some thought. “Screw it, I’m not going to pretend. Sandrone’s going to make the best one because she does this kind of thing as a job.”
“Hah!” She guffawed after hearing your predictions, continuing her cutting with a content smile.
“Buuuut, that’s not what makes a star special. It isn’t just perfection, but passion and hope. I want to see how unique some people will make it… within reason of course.”
“I wasn’t expecting such an intelligent reply.” Pierro sweated. “Here I was, ready to scold you.”
“It’s like that’s all you can ever bloody think about when it comes to me.” You deadpanned.
“You give me no choice half of the time.” He sighed with a shaking head. “Your choices are often questionable and must be corrected. Would you rather have a physical punishment instead?”
Is this guy nuts?
“No… No, I would not.”
“That's what I thought.” He turned to look at the competition.
“Decider, help me out here.” Scaramouche clicked his fingers, beckoning you like an old woman would to her juvenile cat.
“Do I look like your pet?” You recoiled in disgust.
“I’ll let you leave the house to go to that dumb park you like if you help me right now.”
“I’m on my way!” You ran over to his side, peering down to see the mess of a star he’s created. It’s not bad at all, it’s actually your style - you like it a lot! What on earth could he need help for?
When you peered down to his design, you felt a cold unnatural hand grasp the side of your head and pull it closer to his face.
“Tell me how you like them.” He whispered. “Would you rather me add more detail or remove it? And don’t lie to me or I’ll kill you.”
“Pierro, The Balladeer is cheating! He’s bribing The Decider!” Sandrone pushed her chair back and stood up dramatically, pointing her scissors at the offender.
“Hey, no fair!” Childe whined. “If he gets to bribe them, let me bribe them too!”
“If anyone is to bribe the Decider, it should be me. I am the richest man in Teyvat after all.” Pantalone shrugged whilst lazily cutting.
“Correction: Ningguang is the richest in terms of all. You only count as the richest when it comes to being a man.” You pointed out. “And besides, I would never take your dirty money.”
Piero coughed loudly to quieten everyone down, all in the room turning to him like a deer in headlights. He waited until everyone stopped complaining and then spoke.
“Do continue with your cutting, you have less than a minute left.” He gestured to the timer. “And no bribery. The first to test my patience and even attempt to do so will be put under experimentation during the rest of our stay here and our return.”
“Oh, by all means, bribe away!” Dottore laughed at the Harbinger’s around him, silently cutting.
Huh? Less than a minute left? But when you last looked at the time they had at least 8 minutes left. You checked the timer once more, and found fat greasy fingerprints on buttons that weren’t there prior. You turned to the old man with an incredulous face, mouth wide open. He caught your staring, and put a finger on his lips with a small almost unnoticeable smile.
Pierro, you cheeky bastard. I love you for this.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
The stars were laid out on the dining table, each Harbinger stood behind their own creations. Sadly but also un-sadly, some Harbingers were too slow and couldn’t finish their star in time. By some, you mean Pantalone and surprisingly Sandrone.
“I’m not going to hear the end of this.” Sandrone had her face buried in her hands, looking at her creation with malice. “In defence, I value time to craft perfection. Announcing a set time dampens my methods and results in mechanics such as this one. Ugh, what a waste!” She threw the craft off of the table, the star unravelling itself immediately.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course.” You sarcastically waved at her embarrassment. “And you, Pantalone? What’s your excuse?”
“The scissors you gave me were tampered with! I call for–”
“So I’m the problem? Okay, whatever…”
You walked down the table, looking at each star neutrally then nodding and moving onto the next. Now, you’re not an expert, but did they really think you wouldn’t notice? They all look the exact same! They all look like copied versions of Scaramouche’s design! When watching him try to bribe you, they must have thought you liked his design the best and copied him to have a fair chance. Well, they’re wrong! You’re just going to pick the person who will give you the least trouble when answering their question, jokes on them!
…That was your original plan. After looking at all the stars, you felt a new motivation when noticing one person didn’t copy and stuck to their own principles. Also they may or may not be the only person to not take this seriously and you want to mess with the others a little bit. Pierro will agree with you, he’s the type to disregard any copycats so he won’t have trouble with your choice at all.
“Okay, I’ve decided on my winner.” You announced, stepping back to view the expectant Harbingers.
“Arlecchino, you win.”
“WHAT!?”
“But why?” She asked, not looking surprised or pleased. “I could care less about an answer to a question, nor do I care about winning this childish competition.”
“That’s actually why I picked you. And because your star is an original design - sorry Scara, but uhh, you might have won if the others didn’t copy.”
“Of course.” He grumbled, glaring at the Harbingers staring at him. “One day, I’m going to murder all of you fools and sell your parts to people far worse than Dottore! I’ll get back at all of you for ruining my chances!”
“Anyway,” You tuned his violent voice out. “Yeah, you’re the winner. Pierro, what do you think?”
“...I agree.” He said in a quieter tone. “Now, I will be returning to my office to continue what’s left of my work… and review what The Rooster has already completed.”
As he was walking away, you turned back to notice the majority of Harbingers had walked away to go back to what they were doing prior, bored after realising they wouldn't be able to profit with staying around for longer.
“Do I get to ask my question now?” Arlecchino tapped her elbow impatiently with folded arms.
“So you do want the reward?”
“Despite it not being my intention when joining, I would indeed like something that was promised. Whether it be an accident or a purposeful decision.”
“Okay, fine. Ask away then.” You shrugged.
“As you must already be aware, the majority of my Children from the Hearth hail from Fontaine, the nation of justice. I won’t lie to you, I’m beginning to grow increasingly concerned with the prophecy where–”
“--where the whole nation will be flooded and all the people will be killed except the archon? Yeah, I know of it. Your point?” You finished her explanation, already having an idea of where the conversation was heading.
“Then you will understand I care deeply about the future of my children. Tell me, will I succeed in convincing the Tsaritsa to visit Fontaine to retrieve the Gnosis in place of Rosalyne?”
“Of course you’d use the question to ask about your ‘precious children’.” Scaramouche mocked. “Just how idiotic can you be?? This is your chance to ask about the future!”
You gave a harsh glare with icy eyes in his direction before sighing, a smile on your face. “Yeah.”
“Hm? You have to give a higher detailed response to that.”
“You go to Fontaine, Childe coincidentally also there for his own personal motivations which may or may not be important. The whole time you’re there, you’re investigating Furina and the prophecy. Long story short, that I WILL NOT be elaborating, the prophecy is sorted and the people are saved. This includes the children in the House of the Hearth.” You explained, pleased with the question she asked you and your own personal answer. Wow, you can even impress yourself sometimes!
“Excellent.” She sighed in relief, her face unchanging. “Thank you. But I do have to ask, is the Hydro Archon really working to prevent the flood?”
“That’s two questions. But fine,” You shrugged. “You can trust her. Everything is proceeding to the plan, although interrogation and suspicion do indeed accelerate it to completion.” You thought out loud, noticing her questioning gaze and smiling deeper.
“That’s enough serious stuff. When are we going to discuss presents? Now that the tree is up we need to put the presents under it!”
“Uh… We’re flat-out poor. We can’t afford presents.” Childe shrugged. “Guess you’ll have to accept my love as a present instead!”
“Ew, what are you, five? Wait… Don’t come over here! Not after saying something like that!” You panicked, watching him run over to you at full speed and choosing to run away.
“Scaramouche you know how you said you’d take me to the park? I’m cashing in that favour right now!”
#InsatiableMadness#sagau#genshin impact#yandere genshin impact#fatui harbingers#yandere harbingers#genshin#pierro#capitano#il dottore#columbina#arlecchino#pulcinella#scaramouche#sandrone#la signora#pantalone#tartaglia#childe#fatui#genshin fatui#InsatiableMadnessEvent
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Robin had been hanging around all morning, watching as Steve wrote out his final cards for the kids and added toys into the music tin with them. “So is this the last day they’re getting treats from you? Or have you got some Christmas gifts on top of everything else you’ve given them this month?” She asked.
“This is the last thing I’m giving them. Christmas day is for family, anyway. Not like they’re going to want to come see me tomorrow.” He muttered, glancing over just in time to see her face scrunch a bit like she disagreed with that statement.
“And that’s why you’re set up as if there’s a party expected?” She pointed at the snacks that had been put out just before Steve filled the music box.
He barely looked at them. “You’ve seen those shitheads, right? They act like any trip to my house is a party.”
She tilted her head in a half nod, accepting the reasoning just as they heard a vehicle pull up outside. “And I bet that’s them having badgered Eddie to bring them all.”
“Nope, Erica has a friends Christmas party today. I think Lucas will be taking hers.” Steve corrected, sealing the music box and leaving it on a side table as he went to open the door.
“The Nerd said we’re celebrating here first today, but you better have ice cream and be ready to take me to Tina’s.” Erica greeted, walking past him immediately.
Everyone else filed in behind her, Eddie laughing a little at her words.
Steve called after her, “If I must, I must, but why can’t Eddie? Am I expected to let these guys run wild while I’m out?”
“Ice cream, Harrington! I want some now.” She demanded, ignoring the question.
“Not a waiter, try the kitchen.” He rolled his eyes, heading back to Robin, “Do I need to decide which of you opens the final day I’m doing that this year, or have you already decided?” He pointed at the music box and the kids all glanced to each other.
Lucas eventually stepped over to it, huffing towards the kitchen, “Erica had insisted she would but if all she wants now is ice cream, I’ll do it.”
“Doesn’t being Scoops Troop mean I get to when she doesn’t?” Dustin protested but didn’t move to stop him, “I swear that should overrule siblings.”
“It doesn’t. Platonic soulmates would, but that’s me and Steve, not you brats.” Robin said.
By this time Lucas had opened the tin and was passing out envelopes to everyone, leaving the reindeer toys inside it for the moment.
Max held hers up smirking, “Couldn’t stop yourself from giving us envelopes again, could you? How expensive can we make these?”
“Not very, but I’m sure you’ll find a way to make them annoying to fill anyway.” Steve matched her smirk, waiting for the rest to all open their envelopes before coughing, “And the rest, Lucas?”
Lucas nodded, turning back to get the reindeers out, “Can I cash my movie night now? You did bring some other Christmas movies home yesterday, right?” He asked, gesturing with his envelope as he handed the toys around to each of his friends.
“Sure, but I thought you guys would like some races first.” Steve shrugged at the suggestion, smirk widening at the groans that broke out.
El tilted her head, looking at her friends, “Why are races bad?”
“He’s trying to make us exercise again, El. This isn’t meant to be a work out.” Mike complained.
“But the reindeer can wind up, don’t they move like those toys you showed me before?” She asked Max now.
Narrowed eyes turned on Steve from Will and Mike, “You meant race the toys? Or are you talking about running?”
“The reindeer, but thanks for repeating your disdain for exercise you already do. Is cycling everywhere unless Eddie or I agree to give you a lift not exercise to you?” Steve quipped, pulling a large page he’d drawn a race line on over. El, Lucas and Max setting their reindeer down on it almost as soon as it was settled on the floor.
The other boys looked like they were trying to argue but didn’t have any response even after Erica came back through, a bowl of ice cream in hand. “Really is a party this time, dorky games and all. Where’s mine?” She asked, soon taking her movie night voucher and reindeer toy from where Lucas had set them beside the music tin.
Steve hadn’t been sure how the kids would like the music tin when he first added sweets into it, but it really had made his Christmas time a lot less lonely than he’d thought it might be. He loved these kids, and loved getting them to hang out with him a bit more often.
The Advent Music Box
Author's note: Doing this on a whim and the fact work gave me the music box inspiring this
Summary: Steve is sent a care package from his parents at the start of December
/\
It started with a music box.
Steve’s parents had sent him a care package that arrived on the first of December and in it was some snacks, a few items clearly intended as Christmas presents and the music box.
There was a sticker on it saying there were cookies inside it too but he took most of the morning to figure out that instead of taking a lid off like most tins needed, he had to remove the bottom of the music box.
That was what gave him the idea to fill it and challenge the kids to get the treats from inside. Since they didn’t actually go to his house very often he took it into Family Video, sure at least one of the kids would turn up sooner or later.
Perhaps he could even swing seeing them every day if he said he’d fill it with at least something small for them each day.
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TOWER: IN REVERSE
Happy Valentine's Day!!
#revolutionary girl utena#anthy himemiya#utena tenjou#shoujo kakumei utena#utenanthy#adolescence of utena#rgu#rgu fanart#wlw#queer#sapphic#.doods#I thought about the meaning of the card and how it can look like a road and the fact that the castle in the anime is literally in reverse#buts is a projection and its what the duelists hope for and yeah
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i know astrology is fake but i'm not too keen on how a lot of people on this website seem to be clowning on it as a hobby a bit too hard. i swear the woman who thinks it's neat how she and her friends with the same sun sign are all similar isn't trying to say that you are who you are born as and there is nothing you can do to change it. it's a hobby. an interest. what happened to finding meaning and joy in the small things. does it affect you if someone enjoys tarot reading or crystals. does it make you upset someone has interests that they enjoy.
#im not saying astrology/tarot/crystals/etc. get clowned on so much bc theyre hobbies mostly enjoyed by women But....#i saw a post about some astrology study and made the mistake of opening the notes on that bad boy#not fun. and that reminded me of that old post that was basically like ''liking astrology is transphobic''#anyways idk maybe its just that my bestie is very much a ''crystal girl'' but like. stuff like that are such neat hobbies#she makes some cute little jars with pretty rocks and they make her feel better bc if you believe in something you can make it happen#when it comes to small things#like yeah if you pick up a stone that's like ''this can help you be more open with your emotions'' and you are like ''oh hell yea!''#ofc that will be on your mind and the item will be a constant reminder and actually help you with your goals#and its like. ok what really stuck with me was when i was talking with my bff and i was like ''i think all this stuff is interesting but i#feel bad bc i am superstitious and believe in some signs like lucky numbers but i know that logically its just. if i pick a lucky number of#i pay extra attention to it but i want to believe its lucky but i know how human brains work in that aspect''#and she was just like. ''so? those things dont have to exclude each other'' and it clicked#if i have a little tigers eye with me it does not make me feel more grounded magically#but if i decide (or believe) it's grounding then it will b bc it's a reminder for me to calm down#and stuff#like. ah idk how to put my thoughts into words#but i just think its unfair that a few rotten apples have ruined the perception of fun hobbies for a lot#not every astrology enjoyer is trying to sell you mlm essential oils or genuinely believe peoples entire lives are dictated upon the stars#or something#idk i just feel like these things are v misunderstood even tho im not personally like super into them myself#but ppl super mean about that stuff arent invited to look at my medieval themed fortune telling cards#idkk im sleepy and cant articulate my points someone else say this but better#leevi talks#im just saying. i dont think its bioessentialism to decide to believe you personally have a season for growth when the stars are in a#certain position or whatever
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working in an art gallery and talking to a lot of full time artists has given me CRAZY imposter syndrome btw lmao
#i went to a local gallery today (not the one i work in)#and i was looking at this one artists work#and she used a lot of patterns but didnt go up to her#she came up to me as i was looking at her work like ' hi i see youre looking at my work which one do u like most' like okay#i had my headphones on at the time so it did scare me#anyway im really stuck thinking about her work#like shes got this lovely cluttered and messy and chaotic style with still life in one dimension#and she uses pattern and quilt-like grids and so much colour#and the chaos of her work is by far the best part#how nothing stays in their boxes andeverythings falling#its homely and DRAMATIC. which is a mix that doesnt always go together but is held together by the chaos of her work#AND THEN SHE PUTS COLLAGE QUOTES ON IT 'fly high in the sky like a butterfly'#AUUUGGGHHH it pisses me off so much. REALLY? THATS THE BEST QUOTE? no song lyrics no deepp meaning nothing to express the narrative? bitch#love her style but its KITCH shes KITCH her quotes are KITCH her subjects are KITCH <- lives in kitch central of the uk but WHATEVER#by the way im not exagerrating with fly high like a butterfly she really thought that was the quote to describe this chaotic scene like she#eight years old like what the hell. there ere others too the pissed me off#and then i talked to her and she was like. WEIRDLY insistant tht even though she used stencils and that her dughter and husbnd drew anythin#mildly complicated that she had still done a lot of work I HADNT SAID ANYTHING#but she was just BRUSHING OVER whenever i mentioned her patterns and stencils like she was ASHAMED#like what the hell im all for having fun with what you draw but youre three times my age and i can draw a bird better than our adult daught#also i spoke to her turns out she knows my stepdad so that was an odd link but whatever#anyway artists that give me imostersyndrome are my boss who does realism in WATERCOLOUR#oh the woman in the gallery also gave me a printed card whcih was cool since i was going to buy one just to be mad at
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going insane over the fact that happiness and care and concern and love is underneath every interaction between newt and hermann in pacific rim
#HEAR ME OUT. they’re introduced and newt and being a groupie and behind him hermann is all huffing and rolling his eyes and shaking his#head but he’s Not Angry. no. he jumps to defend newt albeit in a somewhat mocking and sarcastic way BUT THE THOUGHT IS THERE. and then when#hermann is rambling on about numbers being the handwriting of god newt is in the background smiling and laughing and making silly#hand motions and yes the hand motion was a bit mocking BUT THATS THEIR WHOLW THINF. anyways i’m not done. when newt drifts with the kaiju#and pentecost is there talking to him and hermann and newt r yelling back in forth u can hear the unease and shakiness in their voices and#especially the frustration in hermanns. he’s frustrated abt newt risking his life and is worried abt that which translates out in anger.#and yeah maybe he’s salty abt being proven wrong too lmao. BUT CONTINUING ON. stacker could have just told newt to go to hannibal chau and#he would have done it. but instead they watch the film of him on HERMANNS computer as HERMANN controls the computer to look at the film. if#thé film was shown it was for a reason. newt doesn’t seem like the type to need reassurance abt chau before he goes. he was willing to die#for his trash drift. and stacker gave him the card and info so there’s no need to do anything else. the video is most likely there for the#viewers but it needs a reason to be there in the show. hence my reasoning that HERMANN asked to see it out of concern for newt who would be#doinf this alone. hermann demanded to see some proof to reassure himself. stacker having the card on him makes sense. him having that bulky#tape doesn’t. meaning hermann pressured him into leaving getting the tape and coming back to show him. anyways one more bit. so the drift.#hermann is clearly scared out of his mind and thinking abt the impending triple event. yet he still drifts with newt he does it to protect#him to take part of the neural load. and it takes a toll on hermann it makes a big enough mess of his brain that he ends with him bleeding#and shaking and sweating and coughing and throwing up. and he knew it would take a toll. he knew it would be a lot he’s seen the jaegers.#he’s seen what happens. he knows it will be rough. he knows it’ll be much worse for him who wasn’t drifted then for newt who has. yet he#still does it to help newt and to show his care and trust and concern and love and THEYRE DRIFT COMPATIBLE U DONT UNDERSTANDABLE HOW#EMOTIONAL I AM OVER THIS FUCKING OVER THEM#anyways one last thing. the way that they full body slapping each other on the back bear hugged when the throat collapsed (they were behind#herc and tendo so it was a little hard to see. i missed it the first time) in pure adrenaline happiness before we see the quiet tender hug#when they know everything is over for good (for now at least) when it’s time to celebrate when it time to think abt their drift and their#bond and their relationship and their LOVE. i’m so ok abt them rn actually#toad.txt#i wish i wrote this in a keep reading bit and not the tags now. anyways#pacific rim#pacific rim spoilers#newton geiszler#hermann gottlieb#newmann
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why he so mysterious…
demur
#weezer#rivers cuomo#i had a bad day! well actually i looked freaking amazing and got sm compliments today sooo!! i am pretty as freaksauce.#it was fairly good but i failed my physics test :(( …. it’s so sad… 34 percent before the curve.#34?!??? HOW???? I THOUGHT J ATE TS UP???#so yeah; insane …. but it’s okay because i’m good at other stuff and have other things i am good at!#oh yeah so guys guys guys.#there’s this girl who i do not like and i have not liked her since freshman year; right? and she’s fairly popular; your average overachieve#ing person; BUT i always didn’t like her. she left a bad taste in my mouth and i didn’t know if i was just jealous or WHAT#BUT I HAVE REASON TO HATE JER! MY GUT WAS RIGHT!#good job lyss#she’s a homewrecker and basically likes to get w people who have partners…. AND SHE WSS BEING FLIRTY W MY BF LIKE HELLO ???#who she think she is?#my bf doesn’t talk to her anymore since i said i don’t rlly like her and how she is thankfully#but my friend was talking to me in Seminar and was like ‘oh ya if i had a bf i’d kms than let him be around her.’ is that mean ? or is it#okay since she has done that multiple times then gets defensive and hates to be called out for kt#her gf right now had cheated on her boyfriend for the girl i don’t like; and this has happened TWICE!#HELLO???#like wtf…. and she sends the screenshots of it when she stops talking w the person who cheated on their partner for her and starts to play#the victim… like the weezer song. you can’t pay for dinner w the victim card ya.#well billy talent; but you know what i mean. so she’s playing the victim and she was saying “omg…. this feels so wrong…. but-but i love you.#stfu yn 😭#like holy moly. holy guac. “i don’t know how to quit you…’ turn off your phone ! (^^) close the app !#easy as that girl dw i got you#but for real. NOBODY LIKES JER BC SHES SO TOXIC. OMG IM SO JAPPY IM NOT ALONE ONNMY HATE TRAIN#anyways yeah. i can go more in detail for you all if anybody cares about my silly high school drama
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im becoming a emu blog again
#stardust speaking !#AAUUGHHHHHHH DREAMS DO COME TRUE#i nvr wouldve thought theyd put dog ears in a banner what am i looking at. hoping akitos hair still looks cute in his 3d model#im not worried about honamis shes 100% cute in the 3d!!!!!!!!!!!! theres no way that hair isnt cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!#im fine with not lucksacking Anything this yr if it means i can lucksack this banner amen#emu.................oh im so happy.....theres 1 other hairstyle i rly want her to get but this is so cute im gonna collapse i love when the#keep her hair short-looking#emu fan finally gets to pull for her on a 6% banner again#also seeing this banner...how old is honamis lil bro. like saki & tsukasa and akito & ena are close in age#but emu is not close in age to her big siblings#but i cant rmbr how far apart honami & her lil bro is ?!?!?!?#is this event rly gonna be akito with dogs help. overcome ur fears and all that#maybe ill update my header when the banner releases.....ough.............i lov proseka cards sm#btw vbs new song is so damn good. also excited for inabakumori niigo and scop leoneed#also i was thinking how funny itd be if they added dandan hayaku naru I DIDNT THINK THEY ACTUALLY WOUUUULLLDDDDDD#can we add more nanou songs next please please please please please please please#anyway i. need to read events again. at the very least wxs main events -> emu events -> then back to reading stuff in order#actually i might be lying i dont rmbr how old emus big sis is. it might not be That big when i think about it. but it sure aint 1-2yrs
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