#WHY is there no guaranteed way to pull 4 stars

[birbsong]

oh nooo

[rubys-domain]

... i think i'm gonna pull for arlecchino actually...

[sethcertified]

「 SEVEN PLAYER GAME ! 」 . . . 📂

one. written + smau

⊹˚.⋆ starring . . . heeseung x male reader smau!

⊹˚.⋆ synopsis . . . A member of the prominent youtube group “ENHYPEN” accidentally donates a significant amount of money to a very well-known gaming creator sparking rumors and forced collaborations by their managements.

Setting up the stream with as much anticipation as you had nerves, you opened Genshin. The loading screen painted your face with its glow as you greeted the chat. They were as equally as excited as you were to finally get your first c6 five star. Bangchan and Felix had, so now it was your turn.

“Ah, I’m nervous, chat.” You said with a big grin. Your fingers danced over Alhaitham’s banner. The chat was spamming good luck messages as you hit your first ten pull.

First ten pull— 4 star.

Second ten pull— 4 star.

Third ten pull— 4 star.

At this point, you couldn’t care less for whatever four stars were joining your character list. All you cared about was getting Alhaitham. The chat cheered you on as you reached the 50/50. With a little exhale, you made that ten pull…

The gold lit up your face, reflecting in your eyes. Biting your lip, you clicked through the weapons and such until the character splash hit your screen.

“Qiqi?!” You exclaimed as you sank down into your gaming chair. The chat exploded in kahoots at your unfortunate outcome. The small zombie stared at you, a painful reminder of your first failed 50/50 of the night.

“Why is it always Qiqi, I swear!” You whined as your fingers dug in your hair. “If anything she’s going to be my first c6 five star.”

With a frown, you claimed her new c3 constellation. The chat found humor at your annoyance. Some pitied you, and donated. With some quick thanks to those who had cared to donate, you returned back to wishing.

Eventually, you hit the guaranteed pity and got him. With a smile, you immediately began playing with Alhaitham, but the job wasn’t over yet. This was only one Alhaitham needed out of 7.

“Should we wish for his weapon?” You asked the chat who immediately exploded into variants of yes. Before you could pull for his weapon though, a familiar username donated.

y/nsupremacy donated $100

“just for good luck ;)”

You grinned at the donation. y/nsupremacy had become a bit of a legend in your streams, always donating high prices and leaving flirty messages. It was a bit of an inside joke in your fandom that he was your sugar daddy.

“I was wondering where my good luck charm was. Thanks, y/nsupremacy!” You said earnestly as you started to wish for Alhaitham’s signature weapon.

On the other side of the screen, Heeseung felt giddy at your words. Being y/nsupremacy was his little secret from the world— exception being the other members of enhypen. Was it the wisest decision to send huge amounts of money to his competition for number one creator on twitch? Definitely not, but he couldn’t help it. The interactions with you, the way his heart raced as your eyes went wide at the amounts of zeros he sent, the shipping between the two of you in chat, etc. It all made his unabashed spending of money all the worthwhile.

He sometimes wished to reveal himself. Change the shipping from y/nsupremacy and y/n to heeseung and y/n, you know? Imagining the internet exploding with the news strangely made him feel butterflies in his stomach. The two of you would be the most powerful content creator on twitch! Heeseung had often had fantasies about collabing with you, seducing you with his charms, yet when he had reached out in the past… he was ignored.

So he settled. If you didn’t want to notice Heeseung as Heeseung, you at least noticed him as y/nsupremacy. As he watched you pull, you now with c2 Alhaitham and his signature weapon, Heeseung heard his dorm room door creak open. He spun around in his chair to see Jay standing in his door way.

Before Heeseung could tell him to get out, Jay was quick to announce why he had came. “Sunghoon ordered us a pizza. Come and eat.”

The urge to shake his head no and tell Jay he would eat later was quickly stripped away from him as the other members started to pile in his doorway. With a sigh, he pushed himself out of his chair and into the living room, followed by the other members with the exception of Jay. Jay scoffed playfully as he watched you gleefully on Heeseung’s monitor. They way you smiled as you pulled yet another Alhaitham con was endearing. Jay quickly exited out of stream, and switched Heeseung to his main before shutting off his PC.

By the time the pizza was devoured, Heeseung was already headed straight back to his room. Eating his last slice, he turned his PC back on and immediately hopped on your stream. You were running low on wishes, yet you were only at c4 Alhaitham. With a devious smirk, Heeseung prepared for his next donation, unaware of which account he was on.

heeseunglee donated $1,000

“you got this, pretty boy ❤️”

masterlist || next

©️ sethcertified 2024. all rights reserved to me. please don't copy my work or reshare without my explicit permission and credit

[dark-frosted-heart]

Choose Your True Love - Azel Radwan (part 3/4)

This is the from the 4th anniversary event

As usual, can’t guarantee 100% accuracy on this. 

The living god, who usually didn’t hold an ounce of interest in me, brazenly followed me into my room.

Was going to my room necessary for his “nightly stroll”—

I thought back to how he had captured the attention of everyone in court and held my head.

(I’m sure he’s been seen entering my room…there’s going to be weird rumors spreading tomorrow)

Emma: Prince Azel…

Azel: I like how the view of the moon from this guest room.

Emma: …It’s bigger and more beautiful when you look at it outside.

Azel: It’s my preference.

Emma: If that’s the case, then I think I’ll go somewhere else.

(Before someone gets the wrong idea…)

When I turned to leave, he grabbed my hand.

Emma: …What?

Azel: I’m simply grabbing your hand.

Emma: It can’t be just that. Is there a reason why I can’t leave my room?

Azel: No, where you go doesn’t matter to me.

Emma: Then please let me go.

Azel: You’re pretty bold to give a god commands.

Emma: …It’s not a command, but a request.

Azel: I don’t feel like listening.

(Moody!)

Mysterious eyes stared down at me grumpily—or maybe he was sulking.

It was a strange feeling, like they were cursing at me, saying “it’s your fault,” even though I haven’t done anything.

(Maybe I’m just imagining things…)

Emma: Prince Azel, if there’s something you want to say, then please say it.

Azel: I got nothing to say.

Emma: People who have nothing to say don’t hold me back like this.

Azel: I’m not holding you back. Don’t make me repeat myself.

Emma: You’re being unreasonable?!

Azel: Are you complaining?

Emma: Very much so!

Azel: …You… I can’t be here?

(W-why…does he look so offended)

A frown gradually formed on that handsome face sculpted by the gods.

He obviously wanted to say something, but was hesitant to do so.

Emma: …It’s not that you’re not allowed in here, I just don’t know what’s going on in your head.

I stared into his starry eyes, trying to read his mind.

I almost got lost in his inhumanly beautiful eyes, but the longer I stared, the more the stars looked like sparks.

Azel: …Heartless.

Emma: Excuse me?

Azel: If for you, nothing’s happened yet, then… I’ll throw everything that’s happened for me.

Emma: …Um…?

Azel: How can you be so carefree when you’ve cursed a god?

Emma: I haven’t cursed anyone?!

Azel: Nope, you’ve cursed me. Or else I wouldn’t have followed you here. …Why can’t I let you go?

(...? Did he say something…)

Emma: This has to be some sort of misunderstanding.

Azel: I wish it was, damn it.

(...Huh?)

The more we spoke, the closer that mysterious starry sky got.

My heart started beating faster, as if in response to heat radiating from the shimmering stars.

(What is this atmosphere)

(Uneasy…thick and sweet…)

It was either an alarm going off, or something more.

When I pulled my hand away, he pulled back, bringing us even closer than before.

Azel: It’s all your fault.

The huge moon, the view from the room, all of it was filled by the beautiful visage of the god before me.

When people find themselves in some kind of unexpected situation, they freeze up instead of running away. Even when they feel like they can’t breathe or think they're in danger, their feet are glued to the floor.

(If this keeps going…)

We were so close that I unconsciously stopped breathing, and I was too nervous to even blink. Our lips were almost touching—though the moment I thought that, Prince Azel moved and buried his face in my shoulder.

Azel: ……Damn it.

Emma: I… I just remembered something urgent. Excuse me!

When I came back to my senses, an unfamiliar emotion suddenly erupted, so I shook off Prince Azel’s hand and ran out of the room.

--

Emma: (What…what was that just now?!)

(I thought he was acting strange, but there’s no way the Prince Azel I know would do something like that)

(...Calm down. Just calm down)

(...)

(No, it’s impossible. I can’t calm down!)

I sprinted down the hallway to cool off my burning face.

But the moment I rounded a corner, I found my path blocked my palace maids.

Maid: Lady Emma, you’re here. We were about  to come get you. Come now, let’s go.

Emma: Huh…?

After dealing with the complex Prince Azel, I was caught by maids who looked oddly cheery. 

They snatched my left and right hands, dragging me away against my will.

Emma: Wait! What do you want from me?!

Maid: We thought we would help cleanse you, of course.

Emma: Cleanse…?

Maid: Please do not worry. We’ve all once served in the harem. This sort of thing is our specialty.

--

(What do they mean “this sort of thing”?!)

(...No, I have a guess, but I don’t want to acknowledge it!)

The maids of Tanzanite castle politely tossed me into the bath.

I declined their offer to help me bathe, but I wanted to throw all my thoughts away in this spacious bath.

(The worst is that there’s already a misunderstanding)

(Maids waited outside with scented oils, and all my clothes were taken away…)

(...What do I do? I want to cry. But first, I need to clear up this misunderstanding)

(Anyway! This is all Prince Azel’s fault)

(This new form of harassment is overdoing it…But that’s just harassment—)

I sank into the bubbling water when I heard footsteps echo in the bathhouse.

???: Haaaa…Now I remembered that I didn’t stop this.

(?!)

Azel: You okay?

Emma: Wha…

Azel: If you are, then that’s good. If you weren’t drugged, then—

Emma: AHHHHHHHHH!

Azel: ?!

[antoncyng]

౨ৎ. SUFFERED - h.sh

synopsis - dreaming about his presence started to hurt again, so it was time to finally watch the VHS.

genre / warning(s) - angst, mentions of death, somewhat based off of 20th century girl, vhs tape is different tho, flashbacks based in 1999

word count - 1.0k (first fic to hit 1k???)

author’s note - this fic is for @cupidhoons because this woman wanted her heartbroken so what better way than to make it about seunghan :33 love u liz! want to read m0re . . ? cl1ck here !

24 YEARS.

24 years was the length you’ve had to suffer without the love of your life by your side.

waking up from this dream was a nightmare, the more you tried to reach out and save him, the farther you would get. it was so hard to accept the fact he was gone, no matter how long it’s been.

the words spilling out of his bestfriend’s mouth still and always will break your heart, deny deny deny was all your mind could comprehend.

7.18.00 6:45 PM

“what do you mean? seunghan isn’t dead.. he’s on a family trip!” all the excuses you could think of spewed out of your mouth with tears running down your face.

“no.. no yn. he isn’t on a family trip, he never went on a family trip. just accept it, he isn’t with us anymore, how would it make sense to go on a family trip if his family came home? he died yn, he died after his surgery. it was guaranteed he would’t live for more than a month, so he did it himself. he left this for you.” sohee did the best he could keeping himself together as well, not wanting to make your situation worse.

he kept quiet and gave you a VHS tape, only to walk away soon after, it looked like he wanted to say something to you(?).

HOW could this be? it only felt like a few weeks ago that seunghan was by your side, holding your hand as you two walked along the beach together, laughing the night away together as the world blurred around the two of you. when you were together, everything just felt right.

now, it feels like nothing would feel right ever again.

6.11.24 4:37 AM

it felt so real. sweat coated your forehead and parts of your body, your breathing grew heavy by the minute, your eyes shot open with water growing in them.

you tried so so hard to reach out for seunghan, but it just looked like the more you stepped closer to him, the further he would walk away. your fingertips touched, and his body slowly started to fade away. all you could do was cry, trying to scream but nothing would come out as you watched seunghan step further into the distance with an emotional smile on his lips, you swore he had a tear running down his face. why did it feel so real?

it hurt, it hurt like someone had just ripped your heart out of your chest and walked away so emotionless. what was so scary or hard that he couldn’t tell you?

you got out of bed, walking towards your desk and opened the drawer, pulling out the VHS tape sohee gave you 24 years ago, you never pulled yourself enough to throw it away. slipping it into the player, the video started to play.

sitting back in your chair, you didn’t know what to expect. a song started playing, it rang in your ears like a shooting star of nostalgia.

“are you alright? how are you doing these days? are you crying again..”

you heard his singing voice call out to you, it brought you to tears.

“because i’m not there? we used to chat a lot, now i don’t see your fine face..”

he appeared on the screen, guitar in his hands as his face focused on the strings, the tears slipped out of your eyes. he’s still the most beautiful boy you’ve ever seen, the most beautiful person you’ll ever meet.

the song stopped. a few clips of the beach you two always walked on together showed, there were clips of the places you loved to bring him to. you were shown clips of yourself falling asleep in an empty classroom, seunghan’s voice in the back.

“look at this girl, she told me she would stay behind during lunch to study..”

more clips were shown, memories were flooding your mind. then it cut to a scene on the beach, it seemed like the phone was set up.

and there he was again, your beautiful boy. just the sight of him on the old tv had your heart melting, he was just so pretty.

“hi yn. if you’re seeing this, you must be very angry with me.” he started off, chuckling dryly. “i recorded this before i went to the u.s. for my surgery, and you must already know the result. i’m sorry i can’t tell you, i would if i really could, but everything is too much for the both of us and i figured it would be better for your life in the future to figure out like this.”

he read off of a piece of paper like a script, clearing his throat as he was already getting emotional just from reading the next words. tears were already flowing out of your eyes, but you couldn’t stop watching the tape.

“i know living without each other is hard after sticking together for so long, i want you to know i truly love you so much, but there’s a reason that i could not tell you about the guaranteed result of my surgery. i don’t think i’ll tell you that now, maybe in another century?” he dryly laughs again, before looking back at the sunset behind him.

“its nice seeing this view again before i leave, i wish i could see it with you. you’re busy a lot but i understand that, i just wish i could spend just a few more hours with you.” his voice makes it obvious he’s starting to tear up, before turning back to the camera with teary eyes like he’s about to end the video.

“but don’t worry too much, i’ll make a pretty sunset and sunrise for you so you don’t have to suffer too much without me, how does that sound? i hope you’re saying good behind this screen..” he tries to cheer himself up with a smile, distracting you from the tears rolling down his face.

“i love you so much, i’ll see you again soon. don’t suffer too much, okay?” he says, waving with his sweet smile before the video ends and the old tv audio starts buzzing again.

but what seunghan will always know, is how much you already suffered without his presence.

🤍. ————————————

PLEASE DO NOT STEAL | antoncyng 061624

thank u for reading !! i hope u didn’t get too sad :pp ending is kinda bad because i’m bad at ending stories but whatever ><

perm taglist - @lcvclywon @jlheon @jwsdoll @ohmydollie @cupidhoons @junislqve @hyeinism @copyhanni @onlyjjong @seoktized (?)

[jerzwriter]

Mono~poly Chapter 4: Moving On

A Tobias x Casey AU - Information and Notes

AU Premise: What happens when something that was supposed to be just fun turns into something real? When true love enters the equation between two people who view the very concept of love in different ways, can it work? In this alternate universe, we'll follow Casey and Tobias (and some others along the way) on their journey, where a happy ending is what both desire, but (as in life) nothing is guaranteed.

Fandom: Open Heart, Choices** Pairing: Tobias Carrick x Casey MacTavish F!MC Rating: Teen Words: 2,521 Chapter Summary: Tobias's proposal didn't go as planned. Will Casey's indecision bring them closer or bring them to their end? A/N: This chapter is much shorter than the others. YEY! It is a transition chapter, but it's filled with lots of emotion (my favorite thing!) I hope you enjoy this! Participating in @choicesaugustchallenge Day 10: late night talking under the stars

SERIES MASTERLIST SERIES INFORMATION MY MAIN MASTERLIST

You could hear a pin drop while Tobias anxiously watched Casey’s expression, each moment feeling like an eternity. Perhaps she was simply in shock? Her glassy eyes and trembling body could be signs of that, or maybe she was overcome with joy. But just as the silence grew so loud that he could no longer hear himself think, Casey spoke up, taking away any vestige of hope.  

“Tobias...,” she nervously muttered. “God, I love you so much, baby... why are you making me do this?”

In all their years together, she had never seen that expression on his face, and she hoped to never see it again. Crestfallen, his heart sank, and his face fell as he shut the velvet box; the gentle thud echoing throughout the room. Casey watched through tear-filled eyes as Tobias unsteadily rose to his feet, shock, disappointment, and sadness etched on his face. Once he was standing straight, he attempted to make light of things, but that proved to be an impossible task.

“Well,” he shrugged sadly. “That’s not exactly the reaction a guy hopes for when he proposes.”

Casey rushed to his side. "No," she cried, reaching out for him, but his visceral reaction was to step away, which only made her cry more. “Tobias, you don’t understand... it’s not that I don’t love you; it’s not that I don’t want to be with you...It's just...."

“I know,” he chuckled sadly. “You love me, just not enough to move in with me, not enough to marry me.”  He shook his head sadly, then turned to face a speechless Casey. “Why? What is it? We’ve been together for three years. We were friends before that. We’re with each other most of the time, and I think we're happy? Haven’t I been good to you? Haven't I shown you how much I adore you?"

“Of course you have,” she whined.

“Then why? Why can’t we take a single step forward? I know we don’t have to follow any rules; we can create our own path, but why won't you go any further with me?”

Casey bit down on her trembling lip. His sad expression and tear-filled eyes ushered in a feeling of guilt she never felt before. She had to fix things. Wiping her eyes, she attempted to gather herself and reached for his again. This time, he didn’t pull away.

“Let’s sit down,” she smiled sadly. We need to talk.”

“Yeah, I guess we do.”  

She didn't let go of his hand when they sat on the leather sofa, despite him sitting quite a distance away. He stared down at his lap as she spoke.

“Tobias, I love you so much. You mean everything to me... you just don’t... you don’t understand.”

“Then help me understand. Because when we are together, when we talk, you make me feel like you want to be in this forever. And you've always said marriage was something you wanted in your future.”

“I do.”

He let out a snort and gulped to fight back tears. “So, then it’s me. I can't do this, Casey. If you want those things but not with me, then we have some decisions to make..."

“Stop it!” She interrupted. “Tobias, if I were to do those things, they would absolutely be with you."

He turned to her with sincerity in his eyes, a tear threatening to fall down his cheek. His voice was barely a whisper.

“Then shouldn’t your answer have been... yes?”

“It should be... I... I want it to be, but...” she trailed.

“Come on, Casey!” He demanded, his patience wearing thin. “Then level with me. Why can’t we move forward?”  

The room felt like it was closing around her, and she desperately needed air. “Come with me," she said, taking his hand and leading him to the balcony.

“You’re not planning on pushing me off, are you?” He asked with a fragile smile.

“No,” she replied with a soft chuckle that morphed into unhappy laughter, finally leaving her breaking down in tears. Realizing there was much more to this than met the eye, Tobias reached out to comfort her.

“Hey, hey. No crying, baby. No crying,” his arms encircled her as his shirt absorbed her tears. The soft tremble in her body had nothing to do with the cool night air. Tobias reached into his pocket and handed her a tissue. She gratefully accepted and wiped her eyes.

“Is it because of your parents divorce?” he asked.

“Their divorce affected me, sure,” she sniffled. “I had to live with the toxicity that sprung from it for the majority of my life. I still do. And I always swore when I got married, it had to be forever. There could be no halfway.”

“And do you doubt that we can do that?”

She met his eyes and shook her head no. “I should have talked to you about this much sooner,” she swallowed. “I just didn’t know how. I should have talked to you sooner.”

“Hey, don’t sit in a pile of should,” he half-laughed. “It’s OK. You can talk to me now.”

Casey perched on the edge of a large lounge chair and took a deep breath. “Do you remember the night you first told me that you loved me? The night that you and I made our relationship official?”

“Our first anniversary," he smiled. "It was one of the happiest nights of my life. How could I forget it?"

“It was one of the happiest of mine, too,” she said, once more on the verge of tears. “But do you remember the conversation that followed? You were frightened about our future, and I told you monogamy didn’t have to be the default. We’ve been together for three years now, and, well, we’ve been monogamous. It’s the only way I know to be in a relationship with you. But I also know that paradigm could change, and as I said from the start, I’d be willing to try an open relationship if you wanted, but I can’t guarantee that I’d be able to do it. So, how can I say yes to forever, when, I just don’t know.”

Tobias ran a hand down his face. “Is this why you refused to move in with me, too?”

Casey nodded, tears falling again. Tobias took a seat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. His touch and familiar scent provided the comfort she desperately needed, a comfort she didn’t know if she could ever be without.

“Baby, why didn’t you talk to me?”

“Because I didn’t fully understand it myself. But when the man you love more than anything in the world gets down on one knee, somehow everything becomes crystal clear. I’m... I’m so sorry, Tobias.”

“Shh,” don’t cry. He said, holding her until her tears subsided.

“So, you’re afraid to move on because you're worried about what could happen to us if we decide to open our relationship in the future.”

“What will happen if you do,” she corrected. “I’m monogamous, Tobias. That’s not going to change.”

“So if that’s what's holding you back, we take that offer off the table and stay monogamous. It's easy.”

“Realy? Because you’ve made it very clear that you don’t believe monogamy is sustainable. So you're saying this right now, but how can you promise that forever?”

“When I say that, I’m talking in theory. I don’t necessarily mean you and me. Look, we’ve been together for three years now, and it’s just been us, and I couldn't be any happier."

“Three years may seem like an achievement, and I suppose it is. But if we get married, God willing, we'd be looking at four decades or more together. The night you told me you loved me, we were in the throughs of new love bliss, and even in that state, you told me you couldn’t guarantee that. So how can you promise to be with me, and only me, for longer than you’ve even been alive?”

“Casey,” he sighed. “If that’s what it takes for you to be my wife, I’ll do it. I’ve fallen in love with you a little more every day since then. I don't expect that to stop.”

“But don’t get it? Your love for me has flourished with the knowledge that I wouldn’t suffocate you  - that you could still have the freedom most people don’t have when they commit to someone. Can you  honestly say it would have grown to where we are now if that promise wasn’t out there?”

Tobias sat back as realization washed over him. “I see what you’re saying, and I have to be honest, one of the reasons I’ve felt so safe with you is because I know you wouldn’t restrict me. But that’s just a tiny part of an enormous list of why I love you. And you have to understand. I don’t take that promise as a license to do whatever I please. If I did, I wouldn’t have been with you, and only you, for the last three years. I’m not saying that I’ll never want to exercise that in the decades to come; I’m not even one hundred percent sure that you won’t."

“Tobias,” she sighed. “Trust me. I won’t.”

“Regardless. Here’s the thing you have to remember, if I ever wanted to open our relationship, I wouldn’t be making that decision unilaterally. I’d be making it in conjunction with you. We’d have boundaries in place, and your comfort and happiness would always be a priority for me. I wouldn't do anything that would jeopardize us."

He leaned back with a sigh, pulling Casey close. “You know, a very wise woman once told me that no one can predict the future. Relationships are a dynamic thing and if you want one to last forever, you have to be open to change. It’s the only constant.”

Casey looked up at him and smiled. “She sounds downright brilliant.”

“She is,” he said, eyes sparkling. “Fucking gorgeous too, and really amazing in the sack.”

Casey playfully shoved him with a giggle, feeling more relaxed than she had since he popped the question. He brushed her hair away from her tear-soaked face and continued.

“You also told me that we can’t worry about things that might happen in the future. It’s entirely possible that it will just be you and me forever, kid. I don’t want to be sitting with this ring in my pocket when I’m eighty-five, asking you if it's OK to get married yet."

“Well, I hear there is a lot of action in retirement homes,” she laughed. “So even if we've still been monogamous all that time, you never really know."

“Casey,” he said, his tone becoming serious. "I never planned on proposing to anyone in my life. Forever was a laughable concept for me, but that changed when I met you. All I know is that I want you by my side for the rest of my life, whether that’s one year or one hundred. And if this issue becomes a problem, we’ll work through it. And if it doesn’t become a problem, I guarantee you we will face dozens of others, and I don’t care. I’m prepared to face them all, the good days and the bad, as long as I know I’m facing them with you.”

“I love you,” Casey wept. “And I want the same thing... with you. I want us to be forever.”

Emotionally drained, she snuggled under his arm, and together, they gazed at the stars blanketing the Boston sky. Eventually, Tobias chuckled.

“What is it?” Casey asked.

“I’m just thinking," he laughed. "You sure know how to ruin a romantic proposal."

“Do I? Or do people have the wrong idea about romance? What’s so romantic about saying yes when you have fears and worries? Setting yourself up for failure? All of the roses, rainbows, and Hallmark sentiments in the world won’t fix that. That’s not romance. This," she motioned between them. "This is romance. Two people who are willing to put in the work, face their fears, and work things out because they love each other so much that the possibility of life without the other is an unbearable thought. That’s romance,” she said, stretching over to kiss him. “And we have that.”

“We sure do,” he grinned. “But would you mind if I surprised you with another proposal? I’m not giving you this ring just yet.”

Casey broke into laughter as she straddled his lap, hugging him as tight as she could.

“Of course,” she smiled. “But don’t make it too long because that is a really nice ring.”

“You like it,” he beamed.

“I love it!”

“It's an heirloom. It belonged to my grandmother, and I adored her. I wouldn’t dream of offering her ring to you if I didn’t think we were forever, baby.”

“It’s your grandmother’s,” Casey gasped. “Tobias?”

“Yes.”

“No... that’s my line,” she beamed, her heart pounding with joy. “Yes, Tobias. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. I will marry you. I will be your wife.”

His eyes lit up as his lips formed an adorable smirk. "I didn't ask again."

"You didn't have to."

The moonlight bathed them in a soft, silver glow, and the distant hum of the city below provided a soundtrack that welcomed them home. Tobias’s hands gently cupped her face, his thumbs brushing away lingering tears. His eyes were shining as he lovingly gazed into hers, a palpable tension in the air. He slowly leaned in for a kiss, and when their lips met, it was with a fire and passion that melted the rest of the world away. They moved in perfect harmony, each touch of their hand conveying the depth of their devotion. All their love, relief, desire, and the promise of a lifetime together were encapsulated in that one kiss. Casey rubbed her hands along the back of Tobias’s neck, pulling him closer as if afraid to let go.

When they finally pulled away from each other, Tobias reached into his pocket and produced the box, holding the ring with an impish smile.

“All right, maybe I will give this to you tonight,” he smiled. “Casey MacTavish, please, say it again... say you’ll be my wife.”

“I will be your wife, Tobias. I love you so much... you just try to get rid of me!”

“Never in a million years,” he said, pulling her into another kiss.

Their lips were still entangled when he slipped his grandmother’s ring on his love's finger, basking in a feeling of joy neither had ever imagined. Casey pulled away, holding her hand up and watching the spectacular diamond glisten in the moonlight.

"I can’t believe you gave me your grandmother’s ring," she gushed.

“Why? She was a remarkable woman, and so are you. I know somewhere she’s smiling because now it's yours.”

Casey looked at him with a smirk. “Does your Mom know?”

“Not yet,” he chortled. “But I suppose we can call and tell her.”

“Not right away," Casey beamed. "Tonight, this is just ours. We can tell her tomorrow, she will have a wedding to plan, after all." As soon as those words left her mouth, her face fell.

“What? What is it?” Tobias asked nervously.

“I suppose that means I’ll have to tell my parents, too.”

“Don’t you worry, baby,” he said, pulling her close. “You don’t have to deal with them alone anymore. We’re a team. And if they get really difficult, I’ll sic my mother on them.”

Casey leaned back with a giggle. “I have to admit, I’d love to see that.”

A comfortable silence fell over them as they sat back to revel in the moment, relishing the warmth of each other's touch.

“Oh, Tobias?” Casey asked.

“Yeah.”

“So, is it OK if I officially move in with you?”

A bright grin spread on Tobias's face. “Honey, I'll have your name on the deed by tomorrow." After another tantalizing kiss, he held her close. "This night just keeps getting better and better.”

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Tagging others separately.

[momosandlemonsoda]

WIP Wednesday

I’m plugging away at ch 19 of the rock star au (aka Dance the Silence Down) so have a couple of bits. In this chapter, the showcase finally happens and I’m writing sections in each of the three POVs. Here are the first parts of DFS and FDB’s POVs (I haven’t written LLH yet).

Di Feisheng:

Dusk2Dawn is packed, like it always is on these nights—showcases are guaranteed to bring in a big crowd, which is why the venue runs them monthly. It’s why DFS had already played one, plans to play another, though he’s been trying to put together a band before he comes back. Too bad he’s been far too distracted by Xiangyi to make more than half-hearted efforts to pull a band together. He can admit to himself that he’s been hoping that Xiangyi will snap out of his… funk, depression, whatever, and agree to play with him. After Wednesday, well—

After Wednesday, he thinks, leaning against the bar and ordering a beer, he’ll be lucky to get Xiangyi to speak to him at all tonight.

It’s been a long fucking time since he’s played something so incredibly wrong. To learn that Xiangyi doesn’t even play piano anymore—it makes him sick to his stomach just to think about it. Everyone knew the stories—discovered by Qi Mushan, an amazing musician in his own right, in an orphanage playing piano at age 4. On the concert stage at 11, touring until he “quit” at 16 to start a rock band with his brother… Xiangyi once told him that his earliest memories were of someone singing him a lullaby; that he remembered picking the notes out on the piano over and over again, and never knowing what it was until Qi Mushan told him it what it was. And then, of course, he’d learned to play it flawlessly.

***

Fang Duobing

“You look so cuuuuuuute!”

Fang Duobing can feel his cheeks heat up as Kira plucks at his sweater.

“I told you the white cable knit was the best option, you look like you’re on the cover of Vogue.” She turns to Chenchen. “Doesn’t he look like the perfect singer-songwriter?”

“Um,” he starts, but Chenchen cuts him off.

“I still think you could have gone edgier,” she says, making a little moue of dissatisfaction. “Let me do your makeup now, you need more mascara for your eyes to really pop.”

It’s all he can do not to bat her hands away and cover his face in mortification. He reminds himself that his friends are just being supportive no matter how embarrassing it is to have them fuss over him in front of Li Lianhua.

“It’s fine,” he mutters, trying to duck away, but Chenchen grabs his arm and then makes him squat down so she can reach his eyelashes. Damn it.

He can see Li Lianhua out of the corner of his eye, standing silently nearby with on hand in his pocket, the other holding Fang Duobing’s guitar case, his long hair pulled back half-up, half-down. He looks a little pale but otherwise his usual shit-eating self, and he laughs silently when he catches Fang Duobing’s eye.

“There!” Chenchen announces, “I think that’s perfect. And I like the way you did your hair, the leather guan makes you look like a cross between a wuxia hero and a bad boy.”

Oh no, he thinks, watching Li Lianhua mouth the words, “Bad boy,” before he clearly bites down on the inside of his cheek so he doesn’t burst into hysterical laughter. Sourly, Fang Duobing hopes he gets a canker sore. Jerk.

[klausinamarink]

One Kid Gone, Another Up and Vanished (part 13)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 next: Part 14 | ao3

since Christmas is around the corner, I’ll be busy for the next few days so new chapter as a special treat!

It’s an endless cycle of pain. From every heavy breath to the tiniest movement, his leg just pulses in a way that it shoots the numbness through his body and Eddie would see black and white stars. His brain turns into static for what feels like hours. Then once it fades away, the adrenaline comes back, taunting him to get up. But he can’t because he registers his fucked up leg, starting the process over again. 

Eddie hates lying on the floor with all of these creepy vines around, knowing that one can slither to life and grab his ankle, but it’s the best he can do right now. He’s too tired and weak from the fight to bother attempting to sit up. He does thank any god listening for keeping the strength he had for running downstairs to save Will after the demogorgon chomped on his ankle.

He can hear the commotions in the house, both from the Wheeler family trying to restore power and from Will’s scavenging for healing items. 

Healing items. Why did he say it like that? This isn’t D&D anymore, Eddie!

Though at this point and not for the first time, he wishes this is just a very bad dream that he’s gonna wake up from.

Footsteps loudly clamber down the stairs. Eddie lifts his head up to see Will running towards him with arms full of a thick first aid kit, bottles of questionable liquid, some towels, and tons of bandages that could rewrap a mummy.

“Mrs. Wheeler is always prepared for everything.” Will says hurriedly in lieu of an explanation. He drops next down to Eddie with the supplies. He quickly opens the kit and starts pulling a bunch of things out that Eddie can’t keep track of. But then Will freezes, staring between at the items in hand and Eddie’s wounded leg.

“Hey, Doctor Will,” Eddie heaves out a chuckle, “don’t leave your patient hanging.”

It’s a weak joke but emotional distractions are necessary. At least until Eddie sees the absolute panic in Will’s eyes.

“I don’t know how to fix this.” Will says quietly.

Eddie sucks in another breath through his teeth. Looks at the ceiling and makes a quick prayer. He snaps his fingers, catching Will’s attention. “Do- shit, fuck- we have any water left?”

Will stares at him. Then he’s quickly unzipping his backpack, pulling what Eddie’s positive is their last water bottle. It remains uncracked despite how much Will had ran around earlier. There’s about half of precious water left.

”Okay,” Eddie balls the collar of his tee and pulls it to his mouth, “open it and pour it on the wound.”

Will gives him a fearful look, but Eddie’s already biting into his shitty cloth, chest heaving in anticipation. Will looks away, opens the bottle, and pours the water.

It’s not as horrible as Eddie expects, but it intensifies the pain anyways and he screams through his makeshift gag. Fuck, now he can feel the water soaking into the bloody gashes.

“Towel…” He gasps out and Will is quick to delicately dab it on his leg.

It goes on like this for a long time. Eddie quickly pointing to the rubbing alcohol and the bandages while Will follows, his panic ebbing away to tired determination. In the end, half of his leg throbs under the various bandages. His ankle feels much more raw. His jaw hurts from clenching so tight.

But they’re not staying here. Will doesn’t say it, but Eddie knows from his campaigns that spilled blood guarantees monsters. And even though they killed the demogorgon, who the fuck knows if there’s another lurking nearby?

It’s an agonizingly slow process. Every step on his bad leg sends up painful jolts. He’s certain that he can feel the blood draining out of the wound and, boy, doesn’t that make his stomach lurch.

Despite the fragile support of their remaining spear and Will’s own helping hand, Eddie makes it out of the Wheeler house and onto the street. But the strain on his body and the instant awareness of being vulnerable out in the open is making him sweat.

One house down and Eddie falls to the ground. He’s shaking so bad he can’t even hold himself.

“Eddie, no!” Will starts pulling at his arm. “Get up! You can make it!”

Eddie weakly laughs, “N-No-” He stops, feeling his stomach seize and racing up to his mouth. This time, he can’t swallow down the nausea. So he rolls over slightly and throws up. It’s a gross puddle of liquid and uncooked soup, his main diet since he ended up here. He feels a few bits stuck in his throat so he tries to spit, but his mouth is so gross and dry that it makes him gag again. Then it sends him into a coughing fit, rough enough to hack out his lungs.

“Eddie!”

He rolls on his back, staring up at the starless sky while he catches his breath again. A couple of ashy spores kiss the corner of his eyes as if they’re trying to make him cry. Eddie’s certain he can’t cry anymore.

He’s so tired.

“Eddie!” Will leans over him, his bowl cut and tear-streamed eyes blocking his vision. His hands grab underneath Eddie’s shoulders and surprisingly manages to drag and lift him up, though half of his back is still on the ground. “You stupidhead! Move or you’ll die!”

Eddie shudders out another breath, “I really- I can’t get up.”

Will makes a frustrated noise before he punches Eddie’s back and then runs around to his side. He hoists Eddie’s arm over his tiny shoulders and starts pulling him again. This time, Eddie pushes himself through the burning of his body and forces himself up, trying not to lean completely onto Will, given how small and weaker the kid is.

Instead of continuing down the sidewalk, they turn straight to the house right next to them. Eddie makes no complaint to the change of plans, though he struggles to keep his weight from crushing Will.

After too many steps, they finally get through the front door. Once inside, they both collapse right on the spot. Eddie’s chest feels like ice at this point.

He hears Will dropping his things down before getting up and dashing through the hallway. A moment later, he comes back with a bedsheet and some stiff looking pillows. Eddie almost moans with relief as Will places the pillows under his leg and head. Then he diligently throws the bedsheet over Eddie, also covering the space they’re occupying on the cold floor.

Despite the thin bedsheet, Eddie already feels hot under it. He’s not risking in moving his leg again so he keeps perfectly still as Will’s trembling body lies down, pressing close to his side, nestling his face against the crook of Eddie’s neck.

There’s a moment when an array of low barking starts just nearby, making the two of them freeze and hold their breaths. Eddie thinks, Oh fuck, don’t tell me we got wild dogs. Then after what feels like hours, the new pack goes silent. Eddie hopefully assumes the whatever they were, the creatures have left.

Before Eddie can submit to the exhaustion at last, Will suddenly pleads quietly and tearfully, “Please don’t die when I wake up.”

Eddie stops. He stops breathing, moving, thinking. He doesn’t dare to look at Will. This sweet, creative, badass kid who is his only friend in the hell they’re in. This kid who’s hugging him like the demogorgon will appear again and wouldn’t let go anyways. 

Will doesn’t deserve him. Neither does Eddie but goddamn, it hurts trying to convince himself that.

He finally moves, but only his right hand as he fiercely rubs up and down Will’s back. Eddie whispers, “I won’t die, Will. Neither are you.”

Will’s voice cracks, “You promise?”

“Yep. Because we’re the strongest and luckiest sons of bitches in this realm.” 

Will makes a weak laugh before it shifts into a cough. Soon after, his breathing slows to a soft whistling out of his nose. With a small sigh, Eddie closes his eyes and finally sleeps.

It’s a restless one, mostly dreams of being eleven at knocking at Wayne’s closed front door while petal-shaped maws rip his skin to shreds.

-

Taglist: @unclewaynemunson @hellion-child @steves-strapcollection @sidekick-hero @penny00dreadful @hbyrde36 @mmmmwaffles94 @princessstevemunson @sirsnacksalot @tartarusknight @lyriclight @kodaik97 @plsdontdrinkmylavalamp @bookbinderbitch @gutterflower77 @soaringorinthopher @angeldreamsoffanfic @panicatthediaz @renaissan-vvitch @manda-panda-monium @newtstabber @little-trash-ghost @niniel-karenine @tinyplanet95

[prrism]

This is what currently dominates my mind and I am not sorry for it

First Night Home

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part ?

Summary: After returning from your trip to the Nether and a small “hiccup” on the road, you bring Techno home and help him settle into his new surroundings…

Characters: Techno x Reader

Relationship: platonic/parental

Pronouns: unspecified/kept neutral

“Was I really gone that long? Oh man, I was supposed to give something to Phil...” You trail off as you stepping out of the portal, looking up at the star filled sky, a small whine pulls you from your thoughts to the literal child you had resting in your arms. “Feeling a little portal dizzy? It’s okay, everyone does the first few times, you’ll get used to it.” You reassure, staying in place as to not overwhelm him in movement. After a minute Techno finally lifts his head off your shoulder and has a look around for the first time, eyes growing wide and curious as he looked at his new, moonlit surroundings, you stifle a chuckle at his expression. “If you think this is nice, just wait until daytime.”

Adjusting your grip on him you start making your way back home, figuring any errands you still had could be dealt with tomorrow. You kept your pace even, giving the hybrid a chance to grow at least a little familiar to his new surroundings, then came your first obstacle as the sounds of rattling bones and zombie groans echoed around you.

“Oh I don’t have time for this.” You near hiss, looking back to Techno who seemed to have caught on to your change in demeanour since he too was staring daggers at the approaching mobs. Ducking out of the way of an arrow you set Techno down and turn around. “Climb on my back and hold on as tightly as you can, okay. We’re going for a bit of a run from here.” He does as you instruct and with one hand keeping him in place and the other a quick sweep of your sword to knock the mobs back you dash off as fast as you can…

A sigh of relief leaves you when you see your house come into view, fully relaxing when you step inside and close the door. Crouching down you let Techno off your back before standing and flipping a switch, the glow stone lamps flickering to life, illuminating the room. The hybrid’s eyes are instantly wandering the area, taking everything he could in.

“I suppose you aren’t accustomed to all the thing the Overworld had to offer. Well we can take things a little slow tonight, don’t want to completely overwhelm you.” You chuckle lightly. “How about we start with some dinner? I’m sure you must be hungry after today.” With that you head into the kitchen, leaving Techno to his wonderment in the living room, after a while you hear him shuffle his way into the kitchen. “Why don’t you take a seat, dinner isn’t completely ready yet but you can start with this while I finish.” You place down a plate, it was here you realized just how short he was as he struggles a little to climb onto the chair, and you could see dust and debris from things like netherwart and soul sand shake off him to the floor as he does. He does manage to climb up on his own, staring at the plate of food warily, it makes you chuckle. “What? Never seen a baked potato before?… actually no I guess you haven’t… give it a try, I know it’s not like the food you have in the Nether but I guarantee it’s just as good, if not better.” Still a bit cautious, Techno takes a small bite out of the baked potato, his eyes practically turn into stars with how they light up, before you know it the item is scarfed down and he’s holding his plate up, asking for more with a happy squeal.

“I take it you liked it?” You ask sarcastically. “You’re lucky I made extra.” You set another baked potato on his plate as well as the now ready steak. The potato’s gone in an instant while he gives the steak a curious look. You hum in amusement while munching away at your own dinner, it was funny and adorable just watching Techno figure out regular Overworld things. Getting a better look at Techno you can see that he looked around Wilbur’s age, this actually works in your favour since you needed to find some form of clothing better then the rags he’s been wearing for who knows how long, but again probably something best left saved for tomorrow. Besides…

“I really need to give you a bath.” You mumble aloud, catching the hybrid’s attention, you wave it off for now while finishing up with dinner. Once you are done you set the dishes aside and grab a bucket to fill with warm water. Setting it down you watch Techno examine the contents. “This is water. Being from the Nether I know you’ve never seen it before, but it’s a thousand times safer then lava. Watch.” You then dip your hand into the bucket, getting a small laugh out of Techno’s shocked reaction when you pull your hand out unscathed. “See, harmless. Wanna try?” He edges closer and despite the brave look he puts on you can see the hesitance in his eyes as he reaches into the bucket, pleasantly surprised that nothing happens he begins playing a bit with the water, quickly dirtying it with all the dirt washing off of him.

It’s a slow process, but with several buckets of fresh water, rag in hand and some minor protests you manage to clean the child of any last bits of dirt and dust. His hair was still a rats nest but it was considerably softer and slightly less matted, now you just had to brush it out. Easier said then done, Techno kept swatting at the brush whenever you’d get to particularly hard to brush spots, but that too is eventually conquered and he’s looking much better.

“Now doesn’t that feel better, being cleaned up?” You ask, getting a yawn in response. “Yeah it is pretty late, isn’t it. Alright…” You trail off, not having fully thought about where Techno would be sleeping. “Let’s see, I could pull out a few extra blankets and you can sleep on the couch for now… or I guess I could and you can have the bed tonight?” You sit back on the couch while you try to figure out what to do. You’re pulled out of your thoughts by the weight suddenly placed on your legs, looking down at the hybrid who had changed back into a piglin as he curls up against you. You sigh softly noticing that the work you put in to clean him had transferred over into his piglin form, his fur a lot brighter and softer. “Alright, i guess that settles that.” You murmur picking him up and carrying him to bed, wrapping a protective arm around him as you drift off to sleep with the thoughts of what tomorrow will bring.

Taglist:

@maxismp1

@justmare

[darthpastry]

Incorrect Quotes of the Kingdom Pt. 5 ( ft. FNaF but now also AtLA)

Link: Your kneecaps are a privilege, not a right!

Ganondorf: *laying on the ground sobbing* All I said was your hat looks stupid.

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

Judge: Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

Ganondorf: No.

Judge: Wait.

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

Link: Good morning to everyone except those who talk to introverts who clearly want to be left alone. I hope your ankles spontaneously combust.

Yunobo: ... I just asked if you wanted coffee.

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

Sokka: What if time zones were divided up into minutes instead of hours?

Vanessa: That'd be so annoying.

Link: What if they were divided up into seconds?

Sidon: Why would you-

Toph: WHAT IF THEY WERE DIVIDED UP INTO MILLISECONDS?

Katara: Toph no.

Toph: Toph yes.

Gregory: ZEPTOSECONDS!

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

Link: ACHOO000!

Ghost Mipha: Bless you.

Link: *jumps and turns around* Hylia?

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

Midna: *sitting in court for murder* Wow. Hylia forbid women do anything.

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

Zelda: Everything is so funny when I ignore the dread.

*one hour later*

Zelda: NOT FUNNY NOT FUNNY THE DREAD IS HERE!

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

*in a bus Zelda rented and Vanessa is driving after watching the Barbie movie*

Link, Aang, and Sokka: *sitting in the back sobbing*

Toph: Don't worry guys, I did research. *tosses back 'I am Kenough hoodies to them*

Gregory: I don't get it, why are they crying over the pink existential crisis movie?

Sokka: BECAUSE SOME OF US HAVE FEELINGS!

Gregory: You guys are so weird.

Zuko: *silently pondering the movie and it's meaning*

Sidon: I thought it was a fantastic movie.

Yunobo: What if the patriarchy really is about horses?

Riju: You're an idiot. I thought it had fantastic casting and was visually gorgeous. Overall, all at least 4 stars.

Gregory: Boo. I still think we should've watched Oppenheimer.

Vanessa: And I still think you're too young for that.

Aang: Well I think that-

Tulin: We should all go watch Oppenheimer next week!

Zelda: Tulin, you're also pretty young...

Tulin: Hmph. Hey Gregory, wanna sneak out tomorrow night?

Gregory: Heck yeah!

Link: I can already guarantee you two won't be successful.

Katara: *listening to Aang talk about how the movie is important to society and the impact it will surely have.*

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

*in a bus after watching Oppenheimer (Gregory and Tulin pointed out they'd already been through traumatic events and the movie couldn't be worse)*

Gregory: So... that was not expected.

Vanessa: You wanted to see it.

Gregory: Yeah, but I didn't want to watch a bunch of people talk and think about how actions have consequences!

Zelda: Link, I'm sure you have takeaways.

Link: I do not.

Aang: Toph, I'm guessing you don't have any takeaways either?

Toph: I do not.

Zuko: It's interesting how we can learn from the past today.

Sokka: Meh, I thought Barbie was better.

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

*pulling up into restaurant in the bus*

Vanessa: Hey Link, can you go get us a table while I finish parking?

Zelda: Oh, I don't think-

Link: On it!

*five minutes later*

Link: *runs out* START THE ENGINE START THE ENGINE!

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

*at the next restaurant (they sent Zelda in with Link)*

Waiter: Would you like a table?

Zelda: Ye-

Link: No, not at all. We came here to eat the floor. Carpet for 13 please.

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

Revali: On my way. What should I bring?

Urbosa: A good mood. Nothing salty.

Revali: I'm not coming.

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

Link: Next step is to... beat three eggs?

Gregory: Probably in hand-to-hand combat

Link: Makes sense.

Toph: Pfft, I can solo them all.

Tulin: But like... what if we used weapons?

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

Vanessa: Where's Tulin, Link, Gregory, and Toph?

Zelda: Doing stuff.

Vanessa: That doesn't sound good. Where's Glamrock Freddy?

Zelda: Trying to stop them from doing stuff.

*Tulin, Link, Gregory, and Toph crash through a wall in a go-kart, all wearing 8-bit sunglasses*

All four: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!

Glamrock Freddy: *chasing them* COME BACK! THIS IS NOT A SAFE PLAY IDEA!

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

Tulin: Onions rings are vegetable doughnuts.

Gregory: Your stomach thinks all potatoes are mashed.

Sokka: Your teeth are the only part of your skeleton you brush.

Link: Lasagna is spaghetti flavored cake.

Toph: Lobsters are mermaid scorpions.

Riju: Oh no. Now there's five of them.

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

Sokka: *on the phone* Um. Aang? We need your help?

Aang: Is the building on fire?

Sokka: Well no, but...

Aang: Then it's not an emergency. *hangs up*

Gregory: Well? What did he say?

Tulin: Yeah, what do we do about the portal to the spirit realm that opened up?

Sokka: *shrugs* He said it's not an emergency.

Link: *smacking a spirit with his sword* HOW IS THIS NOT AN EMERGENCY?!

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

Zelda: Has anyone seen Link and Tulin?

Purah: They went outside. Something about a very important conversation.

*outside*

Link: At my funeral you have to leave my casket closed and play Pop goes weasel-

Tulin: *nodding and writing it down* Sounds good. What else?

Link: Take the bouquet off my casket, throw it into the crowd, and whoever catches it you have to say you're next.

Tulin: Like the opposite of a wedding?

Link: Yep!

Tulin: Perfect.

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

Tulin: Okay. There are three ways. The legal way, the illegal way, and the Link way.

Toph: Isn't Link's way illegal?

Gregory: Yeah, but it's faster and he gets away with it.

[crguang]

did you see the 2.5 banner leaks? I am actually crying, they came out like a week ago, but I’m not sure if you pay a ton of attention. apparently 2.5 first half is supposed to be Feixiao, Robin, Kafka, and Black Swan. I haven’t finished playing the other quests (idk what they’re called), the genius society one, the belebog one, and the new Luofu one so I don’t really have an opinion on any of the characters, Feixiao is pretty cool, and I like her design, but that’s abt it. I should also get a Jiaoqiu for my Acheron, but I have 75 pulls exactly and I need Kafka so bad, I’m actually going to cry if I lose my 50/50. I would do anything for her.

Even tho I should get a black swan, for my Acheron bc they deserve to be together, but…I’m not in love w her, like I can acknowledge that she is hot, like extremely hot like I will stop to admire her, her voice is so sexy, but I’m not giggling and kicking my feet. Actually that’s the cause for most women what’s a man…but we don’t need to get into my sexuality crisis rn.

I also should probably get a Robin, but I should’ve pulled for ruan mei, and I used my guaranteed on firefly, who I didn’t rlly need, since I have Acheron. Hggsbsbbd all my worries will be resolved whenever I get Kafka. Or smth, idk at least I can brute force my way thru Genshin, but now I actually have to think. I MISS HER PLS COME BACK KAFKA

-🌠

sorry… haha, sorry. um. why would there be four 5 star characters in one half of the banner…? i saw the leaks when they came out i just assumed that feixiao would be running with one of the three on that list (i’m expecting black swan because she was rumoured to rerun with jiaoqiu and it ended up being sparkle instead). why would they put 4 characters, two who are necessary for the DoT team and two necessary for a FuA team, TOGETHER? the robin-topaz-ruan mei-firefly banner run was nightmarish enough like i’m not believing anything until we get it confirmed because i’ll actually lose my mind. i pulled for jiaoqiu cause i was guaranteed and he’s a great unit for both DoT and acheron, and planned to pull swan + lc afterwards so do not tell me that pink bitch is coming back at the same time i will TWEAK.

the good thing about acheron is that you don’t really neeeeeed 5* supports because she’s a tank on her own but it definitely helps and jiaoqiu + swan are her best supports (ignoring you saying you’re not in love wth her bc i will not accept blasphemy🙅🏾‍♂️) if you have firefly then yeah ruan mei works better with her and since u don’t have her, robin is diverse enough to be worth pulling if you need a good support even if she works better in FuA teams. i would say to focus on the kind of team you want, since you’re getting kafka and will play DoT, swan is like the best unit for her rn (AND she works with acheron, see how great my wife is) but there’s always f2p options like guinaifen and sampo.

team composition is exhausting im really hoping those leaks are false i’ll take literally anyone over kafswan in the same patch because i have 30 pulls and a dream rn and if i dont get them both i will end my life

[shephar]

Happy birthday, Izanami.

Izanami (me) in HSR.

"No Easy Way"

I look like albedo IRL, btw, just uglier because I am real.

Introduction.

"Me? Oh, you know. I'm Izanami. Nothing special about me, honestly. Hahaha..."

Izanami is an Imaginary damage type character, an Emanator of Elation.

Their weapon of choice is a deck of cards, instead of having Hearts, Diamonds, Spades, and Clubs, the deck had Stars, Eyes, Rectangles, and Bones.

About: Self.

"Ahh, hmm. You wish to know more about me? I'm afraid there's not much to say, you know. I travel the stars..."

They wear loose clothes, aesthetics not mattering as long as it's comfortable.

A billowy T-shirt, a long coat, jeans, an obnoxiously long scarf.

About: Clothes.

"Where I got these? I don't remember, back when I was mortal at the very least. Thousands of years ago, maybe. Haah, I hope I can rest soon, my bones ache."

For their talent, Izanami guarantees to have half their hand full of cards that match for a set, and if characters who require attacks or skill points to use their ultimate instead of Energy are in the party, they have two extra points.

Their basic attack as a Blast damage where Izanami launches 3-1 useless card/s at the enemy, those cards going back in the shuffle.

Voice Line: Ultimate.

"50/50, winner takes all! My life or yours, let's find out who takes the money. Laughter."

Izanami's skill debuffs opponents speed and reshuffles useless cards in their hand, along with boosting Crit Rate for the party and depending on who the other party members are (Qingqiu, Aventurine, Silver Wolfe, Welt) this can be buffed higher, or lowered.

Their Ultimate is a giant screen, opened on a blank canvas that just says "Pull 10", when clicked, it either gives a 4*, which leaves Izanami at 1 HP and buffs the other members, or leaves the opposing side at 0 HP. For bosses, that's lowered to 50% HP and a debuff.

Ask: Aventurine.

"My thoughts on Aventurine? I ran into a friend of his once, at least I think so. They thought I was related to him, they saw my hair and my luck when I was betting on something. I won, of course, but they said that the Aventurine fellow has incredible luck. I just have luck for the funniest outcome."

Izanami's quest to get them on the ship takes place on the Astral Express, them bumping into the train as they walk along the stars. They ask for directions to the nearest space station, and are on their way.

"Ahh, the Astral Express is much warmer than the expanse of space. I wouldn't recommend walking the stars, friend."

Eidolon Activation.

"I don't see why you gave me that, aren't there better characters you could get?"

Their Eidolon only buffs the length their buffs last. No whale buffs.

"Yahaha! Get ready Astral Expressers" is their line when pulled.

Added to a team with Welt.

"Hah, Earth boy. Wait. I'm from Earth. What's up fellow earth guy. Forget I said anything."

Izanami would be yet to appear within the main story, outside of mentions by Sampo or Sparkle.

Sampo: "Oouh, my good buddy Izanami, whatever are you doing to keep you so busy."

Added to a team with Aventurine.

"Woah, we're twinning. Crazy."

Status when they leave the story: Unknown, but assumed dead.

"Wouldn't it be funny if I said that I'll see you again but I died and you never got to know anything more about me? Hahaha!"

[fructo]

☂ | my april reads

I don't post on tumblr a whole lot (i think my total posts are less than five) but I just wanted to make a little april book summary for myself :)

I can't guarantee no spoilers, soooo.....

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1) - Marissa Meyer

I rated this a 4 stars out of 5, though in hindsight I'd go back and change it to a 5. I've never been big on the Grimm Fairytales but reading this series did warrant me pulling out my copy of them. Regardless, I loved Cinder as a character and I really connected with her and her desire to do good without her personal gain. I sort of expected the twist with her being Princess Selene, to be honest, which I think is why I took off a star.

Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles, #2) - Marissa Meyer

Once again a 4 stars out of 5, and the reasoning was because I didn't particularly feel like Cinder's chapters were all that interesting in the middle of the book. We did get Captain Thorne, and he definitely grows on the reader. Following their escape, the story just fell. HOWEVER, Scarlet and Wolf. Wolf and Scarlet. Oh my goodness. Wolf is so bloody precious that when he betrayed Scarlet at first my heart broke into two. I enjoyed the ending for them :)

Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, #3) - Marissa Meyer

Before I finished this book, I immediately went and watched Tangled. I then proceeded to get the soundtrack stuck in my head and I'll admit it's still sort of stuck. I rated this one a 5 out of 5 because this was definitely where the conflict picked up. Levana was such a wonderfully-written villain. Normally I enjoy morally-gray characters, but she was just pure evil. Cress' first introduction is in the first book, but seeing Meyer expand on her character and show her struggles was beautiful.

Winter (The Lunar Chronicles, #4) - Marissa Meyer

I rated this one a 5 out of 5 in spite of the fact that I would've liked to see more of Jacin's perspective and some more elaboration on his character. I know there's not much to him in the first place, although he is a very complex character, but still. Winter immediately become one of my favorite characters in the series, and her desire to know Cinder as her family really connected with me. Her story really nailed Levana's coffin for me, and I just wanted her to get her happy ending with Jacin the entire time.

Blind Faith - Ellen Wittlinger

I rated this one a 2 out of 5. This isn't normally the type of book I would read, but I thought the plot sounded interesting so I tried it out. In my opinion, the relationship between Liz and Nathan would've been more impactful if it had been strictly platonic, because the romance at the end just seemed forced. I disliked Roxy; I understand that she was Liz's best friend, but some of the things she said to Liz were just downright red flags and it was difficult to tolerate. I enjoyed the plot and identified with the struggle surrounding religion, but those two characteristics of the plot overshadowed that in a large way.

It's only three days into May and I've already finished two books so I'm pretty thrilled to share that in June (the books I've checked out from the library are WONDERFUL).

I would definitely recommend checking out the Lunar Chronicles if you enjoy fairy tale adaptations. The characters are so enjoyable and varied in personality that you can see how they work well together :)

[yandere-sins]

If you ever decide to drop og obey me but want to feel the gap while you fully transition between games, I would like to recommend Limbus company! It's dark fantasy gacha with a gamplay kind of similar to darkest dungeon. Altough the combat system can be a little hard to get the hang of, it's pretty rewarding as you fight more!

The main cast is based off from classic literature: Metamorphosis, Moby Dick, Dream of the red chamber... the Mc is mamed Dante and is based form the Divina comedia (and a comedy it is with how darkly funny and bastard all the characters interactions are with each others!) It's kind of a niche target audience, but I have been having fun with it. You will love the bug guy!

The dailies are basically just fighting, so they are quite easy to fulfil. Although I have yet to find how to get the points for the gacha that aren't from advancing with the story or buying, the gacha isn't that bad; my luck is terrible, I tell you. I have to always reach 76-80 pull on both guaranteed and 50/50 in Genshin to get the five star! Even on my way to build pity, I only pull onr 4 star per tenfold. But in Limbus, I pulled the equivalent of three 5 stars in two days. And since it's relatively new, it won't overwhelm you with the amount of cards.

The only problem I would say it has, is that you will probably need to use the steam version for PC/Laptop if you don't have a good phone/tablet. I tried to run it with the same tablet I play Twisted, but it always crashed after trying to load the tutorial battle.

Sorry if this message bothers you! You can delete it if so, but your poll made me remember the reasons of why I left Obey me! Similar to you, how tough it was to keep up with the dailies and grinding in general, but I was too attached/needed something to do the ex/change before taking my leave. I felt better almost immediately and soon realised everything felt more like a chore rather than something I wanted to play.

Hey! Thank you so much for your insight!

I am just in a big transition mood tbh. I already dropped one of my genshin accounts since I rarely play on it any more and now just do the dailies on EU which I can enjoy with friends too, but it's just waiting out until the update now ^^'

And yeah, I'll definitely drop the OG Obey me. Not like I will delete it, but I just won't nurse it anymore with my time unless they decide to go back and make it an actual, separate game. I am just so disappointed at how they are handling it now. And I was so surprised how many people chose the option that they only play the OG game...

Nevertheless, I do want my games to immerse me (and get my mind off things for a while) and this grinding or just doing dailies is just not doing it for me anymore, so thank you for your input! I'll keep it in mind though not sure if I want to find something else or just go with the most obvious option for me personally: Honkai Star Rail.

IDK if that will catch my attention as much as Genshin did, but with friends that play it and my fav content creators also making videos about it and stuff, it seems logically for me to at least check it out. Either way, there won't be big changes coming soon, though maybe I can find some time this weekend to check out some games I wanted to play and see if something catches my eye, so thanks for your suggestion ♥ I hope you continue to have a lot of fun with Limbus Company!

[sullustangin]

Fluffy February Day 4: Starlight

Rating: G

Fandom: SWTOR

Time:  Between Chapters 1 and 2 of the Smuggler story

Pairing: none/gen fic

Words: 1229

~~

“We’re going to get caught.”

“I haven’t yet, so we won’t.”

“That don’t sound like a guarantee…”

“Nothing is!  Which is why it’s fun!”

Risha and Corso exchanged a look at the threshold of the cockpit door as Eva cheerfully piloted Virtue’s Thief right int Coruscant airspace, the ship running dark.

Starships should have been left at the starport, lest someone run into the big blasted thing while holoing and driving.  Eva had decided not to heed that conventional wisdom.

“What are we doing here anyway?” asked Bowie from his vantage point in the co-pilot’s seat.

“Celebrating!” Eva answered as she slowed the Thief’s speed down and switched off a few more lights and guides.  

Hylo helpfully batted at the last switch, as if he knew exactly what she was doing.

Which he did – he was the First Mate, after all.

Corso looked at Eva as if she was crazy.  “We already burned all the garbage on the ship, got you a new mattress, and got Bowie a new ID card as a free sentient.”  Eva got up from the pilot’s seat and squeezed between Corso and Risha.  “What else you think we need to do?”

Eva walked backwards down the hallway, that grin getting bigger by the second.  “Go get dressed nice!”

Hylo decided to leap off the dashboard and doggedly follow Eva down the hallway toward her quarters.

Corso made a face.  “I was wondering why she wanted me to get one of them monkey suits with a collar and buttons.”

“Stars forbid that anything more complicated than velcro be on your clothes,” Risha commented as she headed toward the women’s quarters.

“Darn right.”  Corso nodded firmly.  

Bowdaar just shook his head and leaned back in his seat.  He was as dressed as he was going to get, and a bath would mean his fur would take way too long to dry for whatever Eva had planned.  

~~

“Little Girl, you’re going to fall off.  Then what’s going to happen to me and C2?” Bowdaar complained as she lay belly down, head and shoulders dangling off the edge of the Thief’s hull.  While in a dress.

It was a pretty dress, but it wasn’t what Bowdaar would have recommended to wear.

“You’re free beings. Go join a commune or something.” Then she made a little “ack!” noise as she tugged on the cord that led back into the Thief itself. “Snagged.”

Bowdaar looked back at the wire, then at her, and then decided to hold onto Eva’s ankles.  “Two-Boots!  Get that wire loose!” the Wookiee bellowed over his shoulder.

At Eva’s next tug, the long wire came loose, and she started to lower the device down… and down… and down…

“Won’t they see it?” Bowdaar asked from behind her.  

“Naaah.  It’ll blend in with all the holo network recorders….they all run their own drones ‘round here, but at lower altitudes with shorter wires.  Ok, reel me in.”  

As instructed, Bowie carefully pulled Eva back across the hull, away from the edge, until he was fairly sure she could stand up and not tumble down into the orchestra pit.  

Bowdaar had put together that they were going to “attend” a musical performance without tickets. But why all the fuss?  He took note of the thick blanket laid out over one section of the hull and the rather large picnic hamper parked next to it. There was even something fancy chilling in an ice bucket.

Whatever Little Girl was up to, she wasn’t taking it in half measures.

Eventually, Corso and Risha piled on top of the hull as well.  Corso, in what he referred to as his ‘monkey suit’ and Risha –

Risha understood the assignment better than anyone else, Bowdaar decided.  From the bejeweled hair down to the gems that anchored her sleeves to her wrists, she looked every bit the queen she was.  

Eva’s best dress… was very obviously at a different social station than Risha, but her eyes only gleamed in the darkness in excitement.  Her crew was going along with whatever mad idea she had.

The speakers set up on the hull of the Thief started to pick up the sounds of tuning up. “What’s on the program?” Risha asked.

A clarinet gave away the feature. Bowdaar saw Coros cock his head to the side, picking up the melody. “It’s … the Starlight Waltz, ain’t it?”

As Eva nodded eagerly, Risha turned to him.  “What do you know about music?”

Corso suddenly went very tight-lipped and Eva cheerily informed Risha, “You are looking at the reigning Margengai Glide champion.  Not to mention the Rodian rumba champion!”

“Ayyy vaaaaa….” the man in question whined at her.

“With you?” Risha asked in disbelief.

Eva shook her head. “Nope, with Rona – you both know I’m a constant work-in-progress.  Anyway, I’m willing to bet you were expected to know how to dance in preparation for your role of queen.”

Risha put the pieces together.  “A live orchestra, dancing on top of a ship hull, in our finery –”

“With a loving care package from my unofficial Uncle Tal, fresh from his business, Hutta Delicacies.” Eva reached over and tugged the white wine that had been chilling in the ice bucket.  “This stuff is older than we are!”

“That doesn’t mean much, Little Miss Fake Chaincode,” Risha answered tartly, but even then, there was a smile appearing at the edges of her mouth.  “Why all this anyway?”

Eva threw out her arms to gesture at the ship, the planet, everything.  “I’m the best smuggler and starpilot in the galaxy right now, you’re the Queen of Dubrillion, Bowdaar’s a free being, and Corso –”

“Is having the adventure of a lifetime.”  Corso supplied that answer as he stood at the edge of the hull, taking in the enormity of the concert hall beneath them.  Just then, the lights dimmed through all of Coruscant that they could see.  “What --?”

“Starlight Waltz.  Doesn’t work if there’s too much light pollution. So because it’s so special…”

As the glow of the planet reduced, Bowdaar stared upward to find that for the first time on this planet of metal and endless duracrete, the stars were finally visible.  

And then, the orchestra finished its tuning, and the tap tap tap of the conductor’s baton came over the speaker.

For a moment, Risha seemed almost caught up in the moment, in the magic of everything coming together as Eva had wanted.  “I’m supposed to dance with some merc?” she asked, trying to be snide.  

“The Margengai glide and the Rodian rumba are just the ones I won on Coruscant – I got others,” Corso offered.  He shook his head. “What would Ma say now, me dancing with a pretty queen.  Hot damn.”

A little huff, then “fine.”

Bowdaar could see it for the act it was.  As the orchestra swung into the Starlight Waltz, so too did Corso Riggs and Risha Drayen, dancing under the starlight now permitted on Coruscant.  Bowdaar sat back on the blanket, and he felt a fine glass being pressed into his hand by Eva Corolastor, the captain and conductor of this very, very good night.  

Bowdaar looked over at her, entranced by the magic she herself had procured this night: the food, the music, the dancing, the people --

If this was the good life, Bowdaar was signed on, forever.

~~

@fluffyfebruary

@empire-at-war -- I borrowed Tal for a minute :D

@ermingarden @starlightcleric @ayresis @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond @bluephoenix1347

[queenvreads]

REVIEW: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

*Contains Spoilers *

I am going to be VERY generous—no, EXTREMELY generous (because I waited on a waitlist for this book and paid $31 for it)—and give this book 2.75 stars/5. The premise of the book is actually good, but the execution falls short. AND I must emphasize that if this book hadn't been so hyped up, I might have enjoyed it more. But because of all the hype, I had high expectations, and unfortunately, it didn't meet them.

Let's begin my rant.

Violet studied her whole life to be a scribe, but her mom decides that she should become a dragon rider instead. The majority of the cadets at this brutal academy are conscripted, meaning they don't have enough soldiers in the military and need to draft these kids. However, these kids are just left for dead during the trials, and tragically, every moment and every day someone dies. They can even kill each other, with a few exceptions based on the Codex rules.

In the beginning of the book, 60-something kids died on the parapet. What is the point of that? It would have made more sense if the losers of the trials were assigned different roles like scribes, cooks, or healers instead of being killed.

Furthermore, all the kids of the separatists are conscripted into the military. Why would you give kids of traitors with strong vendettas access to secrets and military information? But even worse, they are given dragons. Doesn't anyone see a problem with this? It's not a very smart military strategy. (But what do I know!)

The world-building and dialogue in the book were very corny and cringe-worthy. There were instances of strange dialogue early on that stood out. For example, on page 9, Violet & Mira are talking about Violet's situation. It's bad—she's literally going to a death academy. They have this super weird conversation about a rider who can make small things very big. "I roll my eyes." "I mean how much bigger?" I don't know... like... that's what comes to mind when you're panicked for your life in this high-stress situation? Soooo cringe. Then they go on to talk about sex lives... like, seriously? I think Violet needs to focus on a different topic today 🤣

Another example is on page 14 when Mira warns Violet about Xaden. Instead of a natural conversation, Violet starts info-dumping facts about Xaden's father. "That Xaden Riorson?" and then Violet starts saying the facts about who Xaden's father is. "His father was the Great Betrayer. He led the rebellion." Who talks like that? Imagine you're talking to someone about your friend ABC, and then that person says, "Oh ABC, they grew up in a small town and have 4 dogs." Yes, that's the one.

This pattern of cringe dialogue continues throughout the book. While I understand the appeal of providing details to the reader, the descriptions were too literal and lacked subtlety.

Another example when Xaden and Violet meet, they say "Sorengail?" "You're General Sorrengail's youngest!" "You're Fen Riorson's son!" DUH 😵😵 Oh my God, pull my teeth out.

Let's move on to Violet. (O.M.G. I could not stand this nickname.)

She is tiny, frail, and weakly built. YOU CANNOT FORGET THIS, BECAUSE IT'S REPEATED THROUGHOUT THE BOOK. My main issue with her is that she knowingly puts herself in a dangerous situation where death is almost guaranteed, yet she acts SO STUPID. 🤯🤠😵

I fail to understand why Xaden keeps praising her intelligence when her actions don't reflect it. WHAT'S SO SMART ABOUT HER? If she were smart, she would have let Dain take her away.

For example, the moment she shares one of her good boots with Rhiannon, who, at that moment, could have been a Jack 2.0, I knew she was dumb. She consistently comes across as lacking common sense.

Another moment... when she protected Andarna before they bonded. I'd want to protect an innocent creature as well from being killed, but the fact that she puts herself in harm's way, to protect a DRAGON when she's outnumbered like that, is insane.

And how on earth does she get 2 dragons? Of course, her dragon is mated with Xaden's. At least it's not mated faes...

There was a part when Jack challenged her. She didn't want Liam to tell Xaden, yet during the fight, she has a thought about how she needs to survive for Xaden's safety. IT MAKES NO SENSE. She could have told him, and he would have stopped it!

Next up, I had no connection to her and Xaden romantically. Of course, he's this misunderstood villain who actually has morals. Violet is scared for her life, and Xaden has a reason to kill her, yet she fantasizes about how good-looking he is. SCORCHING HOT. OH MY GOSH. PLEASE. NO. What is this vocabulary they use in this book?? The constant reminder that her body is reacting to him, he's so.fucking.hot, that her self-preservation is out the door. AND LET'S NOT EVEN TALK ABOUT THE SEX SCENES. Oh, my goodness, the dirty talk was so CRINGE. Ok, let's move on, I can't talk about it.

Moving on.... There is a point that Violet, VIOLET.. finds out about Xaden's secret gatherings. (When she is in the tree) she then promises him secrecy. Why? It makes no sense. She thinks he's going to murder her. She overhears him talk, and she's like, "Oh, he's not so bad, that's good advice he's telling his potential rebellion gang." Like what? Then the escalation from "ok, I'll keep your secret" to "ok, are you going to kill me or what?" Does she have A.D.D.??

Everything about her interactions is useless. ANOTHER EXAMPLE. She bonds with 2 dragons, they are deliberating about the laws, and when they announce her as "girl," in her mind she corrects them with "woman!" And it's like.. ok so people are trying to kill you, you are injured, you are experiencing trauma, and that's where the line in your mind is crossed? Everything about her makes me want to bang my head against the wall.

Dain starts as being sweet and quickly becomes overbearing. He's condescending and whiny. They keep saying they are each other's best friends, but are they? REALLY? He puts policy before her. ALTHOUGH, he is the only one smart enough to attempt to get her out of the academy. It's like Tamlin and Rhys all over again, only much much worse.

Lastly, as much as I love dragons, them being telepathic with their riders ruined the grandeur and mystique of them for me. Big, great, ominous, strong dragons having sarcastic banter with an insecure Violet didn't work. It still doesn't make sense how she was thrown into this situation and is just accepting it. And actually choosing to stay.

The ending was good, the last line definitely something I will think about. Do I care to know what happens next? It really depends on whether this author will clean up her writing style and mature these characters.

I am never falling for TIKTOK hype ever again. 🤯... maybe thats a lie, but I will be WEARY!

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