#anyways. wish craft hmm...........

[demento-mori]

Oh aint it just?

[mementoasts]

i've been making progress in infinite wealth this week and i got very happy seeing daigo again. so i made a bracelet

[no1blacksapphirefan]

What if we mix up a few of the previous asks about the Self Aware CookieRun Kingdom AU, Hmm? And by this I mean: What if instead of the player being jealous of the cookies, the cookies are jealous of us with whatever media we're paying attention to while we idly play their game?

Example: I keep putting CRK in the background while I play other games on my Nintendo Switch b/c I hate waiting for things to produce in this game. I just wanna make enough resources to feed into the Wish Tree and Bear Train, but noooooo... Every item that they need takes a minimum of like, four hours to produce. And yes, I know I could just close the app and wait, but I like collecting other resources while I wait. So as the things that take multiple hours to literal days to craft are cooking, I play Hello Kitty Island Adventure, ignoring all of my little cookies and only occasionally looking down to refill my cue for sugar cubes and cake logs and jellies and all that other nonsense before getting right back to what really matters to my gaming life at the moment: becoming best friends with Sanrio characters.

So I would like to imagine all of my favorite cookies are trapped in mines and factories crafting enough resources so I can continue playing THEIR game stress free just to look up beyond the screen to see me having the time of my life becoming besties with a bunch of cutesy mascot characters on an island of fun and adventure. You can't tell me they wouldn't be at least a little jealous.

I do this a bit too, usually when Im farming like bounties or such. Let them auto as I concentrate on something else. I can tots see some being jealous though, especially if they're just stuck doing their victory pose till you realise they finished their job

Shadow Milk Hey! HEY!! Look at him, pay attention to him. He is so much better than whatever you're playing, you can't just leave him to cut wood for you and only pay attention when he needs to do more.

He wants your attention, almost craves it. He won't fully admit that though. He won't even admit he's jealous that you're happily playing a different game, oh he could keep you better entertained if you just looked at him. Let someone else cut the wood and he'll put on such a fantastic performance for you that any other would look like jokes...just look at him for more then a second please or else he'll be sulking once you finally log off the the day.

Black Sapphire He’s annoyed, but he has ideas on how to get up ur attention back, I mean being a radio show host he needs to be entertaining after all. But if those attempts don’t work he might make a loud sound come from your phone, something that’ll draw your attention to even for a moment but not let you realise it was him.

Like a screech of sorts as if your audio is distorting. He doesn’t mind making whatever you wish but at least give him some attention, especially since he’s been working so hard

Burning Spice Oh how he wants to throw his axe at that other device. You’ve been paying such happy attention to him, why stop now?? Just because you need some sugar cubes??? You’re lucky he likes you and wants to see you smile. He knows breaking that other device will surely upset you but than again…

He can make you happier, he promises!! Just lay off it for a few seconds and let him fight in the arena, let him hear the sweet praises you give him as he does the finishing move after you thought it was a loosing battle. He could never disappoint you. Just have your eyes on him. Though he wants to he won’t break the other device even if he figured out how…not yet anyways…don’t make it a habit

Black Forest She loves you so much please look at her. You’re who she wanted to marry, the witch she chose. Even if you’re technically not. She’s been doing a good job you know!! Tending to those sheep so you have such nice fluffy clouds.

At least praise her as she gets back to work but oh she doesn’t mind…well she does, shd feels the growing jealousy as your eyes and attention is on a different game. You really like befriending those sweet animals don’t you? Maybe if she convinces the other cookies, she can make it similar!! Surely you’ll stay longer though right? She doesn’t want to feel like you care more for that game.

Pure Vanilla he knows it’s nothing, that you still love the game and you just need to pay attention to something else but he can’t help the growing jealousy as he works tirelessly during Alliance, only having your attention briefly when you’re moving onto the next difficulty, or when you need him to farm that level again.

He feels bad, especially when he realises he wants you to stop play on that game. He tries to remind himself you still love him but seeing you giggle as you play your other game makes him upset, not at you specifically, he doesn’t even know who he’s mad at. He just wants your attention back on him. He’ll be happy for days when you turn back and happily tap on him like you usually do though

[ellealyssum]

well-read ✦ zayne x reader ✦ fluff/smut ✦ 2.6k words

You knew better, but the little terror that lives in your brain that loves sowing seeds of doubt tells you that your loving boyfriend is actually keeping his distance because he thinks you're into tentacle porn now. Zayne likes to know what you're reading. It's not what he was expecting.

p in v sex, fingering, established relationship, yes they use protection, bookworm!reader, fem!reader, not suitable for readers under 18

okay so i'm like halfway through 'stalked by the kraken' by lillian lark and that's what inspired this. plus i need zayne immediately. (also if you're into tentacles that's cool they're just not my cup of tea personally)

also on ao3

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

 If Zayne were to write a list of things he loves about you it would be miles long. Just one of the things on that list would be your love of reading. 

 Zayne was a reader himself, although he spent most of his time with his nose in medical texts. As important as it was for him to keep up with the latest research in cardiology, he often wished he had the time to sit down with a different genre occasionally. Honestly, he was a little envious of you. You somehow always found time to read. Whether it be during lunch breaks, before bed, or even just for ten spare minutes while you were waiting for dinner to cook, you most likely had a book in your hand. And your library was vast. You devoured everything from epic fantasy to poetry to non-fiction on any topic that caught your interest. Zayne adored your intellectual curiosity. He was a firm believer that making time for reading was a good habit of self-improvement. So naturally, he took an interest in your current choice of book.

 It was later than he would have liked, bordering on 9pm. The smell of stir-fry and rice hits him as he walks through his front door. He spots you, curled up on his couch with a cup of tea and an open book in your lap. Flipping the volume closed with a satisfying thump, you meet his gaze with a bright smile.

 "Welcome home, love. I left some dinner for you on the counter."

 God, you were so good to him.

 "Thank you," he murmurs, making his way over to give you a chaste kiss. "I'll go and wash up first. Go back to your book."

 You don't need to be told twice. You were still in the exact spot he'd left you once he returned, donning a comfortable shirt and sweatpants with a contentedly full stomach.

 "Thank you for cooking, sweetheart. It was delicious."

 You don't close your book this time, used to a quiet after-dinner routine of flipping through your respective literature. 

 "No problem. I had to cook for myself, anyway, so I just made double of everything."

"Well, I still appreciate it," he adds, sinking into the sofa beside you.

 His eyes fall to your book. He couldn't tell what it was from the cover. You often covered your books with a simple strip of craft paper to ward off curious looks from your coworkers when you read on breaks. You simply didn't think they needed to know what you were reading about every day. You preferred to be inconspicuous, so a blank cover on one of your books was not an abnormal sight.

 "What are you reading?"

 It was a question he had asked hundreds of times, and that you had always been more than happy to answer. So the blush tinging your cheeks and the nervous twitch of your fingers was very odd, indeed.

 "Oh, it's just more paranormal fiction," you explain, conveniently moving the book away from him and placing it on the side table.

 "Just paranormal fiction, huh?" He strokes the backs of his fingers along your pink cheek. It was blissfully warm.

 "What has you acting so suspiciously then, hmm?"

 You huff and roll your eyes at him, the way you often did when he'd caught on to something you'd rather him not know.

 "It's..." Your brow furrows as if trying to solve a particularly difficult riddle. He gestures for you to keep talking. "It's a romance. A paranormal romance."

 He was a little underwhelmed by your response. You were known to enjoy a romantic film when you watched movies together, so why would reading a romance be a source of embarrassment?

 "Sweetheart, we've been together for months. We see each other almost every day. You think I don't know you enjoy a little romance?"

 You let out an exasperated sigh. 

 "It's just that... it's not a normal romance. It's... explicit."

 He couldn't help but chuckle. 

 "You don't need to feel any shame about reading erotica, my love. Especially not around me. You know, the man you're sleeping with?"

 "I know that." You turn in your seat to look at him now. "It's not exactly normal erotica, either."

 Oh, now he's intrigued.

 "How so?"

 He swears he sees a glint in your eye before you reach behind you and hand the book in question to him.

 "See for yourself."

・・・・・

 It had been two days since you'd last seen Zayne. Not for any particular reason, you were both just busy with work and hadn't had the time to communicate much outside of a few quick texts. This wasn't out of the ordinary, but you can't help but feel anxious.

 You shouldn't have given him that damned book.

 You didn't even care that it was your only copy and that you couldn't keep reading it. You knew better, but the little terror that lives in your brain that loves sowing seeds of doubt tells you that your loving boyfriend is actually keeping his distance because he thinks you're into tentacle porn now.

 That wasn't even true. Yes, the book you were reading was a romance about a woman who falls in love with (and fucks, multiple times) a kraken. Yes, it was pretty hot. But tentacles have never been something you've sought out and that wasn't about to change. This particular book was highly recommended on the few online forums you browsed, so you had decided to give it a shot, just out of curiosity.

 You think about your sweet, mostly-vanilla Dr. Zayne reading the sex scenes in that book and you wish time travel were feasible so you could go back in time and snatch it away from the version of yourself that for some reason thought it would be a funny idea to give it to him.

 But for now you needed to stop spiralling, because said sweet doctor was set to arrive at your apartment with dinner any minute now.

 Another five minutes and he was standing in your doorway, take-out in hand and looking surprisingly... relaxed? Changing into the house slippers you kept for him, he greeted you with a sweet kiss and began serving the food onto plates.

 Strange. You thought for sure he'd have at least some reaction. Maybe he hadn't read the book at all and you'd been worrying yourself to the point of being nauseous over absolutely nothing. Yes, that was probably it. He was a busy cardiac surgeon! Of course he hadn't had time to read your silly book.

 You managed to reassure yourself enough to enjoy a relaxing meal, the both of you filling each other in on your busy work days. Being the gentleman he was, Zayne followed you into the kitchen to help wash up once you were both done. He'd just handed you the last of the utensils to dry when he softly cleared his throat.

 "I read some of the book you leant me." You immediately freeze, not knowing what to expect. "I didn't realise you were into... that sort of thing."

 You bury your face in the towel you were holding. Oh God, he did think you were into tentacles now.

 "I fear I may lack the equipment necessary to act on such desires though."

 You glance at him out of the corner of your eye. His brow is furrowed. He looks almost disappointed that he doesn't have tentacles. Oh God.

 "I'm not into tentacles." Your voice is quiet. Embarrassed. 

 His relief is immediate. You might have laughed if you hadn't been so mortified. 

 "Well, what is it you do enjoy about the book, then? You were quite engrossed in it the other evening."

 You sit yourself on the countertop with a huff. There was no avoiding the topic now. When Zayne wanted to know something, he was going to find out.

 "It's not about the... appendages," you explain earnestly. "It's the emotions. It's about trusting someone so much you can show them your entire self, even in an intimate situation.

 He nodded, considering your words, his lower lip caught between his teeth. Speaking of intimate situations, fuck this man was hot when he was deep in thought. It was unfair.

 "Very insightful, love." He steps closer to you and you squeeze your thighs together a little in anticipation.

 "It seems I need to revisit the story."

 And with that, he turns on his heel and leaves you sitting on the counter all by yourself, stunned.

 Now you really regretted giving him that damned book.

・・・・・

 It had only been fifteen minutes but you were getting desperate. Fifteen minutes of using scrolling on your phone as a front for staring at him as he read. His foot was balanced on the opposite knee and is long fingers were splayed over the cover, occasionally coming up to readjust his glasses. You cross and re-cross your legs for what must be the tenth time. You can feel your clit throbbing, begging for some attention. You weren't even the one reading smut and somehow it was you fast approaching becoming a writhing mess. How was he so unaffected? He looked like he could be reading through medical files he was so nonchalant. What did he need to re-read this book now for anyway?

  "Zayne?" you ask in a feeble attempt to break his concentration.

 "Hmmm?" He doesn't even look up.

 Fuck this.

 Before you can chicken out you're striding over to him, taking the cursed book, knocking his foot to the ground and straddling him on your couch.

 "Enough reading." You let the book drop unceremoniously onto the carpet behind you.

 His shock only last for half a second before he's digging his fingers into your hips and pulling you closer.

 "Thank God, I didn't know how much longer I could last."

 You look down at him quizzically. "How much longer you could last?"

 He groans and pulls you in even further. He's already hard under you.

 "Thinking about you reading those things. Getting all hot and bothered. Touching yourself." Each sentence is punctuated with an open-mouthed kiss to your neck and collarbones. "I've been hard since I left the kitchen."

 "And so you sat down and read for twenty minutes? Silly man." You start unbuttoning his shirt, desperate to have your hands on his skin.

 "I wanted to give your very considered response to my question the thought it deserved." You ran your hands down his bare chest, enjoying the feeling of the ridges of his muscles against your fingertips. 

 "And what is your conclusion, Dr. Zayne?"

 His hands slide back to grip your ass. "You're the smartest, sexiest woman I've ever laid eyes on. I am in awe of you."

 You cup his cheeks in both hands, losing yourself in his beautiful eyes. No matter how many romance novels you read, no one could compare to this man.

 "You're perfect," is all you manage to get out before you bring your lips to his, so overwhelming is your need for him.

 You could kiss him forever and it still wouldn't be enough. Your hips have a mind of their own, rubbing your pussy along the ridge of his cock, the friction of the clothing between you adding to the heat between your thighs. You break apart to work off his shirt and he pulls your dress and bra down in one swift movement, baring your breasts to him, your nipples peaked and dusky pink. He immediately latches on, sucking one of the sensitive buds into his warm mouth. He's always been a sucker for your tits. Literally. 

 He works both your nipples, teasing and pinching whichever one is not in his mouth, being grazed against his teeth. Your arms are trapped at your sides under the straps of your dress and all you can do is moan wantonly and grind against thighs before he releases your tit with an audible pop.

 "Fuck, Zayne, more." You're begging him. Your pussy is dripping and so, so empty.

 "I know, darling, I know." He moves your dress up this time, removing it completely and leaving you just in your drenched panties. "Here or bedroom?" he asks.

 "Here. Can't wait." 

 He lifts you up slightly so you're hovering over him and moves your panties to the side, sliding two long fingers between your lips. "You're drenched," he notes, with a reverence to his voice.

 "Zayne, please."

 He doesn't make you wait, pushing both fingers into your cunt. You lean your head on his shoulder, mouth open, panting. His fingers pump in and out slowly, the soft squelching sounds they make driving you closer to the edge. His thumb rubs little circles into your aching clit, just the way you like it. And then he stops.

 You can't help the drawn out whine that leaves your throat.

 "Love, I'm sorry, but with you whining in my ear like that, if I don't get my cock inside you right now I'm going to come in my pants."

 You move quickly, unzipping his trousers and pulling out his dick, slightly curved and pink at the tip, shiny with his precum. He reaches into his back pocket for a condom and rolls it onto his length with swift strokes. His hands grip your thighs and he lets out a groan as you drag his tip along your swollen pussy, wetting him with your slick. He looks up at you, eyes dark with lust. "Ride me, sweetie."

 Your moans tangle together as you sink down onto his cock, taking him to the hilt. The perfect fit, every time. He's watching you with pure love on his face. "You're so gorgeous." His hands spread across your ass, helping you slide up and down along his length. "Touch your clit, baby. I want you to come for me." You think you could orgasm from his voice alone in this moment, but you do as he asks, your cunt clenching around him as you roll the stiff bundle of nerves between your fingers.

 "Close," you pant, eyes almost rolling into the back of your head. His cock feels so good inside you, stretching you just the right amount. "Come with me, Zayne, please, I need you." You're babbling, but he must hear you because he thrusts upwards into you, mouth on your tits again, chasing his high along with yours.

 Your orgasm rips through you, your head thrown back as you body twitches in pleasure. After a few more thrusts the spasms of your hole around his length has him pulling your bodies flush together as his cock jerks inside you while he comes.

 It takes you a moment to collect yourself, becoming aware of the sweat covering you and the wet mess you've left on Zayne's pants beneath your thighs. He pulls you in for a deep kiss before slowly pulling out of you. "I love you."

 You smile into his kiss. "I love you, too, my big snowman." 

 He runs his fingers through your hair as you rest your head on his chest, waiting for your breathing to regulate.

 "We should get cleaned up." You grunt in agreement but make no move to do so. Your eyes wander around the room, landing on the book you'd so carelessly tossed to the floor.

 "How much of that book did you read, anyway?" 

 He glances at where it landed. "Only up to your bookmark. I figured I should read the same amount as you as to properly gauge your thoughts on it."

 Always so thorough, your doctor.

 "How about we read some more? Together?" you suggest.

 You shriek as he stands up, picking you up with him, and starts carrying you towards the bathroom.  

 "An excellent idea as always, my love."

[cyberpunkgyu]

SERIES: The Sun and the Sunflower / P. Sunghoon

genre: fluff, romance

introduction: these series include random one shots of tsundere! sunghoon and bubbly! reader’s relationship, more chapters/parts will follow in the future! this part shows the softer side of sunghoon but next chapters/parts will show his more “tsundere” side

a/n: i decided to make it one shots because i realized i suck at making long stories so hopefully this turns out alright! let me know what you think :D

warnings: suggestive, and not proofread cause i’m lazy

I. Jealousy *ੈ✩‧₊˚ — when you get jealous

Sunghoon is someone who doesn’t show a lot of affection when there are other people around you both. If a stranger saw the two of you, they might not even think you both are in a relationship because of how casual he is around you in public. You didn’t mind, you didn’t want to make him uncomfortable in anyway, and you respected that (though there were times where he would peck your lips when no one is looking).

But there were times you wish you could just kiss him to show others that he is yours. Like right now.

You always thought you weren’t a jealousy person. What’s there to be jealous about? You know Sunghoon is a loyal person and would never do anything to hurt you. He is a whole green flag, a green forest even.

But you can’t help it when you see girls flirting with him out in the open.

He has asked you out for a night out in a nearby art museum that just opened. Of course you agreed, making sure you were free and don’t have anything else planned, you definitely wouldn’t pass any opportunity to spend time with him.

The night has been going well so far. You two went around to see different exhibitions, taking photos of one another (you even secretly took photos of him when he wasn’t looking because he looked so dreamy).

He was wearing a suit and tie with his glasses on, which you have always told him how handsome he looks with it on. Sunghoon is very handsome in general, but when he wears his glasses on, it just hits different. There’s just something about it that makes your stomach flutter ten times more.

You have also dressed up quite nicely, wearing the dress Sunghoon gifted you for your birthday which wasn’t too long ago. It was a pretty long white dress, and you felt very confident in it. Spending almost two hours doing your hair and makeup, your craft not going unnoticed by your boyfriend.

He is quick to notice your appearance, staring at you in awe when he picked you up from your apartment. He had literal heart eyes for you, a soft smile on his face.

For a quick moment you have left him outside to use the bathroom, to freshen up and all that. Once you got out, you didn’t expect to see him talk to someone, and a woman. And he was smiling?

What caught you off guard is when the girl placed her hand by his bicep, though Sunghoon didn’t seem bothered by it, just nodding to what she was saying. Does she really have to be touchy?

You pouted to yourself, watching the scene in front of you, not knowing if you should let them be or approach them. Before you could even decide, Sunghoon has already spotted you, excusing himself.

“You ready to go and see more exhibits? There’s more upstairs.”

“Hmm, sure.”

Your voice came out soft and quiet, something out of the ordinary as you often talked with such excitement. His thick brows furrowed, but he pushed it off, nodding at you. Maybe you were just getting tired? He thought.

Crossing your arms, you began to walk to the escalator, Sunghoon following by your side. Who was that girl? Is that someone he knows? Or did they just met? Why were they smiling? They looked so happy together. Is that his ex? He never told you about an ex…

You shook your head to yourself, feeling yourself overthink. Stop it, yn.

“Hey… you alright? I can take you home if you’re feeling tired.” Sunghoon looked at you with such concern, both of you getting off the escalator as you got to the next floor up.

You looked up at him, quickly shaking your head. “No! Uh, I’m alright. Don’t worry. I want to see more of the exhibits.” You forced a grin, though it came out so fake that Sunghoon can sense something was definitely wrong.

You got startled when he took your hand, pulling you to the side. Your back was suddenly pressed on a wall, gasping softly as his hand found your hips, looking at him with wide eyes. Your cheeks reddened so quickly, heart beating hastily.

“Is something wrong? You can tell me.”

His eyes stayed on you, waiting for your response, though you felt your throat dry during to how close the two of you are. When you opened your lips, nothing came out.

“Nothing! I just- I…”

“You can tell me what’s wrong. I don’t like seeing you so quiet. It’s weird.”

That made your heart flutter, blinking up at him. He was so close that you could smell his sweet scent, making you feel fuzzy inside.

"I would rather hear you talk non-stop than be quiet. I like hearing you," he whispered softly, feeling his fingers run through your hair, making you feel giddy.

"It's just... it's nothing. It's stupid." you felt yourself pout softly, looking away from him, but you felt his hand grip your chin gently, making you look up at him. "Well it's not stupid if it's bothering you right?"

"The woman earlier. You know her? Is she-"

"She's a childhood friend during my ice skating years. We just quickly catched up, that's all."

Ah, right. You nodded, feeling yourself embarrassed.

"Were you… jealous?"

"What? Why would you ask that." you huffed, suddenly getting defensive. He found it cute how pouty you got, feeling himself smile down at you. Gosh, you're cute.

"You can be friends with anyone you want, I don't care. It's the same with me, I can be friends with whoever, talk to whoever I want. And also, why did she have to be touchy-"

Sunghoon looks at you with adoration, his eyes flickering between your eyes down to your lips. He loves it when you ramble, pouting your lips whenever you do. Your voice was going in from one of his ear to the other, everything in the background becoming a blur.

You were suddenly cut off by Sunghoon's soft lips, your eyes widening before they fluttered shut, putting your hands into a fist as you didn’t know what to do with it.

His lips were hot and plump, his hands going up to your waist, pulling you slightly up, causing you to go on your tippy toes.

You wish you could kiss him for longer, though he definitely took your breath away, pulling away from to the kiss to catch your breath. Your cheeks flushed, as well as your lips, and definitely swollen.

“Sorry. I couldn’t help it… you were talking too much.”

A giggle escaped your lips, looking up at him shyly. “I thought you weren’t a fan of PDA.” you teased, smiling shyly up at him.

“I could do much more if we weren’t in public.”

“Hoon!”

He grinned cheekily, his fangs on display, chuckling lowly. “Cute…”

Your cheeks felt as if they were on fire. He really knew how to make you fold, huh? His eyes never left yours, caressing your waist ever so gently, eyes full of love.

“Why don’t we just go back to my apartment?”

“Hm, are you tired?”

“No.”

“Then why? Aren’t we going to see more exhibits?”

“I did. But now all I want is to able to kiss my pretty girlfriend longer.”

[explicitred]

In streamer au male reader was self aware and teases some of the characters like when he doesn't come home they'll receive a message from him saying "better luck next time "insert reader emote""and maybe can come out of the game and many chaotic things

Genshin Impact Streamer AU (Self-Aware Reader)

letss gooo?? omg what a hot new character!!! woahh... and they're reading these words...???

You slyly smiled as you dodged those pesky pink and blue wishes. They looked more like meteorites the more you practically danced above the clouds, the little wishes becoming faster and... more desperate? ...Hah. They must be the one spawning these things, hm? How cute. Perhaps it'd be fun to tease them a bit. After all, now I know how needy you are for me <3 (im sorry)

"Better luck next time~!" They literally slam their desk, dramatically crying as they lose their pity to someone else. NOOO- PLEASE! THEY SKIPPED SO MANY OTHER CHARACTERS WAITING FOR YOU!! (And so many sacrificial rituals-) They just need to get you so they can stare at you for hours in the game! Their chat spams them with crying emojis and encouraging words, while others laugh at their misery, finding them amusing. Wait, wait wait. You winked? You spoke? ...Wait, was that a new feature? OH GOD THAT'S SO HOT- TEASE THEM MORE- Kaeya, Childe (only skipped other characters to stay loyal to you. he's a good wife! and only reason he's crying is because you keep purposely dodging his wishes even after he was guaranteed getting you! mans has enough money to keep at it anyway), Kaveh (prolly starved to get you lmfao. HE ATE CAT FOOD), Lyney, Venti, Heizou

Just stares at you as you tease them, saying to them "Better luck next time~!" Theories are going through their head... The math is mathing... The brain is braining... Hmm... 🤔 Albedo, Alhaitham, Heizou

Takes a billion screenshots of the textbox, repeating to themselves again and again "better luck next time" with a happy smile, taking this as you noticing them. They think nothing of this "new feature", thinking that Genshin just slid this in without telling anyone. I guess they're too happy to be properly teased...? Ayaka, Childe, Thoma

Not surprised but still crying their hearts out. RIP the sacrifice of their wallets. Mona, Bennett (platonic).

Now, when you literally get out of the screen...?

Oh, my! Who's this fine person? Wait, it's you? Sheesh, you look better up close! WAIT WHAT- (internally freaking out but very blushy blushy) Childe, Xiao, Diluc, Wanderer, Lyney, everyone.

Just straight up gets on one of their knees. They've had dreams about this moment. They've written fanfics about this moment. And who cares if this is an hallucination or dream? They're going to make the damn most of it! Taking out their carefully crafted and customized wedding ring, that they bought just for this fantasy, they propose to you. "Will you... marry me?!" Albedo, Yae (She's written and published actual fanfics of you), Childe, Itto

They pass out. That's it. I guess you're just that hot, huh? You might have to help them~ Ayaka, Itto, Kaveh

Literally so embarrassed. They're just in their pajamas, slightly messy hair and all. Regardless or not this is a dream, they have to look good for you 24/7! Ayaka, Cyno, Neuvillette, Xiao

You look around, seeing their room filled with merch of you. Blankets with your face on them, towels with your face on them, posters, figurines, shrines, etc. And... And... IS THAT A POSTER OF JUST YOUR ABS-!? And a f*cking CAT named after you!? Oh god. Get me out of here. some people...

A few days later...

They've adorned you with the softest, coziest pajamas! They're now currently trying to convince you to sleep with them in their bed. Maybe sneak in a few cuddles or two... "Let me love you and show you how special you are <3" Childe, Ayato, Alhaitham, Albedo, Diluc, Neuvillette, Wriothesley, Kazuha, etc...

Not afraid to show you to other people, even though they have a literal fictional character with them. "Hey! Here's my hot lover!" "Wha-? ...I might have to steal them from you. Ahem! Oh, do they like cosplaying or something?" Alhaitham (knows he can get away with just saying that you cosplay a lot), Albedo ("oh? they just like cosplaying."), Childe ("don't care, lol. anyway, look at my hot spouse-"), Ayato ("cosplaying."), Heizou ("just say that you're cosplaying!")

Constantly trying to hide you. After all, they have a literal fictional character who came out a game! Who knows what people will do if they know of this?! Sucrose, Wanderer (he just doesn't want people to look at what's his), Diluc, Ayaka

Panicking and blushing hardcore every time they see you. Oh, goodness... Do you even know how perfect you look everyday?! How perfect you are each and every second?! They blush so much just from looking at you... How are they going to survive with you living with them from now on?! Everyone.

INDIVIDUAL STORIES: CHILDE, XIAO

AGGHHH! STOP DODGING THEIR WISHES!! THEY LITERALLY SPENT THEIR LIFE SAVINGS FOR YOU 😭😭😭

Wait- Life savings? Pfft, nah. That's just some spare change. Childe sighs, dramatically slumping in his chair as he loses the 50/50. The chat was currently going wild on him, making fun of him for getting the wrong character.

"LLLLL" "💀💀💀" "can't believe he lost 😭" "wait, why is everyone reacting as if he doesn't have over 9999 wishes?" "lmfao"

The ginger man pouts, whining cutely. "Chaaattt~! Stop making fun of me! I'll get them this time! It's guaranteed anyway!"

"...Huh?"

Childe blinks, seeing your splash art... move? ...Huh. That's weird. Did Genshin add this new feature? Usually, the splash art doesn't move when on the initial summoning screen.

"Huh??? Is this a new feature?" "Damn, you really are Genshin's golden child..." "omfggg step on me this new chara so hot" "love this new character, i'll be yo baby mama trust"

Childe huffs, seeing a text on his screen, a bit confused, but slightly amused nonetheless.

"Better luck next time~! <3"

"Hmph, just you wait, darl- comrade! I'll get you!"

Xiao's face reddens on stream, clicking onto the wishing screen, seeing your splash art. God, he wants you so badly. Too bad he's not guaranteed you since he won his last 50/50. He just hopes he'll win this one too. ...My, you're still as hot as ever! His chat seemed to agree.

"AHHHH WE'RE ACTUALLY DOING IT" "I WANT THEM TOO" "marry meeeeee new chara"

Well, here goes his primogems... Down the drain it goes!

Click.

Please, please, please- He loves you so badly-

He'll get on his knees for you! Just come home!

His breath hitches, seeing a golden star appear on his screen.

He's all entirely yours! Just please-!

After a few clicks, hurriedly rushing through the three-star weapons, Xiao's eyes land on Keqing.

Xiao frowns, returning back to the initial summoning screen after a couple more clicks, wistfully staring at your splash art. Great. He didn't have anymore primogems for you.

He suddenly chokes, jolting slightly in his chair as he sees you winking at him, mouthing the words "Better luck next time~! 😘" as a textbox appears with the same exact words.

Damn. Now even his love a fictional character was teasing him!

Bonus: (aka my drafts)

"Aggghh... I spent so much money!!" Childe huffed as he kept clicking the 10-pull button repeatedly, staring at his screen as if in a trance. "...Oh, right. I'm rich!" His chat exploded with comments such as:

"Bruh you FORGOT that you're rich??" "rich people problems" "dude lost the 50/50 LMFAO HELP" "MY GUY YOU HAVE A BILLION INTERTWINED FAINTS WHAT YOU ON ABOUT 💀💀💀"

Childe thought out loud, thinking to himself. "Oh, but maybe my darling will appreciate it if I do another ritual and sacrifice-"

"What, you're going to push another fictional cat off of Liyue's dock-?"

bonus bonus: (another scrapped draft!)

merch. merch. merch. Your face on a hoodie? Wallet out. A rip-off figurine version of you when you're doing the fisheye meme? Bank account out. Doesn't matter. If your face is on it, give. Their fans think that they're too obsessed with you, but they don't see your true beauty!! Literally browses and buys merch of you on stream. "Hey, chat, which item do you think looks better? I think this potted plant version of them looks nice, but maybe we should buy them as a smegsy raccoon-" Wha...? We don't have anymore money...? JUST SELL THE HOUSE-

me when my partner doesnt do his part and its worth 50 percent of our grade

[bekkachaos]

I'm pushing it down and praying

buddie | 1.4k | post s8e11

"Okay don't get mad," Eddie hears through the phone and for some reason it makes him smile.

"What am I getting mad about? Did you beat my pinball high score?" he teased, hearing Buck's light chuckle as he took a moment to hesitate.

"I slept with Tommy last night."

Eddie doesn't expect it to hit him in the chest as hard as it does. He's not even sure why.

"You... wait, you called him?" was all he could say as the idea of it sank in deeper.

"Uh, actually no," he said. "I was actually out drinking with Ravi and we just... ran into each other."

"Right," Eddie said, because what else could he say?

Buck continued with his story anyway. It was friendly between them, and they got to talking, he was a little tipsy and people don't lie about the whole liquid courage thing.. One thing led to another and—

"I don't know, I don't think either of us meant for it to happen but... then I asked him if he wanted to see my new place, I said I missed him, he said he missed me too and it was just... familiar I guess."

Familiar, okay well, that's not a way you would describe mind-blowing sex. Still, it did nothing to remove the swirling sensation from Eddie's gut.

"I mean I think we both just got a little emotional talking to one another and, well... I'm only human, and he looks good."

Of course he did, Eddie thought, teeth clamping down on his bottom lip. He's a good looking guy, why wouldn't he look good?

"Like I know I should probably go out and meet other people, but there's just something different about it when you know the person, you know what I mean?"

All too well, Eddie thought.

"And you know, when they know you," he had a suggestive lilt in his voice that made Eddie grit his teeth.

He meant in bed, obviously, but Eddie couldn't help thinking that there was so much Tommy didn't know about Buck, didn't understand about him. Things that no one but he really knew.

"You're judging me aren't you?" Buck asked, and it finally clicked to Eddie that he hadn't said anything in far too long.

"No, I'm not judging you," he said.

"Okay, so why are you so quiet? Come on, you can say whatever you've got to say," Buck said.

Only he couldn't, not really. Whatever he had to say was tangled up in his tongue and evaporated when he opened his mouth. What could he say? It was Buck's life, not his, not theirs, and he was the one who put nearly a thousand miles between them.

"Look it... well I don't get a say in who you..." God, where was he going with this? "Your love life— sex life... that's not really my business."

There was a pause in the line between them, a strange lull that held more weight than silence should have. He wondered what Buck was thinking, wishes he would just say it instead of carefully crafting his words, which Eddie knew he was doing.

"I know," he said finally, softer than before. "I just... I trust your judgement is all."

Eddie could have taken it deeper, opened up the conversation to a place they'd never really been before. Instead he hummed out a laugh and broke the build up of tension that hung between them in the static.

"My judgement on dating?" he said, hearing Buck snort back in reply.

"Yeah okay, maybe that's a bad call," he said.

"Terrible."

"Don't know what I was thinking."

"Look Buck, you... I just want you to do what makes you happy," Eddie said, feeling a burning sensation rising up his sinuses. "If Tommy makes you feel happy, then I... that's great."

He let out a soft 'hmm' sound, halfway to a laugh but not quite.

"And if what makes me happy is completely unattainable?" he said. "Then what?"

Eddie closed his eyes with a sigh, because he knew exactly what that felt like, and he had yet to come up with an answer to that question.

"Just... keep going."

It was what he did, it was all he could do. He could taste other wants, things that were out of reach. Things he only let himself think about in the dark, when he could pretend they were dreams instead of desires.

"Well," Buck said after a pause, tearing him from his thoughts. "I guess I don't have a choice on that one."

He hated the idea of Buck being lonely. He knew that he felt that way sometimes, and got in his head about it. He hated even more that moving away left him with just that little bit more loneliness than before.

He just wanted Buck to find the kind of happiness that filled him, that pushed the loneliness out until it couldn't find him anymore.

And if he could find it with Tommy then... wait, hold on just a damn second did—

"Hang on, did you bring him back to my house?" he asked without really meaning to.

He felt guilty immediately, he needed to stop saying that it was his house. Because it wasn't really, not anymore. Buck needed to feel like it was his home, not like he was just holding space for Eddie to come back.

"Uh," Buck said, and Eddie could imagine his face as he ran a hand over the hair at the back of his neck and chuckled back. "Maybe?"

"Sorry that— I didn't mean it like that," Eddie shook his head.

"No, I know."

"He didn't think that was weird then?" he asked, Tommy had been to his place a few times over after all.

There was a beat of silence that lingered a little too long before Buck replied.

"Uh, no, no he didn't really have an opinion on that."

"Well you probably weren't doing a whole lot of talking, were you?" Eddie said to lighten the weird mood that had descended over the conversation, even if the words tasted like ash in his mouth.

"You know me, I'm hard to shut up."

That didn't make Eddie feel any better.

"But um, I think it was probably just a one-time thing," he said.

"Why's that?"

"Well, last night was great, but this morning... let's just say we both said some things we probably shouldn't have. If I were him, I wouldn't be calling me."

"That bad, huh?"

He hated the inflection in his voice at that. Even through the phone he was sure even Buck could hear it, so he cleared his throat and hoped that disguised it well enough.

"Look Buck, if he doesn't call, he's the one who's going to lose out," he said softly, feeling more words creeping up the back of his throat and swallowing them back down.

"You think so?"

Now he was just fishing, but Eddie didn't mind. Just hearing the little curve in the corner of his mouth creep into his voice made Eddie's heartbeat steady out. Buck's voice always seemed to have that effect on him, making him feel like everything would be okay, even when everything around him felt like chaos.

"I know it, Buck," he said, his own voice getting a rasp to it as he tried to push down everything else he could say. "I would know right?"

Buck let out a breathy chuckle through the line, Eddie could picture the look on his face perfectly. If he closed his eyes, he could see it.

"Anyway I've got to go, but uh, Eds?" Eddie hummed in response as Buck paused. "Thanks."

"Anytime," he said.

"Okay, I'll call you later. I want to talk to Chris too, see how that chess thing went."

"It's a tournament Buck."

"That makes it sound like some kind of medieval thing, like they're going to be on horseback with those long jousting poles or some��"

"I thought you had to go," Eddie smiled to himself.

"Oh, I do," he said. "Talk to you tonight."

"Alright," Eddie said right as the line cut out, three little words sitting heavy on his tongue.

He clenched his teeth as he thought about how easy it would be to let them slip out. He hadn't even known they'd been sitting there, but somehow it just felt like it would have been the natural way to end their phone call.

He sucked his lip between his teeth and swallowed them back down, shaking his head as he locked his phone and shoved it into his pocket along with everything else swirling around in his head.

[abowlofsourcream]

⏳💫Switch a Loop: An Idea from Loop!💫⏳

*This post reference’s “Memory of Rotting” but is made to leave out some of the more triggering language of that post! Please be mindful of that if you wish to read the aftermath of that post. The aftermath should not be needed to understand this interaction! *

*…

*They didn’t want to leave Siffrin alone, especially after everything that happened…

*But Siffrin is currently resting at the Clocktower, being watched by some of the villagers!

*So it should be fine!

*They hope it will be fine…

*…

*It was dead silent at the Favor Tree…

*Oh Change…

*What could really be said?

*…

*After a while, Loop speaks.

Loop: Now, you may not like this. But, I have an idea of what you could do next.

*Everyone looked at them, hesitantly.

*The party had exhausted every single angle that they could think of. They beat the king, they learned about the curse, the disappeared island, Time Craft and Wish Craft. Now they know how their Looping, but they don’t know why…

*Even worse, Siffrin’s health seemingly taken a deep dive for the worse. They were incomprehensible at the end of that loop. Screaming about the need to wake up and not wanting to be alone.

*Was… Was Siffrin always that loud?

*…

Odile: Well, I think I can speak for everyone saying that we don’t really have any other Ideas. Now do we?

*Isabeau turns away. Bonnie clings to him.

*Mirabelle sighs.

Mirabelle: What is your idea, Loop?

*Loop looks deep in thought.

Loop: Well, You now know that your Traveler is why you are looping, Correct? And everytime they die, talk to the Head HouseMaiden or get upset, You all loop back. And the Head HouseMaiden mentioned something about how the loops were supposed to stop after you beat the King, but the wish was messed up somehow… Not only that, it appears your little Traveler has gone sick! Boy, what a pickle you have all gotten yourself into!

*They all look unimpressed, Loop continues.

Loop: Now… It’s just me spitting-balling, so bear with me! What would happen if the Traveler just… stayed here?

*…

*What?

Isabeau: What do you mean? “If they stayed here?”

*Loop stares at them, unchanged.

Loop: I mean… What if you went to fight the King on your own? Surely, you’re strong enough now… And it’s not like you really need him. You know the Traps, where the keys are, and you should be able to get the key-knife if everything goes to plan…

*…

*WHAT?!

Bonnie: That’s stupid! YOUR STUPID! FRIN IS OUR FRIEND! WE’RE NOT LEAVING HIM BEHIND!

*Loop rolls their eyes.

*Isabeau crosses his arms, glaring at them.

Isabeau: Yea! Sif is part of the team! Sure, they are acting really weird. But, leaving them alone isn’t the best way to fix that!

Odile: Especially after what happened with the Head HouseMaiden. Leaving him alone after that would be extremely irresponsible.

*Mirabelle flinches.

Loop: Well, just make sure to not leave them with anything. It’s not like they’re in any condition to do anything that bad anyway. Come on! This could be the way out! Don’t you think it’s worth a try?

*Isabeau presses his hands on his face.

Isabeau: Change, that is not the point! We can’t just leave him alone! What if they get worse?

Odile: Who will be there to make sure Siffrin won’t hurt themselves?

Bonnie: YEA, DUMMY! WHO?

*…

*Well…

Mirabelle: Loop is here…

*They all turned to her, surprised.

*Loop raises their brow, quizzically.

Loop: Indeed, I am…

*Bonnie dramatically gestures at Loop, annoyed.

Bonnie: WHY? THEY HATE FRIN!!!

*Isabeau stares at her, worried.

Isabeau: Mira, you can’t be serious.

*Mirabelle walks up to Loop, cautiously.

Mirabelle: If Siffrin came looking for us here, would you tell him where we are and why?

*Loop hesitates.

*…

*They put their finger to their chin.

Loop: Hmm, I would… Yes…

*Odile rests her hand on Mirabelle shoulder.

Odile: Look, I understand where you are coming from. But don’t you think we should at least talk about this a little bit?

*Mirabelle snapped.

Mirabelle: You said it yourself! We are fresh out of ideas! I LITERALLY have NO IDEA what to do anymore! I just want this to be over!

*The other’s step back…

Mirabelle: I don’t want you guys to be hurt anymore! I don’t want Siffrin to be sick anymore! I don’t want to keep going if all I ever do is keep failing to keep my home safe! I just can’t take it! I can’t keep failing! I just can’t!

Isabeau: Mira-

*Mirabelle turns to Loop.

Mirabelle: Are you sure this could end the loops?

*Loop stares at her, with an unclear look in their eyes.

Loop: I wouldn’t tell you this, if I wasn’t… I promise you.

*Mirabelle takes a deep breath.

Mirabelle: Look, I don’t like this either. Change, I really don’t want to do this… But what else can we do?

*Everyone is silent…

*…

*Isabeau sighs.

Isabeau: Look, Mira… It’s not that don’t trust you… I am just worried, extremely worried. Like, I am totally freaking out! For you, Sif, Bonnie, Odlie! Change, this is probably the most difficult thing I’ve ever really experienced before! But… You’re right, we are out of ideas… I’m sorry for not thinking about the bigger picture… I’m okay with anything you want to try. I mean, I promised at the start, didn’t I? That I would help you save our home?

Mirabelle: Isa…

*Odile nods.

Odile: And Loop is right… Siffrin is in no condition to fight. It would be too dangerous for them… I guess we can ask the villagers to keep an eye on them, and… Maybe Loop… Although, I would hope that it’s in a more civilized manner than the way then the way they speak of him in private…

Loop: Whaaat? Don’t you trust me? I can behave, I’ll be the nicest you’ve ever seen me be! Honest!

*Odile glares at them, then turns to Mirabelle.

Odile: In other words, I have complete trust in what you do next… We wouldn’t want you to do this alone….

*Bonnie looks to Mirabelle, not sure on this plan.

Bonnie: But… Frin! What if-?

*Mirabelle kneels down to Bonnie, putting her hands on their shoulders.

Mirabelle: If it doesn’t work and we do loop back. We won’t do it again! It will be a one time thing! I promise! We won’t let anything happen to Siffrin… Trust me.

*Bonnie looks down, but then nods.

Bonnie: Okay… I trust you, Belle! But I’m still making “get better soup” for Frin! To be extra sure!

*Mirabelle laughs.

Mirabelle: Of course! Just be careful!

*They all nod.

*Mirabelle looks back at Loop.

Mirabelle: Now, We are trying your idea! But the moment It doesn’t work, we aren’t doing this again!

*Mirabelle looks sternly at them.

Mirabelle: Promise me that you will keep your word and make sure Siffrin doesn’t do anything stupid.

*Loop stares at them…

*Like they were lost in their thoughts…

*….

*Then, they close their eyes.

Loop: You have my word!

[koji-haru]

Time Travel AU Part: 25

[Sooo, I've finally written the next part. Sorry for the long wait! 🙇‍♀️ Anyway, some plot progression, finally!

I wrote this while sick, and I still am, so please forgive the quality]

Amora didn’t like Gabriel. That fact alone wasn’t particularly odd, the large cat usually wary of new presences and preferring to keep to herself. However, she would normally begin to tolerate their presence over time as she did with Eve and Michael. It was obvious at times that Amora still wasn’t the biggest fan of Michael, purposely messing with the angel usually by pouncing on him, but with Gabriel, she would simply run away everytime. Not run away in a ‘terrified and wanting to escape’ way, but something more akin to wishing to remain far away from the angel as if sharing the very air with him would make her sick. 

Today too, as soon as Gabriel was visible in the skies, making his way down towards Adam, Amora swiftly got off the first man’s lap and ran far away into the nearest shrubs. Needless to say, Gabriel was once again disappointed to know that Amora had run off again and that he had missed meeting Adam’s best friend yet again. And so, he sat cross legged beside the human, childishly glaring towards the direction where he last saw the jaguar run into. 

“Don’t even think about it,” Adam said, voice level and nonchalant as he lightly hit Gabriel on the head with a stick while he worked on weaving a piece for a table he was making. He didn’t need to turn and look at the angel beside him to know what the other was thinking of, having known enough about him during both his past life and the many times Gabriel had visited the garden. 

“I wasn’t–! You can’t even know what I’m thinking about!” Gabriel huffed as he tore his sights away from the shrubs, turning back towards Adam. “I just don’t get it.”

“Hmm?” hummed Adam, eyes still on his craft.

“Animals usually like angels, or at worse, never minded our presence,” Gabriel started as he leaned back on the tree the two of them were under, peering through the bright gaps between the foliage. “But your friend seems to REALLY mind my presence.”

Not knowing how to explain Amora’s behaviour, Adam simply responded with another hum and a shrug. “She’s not too fond of Michael either.”

“I know, but at least she doesn’t run away from him. With me, it’s like she actively avoids me!” Gabriel argued, waving his arms around in petty frustration. 

“I guess she just doesn’t like you,” Adam responded casually. Really, he didn’t see what the big deal was. It wasn’t as if Amora’s avoidance of Gabriel brought any sort of problem anyway. If it wasn’t causing any trouble, then Adam could honestly care less. The garden was a perfect paradise devoid of everything that could thwart his current lifestyle, really, truly, he didn’t care if a single animal disliked Gabriel. “Maybe she just has the correct intuition to avoid you.”

That comment got Adam a light shove from the angel, causing both the wicker to slip from his hands and his craft to fall off his lap, his focus on his work disturbed. Adam let out a quiet ‘tsk’, frowning slightly down at his unfinished work on the grass before turning to look at Gabriel’s insouciant form to send him a glare. A glare that was waved away with untroubled ease.

“Or, maybe you taught her to react like that towards me!” Gabriel exclaimed aloud as if a revelation had suddenly fallen upon him. “That would make sense, seeing how mean you actually are.”

But before Adam could argue back, Gabriel began to talk again, “But that’s not the only thing I find odd about your best friend.”

“What now?” groaned Adam, rolling his eyes as he picked up what he was working on off the ground, hoping to gain his focus back and resume what he had been doing. 

“It’s just odd how Amora has never talked to me,” Gabriel started as he played with a small yellowed leaf that had fallen on his face, twiddling its petiole between his pale fingers. “In fact, I’ve never even heard her utter a single word.”

This time, Adam couldn’t help but pause what he was doing as he set the wicker down, actually interested in Gabriel’s nonsense for once. He turned towards Gabriel, the angel having stolen his full attention with his comment. “What do you mean?”

A contemplative look was painted over the angel’s face as he hummed a light tune, purposely prolonging the time before his answer, if only to further annoy the now curious human beside him. For all his stubbornness and sometimes petty childishness, Adam remained a human, his curiosity forever unceasing and predictable. Something that Gabriel found particularly amusing and easy to manipulate. 

“Just say it,” Adam demanded with multiple pokes at the angel’s cheeks, his impatience showing with the way his brows furrowed slightly, his lips in a pout, eyes gleaming with curiosity ready to burst. 

“I don’t know…Would I want to share something with a bully?” Gabriel mused aloud, his tone a playful song. 

“You’re the bully, not me,” Adam argued back as he sat back on his knees and crossed his arms over his chest with petty huff. “You’re the angel with magic, and I’m just a human. No matter how you look at it, you’re the one with power, not me.”

“Hmm, how about a trade?” suggested Gabriel, finally turning his head to meet Adam’s eyes. 

“Michael said no more tea and the like for you,” Adam swiftly responded, cutting down any hope of restocking that Gabriel ever had. 

“He wouldn’t know. He’s not even here,” Gabriel tried to reason, still hoping a little to get some more of that nice, hot drink.

“But he would still know,” Adam retorted, “especially since you’re not particularly subtle about it.”

“Fine, fine, sheesh.” Gabriel rolled his eyes and turned his head back to face the foliage above him, the specks of light seeping through the gaps like multiple tiny suns in the morning. He hummed some more, the merry tune easily dancing along the breeze as it spread throughout the garden, as he thought of a suitable exchange. Then, he turned his gaze back towards Adam, “Okay, how about you answer some of my questions then?”

“Such as?” asked Adam, tilting his head slightly to the side, confusion painted across his face at the odd offer. Sure, it seemed harmless enough, but still, a little odd. 

“Not now, I’ll have to think about them later,” Gabriel waved him off.

“I guess…I mean, sure, why not?” Adam accepted. 

“Great!” Gabriel pushed himself off the tree he was leaning on and clapped his hands, a bright gleam in the greens of his eyes. “That’s a trade then!”

“So, what you said about Amora…” Adam reminded the angel as he readjusted into a cross-legged sitting position, leaning his face on one hand, his attention fully on Gabriel. 

“Right, right. Let me explain. I can communicate with everything, it came with the role our Father gave to me as messenger to all life,” Gabriel clarified, the gleam in his eyes suddenly looking very solid as an expression Adam couldn’t quite describe took over the friendly angel’s face. “Yet somehow, I’ve never heard your friend speak, not a single word. At most, she just stares at me briefly from a distance before running off.”

To say that he was disappointed would be an understatement, Adam felt like he had just been baited and tricked into thinking there was something more interesting in Gabriel’s ‘revelation’. His shoulders sagged, heavy with frustrated disappointment as he let out a loud sigh, combing his hair back with his fingers. “Gabriel. We already talked about how she doesn’t like you, it’s no surprise she wouldn’t talk to you.”

Realising that the first man hadn’t fully understood his implications, Gabriel waved the human off once more as he sat up straighter, ready to explain some more. “Nono, you don’t understand. If I focus and try, I can actually hear a lot of things even from a distance. The thing with Amora is that, it’s as if I’m unable to communicate with her at all. Just pure silence from her. Isn’t that odd?”

“Oh. Well…” For once, Adam didn’t know what to say. Was it odd? Maybe for seraphim like Gabriel it was, but how was Adam supposed to know that? Sure, he too had a gift for communicating with animals, but it was communicating not directly talking with them. Though, now that Gabriel mentioned talking to animals… 

A few weeks had passed since then, and many things had occurred, things that Adam could never have predicted and shook him like a thunderstorm, throwing his easy life into this odd curve. He had been so preoccupied with dealing with all raw emotions that rushed at him thanks to Michael’s actions, that he had completely glossed over and eventually forgotten about something that, now that he thought more carefully about it, was in fact very odd. It only happened once, during when Adam’s mind was still in a chaotic mess regarding his feelings for Michael (not that he no longer had some conflicts stirring within his heart). Adam remembered, it was in a dream, but still… Amora… might’ve spoken to him. Sure, he had no proof it was actually the jaguar, and maybe he had gone crazy from his prolonged isolation in the garden – that was entirely possible considering the recent changes in both his behaviour and views. But something in his heart, the way that voice in his dream echoed everywhere, loud but light, commanding but ethereal, present yet far away; something within him was sure that it was Amora who had spoken to him.

Now here arrived another dilemma. Should he mention this occurrence to Gabriel? Would it be wise to share such seemingly significant information to the angel? It wasn’t as if he had a particular aversion for the angel in front of him, however, if this Gabriel was still the same angel he knew in his previous life, then perhaps it would be wiser for Adam to remain quiet. At least for a while, until Adam himself could figure out what to do with this information he had just received. Now that he knew that Gabriel could talk to animals, that meant Amora was purposely, consciously avoiding interaction with the angel. Why? Well, that was something Adam would have to find out later. 

A million thoughts swirled inside Adam’s mind as he sat quietly still on the ground, fingers on his chin, golden eyes heavy with questions looking at nothing in particular. Suddenly, he felt a light poke between his brows. Blinking once, then twice before Adam was fully out of his thoughts and Gabriel pulled his finger away as he leaned back. 

“You were frowning,” Gabriel flatly remarked, looking a little concerned though the glint of his green eyes showed an inquiring curiosity. “Did something in particular stand out to you?”

“Huh?” Adam blinked for a third time, suddenly finding the air around them a little cooler than usual. “Oh, um, no, not really. I was just thinking of any reason why you couldn’t hear Amora, but I came up with nothing.”

Adam decided that now was one of those instances where he had to wear another layer of mask. And so, with a sheepish smile and an awkward chuckle as he scratched the back of his head, he continued, “But I guess I wouldn’t really understand how angel magic works, huh?”

Silence. Adam was met with silence. And while he looked carefree on the outside with his easy grin and relaxed posture, on the inside, Adam began to worry. He could feel the blood within his body rush throughout his veins, sending a slow heating panic everywhere within him. Did– did he slip up? He hadn’t said anything too out of the ordinary, had he? With every moment passed wordlessly, the anxiety inside of him only grew larger and larger until it was threatening to spill on the outside and show in his expressions. 

What felt like eons to Adam was in truth only a few seconds of silence. And soon enough, Adam heard a disappointed sigh leave Gabriel’s lips. 

“Hm, I suppose you’re right,” Gabriel said as he leaned further back, one hand flat on the grass. The greens of his eyes returned to that once sparkly colour like young leaves under the bright sun. And soon followed the air around them, warming back up once more to the freshly freeing breeze of Eden. 

Then, with a cheery smile, he said, “Never mind then! Sorry for asking.”

Part 24

Part 26

[icewindandboringhorror]

I can't do much productively during the heat wave/health issue flare up/etc. like work on my games or anything where I have to sit at the computer/type for long periods of time, BUT.. I did passively sculpt a few tiny foods lol. I wanted to do one of my bigger usual sculptures, but those take so much more time and concentration, I thought something small just to keep my hands busy would be better.. close up photos look kind of weird and blurry from my camera settings or something, but overall they came out okay, especially in person.. Nearly the only reason I ever wanted to buy dolls as a kid was to get my hands on the miniature foods and plates and stuff that came with them, I've always just been obsessed with small versions of things like that, so.. why not make some! lol

[prismatiger]

AGREE WITH YOUR PREVIOUS POST. I like mean Loop as a facade only, but we know they still care and love...

Now I have a question, what's your favorite Loop takes/headcanon

Oh my god I'm so sorry I took like two weeks to answer this one I prommy it's not bc I'm exclusively a hater or whatever. I just straight up forgot to answer Oopsie. I'm putting this under cut bc it got long enough that you all would shoot arrows at me for putting it on your dash

Anyways there's a lot of Loop Thangs I like frankly. A big one that I enjoy is when fic authors in postcanon make the transition of Loop into the party structure kind of rocky. Usually bc Loop's neuroses creating a level 12 psychic barrier between them and the party + the inherent awkwardness of meeting somebody who's apparently super close in a way (that you'll never fully understand) to one of your friends. Who let's be real I feel like half the party (coughIsabeauandMirabelle) would catch the aura of "oh they do not like us at all" from Loop. I want Loop to be happy and with their family but you just know this bitch is going to make it as difficult for themself on purpose. The Siffrin Special.

I also just generally like when they keep Loop as a star postcanon. I'm not at all a hater towards Human Loop (in fact I think it can be itself an interesting setup for a Loop fic) but I do like Loop as a star more thematically. Something about having to accept that things have changed and moving on from it regardless. Also bc Loop being dysphoric about their body scratches a very transgender projection itch in my brain Yessss little star you're stuck in a body that draws unwanted attention and which you have no control over how it looks and functions in a way that feels fundamentally wrong to you. (Pointing at canonically transgender character) Yooooo this guy is such a cool trans allegory omg

Hmm what else. This is more of a sloops thing but I always enjoy in fics when they lean into the fact it's selfcest frankly. I've become a selfcest enjoyer bc of this ship I'll never get over that act 5 dialogue abt the cautionary tale where Siffrin says he never understood the moral of the story bc the idea of having somebody just like him who understands him. Oh my gyoooooooooooooooood. I want them to melt into sludge I'm always thinking of that analogy from superflyghtheart on discord comparing Loop and Siffrin to endlings of an endangered species. 💥💥💥It's like. This is less sloopy now but I'm caught between the intersection in my head of "Loop would probably benefit from developing their own identity as a person separate from Siffrin bc they need Something they have control over" and "Loop is of the Siffrin Species and they are significantly too sentimental to let go of the shreds of what they used to have, especially after having lost all of it once already". Both of these things are yummy as fuck when ppl smarter than me explore them and they're kinda the main Story Paths for postcanon Loop anyways so I'm always winning. So like idk tldr I like it both when ppl have Loop diverge a lot as a person and when they have Loop try their best to stay as much of a Siffrin as possible!

I'm limiting myself to four paragraphs so you don't all want to hit me with hammers but I do have Loop Biology Headcanons. I've explained mythoughts on their guts before and don't feel like recounting them but whatever True #codacheetahwarriors remember my deranged rambling. ANYWAYS I kind of mentally run on the assumption of Loop's body as like. The Universe couldn't keep Loop in Siffrin's body, bc they needed Siffrin to be in it (and I guess a system situation introduces too many factors of its own? idk). The Universe operates with the goal of fulfilling wishes with the least intervention possible, so The Universe makes a body out of cheap inorganic material (star-scrap basically). Miniature star for a head fueling the body with Craft energy (I'm not going to get into my conspiracy that all Craft is the same here). Molds the star scrap into a vaguely Siffrin-shaped/sized vessel and plonks Loop's conscious into it and calls it a day. So Loop's body as a poor simulacrum of a human body is like. They're capable of breathing but they only really benefit from doing it on a psychological level. They can't eat or drink and don't have a mouth because it would require a significant level of added effort to make a digestive system, when they can just derive energy from their star. They don't have reproductive organs because they're not made from organic material anymore anyways. They don't need to sleep bc their body never gets tired but they still do it because it's not really a great idea to leave your brain on running for too long anyways.

I fucking lied I'm on paragraph five bc the block of text is annoying me. To continue that's all a preface to say I think it's super fun when Loop has body functions that are weird and unpredictable. Their little frizzles on their body are reactive to their emotions the same way their headstar is, and feel like static if you touch them. Their head has a vague boundary so their eyes have something to be rooted to but the function by which their optic nerves work is unclear to everybody including themself. They glow based on intensity of emotion and the temperature of their star changes via specific mood. Bc I think it would be fun if the battlefield in twohats when from ice cold to boiling hot frankly. Ok these are all just my headcanons (temperature one very loose though I'm not a hard subscriber to it) but they're not uniquely mine it's just examples of what I mean. One I don't have as a personal headcanon but I do enjoy is when Loop feels the same physical sensations as Siffrin bc it's funny and I like inflicting misery on the star.

I'm going to shut up now like actually . Loop for your troubles

[nach0]

been cooking up this au in the background but here we go!! spoilers for pretty much the whole game (not twohats but that will come up in a future post) so beware!

The celebration had grown monotonous, now. You drag yourself to talk to everyone like pulling the strings on a puppet, comfort Bonnie (they would never get to see their sister unfrozen), watch Isa stumble through the start of a confession (he would never confess to you), lie to Mirabelle (you’ll never get to leave, let alone return to visit), woop woop with Odile-

Ah. You were still doing that one. And you’d missed your line.

“...Are you alright, Siffrin?”

“Why wouldn’t I be! We won!” Get back on script, now. “What are your plans for after we finish here?”

She’s still looking at you strangely, but it’s fine. You can feel how strained your grin is, but it’s fine. Odile is going to be suspicious and ruin everything again but it’s fine-

“With the King defeated, I suppose I can finally go back to travelling. I’d be curious to visit some more Vaugardian cities and hear what they have to say after an event like this.”

Speed it along, Siffrin.

“It’ll be weird travelling alone again, won’t it?”

“...Hmm. Yes, it will.” She carefully bookmarks her page, folding it to turn her full attention on you. “You seem… distressed. At the thought of setting out on your own again.”

Oh, she had no idea. Travelling, going anywhere else, was the least of your worries now. A giggle escapes you at the thought of seeing anything other than Dormont or this blinding house again.

“Don’t worry about me, Madame! I’ll be just fine!”

Your smile doesn’t reach your eye. It hasn’t in so long, the only indicator of how bone-achingly tired you were giving you away with every moment of eye contact you can steal. You’ve been able to play it off so far, but now… It doesn’t matter. It’s all over once you talk to her anyway.

“Assuming I believed you, despite that little display-” and from the look she was giving you it was very clear she didn’t- “I had been planning on asking you to continue travelling with me. There’s still so much for me to learn about Vanguarde, its culture, and… well, I enjoy your company, Siffrin.”

You can’t control your expression fast enough. The script hasn’t just been ignored, it’s been torn in half, set on fire, and thrown off the side of the house for good measure.

“I- you- you’ve never said anything before!”

“I could never find a good way to bring it up.” You must still look confused because she laughs, a single note with so much fondness packed into it your heart starts to ache. “Is it so hard to believe? That I deeply and genuinely care about you?”

Yes! You want to scream, because doesn’t she know? Doesn’t she know what a selfish monster you are, how you’ve forced her- forced them all- to care about you? To love you? You don’t deserve to have her look at you like that, like you’re worthy of her care-

But.

You are so very tired. And wasn’t this what you’d wished for, to journey with Odile back to Ka Bue? You’d almost forgotten, if you were going to be honest with yourself, but it swims in the front of your mind clear as day.

“I… would love to, Madame.”

She smiles before waving you off, returning to her book with an expression you can’t quite decipher. Fondness, perhaps? Worry? Some mix of them? You suppose it doesn’t really matter when she’s going to forget in the next loop, but for now… it’s nice to imagine. Continuing to travel with Odile…

It’s. What. You. Want.

Back to the stage, Siffrin. There’s one actor yet to recite her closing lines.

The taste of Time Craft fills your mouth as you march up to the Head Housemaiden, a barely hidden fury blazing in your eye while you wait for her to begin breaking down, opening your mouth to recite her lines alongside her.

And she…

doesn’t. 

“Travelling one, are you alright?”

Burning sugar is all around you, in your nose, in your mouth, filling the very air as you can do nothing but gape at the impossible deviance from the script, why was no one following the script, and you almost double over when hit with the earth shattering realisation that-

“It’s really over.”

Your

world

                 goes

                                black.

---

Welcome to what I am (at least for now) calling paper stars au because i have been trying to think of a name for an hour. taking suggestions

sif's fineeeee it's just all the stress and wishcraft catching up to him now they've stopped for five seconds. like sharks!

anyway yes! au concept! Act 4 siffrin is so tired that, unsurprisingly, the party notices! slightly more surprisingly, odile offers the very thing he wants! by this point they're done and this is close enough to what they wished for, right? he wanted to keep traveling with odile anyway, so they just... give up on the rest of their wish.

from there the party splits, odile and sif take bonnie home, and keep going together after that

i have so many thoughts and ideas for this au! how do the rest of them feel? when does siffrin actually say something about the loops? what is loop themselves up to? all questions i have thought about at great length but have yet to write!

questions and asks very much welcome, please come talk to me about this i swear i don't bite <3

[twigthedoodler]

You loop back all of them Pt. 4

In stars in time spoilers ahead! Inspired by this post! Part 3 is here! Part 5 is here!

@moonsart

???: “I know everyone in your little group… you're Siffrin’s little family…”

(The stranger that looked like a star was talking bitterly…?)

Odile: “So you know all of us? And you know Siffrin?”

“Who are you anyways?”

(The Stranger sighed. The Stranger couldn't look us in the eyes as they talked for some reason.)

???: "I am a... I'm a... I'm Loop! I'm here by the Universe's will to help Siffrin with the loops! That's who I am. That's all you need to know!"

Odile: "That's all we need to know... Interesting. What can you tell us about time craft and wish craft? And the loops? Cause you seem to know a lot.”

"Universe... That's what's in the sky... Huh... I'm with Odile. Could you please tell us what's going on? Siffrin won't tell us!"

Loop: "Well you won't remember very long because he will loop back soon... I can tell."

Odile: "We know Siffrin's, and apparently your memory doesn't reset... Is there anything else that doesn't?"

Loop: "Well... Siffrin's experience doesn't reset... And any equipment you get doesn't reset."

"That's why we have all this stuff we don't remember getting! Well... Couldn't we write something on an item, and then read it and remember?"

Odile: ... "That's a good idea! Good job! You sometimes have really good ideas Isabeau!"

Loop: "That might actually work! Okay... I'll tell you what I know if someone writes it down."

Odile: "I'll write it down."

Loop: "Alright... So... Siffrin made a wish... You Odile know that it isn't about croissants... That wish... Was done with a ritual. That made it come true. Somehow looping helps fulfill that wish. He has been looping in time for a while now. Restarting the day from the point you just saw. It also, as you noticed, it also resets the moment he talks to the head house maiden... There is a bit more but that's the most important parts for you to know right now... Got that all down?"

Odile: "Yeah I got that... Everything makes a bit more sense... There is still mystery of course... But...hmm... So he is looping because of his wish? Hmm..."

"I wonder why- no... Actually I know why he didn't tell us. He never likes 'burdening us' with his problems... Sometimes I wish he understood that it isn't a burden..."

(I don't like that Siffrin always avoids his problems. Ever since day one I was okay as long as I made him feel better... But I should have realized. He just thought It was okay to not say anything because I let him say nothing... I wish I could apologize to him...)

Odile: "...Thank you Loop. We might come back later. But we must get back before anyone else wakes up. We should go, Isabeau.”

(So we start walking back... There is this feeling I can't get off my chest though.)

"Hey, Ma'am Odile?"

Odile: "What is it?"

"Do you think Siffrin will be okay?"

Odile: "I-... I don't know... We will have to just see..."

(That was the last thing we said before the next morning.)

…

(At the clocktower Bonnie and Mirabelle was awake playing cards)

Bonnie: “I don't like this game… it's so confusing!”

Mirabelle: “Sorry, it kind of is… Well um…”

Bonnie: “...What are we going to do about Siffrin?”

Mirabelle: “I-... We need to help him… I'm sure Isabeau and Odile are gone to figure out what's happening on their own… But if they can't figure it out we need to decide what we are going to do.”

Bonnie: “I say we beat up Frin!”

Mirabelle: “W-what!? No! We are not doing that!”

Bonnie: “aww… I was sure it would work though…”

Mirabelle: “Let's talk to the others once we get a chance to figure out what the two learned… or didn't learn…”

[shunin-gumis]

As Master Joe Wishes - Track 06

Seasonal Team Event - L4mps

Location: Manor – Large Parlor

Joe: Oh my, tomorrow morning? This is the first I’m hearing of this.

Yodaka: Tomorrow morning… This really is short notice.

Samejima: Sorry about this. It’s not that we don’t trust you, but we were taking precautions against any information leak. As it is, we’re limiting the discussion of the situation with involved parties only.

Toi: Um… If the transfer has already been confirmed, does that mean our orders have changed as well…?

Samejima: I’m glad you’re quick on the uptake. As you guessed, the next 12 hours will be the most dangerous yet.

Samejima: Our troops are stationed in the gardens, as well as the surrounding houses, but– 

Samejima: As we are aiming to lure in the target to arrest them, we’ve decided to deploy only the bare minimum within the manor, so as to not arouse suspicion. That would include a couple of us from command, and all of you. 

Hiramei: If we pack too many folks in here, they’d figure us out immediately and get away… 

Ryui: Wha–

Ryui: (Ain’t no fuckin’ way, it’s way too dangerous. That said, might be worse if we try to get outta here now…) 

Samejima: I suppose it’d be too much to ask for you to spend the next 12 hours doing the same as usual… But of course, I hope you avoid doing anything dangerous. 

Ryui: (They’re aiming for that spoiled brat of a bear. If I can just keep Toi away from her, I should be able to protect him even if they come down on us…)

Nagi: In a development like this, they’re all but guaranteed to come to us.

Nagi: Maybe we should set up some traps to drive away the intruders, like in that one famous Christmas movie.*

Joe: Oh my~ What a splendid idea! I am quite fond of that film myself~

Toi: I love it too! Although, I do feel bad for the robbers at the end of it… 

Daniel: If yer gonna do it, make sure ya don’t half-ass it and have your allies end up in the cross-fire instead. 

Daniel: Anyways, I’m gonna go lie down. Back’s still sore and all. 

Yodaka: He’s got a point. While there’s some appeal to setting up classic traps, I’m worried about being unarmed against a group of thieves… 

Ryui: Oi, old man. Tell ‘em they oughta give us a proper guard, or at least give us somethin’ to protect ourselves with. 

Samejima: Hmm… Maybe I could get permission to get us some batons… 

Daniel: Batons… Well, better than nothin’ I guess. We don’t have much time, so you should—

Netaro: Ask and you shall receive~ ! Drumroll please! There is no need to worry your little heads~ A kawaii and cool arms dealer has arrived~ 

Netarobot: Yes indeedy we have weapons indeed~

Nagi: That scared me… weapons?

Netaro: Tada!

Ryui: T-This is… 

Yodaka: From handguns to rifles… There’s even a grenade launcher… These are all elaborately crafted airsoft guns, aren’t they?

Toi: So cool! Just like in an action movie…! Did you design all these yourself, Netaro-san?

Netaro: Roh’s the one who designed the exterior~

Yodaka: Oh? Sakujiro did?

Netaro: Remember when Ryui oh-so-cruelly rejected the servant clothing that Roh had designed? Well, he said we should at least have some weapons on us and came up with these designs one after the other! 

Yodaka: I see. Now that you’ve said it, I can tell these weapon designs were made in mind to match the butler and maid uniforms he had shared before… Put them together, and the design would leave a deep impression on a certain subgroup of people… 

Nagi: Could I use this one as a blunt weapon?

Netaro: Gii, if you mess with that, you’ll get blown away, along with the entire manor.

Nagi: Eh… 

Netaro: Roh may have designed the exterior, but the interior execution was done by yours truly~ They’re equipped to overkill any band of thieves (or anyone, really)!

Toi: So, they’re like the real deal? 

Netaro: I am an arms dealer after all~

Ryui, you can have this one.

Ryui: Woah, aight.

Daniel: –An assault rifle huh. A mid-ranged weapon that can be used in both offensive and defensive formations. From the looks of it, it’s semi-automatic too, perfect for beginners to use.

Netaro: I’ve adjusted the recoil so it won’t shatter Ryui’s shoulder. Once you’ve strapped on the ammo belt over both shoulders, you may shoot to your heart’s content like Ramboo!*

Ryui: Got it.

Netaro: This one’s for Toi!

Toi: W-woah! It looks really cool but, can someone like me even use it…? 

Daniel: Sniper rifles are long distance, meaning you won’t be targeted as easily. It’s plenty enough if you can just calmly assist your allies from out of sight.

Toi: I can protect Ani-sama with this!

Netaro: Gii gets hand grenades!

Nagi: Thank you… I don’t get a gun, huh. 

Daniel: The hand grenade is considered one of the most powerful weapons because it can reduce a wide area to ashes in an instant. Nagi doesn’t have much of a presence, and he’s real fast. Might be surprisingly suited for a vanguard. 

Nagi: I should be careful not to pull the pin on accident… 

Ryui: (Not sure if we should trust him with that thing… )

Netaro: Yoda can have this one~

Yodaka: A revolver, huh.

Yodaka: (Hm… How strange, feels like it fits right in my hands… )

Daniel: Revolvers are standard equipment for JPN police. Although the bullet count is limited, it’s the easiest to maneuver in close combat, right after the assault rifle. 

Nagi: Buchi-san, how come you know so much about these?

Daniel: … Who knows. 

Netaro: And finally, I get to have everyone’s favorite grenade launcher! The grenades come in seven different colors and seven different abilities and pop out one after the other for great efficiency~ That’s all!

Daniel: … What about me?

Nagi: You’ve got your muscles, Buchi-san.

Netaro: If you must have one, here.

Daniel: A magnum? 

Netaro: I considered scrapping this extra-large caliber gun since it would dislocate the shoulder of any of the other weaker-bodied humans but… Your dynamite muscular frame should be able to handle it no problem~

Samejima: Um, I’m technically still a police officer here, so seeing this blatant violation of the Firearm and Swords Control Law right in front of me is a bit… Well, I’ll still grant you permission, of course.

Hiramei: I’ve been recording the whole thing so, if push comes to shove, it’ll only be Samejima-san’s neck on the line!

Joe: Being middle management must be quite the difficult job indeed~

Samejima: Yeah... Please take me in if I get fired for this.

Samejima: With that being said… I’m sorry to ask this of you after all you’ve done to help already, but until the transfer is complete, please be–

Toi: Um, this is only a suggestion, but… Could we hold a farewell party for Joe-sama now?

Joe: Toi…!

Samejima: Be–

Toi: I’d like to make some more memories with Joe-sama! I can’t believe we’re parting in just 12 hours… 

Joe: Oh my, I am so very happy to hear you say that~!

Samejima: –Be on your guard and as we prepare a wonderful party.

Toi: Yay! It’s decided then!

Note:

The famous Christmas movie Nagi is referring to is the 1990 film Home Alone.

Ramboo is a reference to Rambo.

[shantismurf]

Oooooh! For the WIP game, I’d love to know more about ‘Goblin Child’!

Oh yay! Thank you!! This idea was inspired in part by the wonderful Tumblr thread headcanon about the Hobbit who married a goblin and lived with her in the Shire, and also by "A Box Without Hinges, Key Or Lid" by Oakensting (WorseOmens) which I am devastated to find has been deleted!! 😩 It was up to 9 chapters and 40k words in May, but now it's gone 😭 maybe I'll try to hunt it down on r/lostfanfiction

Anyway! My plot bunny/wip is this!

Synopsis: Bilbo discovers a goblin child with a broken leg who crawled into the mountain after the battle.  Rebuilding Erebor, Bilbo increasingly feels out of place, like he has no reason to stay. The Company are busy with the monumental tasks required to reclaim and repair the mountain, and there's little Bilbo can do to clear rubble or assess structural soundness. He takes his dinner down into the mountain for a solitary little picnic of sorts. He'd discovered a crystal grove where rocks padded with moss are broken up by huge spears of sparkling clear crystal, rather like a strange underground garden. He brought along a little lantern that contained one of those clever stones that the dwarves had crafted to hold sunlight for days before needing to be recharged.  (There must be a whole Guild of Light tenders or something like that, to maintain and replace the crystal all through the mountain once it's populated again.) He spreads out his meal on a little cloth and sits daydreaming as he munches a wrinkled apple. When he sets down the core and reaches for his meat pie he finds it gone.  Retracing his steps he doesn't see it fallen out on the little path he followed.  When he returns to his picnic spot, the apple core is gone as well. He somehow finds her, maybe hears her spit out the apple? Naked as the day…she? was born, snarling through stringy black hair hanging in tattered mats around her head.  Her dirt smeared body is smaller than that of a faunt of 5, but it was impossible to say how old she might be for a goblin. For that is what she is, though she's clearly a child, with a head outsized for her body even for one of her kind, and eyes as big and yellow as dahlias in full bloom.  He waits for her to charge, wishing (?) “Dahlia? Would that be a good name for you? Dah-lee-ah, hmm? Dahlia.”  “Dada?” “Yes! Good! Dahlia!” Bilbo gently gestured to her, then to his own chest, “Bilbo. Billl-boooo.” He enunciated carefully. “Bibi?” She trilled happily.

“That will do,” he smiles, careful to keep his teeth covered and send all his pride and joy through his eyes. She cheerfully goes back to tearing at the cold roasted pheasant leg he'd brought for his little picnic.

Bilbo sat back as she greedily consumed his dinner. It had never occurred to him that goblins even had children, or females for that matter. He'd never really given thought to how new goblins came about, and shut down that line of thought before his mind could travel too far down that path.

Dahlia was curled around her meal, but also protectively sheltering her left leg, which was especially dirty but also swollen and misshapen. In fact, what looked like dirt on her was likely dried goblin blood.

Bilbo plucked at his sleeve nervously as he considered just what on Arda he was meant to do now. 🥰

[riddle-me-fear]

Do either of you have any advice on getting revenge? Someone's crossed me one too many times and I figure it's time I do something about it. Figured you two might have some insight.

[Yes hello, disclaimer: This is entirely fictional. Please DO NOT follow this advice. Remember that these are fictional characters, who are convicted (mass)murderers, with no sense for morals and complete disregard for human life. Don't harm others. This is for pure entertainment purposes. I don't promote anything mentioned in this post. Ok, thank you. Also trigger warning: violence, murder, suicide.]

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Haw lethal we talkin'?

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Yes, that would be a necessary detail to consider here. I mean, when we take revenge on someone, the intent is usually to, well, kill them. So, what I like to do--

You notice a certain spark in Edward's eyes, quite noticeably getting excited to talk about this, gesturing with more vigor than usual.

--is to give some indication as to why the - mmh - "contestant" finds themselves in this predicament I'd have carefully crafted for them. In this case, the opportunity would present itself to nail them to a cross, obviously. I'd then do my usual routine of presenting them with one or more riddles, giving them - ah-hmm - the illusion they might actually have a chance of survival, ahahaha! You can get very creative with this one, stab or burn them as many times as they've crossed you, and the like. Ahum, option two would be to restrain them and place them in the middle of a crossroad. Aaand if they don't answer my riddles correctly, they'll get run over by a truck or something. Preferably, I'd be the driver, hm-hm-hmm. Oh! Better yet, I could run them over with a road roller on fresh concrete, then I'd permanently have them "run into the ground" ahaha! Oooh that's genius! GOD I wish someone would double-cross me now, oh that would be so good!

Ed now notices Jon has been observing him with a slight smile this entire time.

... What? Why are you looking at me like that?

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Oh, nuthin, I jus' love it when ya get all giddy 'bout stuff. 'specially when it's that sorta stuff. 's cute.

Edward visibly blushes and turns his back on you, making his way across the living room and into what seems to be the kitchen, from what you can see from your point of view.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

I, uuh, just remembered! I forgot, aah, my uhm, I wanted to, uuh, get coffee! Yes! That's what I wanted to do! Would you like one too, Jon? Oh, why do I even ask, of course you do. You can, uuh, give your answer in the meantime!

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Hehehe... He's so adorable when he's gettin' flustered. Right, anyway. What I'd do if someone's crossed me... I mean, like Eddie said, if tha intent was ta kill 'em, ma favourite pick is suicide. Jus' drivin' em ta kill themselves. Ya get away scot free, since ya can't really be charged fo' anythin. All ya need ta do is find dirt on tha person, somethin' they really don't want anybody ta know 'bout. Or ya jus' make shit up. Goal is ta ruin their relationships, their reputation, make 'em lose their job, drop outta school an' what not. 's easier if they got sum dark secret that, if it comes out, jus' completely ruins their life. That's jus' step one tho, cuz that's no guarantee they'll actually end it. That's when I usually pull ma fear toxin act on 'em. Since ya don't have that - unless ya wanna buy, 100$ per cc - ya'd have ta rely on yer own spookin' skills an' makin' that person's life a livin' nightmare. Figure out what makes 'em afraid an' weaponize that. Might take a while if they resilient, but it usually does tha trick.

Meanwhile, Edward returns to sit down next to Jonathan, a glass cup of iced coffee in one hand, and a regular mug filled with hot black coffee in the other.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Careful, it's hot.

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Tsh, can't be hotter than you.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Oh my-- will you stop that?!

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Stop whut, spittin' facts?

Ed chooses to ignore that and stirs the ice cubes around in his coffee with a glass straw.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Did I hear that right; you gave them advice on how to make someone commit suicide?

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Ye, why?

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Mmh, it just occured to me, that they might look for something less...

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Lethal? Shouldn't 'ave asked us then.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Yes, well, let's just pretend we didn't want to kill the person, mmh... Say, you'd want to take revenge on me.

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Ahah! An' ya think I would naht wanna kill ya?

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Want to - yes. Actually go through with it - I don't think so. I, for one, would force you to go to Disneyland with me. I'd dress you for the occasion, so you won't be scaring anyone. And you're not allowed to go on any of the spooky rides.

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Oh jesus fuckin-- ya would naht!

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Ahahaha! Oooh you bet your sweet bony ass, I would!

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Fine. Then I'll take ya to "Who wants to be a Millionaire". As part of tha audience. With ya mouth taped shut an' yer hands tied behind ya back.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

You wouldn't dare...!

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Ohooh, yes I would, sugah.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Well, I would hide the coffee beans, and every time you buy new ones, I'll hide those too.

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Nah ya wouldn't.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Ooooh, but yes I would.

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

I'd move somethin' in yer apartment space, so it's jus' slightly outta place. A slightly tilted picture frame. A piece o' furniture moved just a bit to tha right. One of yer decorations moved ever so slightly towards tha left. An' I'd move somethin' different every day.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Wha-?! Y-- Nnh! I'd burn your newest costume project, so you'd have to start all over again!

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Ffffuggin-- I'd put yer most recent riddles notebook into tha paper shredder!

There is a pause between their back-and-forths, which had become quite agitated, before the silence is broken by Edward lunging at Jon, his hands aimed at his throat.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

I'm going to murder you!!

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Pff! Trah me, bitch!

Their escalated argument quickly proceeds to the floor. Out of your view, you only hear their sounds of struggle, heavy breathing and the occasional insult.

Perhaps 10 minutes later, the noises had turned into aching groans and cracking joints, as you see the both of them slowly crawl back onto the couch, but not without big effort.

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Jesus fuck, I'm too old fo' this shit... Aaah my back...! Ahah oow...

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Hhh... I hope you - hhh - got your - hhh - answer - hhh... Oooh I'm so done for today...

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Ya don't say... Fffhh...

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

All of that was... hhuff... purely theoretical, right?

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

'f course it wus... Fffuckin... jackass...

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Heh... hhhahah... Aaah...