#but it means they didn't look closely enough at other designs to put the bar vertically above the headboard

[catboydan]

i like to think that this was the thing that pushed them over the edge to finally explain the phondage phar

[3liza]

I feel very defensive about the "goth is bougie" shit because it is historically incorrect, yes, but also and more personally, because it just erases the generations of goth kids who grew up in trailer parks and project housing or just straight up homeless, helping each other out.

it's specifically such a supportive subculture for poor and neglected kids and I really fucking hate that this has been revised and erased. juggalos and goths are very culturally close and many subcultural people are both, and juggalos have the same (and, I would argue, even better defined) culture of collective support. the Skids in Letterkenny are not made up for the show, that's just a real type of rural subcultural person. this has also been forgotten in the interim but in the 90s and 00s we didn't even really refer to OURSELVES as "goths" very much except in a joking way. goths had regional endonyms (like "skids" or "trenchies") even if they could all go to a convention or a club in a city and in that context be all called "goths" together, once they went back home they would go back to being whatever the locals called them or whatever they called themselves. this is a whole linguistics and sociology subtopic that's out of scope for a Tumblr post but is sort of related.

my point is that people who wore actual rags, and sharpie instead of nail polish, and wet n wild eyeliner instead of black lipstick, and dyed their hair with markers or food coloring or kool-aid, were and are the core of the goth scene. the majority of the pictures the mallgoth blogs are posting are from catalogs, fashion shows, costume events, yearly balls and fetes like Wave Gothik Treffen, and other places where people save up literally all year, or many years in a row, to put together ONE outfit. and there's nothing wrong with that, personally I'm proud and pleased that our hard work is being recognized and preserved. but just like formal studio photographs from the Victorian era, it is not representative of the daily or even weekly (for clubs) reality of people in the scene, some of whom were completely out of goth clothing during the day or week just to fit in at work or sometimes just to get along without being bothered at home by family members who thought the Cure was Satanic.

the people who RUN the scenes, the promoters and DJs and gogo dancers and independent designers and people who run the mailing lists and websites, the people who organize the room parties at conventions, and yes even most of the original Burning Man camps like Thunderdome, they mostly live in poverty. especially if they're young. when people organize club nights and shows, they're lucky if they break even. I wasn't aware of any of this until I started working at DNA Lounge in San Francisco, which hosts one of the oldest goth nights in the country, Death Guild. I got to know the owner of DNA well enough to find out about the financial reality of the entire scene, even the people who own the means of production and the actual property in this case, and it's not lucrative. I mean, it sometimes is, if you're running a bar for normal people and have investment captain etc, but the majority of legit subculture economics is just barely breaking even. every single event is 90% volunteer labor.

the issue of labor is maybe the confusing thing for the zoomers who are confused. goth outfits take actual physical work. maybe the Aspirational Spectacle of Labor that makes up most of TikTok has made it appear unreal to the audience rather than something you can just sit down and do?

it takes forty seconds to make the fishnet tights into a shirt. you don't need instructions, you really can just look at it and figure it out. then you think, hm, if I can make fishnets into a shirt I wonder what other things I can turn into something else. your brain will amaze you. my mom would save her tights from her formal work outfits for me when they got holes or whatever and I would just go crazy with scissors and safety pins. lots of young designers are getting attention for this layered, tights-n-pins look at the moment and it really is a fantastic aesthetic but I wonder if people think there's something special about the people who make these clothes? there isn't. you can just do it at home while you watch trashy youtubes.

one time, around 2008 or so, @gothiccharmschool and I were at the photoshoot for tabletop RPG Unhallowed Metropolis. we were there with a bunch of local goths to all make the pictures for this book together. we had all brought tons of our costumes from home to cobble together outfits for the book illustrations, and there was a moment when I just handed Jilli a pile of black skirts and some pins and said hey Jilli, could you please make me up a bustle skirt for this model real quick while I shoot these other models? and of course she did, and they were beautiful, because she knows exactly what she's doing, and because that's all a bustle is: it's a way of bunching up a skirt with another skirt. you can do it at home. you don't need instructions or to hire a seamstress or watch a video. you can just look at something and say hm does it look like a bustle? let's drape it and play with it and pin whatever works. and then you wear it for the photoshoot, or to the club!!! and then next week you pin it a different way and it's a cape instead and you wear it again!!!!!!!

[sasaranurude]

I'm a loser who both spends too much time playing gacha games and loves to hear myself talk, so here's another game review style post, this time covering my first day playing Break My Case. This time I'm not even being a little hater! I'm a lover! I'm cringe! I'm free! I love you Coly! I love you ikemen gacha games!!!!!!!

Break My Case is a new puzzle-music-adventure mobile game from Coly, the developers behind Mahoutsukai no Yakusoku and On Air. More relevant to BMC/BreMai is their game Stand My Heroes, with which it shares a writer, some gameplay elements, and of course a naming convention. Coly has developed a bit of a cult following for their unique status in the Japanese mobile gaming world: they're a company that was founded by women and hires women to make games for women. They put a lot of soul into their games. From the start, BMC is no different!

"Could you have pulled a clean version of this image from the internet so it didn't have all the game junk" no. it's my tumblr and you get my screenshots.

I (with help from friends) overviewed the initial Break My Case announcement back when it dropped. You can read that here! I said in that post that I thought a "dark rhythm game" would be a really cool direction for the game… and that's more or less what we got! GO ME!!!!!

First: the game's presentation is fantastic. Super slick graphical design and just amazing atmosphere. The sound design of this game is incredible. Genuinely. Really, really, good. All the music is amazing—I'm not knowledgeable enough to say anything other than "IT SLAPS!", but it totally does slap. The illustrations for the cards are all wonderfully atmospheric in and of themselves, and are just a delight to look at on the homescreen with its chill background music. Even just navigating menus is a sleek, seamless experience. The live2d is well-done, although it clashes a tad with the art style for a bit of an uncanny look at times. 

The atmosphere! The atmospheeeeeeere!!!

Of course, the draw to this game is the characters and story, so let's jump into that. I'll admit right now that I read the story through a machine translation—I have aaaalmost enough Japanese knowledge to fill in the gaps, especially since the story is fully voiced, but I'm definitely not getting the full nuance of the story that someone fluent in Japanese is going to get. THAT SAID, after completing the prologue, I was definitely intrigued enough that I want to continue slogging through the MTL just to read more! There's a great setup, centered around the bar Aporia and its three modes—a daytime cafe, a nighttime members-only bar, and, secretly, a "fixer" service who'll help anyone with any problem. Our main character, a woman who was just forced to quit her job at a corrupt company, gets hired to replace Aporia's eccentric owner while he goes on a who-knows-how-long vacation. The owner also has the role of "tail"—as in, the tail a lizard sheds to avoid being eaten. If anything in the fixer service goes wrong, it's the owner who takes the fall and the blame. This hasn't come to mean much in practice yet in the (quite short) prologue, but it's a fascinating setup. The story promises to touch on themes of the threads that weave our lives together, how small meetings can lead to massive life changes, and whether any human being is truly replaceable, even in our modern corporate world where people are treated like cogs in a machine. According to a staff interview, there are a handful of references to Stand My Heroes in BreMai, but the games' settings aren't otherwise closely linked.

Rough translation in alt text. The Aporia manager Ai may be the most mysterious, intimidating character, but he also beefs with a parrot the first time you meet him, so...

All the characters are staff at Aporia with various unique roles and background. The prologue just gives you a little bit of each of them, but everyone does show up, and they all have interesting dynamics with each other already. Ai, the stern manager, has some history with the MC that he refuses to divulge, and goes so far as to force psychologist Riku to agree to not look into it. The range of relationships among the staff run the gamut from the calm and mature friendship between fortune teller Kiho and art teacher Kyoya, to the unfaltering dedication of Yu to his ex-mafioso savior Tomose, to the ridiculous Takeru and Soyogu who spend their first appearance waking up after having gotten black-out drunk together the night before. My favorite dynamic of all so far is that of Kou and Mao—Kou is a playboy who insists he's not a playboy, and is introduced evading a woman by… asking the icy Mao to pretend to be his boyfriend so that she thinks he's taken and gay and leaves him alone. Which Mao exasperatedly agrees to, telling Kou that he's used up his allotment for this month which ohmygod how often does Kou do this. Kou if you're asking this guy to pretend to be your gay lover so often he gives you a monthly limit I think you might just have to admit you want him to actually be your gay lover, Kou, oh my god— 

Rough TL in alt text. Kou is letting the implication do all the heavy lifting here. He technically never said he was dating Mao. Technically. 

On to the gameplay. There's gameplay! Unique gameplay! Good unique gameplay! Oh my god, uncharted joseimuke territory! The main gameplay mode is a match-3 puzzle game with rhythm elements. As in other rhythm games, each song in the game is its own level, more or less. (Each character has two unique songs, and three songs shared with the other members of their unit.) You set up a team with cards you've collected from the gacha, which determine your power level and special skills. The "leader" of the team has to be the character whose level you've selected. The puzzle gameplay is a tile-swapping match 3—think bejeweled or candy crush—but the tiles you've matched are only cleared once a bar sliding across the screen hits them, clearing them in tune with the song. Everything cleared in a single swipe of the bar ups the combo counter. There's also a life system, where if the bar slides across the screen without clearing a single match, you lose a life… But the bar moves pretty slow. You're not likely to game over or even lose a single life any time soon. There are more difficult versions of the levels I've yet to unlock, so I'm sure the life meter becomes relevant then. There's also "auto" and "loop" features if you want to grind a level over and over for exp and items, but, of course, the computer can't score as high as you playing it yourself.

And, really, it's fun to play, so why would you want to!? The sound of matches clearing with the music is so satisfying and really makes you want to combo as high as possible. Once you've matched some tiles, you can't move them again, nor use them in a second match (eg, in a cross shape), so if you want to maximize your combo and make as many matches as possible with what's on the board, you have to think ahead about which matches you're going to make. The bar slowly crossing the screen adds a visual timed element that gives some urgency to putting all the matches together. It definitely feels like a game you can pick up an instinct for over time, which is super fun. 

All in all, a really solid, enjoyable little puzzle game. It would be fun to play even without the promise of anime boys. Stand My Heroes is also a match-3, for the record, which is what really cements the two games as being part of the same series.

Admittedly, the anime boy staring at you while you play musical candy crush is a little disconcerting.

The second gameplay mode is "Snap'n Spin", a… gameplay-lite mode that just puts chibi characters in random strange situations and lets you take pictures of them. The mode is explained to be a video game within the world of BreMai, so it's not even trying to be realistic or relevant to anything else in the game. Once you take your pokemon snaps of the boys, they get a fun little caption. You can save up to 40 pictures in your album. Other than being cute, the main way this mode interfaces with the rest of the game is that it's the primary way to unlock card stories for the cards you pulled in gacha. 

This gameplay mode is... cute? I guess? It being so disconnected from the style and aesthetics of the entire rest of the game felt weird. The chibis are adorable, so it has that going for it. And I do like some of the captions you get on the photos afterwards. My favorite were the scenes you catch of a character drinking, and then the caption reveals their current favorite drink. That's a delightful detail for a game set in a bar. Mostly, though, this mode left me wondering "why?" ...And I imagine the answer is something like "because merchandisable chibi characters are a requirement for joseimuke games." This mode could've been anything so long as these cute, starry little dudes were in it.

Urara here hated the drink and the caption revealed that, lately, his favorite thing is sparkling water. He's the youngest character in the cast, so I guess he hasn't grown into booze yet...

One last feature I want to mention is the jukebox. Like many games, BreMai has a music player that lets you listen to tracks from the game… But its music player is, genuinely, a fully-featured music player app with shuffle, repeat, lyric displays, and even background play that works when you're in another app or your phone is off. What! Wild! When I first learned a few days ago that BreMai had a built-in player for its BGM tracks, my first thought was "Well, what's stopping someone from downloading the game just to use the music player and never spending a cent on it? Wouldn't you rather have the songs on spotify so you at least get a pittance of ad revenue, in that case? It's more than nothing."

But having played the game now, I see what they did to prevent that, lol. You don't unlock the songs in the jukebox until you get an SS score on the song's level. Which, I mean, that's normal rhythm game stuff, of course. Can't fault that decision. But, as in other gacha rhythm games, your score in a level depends on the power of your team of cards, and the cards you get from the initial handful of pulls aren't gonna get you anywhere near an SS score without significant investment. So you're either buying in-game currency to buy upgrade items, more gacha pulls, or both. Of course, you can also put a bunch of time into grinding for upgrade items—they drop from levels. Gacha currency is harder to come by. So you're not getting songs in the player without actually playing the game lmfao. The character solo songs in particular (the ones with vocals rather than just instrumentals) also require you to build up rapport with that character—the game calls it "Nice". You build up Nice with them by playing their other songs and using their cards in levels. It takes 1000 Nice on a character to unlock their song. In my first day of playing, I was able to get one character to about 250 Nice, another to 200, and a handful more with a few points, so it builds at an okay pace. There's ways to pay to speed up the grinding for Nice and for upgrade items with things like level skip tickets. So, basically: you're not getting that music player to a useful state without investing either money or time, lmao. Is paying-or-grinding to get cool music you can listen to while not playing the game more "worth it" than the usual freemium game goals of better units, new in-game outfits, or prettier card illustrations? ...Honestly, maybe it is? It's novel, at least.

All gacha rhythm games have the same card select screen, don't they. These were my cards' levels after my first day of play, and you can see they didn't quite reach a suggested score of "A", much less the maximum "SS".

But I do want to stress, the monetization is, for the most part, pretty easy to ignore. Nothing in-your-face. The button to go to the shop screen is a different color, but it's not flashing with an eternal indicator, it's not popping up at every second, it's just sitting there alongside all the other menu buttons. The game isn't shoving timers in your face at all times—there's a stamina meter, which is mildly annoying, but you get ten plays when it's full, and if you're just playing casually you're probably not going to want to play the puzzle game over and over enough to fully deplete that. I know the bar is on the damn floor here but Tokyo Debunker seriously made me realize how bad it can be with mobile game monetization. BreMai is freemium, yeah, but as far as dark patterns go, it's not egregiously bad.

So, the verdict: if you're a joseimuke game fan and aren't afraid to play a game that probably won't get an English port and doesn't even have a fan translation yet (which I realize is already counting out 99.99% of people), definitely give this one a try. See if you like the gameplay—it really is worth trying—and do check out the story if you've got the ability. Or just look at the pretty anime boys. 

[randomingoftherandomness]

What kind of fathers would Shangjue, Ziyu and Yuanzhi be? Would every one of them want children?

Hm. Good question.

(shoutout to my favourite long-suffering single father of 7)

Shangjue - is probably pretty ready to be a dad; he has his finances in order and he is definitely the most mentally and emotionally ready to be a parent. He has practice. Look at Yuanzhi, he didn't fuck him up too bad, right?

SJ would be the parent who rocks up to parent-teacher meetings in custom Prada men's wear having just flown in on first class from Barcelona from a business meeting. Exudes 'Don't Fuck With Me or My Kid or Your Grandkids Will be Paying Off Your Lawsuit'. But at home, he's a big softie; he would be as involved as his busy schedule will allow him to be but his kids adore him and he always makes an effort for them. The designated bedtime story parent.

Ziyu - is no where NEAR even close to solving his daddy issues, why would he want to put any of that on the fruits of his loins? In the future though? I can see him being a doting dad. He possesses an extraordinary level of kindness that is inherent and one you cannot teach, so he would definitely do his best to lead by example when it comes to his kids.

He would be an involved parent. The kind that has the school run schedule memorised and is on the parent-teacher group chats. He has studied the school syllabus before the semester starts and is ready to help his kids with homework. Definitely the kind to plan museum trips and get his kids set up with a personal library by the time they hit 1 years old. Believes in gentle parenting. The parent who is on first name basis with every other parent in his kids' class, the janitor, the principal's secretary, the lunch ladies, the school nurse. Every time his kid moves up a grade, their homeroom teacher actually cries.

Yuanzhi - Didi is not even crowned yet and his priorities are Gege shaped. I think if we follow the canon narrative, Didi will have kids if only because he knows he has to play his part to bumping the birth rate in the Gong Family, but otherwise would be pretty ambivalent about it.

10/10 would be the parent to stuff Snicker bars in his kid's shoes so that they can be tall enough to ride a ride in the amusement park that they are definitely NOT tall enough to ride. The parent who will be PETTY AS HELL about Karen and mini-Karens in his kid's classroom. He keeps scores that he will cash in at the end of the semester. 1000% the parent to TP the house of the classmates who were mean to his kid. Will make the best Halloween costumes for his kid.

[alltherainbowz]

One thing that frustrates me about MHA so much is how they have all the pieces to make a character better and just...dont.

Momo Yaoyorozu is the biggest example of this:

Early on, she establishes that her quirk lets her turn lipids(AKA fats) into objects of her chosing.

And constantly in fights we see her talk about how she's running out of energy/lipids to make more objects and is getting close to passing out.

So why doesnt she just carry sugary/carb-loaded foods with her?

She has a belt on her waist that could easily hold a pocket full of candy bars, bread, or any kind of sweets or carbs that she could use to create more fats in her body. We've seen other heroes do this too:

Fat Gum, Suneater, Sugar Rush etc. All have food-based quirks that Momo could take inspiration from that could GENUINELY help her in missions. If she wants to be a hero, having enough fat in her body could mean life or death, so how is someone as smart as her not putting 2 and 2 together?

My second problem also has to due with how she runs out of fat in the most dire of situations, but has more to do with Horikosho's incessant need to sexualize his teenage cast.

Breast tissue consists of a large amount of fat. She can USE the fat in her chest to make more stuff, but I'm supposed to believe she has absolutely none left?

And I get not wanting to use your quirk so much you can die, but thats how the show frames her overusing her quirk, running out of fat in her body to the point she's going to pass out.

But because Horikoshi is too horny to actually care, she MUST keep her boobs intact.

We even see this kind of dichotomy between how Fat Gum's quirk is designed and how Momo's quirk is designed.

Fat Gum also stores fat in his body, and there is a visible change of when he overuses his quirk vs when he's fully loaded.

But with Momo, she just stays skinny the entire time, and never has any drastic visual ques to show her using her quirk too much besides being "tired".

It's genuinely insane how Horikoshi didn't expand on this or even set Momo up to be with Fat Gum but instead got lessons on how to look pretty. 😐

This is like one of a million gripes I have with MHA, is that despite having an amazing premise for realistic superhero powers, it has such obvious favoritism issues because it's cast is too big and leaves alot of characters feeling underbaked.

[pickledpascal]

New Perspective

Chapter Seven: I'm Not Your Friend (Damn)

Warnings: jarpad being a bitch again, transphobia, alcohol, smut, oral sex, could be seen as drunk sex?? not really tho

Word Count: 3.4k

New Perspective Masterlist

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

@ deanswiftie: no but why IS jensen in charlotte… tf??

Reply to @ deanswiftie by @ lesbiandean: yeah i don’t think there’s any cons unless he’s there for filming?

Reply to @ deanswiftie by @ pickledpascal: have we considered the possibility he’s getting ass

Reply to @ pickledpascal by @ deanswifite: AVERY HUH??

Avery designated Friday as the night they'd go out. She got dressed up in a loose navy sweater, a long black skirt paired with white socks and matching navy loafers. It seemed she had a shoe for every occasion. So did Jensen. Except he didn't have full access to his closet. He wore a simple leather jacket that had silver accents around the sleeve and down the front—underneath was a black long-sleeved shirt—a pair of dark-washed jeans, and some deep brown boots. Jensen didn't know exactly where they were going, just that it was a bar, so he decided to dress accordingly. 

Jensen blew on his recently black-painted nails. Avery was bored earlier since she didn’t have anything to do so she decided it would be fun to treat Jensen to a bit of a spa day. She painted his nails, they did a face mask together, and he watched her do her eyeliner for the night. It made his chest swell.

Avery whistled when she saw Jensen in his outfit. "Hope you're ready for a million horny college kids trying to flirt with you." She joked. Though it was likely going to happen. 

Jensen wrapped an arm around Avery's waist, bringing her close. "I know how to let people down. Especially considering my beautiful girlfriend is gonna be with me." He pressed a kiss to her cheek as he heard a clinging of keys. 

The pair made their way outside the house to the driveway that housed Avery's car. A 1965 Ford Mustang convertible with a soft top and white-rimmed wheels in electric blue. How the hell had he not noticed it before? It was a beauty of a car. He looked up at Avery bewilderment in his eyes. The more time he spent with Avery, the more she seemed less human and more human at the same time.

"I got it for a cheap price. Got my brother to fix it up for me." Avery explained as they got in. She had a feeling Jensen was a bit confused as to why someone like her would have such an old car. "It rides like a brand new car." 

The inside had white upholstery with matching electric blue stitching and a modern-looking radio in the middle, an outlet to use the aux. The Mustang logo was stitched onto a part of the dash. The gear stick was made with bright red leather and had a few hair ties around it. Funnily enough, the rearview mirror had a pair of black fuzzy dice hanging from it. Jensen almost felt transported back to the '60s. 

"Your brother?" Jensen asked as Avery started up the car with a roar. He knew she had other family besides just her parents but she never really talked about them. 

Avery bit the inside of her cheek, hair blowing from the wind as she drove but the wall of glass in front of them shielded her from most of it. "Yeah. He's the only family member I keep in contact with. He lives up in Charlotte though. Corporate job. But one of his favorite pastimes is fixing up cars, selling them. He wants to be the next Jay Leno or something, I swear." She chuckled. 

Jensen smiled softly. He wondered if he'd ever meet her brother. Being the only family member she liked had to mean something. Or maybe her brother was like a friend she'd text hello to whenever he crossed her mind and that was it. He looked outside at the city of Columbia at night. It felt more akin to a real city at night. With the twinkling lights of high-up buildings and hoards of people walking around downtown.

Avery parked on the side of the street and locked the car as she and Jensen got out. She put her keys in her bag before she intertwined her hand with Jensen's to lead him into the bar.

It was a hole-in-the-wall kind of bar like most college bars were except it felt less juvenile. Like it was tailored more towards the upperclassmen and not Freshmen who just wanted to get drunk every night of the week. A wall of dollar bills was behind the bar with little notes written in sharpie or pen, there was a small dance floor surrounded by tables, and speakers on the walls playing whatever pop music was on the radio. 

Avery led Jensen to the bar top and sat down. "Hey, Andrés." She greeted one of the bartenders with familiar eyes. 

"Hey, babe." After a little while, Jensen grasped that saying 'babe' was common among friends of Avery's age. "Why you here when you clearly got a tall drink of water?" They glanced at Jensen with a flirtatious—but not lustfully—charged look. 

Avery shook her head. "It's his first time in Columbia. Didn't want to only show him my house." 

"If I were you, I'd keep him there." Andrés laughed. "What're you drinking?" He turned to Jensen.

Jensen blinked at the question, simply enjoying their interactions. "I'll take a rum and coke for now." The response was in a bit of a panic but he did genuinely like rum and coke. Plus it's been a little while since he had some sort of cocktail, he's been drinking just beer for months.

Avery hummed when Andrés got to making their drinks. He already knew her order. A gin and tonic with a splash or two of grenadine to give the drink some semblance of flavor besides just alcohol. Whether or not she came here for the alcohol was a mystery to Jensen. She said she wasn't much of a drinker, even during weekends or after a big exam. Maybe she just wanted to come to see a friend. 

"You come here often?" Jensen asked, cursing at himself at how corny that line was. But he wanted to know.

Avery pursed her lips, trying her best not to smile. It was corny. That's what made it funny. "Once a month or so, just to see some friends," She answered honestly. "Or to pick up some friends." Jensen gave her a questioning look. "I do have other friends outside my roommates." She teased softly. "He's just busy being in the nursing school which doesn't give him a lot of time to hang out. Unless it's one AM and bars are open." 

Jensen chuckled softly. He knew Avery had more friends than he'd met but her and her roommates seemed so close that he nearly forgot. There was a whole population of college kids and she just so happened to know some of them. "Does he go on a bender a lot?" He asked as Andrés handed them their drinks before he went to attend to some other patrons.

"Nah. Only when school really gets to him." Avery took a sip of her drink and sighed contentedly. 

Jensen's finger tapped against his glass before he took a sip from his drink. His phone went off and he glanced at Avery apologetically as he answered it without checking the caller ID. "Yello?" He hummed, causing Avery to let out a laugh. He answered the phone like a middle-aged man but what else could she expect? He was one. 

"Hey, Jay." Jared's voice filtered through to Jensen's ear. Avery watched as Jensen's face hardened. He hadn't talked to Jared since ChiCon and he wasn't too keen on having another conversation with him. "How've you been?" 

Jensen humored him. "Fine." But not too much. 

"Look," Jared sighed. "People are gonna know soon. They know where you are. Or have a general idea. I'd let her go now." 

Jensen narrowed his eyes. What the hell was he insinuating? "Know what, Jared?" 

"They're bound to find out Avery's trans. They're gonna speculate. Make up lies." Jared explained as if he was just looking out for his friend. It was true a lot of fans found Avery's Instagram but she didn't have anything in particular about her being trans, it was mostly just pictures of her and friends with a few mentions of being queer but that was the extent of it. "I know you're not gay but who knows? Fans might think so." 

Jensen had to close his eyes to digest his shock. And here he thought he might have a chance of having a normal conversation. That hope died. "I can confidently say I don't fucking care if people think I take it up the ass. Some of them already do. And so what if I like girl dick? There's a clear difference. Because she's a fucking girl." Avery slapped a hand over her mouth from surprise. She had to suppress her laugh. 

"That doesn't matter here—" Jared started.

"Yes it does." Jensen sighed, rubbing his forehead slightly. Talking with Jared was aging sometimes. "Fans do talk but I think a majority of them want me to be happy. Which I thought you wanted too. Not so sure anymore." He admitted softly. Jared had been his best friend for years and it felt bittersweet that he was on the verge of breaking that. "You want me to be happy on your terms. A normal, "real" girl. Sorry to say it, bud, but Avery is a real girl just with extra parts." He hung up and shot the rest of his cocktail down his throat. Strangely, it was the carbonation of the coke that burned the most. 

Avery watched Jensen, sliding her hand over his on the bar top. "You don't need to fuck up your life just for me, y'know?" She said seriously. 

Jensen shook his head at Avery and tried to joke, "Wait 'til you meet my family then we'll see if I actually fuck up my life." Avery's face went serious. He realized the joke was in bad taste. "Sorry." He coughed, collecting himself. "I didn't mean that. If they don't like you just for who you are, they weren't meant to be in my life anyway. I don't care who might talk shit about me at Thanksgiving dinner." 

Avery gave him a look of doubt. Family was important to a lot of people and she assumed Jensen was the same.

Feeling a surge of confidence likely from the alcohol, Jensen pressed a kiss to her cheek and whispered in her ear, "Do you want me to show you just how serious I am?" 

"What…" Avery rasped as the realization hit her. "I–" She wanted Jensen so badly and he returned the feeling but there was a difference in wanting to be intimate and actually doing the act. She feared that would change for Jensen. "Let's go home."

Jensen glanced around the bar and spotted a few college kids watching them. With their phones out. He cupped Avery's cheek and kissed her. Her lips tasted like gin with some sweetness of the grenadine. He liked it. Jensen deepened the kiss, feeling drunker off her than his drink. Avery let out a noise of surprise, bracing herself with a hand on his thigh. 

Avery pulled away slightly, suddenly feeling very aware they were in public. "Jensen…" She whispered as she admired the redness of his lips and the way his eyes darkened at the sound of her voice. "Home." She reminded him softly.

Jensen nodded as he stood, taking out his wallet to place a few twenties on the counter. Avery glanced from the cash to Jensen and had to reboot her brain to remember that she was in love with a rich man. Maybe Elena's comment about him being akin to a sugar daddy was true. Avery followed after Jensen, taking a glance at Andrés just to see him wink from behind the bar. 

The drive back home was tense. Jensen's heart was beating fast, his face felt hot even though the wind was blowing around him. But he strangely felt calm. On the other hand, Avery was incredibly nervous. It's been a while since she'd been with anyone intimately. She wasn't scared. Well. Maybe a little bit. 

As soon as Avery opened the door to the house, Jensen started to press kisses to her neck. He snuck his hand underneath Avery's sweater as she let out a sigh, guiding them into her room before they went any further. She sat down on the bed, pushing off her shoes and socks as Jensen shouldered off his jacket and shirt. Avery looked up at him and shamelessly appreciated his body.

"Your turn." Jensen whispered with a light smirk, lifting Avery's top from her chest. She let him. He ran a hand down her bare side, taking in the sight of her in a bra and the soft muscle on her torso. "You're beautiful." He leaned forward to press kisses to her jaw, grazing her skin with his teeth. 

Avery breathed. "Jensen… What…" She didn't want to ruin the mood by asking what he planned on doing. As much as Jensen expressed he was fine with being the bottom and what came with being the bottom, Avery still had her doubts.

Jensen had a feeling she'd feel that way. He lowered himself between Avery's legs, getting on his knees. He ran a hand up her thigh to grab the elastic band of her skirt and pulled it down her legs. "I'm gonna suck your dick." He said as if it was his mission to. 

Avery swallowed thickly, her face felt hot. Jensen was between her legs and stared at her like he was going to consume her. In a way, he was. "Okay." Her breath was soft. Accepting. He was so determined Avery's heart started to pound in her chest. She widened her legs, giving Jensen more space. 

At the admission, Jensen slipped his fingers under Avery's plain black underwear as he buried his face in her solid stomach and pressed a few kisses to her sternum. A breathy laugh left her lips. So she was ticklish there? He pulled her underwear down and threw it off to the side so her bottom half was completely bare. Jensen took in the sight of her dick then glanced up at Avery who was watching for his reaction. 

Jensen kept eye contact with her as he wrapped a hand around Avery's dick and began to stroke it slowly. After eliciting a whine from her lips is when Jensen gave her an experimental lick. Avery ran a hand through his hair, brushing a few stray strands away from his face. 

One would think Jensen was put off by handling a dick that wasn't his own but he truly didn't care that much. He kind of liked it. As long as it was Avery. What she was packing didn't matter. 

After a few more small licks and kisses, Jensen took her in his mouth. The weight was strange but warm. He liked it. Especially the way Avery let out another light whimper and admired the way his lips wrapped around her cock. "Honey…" She sighed. "You look good like this." Something in her had to say it.

Jensen hummed, sending shivers down Avery's spine. After simply having her in his mouth, Jensen started to move his head. The eye contact was starting to get to Avery. She bunched her sheets in one hand while the other tangled in Jensen's hair. He liked that too. The sight of her losing more and more patience, looking wrecked and hot. But she never pushed. Just let Jensen work. 

He swallowed Avery down to the base of her dick, swirling his tongue. Jensen was suddenly very glad he didn't have a gag reflex. 

"Fuck." Avery whined, griping Jensen's hair harder. "Good boy." A slip of her tongue.

Jensen nearly choked, surprised that he liked being called that. But then again past him would probably be far more surprised he was sucking a girl's cock. With a new wave of arousal, Jensen bobbed his head faster. 

"You liked that, huh?" Avery moaned softly. She didn't expect an answer given his mouth was a little busy. She swallowed down a whine as she drew in a sharp breath. "Ah… I-I think I'm close." 

Jensen felt excited. Almost giddy. He let go of Avery's dick from his mouth with a light pop and placed a soft kiss on the tip. His lips were swollen and glistening with his own saliva. Avery's fingers twitched at the sight. He stroked her faster, opening his mouth to stick out his tongue. Jensen wanted to taste her cum and perhaps get a little on his face.

Avery could tell what he wanted and imagined what he'd look like for a second. Her brain stopped at the stimulation between Jensen stroking her dick and the images in her mind. "God, fuck–" Her eyebrows furrowed as her face contorted into pleasure. "Faster, please." 

Jensen complied, planting his tongue on her shaft. Seemingly, that was all it took for Avery to orgasm. Like he wanted, Jensen caught some cum in his mouth while some dripped from his face. She tasted a bit salty but mostly sweet. He pressed his tongue against her slit to lick up every last drop then pressed a few kisses to her shaft. He didn't miss the satisfied look Avery gave him. 

"You look…" Avery had to catch her breath as she let go of his hair and wiped a few drops off the side of his cheek and some in his beard. "Absolutely fucked."

Jensen's tongue peeked from between his teeth, resting his head against Avery's thigh. He liked the way her chest rose and fell. "I think I am." He mumbled. He was still pretty hard but his brain was fried. He wasn't sure if he'd be conscious if they did decide to do anything else that night.

Avery tilted his chin upward. "We need to get you cleaned up." She whispered. She wanted to see Jensen like this all the time. Perhaps that was a little selfish to think knowing the sight was exclusive to her. 

Jensen licked his lips, catching a drop on his tongue. "That sounds like a good idea." He moved to sit on the bed as Avery found and pulled up her underwear. He appreciated the curve of her ass as she bent down. 

"I'm gonna grab a hand towel." Avery hummed softly. 

Jensen watched her leave and unbuttoned his jeans to add them to his pile of clothes. He hadn't slept next to Avery in just her lingerie before. He wondered how he'd handle the skin-to-skin contact. Soon, Avery came back with a damp rag and gently wiped his face. 

"There." Avery smiled softly. Her heart swelled with love. She couldn't believe what just happened. Jensen was good at head. She dropped the rag in with her laundry. "Out of curiosity… where did you learn how to—"

"Suck dick?" Jensen asked with amused eyes. "Dunno. Sometimes things just come naturally to me." He shrugged. "Especially with the way you sounded… I knew I was doing something right." 

Avery and Jensen laid in bed, legs tangled together. "You really are something." Avery couldn't believe just how loving—giving—he was. Her mind slipped back to their conversation a few nights ago. She wondered how much he could receive too. 

Jensen nuzzled his face into Avery's neck. He knew she liked the feel of his beard against her skin and he liked the way she would cradle the back of his head when he fit his face between her neck and shoulder. "What can I say? You bring out the best in me." He said it teasingly but he meant every word. 

Avery wrapped her arms around Jensen's waist and let out a happy sigh. She didn't want him to leave. She liked being with him. She liked the way he interacted with her friends. She liked meeting his friends. It was all so perfect. A wash of melancholy overtook her. But then there was a wave of excitement.

Halloween was tomorrow. And Avery and Jensen were going as Barbie and Ken.

-----

taglist: @nancymcl

taglist form here !!!

[ransprang]

guys please don't judge me, i can't control who i love. this ended up a lot longer and different than i had in mind oops

Reigen x gn! reader: The Intern - SFW

Being a recent university graduate you desperately needed some internship experience to even get a full-time job. No one wanted a pitiful graduate with no experience.

That's when you saw an unpaid intern listing at Spirits and Such Consultation Office. Of course you immediately figured it must be some sort of a shady business, but hey you need some experience.

You get a call in to the office for an interview where you meet the blond entrepreneur - Arataka Reigen. Just by the first glance you knew your gut instinct was right. This was a bad idea.

He was intently staring at his laptop screen so he didn't see you come in. Putting on a warm smile you greet yourself, "Hello, I'm here for the interview." Startled he almost falls off his chair, but quickly recollects himself and stands up "Ah yes you must be y/n, I'm Reigen nice to meet you."

You both sit down and the interview mostly consisted of him showing you his god awful website and asking the different ways you'd make changes to it. You didn't realize your future boss was such a boomer with technology even though he looked just a little older than you.

After showing him your portfolio you easily got the intern role and started immediately effective the next day. The days were filled with Reigen being amazed by your website designing skills and you were amazed by his con artist skills. You eventually met the others who'd occasionally come by like a kid called Mob who is quite fond of Reigen.

Even though Reigen was a bit of a manipulator with his customers, you couldn't help but feel your heart grow fonder. After much observation you realized he's actually very intelligent and a good teacher to Mob.

Soon your final day at the office arrived as you garnered enough to put on your resume for your first full time job. Reigen took you out to a bar to celebrate your last day. He was surprisingly drinking quite a bit for a man who's supposed to be your boss.

"Mannnn the days went by fast huh y/n!", he says drinking another shot with his face already utterly red. It's not like you were any better, you drank helplessly as you knew that tonight onwards you wouldn't have much of an excuse to see your handsome ex-boss ever again.

"Yea, sure did Reigen. Thank you for everything these past few weeks", you said smiling at him. His face got even redder and he had to tear his eyes away from you. Staring at the wall and scratching his neck, "Nah I didn't do much it was all you. You taught me a lot I appreciate it. I didn't know technology was so advanced." Both of you laugh thinking about what his previous website looked like.

He met your gaze again, "No but really I liked having you at the office. You are a good person y/n, never change. You brightened up my days at the office." Now it was your turn to look away meekly, "Oh Reigen you flatter me too much thank you."

You gasp as his hand touches your chin and pulls your face back towards him, "I wonder.." he whispers as he starts moving his face towards your with his eyes closed.

Oh god oh god what is he doing. I mean I like him of course but is this really appropriate? I was his intern just a few hours ago. Ah to hell with it. You close your eyes and lean forwards as well till your lips meet. Your hands wrapped around his neck bringing him closer to you. His lips were surprisingly soft and tender.

After a few seconds he slowly detaches his lips from yours. "You have no idea how long I've been wanting to-". His face quickly changes from a lovestruck expression to one of pain. He rushes to the bathroom leaving you to giggle and look forward to more kisses with him.

your intern,

admin sar

[solarsavoy]

what ac students would get piercings, and or tattoos? and if so, what would they get? 

*pulls out the roster*

Okay.

Piercings Standard piercings: Okano, Okuda, Kataoka, Hara, Fuwa, Kayano, Kanzaki, Nagisa (but he doesn't wear anything; it was because of his mom they're even pierced) Double piercings: Yada, Kurahashi One side pierced: Chiba, Muramatsu, Takebayashi (he was going through a phase) Gauges: Hazama, Yoshida Double piercings with a bar: Nakamura Belly button piercing: Nakamura, Yada

Tattoos Sugaya I think would have the most, full sleeves and his whole back and chest done. I had a friend, also an artist, who only did black and white tattoos because they aged better and if she was bored, she could color them in temporarily. I totally see Sugaya being that way too, and whoever his significant other ends up being would probably get a kick out of it. XD Nakamura has a tramp stamp and maybe a few other small ones like a ladybug next to a galaxy or something random, but also unique and somewhat mesmerizing. Maehara has at least two, one he really regrets while he was drunk, and one he worships more than anything. I don't think Nagisa ever would (unless Karma got him drunk enough one night and Nagisa would probably hate him for it) but I love the idea that he has one of those massive tattoos of a snake wrapped around his side, across the back, and then under him arm going up around the shoulder. He'd look so badass! But I don't think he's inherently a tattoo guy. Karma probably only has one and he makes it sound like it was a random last second decision, but it actually means a lot to him. And it's in a secret, well hidden place that only the highest caliber of SOs get to see. 😏 Chiba. I can see him rocking a sleeve. Probably a dragon, a play on his name, but I can also see some random ones of various art. Also, he strikes me as the guy that would write a song for a girl (Hayami) and then get the sheet music of a part of it on his back right over where his heart is. 💙 Maehara convinces Isogai to get one for his father. This is probably the one Maehara has too, because I totally hc that he likes Isogai's dad deeply as well. Kimura has one or two. He was peer pressured. He doesn't hate them though. Maybe one is a Flash symbol and the other is a running rabbit or something. Both related to his speed. Kurahashi totally has a butterfly or 30 somewhere on her body. XD Kanzaki. Still trying to be defiant… I imagine she regrets it though and later has it removed. Hayami. I think she has one she secretly dedicates to Chiba, but explains it as something else. It's a sight (like when you look through the scope) on her back and it's placed over her heart like Chiba's sheet music for her. 💙💙 I will die with this ship. I think Terasaka tried to get a sleeve done, but he didn't know what to put on it and just picked random stuff and gave up halfway through. He likes it all, but there isn't much of a story behind any of it. Yoshida has a back tattoo of something important to him. I'm not entirely sure what, but I imagine it's mostly black and white with some red highlights in just the right places. And it's a massive tattoo, the largest of anyone else's. Probably had Sugaya design it. Muramatsu caved and got a tattoo of his favorite noodle dish. It's really small and probably somewhere like on the back of his hand so he can easily show it off. He thought it was cool, okay? Itona I think has a few, but they're random and spread out. They're all meaningful though, and in some form or fashion represent strength. Fuwa has a tattoo or two of a notorious symbol from One Piece. I haven't seen the anime, but something as prominent as Luffy's hat.

Bonus! Ren has a single piercing and a few tattoos on his arms. Seo got his ears pierced, one of which got infected and closed up, and then he didn't want to put it in the wrong ear and be considered gay, so he never wore anything. Argues it's what all the cool Americans do. XD He also has a stupid tattoo or two. Or five. He regrets all of them, but refuses to get them removed. Koyama is most likely to have the long extravagant anime piece, probably something from Hayao Miyazaki's films, like Howl's, tattooed around his leg. He's very proud of it. Araki has a tattoo he also greatly regrets. He got it because of Seo. XD Shuu wouldn't dare sully his body my making such unnecessary modifications to it. You would be idiotic to think he would. XD

Thanks Blessed-Arson for the ask! It was a long one. XD But I enjoyed it a lot!

I may have forgotten some of them, so feel free to ask if I didn't mention a character you think would have piercings/tattoos/both. Have a great day!

[bigmeandragonlady]

WELL IF YOU INSIST ... my turn to go a little insane with reaching. they really did layer a lot of symbolism onto the green boy - i didn't miss the little alchemical symbol for earth they worked into his design, the really big and obvious triple goddess belt buckle, the snake/8 or infinity/ouroboros theme, association w nature/plants and whats under the streets (the little tree peeking out of the sewer? or whatever it is in the bg mainly used for the street his bars on caught my eye), or the way they keep showing him in churches and how the. little white thing over his shirt makes it look a bit like a reversed clerical collar. the (maybe) ritual knife and the little knife earring with one of two red points on his design. gold and its connotations of perfection in alchemy (which is the metal he and kuras share while everyone else is silver 🤔🤔). white lilies being a funeral flower and also about faith and rebirth. just a lot of things pointing to distinct faces/masks + wisdom/knowledge + cycles/death/breaking cycles/rebirth. given one of the aspects of the triple goddess is the nymph/matron and how he seems to have a reputation for flings but everyone else important hates him in a sense/he doesnt seem to have any actual *close* relationships it seems to point to maaayyybe an aspect of his story is breaking self destructive interpersonal habits (i certainly expect a breaking of cycles in some sense, though maybe its just life+death if the idea about him being undead is right. and a lot of things seemingly point to that right now lol!)

since the game seems like it might draw a lot on alchemy, given one of the bgs, kuras, leander and mhin all are involved with it ahve have some kind of alchemical symbolism going on one way or another, other alchemy symbols might be interesting to think about irt them, especially the green lion devouring the sun for leander, which is basically a metaphor for how aqua regia dissolves gold. all of THIS bit is absolutely just my nerd ass reaching, but i think its also neat how each of the five characters could be applied to one of the major alchemical colors (green, black, white, red, gold). green is obviously leander but the rest could be fought over

his thing with vere especially interests me since it seems like something went down there that went REALLY bad. like we know leander has a savior complex (evident enough in what we see in game but also called out by name in the promo material) and thinks vere is gorgeous, he must have projected some damsel in distress shit onto him that vere didn't like but vere despite his bluster seems (at least in the day we know him) pretty bad at setting concrete boundaries (he always dances around it and keeps it vague before snapping! going 'you'll know if' 'if i didnt want you to i wouldnt let you' saying one question then letting you get multiple in before putting his foot down etc etc but i played a week ago i might be misremembering). despite it going bad leander seems to still think hes on okay terms with vere, and i think its interesting how before the twenty questions he asks you your opinion on the others, and if you're too negative he talks them all up (he apparently thinks theyre his friends after all!) and if you're too positive he warns you about how dangerous they are (makes sense given they. are. and he might feel guilty about letting you go wandering in a town known for its monsters alone). ive seen people trying to spin that as manipulative of him but currently to me it more just reads like trying to defend his friends vs trying to look out for you. but maybe i am just colorblind!

speakingof the questions though given the whole 'information is currency' thing and the fact you have an option to end the questions early i wonder if theyre a variable that will have an affect later... you ask too many questions there, you accrue some sort of debt

I DIDNT MEAN TO WRITE THIS MUCH ABOUT JUST HIM LMAO this is what i mean when i say it got me. im thinking thoughts. i want to know what his problem is so bad. anyway to end not JUST talking about him i like how ais' bracelet vaguely looks like a shimenawa, and i like how specifically its on the arm that doesnt have the tentacle 'tattoo' 🤔 also something i like about the flowers they gave them all is leander's is white lily but they gave ais the spider lily. extremely toxic, and a notorious symbol of the afterlife growing along the shores of a river that connects it to ours, but also like very associated w yanderes by anime lmao which seems to run contrary to what we've seen of him so far. i also think its fun here that part of its japanese name, higan, means the far shore. i think its connotations of the dead + remembering of the dead (since it blooms around the time of ohigan) feels like it fits with how the people who drink from the spring are technically preserved and remembered inside tha groupmind

the flower choices are very fun since only leander, ais and vere got toxic plants... kuras got a medicinal one and mhin got one with bitter but technically edible berries. alright the last thing ive wanted to mention to someone is that to treat us at the start it's obvious kuras would have had to touch our hands/arms, even if only accidentally, given we wake up without a shirt or bandages, but we never are given the chance to realize that and that he's unaffected too. actually we aren't told how we got to the clinic, are we? maybe im just forgetting. did he just happen to walk out there and see us, did another named character, was it known about or a complete accident to discover? id talk about my ideas for the curse but i didnt mean to send you five paragraphssss

OK... leaves this essay in ur inbox and runs. ty for your time, can you tell youre the first person ive been able to talk about this game to lmfao

hey Leander how about we find out what the fuck your deal is over dinner some time.

No, but i dig the amount of symbolism the team has put in these characters. Gives stuff to chew on while waiting and im a slut for symbolism.

I can see why Leander is like this with Vere, everyone seems to have issues with the Senobium and Vere is literally and metaphorically tied to their will. having such an old and powerful (dangerous) being would pull at his savior complex imo, regardless of what may have happened between them. (can you imagine leander saying/trying to break the enchantment on vere's collar, failling, and vere holding a grudge b/c he seems like the type)

Leander has some odd relationships imo, even compared to the others. he's got a real friends with everyone but is emotionally distant + avoid conflict (as seen repeatedly in the bar) vibe. he's one of the cast who's been around the city the longest (after vere and kuras) and i've been wondering why he targets Ais specifically with murder attempts. is it just 'i hate your vibe, you wanna make out after i poison you a few times?' is it really just the groupmind? In the oracle bg you can feel/hear something under the earth as you near the seaspring and i wonder if leader's thing (plants growing out of the grates + the silent crypt that keeps getting mentioned + 'as above so below' on the hound flyers) isn't kind of competing with it, creating a rivalry in that way. i'm dying to know what the fuck their deal is.

Which kind of leads into why i think Mhin is so so hostile with Ais: we know Mhin has some weird curse of their own involving a fucked up bird thing and i wonder if that entity is causing friction with Ocdeus. b/c mhin and vere's dynamic is pretty different, meaning it's not just a monster thing.

then again Ais might be lying to us about the whole 'for no reason' thing and we have no idea what happened between the five of them before we got there.

I always kind of assumed Kuras had gloves on while dealing with us since he's a (hopefully, maybe) a responsible doctor. but initially when he finds us? does he know more then he's pretending to with our curse? does it effect divine beings??? i need to know

thank you for the asks! you are also the first person I've talked to about this game lol

[whitepolaris]

The Spirits of C Street

by Skylaire Alfvegren

Nestled at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Virginia City, is America's largest federally designated historic district. The site of the famed Comstock Lode-the world's largest silver strike-it was once known as "the richest place on earth." At today's rates, more than five billion dollars worth of silver (and a smattering of gold) was extracted from its mines, helping the North win the Civil War and making Nevada a state. A fire destroyed the heart of the city in October 1875, but in the grand spirit of the West, the town was rebuilt, bigger and better, until the mines played out not long after. Virginia City looks much as it did more than a hundred years ago.

At the height of the silver boom in the mid-1870s, nearly half of Nevada's population lived in Virginia City and nearby Gold Hill. The approximately 25,000 miners, entrepreneurs, and prostitutes there "had alcohol, money, and weapons," as one bartender put it, and C Street was the place where they could abuse all of it. As one local put it, "We had fifty-two saloons and no town drunk . . . they took turns. We still do that."

Miners operated twenty-four hours a day within spitting distance of the saloons of C Street. Hundreds of men died both in the mines and in drunken street brawls, helping make Virginia City a very lively town.

Today, tourists stroll the wooden boardwalks of C Street in daylight. But after dark, shadowy specters still speak to the violence and excitement of long ago. They materialize on the deserted boardwalks, perhaps heading as they did in life, to one of C Street's many watering holes. The oft-heard bartender's verbalism "you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here!" means nothing t o these ghostly patrons who've hung around places like the Delta Saloon and the Washoe Club for more than a century.

The Delta Saloon

As you drive into Virginia City, billboards invite you to "see the famous Suicide Table." Even without the hauntings, the fabled table in the Delta Saloon is a morbid attraction with a bloody history.

Black Jake owned the Delta Saloon, but that didn't stop him from shooting himself in the head when he lost a huge amount of money playing faro, the game of choice of nineteenth-century gambling halls. He was "bucking the tiger" a bit too roughly when he lost it all and shortly thereafter stained the green felt of the table with his blood. Two others of the saloon's owners killed themselves at the same table, one of them when a miner walked away with $80,000, a team of horses, and an interest in gold mine.

If the suicides weren't enough to dissuade superstitious gamblers from playing at the table, the ghost of Black Jake began to show up and sit in on games. When unseen hands kept interfering with gambling, the table was finally retired to the back room. Years later, it was dusted off and put on display.

Other ghosts also haunt the Delta, including a woman in a long white dress who walks the staircase leading to the stairs leading to the upper floor. Called Delta Dawn, she has been known to interfere when various employees have tried to organize weddings upstairs.

The Old Washoe Club

One of the most haunted places in Virginia City is the Old Washoe Club. The three-story brick building once housed the famed Millionaires Club, where nineteenth-century silver kings played all-night poker games on the second floor. The bar was downstairs, and extremely friendly ladies were the prime attraction on floor three.

Of singular interest is a spiral staircase in the center of the club. It had no center supports and was built without the use of nails. When the Millionaires Club opened, the bottom land of the stairs was close to the front floor. In later years, the staircase was moved to the center of the building, so that wives who peered into the club to check on their husbands wouldn't see them descending from the third floor.

The unique staircase still gets plenty of use-at least from Lena and a little blond girl, the most famous of the ghosts who supposedly haunt the building.

Poor Lena. Lena, a redhead with a temper, is not only frequently seen on the staircase but also makes the chandeliers sway. The former owners of the Washoe Club used to leave a drink for her at the end of the bar when they closed up for the night. And Lena certainly could've used a stiff one, given her sad story.

In life, Lena worked at the Millionaires Club and all was well. But when her miner husband died suddenly, she was left with little money to live on. Fearing poverty, she changed jobs at the club and became a prostitute-a profession that would ultimately send her to her grave. One story says that the manager got into a fight with her and pushed her down the spiral staircase, breaking her neck and killing her. Another says her throat was slit as she bathed in a tub on the third floor.

Spirits of the Vault. In the back of the building, a cold storage room known as the Vault was meant for beer, oysters, and other perishables. However, during the winter when the ground was too frozen to dig graves, the room was used for the temporary storage of human corpses. The bodies were sometimes stacked ten high. An exorcism was once used conducted to cleanse the Vault of spirits of the dead, but it failed. When the cameraman on a TV crew filming the exorcism looked into a glass box in the room, the word "stop" appeared on the dusty surface.

The Little Girl. Another ghost who haunts the building is a little girl who was killed was ran over by a carriage outside the club. It is historical fact that a girl was ran over by a carriage on the street outside, and legend has it that she was pulled inside and took her last breath in the bar. Dressed in white and usually carrying a bouquet of blue flowers, the blond child is usually seen on the staircase; at other times she wanders the second floor crying for her mother. Some people have reported seeing the girl in other parts of town.

The Thin Man. If you go to the Washoe Club at around 9:00 p.m. and sit at the bar, you might find a very tall, thin miner tapping you on the shoulder. (Some people say it feels like a jab in the ribs than a friendly tap.) The man also likes to hang out in restrooms-most often in the men's room but sometimes in the ladies' room as well.

But back to those taps from the beyond. If you feel them, you're probably sitting on the tall miner's favorite barstool. So slide over, if you don't mind. He's been coming to this bar longer than you have.

[lonely-lost-soul]

A Pirate's Life for Me

Cover Art Done By: @fridaydev-draws and @friday-dsv (Dreamsmp x reader) Pirate Au! Love Interests: C!Wilbur, C!Techno, C!Dream, C!Sapnap, C!Quackity, and C!Schlatt

~~~

Salt burned your lungs as you tossed open your window with a loud bang, the seagulls perching on your flower boxes screeched in protest and flew from your window. “Fucking sky rats get the fuck out of here you heathens!” You snarled out the window shaking your fist at the bothersome birds, the sounds of the ocean crashing on the shore filled your ears as well as the chatter of the dock workers. You let the breeze blow back your hair and you heard someone calling your name from down below.

“Good morning (Y/n)!” You glanced below you and grinned,

“Morning Eret!” They waved back enthusiastically their dress spilling around their ankles, a basket of fruit was balanced on his hip. “Opening early today? I'm sure your patrons would be happy to start their drunken stupor early,” She held a hand to his mouth snickering and you shot them a look.

“If that gets more money in my pocket then so be it, I won't complain too much.” You shrugged, “Will I still see you later tonight?”

“Always do dove, how can I resist a drink from my favorite bartender.”

“You can’t it’s my charm.”

“Will the both of you shut the fuck up!” Another man’s voice growled from another open window, “It’s too early for your bullshit.” You saw Eret click his tongue but smiled up at you despite the man's protests,

“I’m heading to the market anyway. These fruits won’t sell themselves, I'll see you later.”

“See you soon!” You closed your windows once more, but not before urging your daisies to grow one last time. You tossed open the curtains allowing light to spill into your cozy home, a small carpet was in the middle of your room. It was a deep red and the pattern was made of gold yarn, aside from that everything in your residency was made of dark wood. Your shelves were littered with books and empty cups, and your old worn journal sat open on your desk. It was filled with childhood memories and you continued to write in it to this day, it was easier then, things were simple and everything was innocent and new to you. Now your days were filled with sea fairing idiots who liked to drink themselves stupid, but you could handle yourself, you always kept your father's dagger on your thigh at all times. Those who were frequent customers knew not to mess with you and those who were new learned their lesson within the first ten minutes of meeting you. You inherited the bar from your father, a kindhearted man who died a few years before today, leaving you with the bar and the dagger you had on your hip. You fished through your closet pulling out your clothes for the day, your dress was a gorgeous light coffee color and came down to your ankles. The bottom was flared and had dark brown panels on the sides, it faded inward to a light green then back to the coffee color. The corset around your waist was a dark brown with light green trim, you tied it tight with a small huff making sure your waist was sinched perfectly. The sleeves came down to your elbows allowing you to move your arms freely while making drinks. The top of the dress ended just below your collarbone, you strapped your dagger to your thigh before lacing up your knee-high black boots.

You thought back to your tavern downstairs, you were fortunate enough that you weren’t running this entire operation yourself. You ended up hiring help and they were like family and you knew they saw you as such as well. Most of the girls didn’t have a family of their own so you gave them room and board, also money, of course, you weren’t a terrible boss! You opened the door to your room, you watched Cecil, the tavern’s mascot trot out of Juniper’s room. The border collie liked to switch up which rooms he stayed in protecting every one of your girls when you couldn’t be there for them.

The first of your girls was Adelaide or Addie, she was one of the first to fall under your care. She was around your age, a motherly type, sheep hybrid, who cared for the girls, and always gave the drunk patrons with mommy issues a shoulder to cry on. Her long brown hair always hung down her back, she typically worked tables, served food and drinks, and always got a generous tip from patrons.

The next girl was Judas, a squid-enderman hybrid who was taller than you could ever wish to be, although intimidating you couldn’t meet a kinder woman. A jack of all trades the woman helped out wherever she could, black-ish purple hair curled around her shoulders and some people came specifically to hear her sing. Her voice was like rich velvet and lured men and women in like a siren.

Juniper was after Judas, a demon hybrid who was naive but you’d be a fool to underestimate her. She worked beside you at the bar, she can make some mean fruity drinks, Eret always preferred her drinks over yours. Freckles adorned her face and shoulders, her light brown hair curled down to her middle back, purple horns sprouted from the top of her head. You wanted to adorn it with gold jewelry and you were saving up to gift some to her.

Yeti was a human woman like yourself, she didn’t bother with those who were rude or obnoxious. She kept to herself only really talking when she was spoken to or when there was an opportunity to crack a rare joke. She typically stayed on the sidelines, out of the scenes and Yeti liked to help Judas decorate her sets.

Zig was a kind young adult, they got along with everyone who came inside the tavern. Soft emerald eyes drew people in, and they tried to make sure tensions within the bar didn’t rise and start a fight. There would always be one or two that’s just natural, but one look at Zig and his magic words and they seemed to disperse, not wanting to hurt the kid’s feelings.

Vendetta was the tallest member of the group you had taken in, she was stunningly beautiful and didn't take shit from anybody. She was a guard dog if you will, making sure no one fucked with any of the girls in your tavern. While Zig did their best to keep people under control sometimes they couldn’t win. That’s when Ven would step in and ‘kindly’ escort them off the premises with or without force.

The youngest member here was Luvena. She was a moo-bloom hybrid with soft brown hair that sprouted flowers, her cow ears would twitch when she was excited and followed Addie around like she was her daughter. Addie took her under her wing and was training her to be a perfect little waitress, absolutely warming customers’ hearts. Luvena also loved to give out flowers, she was a fan favorite bringing new life into the tavern.

Cecil barked seeing his mama and scampered over to you, you poured food into his bowl as Juniper wandered into the hallway. Her head rested on the doorframe as she gave you a tried wave, “Morning (Y/n).”

“Morning Juni, We’re opening a little early today. Take your time I’m not expecting a big rush of bar patrons this early.” You assured her and she gave a sleepy nod,

“I’ll be down as soon as Ven’s out of the shower.” She yawned, “This beauty doesn’t come naturally.”

“Hardly darling you’re gorgeous just the way you are.” You reassured with a wink, Juniper flushed a little, happily laughing beside you.

“Just go wake the others will you, you flirt!”

Tossing your head back you gave a happy laugh heading down the hallway to make sure everyone was awake and ready to go for later. Addie and Luvena shared a room so she was in charge of waking up the youngest member of the tavern. Judas was already awake making breakfast for everyone when you headed downstairs, Zig was sitting on the counter beside her, they were the designated taste tester.

“Good morning Miss (Y/n)!” Zig chirped, the young adult hummed fondly, “Sleep okay?”

“Absolutely. What about you both? Thank you for making breakfast Judas.” You hummed fondly and Judas had a shy smile on her face.

“I slept well thank you.” Judas hummed softly, “Also it’s my pleasure. Want to make sure everyone’s healthy and alright.” She let out a little squeak as you wrapped your arms around her body, you barely came up to her chest,

“Judas please marry me,” You complained, “Your breakfast is always heavenly and you care for everyone. Please be my wife.”

“(Y/n)! Please.” She sputtered face turning a dark purple, Zig made a noise of protest and held his hand in the air.

“If she won’t marry you I will!”

“Zig! I’d be honored!”

Their entire face lit up with excitement and they hopped off the table to hug you tightly, you hugged them back and pressed a fond kiss to the top of their head. “I got to open up the tavern, you mind setting the table for me Zig?”

“Sure Miss!”

You sent Judas a kiss in the air which her face burned at, quickly going back to her cooking. You smiled eagerly and unlocked the door to the tavern, you shoved a bucket in front of the door to keep it open. The salty ocean air wafted through your nostrils and your eyes sparkled wondrously.

Today is going to be a good day.

Almost immediately a particular bastard caught your eye,

“You’re here early.” You mused raising an eyebrow,

“Heard you were opening early today sweetcheeks,” His voice was a low baritone, rough from years of smoking and drinking. Horns curled around his fluffy ears that stood out against his gruff exterior, he was a ram hybrid at its finest. “Figured I’d take the opportunity to get a special drink from my special girl,” He mused looking you up and down drinking in your figure. You scoffed at the retired man, he dressed like he was cosplaying captain jack sparrow, the gun’s in his belt just added to his costume and so did his large ruffled shirt, he was never one to forget his gold jewelry.

“Where’s Quackity?” You ignored him sitting him at his usual table, he frowned but you knew he was taking it as an opportunity to stare at your ass. He slid into the stool and put his feet up on the table, his boots were muddy but you could only control him so much. He was too much of a regular to get scared off by your threats and scolding.

“He’ll be in at his normal time. He’s not much of a day drinker, although can’t say I’m complaining. Having all your attention on me and all, considering I’m the only one in here. That being said, I’ll have my usual sweetcheeks.”

“Stop calling me that,” You scolded with a certain fondness that was reserved for the man. “You’re lucky you’re my favorite regular Schlatt,” you gave his ears a fond pinch and he bleated. He sent you a scalding look as you walked away, although the look soon fell as he got a good look at your ass once again.

“I’m your only regular sugar tits!”

“Schlatt feet off the table.” Addie criticized whacking his boots with a rolled-up menu, he rolled his eyes but dropped his feet to the floor. “You should know this by now, we go through this every day.”

“Yeah, yeah little lamb I’m on it. Judas here?”

“She’s always here,” She huffed spreading the menu down on the table. “Do you want your usual or something different? Should I get Quackity’s drink ready too?”

“Nah just stick with mine, for now, tell Judas I’d like to see her.”

Addie clicked her tongue and placed her hand on her hip, “fine. But if you’re just going to grossly flirt with her as you do with (y/n), then keep it to yourself.”

“You’re not the boss of me. Just because you look like an old hag-” The way she glared at him sent a chill down his spine, “shit babe take a joke will you.”

Eventually, people began to file into the tavern, as the morning faded into the afternoon and then into the evening. The tavern was bustling with life, Judas’s elegant voice traveled through the crowds and her voices seemed to float above the voices. Quackity joined Schlatt by his side seemingly irritated by a conversation they were having, Schlatt was about five drinks in at this point, which was much less than his usual, and Quackity on his second.

“What are they talking about?” Luvena asked swinging her legs as she sat on the bar beside you. Her moobloom ears twitching every so often as she tried to eavesdrop on their conversation,

“Vena it’s impolite to eavesdrop.” You scolded bopping her on the head lightly, she whined and rubbed the top of her head.

“I wasn’t!” She argued as you rolled your eyes, you looked over at the two men to find Quackity looking over at you. His hand was raised in the air, one finger was up summoning you to get him another drink.

“I’ll be back, why don’t you talk to Ven while I’m gone. She’ll keep an eye on you.”

“I don’t need a babysitter!”

“Good thing she doesn’t want to babysit your ass either, now shoo.” You motioned her to hop off the bar and she did so with a long, dramatic sigh. You looked over at Ven who gave you a silent nod, letting you know she’d watch out for the youngest member of your band of misfits. Meanwhile, you grabbed Quackity another drink and walked over to the two men at the table, “Someone order a drink?”

“Aye! Mamacita! Fancy seeing you here.” Quackity purred a bright smile spreading across his face seeing that you were the one to deliver his drink,

“Hey Big Q,” You greeted placing the drink in front of him, “You doing okay?”

“Better now that an angel walked into my sight,” He flirted and you rolled your eyes. “What? It’s true! You always brighten my day you know? Ow!” Schlatt hit his ex-first mate over the head,

“Take a breath lover boy. Thanks for the drink sugar tits.”

“You’re welcome, what were the both of you talking about if I may ask.” You hummed grabbing some of Schlatt’s empty glasses, an uncharacteristic frown came over both their faces. “Oh? Touchy subject?”

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. Just dishing out some old problems, most of which are better left unsaid.” He aimed that statement at Quackity, his jaw seemed clenched and Quackity’s brow furrowed in annoyance.

“Well I just want to remind the both of you,” You passed the tray of empty glasses over to Addie as she walked by, she took them swiftly. You grabbed the side of both their heads and pressed them against your chest, not that you knew but both men’s flushed to the tips of their ears. “No physical fights are allowed in this tavern. If one starts I won’t hesitate to kick your fucking asses. Got it?” They looked over your chest and locked eyes with one another, after years on the sea they could read one another’s facial expressions rather easily and at that moment they shared the same thought,

‘They should fight more often.’

“I said, got it?”

“Yes ma’am,” The repeated simultaneously as you pulled away,

“That’s what I like to hear-”

“(Y/n)!” Vendetta’s velvety voice called out from behind you, you turned and saw a group of newcomers file into your bar. Your body tensed momentarily,

Pirates.

Schlatt turned his head to follow your gaze and he tensed from behind you, “fuck me.” He growled and Quackity raised an eyebrow at his captain, he turned to look over his shoulder and his face lit up.

“Sapnap!”

The pirate who had a white bandana tied around his forehead glanced over at him and a smile lit up across his features. “Quackity? Is that you?”

“My man!” He stood up from his chair heading over to wrap the man in a hug, “I haven’t seen you in years, man.” You zoned out of their conversation eyes locking with a few of the other pirates who walked into the tavern. Vendetta and Addie both greeted them, but everyone who was under your care knew to keep their guard up around pirates. From what you could gather there seemed to be two crews, a crew of what only seemed to be two, Sapnap was included. The fire demon was still talking with Quackity, while the other man took in the view of the tavern, he had shaggy blonde hair, and had a few scars across his face. A porcelain mask sat on top of his head, a forest green cloak was around his shoulders, his hood was lowered around his neck. A sword was strapped tight against his hip and there was another dagger that seemed to be tucked against his side. His eyes gazed towards you and he winked teasingly with a coy smile, you scoffed looking over at Addie.

“Seat those two gentlemen yeah? Be careful, I’ll tell Ven and Yeti to keep an eye.” Addie looked at you, concern written on her soft features but she nodded. While Addie departed, you noticed Ven talking with the other group. Luvena was hiding behind Vendetta’s long legs, although a tall blonde boy seemed very keen on talking to her. You smoothed out your dress and moved towards the group of three, you eyed them up casually. The blonde looked to be around Luvena’s age, he had a shit-eating grin on his face and his uniform matched that of the second tallest in the group. The second tallest was clad in a light blue jacket with large golden buttons on the red collar. He had a cream-frilled shirt underneath and a black belt holding up his brown slacks, those were tucked into black boots. On his back seemed to be a guitar and was the only one of them not holding a weapon, but you knew better than to assume with pirates. His curly brown hair seemed to bounce every time he talked, he seemed to be the ringleader but there was no doubt that the real ringleader was the hybrid standing beside him. He was taller, on par with Vendetta in height, he had long pink hair that was tied in a ponytail on top of his head. A few pieces framed his face elegantly, there was no doubt he was the captain of the little crew that was in your tavern. He had a white shirt on with a deep low cut ‘V’ it showed off a good portion of his scared chest, around his shoulders sat a deep red jacket but his arms were outside of it and crossed over his chest. He seemed content on letting his second in command do all the talking, his red eyes were the only ones to meet yours. His head tilted upwards and before Vendetta could stop him he walked over towards you,

“You own the tavern?” His voice was a low monotone and it sent an array of pleasant chills up your spine.

“I do,” You raised an eyebrow crossing your arms over your chest, “Names (Y/n). You are?”

“Captain Technoblade of the ship Odyssey, I was hoping you had a few rooms and a table available. My brothers and I are pretty exhausted, we’ve been sailing all night.”

Brothers, they certainly didn’t all look alike, but then again you certainly had a mix of girls in your care. Your tongue swiped against the top row of your teeth, “Why don’t you and your brothers take a seat at the bar for now. Juniper will be happy to serve you, I’ll see if we have some free rooms available.”

“Thank you, once you return I’ll introduce them to you if you’d like,” Technoblade bowed his head before turning back to get his brother’s attention.

“I’d like that thank you.” You gave a nod motioning for Vendetta to follow you as you slid behind the bar with Juniper, Judas had also taken a spot sitting on the bar. You figured you’d let her know as well, considering she was another adult figure in the group. You knew either Juniper or Judas would fill in Addie considering the three were close. “Ven, can they be trusted?”

“Not too sure about the masked man, the one Quackity seems to be familiar with seems decent enough. He’s a fire demon though, could smell him from miles away, we all just need to be cautious.”

“Agreed,” Juniper added tapping her finger on her chin. “We should just try to curb all fighting if at all possible, what did the captain of the other group ask you?”

“They want a room, I’m about to check to see if we have availability. Thoughts on that?”

Judas let out a low hum her eyes followed both sets of pirate groups around the tavern, “I say if we have availability let them stay. They seem harmless so long as we don’t mess with them, which we’d never do.”

“Plus I can always stay awake to keep an eye on them.” Vendetta tapped her nails against the table,

“You sure.”

“As if I’d let anything happen to any of you, you’re my family.”

You all smiled softly, and you noticed Judas’s eyes widen, “Zig! Get that out of your mouth this instant!” She shot up from her spot and over to the person in question. The three of you laughed fondly at the nonsense, meanwhile, Juniper saw the three brothers sit at her bar. She moved away from you to greet them, you immediately could tell she was taken with the second eldest brother.

He seemed to be an absolute lady killer.

Vendetta ruffled your hair before going back to stand at her place by the door to keep the peace. You headed up the stairs to the rafters to check on the extra rooms you had, “Excuse me?” You tensed visibly turning around to face the man in all green. His eyes were mesmerizing, a fierce jade green to contrast his cloak, “Do you happen to have two rooms available?” The man held up two fingers to clarify his request,

“Do you usually start introductions with a blatant request like that?”

He chuckled a smile spreading across his lips, “I’m Dream and you gorgeous?”

“(Y/n), it’s your lucky day I’m about to check and see if any are available. My tavern is a hot commodity tonight.”

“Well, I can see why,” he spoke and you raised an eyebrow and tilted your head to the side.

“Oh?”

“It has the hottest owner around. Word spreads fast.”

You couldn’t believe this man was making your cheeks burn, he chuckled softly taking a step towards your figure. “Oh really, word spreads that fast on the open sea, Captian?” It was his turn to turn light pink, but he covered it up quickly with a chuckle.

“Touché.”

“I’ll get on that room for you and your friend. Take a seat, for now, this part is for guests and staff only you know?”

“So I have you all to myself?” He cheekily mused, he stepped towards you and before you knew it you were pinned against a wall. His hand suddenly brushed against your cheek, it was cold in comparison to your warm cheek. You felt Dream’s thumb brush against your cheek slowly, “You know...being on the open sea alone does something to a person.”

“Oh, I’m sure.” You mused pushing your forehead back against Dream’s, “All alone with only your crew with you.” Taking his other hand within your own you slid it up to your hip, you saw his entire face turn red as he stared down at your chest. “You’re probably missing a little love in your life, aren’t you Dreamy?” He nodded dumbly, his eyes still not leaving your chest,

Perfect. You weren’t going to let some pirate boy get the better of you.

He let out a grunt of pain as you spun him around and pressed his head into the wall with your elbow, your other hand has his pinned behind his back. “This hallway is for staff and guests only,” You purred in his ear before letting him go and swinging your hips before heading up the stairs fully. From behind you, Dream’s face was a deep, dark red and he had to clear his throat. Dream wasn’t going to let you go after that, I mean look at you, tough and able to hold your own, it awakened something inside him.

After checking up on the rooms you headed back down into the main hall, three-room keys in your hand. Glancing over at the scene in front of you, you saw Juniper dancing in the middle of the tavern the flirtatious brother at her side. Judas was sitting beside Schatt and Quackity at the bar, Addie was tending to Technoblade and the blonde at their little table. Dream and Sapnap were whispering to one another in the corner but still seemed to be enjoying the show. Vendetta was smiling softly by the door, beside her were Luvena and Zig both playing various instruments. You noticed Eret was also amongst the crowd, she had a brilliant grin on his face, it was flushed pink with alcohol and you smiled to yourself.

It was peaceful, and for a moment you forget half the patrons were scoundrels or pirates.

That was until the man dancing with Juniper locked eyes with you, his eyes lit up and he spun Juniper off into Addie’s arms. She giggled snuggling into the mother sheep’s arms, you heard a distressed “Juni! I’m holding glasses!” Before your vision was overtaken by the handsome flirt.

“Hello love,” He hummed, “May I offer you a dance?”

You were about to refuse but you saw Yeti, who finally made her appearance as it was getting closer to Judas’s set, giving you a big thumbs up “I’d be honored.” You responded taking his hand within your own, he pulled you out onto the dance floor and you felt his other hand politely hover on the small of your back. He allowed you to lean into his touch as he began to elegantly spin you around the dance floor, you were almost embarrassed to say felt like a princess. “Maybe I could get your name?” You asked above the music, “Since it seems you’re my dance partner this evening?”

“Wilbur Soot my love.” He hummed proudly, “The first mate of the ship Odysseus at your service. Plus I play music on the side.”

“Well now you need to play for us,” Wilbur twirled you around in a circle,

“Maybe one day. If you give me your name?”

“(Y/n) (L/n).”

“Beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”

“I was right.” You commented biting the bottom of your lip trying not to smile,

“About what?”

“You.”

“Ah? Already talking about me I see? Is my manliness and gentlemanly qualities that renowned?”

“Not exactly.” He picked you up slightly and pulled you into a low dip, “I was right in thinking you a nothing but a flirty playboy.” Wilbur almost dropped you, you squawked grabbing onto his neck. He began to laugh as you clung to his chest,

“Alright love. You caught me red-handed.”

Wilbur set you on your feet hands on your lower back, you were pulled close to his chest. “Can I buy you a drink?”

“I get them for free hon. I own the place.”

“Oh...oh.” He paled a little, “I didn’t fuck up our chances of getting a room did I?”

“Nah lucky for you and your brothers, I have you covered, same with your buddies over there.” You motioned to Dream and Quackity’s friend, Wilbur’s face paled as he felt the chilled room key get placed in his palm. “What’s your little brother’s name?”

“Tommy.”

“Tell them both we serve breakfast free from 7 am to 10 am.” He nodded as you walked past, Wilbur meanwhile turned to look at Technoblade. It seemed he had his red eyes on the couple the entire time they were dancing. He held up a room key, it was labeled 205; Technoblade nodded his head before leaning back and talking to Addie once more. “Dream!” You called throwing a hand up into the air, instead of Dream, Sapnap looked up he nudged Dream with his elbow. The man was now wearing his mask, but at least you could tell he was looking at you,

“Well hello, darlin’ you must be (Y/n). Name's Sapnap. Dream told me about you, so you have good news for us I hope?”

“Pleasure, I'm sure he told you all about me,” He nodded, his eyes taking in your body especially your ass. “Got you both a room key, your neighbors. Across from the other crew of pirates. Just don’t fight and we won’t have any problems.”

“You mean those jackasses are staying?” Sapnap complained loudly, looking over your shoulder at the other crew members.

“You both didn’t think you were the only patrons, did you? This is a business after all.” You, tossed the keys their way, Dream caught it with ease and Sapnap fumbled it only a little bit. After they were in their hands, you waved them off with a flutter of your palm you turned around to go speak with Judas about her set but before you could take a step you saw Schlatt stumbling up from his seat. “Ah shit,” You knew what was about to happen, you weren’t paying attention to the ram hybrid so who knew how many drinks in he was. You felt responsible, for a while you and Judas had been trying to help Schlatt with his addiction. You couldn’t help but wonder what exactly set him off for him to get this drunk, Quackity caught him in his arms with a grumble. The man was a drunken mess, and as you approached you could hear his slurred speech and could practically smell the alcohol on his breath. “Schlatt,” You spoke carefully and as soon as you got close Schlatt detached himself from Quackity and lunged at you. His head was buried in his chest, he almost purred like he was very happy to be there, you rolled your eyes and ran your fingers through his hair. You were mindful of his horns but he seemed pretty eager for you to touch them,

“(Y/n).” He whined although it was muffled against your ample chest, “Why do pirates have to fuck everything up?”

“What are you on about Schlatt? No one likes pirates.”

“They’re gonna take you away from me, sugar. You’re my safe space, this tavern is my safe space.” You sighed listening to his drunken ramblings, you grabbed his horns and pulled him away from your chest.

“This is my life Schlatt, I’m not going anywhere trust me. Plus my family is here, they need me. So try not to worry okay?” You slicked back the hair on his forehead before planting a fond kiss there, everyone in the tavern narrowed their eyes at the scene. Even your girls were green with envy, at the sight of their lovely boss kissing someone who wasn’t them. He leaned against your lips eyes fluttering closed,

“Well, well, well if it isn’t Captian Schlatt? Or ex-captain if I remember correctly.”

“What?”

You turned your head and felt Schlatt’s arms wrap around your waist and held you close to his chest. The touch was protective and you felt your heart skip a beat, why was he protecting you, and why did you actually feel protected?

“Has the drinking finally caught up to you? Or was it the fact that you lost your so-”

Was that Dream's voice?

“Shut the fuck up.” He snarled and you were shoved behind him into Quackity’s arms, you felt less protected. “I’m not that person anymore and you fucking know that,” Vendetta came to stand beside the both of you a hand was placed on your shoulder protectively. You knew she was desperately wanted to step in and you held up a hand to stop her.

“This isn’t good…” Quackity murmured, “They’re going to fight. Schlatt’s going to get himself fucking killed.”

“Calm yourself. We won’t let it get that far.” Ven grumbled eyeing you waiting for your signal. But you were lost in the conversation or argument, the two were having, you couldn’t believe Schlatt was a pirate. He was so...he just didn’t...he was a drunk okay? That didn’t exactly shout feared pirate to you!

“Oh, are you sure? I remember that look, that’s the look you’d get before you stomped someone’s lights out. No wonder your son disappeared under mysterious circumstances-” Dream was shoved against one of the poles holding up the building. He grunted and Schlatt’s arm was pulled back ready to punch, but his arm was stopped by smaller hands,

“Pardon me Mr. Schlatt but you know how we feel about fighting in our tavern.” Addie bubbled, she had a smile on her face but it wasn’t kind, it was full of warning.

“Get the fuck off me, sheepie. This doesn’t fucking concern you.” Schlatt shoved her away and as soon as his skin made contact with her body he made a sound of distress.

“(Y/n)...” Addie murmured quietly, your father’s dagger was embedded in Schlatt’s arm,

“Fucking hell you bitch!” He snarled baring his teeth, you glared at him twisting the dagger he yelled in agony.

“Touch one of my girls again and next time this dagger is going right into your back.” You ripped the dagger out, splattering the floor with blood. He grabbed his arm tightly and looked at you with slight betrayal in his yellow eyes. “I mean it Schlatt, Quackity take him home.” The man nodded looking at you longingly, he muttered a quiet ‘Sorry’ before escorting him out of your tavern. “You,” You glared harshly over at Dream, “Go to your room.”

“You’re not my mother.”

“Then find another play to stay.” You spat, he turned away and you looked over at Addie, “Are you alright?” Your voice turned tender as you cupped her cheeks. She nuzzled against your palms and nodded her head,

“I’m fine. You didn’t need to-”

“Yes, I did. No one messes with you. With any of you on my watch.”

The sheep hybrid made a little sound as her bottom lip trembled, she wrapped you in a tight hug which you accepted without hesitance. Judas walked over next and wrapped you both in her arms, pretty soon you were surrounded by your girls and Zig.

All of them had the same mindset: comforting both you and Addie.

It was good to be loved.

Wilbur watched the scene curiously and glanced over at Technoblade who stood up from his chair.

“I think that’s our cue to leave for the night.” He looked over at his first mate, Wilbur nodded in agreement grabbing his guitar from the chair beside Technoblade.

“They...Techno were they talking about Tubbo.” Tommy whispered to his brother, his brow furrowing in concern as they all climbed the steps up to their room, “You don’t think-”

“It just might be Tommy.” Technoblade tilted his head to the side, “Guess that’ll be something we ask him when we get back to the ship tomorrow.”

“Well, this trip is going to be way more fun than I thought.” Wilbur snickered lighting a cigarette, taking a long drag, before letting the smoke curl out of his mouth and up into the rafters. ~~~

Tag List: @v01dw4lk3rz, @jam-bombs, @abovenyx, @glitterydigitalart, @phoenixaesthetic19, @luluwinchester, @boiled-onionrings, @pastelmoonwitche, @roxy3457, @alovestruck-fool, @victory-is-here, @mack4676, @fiorenc, @theoneandonlyyeti, @bloodrose0723, @sandyy-woo,

[aetheternity]

Adventures in the Kawata twins

Disclaimer: This takes place during the present when they're all adults. This isn't an x reader persay but reader is mentioned.

Synopsis: Takemichi & Chifuyu are stuck taking care of the drunk Kawata twins. It can't be that hard they'd assumed. Though they fail to understand that the twins are dumped on them for good reason.

☆☆

"Takemichi, you plan on being a designated driver?" Draken asks as Takemichi plops into the seat next to him at their shared table.

"Yeah, I don't feel like drinking tonight." He explained with a shrug.

"Great!" Mikey exclaimed allowing his straw to slip back into the something red he'd been sucking down. "Then you can take care of the Kawata brothers." He pointed to the end of the bar where both brothers sat. Smiley swiveling back in forth in his chair while Angry just glared at all the people. Their eyes lazily hovering over the thick crowd of people.

"They're barely sipping their drinks." Takemichi scoffed

Draken snorted with a deep laugh, "For now." Though he stopped talking when Mikey elbowed him.

"Yeah ok I'll take them home later." Takemichi replied.

"Not just take them home." Mikey grunted, poking his finger out at Takemichi. "You gotta watch them!" He gestured first to Takemichi then back to the two boys at the bar.

"Ok ok sure."

How bad could they possibly get after all? They were never apart as far as Takemichi could see. Even now they were calmly sipping their drinks, Angry's feet swaying back and forth against the side of the bar stool, his face full of frustration as he played with the straw between his lips. Meanwhile Smiley began talking about something random that barely caught his brother's attention his warm smile stretched tightly against his face.

They were calm. This was gonna be fine....

An hour later~

"Where'd they go!!" Takemichi clung to Chifuyu's shoulders like they were his life support shaking the poor man like a doll.

"Well where's the last place you had them?!" Chifuyu screamed back, head darting up over the crowd trying to locate at least one of the missing twins.

"They're not lost remotes!!" Takemichi grunted

A sudden burst of clapping across the bar made Takemichi and Chifuyu whip around. A rhythm slowly forming as drunk onlookers turned to face the same direction. Suddenly a big blue tuff peaked its way over the crowd followed by a fist raising in the air and Angry's full face coming into view.

"Shit." Chifuyu cursed

Takemichi lead the rush through the crowd, Chifuyu right behind him as the two of them made their way closer to one of the rickety tables near the back corner of the bar where Angry was now pointing out into the crowd. A smile almost as big as his brother's plastered onto his face. But it had a much gentler feel to it, almost as if he did it everyday.

"You! You got what I need! Everybody!" Angry belted as he sung into an invisible mic. "But you say he's just a friend!! Now the ladies!"

"And you say he's just a friend!" Reciprocated the crowd.

"Oh God who's he singing about? Name?" Chifuyu scoffed as he held onto Takemichi's hoodie for fear of getting swept away in the crowd.

"Wait? Angry likes, Name?!"

"You must be the most oblivious person in the world to not have noticed. Even I noticed!" Chifuyu yelled over the crowd.

Takemichi sighed reaching out for the wobbly table working to keep it steady as Chifuyu went around the other side tugging at Angry's pant leg.

"And you say he's just a friend, oh baby, you-" Angry continued until Chifuyu finally managed to catch his attention. "Takemichi! Chifuyu! Hi!" He bounced on the table almost causing it to tip.

"Angry come on, let's go find your brother!"

"Ooo yeah!" He giggled like a child.

"Holy shit I didn't even know he was capable of laughing, let alone smiling." Chifuyu blinked shaking his head.

"Catch me ok!" Angry beamed

"Wait Angry!-"

Takemichi's legs folded beneath him as Angry laid on top of him. Surprisingly he wasn't that heavy, though his body weight came out of nowhere and all at once. It left Takemichi with zero breath in his lungs as an uncharacteristic Angry laid on top of him, Chifuyu's smug grin just above him.

"Thanks for the support!" Takemichi groaned in pain. With both hands Chifuyu pulled Takemichi up, helping him support Angry's weight as he wrapped the younger twins legs around his waist.

"Why-" Chifuyu gestured to the current display.

"It'll just be easier."

Angry clung to Takemichi's hoodie like a curious toddler, sticking his fingers beneath the back to play with the tag.

"Come on, we're gonna go find your brother." Takemichi soothingly rubbed Angry's back before turning to Chifuyu.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Chifuyu asked

The sound of glass shattering a short distance away and the sounds of loud screams and grunts called the attention of almost everyone in the bar. Aside from those too busy making out or puking to see.

"I'd say follow the screaming."

They'd barely arrived on the scene but the crunches of glass underneath their shoes spoke volumes. Smiley's fists repeatedly slamming into a now completely shattered glass mirror. Blood seeping through his damaged knuckles like a punctured water bottle.

Chifuyu immediately slipped his arms under Smiley's armpits. Shaken a bit by the stoned face that stared down at the shattered mirror beneath them.

"Come on Angry we gotta go!"

"That's Smiley! This is Angry!" Takemichi yelped, shifting a distracted Angry around to look at Chifuyu.

"At this point can you blame me?! It's like we fell into an alternate dimension." Chifuyu groaned "Wait is that possible right now?"

"I don't think so!"

"Get off! This cunt is asking for it!" Smiley reached for the only part of the mirror still even slightly assembled. But before he could punch it in Chifuyu slipped an arm around his waist.

"Let's just get out of here before the cops show up!"

Even in disarray Takemichi was pleased at how much easier it had been getting the twins out of the bar then it had been finding them.

"You can still drive a bike right?" Takemichi asked as he reached into Angry's pocket for his keys. He placed a disoriented Angry on the back, trying to push his leg over the side.

"God, your knuckles are wrecked!" Chifuyu gasped astonished. Some of the glass had chipped off while some stayed wedged inside his closed fist.

"It's fine we can remove it when we get them home."

"Hey do you think Name likes that song?" Angry nodded his head, snapping his fingers to an imaginary beat. "I like the bartender, yeah if you're looking for me I'm at the bar with her!" He sung

"I'm sure it'd be just as uncomfortable for Name as it currently is for us." Chifuyu sighed "Come on get on back." He explained to Smiley.

"Fuck you."

Angry fidgeted around behind Takemichi only holding onto his waist when Takemichi physically slid his hands there. His smile deepening as he grinned along to the music he hadn't stopped singing.

After a bit more pleading Smiley plopped onto the back with his arms crossed over his chest. "Ok, now all we need to do is get them home right?" Chifuyu called over the roar of the engine and the sound of Angry still harmonizing with inaudible music.

"Actually.. I told Mikey I'd look after them for the night.."

"I hate you."

"Chifuyu, please! I can't do this without you! Once we put them to bed the rest should be easy right?"

They pulled up to a red light and for the first time tonight Takemichi could hear himself think. Yeah ok, the rest of the night really shouldn't be too difficult. The hard part was getting them out of the bar right?

"Fuck are you looking at shit stain?!" Smiley screamed to a man casually minding his business across the street.

"Angry!" Takemichi screeched

"See you did it too!" Chifuyu pointed

"Shit, I mean-"

"Huh?!" The man called turning to make eye contact with the four people in front of him.

"Can't this light change any fucking faster?!" Chifuyu yelled

"You wanna go bitch!" Smiley called

~~~~

"Smiley, please shut up!" Chifuyu was practically withering. Smiley nearly left off the bike when the man came charging forward.

In that split second the light turned green and Chifuyu sped off with Takemichi trailing just behind. A flood of nervous tears beginning to stain his face.

"You know Mikey set you up right?" Chifuyu grunted as he hauled an agitated Smiley into his and his brother's shared flat.

"I figured after looking up to see them both gone." Takemichi gasped and heaved, shutting the door behind him and Angry.

"I'm making ramen." Smiley announced, staggering off to the living room.

"No no no what you need to do is lay down. This night has been a nightmare." Chifuyu said

"You wanna go fucker." Smiley spat

"Smiley please-" Takemichi tried

"Takemichi, Michi! Look look at my Tiktok dance! You gotta watch!" Angry tugged on Takemichi's jacket sleeve with kid like hops trying to get his attention.

"Just.. I can't right now please we-"

"Why?!" Angry's outburst immediately brought quiet to the flat, the beginnings of tears brimming in the corners of his eyes.

"Shit, don't let him cry!" Chifuyu exclaimed

"Ok! Ok do the dance!"

Angry straightened, smile reappearing fully. He patted the tops of his chest, shaking his hips to nonexistent music. "You need a woman's touch in your place, just protect her and keep her safe." His arm juts out to the words he's singing, "Baby, worship my hips in ways, so feminine with grace."

Takemichi and Chifuyu blink, mouths hung in a small 'O' as they watched the awkward drunk assembly of movements matching terribly with the surprisingly on key singing. Without warning Angry clutched his knees, bile spilling from his body like a sprinkler system.

"You're in charge of Angry then." Chifuyu patted Takemichi's back as Angry continued to unleash on the once clean living room floor. Coughs escaping his drunken body. "I'll take care of.. ah shit! Where'd he go now?!"

"Maybe that's enough dancing for one night." Tiptoeing around the undigested waste Takemichi reached for Angry's arm. "Want some water?" He asked pulling a staggering Angry into the kitchen.

"There's-" Takemichi managed to get him there just in time. Angry's fingers clutching the edges of the kitchen sink as he leaned forward emptying everything in his stomach down the drain with a loud heave.

"Take your time it'll be-"

"Smiley no!" Chifuyu's voice rang across the flat. As well as the sound of multiple fragile items breaking.

What would soon follow in the next minute and a half were, a hard thud, harsh obscenities spewed one after another, and more things breaking only a couple doors away from where Takemichi was massaging Angry's head.

"Chifuyu, what's going on?!"

Chifuyu clattered out of the bathroom stumbling back and forth between both feet. "He punched me in the jaw." His thumb grazed over his jaw inspecting his hands for any sign of blood. "Do the twins have duct tape in here?"

Takemichi grabbed a paper towel dampening it before patting the sides of Angry's lips and the base of his chin where a small amount of his puke was currently leaking down.

"What do you need duct tape for?"

"Don't worry about that."

Chifuyu disappeared with the tape too quickly for further questions to be asked. Angry's smile was barely visible at this point the alcohol potentially flooding out of his system.

"Will you wash my hair Michi?" Angry pleaded with a tiny whimper.

"You should probably rest." Takemichi replied, he turned to fill a glass of water in the sink before handing it to Angry.

"Can I rest in the bathtub?"

"Why're you so violent when you drink?!" Chifuyu yelled

"Here just go to the couch!" Takemichi gestured, pushing a confused Angry back into the living room before bolting down the hall.

"What the- omg!"

"Get me some rope or some shit!" Chifuyu grunted, pulling both of Smiley's hands together.

Smiley laid beneath Chifuyu on his stomach duct tape wrapped around his mouth. His legs kicking around aimlessly as muffled noises slipped from his mouth. The shower curtain covered in blood and laid in a ball on the floor and the pole now bent in the bathtub. The window in the corner smashed in from the inside, pieces of glass littering the white tile.

I'm pretty sure this isn't what Mikey meant when he said take care of the Kawata twins!"

"Well he won't stop struggling! What else am I supposed to do?" Chifuyu gripped the duct tape, pulling it around Smiley's balled fists before ripping it with his teeth.

The sound of glass shattering in the living room brought Takemichi back down to reality. "Ok fine, just don't hurt him and clean his wounds!"

Takemichi rushed back into the living room tripping over his own two feet. His thoughts immediately scattering as he looked over the new situation. Angry's once full cup of water mixed with his vomit on the floor as the glass was now shattered in the growing mess.

"I want water.." Angry said, reaching out to Takemichi.

"Lay still on the couch and I'll bring you a new cup." He sighed

Takemichi dug around for a few seconds in the cupboard grabbing a new glass from the middle shelf. He hadn't noticed before but the Kawata twins had a gorgeous flat. That was slightly more wrecked right now. But it was clean and gorgeous almost to the point where it looked brand new.

He reached for the faucet, positioning it to fill the glass with hot water before turning it upside down to empty the glass. The water splashed against his disheveled black hoodie dampening it a little more than the sweat of this night already had. When he refilled the glass it was with cold water turning the sink top off and walking back over to Angry's kid like wonder stare on the edge of the couch.

"This house has big ceilings." Angry pointed, mouth agape.

"Yup, here." Takemichi transferred the water to Angry's open hands. He got down on one knee untying Angry's shoelaces, slipping his shoes off his feet before placing them next to the head of the couch.

"Wish I lived here." Angry nodded softly, kicking his socked feet as he sipped the cool water in the glass that had been placed in his hands.

"Lay back ok."

A deep "oof" caught Takemichi's attention as he looked to a staggering Chifuyu, pulling Smiley along like a police officer arresting a perp.

"Ok, from this point on I need to be paid." He grunted

"What happened to your face?" Takemichi gestured to the gushing bruise on Chifuyu's forehead. Blood beginning to leak down the sides of his face.

"What do you think happened? He fucking headbutted me." Chifuyu rubbed the blemish with one hand.

For the first time all night Smiley finally tapped out. Collapsing onto the floor in a small ball. One shoe kicked off God knows when. Hair a disorganized tumbleweed atop his head.

"What do you think Name would think of this song?" Angry bounced in his seat spilling water into his lap.

"Oh God please no more singing!" Chifuyu huffed in exasperation.

Takemichi can already see the crease of Angry's eyebrows and the quiver of his bottom lip. "What he means is we'll hear it tomorrow because you need sleep."

A folded blanket laid on the top of the couch and Takemichi reached for it. He shook it out before placing it over Angry's descending shoulders. Slowly the comfort of falling asleep began to rise on Angry's face. Eyelids heavy and face falling into warm ease.

"You promise?" He questioned as he laid his head on the arm rest.

"Yes bright and early tomorrow."

"Night." He whispered and less than a minute later he was fast asleep just like his brother.

For the next couple minutes Takemichi worked to clean the blood off Chifuyu's face, arms and a couple other places.

"Geez he did a number on you."

"On me, on the bathroom, on that mirror in the bar." Chifuyu listed off as Takemichi walked back to the living room leaving him to pat his bruise.

"But you did do a great job bandaging his hands."

"Uh huh."

Takemichi reached up to his face squeezing the bridge of his nose and the lids of his eyes. Chifuyu came up to his side as the blonde gestured to Smiley. "You're not gonna leave him like that are you?"

"You're right we should put a blanket on him." Chifuyu nodded, shaking his finger in front of Takemichi.

"I meant untie him!" Takemichi followed as Chifuyu went into the first available bedroom.

"Fine, once we get them both pills and clean up we can leave."

"Are you insane! Did you forget my bruises? If he wakes up at anytime before the sun and attacks it's your problem." Chifuyu snagged a blanket off the top of the bed slinging it over his shoulder.

"Why didn't we just put them in their beds?" Takemichi groaned

"It's too late they're already asleep just let it go." Chifuyu huffed

Takemichi followed Chifuyu back into the living room. With both hands he opened the blanket fully before letting it lay flat over Smiley's now relaxed figure.

"One you're insane if you think I'm going home. It's almost three am and watching these two for one night has given me nice horror stories to tell Mitsuya next time he talks about his sisters. Two I was dead serious about needing payment especially now if I'm gonna be spending hours cleaning."

~~~~

Morning came sooner than Takemichi would've liked. The sun blared through the window like the worst alarm. He squinted covering his eyes with one hand before shifting on the floor with the blanket he'd pulled from Souya's closet.

Before he could reexperience restful slumber a couple faint knocks had him tossing aside the blanket entirely. Yanking the door open with a low 'what' from the depths of his fatigue.

"Morning to you too." Draken's voice brought him back.

"Heyo Takemichy." Mikey grinned proudly

"How was last night?" Draken asked as Mikey entered the flat ahead of him.

Though the question really didn't need to be verbally answered as the image of Smiley laying on the ground with duct tape over his mouth and a half kicked away blanket revealing his taped up arms. The smell of puke still slightly thick in the hot apartment and the blood all over Chifuyu's jacket spoke louder than words.

Even with sleep still in the midst of Chifuyu's eyes he turned to Mikey and Draken standing behind him.

"Never a fucking gain." He pointed aimlessly, eyelids dashing over his eyes to properly bring the beauty of sight back to him.

Smiley rolled over, or half way over immediately awakening when he realized he was tied up. His head jerked towards Chifuyu with mumbled questions.

"Hold on."

"FUCK!" Smiley's grin was back full force. The edges of his eyebrows twitching, voice echoing through the flat. The unnecessary roughness at which Chifuyu had ripped away the tape showed off some prominent reddening just below his nose.

"Ah!" Angry nearly flew off the couch with the way he sat up immediately falling back into the pillow behind him. Clutching his head with both arms. "Who's being loud." He groaned

"We figured we owed you guys breakfast for taking care of the twins last night." Draken remarked amusement creeping onto his face.

"And this is way less than I was expecting. No cops or anything." Mikey nodded

"What happened to my fists!" Smiley grinned crazily

"Everyone stop talking!" Angry grit

"Take the twins out." Chifuyu said "I'm going home to sleep."

"Ditto to that." Takemichi yawned

[starshipsofstarlord]

Stuck in 1903

Part Two

Masterlist

Summary: Damon and Bonnie had come to your rescue, or so you thought, but it is Kai’s every intention to get close to you again

Pairing: Kai Parker x reader

Warnings: angst, smidge of fluff, mentions of smut, mentions of death, mentions of murder, bad friendships, mentions of poison, swearing

Word Count: 2052

Find Part One Here

divider by @firefly-graphics

If the Other Side continued to exist, then you would be there rather than this subordinate prison world which had been designed for one bad witch. Kai's own kind feared him, you had experienced him mentally draining your energy, he was a chore to put up with, but he could do much more than that, you had learnt from Bonnie. He fed off magic, physically stealing it from bodies and items that harboured any of it, which had poisoned his mind to hunt for power. Your friends had informed you that he had murdered his siblings, well some of them anyway, and had attempted to do so to more of them. And now you knew, with supporting evidence, never to trust Malakai Parker.

Without Damon and Bonnie you had to resort to fending for yourself, which was not at all difficult since this version of Mystic Falls that you were trapped in was quite literally a ghost town. The forever enveloping silence was torture, though the method of ignorance had not been designed for you; it was all for Kai, and that unsettled you. There was one more thing that you had been dreading - the possibility that you could not escape from the remote isolation without the aid of the guest starring siphon himself. This hell was built to contain him for eternity, but now there was magic that he could use to his own advantage nearby.

Your cheek rested upon the side of your hand, mushing the flesh whilst your elbow was poised upon the countertop of the kitchen island in the Salvatore house. All of your concentration validated your deep thoughts, of which you were broken from as a plate was placed directly in front of you, a pancake decorated with chocolate chips and syrup to form a smiley face. Damon was the culprit as he threw a tea towel over his shoulder, expectedly looking at you.

"I'm not hungry." You informed the vampire, who simply frowned at your lack of an appetite. "I ate yesterday, which was technically today." Beneath the table, you crossed your ankles, as you earnt a sigh from your well aged friend; he clearly was not impressed by your behaviour. But you didn't know what he had expected from you, you had been trapped here for longer than you could remember, and alone until you had discovered the man that had been outcast by his own family. At the time you had not known of his murderous tendencies, and had wanted nothing more than to get away from him, and you wouldn't like to admit it but you even missed him a little.

He was annoying and cocky, and withheld crucial information from you, though there was something that contradicted that all. Whenever any one of your friends had suffered the fate of death, they were always attempted to be brought back to life against the natural order of things. It made you wonder and doubt a little if they had even tried to resurrect you. In this separated reality, there was no jurisdiction so that you could know, though each time that either Damon or Bonnie looked at you, you could swear that there was guilt written in their gazes.

"Look I knew being stuck here with Kai must have fucked you up-" he should have bit his lip, his assumptions were anything but correct. And that was proven as you defensively darted out of your seat and jabbed your finger in his face, making him pivot his jaw back. There were many things that were 'fucked up', and supposing that you were one of them because you had died after sacrificing yourself to ensure that they all continued to live just didn't settle right with you. The context of the morbid situation did not help with condoning any reassurance at all, in fact, it gave a spine to your lack of faith in him and the others in the first place. Out of everyone, it was inherently worse to be here with Damon, all he had cared about was his precious Elena as well as himself, and after existing for well over a century, that was insurance that he was never going to change.

"It wasn't him who did that to me, it was roaming this damned place by myself, I had no one. And as crazy as it sounds, I think spending time with the notorious Malakai Parker helped me keep what was to spare of my sanity. If I'm not wrong, I may even say that I've found more being here than dealing with the bullshit y'all cause back home." Perhaps your words were a tad harsh, if Bonnie were in the room you were sure that she'd have a somewhat understanding of what you were saying. Though she was not, and thus you had to deal with the harshness of her best friend all by your lonesome. And it seemed that you had rattled him, apparently he couldn't handle the truth.

"Then why don't you run back to the sociopath? When we discovered that you were here, we found the pair of you attached to the hip anyways. And with him inside of you, I'd never seen you so darn happy, better here with him than tempting me to drink bleach from the way that you constantly complained when you were alive; I swear you were worse than Donovan." It was on your mind's own command for you to take a step back, and away from the toxin that Damon had so cruelly spat at you. Ans the way that he compared you to Matt made you angry; it was though he were ignoring that there were valid reasons for the blond to be the way that he was - after all, the monster before you had practically killed his sister. A laugh renegaded out from your mouth as you realised that you had been right all along, none of them cared. You were just a burden that stopped them from having a perfect life together. If this were a book, then this would be the beginning to your villain arc, and ironically enough Damon saw himself as one of the good guys. Now that was utterly ridiculous after every reckless thing that he had ever done!

"Have it your way then bloodsucker." All along, you should have trusted your guy, and from now on you knew that you would listen to it. And strangely enough, it was calling you to Kai, maybe it was because he was your last resort to escaping this imprisonment that had been meant for him alone. Turning on your heel, you heard Damon flop the towel down on the side and sigh, though you continued to walk, appeasing your better judgement elsewhere. "Wait." He tried to convince you to stay, belatedly understanding the mistake that he had made, but it was no use, you were already on your journey of getting as far away as possible from him.

The Mystic Grill, it remained to be familiar in your eyes as you entered. It was empty and void of drunken assholes and narcissists that you had wasted too much time on. The only person that you missed in the modern alternative was Matt Donovan, he was the only person that didn't treat you as though you were invisible or a nuisance. You wondered how he was coping with your absence, knowing him, he was probably relieved that Damon was gone. But you weren't, because he was here with you instead. Trailing your fingertips over the counter of the bar, out of the corner of your eye you saw a lonely glass of bourbon that was sat there as though it were lamenting you with mockery. You tried to hold your sentimental sob inside, but it was practically impossible. It tore through your body, bellowing out from your mouth as you stifled and fought through your tears.

A hand caressed the landscape of your back causing you to jump and flinch from the unexpected contact. One thing that you had learnt from evading and eventually experiencing the qualms of death, was that you could never be too careful. For no more than a second you had predicted that the intruder to your pity party was Damon, that he had followed you as you tried to distance yourself from him, but alas it was not, instead of being greeted by a fretless vampire, you were condemned by the sight of a powerless witch, of whom had purposely interjected your moment of cracked emotion and wore a brave smile for you. Wiping your eyes with the back of your sleeves, you couldn't help but snap at him. "If you're here to finish what we started then tough luck Parker, you've been here long enough and you have two hands, figure something else out."

His tongue darted out to swipe at his own bottom lip, as he raised his hand, showcasing his offering to you. "I was only going to see if you wanted a pork rind, you look like you could use one." Sighing, you dug your hand into the pungent packet that was littered with dust and crumbs, retrieving a few treats for yourself as you placed them in your mouth. "And now should be when the poison kicks in..." With your hand, you gave him a little shove as you tolled your eyes at his homicidal comedy. "Come on, that was funny! I'm funny!"

"If you say so, there's not very many people around to give you an honest opinion." It was true, the only other human like lifeforms impartially close by were Damon and Bonnie, and well, you weren't going to scurry back to them anytime soon. "And if you had poisoned me, then you would know that I would be fine and dandy in not so long, It wouldn't make a difference if that wasn't the case either, I mean I'm already dead, what could be worse than that?" Kai looked at you with shock; he didn't know that about you, that you had actually suffered a final breath. Now he thought about it, the grand scheme of things he didn't know much about you in general, though he was prepared to learn. He had often found death to be fulfilling, satisfying even, but he'd never thought about its victims being so beautiful. Yet here you were before him, by chance the one force that could motivate and help him find a way out of this jarring hole of reaping misery.

"You're here, that's all that matters." As soon as those words fled from his lips he realised exactly what he had said, and a blush framed his features. "I um - that wasn't what I - you know, yeah..." He scratched the back of his neck as you shook your head at this new side that you were seeing of Malakai. His parents called him Malakai, of course he was going to become a killer, but right now you saw nothing more than an embarrassed boy whose skin had flushed as an affect of his own words. From your experience, everyone was either the killer or the killed - you two were one of each. Like ying and yang, you fit perfectly, it was a balanced divide that was settled on whichever rhythm played out in the air. And to correspond with that thought you walked over to the jukebox, a song beginning to play which made Kai want to cover his ears. "I hate this song." He told you; he really did, if he could murder it, he would without a doubt.

"Then don't listen, just dance with me." You extended your hands out to him, to which he begrudgingly reached for. And as he snapped his eyes open, he realised that was all a memory, and that goddamn song was still playing. All he could think about was you, he had seen how upset you had been to die, and yet you were gone again, and it was all down to your so called friends. One was standing before him as he sat in chains, imprisoned against a chair. "Are you here to punish me?" He asked Bonnie, wanting nothing more than shut his eyes and see your face again.

[wisewidow]

Hello, Your Parents Want Me To Have Your Babies

PAIRING: Natasha Romanoff x Reader

SUMMARY: Melina, my workplace’s neighbour, wants to set me up with her daughter.

I'd only ever hear about Natasha every couple of weeks, when her adoptive father, the mechanic that owned the garage workshop beside my father's cafe slash bar, met up with my uncle for beers one day last year. Ever since then, our families have been loosely intertwined, friendly but not too close. Alexei fixed my mom's wrecked car for a cheap price, in return I let his youngest daughter Yelena have free coffees whenever she pops over.

From what my father told me, Alexei's entire family, including his wife, were all involved in the family business of repairing cars, except for his eldest daughter: Natasha, who turned out to be an FBI agent living in Quantico. Dad says they're proud of her but they miss her.

"(Y/N)," my brother calls from the kitchen. I put down my phone and find him balancing three plates of sandwiches and a salad in his spindly arms.

He opens his mouth to explain the orders, but I cut him off.

"Alexei," I say, pointing to the bacon and egg sandwich. "A salad for Melina. The tuna and tomato roll is Yelena's. Did they want drinks?"

Peter nods. "Four coffees and a large bottle of water, they already have them."

I ruffle his hair to thank him and grab the plates, balancing the third on my forearm until I can place it on a tray. I carry it outside, years of waitressing practice keeping it balanced, and head towards the garage.

"Melina?" I call. Moments later the raven haired woman slips out of the office and smiles. She yells something in Russian that causes Yelena to slide out from under a silver BMW, covered in black grease. Alexei appears moments later wielding a spanner.

They hound me for their orders, gratefully patting my shoulder and carrying their food away to their separate stations. Yelena disappears into the shadows with her sandwich, and her father to his desk, but Melina simply brightens and says, "(Y/N), have you heard? Natalia is visiting."

"Yes!" Alexei yells around a mouthful of bread. "Family, reunion! Grandbabies!"

Melina hisses something in their mother tongue. I laugh, and then ask if Natasha was bringing her kids, though I wasn't aware she had any.

"He means nothing of it, Natalia is focused on work at the moment. Too focused, I think. No babies. No partner."

"Tell her about her penthouse!" Alexei encourages.

Melina flaps a hand at him in irritation. "Yes, well, she has broken up with Bruce, the shy scientist from work. And then Sharon, charming field operative, also from work. And now she refuses to date. Because of work."

I chuckle nervously. "Where are you going with this?"

Melina smiles innocently. "Nowhere. What happened to your last girlfriend, again? Your father mentioned something about . . ."  The look in her eyes is enough to egg me on, though the subject is one I rarely speak of these days.

Rubbing the back of my neck, I say, "Carol left to travel Europe."

"Shame," she nods sympathetically. "You don't seem bothered. Are you not looking for a relationship?"

"Not actively, but I'm sure another troublemaker will find me. I don't have a good track record of steady relationships," I admit.

"Neither does Natalia!" Alexei shouts.

"Oh!" I say. "Does she want Carol's number? Or my friend Harley, she's not looking for commitment."

Yelena snickers. Alexei frowns. Melina chuckles. "No, no, Natalia needs someone she doesn't work with, and you need someone serious, and we need grandbabies before we die, since Yelena neglects it."

I flush a bright red. "Grandb— I'm— okay, first of all, neither of us have the equipment for that—"

"Neither did Dad," Yelena pipes up, referring to the fact that she and her sister were adopted.

"Hey!"

"(Y/N)!" Peter calls, rounding the corner. "Ned's coming over to pick me up, we need to finish our physics project. Uncle Ben should be here soon, can you manage the bar until he gets here?"

I jump onto the excuse and yell back affirmation, say a quick goodbye to Melina before speed-walking back to the cafe.

Peter leaves with Ned soon after, and Ben arrives at around the same time. I move to the kitchens while he takes over serving our regulars, as he's friendlier with them than me.

I work on making more sandwiches and tapas meals until four, when my shift ends. I kiss Uncle Ben on the cheek and head home.

The smell of paprikash greets me as I unlock the door to my apartment, which I guess means that my roommate is home. I call out a hello to her and head to the shower.

I groan happily as the hot water rains down on my front. I close my eyes and lean my head back, thinking over how strange the day had been, and lose myself in a trance of relaxation.

"(Y/N/N)!" Wanda barges in. I jump and almost slip grabbing the shower curtain to cover my body as I peek out at her.

"I'm naked," I hiss.

She ignores me and holds up two clothes hangers. "Pantsuit or dress?"

I push my wet hair out of my face. "Uh, are you bar-hopping with Vision or going to a family dinner?"

"Get together with some friends," she explains. "Vis, Sam, Steve and some guy named Bucky who I'm informed we're supposed to be pretending Steve isn't in love with, do you know him?"

"Nope."

"Okay, well, he's bringing some friends, so I'm bringing you. Don't make that face, you know almost everyone."

"I don't feel like getting drunk," I complain.

"Good! You can be the designated driver. Pantsuit or dress?"

Grumbling, I tell her, "Dress."

"Okay, thanks, you wear the pantsuit, be ready by seven. May the Force be with you!"

She ducks as I throw my shampoo bottle at her. We bicker and mock and tease as I pat myself dry and she changes into the scarlet dress.  While she braids her hair, I carefully slip into the navy and white striped pantsuit, and we move into her bedroom to make use of her vanity, since the sun's lowering position in the sky shone straight into the window while my room would be encased in dimness by now. I sit in the chair and she leans over me, brushing her eyelashes with delicate mascara.  We fall into our normal going-out-getting-ready rhythm, periodically handing each other different brushes, comparing lipstick shades, and commenting on our days. She tells me about her brother's latest shenanigans and I make the grave mistake of commenting on Melina's attempted set-up earlier today, much to Wanda's entertainment. The two had never met but they both shared the pure ecstasy that came with matchmaking involving me.

"Do you think she's pretty?" Wanda wonders.

"I've seen photos," I shrug. "She's a redhead. Yelena says she changes hairstyles often."

"That doesn't answer my question! Pretty redhead or no?"

"They were baby photos, Wanda! I didn't have an opinion on her looks past the Wonder Woman pajamas."

She hums, and turns to draw a small heart under my left eye with her gel liner pen. "It would be nice if you wound up with her, but if you do fall madly in love with her beautiful red locks and decide to move to Washington to marry her and have her babies, I will murder you. You pay your rent on time and you're fun and please, please do not make me move back in with my brother."

"Why does everyone keep bringing up babies?" I yell.

An hour later we're pulling up to the bar in the back of  a cab arguing about getting a cat. The debate of whose bathroom would host the litter tray is interrupted by Wanda spotting Vision through the window and quickly smacking my arm and hissing at me to hurry up and pay so she can sneak in and scare him. Unfortunately, I can't locate my purse inside my bag.

"(Y/N), (Y/N), go, go, go . . ."

"Wanda, Wanda, going, going, going . . . Aha!" I pay the driver and find myself being ushered inside before I can put my purse back in my bag.

Sam, a friend of Wanda's from college, ends up foiling her evil master plan by pointing her out as soon as she walks in the door. Vision, being a good sport, pretends to be startled when she yells "BOO!" in his ear. As she cackles manically before sliding into the chair beside him, I notice the only free space is by the pretty blonde woman beside a man with brown hair pulled into a bun.

"Oh, look who I dragged out with me!" Wanda exclaims, taking a sip of Vision's drink and making a grand gesture with her hands. "(Y/N)!"

I'm greeted with a chorus of hello's. I bow and grin as I sit by the woman and offer a polite smile. Steve leans over points to the brunet man. "This is Bucky, we were close as friends. As kids. We were close as friends, when we were kids."

Sam snorts into his beer.

Steve clears his throat awkwardly. "And this is his partner from work, Nat."

I get a closer inspection and my eyes widen in shock. "Natalia?"

"Her name is Natasha." Steve corrects.

"I thought her name was Natalie?" Vision frowns.

"She goes by Nat, who cares?" Sam shrugs.

"Natalia Alianovna Romanova?" Wanda yelps. "(Y/N)! You didn't tell me this was the Natalia!"

"The what? I— Do I know you two?" Natasha asks, bewildered.

"Not me!" Wanda says, and then makes a motion for zipping her lips shut.

Everyone turns to me. I chuckle nervously. "I should probably explain. Hi, I'm (Y/N), your parents want me to have your babies."

[lazzledazzler]

Lazzle's Rune Factory 5 Review

Alright so here are my thoughts and experiences with RF5! This is a big boy so buckle in earthmates...

Obviously this review will contain spoilers, read at your own risk.

Initial thoughts upon playing...

Great opening! I enjoyed the jazz music~ I did feel like it leaned a bit more towards the male player though. It definitely feels like a rune factory game. It's familiar, and controls are easy to get accustomed to for the most part. The mold is there and rf5 doesn't stray too far from its predecessors which is comforting for veterans. That being said, I'm not going to pull any punches and will critique this game harshly. Keep in mind as updates for the game are released not all things discussed in this review will be as relevant overtime!

Let's hear some thoughts on...

The story/plot. The plot is enjoyable overall. I'm not crazy about the whole Seed organization thing but it was a neat idea. They address the Sechs Territory and it is confirmed that the game takes place some decades after RF4. But by the end of it, I didn't feel like I really accomplished anything because it felt like I barely did anything really. Also they left a lot of stuff unanswered. I'm not even sure I understood the message they were sending, if they were trying to send a message at all. The main story is too short, and it doesn't involve enough of the townsfolk. You're basically doing everything yourself in secret the whole time and the townsfolk barely know what's actually going on. Out of the love interests, Lucas plays the largest part in the story, followed by Priscilla and Scarlett. The story feels targeted at male audiences--at least that's how I felt. You, the player, have a larger role in the game, much like in RF3 and I was glad to see this. As of right now there are only two arcs. Praying for DLC 3rd arc...!

Protagonists. The latest protagonists to join the crew of Earthmates are...decent. Their designs are nothing special unfortunately, though I appreciate Alice's more than Ares's. Appearance-wise they lack personality and creativity. Personality wise I am pleasantly surprised with how sociable they are. They're not exactly quick witted and sassy like Lest/Frey were in rf4, or as endearing as Micah in rf3, but they have a certain realness to them that makes their reactions to things believable. I'm certain Xseed will see to making them a bit more sarcastic in their localizing efforts, so let's all look forward to that. Overall though, while I appreciate their mannerisms, they don't really measure up to all the previous amnesiacs we've grown to love over the decades.

Characters. Overall I enjoy all the characters introduced in Rune Factory 5! I feel like there is someone for everyone in this game on some level. The voice acting was pretty good for every character. The designs are very much Rune factory. Like OG runefa, compared to rf4 ( 4 kind of strayed from their usual style) which I like. Characters still have their own signature quirks that you find endearing. Although I would have liked to see more variety? Like we've had mermaids, univir, half monsters, vampires, etc in previous titles but rf5 only gives us the usual (half) elf, dwarf, and then a succubus (physically she doesn't have unique features aside from the ears and heart eyes), and some were-people. I was hoping for something more unique to really give that classic runefa vibe.

Dungeons/Battles. I'm pretty split on this one. On the one hand, the dungeons have more depth due to the 3D aspects. They've included more contraptions that are very fun to see even if they aren't executed that well. So I'm grateful for that. On the other hand, the dungeons are insanely short imo. It doesn't take long at all to get to the boss. The puzzles are also pretty subpar and few compared to RF4. Fighting monsters is similar to the other games. You can lock on now but I only use it when I'm trying to use my Seed Circle. The lock on feature is actually counter-intuitive and makes it harder to dodge. Weapon mechanics have shifted a bit. There’s a feature that makes you invincible to damage if you time the R button dash correctly. Axes and Hammers are significantly slower than in older games? Like. I thought I was in slow motion it was so slow. Lances are also harder to use as well? I'm questioning my sanity here. I don't know if it's a bug or intentional either.

Farming. Not much has changed from previous games mechanics wise. They added new types of special crops which is neat. The camera view changes to overhead when you go near your fields though, and it can make you dizzy/uncomfortable. It actually makes it a bit difficult to see at times so I wish there was a way to adjust the angle. If you are tilling corn or dried weeds to improve the soil, you need to place them separately if you don't want to use the entire stack. Otherwise, it will till the entire stack on the land if you place them all down at once. The flower shop is unlocked late in the story. Weird thing to do considering you need flowers to make medicine. Not to mention the fact that you wont have access to the fertilizer that increases defense against typhoons? During typhoon season? Thinking emoji...

The town. I have to say Rigbarth's design is poor compared to Sharance, Selphia, etc. It's too big and it takes too long to get around. Everything is too spaced out and there aren't enough warp points to make it easier on players. I don't want to walk an entire mile up a hill to talk to one person and then walk all the way down to the beach to speak to another. It doesn’t really feel like a ‘town’.

OST/BGM. Music was good, though nothing really stood out to me where I'd go "damn this slaps" or something. I think they might've had some old soundtracks from rf2 or something because it felt really nostalgic at times.

We need an exterminator. (Bugs Bugs Bugs)

Marvelous, I don't know how to tell you this buuut...your customers are NOT your testers. When you release a game, you need to make sure it's not littered with glitches because customers don't enjoy dealing with them and will drop the game!

Here are some of the types of glitches I encountered:

Crashing. Game would randomly crash or freeze and close at any moment. Sooooo frustrating! Sometimes you get lucky with the autosave feature, but the autosave only activates every morning at 6am in your room and then when you warp to a dungeon level/floor. So when you're in the middle of your daily tasks in town and it crashes, you have to start all over. Marveloussss no one enjoys losing their progress in a game I promise you that much.

Lag. The dialogue bar is seriously slow, especially after loading your file. Crafting/Cooking screen lags. When you press the Y button to skip through dialogue it lags like hell. Pretty much after every time you load the game will lag, the audio will lag if you're in a battle, everything is just. so. slow.

Repeating dialogue. So if you close your game entirely (or if it crashes) naturally you'll reload your file to continue where you left off. There's a bug that will cause all NPCs to repeat the last dialogue that occurred from whatever plot related thing you did last. So for example, if the last thing you did in the story was unlock Ludmilla, everyone in town will naturally have some dialogue about her. But even after seeing all this dialogue and even saving, if the game is closed and reloaded you'll have to read all that dialogue again from townsfolk. It got really annoying after a while.

Monster taming. One time I tamed a monster but once I named it and hit 'ok' the monster never showed up in my barns? Just. gone. Okaaaay then...? Additionally, I expanded one of my monster barns but all of the monsters I tamed wouldn't appear in the added room. You get 4 monsters for each room but the monsters I tamed would show up in the original room. Meaning I had like 7 monsters in one room! I tried to bring them into the newly added room but they would just warp back to the other room. Sad.

Pond Glitch. I fished in the pond located in Sasayaki Forest and left the fish I caught but didn't want laying around the water's edge. If you leave fish around the pond's edge and go to sleep, the next morning you will be teleported to the pond and trigger the fairy dialogue as if you had thrown all of the fish into the pond??? So the dialogue of her telling you she wants 'X item, not this!' will trigger over and over for all of the fish you left at the water's edge. RIP.

Party member Bug. I had Martin in my party and I made him leave. Then when I went into my monster barns to get a monster pal to join me instead it showed me Martin's portrait???? Also I've encountered a bug where I can no longer ask anyone to join my party for some unknown reason. The R &L button prompt was just gone when I reloaded.

Errors. When cooking or crafting, the dialogue box shows up sometimes...

Typos. Random average typo here and there. Not a real biggie but there is one instance where the heroine will use the japanese male pronoun "boku" instead of "watashi" which really convinced me that this game was completely intended for men lol.

Let's talk about Pros

The good stuff. The stuff that makes you all warm and fuzzy inside.

Plot Advancing. Now I'm gonna put this as a pro because I'm certain the average player will enjoy this even though I do not. There are now markers on the map to show you where to go to advance the plot. This is all well and dandy, but it also made the story less appealing for me because you don't need to go around town and speak to residents for clues or assistance to advance anything in the story.

3D Graphics The 3D models are all amazing. The interior designs of the houses/buildings are also incredibly detailed and realistic.

Collecting items. Now there's a feature that will allow you to collect items into your inventory just by walking over them. This is pretty neat and welcome for the most part. Once the item is sparkling, you can walk over it and it'll go into your rucksack automatically. This also makes lumbering and mining go much faster. Yay!

The miraculous L pocket. Now you can customize the categories that appear in your L pocket by going to the rucksack tab in the menu. This is a super neat feature that makes things easier on players who want to manage their items in a format that suits them.

Weapon/Tool Toggling. You can now toggle between your equipped weapon and tool by pressing the left or right buttons on the trackpad.

Collecting lumber/material stone. Oh lord this is probably the most welcome improvement moving forward from the previous game. You can now put all of the lumber and material stone from your inventory into its storage at once. This also applies to fodder for tamed monsters. Well done Hakama.

Autosave. This feature is a welcome addition to the series. The game will save your data every morning and every time you enter a dungeon. Autosave has really saved my ass a few times when I made a huge error in judgement so I'm incredibly grateful for this feature. And it doesn't save over your actual save file--there's a separate autosave file at the very top. So if you messed up something but already saved on your main file, you can still salvage your mistake by reloading the autosave! I just wish it activated a bit more often sometimes.

Warping. Now we can warp to each level in a dungeon as well as certain places on the map in town. It's pretty convenient for the most part.

Increased party members. Now you can have up to 3 members in your party! Hooray! Party members act more intelligently than in older games. Scarlett can use the Seed circle to assist you in fights. I think she also tosses healing potions at you occasionally. So far, no one has tossed a dish at me if I haven't eaten like Kiel and Clorica did in rf4. But I have been hit by a failed dish (from reinhardt?) and a healing potion (from scarlett). Scarlett, Priscilla, and Reinhardt are the most helpful when dungeon crawling in my experience. Some of them however, (looking at you Doug) don't shut the hell up with their one line of dialogue they have and repeat it constantly.

Seed Circle. This neat feature allows you to capture monsters. By charging it and releasing you can capture monsters for the bounty system or add them to your party temporarily. If you throw it without charging it, you can stun monsters in place momentarily or grab things from far away. When stunning monsters, it can also give you the monster's drop item occasionally. Unfortunately it uses a lot of RP so it can be difficult at times.

Combo attacks. This is a neat feature that I appreciate and use often for boss fights. They do some serious damage so it's good to save them for the bosses. The actual cutscenes aren't that impressive, and feel kind of subpar when you get down to it but I think it's a start in the right direction.

Farm Dragons. I'm listing this as a pro although I really just see it as a new feature. Farm dragons have fields on their backs that you can place monster barns on and farm on. Giving them certain crystals will give your fields boosts in certain criteria, like length of growth, soil quality, you get it. I personally don't use the crystals because I couldn't give a shit lmao I have men and women to woo here. But if you're into this kinda thing then it's a pro.

Storage. When opening your storage box, fridge, etc. you can actually hit the R & L buttons to switch between ALL of your other storages. Looooove thissss. Great addition. So much faster to put items away in their respective places.

Crafting/Forging. Now we can also use the R & L buttons to alternate between the different weapon types/accessory/gear types instead of having to exit the menu and going back in each time you want to make something different.

Cooking. More recipes have been added. Yay!

Days are longer now. More time to get shit doneeeee ayyyy

Fishing. They've added many more fish to the game! Now the player will shout something when you get a bite, making it easier for you to hit B at the right moment. Nice. Also if you fail or press B too early, the fish doesn't vanish most of the time. Also nice. There is now a feature to fish with another person's assistance. Once a day you can investigate the sign near the fishing station and someone might offer to lend you a hand. Press the B button at the right moments on the slider and you can get a rare fish that can't be caught normally.

Monsters. New types of monsters! Love the designs. Even the monsters that are the same but just have different skins are really neat. They look great in the 3D format too. You can even ride with up to two people on certain monsters! Some bosses had awesome designs while others...were bad.

New Types of Furniture. The carpenter store has a wide arrange of furniture you can buy for your home. It also has wallpapers and stuff which is really neat. Though unfortunately you can't even sit on some of the furniture so that's a shame.

Events. Now there is a system where events are triggered by approaching an icon on the map. This is probably an improvement to RF4's randomized system, though personally I found it annoying because it meant that I had to see the events before I could just enter a building normally. Sometimes I just wanted to get shit done and not have to read through walls of text for someone's love event when I just want to buy something.

Voiced Lines. The protagonist seems to have more voiced lines, as do other characters. Good!

Let's talk about Cons

Not including glitches. Oh boy. So many cons. Where do I start?

Dialogue. Probably the most notable con in the entire game. The dialogue is drastically minimal in comparison to previous games, especially rf4. There is probably a quarter of the amount of dialogue compared to rf4's insane amount of content if not less. Townsfolk repeat themselves. Often. Too often. Am I playing Harvest Moon? Originally I thought it was because the dialogue is randomized, but I think it's actually because more dialogue is unlocked as you raise townspeople's FP. Despite this, there's no linear build up where you start off as acquaintances and eventually become very close like in rf4 because of how sporadic the LP/FP is. Townsfolk don't even talk to each other. One of the greatest perks about runefa is the conversations townsfolk can have with one another. Residents randomly gathering in small groups to talk about anything. Previously you could add someone to your party and sometimes a dialogue will occur if you speak to the right person at the right time with that person in your party. This is nonexistent now. The only time they do this in rf5 is during the festivals. But, it will only trigger if you have unlocked all the characters in each marriageable lineup and they can't be in your party. The residents will talk about one another but that's pretty much it outside of town events. They got rid of all the minor dialogue that occurs too. Trying to sleep in someone's bed while they're right there? They wont comment. Inspecting objects in stores while the shopkeeper is present? Wont say anything. Take a character with you to a dungeon/boss fight? Their lips are sealed. Where's my sense of community? :(

FP/LP This ties into the dialogue issue. The rate at which LP/FP increases is sporadic as hell. You can go from 1FP/LP to 4FP/LP just by giving a gift sometimes. I wouldn't even speak to people and their affinity increased by like triple for no reason. Then it increases by like 2% for the longest time. Argh!!!

Graphics. I don't consider myself very picky when it comes to graphics. I don't really mind that the foliage and scenery are at the level of a ps2 game at best. I tried playing on my television initially, but the lag and camera operability was too much so I fully switched (haha puns) to handheld. One thing that sucked is that I literally cannot tell the difference between medicinal herbs, antidote grasses, and green grasses without the captions because the graphics are so indistinguishable. So when you're trying to pick up multiples of those items by holding the A button, you're just randomly walking over anything green in the hopes that you'll get the right ones...

Lack of Sound Effects. Something I noticed is they got rid of the sound effects that will play when you complete a puzzle or add someone to your party. When you try to brush a monster there's no sound for the '♪' they make when you successfully brush them. So it was hard for me to tell if I had actually brushed them or not. I was a bit saddened by the lack of cute sounds.

Too much free range. From the very beginning of the game, you're allowed to go pretty much wherever you want when leaving town. It was too easy to stumble into high enemy level territory without knowing, so when I was like level 5 so I got KO'd immediately.

Artwork. The portraits seem to be lower in quality somehow. Runefa has always had shitty portrait art imo but this time it's even worse. Many character's eyes looked fucked up. Though the 3D models are insanely good for mostly every character except Terry. Terry's 3D model looks Terryfying and I prefer his portrait.

Festivals. They've added some new festivals. Some I enjoy. Some not so much. They changed the format of the eating contest. It's horrible. Good luck with that one.

L pocket + R button? They got rid of the feature that lets you skip to the other end of your items when opening the L pocket by pressing R button. I really liked that feature because it made it faster to reach my items so I was bummed that they got rid of it.

Gotta go fast. Now when you speak to someone, it doesn't 'stop time' as you might say it did in previous games. So people are still moving about as you speak to someone, making it harder to catch up to people! Annoying!!!

Catch and release? Not in my farming simulator! Say goodbye to being able to toss a fish you caught back into the water. In fact, say goodbye to tossing anything you don't want anymore into the water. Now you just have an army of fish flopping on the ground around you. And with the auto pick up feature, they're probably going to end up in your inventory anyways once you try to move. There are still certain ponds with fairies that you can toss stuff into, but you'll have to deal with the fairy harping at you for giving her something she doesn't want.

Shop Hours. Oh god. The shop owners don't even open their stores at the correct hours? It says open at 9am. If you speak to them they won't open their store until like 9:07??? But Priscilla and Lucy will show up to work their part-time jobs at around 8:30am and you can buy stuff through them before 9am. So the actual shop owners (for the bread shop and general store) are pointless usually. Additionally, if the store is empty (but open) you can no longer add a shopkeeper into your party and then enter their store with them to buy things from them. Why. Just why. When you want to buy something that only a specific person sells (Only Hina sells fish, only Heinz sells misc items) you have to wait for them to finally decide to work in their own store. Wonderful.

Monster Item drops. Maybe I'm crazy but the monster drops are seriously a lot harder to get than in previous games. Especially boss drops. It's almost impossible to get the rare drops now. I don't even want to try anymore. And as far as I know, the only place to buy monster items is through Heinz, but his items are actually misc. items, not specifically monster drops. So you'll be lucky to check his store (whenever tf he decides to actually work) for any monster items you might want instead of farming for the drops. Sighs.

Difficulty. This game is too easy. There is little to no challenge whatsoever. I had to increase the difficulty setting to hard mode and it was still too easy. I beat it at level 139, never once did I need to grind or level. In fact, your character levels up way too quickly for the pace of the story. I had zero trouble with any of the bosses and even the final boss was a breeze. Quite sad. Though because I am not new to the franchise, it's likely that newcomers would have some trouble in the later parts of the story.

Fishing cons. Idk how you fck up fishing but they sure did. You have to stand further back now because the pole is so long that you'll miss the fish you're aiming for. In fact, it's seriously hard to aim period. You'll end up recasting more often than not. Fish come in the various sizes but they don't seem to have the darker or faded characteristics that can indicate whether it's a rare fish or not. The graphics make it hard to tell. The pros that i've already mentioned are welcomed but it doesn't negate the fact that I do not enjoy fishing like I did in previous games.

Mining/Lumbering Cons. You can no longer strike three times consecutively when mining/lumbering. This sucks lol. Even when you upgrade your axe or hammer, powering up the tool does nothing for getting wood and material stone--it only expands the area of your strike. So it takes longer to get wood/stone from stumps and rocks now since you have to strike the full 9 times but it's not too bad. It's also harder to aim now as well so that's also unfortunate.

Seasonal Fields? Kiss them goodbye! That's right, there are no seasonal fields in rf5 because devs are insane! You instead have the farm dragons that seem to look seasonal based on the fact that they are designed after elements like earth, water, and fire. But no, these dragons are simply extra fields for you to use. Here's a spoiler: you're not going to use those fields. You're just not. They're kinda useless unless you're obsessed with farming. Now you have to grow your crops out of season like the sad farmer that you are.

Farming cons. Seeds no longer tell you how long it takes to grow the crop. Why. As of June 29th, they fixed this with an update. But I still had to play the whole game without it so fuck you marvelous. The joystick is really sensitive? So when you're trying to use a fertilizer or something on your field you're likely to place it on the wrong 4x4 tile, wasting your fertilizer. So it’s best to hold down the R button when farming. Also the crops look uglie as hell.

Sleeping and warping cutscenes. Just like in rf4 there's a cutscene when you go to sleep that can be skipped easily by pressing A. In rf5, there's a cutscene to sleep and a cutscene when waking up. It takes a bit more than a second to skip these scenes so it gets annoying after a while. Warping is this new feature that replaces our beloved escape spell. Overall I appreciate the feature but I hate it for two reasons. One: there's an annoying ass cutscene for it each time you use it that could be much shorter. And Two: townsfolk now use warp even when inside the town. In previous games, someone exiting your party in town would just manually run to wherever they need to be. So you could easily chase after them if you need to talk to them or give them something. Now, party members use warp regardless of where you are at the time. So say you have someone at 7 hearts and you want to try confessing to them. You would have them join your party, save your game, and then have them leave your party and immediately speak to them and confess before they can run off. If it doesn't work you reload until it does. In RF5 this wouldn't work anymore because they will warp. Now you would have to save, run around town trying to find this person and hope they accept the confession. Otherwise you'll have to play hide and seek again because reloading your file will randomize the resident's locations (if they are not working in a shop)!!!! I often just waited until a festival day because then they will be at the plaza for most of the day and it has a warp point there.

Crafting/Forging/Cooking. They've removed the feature where you can press Y on the ingredients in the menu to add more of that particular item. I miss this feature :'(

Lacks incentive. There is no trophy room from my knowledge. The final dungeon that is meant to be like the sharance maze/rune prana isn't that hard to beat for skilled players and is only 20 floors. After you beat the main story and this dungeon there's not much else to do really.

Request Board. Unlike in rf4, you need to make sure you have accepted requests before you complete them or else it will not count. Previously, you could complete all sorts of tasks and Eliza would still recognize your work even if you accept their request after the fact. ie, shipping goods, harvesting crops, etc. So make sure you don't harvest your special crops before accepting the request it's for!

Return of the "Loli" Dragons... Yeah you read that right. We got more dragons in children's(???) bodies with skimpy clothes. I don't know anymore????¿¿¿

Can't marry the Milfs or Dilfs. Tragic.

Still no homo. Grow up Marvelous.

Reverse Proposal? Reverse Uno card-- Laid low by the patriarchy. You now have to buy the double bed and craft an engagement ring to propose to your man if you're playing as Alice. Marvelous this isn't what we meant when we said we wanted equal rightsssssss This can be seen as a pro if you're a softhearted babey who doesn't like rejecting bachelors' proposals because you feel bad :'( But this is a con for me because I don't want to spend money and materials on a double bed dammit!!!

Misc. Still can't stack dishes or fish. There's no green elemental fairy???All the other elemental ones are there except the green one? why??? Still can't tame the giant Wooly. Some bosses that have insanely awesome designs cannot be tamed and makes me wanna eat glass.

Let's talk about Love~

Relationships. We want them. And half of us only play these games for them. I've only played as the female heroine so far but I'll be updating this review as soon as I finish with the bachelorettes as the male hero.

Confessions

As usual, we must raise the love points of our beloved to 7 hearts before we can attempt to date them. However unlike in rf4, if you fail at a confession once, you will need to raise the LP up an entire level before you can try again with any chance of success. It's imperative you save before attempting a confession now.

Love Events

Each love interest has two love events that must be seen before you can date them. They're reminiscent of older game's style but I felt they could have been a biiiit more interactive or so? Or involved the town a bit more for some of them.

Dating

Once you get your honey to be your bf/gf, you get to choose the nicknames as usual. Then you can go on dates. The first three (non-festival) dates are actually events. You need to see all three events to get married.

Marriage Event

The final event you need to clear before you can marry your sweetie. In my honest opinion, so far for the boys, these events were rather disappointing. They lacked the drama and angst that sort of 'test' the love between the two when compared to rf4. Also this is a huge con for me personally and a minor spoiler but there are no special cutscenes at the end of the marriage event like in rf4. Instead, the cutscene takes place during your actual wedding. I was saddened by this because it took away the depth from the marriage events and the actual character? As it is just a cut and paste type of thing instead of an original cutscene for each person. They lack individualism this way. Also it kinda felt like a way for devs to avoid gay relationships and cut corners :^/....sus.

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes...

Children!!!!!! This is actually one of the coolest additions in the game. Just like in rf3, you can have up to 3 children again! Your first child will resemble you, and you will have the option to choose its gender as well as its personality. There are 6 different children, (3 boys and 3 girls), all with different hairstyles, mannerisms, and seiyuus. Your answers will determine which child you get. A year after your first child is born, you will get the option to have a second child. You'll end up with twins, both resembling your partner. You won't get to choose the genders (it will be a boy and girl) but you will get to choose the personalities once more. The children all have canon names too and each kid is incredibly cute. And of course, you're still able to take your kid with you in your party~ ...Though you can only take one kid with you at a time.

So is RF5 good?

Yeah it's a fun game! My theory is that Marvelous forced the devs to release the game earlier than they were ready for, and that's why it's so lacking. But that doesn't mean it's not worth playing! I'd rate it 3.5/5 stars hehe. Not nearly as good as RF4 (full stop 5/5), or RF3 (4/5) but enjoyable nonetheless. I wouldn't recommend it as a first game to play from the series for newcomers though, I feel it's best for vets who can overlook all the cons thanks to loyalty and nostalgia. By the time it’s released in the West, the bugs should all be dealt with too.

So! Definitely buy this game! We want the series to continue and we want RF6 to be better than this--and hopefully Marvelous will make sure of that next time. If you're not a picky person I think you'll enjoy rf5 a lot. If you're like me and have high standards then, well, still pick it up and let it run its course. Then dust off rf4sp and cleanse your gaming palette >;^)

[pucksnsticksnhockeyboys]

interruptions

summary: four times Tyson tried kissing you and the one time he actually did.

warnings: drinking, mentions of puking

word count: 5.3k

he didn't

The bar was absolutely crowded, and that made your job of Designated Driver and supervisor of the group that much harder. Your friends had tried to stick together, but three twenty-two year olds in a bar get separated easily when two of them desperately wanted to let loose. 

You had lost the game of rock, paper, scissors that decided who was supposed to be in charge, and that’s how you ended up sipping a water, perched on a barstool, gaze flicking through the crowd to spot your friends. You were keeping tabs on them from afar, but giving them space as each had found a dance partner. Becca, one of the more wild of the group, raised her glass in your direction and drank, a silent cheers as she danced on a guy. You laughed at her, copying her actions with your water as she grinned. She was the reason everyone had been dragged out tonight, having decided that she was over her ex and wanting to put herself back out there. 

If the look on her face told you anything, she was having a good time. So was the large blonde behind her, and if your hockey knowledge was as good as you thought it was, your friend was pressed up on Mikko Rantanen of the Colorado Avalanche. 

Knowing that one player was at the bar, it was far less surprising than it would have been when another slid in beside you at the counter to order another drink. 

“Hi.” The player, Tyson Jost, you were certain, said as he turned to you, the tips of his ears burning red. You smiled, turning on your stool to face the newcomer. “What’re you, uh, doing here by yourself?” He winced at the way the words fell past his lips, but you just giggled mercilessly.

“Have you been watching me?” You raised a brow, smile wide and evidence of your teasing. You weren't certain where your bravery had come from, but the adorable way he stuttered over his words to try and come back from what he had said, not wanting to appear creepy. “Just messing. I’m the babysitter tonight.” You gestured loosely across the bar, cataloging where both of your friends were and making sure they were safe. 

“That’s not fun.” He chuckled and you shrugged, smile not once leaving your face. “I’m Tyson, by the way.” You gave your name easily, opting not to bring up how you already knew that. You didn't want him to think you were one of those people only out for the fame that comes with being seen with a professional athlete, because that was the furthest thing from what you wanted. “Are you always the babysitter?”

“No, but I’m apparently not very good at rock, paper, scissors.” You grinned, laughing when an excited look grew on his face. 

“We can practice, ready?” Tyson asked, hand already in a fist and resting on his palm before you could even agree. You laughed at his adorable eagerness, setting your drink down and mimicking his position. “Okay, rock, paper, scissors, shoot!”

“I win!” You cheered, your paper beating his rock. He pouted at first, but then it faded to a smile and you new he was just faking. “It's psychology, really. Men usually pick rock first.”

“How do you know that?” He chuckled, leaning on against the bar. He sounded genuinely interested, which was something that you weren't used to hearing from guys you met at bars. 

“I looked it up, I lose way too often.” You explained, your own blush coating your cheeks at the dorky confession. Tyson didn't seem to mind, if the way he laughed earnestly at you was any indication. 

“That’s cute.” He said, and when you looked to him with a grin you spotted the redness of his ears from before was creeping up his neck and tinging his cheeks. “I mean, uh—”

“Do you want to dance?” You cut him off, his rambling adorable but you only seemed to be able to be brave in quick spurts. Tyson nodded quickly, his grin wide as you led him to the dance floor, empty drinks abandoned on the bar counter. 

As you danced with Tyson, you fell in easy conversation with him and learned more about him. He fessed up to being a professional hockey player, and other than you explaining that you were a fan of the sport, there wasn't much talk about it. 

“So are you having fun now, babysitter?” Tyson teased, brow quirked up and a grin on his face as you had your hands clasped behind his neck. His hands were placed innocently on your waist, the two of you swaying way off beat to the pop song the bar was playing. 

“Never been better.” You replied cheekily. You had honestly enjoyed your time with Tyson more than you’d like to admit, and it was scary how you almost instantly felt a connection with him. You had been laughing the entire time you had been around him, and you silently hoped that you’d be able to see him again after tonight. 

Tyson didn't say anything to your somewhat flirty response, instead he simply grinned down at you, fingers flexing against your side as he gripped you just a bit tighter. You could see it in his eyes, the attraction that you just knew was mirrored in your own. Then, his gaze flicked down to your lips, and you just smiled, leaning a tad bit into him so he'd get the message. He did, head tipping down slowly to meet you, and—

And then you caught sight of someone over Tyson’s shoulder, which had you pushing his shoulder and he immediately backed off, a worried look on his face. 

Becca was climbing onto the counter, your other friend Lizzie half-cheering and half-trying to get her to come down. Mikko was still with your them, but his hands were extended to try and steady Becca. 

“Oh, my god.” You muttered, shooting Tyson an apologetic look before taking off to deal with your friends, him hot on your tail. “What the hell!” You hissed, tugging on Lizzie’s arm to try and get her to explain what had happened in the twenty minutes you had been distracted with Tyson.

“Hey! There you are!” Lizzie cheered, words slurred just enough that you knew she had been drinking. You rolled your eyes, turning your attention to Becca who was fully standing on the bar top now. You were only glad that she had opted for jeans instead of a skirt, saving her some embarrassment. 

“Becca, get down.” You ordered, rolling your eyes when she simply pouted out her bottom lip and took a sip of her drink. Tyson was standing beside you, talking to his teammate who was grinning. Apparently, you and Tyson were the only ones that didn't find the whole situation amusing, and you shared a look of annoyance and he shrugged, grimacing as Becca started singing loudly. 

“I can get her down, if you want?” He asked, and you eyed Becca carefully, nodding as you realized that the running Barstool joke was true, drunk girls on elevated surfaces never ended well.

You couldn’t help but grin as Tyson wrapped his arms around Becca’s legs and tipped her over his shoulder in order to get her down. Even as she pitched forward, she didn't spill her drink, and you had to give her props for that. 

Once she was on the ground, she flung an arm around your shoulders, and you wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her and make sure she didn't try to slip away. 

“Have you met Mikko? This is Mikko. He plays for that hockey team you like.” Becca rambled, gesturing between you and the large blonde widely, the man in question just smiling widely at her. You rolled your eyes with a grin, but greeted Mikko politely. 

“I think it’s time we head out, yeah?” You questioned, but you weren’t leaving room for argument. Lizzie cheered from behind you, calling out something along of the lines of ‘dibs on shotgun!’ that had you rolling your eyes in good fun. Your gaze fell to Tyson, and you smiled softly at him as you let Becca slip from your grip to exchange numbers with Mikko and say their goodbyes. “Sorry about this.” You mumbled, but Tyson just shook his head with a grin that mirrored yours.

“Babysitter duties call, eh?” 

and didn't 

You had thought that after that night in the bar, things between you and Tyson would progress romantically, but he never made a move, so you fell into an easy friendship with him. 

Becca had better luck than you, though, and that's why you kept seeing Tyson as regularly as you did. And now, you were walking through the apartment belonging to the one and only Mikko Rantanen, wondering if he actually knew everybody that was at his for a good time. 

You spotted Cale first, Becca having ditched you the moment she spotted Mikko and you didn't blame, but you were glad to spot a familiar face. You slid in beside Cale as he spoke to Sam, and you smiled at both boys and greeted them with a group hug, your arms wrapping around their necks to pull them close to you. 

“Buzzed already?” Cale teased, smirking in that way that made him seem so innocent yet like he knew all of your darkest secrets. Sam turned to pour you a drink, but his laugh was clear over the loud music.

“I may have pregamed a little too hard.” You grinned sheepishly, curling your fingers around the cup Sam offered you. You thanked him silently, wincing at just how strong he made it. 

“Have you seen the rest of the guys?” Cale asked, and you shook your head, sipping once more on the drink. Your eyes went wide, and you shoved the red head’s shoulder to get his attention. 

“Congrats on the goal yesterday! I totally forgot tell you that!” You cheered, grinning at the way Cale’s cheeks turned just a bit more rosy on the compliment. You were prepared to let it go for the moment, but Sam wasn’t so merciful and started pinching Cale’s cheeks and cooing as another solid body slid in next to you, hand heavy on your lower back. You jumped at the sudden contact, but when you turned to face the newcomer you relaxed. 

“Didn’t realize I was that scary.” Tyson teased, grinning down at you in that easy way that only he seemed to be able to muster. You didn't respond at first, only rolling your eyes at him to try and regain some of your composure. 

“Sorry I’m a bit jumpy when some random guy touches me.” You shot back, just buzzed enough to the let words fall past your lips but still too sober to realize your mistake. Cale and Sam shared a look after they spotted Tyson’s hand on your back, the brunette forward retracting his touch like he had been burned. 

“Alrighty then.” Sam murmured into his cup as he took a sip, the air around you all suddenly feeling tense. You copied Sam’s actions, taking a bigger drink than you usually would have and wincing at the burn as you swallowed.

But luckily, you found an exit strategy in the shape of a six-foot three Swede named Andre waving you over to be his pong partner. You had never exactly been the best at the game, but you weren't going to stick around in the awkward atmosphere created by your thoughtless announcement. You weren't sure why Tyson had reacted the way he did, but your mind was just foggy enough to not question it. You slipped away, ignoring the looks all three boys were giving you. 

For a while, you didn't see much of Tyson, other than the occasional glimpse of him through the crowd as he interacted with his friends. Andre claimed that you weren't a good pong partner, and you couldn't argue, seeing as you had tipped back your fair share of red solo cups. After a third straight loss, Andre kicked you out, somehow convincing the people at the other end of the table to let him stay. You pouted at the Swede, but then you locked eyes with Tyson across the room and he nodded his head towards the empty balcony with a small smile, and suddenly you couldn’t remember why you had been annoyed. 

You maneuvered your way through the crowd, sighing softly as you stepped outside. You were flush with warmth from so many people crammed into Mikko’s apartment, so the cool air felt nice on your skin. Tyson was already outside, leaning back against the railing as he watched you shut the sliding door behind you. 

“Hey, haven't seen you all night.” He commented softly and you shrugged, crossing the balcony to stand beside him. 

“Listen, I don't know what happened earlier, but—” You started, not sure where you were going to take the sentiment but felt like you needed to address it. 

“Don’t worry about it, the boys like to tease.” He waved you off, and you nodded slowly. He seemed to be able to tell that you weren't convinced, and you weren't, because it seemed like something more, so he turned to face you. “I promise that you did nothing wrong.”

You nodded, then, convinced by the honest sincerity in not only his eyes but his tone. You turned towards him too, looking up at him to find a nearly unreadable expression on his face. The air shifted, but unlike earlier, it wasn’t a bad shift. It felt like that moment all those weeks ago at that bar, right before you spotted Becca on the bar counter and you were dancing. 

And then suddenly he was so close, and he was leaning even closer—so much so that you didn't mind that you left your coat inside even though the Denver night air had been chilling you to the bone just moments earlier. One of your hands fell on to his bicep, squeezing and urging him a fraction of an inch closer. You could feel his breath on your face, and—

And then you lurched to the side, hand clasped over your mouth as you rushed back into the party to find a bathroom.

Apparently, you had been drinking more than you had thought, and Sam’s drink was stronger than you would have usually liked. Your nerves were all over the place with how close you had been to kissing Tyson to begin with, and your stomach had been churning from the moment you walked onto the balcony. But you were full on nauseous now, ready to become very well acquainted with Mikko’s toilet. 

And as you left Tyson on the balcony, you knew one thing—Sam was not allowed to pour for you again.

and didn’t 

You weren't sure how you managed to snag an invitation, but you did, and you were sitting at the table for a dinner party at the Landeskog household. Tyson on your left, Becca on your right. Gabe sat across from you, gaze flicking between you and his younger teammate seated next to you, smirk ever present on his lips.

You raised a brow at him, and he made a face that screamed ‘don’t be dumb’. That had you blushing, because you figured that meant Tyson had told him what had happened at Mikko’s party the week before. You couldn’t see the teasing look Gabe was sure to send your way as a result of your reaction, because your plate was suddenly very interesting.

“So, are you seeing anyone?” Mel asked, you, calling your name to get your attention before asking the question. Your head snapped towards her, and you just knew from the look on face her face that Gabe had put her up to it. Or at the very least, they were coconspirators.

“No, uh, I’m not.” You stuttered, elbowing Becca as she laughed loudly at you. For whatever reason, you couldn't get yourself to look at Tyson, but that didn't stop the rest of the guys from grinning at him. “This chicken is good.” You mumbled, speaking into your cup as you took a sip.

Apparently there was some humor in the situation, because all the boys that had been listening broke out in raucous laughter.

Thankfully, the topic of conversation shifted after, and you were able to enjoy the rest of your dinner in peace. Still, you couldn’t find the strength to look at Tyson, the small distance between you feeling charged with an unknown energy.

After, you helped Mel clean off the table as the boys gathered on the couches and cooed over Linnea. It was an adorable sight, but the moment Tyson was handed the baby, you had to leave the room for your sanity. You offered to help Mel with the dishes, but she refused and that’s how you found yourself perched on the counter beside the dishwasher, wineglass in hand as you chatted with the captain’s wife.

It wasn’t long before Tyson entered the kitchen, still chuckling at something one of the guys said, a few empty glasses in his hands. You had thought that Mel was on your side, but once Tyson was far enough into the room she gave you a wicked grin and shut the sink off.

“You two don’t mind finishing up, do you?” She didn't wait for an answer, because as soon as she dried her hands she was out of the room. You smiled at Tyson, because you didn't really know what else to do, and just as you were about to slide off the counter to take Mel’s spot he moved in front of the sink to rinse the glasses.

“How’s work?” Tyson asked, sounding genuinely interested and it caught you off guard for a moment. The question made everything seem so domestic, like this was your house, and you and Tyson were cleaning up after dinner together before heading off to bed.

“Do you really wanna know?” You questioned, a bit of lightness in your tone that had the corners of Tyson’s lips turning upwards. He nodded, picking up a plate and you took a sip of your wine, launching into a story about your annoying coworker that you really needed to get off your chest. Tyson listened, nodding along as you spoke and laughing incredulously at some of the things you told him. By the end of your story, he was leaning backwards against the kitchen island across from you. “But how is your work?”

“Oh you know, gotta get pucks in deep, tighten up our defense.” He joked, and his response caused you to groan, tilting your head back in mock annoyance.

“That is the most generic answer! Come on, I’m not an interviewer.” You grinned, and when you looked forward again, Tyson had pushed himself off the edge of the counter and was standing a foot away from you.

And there was another shift in the air, and suddenly Tyson had moved to stand between your knees, hands falling on the counter on the outside of your legs. You leaned back on your palms, never breaking the eye contact you had with him.

“Work is good.” He mumbled, and in all honesty you had already forgotten you had been talking about that. His smile was soft and easy, and you couldn’t help but notice his gaze drop to your lips and then back up. For the third time, you thought that he was going to kiss you, and you were more than willing to comply.

It was just as he started leaning in, you tilting your head up to hopefully meet him halfway, that of course someone had to interrupt.

Nate came barreling into the kitchen, still yelling at someone over his shoulder. When he spotted you, his eyes went wide and you were quick to push Tyson away. You were positive that Tyson was jumping back from you with just as much force, because there was no way you would’ve had the power to send him across the kitchen the way he went flying. The blonde didn't comment on anything at first, just looking between you and his teammate with a look that read trouble.

“I’ll leave you guys to it.” Nate’s smirk was clear as day, and he started to turn to leave the room, but you had already slipped off the counter and were out of the room before he could take two steps. Your face was flushed, and you ignored Becca’s confused look as you shoved yourself between her and Andre on the couch, making sure that Tyson would have to sit on the opposite side of the room as you. Your heart was pounding so heavily, you were surprised you could hear Nate’s booming laugh from the kitchen over the sound of your blood pumping.

These close calls were going to kill you.

and didn't 

JT was supposed to come over and join you and Tyson for a movie night, but he had bailed through text five minutes ago. You were considering canceling on Tyson, or at least giving him the option to back out, but he was at your door before you could draft a text. With everything that had been happening with you and Tyson, how you would both get close and then back off, you wondered if it would be a good idea to even have him over. 

But then you opened your apartment door and were met with his obnoxiously adorable goofy grin, and you felt your resolve crumbling. 

“Where’s JT?” He asked, dropping unceremoniously onto your couch like he belonged there, which was doing nothing to stop the racing of your heart. 

“He, uh, can’t make it.” You stuttered, kicking yourself for doing so. It was just Tyson sitting on your couch, one of the dorkiest guys you knew, who always could draw a laugh or a smile out of you no matter how bad your day. But he was also Tyson, the incredibly attractive boy that you never could seem to stop thinking about. “We can reschedule, if you want.”

“No, I'm good. Unless you had something you needed to do?” Tyson checked in, and you shook your head, sinking down to sit beside him. His arm was on the couch behind you, and you grabbed the remote to pull up a movie. 

It was about halfway through the action movie Tyson had begged to watch that you realized you were in trouble. You had somehow found yourself cuddled into his side, the blanket that usually was draped on the back of the couch thrown across yours and Tyson’s leg, a mostly empty bowl of popcorn resting on the cushion beside him. His arm, which had previously been innocently placed behind your head on the couch, had fallen around your shoulders and was using it to hold you against him.

You weren’t exactly feeling all too troubled, though, when you turned to glance up at Tyson to find him already looking at you.

“Pay attention, you picked it.” You teased, though you were certain the you never wanted him to look away from you again. His eyes were soft, and though he usually looked like a total sweetheart, his hair seemed just a bit more fluffy and curly. He was the exact picture of a perfect cuddle buddy, and it kind of made your mind a little fuzzy.

“I’ve seen it before.” Tyson said easily, bringing you back to the moment. He was grinning at you, and his bright smile made your surroundings melt away.

Oh yeah, you were absolutely screwed.

“Then why’d you pick it?” You breathed, voice barely above a whisper. You felt like kicking yourself, wondering why you were making it so obvious that Tyson was affecting you so much, and all he was doing was smiling at you.

“Knew I wouldn't be able to focus around you, didn't want to start a movie I’d never seen and then not remember what it was about.” He explained as if that wasn't the exact answer your heart had hoped he would give. It was adorable, and so Tyson, that you couldn’t help but giggle. 

“Smooth.” You teased. Tyson’s free hand—the one that wasn’t around your shoulders—fell to your knee. You hadn't even realized that you had curled into him, legs hanging into his lap until his touch brought attention to them.

“I know, right?” You chuckled at his goofiness, and there it was—that dreaded shift in the air that had you leaning just slightly into him more. And, like all the times before, he was leaning in too, unable to tear his gaze from you.

And then it happened.

A knock on your door startled you, surprisingly loud in how quiet the apartment had been the moment before. You jumped away from Tyson, not reading too much into the way he dropped his head against the back of your couch with a groan. 

“Sorry.” You muttered, though you weren't sure what you were apologizing for exactly. Tyson just shook his head, watching as you climbed off of the couch to answer the knock. 

On the other side of the door stood Mr. Davidson, the eighty-something year old who lived in the apartment across from you. You smiled politely at him, his presence, although an interruption to your time with Tyson, was not a nuisance as he and his wife checked up on you once you first moved into the place by yourself.

“I hate to even ask you this.” Mr. Davidson started after you exchanged pleasantries, smiling sheepishly at you as he stood in your doorway. “But my grandkids are supposed to Skype me in half an hour, and I can’t figure out how to set it up. Would you mind helping me?” And really, you couldn't say no to your sweet elderly neighbor, whose wife had on more than one occasion brought you baked goods.

“Of course, Mr. Davidson.” You smiled, shooting Tyson an apologetic look before following your elderly neighbor out of your apartment and into his across the hall. 

Maybe someday, you and Tyson wouldn't be interrupted.

but then he did

Game days were always a favorite of yours, and especially since that it was a home game, everyone was practically buzzing. You hadn’t been to a ton the Avalanche games, unable to buy tickets and unwilling to let the boys spend their money on you, but tonight was different. Mel had insisted you come with them, and you really couldn’t say no to Mel.

She and Becca arrived at your door at the same time, and you greeted them both with a hug. They both looked like they were hiding something, devious grins on their faces.

“Like our jerseys?” Becca asked, grinning at you. You raised a brow at you, but nonetheless nodded. She was wearing Mikko’s jersey, the name Rantanen across the back meant you should have been teasing her, but Mel wasn’t letting you flip the script. She was wearing Gabe’s number, and even Linnea had a mini Landeskog sweater of her own. 

“What about it?” You groaned, rather they get it over with—whatever it was. Mel laughed loudly, bouncing Linnea on her hip as she stepped further into your apartment. It was then that you realized that Becca had something behind her back, and her smirk widened when you spotted she was hiding something. 

“Well,” she started, dragging out the word only to increase your dread. “Mikko told me to give you this.” Her hand came out in front, and you recognized the colors of it immediately—and the number. 

“Oh, no.” You started, raising your hands in defense but Becca had other plans, the jersey being tossed in your arms.

“Oh, yes.” Mel chimed in, and that seemed to be the end of it. She really was the captain’s wife, because even you felt like you needed to follow her orders. 

And that was how you ended up at the game wearing Tyson’s jersey. 

The boys played well, coming out on top with a 4-1 win over the Capitals. Tyson had scored the final goal, and Becca made sure to tease you endlessly for the way you had cheered so loudly for him. 

Now, you were waiting outside the locker room for the boys to come out. Some people were making plans to go out after, and you were torn between joining in on the fun at the bar or enjoying a good nights sleep when Mel elbowed you harshly. 

You turned to look at her and see what she needed, but instead your gaze got caught on a certain number seventeen who stopped dead in his tracks after seeing you, his jaw dropped slightly as he stood ten feet away. You felt yourself start to blush under his gaze, but then he shook his head slightly to himself before heading straight towards you. 

You really didn't have a moment to catch your breath before his large hands were cupping both sides of your face and connecting his lips to yours. He caught you off guard, but it only took you a moment to collect yourself and return the kiss with just as much fervor. Your hands gripped the lapels of his suit, tugging him just that much closer. By the time you did pull back, you were both breathless.

“What was that for?” You questioned, a little embarrassed by the way you were panting slightly.

“I was kinda waiting for the right moment, but then it never happened.” He explained with a shrug, hands dropping from your face to your waist. “Guess I got tired of waiting.”

“You guess?” You teased, because that was an understatement. You had never been kissed so sweetly and so soundly before, it was a huge contrast to how unsure of himself he sounded now. 

“I didn't want to read things wrong and then ruin our friendship.” 

“Tys, I wanted you to kiss me the first night we met.” His eyes widened comically, and JT, who had been standing nearby being his usual nosy self, laughed loudly at the look on Tyson’s face. 

“And then you had to play babysitter.” Tyson nodded, realization finally settling over his features and you nodded, thinking back to that night at the bar. How you had been so close to kissing then, and at Mikko’s party, again at Gabe’s dinner, and once more during move night. “To be fair, there were a lot of interruptions. Like, a lot.”

“Okay, only one of those was my fault.” You grinned, blushing at the memory of how you had rushed away from him at Mikko’s, and how Cale had found you hunched over the toilet and held back your hair. Tyson seemed to be remembering it too, because he giggled at you. And that was just too adorable for you to handle, so you pushed yourself onto your tip-toes to kiss him once more. “No more interruptions, promise.” 

Tyson grinned at you, kissing you once, twice, three times more despite the hooting and hollering of his teammates was very prominent around you. It was EJ’s comment, though, that had you pulling away from Tyson with a laugh.

“Get a room, some of us are trying to keep our innocence.” He spoke with deadly seriousness, gesturing to himself, Cale, and Gabe, and for whatever reason the thought of the two blondes being ‘innocent’ was highly amusing. For starters, EJ’s instagram handle used to be bighorny, and Gabe had a whole child to prove that he wasn't innocent. Cale was the only one you could vouch for, but proving EJ wrong was the furtherest thing from your mind as you turned to Tyson, his arm wrapping around your waist to keep you close. You leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek, unable to help yourself, and detoured to mutter in his ear before settling flat back on your feet.

“Okay, no more interruptions after we get rid of them.”

And if you asked Tyson, that sounded like a very good, and long-awaited, idea.