#custom leap year gift

[tinav73]

[simping-overload]

ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴀᴍɴ ᴅᴇᴇʀ - ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ʜᴜɴᴛɪɴɢ

a/n: showing my love for my favorite Greek God of all time, Hermes<3 this is a multichapter fanfic.

trigger warnings: animal hunting so animal death. Religious themes and practices

synopsis: You never thought helping out a lost hobo would end up with you in the loving embrace of a god.

『read on ao3』

『prev chapter ⟺ next chapter』

disclaimer: hermes is based on his BOZ, EPIC, and canon mythology. I don't really know how ancient greece actually was or how hunting works so take this with a grain of salt! It is just fanfiction :)

You come from a village that has been long-term worshippers of the goddess, Artemis. Each year, the village holds a festival, Laphria¹. With this festival, of course, comes activities, the most important being the hunt. Where 3 main selected participants, who were allowed to bring at the maximum two others along the hunt with them, they were to hunt down a large stag, whoever was to bring back the largest wins.

The reward would entail being given a large sum of money and being allowed to worship the goddess to the fullest extent, which means you'd get to say your prayers before everyone, including the high elders.

This year, you were finally chosen for the hunt, much to the joy of your family and friends. You were their best hunter and tracker, able to find an animal with ease regardless of how little the evidence that has been left behind.

After passing a familial trail—hunting a snow hare in the middle of snowstorm— you were gifted a beautiful pup who you named Winston². The two of you were jointed at the hip. There wasn't a place you'd go without him. This included the hunt.

You decided to bring two of your beloved friends along, Damian and Agnes. You set off at dawn, racing into the trees on the back of your horses, Winston running ahead as the scout.

Agnes and Damian were chattering away behind you as you looked over the map. You wanted to try and plan out all paths you could safely use.

"So...do you think if I win this, it would get Corinna at the very least interested in me?" Damian questions, fiddling with the horses' reins. He had a crush on Corinna ever since they were teens, spending most of his time trying to impress her— which failed considering he always made a fool of himself.

Agnes, bless her, rolling her eyes as she listens to Damian rant, just as the millions times before. She's been friends with him since they were babies. Both of their mothers were the best of friends, so it makes sense they were too.

You didn't come into the picture until you were about 7 or so, moving here to take care of your grandmother after she got sick.

You met Agnes when your mother invited hers over, and then her mother invited Damian's over. You all were just placed in front of each other and expected you all to click automatically. Thankfully, you did, and you've been friends ever since.

"Probably, but you need to remember Nikolaos is in this competition too, I know he's been desperate to get her hand as well." She pauses as her horse jumps over a fallen tree. She looks back at Damian with a blank stare and continues. "And also this could've been avoided if you just grew a pair of balls and confessed."

"I can't just do that— I need to get her attention first. Maybe we'll find that white stag the elders ramble about." Damian giggles as he pictures Corinna leaping into his arms and saying yes to his proposal. He was such a lovesick fool.

"Or maybe she's already interested and is waiting for you to confess. I've heard its custom in her family for the woman to wait for the man to ask, no matter how long it takes." You chime in, not looking up from your map.

"Wait wh—" Damian is cut off when a large gray wolf jumps from out of the trees, holding a white hare in its mouth.

Your horse, startled, bucks you off its back, sending you to the forest floor. You're now eye level with the wolf, noticing how its eyes are an unnatural golden color.

You and the wolf stared each other down for a moment before it huffed and leaps back into the trees. Agnes drops down from her horse and rushes to your side, while Damian goes off to fetch your horse.

You snapped out of your daze when you felt something wet touched your cheek. It was Winston, licking at you and whining in concern.

You pat his head to calm him, and you lean on Agnes for support as you stand. She brushes the dirt and leaves off your back.

"Hey, you okay?" She questions, her freckled face is laced with concern.

You feel fine, a little sore, but nothing you hadn't been through before. There was something about that wolf that just stuck with you, "Yeah, I'm fine. That wolf, though... its eyes were like pure gold."

"Maybe it's one of Lady Artemis' wolves? It wouldn't be the first time she's watched over the hunts." She suggests, steppingaway from you once you've steady yourself. Damian comes back with your now calm horse, handing you the reins.

"I suppose? Though I never heard of a wolf having pure gold eyes before... Anyway, Winston, did you see anything?

Winston barks in reply, his tail wagging before he runs off. You mount your horse and begin to follow him. You motion the other two to do the same.

Winston leads you to what looks to be a temple, one that seems to have been neglected for years. Nature has taken over, vines have trickled up and wrapped themselves around the columns, and grass and flowers grow from the cracks of the floor. The usual pure white of the marble has faded into a off white tan color with a thin layer of moss across the surface.

"Let's make sure the area is safe for us to set up camp here. Agnes, check out the back of the temple, and Damian, you'll start with the outer perimeter. I'll start with the inside. Regroup to the front once you're sure no one else has been here."

Agnes nods, and Damian gives an alright in response before going back into the forest. You dismount your horse, tying it to a loose fence post. You make your way up the cracked stone steps and into the temple.

The rays of sun lit the inside of the temple, illuminating the illustrations that line the walls and ceilings. Going off of the winged shoes on the god that was illustrated, this was a temple of Hermes. You wonder if there was ever a village that was here before yours that were worshippers of him.

Your search around the temple came up empty, with no human activity. Only animals and plants seemed to have been inside. You leave the temple in time to see with Damian and Anges coming back.

"There doesn't look like there's anyone for miles, only animals. I saw the cutest fox kits." Anges says.

"Same here, though I wasn't blessed with seeing any cute aniamls today." Damian pouts, dismounting his horse, kneeling down next to Winston to ruffle his fur, "Expect for this bugger." Winston barks and licks the man's hand.

You chuckle, "Looks like it's safe to set up camp here, we'll need to find something to eat, so I'll try and find something for us. You two just set up camp and remember to use the horn if anything happens."

They give you mock salutes in response before they begin to take the supplies off the horses and into the temple. You mount yours and whistle for Winston to follow as you trot off into the woods.

It doesn't take you long to hunt something down. After finding some boar tracks, Winston leads the rest of the way to the creature. Upon finding it, you ready your bow, steadying yourself on the moving horse as you focus your aim on the boar.

You suck in a breath, drawing back your arrow and whispering a short prayer to Artemis as you relase. The arrow pierces through the side of the boar, straight to the heart, quick and painless.

Suddenly, you hear a loud scream, and off in the distance, you can see someone running towards you with what looks like a... deer? Chasing after them. Winston stands alert, ears perked, and focused on the person getting closer to you. You hold your reins tight while Winston moves in front of the horse.

The person turned out to be Nikolaos. You spot his signature ginger hair showing from under his hood before he trips over a log and face plants in front of you. He doesn't try to exchange pleasantries as he scrambles up to keep running.

The deer came soon after, gracefully hopping over the log. It glanced at you for a meer moment, giving you enough time to see its golden eyes. The same color from the wolf.

You hop down off your horse, making your way to the boar.

You are for sure this time that it wasn't Artemis. Maybe some other god?

You wrap the boars legs tight with string as you bring it back to your horse, settling it on the rear. Positioned so it won't slip off, you mount your horse once more before going back the direction you came.

As you make your way back. Your mind wanders back to Hermes. It could be him. After all, he's one of the more playful gods known for his pranks and tricks. You'll have to make an offering to him for letting you sleep in the temple, regardless if it's abandoned or not, and so he doesn't prey on your friends like he did Nikolaos.

By the time you made it to camp, it was dusk. Agnes greets you outside, taking the horse reins from you. You take the boar off of the horse, taking off to the side as you make quick work of the animal, cutting off the hide and chopping the pieces of meat you need. You leave whatever is left for Winston and the other forest creatures to feast.

Damian is quick to start cooking. Thankfully, his mother was kind enough to pack spices so your group wouldn't have to suffer tasteless food.

Until the sky went dark, you spent the rest of your time eating and talking. Damian nearly choked on his food when he heard you recant the experience in the woods earlier. He says he wishes he could've seen the look on that bastards face when he was running away. Agnes jokes that Nikolaos probably looked like a scared chicken. Which admittedly, he did, come to think of it, his screams sounded like the human equivalent of one.

As the night went on, it got quiet, Damian was the first to sleep, and Agnes was next. Winston is sprawled out in between them, snoring away. Before you rest, you bring a plate of food and burning incense to the altar.

You whisper, "Please, Hermes. The God of speed and travel grant us permission to make sanctions in your temple. If you disapprove, we will be out as the sun rises. Take this food as a thank you for allowing us to sleep here for the night." You pause. "Also... please refrain from chasing us as a deer or anything else for that matter. While it was funny what you did to Nikolaos, I would rather not soil my pants." You chuckle, placing the food onto the alter and the incense in a dusty holder.

You go back to your original resting place, leaning against the pillar. You feel a soft and comfortable breeze flow through the temple. The sounds of the trees rustling soothe you into a nice slumber.

Still in deer form, Hermes walks through the woods, no set destination just allowing the fates to choose where he will end up. Faintly, he can hear someone whisper a prayer.

"Please, Hermes. The God of speed and travel grant us permission to make sanctions in your temple. If you disapprove, we will be out as the sun rises..."

It was not often that he received prayers, especially not in his sisters park of Greece. He lets the prayer pull him towards the location.

Switching to his human form, he approaches the temple. It was one of his firsts. A gift to him by his father. While unkept, it still stood strong.

He sniffs the air, a familiar smell, boar. Not only did he get a prayer, but he got an offering, too? Just what he needed after chasing the mortals.

He giggles as he makes his way inside, involuntary waking up Winston, who was silenced a quick shush and a pat to the head.

Hermes looks around at the mortals who sleep before him. Wondering who said the prayer, his eyes land on you. Still leaned against the pillar, head thrown back against it. Your hand is tightly wrapped around a dagger. Ready to strike if need be.

He studied your face for a moment, his hand twitched with the desire to trace over your features. You were very attractive for a mortal, and judging from the faint golden aura he could see emitting from you, you're the one who prayed.

He steps away with a grin, making his way to the alter. He picks the plate up, nearly drooling on the food. As much as he'd love to take his time eating, he's a glutton. In seconds, the plate is empty. He holds back a burp as he makes his way back out of the temple, glancing at you as he makes his way out.

Well, he's going to have some fun on this vacation.

[allfearstofallto]

Nice

Yandere childe x reader

1.7k

Synopsis: He'll buy you absolutely anything your heart desires, but he longs for you to describe things as more than just "nice"

TW: Yandere, abusive themes, bribery, NSFW themes, toxic relationship, Dub-Con

AN: I haven't written in FOREVER so forgive me if it's not awesome or if it feels incomplete. My last account got shadow banned :(, doesn't help that I was already pretty depressed before that. No time for sob stories here, it's been two years since I've written anything and I miss writing, thanks for joining me!

Gems that dazzled and gleamed stars in the night sky, silver that was carved painstakingly from the mines in Liyue, an appearance that was beautiful, but still kept up with the most current fashion trends. He had truly outdone himself with this one, this has to be the one that would take your breath away. The one that would make you leap into his arms and pepper his face with kisses from your sweet lips that he rarely got the chance to taste.

When it came to gifts for you, there was no price tag. Childe would spend every mora he had if it meant he could even get a smile out of you and spend he often did. Money meant nothing to him, being a Fatui harbinger, his paychecks were larger than he knew what to do with. After sending money back home to his family, he still had so much left and nothing that he longed for other than your affection. So, why not spend it on something else he cared about?

Your eyes ghosted over the ring he was showing you, encased in a black velvet box with red satin holding it up. It wasn��t an engagement ring, he’d assured you of that multiple times after you were taken aback by him holding it up to you. He knew you weren’t ready for that just yet, and he was willing to respect your wishes, but he still wanted to give you something to wear on that pretty little finger to show that you were his while you waited for the real deal. Your engagement ring would be much, much larger than the one he was gifting you now and it would incorporate details from both of your home countries.

The expression on your face was unreadable. It wasn’t quite a grimace, but it wasn’t a smile either. It was the usual face you made when you were given something. An equal mixture of discomfort and unease. “It’s…nice.” you mumbled quietly as he slipped the ring onto your finger.

There was that word again. Nice. It made him sick to his stomach every time he heard it fall from your pretty lips. But that was always what you said about his gifts, as if you couldn’t think of another word to describe how you felt about them. Rare spices imported from Sumeru? Nice. A custom hanfu made from only the finest silk to wear to the lantern rite? Nice. Wine aged for almost a decade and shipped straight from Mondstadt? Very nice.

You spoke that one word, but even then it felt like you were straining yourself to say that much. On multiple occasions, your displeasure with receiving such expressive gifts was expressed, but he told you that that didn’t matter. Mora was just an object to him, something that held no value, and yet you still held each gift as if they would collapse under your touch.

“You can tell me if you don’t like it,”

“No!” you quickly retorted back, holding your hand up to examine the ring once more, “Its…” you purse your lips to stop yourself from saying the word, knowing that he would only be upset with your lack of what he considered to be a proper answer, “I like it.”

With a sigh and a dramatic slump of his shoulders, he reached up and cupped your face. His hand felt like solid ice against your cheek. Childe often claimed that that was another thing he loved about you so much. How warm your body was in comparison to himself. He told you that when he someday took you to Snezhnaya to meet his family, you would be his personal heater, that he wouldn’t let you go for even a second during the duration of your stay there.

“You don’t even wear the earrings I got you anymore,” Childe’s long fingers traced from your cheek to the lobe of your ear, grazing the empty hole where jewelry would go.

“You know I can’t wear those at work,”

“Then quit your job,” He spoke those words so quickly, with no hesitation, a part of you was convinced you imagined it. But you working was a constant conflict of interest between the two of you, something you’d even argued about before.

The situation grew heated that day. Both of you, yelling back and forth about what you thought was right. You remembered seeing his eyes glow at the same time as his vision that rested on his hip, making your stomach drop. Childe would never hurt you, would he? But even you didn’t know the answer to that, you could never be too sure about what was going on in the mind of a harbinger. So you backed down slightly, telling him that it was something you would consider, and that answer sufficed with him for the time being.

“Childe-”

“Ajax,” he cut you off. He hated when you used his codename, claiming that as his future wife, you alone should be allowed to call him by his given name.

“Ajax," you exhaled harshly after speaking his name, "I really would like to work and be independent,”

For just the briefest of moments, his eyes went dull, his smile fell, his facade faltered and he was his true self. It only lasted for less than a second, the average person might not have even seen it, but you’d spent so much time with him. You knew his tells. You knew that even though he was smiling again, it was completely fake. He was angry, even if the gleam in his eyes didn't show it.

A cold kiss was pressed against your cheek, just a peck to get his point across. When he pulled away, still making eye contact, he was still so close that you could feel his shallow breath on your skin. He squatted down slightly to meet your eyes and whispered against your lips, “I don’t plan to let my wife work. Why don’t you quit now, have a little practice before we’re wed?”

He said that as a suggestion, but you knew it wasn’t one. With Childe there were only orders and threats, nothing in between. You had no choice on whether or not you’d get to work, on whether or not you got to live alone, on whether or not you married him. In his eyes, you were already his, and there was absolutely nothing you could do about it.

A lump was caught in your throat as you tried to figure out what to say. Could you even tell him that the prospect of marrying him was something that seldom crossed your mind? Something that even when you did think about, it brought a twinge of fear into your heart. That on multiple occasions, you considered leaving him, but your unease around him was what was making your stay.

“I…” you finally met his gaze as you tried to force words out of your tense body. His eyes felt so cold and the hand that he had managed to snake its way down onto your shoulder was gripping your flesh tightly. It was a warning that what you said next would matter, “I should just-”

“You should quit,” he spoke the last part of the sentence for you, not caring about what you truly wanted to say.

Eyes turned downcast, you gave a slow nod. There wasn’t much of a choice with him anymore, he was hellbent on that being your answer. He had given you an order, if you didn’t react the way he wanted you to, you would regret it.

The grip that was on your shoulder loosened, exhibiting that you had pleased him and another kiss was placed on your cheek as a reward. This time his lips touched just below your eyes, where tears were threatening to fall, “That’s my girl,” another peck right against your lips, “How about I buy you something special, huh? For being so good.”

You swallow slowly, trying to keep yourself from falling apart in front of him, clenching and unclenching your fist as a way to self soothe. Your voice was shaky as you delivered your stiff answer, “Sure. That sounds lovely.”

“How about a new pair of earrings,” he followed this up by lightly biting the side of your ear, “or maybe a new necklace,” you felt his warm tongue slide down from your ear to your collarbone, making all the hairs on your body stand up, “Or maybe even a new dress,” he spoke into your neck, his hand reaching down and trying to slide the dress you were wearing up your thigh, exposing your your bare skin to the air.

You jolted your body backwards, your hands placed against his chest in an attempt to keep the distance between the two of you. He was moving so fast. Too fast. Even though it had been a while since you and him had last been intimate, for him to try it again so suddenly was worrisome.

You didn’t dare look at his face. There was no doubt about it that he was upset at your response to his touch, he never liked when you rejected him. The hand that was placed against him, was taken into his. The way he held you was gentle, but you could still feel force behind his movement. The thumb of his hand traced the back of your palm as he held you, before lifting it up and placing a kiss against it. Right on your finger, right on the very expensive ring he’d just bought you, almost as a way to draw your attention to it once more.

“What’s gotten into you? Hm?” he had an eyebrow cocked and a grin on his face, “Pushing me away like that after I got you something so precious? You’re going to hurt my feelings.”

“I just don’t think I’m in the mood for this right now,” you mumbled, switching between looking at your dress you were fiddling with and his borderline unblinking eyes.

Silence fell over the two of you, to the point where you could hear your own heart beat, the sound of blood pumping in your ears, the sound of his breaths that were slightly heavier than normal. Childe was rarely quiet. It was hard to get him to keep his mouth shut. In a way his anger was scaled based on how loud he was, the quieter, the worse.

His large hand came into your sight again, making you flinch about what was coming ahead, but rather than being struck, he used his thumb to trace your lips, “Figure something out.”

[windvexer]

Using tarot to read on magical events in your own practice: quick theory, new card meanings, and spread ideas

this post is OC based on my personal tarot practice; the examples given are hypothetical for the sake of this post.

Well-meaning guy: "If you think that event was a bad omen, why not read tarot to clarify?"

Person who learned tarot from popular online resources and introspection-focused art decks: "I drew the 6/Cups, so I guess my ward falling off the wall is about my inner child?"

Tarot meanings change and evolve over time. Historical meanings are often not the same, or even contrary to, modern meanings. (Consider, 6/Pentacles: the French present moment was misinterpreted to mean presents, gifts).

By acknowledging that many modern meanings available for tarot cards are modern interpretations for modern concerns, many of which have fuckall to do with witchcraft, we can also acknowledge that we can apply our own sets of meanings to tarot to achieve personal interpretations in pursuit of personal goals.

I call this concept symbol sets, and you can apply your own symbol sets to certain tarot readings in order to rapidly obtain information about magical events in your life.

Symbol sets can be swapped out for each reading. You can intend to operate on your "normal meanings" for a typical reading, and then intend to operate with "magical omen meanings" for another reading.

There are no such things as universal tarot card meanings; there are some traditional meanings, some historical meanings, and many modern meanings. Adjust what each card means to you to your heart's delight.

The more symbol sets I've developed and practiced with, the more versatile and accurate my tarot reading has become. Working with custom symbol sets might be the single biggest leap in my reading ability in 16 years of practice. At least, it feels that way!

Quick n' Dirty Symbol Set for Magical Omens, Appropriate for Everyday Use

1. Apply general portents to each suit which matches your magical practice.

Here is one set that could be suitable to troubleshooting potentially magic events:

Swords, or Air: Misfortune, betrayal, malefica, ill-intent, adversity, due to harmful (even if unintentional) spirit action, pointless or wasted effort. Sometimes, banishing, binding and hexes.

Wands, or Fire: A lot of power, excessive power, due to your own actions, uncontained energy, something you did was very much overdone. Sometimes, protection and empowerment.

Pentacles, or Earth: Mundane, physical and normal reasons, an everyday occurrence, mundane but natural growth and change. Sometimes, unlocking and unblocking.

Cups, or Water: Blessings, magic working as intended (even if unexpectedly), the normal course of magical events, magical growth and change. Sometimes, cleansing and purifying.

Major Arcana: Guiding spirits and gods; their behaviors, guidance, or messages.

A spirit worker might like to add an additional layer of complexity, which modifies the prior set:

Court Cards: The actions of another being, such as a practitioner, god, or spirit, whether they acted intentionally to bring about the event or not.

(Further breakdown, as an example: Swords courts are beings intentionally acting badly; Wands courts are the most important spirits of your path; Pentacles courts are mundane folk or spirits unrelated to your path; Water courts are other practitioners, or spirits related to your path without being in your "inner court.")

Interpret any card drawn within these principles. Here are a few random examples. Let's say, a money spell has failed to produce results, and we'd like to know why.

5/Cups [disappointment, failure]: This is the normal course of magical events; the spell wasn't cast well, and so nothing is happening.

9/Wands [determination, boundaries]: A lot of energy was raised, but incorrectly targeted or released; the energy is cooped up.

Judgment [judgment]: An important spirit in your path wants you to deal with what you have been avoiding, and will interfere with your magic until you face them.

Spread Ideas

"What's going on with that thing?" | 3 cards

Card 1: The source or cause

Card 2: The current state of affairs

Card 3: Suggested action

Example; the money jar doesn't work: Card 1, King/Swords: The source of failure was the person in the discord server who promised to curse you for not feeling the same way about Destiel as they did. Card 2, Page/Pentacles: The current state of affairs is that as a symptom of the curse, an unaware person or spirit is blocking the prosperity you seek. Card 3, Queen/Cups: Ask a benevolent spirit or helpful practitioner friend to assist you in unblocking the situation.

Determining responsibility | 2 cards

Card 1: Why this thing happened

Card 2: Why it didn't happen; one thing that wasn't the cause at all

Example; the ward fell off the wall: Card 1, 10/Pentacles: This happened because of random happenstance in the home; it was not a magical event. Card 2, Ace/Swords: This action was unrelated to malefica or bad spirits or things like that.

Foresight Before Acting | 4 cards

Card 1: The current state of affairs

Card 2: The outcome of your intended plan of action

Card 3: Recommended plan of action

Card 4: The outcome of the recommended plan

Example; the spirits did not seem to appear during a spirit petition spell: Card 1, 3/Wands: Sufficient energy was raised to attract the attention of spirits, but they may not have been properly called to action. Card 2, 6/Swords: Your plan to call the spirits back and re-cast the spell is a fruitless attempt at a transition into a new plan. Card 3, Empress: Communicate with your primary goddess or powerful spirit of the earth and obtain input and guidance. Card 4, Magician: This plan will result in obtaining important magical information about this type of summoning spell you are trying to achieve.

[shirefantasies]

LoTR Characters When You Give Them Flowers

Sorry for the absence, been crazy times 😅 Just something cute I couldn’t get out of my head, enjoy~ Also, correcting my Faramir drought let’s frickin go 🤙🏻

Aragorn

The last town you’d stopped in, there’d been a girl. A little thing, hardly more than seven or eight years old, and there she stood with a basket in hand. She was selling flowers, long and dainty stems with white blooms, no doubt to help her family sitting off in the distance.

The moment he laid eyes upon her, Aragorn had bent over, pressing the loaf he had just bought into her hand and whispering some words of hope you wished you could hear. Heart leaping, you watched him move along before approaching the girl yourself.

~

When night had fallen and a fire began crackling, you took the flowers from behind your back and held them out to the ranger you so dearly loved. The smile that instantly graced him was truly a worthwhile blessing.

“I know where you found these,” he remarked, turning them gently over in his hand as his smile softened.

You mirrored the expression. “I thought they could use a bowl of soup to split the loaf with. And you deserve a gift, even to the smallest gifts of the earth.”

Wordlessly, Aragorn took your hand with the one not holding the flowers, clutching it tight as his blue eyes gazed into yours.

Legolas

“Do you elves know anything of the language of flowers?”

Legolas’s brows furrowed a bit at that, and you couldn’t help giggling at the sight of his expression, his next choice of words. “Words of the trees, yes, but flowers? Perhaps an old tale.”

“No, no,” you shook your head, still smiling, “my people have quite the elaborate custom around flowers. Different blooms in different colors make quite unique statements. Take roses for instance- they come in a whole slew of colors.”

“I see,” he nodded, “so a yellow rose would speak volumes apart from a red one, then?”

Your heart leapt at Legolas’s choices, his unwitting contrast between the blossoms of friendship and passionate, deep love. “Indeed. There are even flowers that say ‘your letter was received’! But if this is unfamiliar to the elves, any flowers would be quite the surprise, would they not?”

“We have always had appreciation for the earth’s beauty.”

You took that as as close of a yes as you’d get, shaking your head as you shifted in the hard base of your seat, turning back to grab the vase of flowers you’d made for your friend, the one who made your heart beat like no other. White lilies could symbolize mourning, but also that one’s love was pure. Perfect, perhaps, if unrequited. Pink irises for hope, though. Hundred-leaved roses in pink for a love truly sincere. Bursts of snow and sunset pink dotted with faint yellow, all curated by your hand to shine with words you hadn’t the heart to speak aloud.

“As do I. These I arranged for you, in fact!” Hands curling around the vase, you held your gift aloft.

Legolas’s dark eyes lit up, mischief crossing his handsome face. “Now that I’ll be guessing the meaning?”

You flushed, rising from your seat as his hands covered yours, accepting your offering. “Well, I was just curious if you’ve heard of-”

“Oh, it is far too late for that! I’m certain Lord Elrond has books on the subject. By tomorrow I’ll be an expert, and who knows? Perhaps you’ll find some flowers of your own.”

You couldn’t help shakily smiling as Legolas’s eyes peered into yours glittering so, his hands still resting warmly over yours.

Boromir

“Boromir! Look!”

The man in question turned his head at the sound of your voice, watching as you bounded his way with hands full of flowers. Their bright color perfectly brought out the tone of your twinkling eyes, eyes that glittered unlike anything Boromir had ever witnessed before.

“Lovely, truly,” he inclined his head toward them as you reached him, “the finest. Where did you come by these?”

“Off at the far end of the meadow!”

Boromir chuckled deeply. “The firewood may have been forgotten, then?”

Pouting suited you, didn’t it? Adorable indeed. “Well, I just saw these and-”

“Worry not,” he slid an arm about your waist, “firewood is no emergency. You deserve this small joy- we all do.”

Glancing down a bit, you extended your hand, raising your treasure such that it practically brushed you both as it connected you. “Well, they are for you.” Were you flushing?

“For me? Well, what a gift! I suppose they do suit me more than you. After all…” Smiling, Boromir tightened his grip around you just a bit. “The most beautiful blossom in leagues is right here. If you keep this little bouquet they will envy you forever.”

Gimli

You stand beneath the awning’s shade, swaying slightly as you tend to the baskets placed along your cart. Your favorite is one filled with mountain poppies collected near the base of the snows, cheery and delicate and brisk as it had felt to be there trimming them. Truly you love your life, though it gets lonely having only plants to speak to. Sometimes you find yourself drifting into fantasy, imagining someone to protect you. You like to think you’re no damsel in distress, but the truth of the matter is you’ve never been a fighter and the village ravagers have been drawing closer.

~

A woman purchases a simple vase of sunflowers, nodding gratefully as you pass them to her. Behind her, though, emerges a shorter figure- a dwarf, by the looks of his armor and beard. You smile. That trip to the mountains introduced you to a host of very friendly dwarrowdams who bid you stay in their boardinghouse, boisterous though it may have been.

“Good afternoon,” you greet him from aside an arrangement of daisies.

“Good afternoon indeed! Tell me, though, why one as fair as yourself is hiding behind a lot of old daisies, eh?”

Flushing, you shrug and step around the side of the cart, removing all obstructions. “I suppose I’m just a bit used to it is all. Were you looking for anything in particular?”

The dwarf shakes his head. “Nay, I was just struck by the sight of the one smile this town seems to have.”

It is a fair point. Rohan has been downcast of late, hope in short supply with all the attacks. Your lot was seen as mere peasants in the way of it all.

“Times have been hard. The orc packs have been running rampant for a long time. I- I don’t know how much longer we can hold out.”

Smirking victoriously, the dwarf leans on his axe. “You wouldn’t happen to mean the pack of stragglers that just got slaughtered, would you?”

You lit up. “You’ve seen them?”

“With my own eyes. They certainly won’t be bothering you anymore.”

“Pick anything you’d like here, please, it isn’t much, but it is the least I could do to repay your gift,” you insisted, waving a hand over your display.

He scanned your cart before a look of comical shock burst across his face at the poppies. Noting it, you lifted the basket gingerly into his hands.

“Those are my favorites, too! And they are yours.”

“Only if you keep one to remember me by. Gimli, son of Glóin,” he introduces himself sweepingly, outstretched hand deftly producing a poppy to hold out your way.

Frodo

“What is this one?” Frodo inquired, holding up a small leather tome.

“Oh,” you tilted your head, “that one is a bit different. Here, let me show you.”

Shifting to sit at his side, you took the book from his outstretched palms and opened it, revealing pages blank save for the flowers you’d pressed in them, splashes of yellow, red, purple, green.

“I try to add one from everywhere I’ve been,” you added, turning the pages, “I even have a page from the Shire.”

The spread of the next pages revealed stems of lavender you’d plucked from gardens, Shire daisies, even some pansies you’d plucked from Bag End itself, and plenty more, too. Frodo’s bright eyes widened at the sight of it, a smile growing upon his lips.

“This is a treasure to see- a reminder of home, and one I can touch, too,” he sighed, brushing his fingers softly over the crisp petals, “I remember the feel of them again.”

His relief was practically palpable in the air as his eyelids fluttered shut in content, smile growing. Heart swelling, you pushed it closer to him.

“It’s yours.”

“I can’t-” He protested.

Handing the leather-bound book over to him, you nodded. “Yes, you can. Your happiness, your relief, is a much greater gift than these to me. The earth will renew it over again on my travels,” you told him with a smile.

One of Frodo’s hands left the petals long enough to linger atop yours. “I will never be parted from it.”

Sam

“Sam! Oh, Sam, wait up!”

Turning his golden head your way, Sam smiles the moment he sees you, sending your heart leaping from your chest as he speaks your name softly in reply.

“What is it?”

“Well, nothing, really,” you reply shyly, hands behind your back, “I just saw these and thought of you.”

Alight is the only word you could have used to describe Sam’s face as your hands leave your back and bring forth the bunch of little bluish-white blossoms you had just discovered a little off the road.

“Absolute beauts, those are,” he breathes with a grin, “harebell, they’re called. They like to grow in rocks for some reason, the little buggers.”

His knowledge sweeps you off your feet, but you can’t help asking. “Do you like them?”

“Of course I do! These are some really pretty ones, very bright indeed!”

Holding them out, you giggle nervously. “Well, good, because they’re for you! I picked these to give you, Sam.”

Jaw dropping and green eyes widening, Sam reaches forward and gently takes the miniature bouquet from your hands. “You mean it?” He asks with another bright grin.

“I really do,” you smile and nod.

For the rest of the day those harebells don’t leave Sam’s hand, and any time he has a moment’s idleness he’s looking at them, fingers gently caressing the blossoms as he glances your way with a smile.

Merry

Normally Merry dipped you. But you changed that that night. Normally he was the one to sweep you off your feet, charm you, but it was you who stole his breath away that night. The way you took his hand and pulled him closer into the dance, twirled him and brought him inches from your face, only had him wanting more.

What really got him, though? The rose you’d handed him at the end of it all. Such a simple gesture and yet he couldn’t tear his eyes off the thing. Or you.

Surely you noticed. The two of you were quite comfortable, else you wouldn’t be dancing so, but no one had gone beyond any teasing. It was all in good fun, unspoken attraction that suddenly grew, enveloping and consuming Merry’d beating heart as he looked at you with new passion. He needed someone who made his heart race so by his side. Someone like you could keep him up being the best hobbit he could be.

And that was why he marched right up to you later in the evening, taking one more massive swig of ale before he approached, rose twirling between his fingertips all the while.

“I hope you meant this,” he nodded down to the bright red bloom, “as much as I mean this.”

Your lips parted, the beginnings of a question fell from them, but not much escaped before your lips were pulled into Merry’s, your hands falling against his chest.

Pippin

Never had you felt so light as when you were around one mister Peregrin Took. All your time with him, it seemed, was spent in joy, laughter, comfort. One look from him was all it took for a smile to creep onto your face. One song from him and it was all you could do not to kiss him right then and there.

For your part, though, you weren’t sure how he felt, thus you acted accordingly, enjoying the time you had with him as much as possible without pushing your feelings. Well, not too much- he was quite fun to tease, after all!

A flower had caught your eye as you strolled, some little cousin to a daisy bursting from brush in a merry little yellow spark you couldn’t help taking for yourself.

Well, mostly. “For you,” you said in a playful lilt, holding it out his way.

The manner in which his smile and shoulders rose had you shyly grinning. “For me?” He repeated, ecstatic as he was incredulous.

The moment you nodded the flowers was all but snatched from your hand. “Where do you think it would look better, here?” First he tucked it into his mess of curls. “Or here?” Tucking it next into the buttonhole of his coat, he grinned at you.

Giggling, you told him he didn’t have to wear it.

“Oh, I want to. I want the whole of Middle Earth to know you’ve given me this gift.” Comical as his words were, the shine in his eyes told you Pippin was sincere.

Faramir

The steward of Gondor had gone up before the people to address them on some perceived victory. To his side he had pulled up his son, the elder one, and named him spearhead of it all. Boromir was a great man, certainly, but so in no shorter words was his brother Faramir, the dearer sibling to your heart.

The moment you met Faramir in the crowd of people, mostly men celebrating in their keep outfit, dented as it was, you rested a hand upon his shoulder. “Let nobody so insignificant taint your victory, Faramir. Were it not for you, half the city would not even be standing.”

“We could have kept it as it was if we-”

“No,” you shook your head, leaning a bit further on him, “none of that. You are a man, not a miracle worker. And so is your brother and everyone else in your family. You have fortitude of mind, strength of heart.”

“Yet less the swing of a sword,” Faramir chuckled.

“The swing of a sword alone a kingdom does not make,” you teasingly chastised, waving a finger, “besides, you have something none of them will ever have.”

“And what is that?” He asks, gently lifting your hand off his shoulder and up to his lips.

“My heart,” you reply, pulling one of the flowers woven into your hair out to press it into his other palm.

Faramir pulls those petals to his lips, too, twirling the stem thoughtfully with a hum. “Then I am, indeed, blessed.”

Eomer

Every time it felt like your heart would shatter. He left again and again but it never got easier wondering if the man you’d grown to love would be torn from you in a brutal battle, one lax moment ending it all.

Tears pricked at your eyes as he looked into them with a smile far too easygoing to you. Too assured.

“Do not look so defeated,” Eomer told you, reaching down with a hand to caress your face in a way that sent your heart leaping, “it’s a small raiding party, that is all.”

“I know, I just-” Your breath hitched, words caught in your throat. “I care about you. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

At that, he smiled, releasing his hand again. “You should worry more for the orcs.”

“Still, though, here,” shaking your head, you produced the bundle of flowers you’d tied together for him, face warming, “take these. For luck.”

Eomer’s smile widened even as his horse grew a bit restless; giving its mane a quick pat, he reached down to accept your proffered gift. Sweeping some golden hair off his shoulder, he tucked your blossoms into his saddle.

“Now I know I’ll make it,” he replied, and with a wink he rode off.

Needless to say, he has gifts of his own planned when he returns: a confession, once and for all, and a kiss.

Haldir

"Come now, keep up!"

"Whatever for?"

Laughing, you turn to face Haldir once more and see him ascending the spiraling steps behind you with a look of exasperation. Perhaps, too, amusement. Long, fair hair whips about his face in the breeze as a smile teases onto his lips.

“Is it so bad to spend a little time together?” You shot back merrily, feet still eagerly tapping upon every plank that raised you higher amidst the boughs.

“I only ask because I know of your schemes,” Haldir teases in response.

“If you must know,” you stopped, hands on your hips before you waved one about a spray of vines snaking over the tree’s bark, powder-blue blossoms extending from them, “my scheme was to see if you'd noticed these in your travels."

"I had not," he murmured in response, stepping to your side to caress a pale petal gently, warmth filling you at his proximity.

With a small smile, you took up the age-old habit you'd developed in childhood so many years past, deftly plucking and weaving stems together as Haldir watched with amused interest. Unsure as you were how much time passed, he stood stock-still even as you finished your work, placing the crown of flowers atop his head.

"Here you are, My King," you jested with a smile, taking two steps forward.

Grey eyes staring into yours, Haldir took your hand, shaking his head softly and taking a blossom of his own. "Wait here. No king should rule alone, after all."

Eowyn

Riding brought such joy and exhilaration as one could hardly know elsewhere, especially with a fair and fearless maid like Lady Eowyn at your side. The smile you so longed to see bloomed across her face as you both urged your horses on, picking up speed into a run across the green of the plains. The thudding of hooves invigorated you as the pair of you pressed on, riding like the wind until whim took you to dismount and stop for a breather.

As you sat upon the grass, a dotting of pink flowers amidst the waving green caught your eye; joy seizing you, you picked one after the other until you had a tiny handful. Eowyn’s eyes, you saw, drifted over your work, but she said nothing.

Nothing, that was, until you broke the silence. “These remind me of you, you know. We often think of flowers here as signs of mourning, but these? These are hope. Bits of brightness out of nothing.”

She smiled faintly, shyly, blue eyes shining. “Sometimes it does not feel so.”

“Well, to me it is so,” you replied, extending your little bouquet her way.

The glitter of her eyes somehow brightened as she looked upon your gift, smile opening all the way. You were overcome at the sight of it, the return of warmth to the fairest of faces, and before you realized it you had leaned in and pressed your lips to hers.

Arwen

“But surely you have already received so many mighty gifts!”

“None were from you,” Arwen replied simply, breathily, waving a hand, “come, show me.”

Her smile, breathtaking even in the simplest of moments, encouraged you to pull your hands from behind your back, revealing the bouquet you’d recently tied. With the best ribbon you’d found on hand, of course, beautiful white silk lined with thin silver.

“You see, I wanted to honor you with gifts pure as your heart- gifts from the earth. These are-”

“From the garden where we met!” Arwen was one to remain composed, often feeling the pressure of her years and upbringing and, surely, wisdom. “Of course I remember! You tripped and I caught you!”

Unable to help flushing beneath her grin and the rush of memory, the heat across your face as you pitched over a stone and were captured by the hand of the most graceful maiden you’d ever seen, you simply smiled. “That would be the time. Ever since that day I cannot walk past white roses without thinking of you. And that seems fitting,” you added.

Arwen pursed her lips, eyebrows raising curiously. “Oh?”

“Pure,” you repeated, “fair and beloved as all. Delicate, but formidable. More than capable of defending themselves.”

“Are you saying I have thorns?” She teased, leaning an arm upon your shoulder, breath warm against your ear.

“I’ve seen what you can do,” you shot back, “perhaps I am.”

“Well, at any rate, I love this gift far beyond all displays of wealth. This is a gift of your heart, is it not?”

The moment you nodded, her arms were thrown about your neck, pulling you into the warmth of her chest and letting your heart beat against hers.

[assortedvillainvault]

Me, sending Thalassa another ask after a long tumblr absence? It's more likely than you think ;)

My request this time is more Shen x Reader...but through the Henchwolves' POV

Gimme that minion gossip 😆

It's benn a Goddamn Minute since I wrote anything for the murderbird, please accept this humble offering my friend! This is set loosely within Shen's hostile takeover of his family's palace, just pretend it's taking a few months longer for Po and the Furious Five to arrive.

Lord Shen x Reader (Henchwolves POV)

Sooo...the boss’s in looovvveee…

Ok well it’s more like Shen is speed-cycling through every emotion under the sun, like some kind of cursed knife throwing merry-go-round.

From an outside perspective that part is no different to how he normally is, really, potato tomato.

But ever since YOU entered the picture, he’s been swinging between regality and rage like it’s going out of fashion.

This would normally be time for the wolves to about-face and shamelessly hide behind the hired muscle of the rhino and gorilla guards, but between your bemused reactions and the Soothsayers amused snorts they have front row seats to China’s cheesiest love story and they’re not missing ANY of the drama.

Don’t forget, the wolves have followed Shen for nearly two decades by now – they know him. His ins and outs, his twitches and grandiose gestures. The way his right eyelid twitches when he can’t feel the knives in his sleeves.

They’re not familiar with the way his elegant steps stumble when you surprise him. Or how he loses his train of thought and sputters when you question his judgement. Or how he seems to fight the noble training of several years to fidget with his robes before posing just so to meet with you.

Guards from both the throne room and the gardens noticed his tail sweeping and twitching when talking to you, and in their experience, Shen’s tail is a dead giveaway for his flintstrike temper and at the time they were 99% certain he was about to stick a knife in your back and call it a day…

...until he presented you with a custom ordered gift and his overwrought nerves had his tail nearly leap into it’s classic fan as he awkwardly swallowed a squawk into a cough, trying to pretend this was a spur of the moment thing rather something he'd agonized over in private for five days.

At guard change they all but barged into the guardroom mess, hollering and sniggering.

“Shen’s PRESENTING!”

Chaos ensues. Bets are taken, at least one table is broken. One poor bastard ends up tossed from a fifth story window. He's probably fine.

It’s all boss wolf can do not to roll his eyes.

In contrast to the rest of the henchman – he operates much closer to Shen in a day to day capacity. So HE’s the poor bugger having to endure Shen’s erratic mumbling as the neurotic bird pores over battle plans, supply chains, letters and negotiations from nobility and powerful individuals to bribe. All that, he can deal with.

...What he can’t deal with is the way Shen’s eyes will glaze over mid mumble and suddenly he’s got an earful of spoiled royal lamenting how 50 reams of china’s finest silks isn’t even close enough to a satisfactory nest and How is he supposed to curry your favour if you only have 25 colours to choose from???

Fucking. BIRDS and their obsession with shiny shit.

Meanwhile, the Soothsayer is very much enjoying watching Shen work himself into a knot over whether or not he should ask her for a love life prediction.

It’s just a waiting game before he cracks. And she’s more than happy to trip him up and poke fun in the meantime, catching your eye from the background and winking as she eats his sashes and pulls fake prophesies out of her ass.

(She approves of you, don’t worry, and she lowkey is happy for Shen to have found someone as wonderful as you, but also: you deserve better and her lingering fondness for Shen as his former nanny doesn’t blind her to that.)

Hope you enjoyed these headcannons friend!

[icycoldninja]

Can you write the DMC men with a reader who’ve never seen snow for once in her life so the first time they spent their Christmas together, she is extremely excited

To the point in which her first reaction to seeing snow for the first time is to dive her head first into the snow like a fox despite possible chances of brain freeze

The first time she saw a frozen lake, she immediately jumped down skating. Imagine a dog having zoomies, that’s basically her initial reaction to experiencing actual winter for the first time

She gets curious of everything like Christmas traditions, customs, what do people eat during Christmas, etc They have to remind her that it’s okay if she doesn’t have enough money buying Christmas stuffs because this will not be the only Christmas she’ll ever celebrate in her life

(Like a mom telling her kids that they’ll go to Disneyland next year, promising to buy merchandises and stuffs meanwhile the kid is worried that their mom is bluffing)

P/S: As someone who grew up in a Tropical country, there is basically no concept of Christmas other than the cool uncle cosplaying as the Santa, a worn down Christmas tree used year after year; the mall and the l thing I’ve got to experience that is somewhat close to Christmas is the Christian neighborhood and the local church 🙁

Oh that sucks, man. Where I'm from, we have snow 3/4 of the year. Some people don't even bother to take down their outdoor Christmas lights.

Sparda boys + V x Reader who has never seen snow headcannons

¤ Dante ¤

-Dante was used to snow, so he didn't think there was anything interesting about it.

-You, on the other hand, had never seen snow in your life, so the moment it began snowing, you beheld the scene like you were watching a new planet come into existence--and for you, it kinda was.

-He watched in amusement as you leaped into a nearby snowdrift, sinking into the powdery white and quite possibly suffering a brain freeze seconds afterwards. He laughed as you tried to eat snow, and laughed some more when you started rolling around in it, now drenched because of the snow that melted on your skin.

-Dante made sure to rescue you when you got stuck, however that happened, and spent the afternoon making snowmen with you.

-He also had you help him hang up the Christmas lights, even if the majority of your job was untangling the knots since he was too lazy to do it.

-Teaches you all the Christmas traditions like decorating the tree, making cookies, decking the halls, and such, but your favorite is drinking hot chocolate while cuddling up to a movie.

■ Vergil ■

-Vergil doesn't understand why you freak out over snow. It's just frozen water, what's so interesting?

-Oh, but it does entertain him to see you frolic and leap about with joy, so he stands there and smiles, arms folded tightly against his chest.

-Had to pull you out of a snowdrift because you don't understand snow isn't water and cannot be swum in.

-Snows you Christmas traditions such as baking, decorating, gift giving and such.

-You were a bit down when you learned gift giving was important to Christmas celebrations, as you didn't have much money to your name, but Vergil told you not to worry. Your gift doesn't have to be expensive, it can be something as simple as your presence.

-You guys have a lot of fun baking cookies together, that's for sure, even you're the one doing most of the cooking since Vergil is useless in the kitchen.

□ Nero □

-Nero thought it was so cute how you got so worked up over snow.

-He took you to a frozen lake nearby and watched as you tried to skate in your snowboots.

-Of course you fell down several times, but he was there to pick you back up.

-Made you hot cocoa while you watched movies after a long day of decking the halls, and now that's your favorite Christmas memory.

-He teaches you about the traditions and stuff, but tells you not to worry about giving expensive gifts. Handmade things or hugs and kisses suffice just fine.

-You guys ended up under the mistletoe once and both of you were blushing madly about it for hours, even though you're already dating.

● V ●

-It's V's first Christmas too, so you guys can be innocent little idiots together.

-Both of you were freaking out over snow, except you tried to dive in while he cautiously poked the surface with his cane.

-Neither of you know anything about Christmas traditions, so you hung out at Devil May Cry to soak up information.

-Had a blast helping Nero and Kyrie make the Christmas feast, as well as assisting the others with setting up the tree.

-You went out to a frozen lake, where both of you nearly died from fall damage when you slipped on the ice and fell down.

-Don't worry, other than being a little bruised, you guys are both fine and have been laughing about the incident ever since.

[merakiui]

I have arrived for..

HAPPY MERA DAYYYYY!! 🎉✨

I might be a bit early for you though but in our place it's 11/11!! Happy birthday to our dear Mera and may all the gacha lords give her the card that she had been yearning for and for you to have fun on your very special day!

... may tako (ಠ⁠ಗ⁠ಠ).. OR ANY OF YOUR FAVES COME HOME TO YOU~~

My gift to you is a brainworm for your birthday! As the queendom has said there is only one birthday for 366 days (it's a leap year) so happy birthday to you~

Skully J. Graves have kicked Tako out of your top fave (GOOD FOR YOU!) and so here is a brainworm for dear skully.

Skully is the King of Halloween and it is just befitting for him to have a queen just like how Jack has Sally. Many fans of him states here that skully would like a step sister or how he'll like you wearing something in the victorian era (or his era). I've got this idea out of your fic with Riddle with his father-in-law as a toy maker so, what if that's how skully met you? as a porcelain doll that he wouldn't have thought existed.

(I haven't been up to date much with his character but I'll try!) His mother who remarried a doll maker, from clay to wax to cloth he could make any tips but for Skully he has a favorite one, the human sized porcelain doll that his dear step father has made. So pretty, so calm.. surely it was made for him

Skullys been practicing wooing and courting someone with you, you wouldn't judge his shy self, just taking it with a soft smile that he thinks that deep down you were smiling at him, softly laughing as you think he's quite adorable with how he fumbles and stutters, he knew you'd accept him as how he is

But one day he heard that the doll is finally being delivered to the person who has commissioned the doll and he is desperate, what do you mean his doll is being taken away?? he couldn't just take it and hide it in his room and make his dear father who makes his mother happy pay for his mistakes so he volunteers to come with to deliver the doll, giving it a promise that he'd be back to take what's his..

and when they finally arrive at the manor, he stops. he stops and stares at the moving doll beside their customer that mysteriously looks too much like his doll who's in the box.

you were made just for him, weren't you?

hahaha I'm not that good with writing my thoughts out but I hope this at least got the brainworm through! happy Mera day once again~~ 🎁

PS. I love any name Mera gives to me hihi

-mafia tako/mera day anon

AAAAA DEAREST MAFIA TAKO ANON, THANK YOU!!!!! :D I feel like it would be much too egotistical if I gave you an anon name after myself (^^;;;), so I hope mafia tako anon is just as lovely a name!!! <3 now as for this delicious brain worm......... >:D

Ooooo I just love the idea of Skully falling head over heels for a doll, only to have his entire world shaken when it turns out there's a real person this doll is based on!!! >w< it could only be the work of fate that brought him to you!! And while he still treasures the doll very much, he quite likes the sound of your voice and the animated ways in which you move and exist. Stalking admiring you when you go out into town to do your shopping or when you're out on dates with your beloved (who shouldn't even be in the picture if you ask Skully >:( he wants to be your lover and he will,,, one day).

Skully who is so certain you'll love him in the same way he loves you. After all, he practiced kissing with you (the doll) and even professed his love dozens of times, and you accepted it with a wordless smile!!! So he's not sure why you (the real, living, moving you) is so frightened when he breaks into your home. He's sorry for being so rude and inviting himself in, but you just haven't been replying to his letters and he just wants to finally introduce himself in person... please don't be scared!! >_< waaa so delusional,,,

[facet-project]

september devblog!

this one's a littleeee quick and another one of those months where i can't like. show a chicken png and go "i did chickens :)" it's a lot of background processes and first steps to make things easier for me in the long run. 90% of this is me going "well i can't show you this. but know i'm doing it" and for that i am Sorry

this month was weird because i changed trajectories a few times. so i got a lot of Little Bits of random stuff done in lieu of doing anything Super Huge. i always feel weird on these months because it feels like i'm slacking but it's getting things set up to do big leaps later (and giving myself grace, one of the weekends i was supposed to work on this was the weekend the damn hurricane came in, ha....)

so remember when i said the prototype was slapped together with rubber bands and bubble gum? so whenever you entered a menu, i did an oopsie and had the player inputs Freeze instead of disabling movement. which resulted in a lot of softlocks where you couldn't get out of a menu without knowing the secret developer menu code that i made for debug. so now i'm working on a player state machine that knows what kind of movement the player is doing, which can turn off when you're menuing or when your movement is otherwise disabled! which makes the movement a lot more sophisticated (and a lot of work to set up and test). this is not finished yet but i've got the skeleton of it done, i just need to finish up the walking sprites and hook it up to the animation manager

some things i was working on was actual game Design: figuring out the nitty-gritty behind gifting and relationships, tying down what events and festivals happen at what parts of the year, writing down What Assets I'd Need For All Of This and paring down/throwing out old parts of the game document that don't apply anymore

and then story design stuff too! there are many story and plotlines running around town and i've started tying some of them down and seeing what can weave in with each other. i'm mostly focusing on nightshade mode, which is the shorter story mode i'm building before doing the custom character route.

and some of the character storylines requires me to do research on certain things i don't have firsthand experience with, so i'm getting that all squared away. don't look at my google search history. you'll think i'm a murderer trying to work through a bunch of different identity issues

next month is going to be Musical Lockdown. i have a week dogsitting for my parents with access to some of my dad's recording equipment and By God I'm Using That Time To Its Fullest. i have other things to do but that's the most important for october just because i don't get access to a quiet studio space too often. i hope these dogs don't mind it when i start shredding on the violin for like three hours at a time. i'm bringing extra strings i'm anticipating wearing my current ones out.

i know i said i wouldn't post music demos on here but like.. man i feel bad i don't have a lot to show off!! here's a shitty phone recording of my un-amped violin playing a teeny tiny melody i don't know what to do with yet

also, psst... no promises, but since next month is october... i may post a bunch of doodles of concept art of some of the townsfolk's scarecrow festival outfits. not doing a full inktober or anything but i think it would be fun!! it'll be the first time anyone outside my closest circle has seen most of these characters but p'shaww everyone loves halloween costumes

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Christmas Eve Masterlist

A Christmas Fantasy - chocolatesaucelester

Summary: Phil finds a secret diary of Dan’s, and unlike the first time he found one, this one is considerably different.

A Toast to Now (ao3) - melapplesphan

Summary: It's Christmas Eve, 2016, and Phil Lester's plane home for the holidays has been delayed due to snow. In a fit of boredom, he finds himself taking an uncharacteristic leap and striking up a conversation with "DanielH."

Meanwhile, Dan Howell can't quite believe that AmazingPhil - the same guy who ignored his messages 7 years ago - just started chatting with him on Grindr.

Baby, It's Cold Outside (ao3) - TodayWe_Are_Infinite

Summary: Dan is freezing cold on Christmas Eve, and Phil is always warm.

Best Christmas Ever - dxnhowell

Summary: It’s Christmas Eve and Dan isn’t the happiest teenager, especially after learning that he couldn’t meet his online boyfriend who he had been dating for six months, this Christmas. Dan’s parents set up a plan and they surprise him on Christmas morning.

Bottled Truths - cactuslester

Summary: All it takes is a drunken Christmas Eve in 2014 and the truth comes spilling out.

Can't Help Falling In Love - im2weirdforu

Summary: It’s christmas eve. Dan has a surprise for Phil and tells him to come to the living room. Candles are lit. Fairylights are lighting the room. Dan is sitting behind the piano and tells Phil to come over to him. When Dan begins, Phil can barely believe the words he’s hearing.

Christmas And Coffee Shops - phanficanddil

Summary: It’s Christmas Eve. Dan is late for work. Phil needs to get gifts. It’s the rush hour. Dan and Phil run into each other, and Phil saves Dan’s job at Macy’s from the grumpy old manager. They go over to Starbucks and talk about their ambitions, but Phil feels like something is missing… He forgot to get his mom a gift! Will they find the gift in time?

Christmas At The Lesters' (ao3) - internetakeover (nymeriahale)

Summary: 7 years after Dan first spent a Christmas Eve with the Lesters he's finally returning, this time for the whole festive season.

Christmas Eve (ao3) - KaytheJay

Summary: Dan and Phil set up Santa for their daughter.

Christmas Eve in the Howell-Lester household - ultxmasunicornphanfics

Summary: Dan and Phil spend Christmas eve with their son, Jonathan, and end the evening with the one word story game.

Close To Me - paradisobound

Summary: Dan is a bartender at a local bar on Christmas Eve when a new customer walks in and asks for something strong. Hours later, he finds himself in the midst of a one night stand with the new customer that leaves him feeling something new the night before Christmas.

Happy Christmas - phinalphantasy7

Summary: It’s Christmas Eve 2009. Phil has had an amazing year, and the best part of it is sleeping on the sofa next to him.

How I Met Your Father - gorgeousdan

Summary:It’s Christmas Eve and Daphne Howell asks to hear the story of how her fathers met. Meanwhile, in 2015, Dan has been acting strange, and even he doesn’t know the cause.

Kindness (at the End) (ao3) - lovestillaround

Summary: A story about the Christmas Eve, a wooden chest left by Phil on the kitchen table, and a mission to get the key.

my wish come true (ao3) - dizzy

Summary: Dan spends Christmas Eve with Phil in 2009.

No Time Like the Present (ao3) - brookwrites

Summary: It was Christmas morning in the Lester household. Well, really Christmas Eve morning, but Dan bumped it up so he could give Phil a very important gift before leaving for his own home.

The Last Roll Of The Wrapping Paper - auroraphilealis

Summary: It’s midnight on Christmas Eve, and Phil has just realized he has no wrapping paper.

The Night of Christmas Eve (ao3) - Full_Moon_Lover

Summary: “I know we hate each other but it’s Christmas Eve and your flight was cancelled, please come outside.”

two turtle doves (ao3) - ravels (orphan_account)

Summary: to say that christmas eve in the howell-lester household was a very busy event would be almost akin to saying, "the sun is rather warm."

or, a quick obligatory christmasfic featuring parent!phan, baking, and milo the corgi.

You Can Coax The Cold Right Out Of Me (ao3) - ashisnotmyname

Summary: It's Christmas Eve, and Dan and Phil are at a Christmas party. How will a game of spin the bottle change their relationship?

[gourmetgoober]

National Restaurant Deals for Leap Year 2024

Every four years, we're gifted an extra day on the calendar, thanks to the phenomenon known as Leap Year. And what better way to make the most of this bonus day than by indulging in some delicious food at your favorite restaurants? To help you celebrate Leap Year 2024 in style, we've rounded up some of the best national restaurant deals and promotions nationwide.

Wendy's - Customers who visit their local Wendy's at or before 10:30 a.m. can reportedly snag a free Cinnabon Pull-Apart to celebrate Leap Day.

Dunkin'- Dunkin' Rewards members can get a medium Cinnamon Vanilla Coffee for just $2 when ordering through the Dunkin' app. Plus, reward members will receive 4x points on all app purchases made on Leap Day.

Krispy Kreme - Krispy Kreme will sell a dozen glazed doughnuts for just $2.29 on Leap Day with the purchase of any dozen at regular price.

The deal is even sweeter for Leap Day birthdays! You will receive a dozen glazed doughnuts for free, with no purchase necessary (but you will have to prove your birthday).

Chipotle - You can get free guacamole with promo code EXTRA24 via the website or app with any entree order on Leap Day!

Milk Bar - Leap Year babies will receive a free 6-inch birthday cake and cereal milk soft serve for $2.29.

[silvermoon424]

Fam I remember being SO excited for Pokemon X, it was my first time coming back into Pokemon after leaving for Gens 4 and 5. I went to the midnight release to pick up my pre-orders and being so excited to customize my character. I can't believe it's been 10 years.

I never stopped playing Pokemon (I've been buying the games consistently since Gen III; for Gen I I played my brothers' copies lol) but I was so excited for XY because it was the leap to the 3DS! I actually got a 3DS specifically so I could play X; thankfully, the 3DS ended up being a high school graduation gift from my parents.

I was in my first semester of college when the games came out so I couldn't go to the midnight release, but I remember making a beeline to Gamestop right after my last class to pick up my preordered copy of X. God, I seriously can't believe that was 10 years ago... what sweet nostalgia!

[gabriel-knox]

With this time of year being a bit harder than it once was and in light of recent events in town, a low-key, quiet Christmas at home is exactly what the Knox family ordered. It's the kind of respite they all desperately need. With a fire steadily crackling away in the fireplace, presents under the tree, and holiday movies streaming on repeat, it still has all the makings of being the best Christmas yet– and if Gabe has anything to say about it, it will be.

Between Tyler's new Xbox game and Lochlyn's T-Swift tickets from Uncle Theo, they'll be on cloud nine for hours right along with Ozzie, Goose, and Maverick with their mountains of new toys and treats. Despite having little to no wine knowledge, Gabe gifted Sawyer a couple vintage bottles in the hopes that they'll be a big hit, but it's the gift he gave her during one of their porch chats that resonates most.

Taking a bit of a leap of faith, Gabe had two rings custom made, each engraved with the coordinates of the exact spot in Tonopah where he first realized he loved Sawyer over twenty years ago. Come hell or high-water, he wants her to know he's committed to the life they've been building together, and nothing or no one can change that.

@sawyerdecker

[viiridiangreen]

ehehehehehehehehe

So a couple weeks ago, a guy hit me up on rent-an-egirl and we played Destiny for a lil while and Elden Ring came up & I mentioned I wanted to try it & he just decided to give it to me as a gift on the spot ???

I've had trouble giving stuff as gifts internationally via steam before, so I asked him to send the $60 over paypal, that way I could buy it w/ my own card. It always takes a while for funds to make their way from my PP to my bank account, and by the time they did, my bank was being Fussy with Steam for some reason. My payment was rejected a few times & I decided to stop before the bank detected it as suspicious or something. It was after customer service hours for anything but stolen cards, so I filed it away mentally for the following day & promptly forgot all about it when Stressful Family Holiday Stuff came up.

Until now, when I realised the steam winter sale was still on & I was finally able to snag Elden Ring along with all the other stuff here that I've been wanting to try for years after seeing the sort of fanart & general gushing on my dash they've inspired...

I'd also been meaning to Diversify™ and make the leap from Destiny-exclusive creator to variety streamer, but struggling w/ how to make that happen since I actually haven't??? played anything but Destiny for years?? lol? With the exception of Warframe, which is cool, but Even Grindier... Though I'm miraculously not burnt out, spicing things up can't hurt either.

My PC is in Dire Need of some maintenance, but I already know the perfect tech guy for the job (a good friend's dad), just need to make the Logistics of it since they live right across town & moving my big ole furnituresque machine which I depend on to make a living is always nervewracking.... but yeah.

Good stuff happening on the Playing Games For An Audience front, even if yesterday's stream crashed like 4 times in a row lol

[boricuacherry-blog]

Stone Temple Pilot and Velvet Revolver frontman Scott Weiland discussed in his book, Not Dead & Not for Sale, a particular incident that happened when he was 12, years before he started down the path of music and addiction that would come to define his life.

He recalled a "big muscular guy, a high school senior...[who] rode the bus with me everyday to school...invited me to his house." There, Weiland says he was sexually assaulted in this person's home and then threatened into silence.

"The dude raped me," he said. "It was quick, not pleasant."

Weiland went on to say that not only was he indeed too scared to tell anyone at the time, but that the memory was repressed, only being unearthed during therapy sessions much later in life during one of his many stints in rehab. "Therapy will do that to you," he said.

He also revealed that after an argument with his first wife, Jannina Castaneda, which resulted in Weiland leaping from a moving car to score heroin, he ended up at the Chateau Marmont hotel in Los Angeles with none other than Courtney Love, saying, "She was one of my dealer's best customers."

His marriage to Castaneda would fall apart by the late 90s. Before the divorce was finalized, he began dating former model Mary Forsberg, who he married after a stint in jail. They would have two kids together, Noah and Lucy. But after several domestic-violence incidents involving police - both were arrested at different times; Forsberg once torched $80,000 of his clothes in their driveway, which she documented later in a memoir - the couple divorced in 2007.

That same year, Weiland's younger brother Michael died of cardiomyopathy, a heart issue from drug abuse. After this, Weiland started smoking crack.

"Scott loved his brother," Michael's widow said. "It devastated him. I don't think he ever truly recovered from it." She also says his ex-wife made it hard for him to see his kids.

Speaking of his first time trying heroin, Weiland wrote, "The opiate took me to a place I'd always dreamed of going. I can't name the place, but I can say that I was undisturbed and unafraid, a free-floating man finally free of demons."

The tragedies of his adolescence in the book are laid bare, though he rarely elaborates. While he expresses guilt over his part in failed relationships, he rarely reflects on the lasting damage done to ex-wives, former bandmates, family members, friends, and ultimately, his two children.

But that could possibly be attributed to his addiction, as there is a different tone, a higher level of care and an acute sense of self awareness in his adolescence that is noticeably absent in the rest of the book.

His brother Michael's death seemed to have a foreshadowing effect on Weiland's life, even when he doesn't say so explicitly. Any desire heard in his words to stay off drugs was gone after that. His attempts at meaningful connections are eclipsed by his need to withdraw, as is often the tragedy of the pinnacle of addiction. When he was diagnosed with bipolar, it was much later in life.

On album Shangri La Dee Da, Stone Temple Pilot's last album before their initial breakup, Weiland sings songs about addiction and manic depression, and the songs themselves seem to deliberately embody the fluctuation of addiction. Listening to Bi-Polar Bear or Transmissions from a Lonely Room can feel like hovering near a black hole. Weiland was reportedly sober for the album's recording, describing the process as a kind of restoration of "innocence" which he associated with the band's debut album, 1992's Core.

Right before he died, Weiland was on tour promoting his 2015 album Blaster with his new band, the Wildabouts, after releasing two solo albums, 12 Bar Blues, and its follow up, "Happy" in Galoshes, years earlier.

12 Bar Blues in particular seemed at the time an expansion of Stone Temple Pilots' 1996 album Tiny Music...Songs From the Vatican Gift Shop. It's an odd, cracked looking glass of a rock record. It doesn't particularly resemble grunge in rhythm or composition. They deliberately absorbed the Beatles and glam rock into the design of their songs. The guitar tone is skeletal - narrow and fluorescent, like bone - and Weiland suddenly sings in a higher, more fragile register. His delivery - reptilian yet conversational - was heavily informed by David Bowie.

In 2011, two years before he was kicked out of the Stone Temple Pilots, he was at a small show promoting his Christmas album, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. Wrote one critic, he "danced in his old way, a sort of boneless shimmying, but it was muted and weary." He was surrounded by jazz musicians and small constellations of Christmas lights. They gently crept through a strange jazz arrangement of the Stone Temple Pilots song Vasoline.

After reuniting with Stone Temple Pilots again to release a self-titled LP, then being fired from the band for announcing a solo tour of its greatest hits without their blessing, he was back with a new band, the Wildabouts, when guitarist Jeremy Brown died of an overdose. At the same time, Weiland was experiencing episodes of paranoia and mania caused by his bipolar disorder. After a show at Boston's Brighton Music Hall, Weiland hosted a disastrous VIP meet-and-greet session, heckling one fan with "Let's suck a dick!" and insulting others who had paid $150 for the interaction.

"Some girl hit on Scott and he goes, 'You know what? You can go f**ck yourself. Do you have any idea how much I love sucking my wife's pussy?'" recalls his wife, photographer Jamie Wachtel. Weiland later apologized publicly on Facebook for acting like "a total asshole."

That same month, he threatened to twist the nipple of a reporter. "I've never felt more disrespected in an interview and am honestly shaken by the experience," said the journalist in an email to Weiland's publicist.

Jamie had confronted Weiland's bipolar episodes before. "He would be on the couch with a drink, smoking and watching whatever mindless television," she remembers. "I started to see he had paranoia and some of the bipolar stuff started to come out." He kept his curtains closed all the time. "At one point, it was so bad I had to move out because he was unstable." They found one medication that worked, but he gained 40 pounds, so he stopped taking it. Eventually, they found a medication that leveled him out. "For the last couple of years, he was doing pretty great."

Then, on the Wildabouts spring 2015 tour, his behavior became scarily unrecognizable. A video of him singing one of his songs in a painfully off-key rendition went viral. It turned out that his prescribed dosage of the antipsychotic drug Geodon was too high. "I thought he had some rapid-onset version of Parkinson's or something," Jamie said. After an adjustment, the change, she says, "was like night and day." Weiland was regularly taking six prescription drugs, and had hepatitis C, likely contracted from years of intravenous drug use.

When Weiland learned his mother Sharon had progressive cancer, it took him a step back in his progress. Sharon had divorced his father when he was only 2, and part of it was due to Sharon's previous alcohol problem, which was confirmed by his father Kent. Sharon had been sober for 25 years. When she learned that both of her sons were heroin users, it would prompt a slip.

Weiland was on the road touring when wife Jamie says she got a text from him saying, "I'm so in love with my beautiful wife." She tried to call and text him back but got no response. It wasn't like him not to get back to her, especially on a day off.

By the time tour manager Aaron Mohler had gone to check in on Weiland, he had already been dead. He had overdosed on a combination of cocaine, ethanol and methylenedioxyamphetamine (an analog of MDMA). Other significant conditions noted were atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and multiple-substance dependence. Plus, he was on prescription medications Lunesta, Klonopin, Viagra, Dalmane, Buprenex, and Geodon.

Four days after Weiland's death, his ex-wife Mary Forsberg published a letter in Rolling Stone alleging her ex-husband was an absentee father. She also filed court documents asking to be named executor of his will, alleging that he had $2 million in assets and a trust with an undisclosed amount of funds.

"I don't know under what mattress she thinks she's going to find $2 million, because it sure as shit isn't there," said Jamie. Public records show more than $147,000 in state tax liens on Weiland's property. "He was broke."

A funeral was held at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, a place where Jamie and Scott used to watch movies frequently. Stone Temple Pilots three surviving members were there, but Forsberg and Weiland's two children were not.

"I didn't think it could physically hurt to miss someone, but it does," says Jamie. "I miss him. We all do."

Some interesting genealogy:

Scott was the son of Sharon and Kent Kline. He was adopted by his stepfather, John David Weiland. Scott's paternal grandfather was Paul D. Kline (the son of Peter Kline and Catherine "Katie" Walters). Paul was born in Pennsylvania, of German descent (Kline is a German name). Peter was the son of John Klein and Catherine Hayne. Scott's great-grandmother Catherine "Katie" Walters was the daughter of George Walters and Elizabeth Schneider.

Scott's paternal grandmother was Florence Gilbertson (the daughter of Oskar Vilhelm Aleksander Gulbrandsen, later William Oscar Gilbertson, and of Anna Elise Arnesen). Florence was born in Illinois, to Norweigan parents (it all makes sense now). Oskar was born in Oslo, the son of Ole Martin Gulbrandsen and Gurine Pedersdatter Halvteigen. Anna was also born in Oslo, the daughter of Gulbrand Arnesen and Anna Bergitte/Birgitte Hansen.

Scott's maternal grandfather's surname was Williams.

[mariacallous]

At first glance, Sam Bankman-Fried bears little resemblance to Bernie Madoff. One is a smartly-suited, grey-haired financial titan with a 40-year career on Wall Street, and the other a 30-year-old millennial king of crypto in shorts and T-shirt.

But almost 14 years to the day since Madoff was arrested and charged with fraud in New York for orchestrating a long-running pyramid scheme, the FTX crypto scandal is being compared to Madoff’s criminal enterprise.

Diana Henriques, a financial historian and the author of The Wizard of Lies, a book delving into Madoff’s $64bn (£53bn) scheme, says the similarities between Bankman-Fried – or SBF as he is known – and the Wall Street investment manager are “striking”.

“The similarities between what we know of Madoff and what we know of Bankman-Fried is striking,” she said. “They are vastly different characters, but what is similar is this deliberate, eye-crossing complexity that would cause the average investor to just glaze over and say, ‘Well, I trust Bernie.’

“I see that same dynamic in how the client base viewed FTX. They really didn’t have a lot of solid evidence to support their trust, so it was - as with Bernie - a leap of faith. You trust the central character and that short-circuits a lot of the steps that, in hindsight, are the obvious due diligence you would do, and that is amazing[ly] similar.”

“The most essential gift of a con man is that they can inspire trust that never wavers, even in the face of red flags and worrisome details. You can’t look at FTX as anything but a massive leap of faith by a lot of people who should have known better,” Henriques said.

Madoff died in prison last year while serving a 150-year sentence. This week, US federal attorneys in New York unsealed a complaint against SBF alleging eight counts of fraud. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 115 years. Bankman-Fried has not been formally charged and has yet to enter a plea; he may yet be proven innocent of all charges.

In both cases, a financial collapse - the 2008 crisis for Madoff and a crypto market downturn, Covid-19 and soaring inflation for SBF - exposed the holes in their businesses and burned the trust their customers once had in them.

“In the blink of an eye, the handsome prince became an ugly toad,” Henriques wrote of Madoff – an observation now just as easily applied to Bankman-Fried.

The two men’s personal circumstances were very different – Madoff had a long and sterling reputation on Wall Street and had been regularly inspected by regulators, while SBF was a young, untested math whizz who had established instant credibility in a new financial industry. But both worked hard to represent themselves as paragons of trust.

Both men were financial innovators who ran dizzyingly complicated businesses. But as US prosecutors alleged this week, at the heart of FTX’s collapse was a simple idea – robbing Peter to pay Paul, the same charge made in the Madoff case. “It’s a simple, classic fraud complaint, about fraudulent deception, relying on anti-fraud statutes that have been tested in the courts for more than a century,” Henriques points out.

Like Madoff, FTX’s activities were shrouded in a cloud of pseudo-complexity. Madoff, Henriques points out, would explain his investment strategy to clients in ways that would cause the average investor to glaze over. “That meant investors had to fall back on, ‘Well, I trust Bernie,’” she said.

“It was eye-crossingly complicated and investors didn’t have a lot of solid evidence to support their trust,” she added.

But Madoff was in fact simply taking customers’ money to meet other customers’ withdrawals, all while taking a slice for himself and his family. The scam – known as a Ponzi scheme – worked until money coming in dried up.

Madoff’s con unraveled when the 2008 global financial crisis triggered an attempted withdrawal of some $7bn (£6bn) by customers. It eventually became clear that he had been running a Ponzi scheme for more than 20 years.

While these are early days and the FTX scandal needs more unpacking, Bankman-Fried’s alleged fraud relied on a similar dynamic, according to US authorities.

The cryptocurrency exchange he ran prided itself on being a good actor in a sector notorious for bad ones. SBF lobbied for clearer guidelines on crypto trading, spent millions wooing politicians and continues to claim his only reason for making money was to do good.

But according to the Securities and Exchange Commission: “Bankman-Fried was orchestrating a massive, years-long fraud, diverting billions of dollars of the trading platform’s customer funds for his own personal benefit and to help grow his crypto empire.”

Authorities claim the wrongdoing started at the very beginning. A parallel lawsuit filed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, said the method by which Bankman-Fried siphoned FTX customer funds into the coffers of his trading firm, Alameda Research, was installed into the structure of the operation from the day it opened in 2019.

John Ray III, a veteran bankruptcy expert who took over FTX after its collapse, told Congress this week that this was a case of “old-fashioned embezzlement”. Ray and his team are sifting through the company’s records to find out how much money is missing, who is owed what and how much he can clawback. But he has said he has been hampered by the parlous state of FTX’s recordkeeping and its “unprecedented and complete failure of corporate controls”.

Making the case that FTX was, at heart, a simple Ponzi scheme is a strong move, said Henriques. “The criminal case sidesteps all the tough regulatory questions and focuses primarily on lying and deception. It’s a simple fraud complaint with no bells and whistles that cuts through all the complexities,” she said. “It’s an elegantly simple approach to prosecution.”

Madoff was once chairman of the Nasdaq stock exchange and promoted the advent of electronic trading platforms. His celebrity clients included film producer Steven Spielberg, actor Kevin Bacon and a foundation run by Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, which lost all its money.

We have yet to see a full list of who lost money on FTX but the fallout has taken in big names. American footballer Tom Brady and former wife, model Gisele Bündchen, were listed as equity investors and starred in ads for the business, according to documents seen by the Guardian.

The company received endorsements from comedian Larry David, tennis star Naomi Osaka, former basketball player Shaquille O’Neal and Canadian Shark Tank star and businessman Kevin O’Leary, who was paid $15m (£12m) to endorse the exchange.

Eric Schiffer, a crypto investor at the Patriarch Organization, a private equity firm, said Bankman-Fried “built authority in political circles, with the celeberati, and showed a value system of utilitarian idealism that [was] not orientated toward money, all of which caused investors to let down their due diligence guard.”

The financial regulators’ allegations against Bankman-Fried may draw more parallels with the Madoff allegations as they seek to track the flow of money through FTX and into Alameda and other investments, including lavish spending on Bahmanian property and the roles others at the company played in its downfall.

SBF is the first to face charges on the cryptocurrency exchange’s collapse but prosecutors have made clear he won’t be the last. On Tuesday, prosecutors advised anyone involved in the alleged fraud to “come speak to us before we come to you”. Separately, in Washington, Ray revealed that he was “investigating” the role of Bankman-Fried’s parents Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried, both professors at Stanford University.

Peter Madoff, Bernard’s brother, and others were also convicted after Madoff’s sentencing.

But as information about FTX’s collapse begins to unspool across a variety of venues and the authorities build a clearer understanding of how the money moved and how the alleged fraud was carried out, Henriques cautions that the parallels may yet collapse.

“We don’t know yet, and I’m not sure John Ray knows yet, whether this was some kind of high-tech Ponzi scheme in reality. Understanding how close this gets to Bernie Madoff means understanding what was done with the money.”

SBF has tweeted his defense, done countless interviews and admitted he “fucked up” but while he has said he made big errors, he also appears to be suggesting – in a sometimes confusing way – that it was all a big mistake. “The insouciance, or casualness, of his responses, has been striking,” Henriques pointed out.

In the coming months, prosecutors will be building a case that argues, for all the style differences, SBF is merely a millennial Madoff. Outlining the criminal charges against SBF on Tuesday, Damian Williams, the United States attorney for the southern district of New York, was asked if Bankman-Fried fit the profile of a fraudster. “You can commit fraud in shorts and T-shirts in the sun,” Williams countered.

SBF is already fighting off the Madoff analogies. “A lot of people look at you and see Bernie Madoff,” ABC’s George Stephanopoulos said to Bankman-Fried in an interview before his arrest.

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t think that’s who I am at all, but I understand why they’re saying that,” Bankman-Fried replied. “People lost money and people lost a lot of money. At the end of the day, look, there’s a question of what happened and why and who did what, what caused the meltdown. I think that reads very differently.”