#dice roll fic

[imlittlebitdie]

Rules: Post the last line you wrote and tag someone for every word in the line. Tagged by: @mvpanda1 @toppamplemousse @ericaisokay

Lewis wraps his arms around Sebastian and squeezes him tightly, the way he knows Seb prefers. “I got you.”

Tagging: @mvlionheart @bumblewyn @astonstrolls @sincerelylancelot @shineon3 anyone else that wants to do it!

[shineon3]

writing meme!

Tagged by: @imlittlebitdie

rules: post the last line that you wrote and tag someone for every word in the line.

“You wanna touch ‘em?” “I… can I…?” Daniel just nods, a soft smile on his lips. The other leans in, delicately tracing over the words on his ankle.

thank you for the tag ❤️! tagging @cuddlebugsirius, @lost-in-fandoms and whoever else wants to play ^^

[helpimstuckposting]

Steve agrees to play D&D as long as Eddie plays too, so they get Will to DM. Somehow, Steve rolls three nat20s in a row and Eddie’s like ‘no fucking way, not possible, give me those’ and rolls with Steve’s dice. He immediately gets a nat1

[returnsandreturns]

a double drabble because you know i've got some kind of specific proposal festish

“If I said that I love you,” Foggy says, as calmly as he can, “what would you do?”

To be fair, he caught Matt of guard on purpose, which is probably what it takes a long moment for him to process and answer the questions. He sits up slowly from where he’s been sprawled out in Foggy’s lap getting his hair played with, something that Foggy already kind of knew made him a little bit stupid, face guarded when he aks, “Why do you ask?”

“Mere curiosity,” Foggy says.

Matt’s face goes soft pretty quickly when he admits, “I might say it back.”

“Yeah?”

Foggy slides his fingers through Matt’s hair again, smiling when Matt’s eyes flutter shut and he sighs.

“I love you,” Matt says.

“You fucker,” Foggy says, smile widening. “You beat me to it.”

Matt jut smiles back and leans up to kiss him.

“It’s not a contest,” he says.

“It is now,” Foggy says, scoffing. “I’m going to propose, like, tonight, just in case you try to claim that, too.”

The way Matt’s smile goes kind of adorable and shy makes Foggy feel absolutely indescribable.

“If I proposed tonight, what would you do?” he asks.

Matt just kind of shrugs and settles back in Foggy’s lap.

“I might say yes,” he says, shutting his eyes again.

[lestappenforever]

But Daddy(s), I Love Him

Lestappen | 7 555 words | Fluff | Rated T Part 4 of the Devils Roll The Dice (Angels Roll Their Eyes) series

Dedicated to the beautiful, wonderful @f1writingbyme. ❤️

Did I plan to write another part for this series? No. Did I come across two (1 | 2) songs that I couldn't stop listening to until I wrote the damn idea they put in my head? Yes.

So, in honor of two of the three fics in the series, Devils Roll The Dice (Angels Roll Their Eyes) and Like Snow On The Beach (Weird, But Fucking Beautiful), having already existed for a year now, here's part 4!

For full visualization, please have a look at this post I made last year for my last wedding fic, as this one takes place at the exact same venue.

So, without further ado, here you go!

You can read the full fic on AO3 here.

Summary:

“You okay?” his husband asks, and Charles turns his head to look at the Dutchman.

Twenty-one years and Max still looks the same. Sure, he’s a little softer around the edges, his face beginning to show signs of the years gone by, and his blond hair has started sprouting a couple of gray hairs here and there. But he’s still as beautiful to Charles today as he always has been, and those strikingly blue eyes are still Charles’ favorite thing to look at in the whole world. And it’s not like Max is alone; Charles has aged the same way his husband has over the years, and Max still continues to look at him like he’s the single most wonderful creature to ever walk the earth.

Max is wearing the same tuxedo as Charles, only his bow tie and handkerchief are navy blue. He looks gorgeous.

“Yeah,” he says, and it’s only half a lie. “Are you?”

Max nods, glancing down at the courtyard below. “As okay as one can be on his daughter’s wedding day.”

---

OR: 21 years after Max and Charles' wedding, and they're back at La Cervara. Only this time, it's to give away the bride.

[waytooinvested]

Forgotten, Not Forgiven - Chapter 13

This and previous chapters are also on AO3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The fortifying effects of Nia’s pep talk lasted throughout the car ride, and it wasn’t until Lena was actually standing outside Kara’s front door, doughnut box in hand, that reality abruptly reasserted itself.

What was she doing?

It was all very well deciding she could remain detached for this conversation from the neutral territory of her own office, but now she was actually here, mere feet away from the woman who had broken her heart and about to raise a subject that would come closer to picking at that wound than anything had since it had happened, it felt foolhardy in the extreme. What if talking about it, even indirectly, really did trigger something that she would prefer to stay dormant? It was a very real possibility, and Lena didn’t want to be pushed into jumping one way or the other on offering a genuine second chance right now, because she was afraid that if she was she would choose to walk away again, and she wasn’t ready for that.

Not yet.

Not until their work was done and Supergirl was once more flying about National City and making her righteous, hypocritical speeches, hands on hips like she had been practising her power poses in the mirror (She probably had. Kara was such an adorable dork).

No, she wasn’t ready to let the complication back in.

She would slip away quickly, and when she got back to the car she would call Alex to come and talk to her sister after all. No one ever needed to know she had even-

The front door opened, and before Lena could so much as twitch Kara Danvers was standing in front of her, feet bare, hair secured into a messy bun with a paintbrush, small smudge of blue on one cheek, and a surprised smile crinkling the corners of her eyes. How was it fair that she looked so effortlessly cute just when Lena needed to keep a level head?

‘Lena! I heard something out in the hall and thought Mrs Warren’s cat must have got out again, but this is so much better than getting in some sneaky Mr Tibbles belly rubs. Come in, come in! And are those doughnuts??’

Oh well, looked like she was doing this.

Lena let herself be ushered inside, then presented the patisserie box to Kara with the dramatic flourish of a second rate stage magician (not that she was over playing how totally normal and at ease she felt or anything).

‘These, Ms Danvers, are no mere doughnuts. They are in fact in contention for the most elaborate, highly decorated and candy covered doughnuts you will find this side of New York. One of them is the cookie monster. With actual cookies.’

(Well, maybe she was over playing it just a little bit).

‘Ohhhh, you are my favourite. How did you know I needed a cookie monster doughnut in my life today?’

Kara took the box from Lena’s hands and immediately began exploring its contents, pausing to exclaim over the unicorn with the marshmallow horn and a rather fretful looking chocolate porcupine before settling after all on the giant cookie monster, complete with mouth full of cookies as promised.

Lena didn’t answer her right away, at first because she was trying to find the right words to broach the subject, and then because her attention had caught on the easel set up by the window. Kara rarely allowed anyone to see her works-in-progress, and even though it was so clearly unplanned, this unexpected glimpse into what was usually such a closely guarded process felt like an honour.

At a glance the painting seemed to be an unbroken, featureless blue, but as she looked Lena realised there was a subtle variation in the colours – a slightly darker shade on one side that lightened at the centre, with the most delicate hints of apricot and rose feathering in towards the far edge. There was texture there too – faint wisps of white that suggested clouds, and a faded crescent, like the moon after dawn had broken but before it dipped below the horizon. It was beautiful, but it was... different.

Kara tended to paint landscapes – fantasy landscapes, so Lena had always assumed. She had tried asking about them once or twice, but had been met with hedging and awkward subject changes. She had thought that her friend was simply private about her art, or even mildly embarrassed about her fascination with painting made up scenes rather than real ones, and had tried to drop in casual mentions of sci fi books she had read to let her know that her secret brand of nerdiness was fine by her, but Kara still never fully relaxed until the conversation had well and truly moved on.

Reframed with the knowledge she now had, she realised that Kara didn’t paint fantasy landscapes at all. She painted Krypton. Over and over again, she recreated her vanished home, preserving her memories of somewhere she would never see again the only way she could. Only now she had lost even that small connection to her heritage, she was left with nothing but a vague sense that something “up there��� was important to her, and it made Lena’s heart ache for her. It felt too familiar, that quiet yearning for something you couldn’t quite place.

She had been so young when her mother died, she almost didn’t remember her first home at all. There was just the odd fragment of disjointed moments, mingled with snatches of sense-memory. The smell of woodsmoke and wet earth intertwined with a sweet, buttery flavour she had never found an exact match for since; a hummed lullaby in a voice that was both bone-deep familiar and too distant to recall how it sounded making words; the warm surety of arms that reached out to catch her as she stumbled and swooped her up into the air, turning her fall into flight before she could hit the ground…

She wanted to ask Kara about the sky painting, to understand exactly what it meant to her (she wanted to understand all of them now she realised they weren’t made up, but of course Kara could no longer tell her about any but this one), but she held back. It wasn’t what she was here for, and now she had resolved to have this conversation, she needed to get on with it right away or she would talk herself out of doing it at all.

She returned her attention to Kara, who had finished her first rapturous bite of doughnut and was now sucking icing from her thumb and looking back at Lena with a quizzical expression.

‘Well actually… Nia sent me. She said you seemed a bit upset after your talk today, and thought maybe you could use a friend.’

‘Oh no, she picked up on that? I thought I was managing to be so cool about it!’

‘She said you didn’t finish your doughnut.’

Kara huffed as indignantly as she could through a chocolate chip cookie.

‘That doesn’t mean anything, I leave things sometimes! I might just not have been in a doughnut sort of mood.’

She didn’t say anything, but Lena’s raised eyebrow in the direction of the semi-demolished cookie monster got the point across. Kara Danvers had never once not been in a doughnut sort of mood, except possibly when she was actively dying. And even then, chances were 50/50 that she just fancied potstickers instead.

‘Well... she didn’t know that. Did she tell you what it was we were talking about?’

‘Yes.’

‘So you already knew that-?’

‘That Nia is Dreamer? Yes, I’ve known for a little while now.’

‘Oh.’

Kara moved over to the couch and slumped down onto it, like the weight of her own feelings was suddenly too heavy for her. It was a pose of abject misery, but she didn’t put down the doughnut, which Lena figured was a good sign.

‘I didn’t realise you guys even knew each other that well. How come she told you and not me? Did I do something to make her think I would react badly?’

‘We don’t, really – through you more than anything else. But it wasn’t like that Kara, I just put the pieces together after seeing both Dreamer and Nia at the DEO while I was working on this project with Alex.’

‘That figures. You’re an actual genius, of course you would have realised right away.’

Lena winced internally. Some genius. She had been best friends with Kara for years, as well as having frequent up-close-and-personal encounters with Supergirl, including but not limited to being carried in her arms with their faces mere inches apart, and yet still somehow hadn’t cottoned onto the fact that they were one and the same person.

What a waste she had made of being carried by Supergirl before their rift. If only she’d known it was Kara she was cuddled up with, she’d have-

But no, she wouldn’t have. Kara never seemed to notice all the times she had flirted outrageously with her throughout their friendship, and Lena would never have jeopardized what they had had for the fleeting excitement of a mid-air make out with a best friend who was in all likelihood entirely heterosexual.

In any case there was no point in dwelling on what was past and would never come round again. This wasn’t about her and Kara. It was about Kara and Nia.

Lena put the doughnut box down on the table in front of Kara and went to sit beside her, not quite touching, but closer than they usually sat these days.

‘Do you want to talk about it?’

‘No… Maybe? I told Nia how happy I was for her. And I am, I really truly am, and I’m glad she told me. I guess I just feel a little weird about it. I get that it’s this huge personal thing, but I can’t help wondering why she didn’t feel like she could trust me when all the rest of our friends knew. I know they’re mostly DEO so it’s a bit different, but… I don’t know. I guess it just makes me feel like the outsider. Like I’m not this cool, powerful secret agent so it doesn’t even matter what I know. I thought Nia and I were closer than that.’

Lena should have felt vindicated, smug even. Happy that Kara was now feeling some measure of the pain she’d caused Lena, even if on a much smaller scale. But she didn’t. She just felt sad.

For Kara.

For Nia.

For herself.

For the whole tangled web of truth and lies that they were all now so inextricably ensnared in that Lena could no longer see which thread was supposed to hers. She could just see Kara, and the pain and confusion in her eyes as she struggled with feelings she didn't have the full context to understand.

She found herself stepping almost without realising it into Supergirl’s shoes – giving all the same arguments that she herself had dismissed when Kara had tried to explain why she had kept her own secret for so long. That it wasn’t about trust, it was about safety. That knowing something like this could put both of them in danger, and by hiding it Nia had been trying to prevent people using Kara as a game piece against Dreamer. That Nia had probably been afraid that she had waited too long, and now Kara would hate her for not telling her sooner, and she couldn’t bear to lose her.

The irony of what she was saying and who she was saying it to was not lost on Lena, but somehow, although they were old and tired to her now, telling these things to Kara made her feel the truth of them in a way she never had before.

After all, was she not doing something similar, even now? She had no choice but to keep Kara in the dark about her Kryptonian identity, but that wasn’t the only secret she was keeping. Kara still didn’t know that she had deliberately sabotaged her happiness at Catco, and Lena knew as surely as Supergirl must have that if she revealed this truth it would end the way things were between them. And she didn’t want to lose Kara yet. So she didn’t tell.

She didn’t tell, and it ached and festered inside her like rotten tooth she refused to spit it out, but she would rather keep it close than accept the gap that would be left by letting go. Instead she focused on the present, and on Nia and how much she clearly cared about their friendship, and Kara listened to her in a way that Lena hadn’t been ready to do when she had been the one in her position. Eventually Kara sighed, and allowed herself another bite of doughnut before conceding.

‘I know you’re right and I’m not being fair. I just can’t help feeling so out of the loop. I don’t even really know why – whether it’s because of things changing at Catco or because Alex and Nia and everyone seem to be so busy at the moment, but it’s like something has shifted for me recently. I feel so frustrated and so limited in what I can do. I think if I’m honest… maybe I’m a bit jealous of Nia. I mean yesterday she was like me – just an ordinary woman doing her best to make a difference through her writing in spite of Andrea’s new ‘sparkly media’ vision, and today? Today she’s this awesome kickass superhero who’s out there every night fighting crime and saving the city while I’m making boil in the bag rice and watching NSYNC videos on Youtube for the millionth time. Does that make me a terrible person?’

‘Of course it doesn’t. It just makes you human.’

And you were never meant to be just human.

But she couldn’t explain, so she offered comfort in the only way she could think of. She reached out across the unacknowledged barrier of physical space that they had so carefully maintained over the last several weeks, and pulled Kara in very gently against her side. After a moment of stiff surprise Kara relaxed into the embrace, allowing her head to find a resting place in the crook of Lena’s shoulder.

Lena waited for the pain and anger to rise up in her at the breach of this protective buffer, for her to have to fight the urge to push Kara away again and leave the apartment. But it never came. Her arm settled comfortably around Kara’s shoulders, and it was as though a piece of her that had been missing for months slotted back into place. With a pang, Lena realised that no one had really touched her since before Lex had revealed Supergirl’s identity. Not properly. Not like this. It simultaneously soothed and inflamed her need for physical contact, and it was all she could do not to pull Kara closer still.

She closed her eyes and let her cheek rest against the top of Kara’s head. She just needed a minute. Just a minute for this to be enough, and then she would turn her focus back to where it was meant to be. Project Atlantis. Restoring Supergirl and ending this brief, beautiful bubble of time when she could be Kara’s best friend again without all the history and hurt.

Just one more minute...

‘Thank you Lena, I’m so glad I have you to talk to about this stuff. And I guess now I can understand better where you were coming from about our thing.’

Lena tensed immediately.

Had Kara just remembered the real reason for their fight? Could this indirect trigger really have been enough to bring her own memories along with it, and without any sign of a neurological episode? Was all of this just… over?

She could barely get the words out, but she had to make sure.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Sorry, of course I know it wasn’t the same as finding out someone is secretly a superhero, but I guess it just gives me some perspective, being the one on the other side of a secret. It is not the greatest feeling in the world, and I know it must have been worse for you because I was supposed to be your best friend, and I still lied to you for such a long time.’

The simultaneous rush of relief and crashing disappointment was dizzying. Kara didn’t remember. Whatever she was talking about, it wasn’t her Supergirl secret.

Then what was it?

The part of Lena that desperately wanted to find out Kara’s version of their fight warred with the part of her that just as desperately wanted to leave it alone so they could go on as they were. She should try and find out, of course. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be worse than the truth, and it wasn’t real in any case… but even if she wanted to, that was easier said than done. They had had a huge fight about it and almost parted ways for good, it was hardly as though she could claim the details of what it had been about had just slipped her mind for a moment. Especially when Kara had tried to talk about it before, and Lena had been the one to shut the conversation down. Besides, hadn’t she been right to do so? Things between them had been great since then, and who knew what would have happened if they had opened the can of worms that was their history? They might not have stayed close enough for Kara to keep co operating with her treatment. And alright so maybe she didn’t need to be cajoled into the Q-Wave sessions anymore, but if anything that was all the more reason to keep Kara on side, just in case she needed to ask her to do something else later on.

The arguments for each side went round and round in Lena’s head, neither one gaining enough ground to decide on a course of action, until at last Kara pulled away and looked at her with a worried frown, apparently sensing the change in her mood.

‘Are you alright? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up after what you said last time. Please don’t be mad at me again.’

She couldn’t ask. Not now.

‘I won’t. I’m not. I’m just – I’m glad we found our way through that. I really thought our friendship was over, and I was just thinking how glad I am that I was wrong.’

Kara relaxed, though she didn’t resume the cut short cuddle.

‘Me too.’

Trying not to mind the loss of Kara’s warm weight against her side, Lena stretched as casually as she could, and leaned forwards to choose a doughnut of her own.

‘Shall we watch a movie? Your pick.’

‘Oh yes, a movie night would be the best! Maybe we could invite Nia as well? I feel so bad about how I reacted earlier and I want to make it up to her and let her know that I really really do support her as Dreamer.’

‘I think that’s a great idea. Why don’t you give her a call, and I’ll make a quick supply run. Wine, chocolate, and popcorn?’

‘Sounds perfect.’

[victorluvsalice]

Valicer In The Dark: "A Murder Shared Is A Murder Thirded" Outline!

Hello everyone -- I recently started work on the second Valicer In The Dark story, "A Murder Shared Is A Murder Thirded" (aka the one where they kill Bumby), and I thought it might be neat to share with you guys the outline I prepared for the story! Especially since I don't have any Sims 4 stuff to share on Wednesdays at the moment, thanks to the Chill Valicer Save file no longer functioning. :( I have plans for a successor, but it's going to take a little bit to get off the ground, so...

*shakes head* Anyway -- outline! My planning process for this story involved approaching it like it was an actual Blades In The Dark score -- complete with deciding on the type of plan the gang was going to use (and the detail they needed to provide), the loads they were going to have (and thus how much stuff they could actually carry), and doing actual rolls to figure out how the story would progress as they encountered various obstacles! (I, uh, may have purchased actual BITD-themed dice and a dice tray explicitly for this purpose. ^^;) However, I also took a moment to note down any "must-happen" moments in the fic first -- basically, any particularly important or cool bits that were going to occur no matter WHAT the dice said. Reason being, I've done some "rolling for something on the spot" fic-writing in the past with a friend, and I know how fucking frustrated I get whenever a dice roll ruins the cool thing that was supposed to happen in my head. Noting down the things I was DETERMINED to have happen and doing all the rolls BEFORE I actually started writing meant that I couldn't get angry at a good moment being ruined. Though actually, as you'll see, the dice were pretty kind to the trio in this score! I guess they wanted to make sure they succeeded in their task as much as I did. :) So, without further ado, here's the outline/score summary for "A Murder Shared Is A Murder Thirded!" Naturally, there will be spoilers for what happens in the fic, but I'll put most of it behind a cut, and you guys already know I have no care for spoiling my own stuff on here. XD

---

Score: Infiltrate the Houndsditch Home For Wayward Youth in Charhollow, find proof of Bumby’s activities, and preferably kill the bastard

Plan Type: Stealth (I mean, there’s going to be an element of Assault, but first they have to get in)

Detail: Point of Infiltration – the back door into the basement kitchen of the house

Loads: Alice – Light; Victor – Light; Smiler – Light (each have three load slots)

Have To Happen Moments:

The gang successfully make it to Alice’s room so she can get her stuff; possible heartfelt moment when they see the picture of her family on her wall

The gang successfully finds Bumby’s ledger in his office (inside a safe stowed away in a hidden drawer of his desk; it’s generally opened via Lizzie’s key but can be picked)

Bumby shows up, and Alice reclaims Lizzie’s room key and blows him up

Gang successfully escapes with the ledger, and run into Smiler’s parents Matt and Carol as they head out of town; they’re taken back to the Ministry Of Joy for the Names (aka night)

Engagement Roll:

+1 d for sheer luck

+1 d for being bold or daring (they’re trying to expose a known philanthropist as a child pimp)

+1 d for exposing a vulnerability of the target (Dr. Bumby has written off Alice as lost in the city and hired a new dogsbody, AND he doesn’t think she’d ever get anyone to help her if she did tell anyone about his activities)

3d total

Result: 1, 2, 4 – Mixed result, risky position – they get in the back door without incident, but Alice’s replacement June comes into the kitchen as they’re preparing to head up the stairs

Score Rolls:

As per the above, trio encounters June coming into the kitchen shortly after their successful infiltration and have to get past her – Smiler immediately introduces themselves and explains that they were hoping to meet with Dr. Bumby to see if they could form a partnership, as they believe their alchemical prowess would help the man in his work (they are indeed cringing on the inside as they say this) – Sway, 2d – 6! June believes them and sends them up to see Dr. Bumby with the other two

Safely inside the house, Victor gets the idea for Alice to get her stuff from her room before they proceed further (having already suggested they grab it before they went); Alice agrees with this and they grab her things (1 load for Victor, who I picture as carrying the bag)

Head up the stairs to Bumby’s office, encounter one of the children (Abigail? Charlie?) in the upstairs hallway, who naturally recognizes Alice and wants to tell Dr. Bumby she’s back – Alice tries to tell them no, with Smiler backing her up by claiming they want to surprise him – Command, 3d (+1 for Smiler’s help, 1 stress for Smiler; +1 for pushing herself, 2 stress for Alice) – 5. The kid agrees not to go tell Dr. Bumby right now, but it’s clear that they will tell him the next time they see him… Start a “Bumby Shows Up” clock as a result, four pieces, none ticked so far

Into the office before Dr. Bumby shows up! Time to find that ledger… The trio split up – Alice examines the bookshelf, Victor checks Dr. Bumby’s desk, Smiler looks around for anything that might give them a clue as to where the ledger might be

Alice – Study, 2d (+1 for pushing herself, stress up to 4) – 6! She doesn’t find the ledger in the bookshelf, but she does find a book safe with some money in it – +1 Coin for the gang to take with them!

Victor: Study, 2d (+1 for pushing himself, 2 stress for Victor) – 5. Victor finds a secret drawer with a safe in it – but, well, unsurprisingly, it’s locked, and opening it will take a bit (+1 to the “Bumby Shows Up” clock, 3 segments left)

Smiler: Survey, 2d (+1 for pushing themselves, stress up to 3) – 6! While Victor finds the safe, Smiler notes the windows on the side of the office and determines that it would be safe for the group to exit via one of them if they had the appropriate means to do so – cue them going “good thing I brought some rope!” and setting it up for them to climb down (one load ticked for Smiler)

That safe looks like it’s important – shame it’s locked! Smiler offers to try and pick it (flashback to them finding some lockpicks in Elder Gutknecht’s library – as they have, or will have, the “Pack Rats” special ability as Shadows, I will let them squeak by with no stress for this – probably does count as load for them, so that’s a second slot ticked) as Alice and Victor keep watch for Bumby or other suspicious children – Tinker, 2d – 5. Smiler gets the safe open, but Alice hears what sounds like someone coming up the steps… (+1 to the “Bumby Shows Up” clock, 2 segments left)

However – safe is open, and there is indeed a ledger inside! A ledger that is very clearly about selling off children to pedos, and in fact contains some notes from Bumby about the work that he does...and how much Alice reminds him of Lizzie. Everyone is notably disgusted, and Alice angrily wishes that she could get that room key off him, but agrees that it’s better to try and escape. The ledger is thus shoved in the bag, and Victor closes up the safe and stores it back in the secret drawer, before the trio try to stealthily head down the rope leading outside –

Alice – Prowl, 1d – 6! Alice is shockingly stealthy and gets down like a fucking ghost

Victor – Prowl, 1d – 4. Victor is not so stealthy and hits the wall once – he doesn’t make THAT much noise, but it’s definitely noticeable… (+1 to the “Bumby Shows Up” clock, 1 segment left)

Smiler – Prowl, 1d (+1 for pushing themselves, stress up to 5) – 4. And Smiler is also not particularly stealthy, losing their balance as they get off the rope and falling over – just loud enough for someone to notice! (+1 to the “Bumby Shows Up” clock ��� full!)

And that someone is Bumby, who entered his office at just that moment, saw the rope hanging out of his window, and stuck his head outside to see Alice and two other people, one of whom is carrying a bag. He naturally assumes that she’s stolen SOMETHING from him (even if he doesn’t yet suspect it is his ledger) and starts yelling at her – Alice blasts him as an abomination and reveals that she knows exactly what he’s been doing. Bumby is first like “oh come on, who would believe–” And THEN it registers “wait, she’s here with two other people, SHIT SOMEONE BELIEVES HER” and scrambles out of the office himself on the rope. Fortune roll for how gracefully he gets down, 2d because I imagine he has decent Prowl to get kids to customers – 4. He gets down, but like Smiler he lands badly and is off-balance for a bit –

And Alice, seeing an opportunity, darts in and grabs his watch-chain, ripping Lizzie’s room key off it, while shoving the electroplasm bomb (tick one load for Alice) into his hands. As this is a must-win scene for the fanfic, this Skirmish, 2d roll is only to determine the consequences to her – 4. She gets the bomb in his hands before he can retaliate, and he goes up a treat...but unfortunately, poor June has come out of the kitchen, attracted by the noise, and promptly starts screaming as Bumby goes up, forcing the trio to flee VERY FAST (Smiler yelling “sorry!” behind them) – they are not a crew yet, but they will start being one with 1 Heat on their tracker as a result!

However, score is officially a SUCCESS! :D The trio run until they’re sure they’re not being pursued, then take a moment to celebrate their victory, with Alice being very happy that she was indeed able to kill the bastard (even if she accidentally traumatized her replacement – she’ll want to make up for that later if she can). Talk then turns to getting the ledger to someone who will be able to publicize Bumby’s misdeeds – And then someone says “Smiler?” nearby, and Smiler recognizes their parents! They run over for hugs and introduce Matt and Carol Alton to their new friends. Matt and Carol are very nice and warmly greet Victor and Alice – Alice, feeling a little guilty, apologizes for getting Smiler into some trouble and preventing them from coming home sooner. Matt and Carol are confused, so the trio explain the Barkis situation and the whole “turns out he was a Spirit Warden and the Bluecoats think we murdered him” thing – And Matt and Carol go, “Oh! No, the actual Spirit Wardens confirmed he was an imposter who killed one of their own and stole their kit, and that his corpse showed signs of being very recently possessed before it burned, so you’re in the clear!” Victor, Alice, and Smiler are a bit “…” over this, as you might imagine. Carol jokes that, “oh come on, it’s not like you killed anyone else, right?” [significant silence] “...right?” Fortunately, this is when Victor hands over the ledger, with Alice and Smiler explaining a bit more about what just happened – after a look inside, Matt and Carol are like, “Oh, yeah, that murder was TOTALLY justified, good job.” They tell them that they can send it onto a reporter of their acquaintance, the lady who runs Publick Occurrences, and that Victor and Alice can stay the night in the Ministry of Joy if they want. As the trio have spent two days since the end of “Start At The Beginning...Sort Of” living in a house with no running water or heat, in one set of clothes, they are more than amendable to this suggestion, and the story probably ends with them on the way to the MOJ.

Post-Score Summary And XP:

Alice:

Stress level before downtime actions – 4

+1 Coin

XP:

2 for addressing a challenge with violence or coercion (commanding the kid, killing Bumby)

2 for expressing her beliefs (protecting the children) and background (she was the former dogsbody at Houndsditch!)

1 for – less struggling with and more indulging her vice (Obligation to the children of Houndsditch!)

Total: 5 – put 3 in the Insight XP tracker, 2 in the Prowess XP tracker (Alice wants Hunt and Finesse)

Victor:

Stress level before downtime actions – 2

XP:

1 for expressing his background (trade, he was the one to know to look for a ledger in the first place)

Total: 1 – put it in the Playbook XP tracker

Smiler:

Stress level before downtime actions – 5

XP:

2 for addressing challenges both with deception (talking their way past June) and technical skill (picking the lock on the safe)

1 for expressing their beliefs (taking Bumby down makes the world a little bit happier)

Total: 3 – put 2 in the Insight XP tracker, 1 in the Prowess XP tracker (Smiler wants Study and Finesse)

Downtime Activities:

Alice:

House Rule – if a score serves as indulging a vice for a character, that character automatically gets 1 stress knocked off the tracker at the end – stress down to 3

Train Insight, +1 XP in that tracker (Alice is working toward Hunt – maybe she gets pulled into a game of tag with some of the younger members of the cult XD)

Train Prowess, +1 XP in that tracker (Alice is also working toward Finesse – does some drawing)

Victor:

Train Playbook, +1 XP (Victor talks to some of the Whispers in the cult, starts getting excited about being one despite himself)

Train Resolve, +1 XP (Victor might as well work toward another Attune dot)

Smiler:

Indulge Pleasure Vice – 4, stress down to 1 (entertains themselves and their new friends with some songs on their guitar)

Train Prowess, +1 XP in that tracker (Smiler is working toward Finesse, and playing the guitar works with THAT too)

[ygodmyy20]

Okay this has been sitting in my drafts for awhile and I just gotta post it. I couldn't get this moment from @toastytoaster22's fic Don't Start Now out of my head from the end of the chapter. It just sat in my brain, being cute and adorable and warm like these two are! I 1000% felt like Shigeo's mom in the story, I can't with these two. They are so sweet.

I tried to get it to a soft-fuzzy-nice place which matched how I felt when I read it. I think i got there...? Sorta? Anyway gotta give thanks to Toasty for creating some of the most wonderful fics, they all make me feel so nice and happy every time I read them.

Also this started as a fan comic idea of the fic initially but my paneling skills are....weh not great haha but if anyone wants to see some REAL ROUGH comic outline it's under the cut. I do think one panel of Shigeo was nice.

[bookishjules]

itty wintery yuchi oneshot anyone?

[imagineitdearies]

just spent the last day and a half binge reading perfect slaughter and

woah

just can't wait for the next chapter, obsessed with your writing and waiting with baited breath for the happy ending part to come in!!

Hey anon!! So glad you survived and enjoyed the emotional turmoil of the last 1.5 days then, I can't imagine 😂

It's great to hear everyone's excited for part three, I really am too!! There's a lot of threads from previous parts that finally get woven together, more recognizable NPCs to meet/see again, and of course, Our Boys as always getting closer and closer despite the hardships and peril. Lots of that, too, but always remember that promised happy ending folks!!

It's funny, I don't think I've ever been this invested in my own fanfic or pairing like this before, and one of them is an OC (something I previously disliked reading, much less writing!). Then again, I know I've never had readers this engaged, supportive, and inspired with their own lovely creations, so thanks to you all. Baldur's Gate really has turned my life upside down in the best ways 💙

As stated before, expect an update Thursday night/Friday!

[polyabathtub]

Oh also I’m so obsessed with the Flyers now that I picked my twelve favorites (12! An unreasonable number!), rolled a couple of d12s and then wrote the resulting fic.

Here’s Joel/EJ in to baldly go where many men have gone before. It’s some head-shaving clown-on-clown* action in case anyone else needs something fun today.

I’m very much looking forward to seeing what everyone else makes for the Roll the Dice RPF Smutfest next month.

*figurative. No actual clowns.

[nidstiniens]

Title: Bad Idea, Right? Rating: Explicit. Genre: Smut, Mutual Pining, Friends to Lovers Chapters: 03/03 (Complete) Pairing: Estinien x WoL Notes: Oops.

Preview:

"It's late," she said, perching herself at the edge of her bed before turning her attention to her boots, her small, delicate fingers working the laces undone. "I thought you said you were turning in."

"I have a bad idea," he sighed in a low voice, eyes fluttering shut as his words cut themselves into the air.

Read More

[friarvelune]

Some day you will grow up and learn to lie / just like your daddy did when he told you no one ever really dies

I hope that I'm not there when you realize / that those with their nose in the air will never look you in the eye

(toe to toe, streetlight manifesto)

[Image description: two photos of the same drawing, the first one just the inked sketch and the second with color from colored pencils, of Lord Sterling Whitetower from Inn Between. He is a man with an athletic build, slightly pointed ears, medium brown skin, and short, curly, dark brown hair. He is wearing silver plate armor with a blue cloth wrap and a belt with a scabbard around his waist, and is holding a simple broadsword and a shield with the symbol of St. Cuthbert. His eyes are closed. The color drawing has a silver D&D dice on each corner of the page. End of image description.]

[songofwizardry]

hey there's a lot of shit out in the world but like. there's also 300k fanfics written as labours of love and exuberant comment threads on art that point out and gush over little details and there's people who spend hours sewing tiny details on their cosplays and there's fragments of poetry that get shared over and over and bring emotions over and over and there's entire communities of people built around 'we loved a story together' or 'we made a story together' and there's people poring over every line in a work and building theories together and there's getting together with your friends to have ridiculous fantasy adventures every week and yeah. there's some good stories here too yknow.

[luminaryofblood]

Gonna be a hot take, but I feel like, especially now after Baldur's Gate III, I think certain people should take a sort of chill pill when it comes to how certain fic writers write certain characters.

Take Astarion for example. Depending on certain choices you make, as well as how your luck plays out, you could either end up with Vampire Ascendant Astarion(evil) or Vampire Spawn Astarion(Good). People enjoy him one way or another. And then there's people who enjoy him both ways.

With that in mind, I really want to say that that same logic could apply to Mohg too. You can write and enjoy him in the most evil way possible, or you can take a different route that explores a softer side.

Because honestly... And I realize this is probably gonna be a hard pill to swallow for some people, but Mohg himself was a victim too... Most everyone in Elden Ring was in some way, shape or form.

It doesn't excuse some of the things he's done, no... But I can't bring myself to believe that he's irredeemable.

It would take a journey, but I can't bring myself to believe that it's entirely out of the question...

[lestappenforever]

To the Devils Roll The Dice (Angels Roll Their Eyes) anon in my ask box:

You asked me not to publish your ask, so I won't. But I need you to know that your ask moved me beyond reason, and you truly have no idea how much it means to me to read your ask and know that this fic — my first ever Lestappen fic — could have that impact on you. It truly is my dream as a writer to receive this kind of feedback because this is exactly what I want my words to be able to do for someone. There is no bigger compliment, no higher honor to me, and I need you to know that I'm going to treasure and reread your ask endlessly because it has made my entire year.

Thank you. Thank you so, so, so much. I love you, and if you ever want to and feel comfortable to do so, please send me a DM so I can thank you properly. ❤️