#fun fact trade secret whatever :

[gf2bellamy]

Hi!!

I’m back with another request because I loved the last one (thank you btw)

Essentially Reader and Spencer are in a secret relationship due to the fact they both work for the BAU. However, someone in the BAU (I don’t really mind who) notices that Spencer starts doing things for Reader that he didn’t do before (carrying around her favourite candies or helping her with her go bag). That person proceeds to try and get a confession out of the two of them/ confront them

hopefully that makes sense, and I apologize if it doesn’t.

Thanks!! 🫶🏻

-B

observation — spencer reid

pairing: spencer reid x fem!reader ( no use of y/n ) content warnings: nothing i think ? a/n: hii B !! thank you for your request <33 I had so much fun writing this i love penelope so much

“Thank you,” you said with a warm smile as you took the coffee from Spencer’s outstretched hand, fingers brushing briefly against his. He had remembered exactly how you liked it, down to the smallest detail, just as he always did. Your gaze flickered down to the other item in his grasp—a familiar, perfectly frosted donut from your favorite bakery. You accepted it with a grateful hum.

“You’re an angel,” you sighed contentedly, sinking your teeth into the soft pastry.

He didn’t say anything at first, just offered you that small, knowing smile, the one that made your chest feel a little lighter. His hazel eyes lingered on you for a second longer than necessary before he gave a slight nod and turned back toward his desk. 

Across the bullpen, Penelope Garcia perched on the edge of Derek Morgan’s desk, idly twirling a pen between her fingers.

She hadn’t been paying much attention at first—her mind had been occupied with whatever conversation she and Derek had been having—but something about the moment between you and Spencer made her pause. 

It wasn’t unusual for Spencer to do kind things for you; in fact, it had almost become routine. But there was something different this time. Something in the way he looked at you, the way your eyes met his in that brief exchange.

It was subtle—maybe too subtle for most people to notice—but Penelope was observant. And she knew a meaningful glance when she saw one. 

Narrowing her eyes, she tilted her head slightly, watching as Spencer settled back at his desk, his posture a little too relaxed, his focus not entirely on the file in front of him. Then she looked back at you—still happily munching on your donut, a barely-there smile lingering on your lips. 

Oh. 

Oh. 

Penelope’s eyes widened slightly as realization dawned, but just as quickly as the thought entered her mind, she shook her head, pushing it aside. Maybe she was imagining things. Maybe she was reading too much into it. 

Still… she made a mental note to keep an eye on the two of you.

Just in case. 

For now, she turned back to Derek, who was watching her with an amused smirk. 

“Something on your mind, Baby Girl?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Penelope pursed her lips, stealing one last glance at you and Spencer before turning back to Derek with a dramatic sigh. 

“Oh, nothing,” she mused. “Just… observing.” 

Derek chuckled, shaking his head. “That’s never just ‘nothing’ with you.” 

Penelope only smirked in response, filing her suspicions away for later. 

The next time Penelope’s curiosity was piqued was when the entire BAU team was making their way to the jet. It wasn’t often that she had to join them on cases, but when her technical expertise was needed in the field, she had no choice but to trade her cozy tech lair for the fast-paced world of profiling. 

As she strolled alongside Derek, chattering about the latest tech upgrades she wanted for her office, something caught her attention. 

Spencer. 

More specifically, Spencer carrying your go-bag. 

Her eyebrows lifted as she watched him adjust the strap over his shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world. You walked beside him, laughing softly at something he had said. He was smiling, too—not the awkward, barely-there smile ,but the warm, comfortable kind. 

Huh. 

Penelope’s eyes narrowed slightly behind her glasses. Her eyes were locked on the two of you as you boarded the jet.

And that’s when she nearly lost it. 

Because, oh. Oh. 

You sat down next to Spencer—nothing unusual about that—but the way you did it made her jaw nearly hit the floor. 

Legs touching. No space. At all. 

Not even the usual “oh, it’s a tight fit” kind of situation—there was plenty of room on the jet. But you? You had chosen to sit so close that if one of you so much as moved an inch, you'd basically be in each other’s laps. 

Penelope turned her head slowly, as if to make sure she wasn’t the only one seeing this. But the rest of the team didn’t seem to think anything of it. Emily was already flipping through the case file, Rossi was drinking his coffee, and Hotch, well—Hotch probably knew but was choosing not to acknowledge it. 

She turned back just in time to see Spencer shift slightly, angling his body toward you as he mumbled something. You responded with a soft chuckle, nudging his arm playfully. 

That was it. 

That was the moment Penelope Garcia officially entered investigation mode. 

“Oh, this is interesting,” she murmured to herself, a slow grin spreading across her face. 

Derek, who had been about to sit down, paused mid-motion. “What’s interesting?” 

Penelope shook her head, plastering on her most innocent expression. “Oh, nothing at all, my delicious chocolate thunder,” she cooed, reaching over to pat his cheek. 

Derek rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay. I know that look, sweetheart. Spill.” 

But Penelope just hummed, settling into her seat with a knowing smirk. 

Oh, she was going to figure this out. 

And when she did? 

Oh, you and Spencer were never going to hear the end of it. 

The next time something happened was a couple days later.

Penelope had seen a lot of things in her time at the BAU—gruesome crime scenes, mind-bending mysteries, and things that made her want to bleach her brain—but this? 

This was something else entirely. 

She had suspicions, of course. She wasn’t the team’s resident gossip queen for nothing. She noticed the little things—the way Spencer always seemed to hover a little too close to you and the way you looked at him like he personally hung the stars.

But this? This was undeniable. 

Garcia had just stepped out of her office, stretching after a long day of staring at computer screens, when she spotted you and Spencer waiting by the elevator. At first, she didn’t think much of it—just two coworkers leaving at the same time. Normal. Totally fine. 

And then she saw it. 

Spencer’s hand. 

On your lower back. 

The casual intimacy of it made her stop in her tracks.

And just when she thought she couldn’t possibly be more stunned—he leaned in and kissed your temple. 

Kissed. Your. Temple. 

Before she could even react, the elevator doors slid open, and you both stepped inside, completely oblivious to the fact that Penelope Garcia had just witnessed the biggest secret of the year. 

She stood frozen in the hallway, her mouth slightly open, her mind racing. 

No. No, no, no. She had to be hallucinating. Maybe she had spent too much time staring at screens and was now seeing things. Maybe someone had slipped something into her coffee. 

But no. This was real. 

Her hands flew to her mouth, suppressing the squeal threatening to burst out of her. 

“Oh. My. God,” she whispered to herself, eyes wide with a mix of shock and happiness. 

The entire night, Penelope tossed and turned in bed, her mind racing with one singular thought—How did you and Spencer hide this for so long? 

She prided herself on knowing everything about her team. Not just their work habits, but their favorite coffee orders, their comfort movies, even the ridiculous little quirks that made them who they were.

But somehow, somehow, she had completely missed the fact that Spencer Reid had been in a secret relationship with you—for who knows how long. 

It was unacceptable. 

So, instead of getting a good night’s sleep, she lay awake, replaying every interaction, every inside joke, every moment she had brushed off as just “friendship.”

And now? Now it all made sense. 

By the time morning came, she had given up entirely on rest and got to work earlier than anyone—which, for her, was unheard of. 

Hotch had to do a double-take when he walked into the bullpen, his brows lifting slightly at the sight of Garcia standing there, arms crossed, foot tapping impatiently against the floor. 

He debated asking. 

Then decided, Nope. Not his business. 

With a subtle shake of his head, he continued toward his office. 

Garcia, meanwhile, was waiting like a hunter tracking its prey. She was ready. The moment you and Spencer stepped foot into the bullpen, looking far too relaxed for people harboring a massive secret, she pounced. 

“Finally!” she exclaimed, her voice cutting through the quiet morning air. 

Both you and Spencer froze mid-step, your expressions instantly shifting into matching looks of confusion. 

“Uh… good morning to you too, Pen?” you said hesitantly, giving her a small smile. 

You walked toward your desk—right across from Spencer’s—placing your bag down and shrugging off your jacket. But before you could settle in, Penelope cut in with a pointed, “You two. We need to have a talk.” 

Spencer blinked. “About what?” 

She scoffed, throwing her arms up. “Oh, don’t play dumb with me, Doctor Reid.” She turned to you. “And you! I expect this kind of top-secret, under-the-radar stealth mode from him, but you? I thought we were closer than that!” 

You blinked, completely lost. “Penelope, we have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

Penelope scoffed again, crossing her arms as she glared at the two of you. “I’m so mad at you,” she huffed. 

“Why?” Spencer asked immediately, concern lacing his voice. His brows furrowed as he glanced between you and Garcia.

Penelope’s glare deepened. “Why? Oh, I don’t know, maybe because you two have been sneaking around behind my back for—who knows how long?! And I had to find out on my own?” 

You felt heat creep up your neck. “We weren’t sneaking—” 

“Oh, please,” she cut you off, waving her hand. “I saw him kiss your temple last night at the elevator! I’ve seen the way you two look at each other, all googly-eyed and disgustingly adorable—and yet, nobody told me? Your best friend?” 

You and Spencer exchanged a look, and even without speaking, you knew you were both thinking the same thing. 

Busted. 

You sighed, rubbing your arm. “Okay, yeah… we’re together.” 

Penelope gasped, clutching her chest dramatically. “I knew it!” 

Spencer cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable with all the attention. “But—Garcia, please don’t tell anyone,” he said quickly, adjusting his bag strap. 

Garcia’s mouth fell open in offense. “Excuse me?” 

“Please,” you added, stepping forward with a pleading look. “We just… we wanted to keep it private for now. It’s not that we didn’t want to tell you, we just—we weren’t ready for everyone to know yet.” 

Penelope stared at you both for a long moment, lips pursed, clearly debating whether to accept this explanation or not. 

Then, finally, with a dramatic sigh, she rolled her eyes. “Fine. I won’t tell anyone.” 

Spencer let out a relieved breath, and you smiled gratefully. “Thank you.” 

“But,” she added sharply, pointing a finger between the two of you, “I expect to be the first one to know when you are ready to go public. I want details, I want stories, I want all the romantic fluff I was robbed of for—how long?” 

You bit your lip. “…Almost a year.” 

Her jaw dropped. “A Year?!” 

You winced. “Uh… surprise?” 

Garcia groaned, throwing her head back. “I cannot believe I missed an entire year of cuteness. This is a disaster.” 

Spencer shifted awkwardly. “Well, statistically speaking, keeping a secret this long in a workplace environment is actually quite rare—” 

“Oh, don’t you dare start throwing statistics at me, Doctor Love,” Garcia interrupted, narrowing her eyes. Then, her face softened as she let out a dramatic sigh. “Ugh, you two are so lucky I love you.” 

You grinned. “We really are.” 

Garcia huffed but smiled anyway. “Now go, before I change my mind and announce it to everyone.” 

You and Spencer didn’t need to be told twice. With one last grateful look at her, you turned to head toward your desks, your shoulders brushing as you walked. 

Garcia watched you go, shaking her head with an affectionate smile.

[theactofknowing]

Can I request headcanons for Astarion, Gale, Wyll, Halsin, Dammon, Rolan, and Zevlor react to shy gn crush confessing to him?

confessions

⋆·˚ ༘ * the BG3 boys/reserved!reader * ༘˚·⋆

MILD game spoilers/references to mid-game story progression. you’ve been warned!!

someone who’s reserved isn’t typically what astarion looks for. he’s reserved in a sense—keeping his secrets: conditions and history, close to his chest; but he holds himself up with self-confidence and independence. your quiet and reserved nature is off putting—until he began, reluctantly, talking to you in the hopes of gaining your protection. as time went on, he found out that you weren’t that horrible—maybe he didn’t mind you too much. when you confess to him, he doesn’t find it surprising—it is him, after all. he’ll lightly make fun of you, but he won’t turn you down.

sweet, sweet gale. if you manage to confess before he does, he’s pleasantly surprised—considering how quickly he gets attached to someone. when you confess to gale and you’re unable to meet his eye, he’s not the type to affectionately tease you—he’s preoccupied by the fact that you are actually interested in him. gale is a confident lover when time passes between you, but he spent ages under mystra’s hand and a year locked in his tower—he’s a little rusty. gale and a reserved partner go hand in hand; gale likes to lead in a conversation and in a relationship, and you’re more than happy to put your trust in him.

wyll is graceful and chivalrous. when you come to him in camp one day, obviously nervous, he softly holds one of your hands and soothingly runs his fingers over your knuckles. if you’re hesitant about love and PDA—don’t worry, wyll is the man for you. wyll likes traditionalism, he likes to take it slow. you’ll have time to ease into the relationship because he’s courteous—chaste kisses, fleeting touches.

halsin is someone easy to chat with. his nature is kind and open, relatable—from one leader to another, and it’s easy to fall into a conversation with him time and time again by the fire. halsin says he can sense the good in you, and it’s only natural to fall by your side. when you do manage to confess to him, it’s no surprise. he was simply waiting for you, and it’s only right to slip into this dynamic with him.

you never quite had the opportunity to confess to dammon when he still occupied the grove, so it’s a welcoming surprise when you find him in the grim scenery of the last light inn. dammon always appreciated that you were kind to him as the tieflings were never looked upon favorably, so he’s just as happy to see you. dammon is sweet and soft spoken, willing to take the initiative when you can’t. when you come to him at the inn, visibly nervous and preoccupied with yourself, he indulges you in small talk about his trade until you’re able to speak whatever it is you’re thinking of. it’s easy for him to reciprocate, and he promises you a private date in the city.

it’s obvious rolan saw you in a less than favorable light at first. to enabling his siblings’ wishes to stay at the grove and failing to save them in the shadowlands, rolan wasn’t pleased with you—no matter how pretty he thought you were at first. to his surprise, you save his siblings, and he maybe starts to feel a bit guilty. rolan reeks of self confidence, but finds himself struggling to apologize to you and admit that maybe you’re not that bad. he later laughs when he realizes that he was just as timid as you were during the whole ordeal, entirely standoffish—it completely eases the worries of your confession.

zevlor isn’t someone who looks for romance. he isn’t a terrible bachelor—not unattractive or generally unlikable—he’s just preoccupied with handling himself and the people he looks after. when you came to the grove, zevlor found that he admired you—one leader to another. you advocated for his people, you made sure they were well, and he liked that you were dependable and trustworthy. when you confess to him that you find him just a bit more than admirable a day before the tieflings are set to leave the grove, he’s shocked. the feelings are easily reciprocated, and he wishes to see you again sometime—maybe in the city.

thank u for the prompt. astarion was the most difficult to write for. feel free to send me requests on my page!

[iheartduckie]

being best friends with oikawa and iwaizumi

reader x oikawa tōru | reader x iwaizumi hajime (PLATONIC)

900+ words | gender neutral

a/n - i just wanna sing barbie things by nikki minaj with oikawa in the car while iwaizumi drives like the smexy person is

warnings: unedited AND from 2021… how could it get any worse

—————————————

- you three (3) have been friends since childhood, often hanging out at oikawa’s

- the days you were together, you spent either playing around the neighborhood, watching the boys play volleyball, catching bugs, watching volleyball games on the tv, playing fun games, etc.

- oikawa’s older sister absolutely adorned adored you, and always joked about trading tōru for you and iwa

- for all of grade school, you, iwa and oikawa were practically attached at the hip

- you often supported them at their games, and with their passion for volleyball. understandably, you and iwaizumi had a secret agreement to watch over oikawa and make sure he wasn’t overworking himself

- when you heard about the incident with kageyama, you made sure that oikawa apologized and scolded him for giving the poor boy a hard time

- you also tried to make it up to kageyama by giving him a little gift basket and greeting him nicely in the halls of kitagawa first

- by the time you all enrolled in aoba johsai, your bond was unbreakable

- despite oikawa’s pleads, you didn’t sign up to be the manager for the volleyball club.. although this didn’t stop you from visiting them during practice, usually with snacks and the occasional gossip

- by your third year, the team and new members were familiar with you and recognized you as the team’s good luck charm

- of course, you couldn’t help but beam whenever you see oikawa perfectly set a ball for iwaizumi to spike

- when attending their games that are hosted at aoba joshai’s gym, they were both sure to designate a spot JUST FOR YOU

- both iwaizumi and oikawa are VERY protective of you, and would literally intimidate any potential suitors who try to approach you

- either oikawa or iwaizumi would leave you with one of their jackets, mainly so that people don’t mess with you

- the 3 of you would often have sleepovers too!! godzilla movies are probably watched (request of iwa), with relaxing face masks and baked goodies to indulge in.. the night often controls what you guys go

one sleepover, when oikawa got dumped earlier that day because of volleyball, you decided to have a self care night while watching the movie titanic.. trying not to laugh at the pictures iwa took of oikawa, you would help them apply face masks to the boys’ skin. oikawa looked silly with the hair clip you gave him to hold his bangs back, and as heartbroken as he was, oikawa was still down to sing “my heart will go on” with you. iwa would occasionally sing some parts with you both, but the fact that you all butchered that beautiful song- it just left you all laughing by the end of it. a video of you and oikawa was recorded by iwa, so it is used as friendly blackmail :D

- whenever you three (3) had outings, iwa always drived NO MATTER WHAT- AND HE LOOKED HOT while oikawa had the passenger seat and aux. you always sat in the back, either sleeping or singing along with whatever nicki minaj bop he chose (FAVORITE GO-TO SONG: BARBIE TINGZ)

- with oikawa’s fan girls, some of them hate you while some of them love you. oikawa constantly voices how they all want them to respect you, and they all understand that.

- if you were to ever go on a small date with some suitor, then i can GUARANTEE that they would follow you with terrible disguises (and positive intentions ofc) all while you try not to laugh at them

- if you were to ever hear about any of their crushes, you’d put in a good word for them.. and depending on how long the relationship lasts, you’d also befriend their s/o

- the gc you have is UTTER CHAOS thanks to whatever memes or funny insults oikawa sends

- facetimes are also a thing, as well as taking really funny and ugly photos of each other

tw: sad things (when they lost)

- whenever they lost the qualifiers against karasuno, you were there to comfort oikawa and iwa, plus assure the team that they were all good players regardless

- you were also the one who paid for the ramen after (make them pockets hurt ig)

- and you sat while they practiced one (1) last time as a team after the ramen, meaning that you were ALSO THERE WHEN OIKAWA THANKED THEM FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS AND UGLY CRIED WITH THEM TOO-

- moving on, graduation was one of the best days of your life. it was bittersweet, of course, but to be spending time with them both was all you wanted.. and even when you were all in different time zones, you all put the effort in staying in touch

- you all supported each other, and often sent them care packages from home while they sent you goods from california and argentina

- when iwaizumi came back to japan, the two of you met up more often, probably calling oikawa and just doing best friend things woo

- during the olympics, you were given special seats to watch the event takes place

- not to be sappy or anything ‼️, but with seeing how far your boys have gotten, YOU WERE ABSOLUTELY BEAMING WITH PRIDE WHEN YOU WATCHED THEM AT THE OLYMPICS

- overall, your friendship with oikawa and iwaizumi allows a very fun and carefree bond shared between the three of you

——————————————

iwaizumi hajime route | oikawa tooru route

reposts/feedback are appreciated!

masterlist

[sweetkpopmusings]

changbin coworker headcanons <3

a/n: i hate that it took me SO. LONG. to upload another coworker headcanons post :-((( i'm currently suffering in the office so thinking about giggly coworker!changbin is my saving grace <3 pics not mine~

content: fluff, nonidol!au | wc: 0.9k | warnings: none really! some mentions of food | pairing: coworker!changbin x gn!reader | requests: open

it’s honestly hard to remember a time at work when you and changbin weren’t friends

changbin was always known for being good-natured, friendly, and an absolute joy to be around, which you were informed of on your first day

needless to say, people were quite jealous when you became the favorite of the most well-liked person in the office

changbin would argue that you’re the most liked though because he likes you so much, with all his heart, forever and ever 

he tells you this like every day :,-( just the cutest

speaking of changbin being cute

he is determined to turn any bad day around asap

like the second he sees the hint of a frown on your face, he is going full y/n-deserves-the-best-day-ever mode

he’ll do anything from impromptu girl group dance performances every time he walks by your desk to reading dozens of dad jokes off a random website to absolutely CHEESIN’ at you until you smile back

also totally is on his rich kid behavior when it comes to buying you snacks, drinks, trinkets, or anything else he thinks you need to get through the workday

any time you offer to pay him back he looks like he’s going to cry because “i just want to treat you!! you are my friend!! i can only survive the hours of the workday because you’re here!! the least i could do is buy you this thing!!”

“this thing” is like a five course meal on a wednesday but whatever you say changbin <33

even though he feels it’s his daily responsibility to make sure you’re working in a stress-free environment, good luck doing anything in peace

his voice is on max volume 97% of the time

and the other 3% his voice is on bass boosted whisper

if you sit next to him in a meeting, he WILL get you in trouble for disrupting the presentation

if you’re not talking to him, he’d whisper “y/n!!! why are you ignoring me???” and then your boss would call you both out for being disruptive and you’re sitting there like ???? i’ve been completely silent 

before you can say anything to defend yourself, changbin is apologizing and saying “we’ll never do it again” which is a total lie lmao

he doesn't care though. he sits next to you every time and will throw a fit if you run away

you’re his buddy so it's mandatory in his mind to sit with each other at all times

changbin also gets jealous of other coworkers hanging out with you

like someone asks you how your weekend went and he is in a tiff because "i can't believe you're replacing me with them!!!!!!” and you  barely remember their name but you spend 30 minutes cheering changbin up so he stops pouting and does his work

somehow you’ve become a changbin babysitter because really he’s just a goofy little kid

sometimes coworkers will ask you for tips on working with changbin

whenever he’s collaborating with others, he ends up (unintentionally) derailing brainstorms or group meetings by telling a story or making jokes that are the slightest bit related to the conversation at hand

and people love his charm but they also need to do their work

which is why, after you pass one one successful trick, people come to you ALL the time for advice

you’re now known as the changbin expert

changbin finds this out at a company party and while he confronts you for “exposing seo changbin trade secrets” he actually is SO endeared by the fact you’re known for knowing him so well

he shares this with all of his friends because he wants to brag yet again about how you’re the coolest person ever and therefore he is the luckiest person ever

while a lot of the time with changbin is all fun and games, he knows when to take a step back and bring you calm energy or serious moral support

it may not be his default state to refrain from giggling and dancing, changbin cares deeply about your wellbeing and will switch up his vibe according to your mood/needs

absolutely the BEST listener whenever you need to rant

like he books out a (soundproof) conference room so you can talk trash about a project or a person

and the whole time he is agreeing with you wholeheartedly 

if you ask, he’ll offer you solutions, but he’s also willing to simply be a shoulder to cry on or someone to listen to whatever’s weighing on your mind

obviously, you thank him for it every time, and he reassures you that it’s just him doing his job

when you remind him of what his actual job is, he says he got promoted to “y/n’s emotional support coworker”

you laugh so hard at this that it becomes an inside joke between the two of you

for his birthday, you get him a nameplate for his desk with that job title, and he loves it so much he nearly cries :-( he shows it off to everyone for weeks and places it prominently on his desk to remind everyone who your #1 fan is :’-)

no one tells you this, but the truth is that, before you started working there, changbin never had the zoomies as often as he does now

for as much as he is known to be your support system, meeting you reinvigorated his presence in the workplace, and seeing you in the morning is enough to turn his mood completely around

that’s why, even on his worst days, changbin wants nothing more than to make you smile even if it means he has to scramble at the end of the day to finish the report that was due the next morning lol because you, without having to try, are changbin’s sunshine <3

[crows-of-buckets]

I was tagged by @lunammoon !! Thank you for the tag

General

Name: Ena de Riva. He was born as Ena Surana (he's the cousin of my hero of fereldan fun fact!!) He kept his name after he transitioned as he felt it was his one tie to the family he lost :/

Alias(es): Rook, Idiot. Sometimes "Viago's lapdog" but that one's only used in a negative way

Gender: Transmasc

Age: 29

Place of Birth: Denerim!

Spoken Languages: Common/Trade (can't remember what it's called in Thedas rn) and Antivan

Sexual Orientation: I have geniuenly been thinking about this for days and could not tell you. I don't think he's ever thought about it. It's just whatever. I guess he would probably identify under pan, but again I do not think he would be assed to give it a label. I do think he's somewhere on the ace spectrum though

Occupation: Assassin! Also does a lot of spy work and information gathering for Viago; turns out being able to shapeshift into a cat makes spying on people easy as hell

Favorite:

Color: I feel purple

Entertainment: Probably enjoys reading nonfiction books. Nerd

Past Time: He sews! He actually designed and made his canon outfit himself lmao

Food: He's not very picky and will eat whatever is put in front of him but I think he really enjoys seafood

Drink: He's a sucker for coffee. Mostly bc he pulls ungodly hours but he does also like the taste. While not his favorite, he is a bit of a wine snob. He doesn't drink alcohol very often tho

Books: Like I said above nonfiction. Probably focused on history/biology

Have They

Passed University: No but he probably could

Had Sex: LMAO no. Geniuenly up until he left the crows his one and only concern was crow stuff. Sure he's found people attractive and had feelings that maybe could have led to romance/sex. But he doesn't act on it because he has an eternal stick up his ass before Varric comes into his life. Even after he loosens up a bit he is still awful at expressing emotions. The fact that him and Lucanis ever get together is a miracle geniuenly

Had Sex, in Public: I think this would kill him. Like just the embarrassment of it would make him drop dead. Easiest way to fulfill a contract on his life I think

Gotten Tattoos: He has a de Riva tattoo on his ribs!

His scars are very inconsistent here but whatever. Rib tattoo yayy

Gotten Piercings: He has his ears pierced. I don't think he would get them anywhere else

Gotten Scarred: he has his top surgery scars, and several on his chest. His back is absolutely covered in them. I don't have exact stories for his scars, but the ones on his back are from crow training. While his trainer ultimately did want him to succeed, she was not a kind woman in the slightest

Had a Broken Heart: Yeah but not in a romantic sense. When he was a kid he missed his mom so so much and thinking about it makes me sad. He doesn't really remember it much bc he was so young when it happened but still

Are They?

A cuddler: Yes. Once he gets to the point of being comfortable with touching you there's no escaping it

Scared easily: No

Jealous Easily: Also no

Trustworthy: Probably not‼️‼️ Listen no matter how much he loves you and would dedicate his heart and soul to you he IS gonna spill all your secrets to Viago. Its not even personal it's just his job. He still loves you very very much it's okay 🫶🫶 on everything else except secrets he is very trustworthy. He's always been very loyal (that's like half his dynamic with Viago those two are awful worst pseudo siblings ever (I love them)). Although maybe don't give him your drink he will probably poison it

Family:

Siblings: He has an older sibling! Their name is Revari, and they were my original rook for this game. Their lore is. A lot. And also involves half my da worldstate. But more or less they end up in Tevinter and get adopted by the Mercar family. I like to think they reunite after veilguard but I still haven't figured out the exact semantics of it. The last time they saw each other Ena was like seven and also a girl so. Idk I like the idea of them reuniting

Parents: His mother was a city elf and his father was a Dalish elf. His dad returned to his clan just before he was born, and his mother died during the fifth blight

Children: I do have a child designed for him and Lucanis, but I flip flop between whether or not she's canon. Her name is Lace Dellamorte de Riva

Pets: He has a cat that I still have not named! He based his shapeshifter form off that cat he loves her to pieces

I don't have anyone to tag, so consider this an open tag :3

[theunderweald]

*spawns*

I offer everyone a gem of their liking.

How would everyone react meeting the original squad that they’re from? Like the gang and star sanses.

Well, it would definetly be a major mindfuck for all of them considering 1. the massive height differences and 2. the differences in time periods, but aside from that...

Nightmare would most likely take things the easiest when meeting the original Nightmare, more on the side of staying back and watching over the situation to gauge him before talking to him. Would most definitely try and figure out some sort of way to get information out of the original, whether it be where they came from or why they are there. If not that, they would both watch over their subordinates with a keen eye, just in case something were to go wrong.

Killer would team up with OG Killer almost instantly, both of them would be a complete force of sheer annoyance and energy, though Killer would be a little bit of a pushy little shit about OG Killer being a “puppet” for OG Nightmare instead of being one of his wardogs.

Cross would be very wary and cautious about OG Cross, probably wouldnt talk to him aside from short answers to whatever OG Cross had to ask him. But, in short, they would both be like two cats just meeting each other, just sort of bristly and not going close unless absolutely nessicary.

Horror meeting the OG, 100% asks about his brother. Is he safe, is one of the top questions. And also, trading recipes from the different worlds!! Horror could try out a hot dog, or a nice burger, and OG Horror could try out some Nochturne delicacies in turn!! Maybe they could even pull their respective Cross’s in so they wouldn’t be such awkwardly hostile wallflowers. Kind of like two bears holding their respective dogs like “Okay, it’s get along time now.”

Dust isnt even going to try and talk to the OG Dust, if they came in contact with each other the claws would fly. He doesnt like how Dust is a mirror of his own past, and for that he would decide that either he goes or the OG goes, and this town aint big enough for the two of em.

Dream is confused, but not hostile. Mainly because both him and OG Dream would have just about the same ideals, they just go about things in different ways! They could have a nice and civil conversation, though Dream would be very surprised with OG’s attitude towards things, considering that OG will typically try to help people, and he will use other methods to keep his kingdom safe. It’s no matter for UW!Dream, though, it keeps his subjects safe and happy.

Swap has mixed feelings. On one hand, it’s another version of himself! The possibilities of a sort of multiversal friendship could be fun, especially since it's literally himself but in a different way! But when he'd learn about some of the other types of him, it'd end up a veritable mess of emotions. Most likely would think about the fact that some people see him as some sort of small child, and ruminate on it, maybe sulk if only slightly.

Ink and OG Ink would get along instantly, trading secrets of artistry, UW!Ink showing off his very well done taxidermy and painting skills for a look at Broomie, and talking about the many different universes that OG Ink has been to, the different amounts of creativity that he would see on the daily. Maybe if OG Ink were to come back, UW!Ink would give him a decorated scarf to add to his outfit, or piece of art as a small gift to remember him by.

[mitz-prompts]

prompt: crossover, abigail is a magical girl

this idea is NOT fully formed, it's soft like raw dough

but

crossover with Madoka universe, this is a world in which abigail hobbs felt ignored and abandoned by her parents, particularly her father, from a young age. when given the opportunity to trade her soul for a wish, she wished for her father to love her.

but he loved her too much. and then the canon events of hannibal take place.

what's really interesting to me is like. picture hannibal and will being their canon selves, weirdly possessive and protective of abigail, "we are her fathers now", manipulating her, etc etc… and then being blindsided by the fact that Abigail is a Main Character and has Magical Powers

like

how disorienting would that be for hannbial and will 😂 she gets her neck sliced open but she's Fine. Nick Boyle attacks her but she disarms and incapacitates him without hurting him. She keeps disappearing at random times but she insists she's not a murderer and Will's empathy brain tells him to believe her, even though he KNOWS she's keeping a secret.

she has a weird cat friend that follows her around and she talks to it but she doesn't have any cat care materials or food or anything.

fun convo opportunities between abigail and kyubey:

abigail: "hey kyubey, now that my dad is dead, was my wish transferred onto hannibal and will? is that why they're trying to be my new dads?" kyubey: "no, your wish has already played out. i don't know what's wrong with these two men, but it has nothing to do with me :3c"

or even:

kyubey: (insistently telling abigail that hannibal is a serial killer) abigail: "are you just trying to sabotage my life again?" kyubey: "you don't have to believe me! i was just trying to be helpful!"

also what if like. hannibal trying to provide therapy (aka poke at abigail's brain) regarding her feelings about the other girl victims or feelings about her father or whatever, and abigail's like "actually i'm fine about all that. instead can we talk about the trauma that comes from signing shitty contracts?"

"abigail, are you in some kind of debt?" "you could say that" "i could help you settle your finances" "i don't think you can help me with the thing i'm on the hook for" "what are you 'on the hook' for?" "a human soul." "ah. well. nevertheless--"

[anotherdayforchaosfay]

Meet Anabel “Rook” Laidir!

Age: 20, nearly 21

Parents: Alistair Theirin and Jasmine Amell, raised by Leliana "Auntie Ana" Divine Victoria and Uncle Zev from the age of five years. It was for her own protection. Leliana could claim her as her own child due to the red hair and similar eye color.

Height and Build: 5 feet, takes after her mother in that regard, and a member of the Itty Bitty Titty Committee. If she didn't get as much exercise as she does, she would have an hourglass figure.

Class: Mage with heavy rogue training

Faction: Lords of Fortune since age 18.

She looks very much like her father, but with her mother's eyes and mouth.

I'm working on her page right now.

Some fun facts:

She's demiromantic and pansexual, but not entirely inexperienced. At least as far as romance goes. If her true parentage and history became known, she could end up on a ahit list for existing. She would love some romance though.

Masculinity, regardless of gender, is what she's most attracted to. Body hair is a major bonus, and deep voices damn near make her vibrate with arousal. Seeing Lucanis for the first time made her gasp. Hearing him...hehehe.

When not actively treasure hunting, she makes her money as a bard. Anabel can play the lute, tin whistle, and fiddle, snd favors the fiddle. Unfortunately, carrying that around can cause issues, so she has her tin whistle with her. She can also sing, but nothing grand.

She excels at acrobatics.

Anabel also knows how to sew and mend her own clothes, and enjoys embroidery. She has handsewn gems to her clothes, as well as glass beads, into elaborate patterns. One particular outfit has silver and gold threads made from real silver and gold.

She keeps a ring on every finger, bracelets on both wrists, and several necklaces at all time. One is a locket that won't open with her breath, and contains a small painting of her parents. It's also enchanted to be waterproof and whatever chain or cord she uses for it will never break.

Yes, she is a devout Andrastian. Her faith cannot be shaken.

She loves studying history. It's one of her favorite topics, and one of the reasons she joined LoF.

Leliana and Zev insisted she experience the world, and provided her with a surname she could safely use. She's been on her own since 16.

In her bedroom at home, she has a collection of music boxes her mother sent to her every year until she was 10 years old. Then they suddenly stopped. Her father sent her random trinkets and baubles until she was around seven. Then they stopped.

Anabel does not resent her parents. In fact, she misses them and would give damn near anything to see them again. Leliana told her she sees them anytime Anabel laughs because it's her mother's laugh, smiles because she has her father's smile, her kindness because it echoes that of both her parents, her temper because it was her mother's, her magic because also her mother, her humor because of her father, and her grace in a fight because of her father. Anabel takes comfort in that.

She lives the Antivan accent, and not just because of her Uncle Zev. She's well versed in the language amd how the Crows operate because of him. He made sure she built up a tolerance to various poisons, could throw a knife accurately with little effort. Leliana taught her to pick locks, as well as spy without looking like it.

Her accent is mostly Fereldan. She remained there until she was 10, kept secret and protected. Rather rural too. Plus some extra training with Avvar, namely magic.

She speaks fluent Orlesian, Antivan, Trade (common tongue in Thedas), Dalish, Avvar, and Fereldan. She knows some Qunari as Avvar. She can read all the above plus a few others. All of this has helped tremendously with her work.

She has freckles, but update how they look on the screen. For some reason, they made her look twice jer age. Pretend she has almost as many as Harding.

Lots of tattoos!!!

The scar on her neck was from someone who thought they could kill her in her sleep and steal everything she has. That someone is now very dead. The blade was laced with poison, had her sick for several days, and scarred her something nasty. She now sets up wards before going to sleep.

Varric is completely unaware of her parentage.

I need to update the page I'm making for her.

[etes-secrecy-post]

Hi, before I explain my post, I want to say something important.

• What you see my blog has become a major overhaul. And despite the changes, I decided that my 2nd account will be now my artwork blog with a secret twist.

⚠️NEW RULE! (W/ BIGGER TEXT!)⚠️

⚠️ SO PLEASE DO NOT SHARE MY 2nd ACCOUNT TO EVERYONE! THIS SECRECY BLOG OF MINE IS FOR CLOSES FRIENDS ONLY!⚠️

• AND FOR MY CLOSES FRIENDS, DON’T REBLOG IT. INSTEAD, JUST COPY MY LINK AND PASTE IT ON YOUR TUMBLR POST! JUST BE SURE THE IMAGE WILL BE REMOVED AND THE ONLY LEFT WAS THE TEXT.

⚠️ SHARING LINKS, LIKE POSTS, REBLOG POSTS, STEALING MY SNAPSHOT PHOTOS/RECORDED VIDEOS/ARTWORKS (a.k.a. ART THIEVES) OR PLAGIARIZING FROM UNKNOWN TUMBLR STRANGERS WILL IMMEDIATELY BE BLOCKED, RIGHT AWAY!⚠️

😡 WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT EVER LIKED & REBLOG MY SECRET POST! THIS IS FOR MY SECRET FRIENDS ONLY, NOT YOU! 😡

Okay? Capiche? Make sense? Good, now back to the post…↓

Title: Happy 28th Birthday Bryan360

Hello, September! 🍂🍁 I had no plans on sharing my throwback artworks (a.k.a. #OnThisDay post) because it is time for another celebrating a birthday! Its my A-Pal's 28th birthday! 🎂🎁🥳

IMPORTANT NOTE #1: No Art Trade this month, with my A-Pal. 😊 So, you know, give him a chance to relax while he's celebrating like my previous Bday? Yeah. ☺

• "First" off, I want to apologize for missing out on the respective anniversaries of Bryan360's three main OCs; Maxwell 🐰🖌️, May 💥👊🐰, and Sam ⚽🦊. That's because, I was dealing with my emotions on my mistakes and mishaps, not to mention I missed using my PC desktop since June 2024. I'm still using my mom's laptop... *sigh* 😔Furthermore, when I try to apply for a job on my current social media, I've sort of made a mistake but I dodge the bullet from a job scam. Thanks, Mom for reminding me from 2019. I'm still a helper at my parents' small rug business without pay.😥 So much for getting the opportunity for a real-life job and purchasing whatever I want (including my dream plush I like is that legit "DogDay" plushie doll 🐶☀️🥺🤗)

• And "Second", my OCs never get a chance to see me wearing PJs, including the ones that were gifted by Bryan360's OCs. So, I thought to myself "Why not I combine his upcoming birthday & my OCs wearing PJs into one celebratorily artwork package?" 🤔 And thus, an ultimate yet unique birthday slumber for his 28th-year birthday! 😁🥳🎊🌙🌃 After all, night day is ALWAYS a perfect way to celebrate any occasion! And the cherry on top of his birthday cake is adding pillow mattresses with their clothes gifted by the Rabbit-Fox family! What's not to love? 👕👖🥰🤗

Spot 🐶🏎️ [wearing his owned PJs from Maxwell]: Yeah! Nice idea, creator! 😁 I bet, he'll likes your gift art just like he did to you! 😊 Right now, we could stay up night for a nice midnight Birthday Slumber Party! 🛏️🌙🥳🎂

Riya 🐰🏎️ [wearing her owned PJs from May]: Yes, sir! A unique kind of birthday celebration is something interesting than a regular celebration! 😁 *hugging, rubbing, and squeezing on her pillow mattress* 👕👖🥰🤗

Cude 🐰🤖 [wearing his owned PJs from Sam]: I could agree your statements, twins! On behalf on our creator and their family, have a wonderful birthday to you, Mr. Bryan! 😊

IMPORTANT NOTE #2: His gift art → [CLICK ME!] from my 31st birthday's cake supposedly be written as "Maligayang Kaarawan" 🎂🇵🇭, instead he wrote it in a Spanish words. I would say, that this a error in mistranslation of sorts. So, I have to do something the same thing as he did to me for a fair mistake. 😅

Fun Fact ☝️😮: The Philippines in their ancient times used to have an official "Spanish" language owing to the historic colonization. 🇪🇸🇵🇭 However, by the time when the WWII ended, the Philippines already gained their independence from the United States, and the official "Spanish" language for the Philippines was removed. 🇵🇭📖 Nevertheless...

Well, that's all for now! And once again, Happy Birthday, A-Pal! 🇺🇸🇵🇷🤗🥳🎁🎂🎊

Cude (HTF OC) and the Speedster Twins (Spot & Riya; Chowder OCs) - created by ME! Maxwell, May, and Sam (Rabbits and Fox OCs) - owned by @bryan360

[illarian-rambling]

📙 and 🍋 for the Jumbo Ask Game?

📙 What kind of subjects (of conversation, of discussion, in school or whatever) does your OC find interesting or engaging or that they can talk for hours about? What kind of stuff do they just find fun?

God, I could talk about Twenari or Astra here, but I'll go with Twenari. Her darling in life, her purpose, is magic. She loves sorcery and knows just about everything there is to know about it, even at her young age. She's intensely curious about book magic - runes and potions and stuff - and wants to go to school for it, even though a sorcerer of her talent would usually never stoop to study the 'material magics.' The things she's most interested in, though, is the Araunian desert.

To start, the Araunian desert is weird and there's never an explanation for why it is the way it is. It's a blasted desert on top of the ruins of an ancient empire of the same name, and it's utterly saturated with rotting magic. Rotting magic is the runoff energy from spells that slowly decays into reality in the form of radiation. There's a massive pool of it across the Araunian desert, which means anyone who enters better be wearing protective runes or they're getting magic cancer.

The other weird thing about the desert is that the rotting magic, sometimes just called the corpse, might be sentient. Twenari has drawn on its decaying power twice in her life. Once, it tried to influence her into using it all up, which would've killed her. The second time, it tried the same thing, which prompted Sepo to come up with audio runes, an entirely novel form of magic. There's also the fact that only in Araun do automatons spontaneously become sentient.

Twenari is utterly fascinated by all of this and eventually dedicates her life to discovering the desert's secrets. She can talk for hours about Araunian ruins, runoff signatures, and robot sentience. Often, she seeks to study it even in her free time by reading all that's been written on it and parsing through any legends that have survived from the old empire.

🍋 Does your OC act petty and jealous easily? What sort of things make them feel like this and do they experience guilt for getting so worked up? How do they deal with these emotions when they get them? If your OC doesn’t feel like this often, why not?

Let's go with Sepo, since he's the king of petty. He's the type of guy to tailgate someone with his brights on after they cut him off in traffic. He's the type to spit in a customer's food if they were rude. He can hold a grudge into literal eternity - he practically collects the things. So yes, very petty.

Another very petty character of mine is Djek. He's more cheerful than Sepo, so his ability to hold a grudge tends to get looked over, but he's holding them just the same. When he loses his temper, he tends to lash out with insults. He usually feels guilty about this, with one exception.

Sepo and Djek have a sort of grumpy older brother/annoying younger brother dynamic. Djek takes genuine joy in irritating the siren, and though he'd never admit it, Sepo wouldn't know how to live if he didn't have someone to complain about. They're constantly trading jabs as payback for some comment or another, constantly playing small pranks, constantly taking innocuous remarks as insults.

But honestly? They both have fun. The insults are petty and the pranks are many, but they both know where the other's buttons are and avoid pressing them. Djek knows not to joke about Sepo's brother, and Sepo knows not to joke about Djek’s parents. So yeah, they're two very petty, irritating men who use each other as a sort of social isolation chamber so their mean streaks don't spill out on other people as much.

Thanks for the ask!

[crossdressingdeath]

See, now I'm thinking about desire demons again, and like... aside from the fact that yeah the desire demon design just in general isn't all that sexy (please... more creative fanservice than just shoving naked boobs at the camera...), there's no actual reason for them to look like that? And it actually weakens their overall effect as creatures that manipulate humans using their desires. I'm bored so I'm actually going to go down the list of notable desire demons as listed on the wiki to see what they actually offer, and spoiler alert: most of them... aren't actually offering sex, or if they are it's as one part or one option of what they're offering, not the whole thing. So, starting from the top (and leaving out Yevena and Vereveel from Broken Circle, Xebenkeck from Forbidden Knowledge, Hanker from Kind of Want and the unnamed desire demon from Malcolm's Will since none of those offer anything in particular other than a fight):

The desire demon in Arl of Redcliffe offered Connor the power to save his father, and if the Warden negotiates with her she offers the secrets of blood magic, the love of those around them (mechanically is a +20 approval boost for one companion, which seems like a waste given how easy it is to gain approval in DAO but whatever), something to increase their talents (mechanically a tome that gives an additional talent/spell), or sex. So sex isn't off the table, but since it's the only option on the list with no actual benefit to the player I imagine most people don't go for that one, except maybe for roleplay reasons (I'm sure some people's Wardens—and I say this with zero judgement, if someone wants to play a total asshole then I just hope they have fun with it—are the sort that would absolutely choose to bang a desire demon in exchange for a small child's freedom). ...Actually I might make a poll about that, I'm kind of curious what options people go for now.

The desire demon in Broken Circle who ensorcelled that Templar offered him a family life and happiness, although it's unclear if she asked him or just did it for her own reasons. It's a little hard to judge the exact details of the arrangement since he's completely under her control, but it seems like a safe bet that if sex is involved in the deal it's as a part of the "happy family life" illusion, not as the main draw.

It's a little unclear what Kitty offered Amalia, but it seems to have been friendship of some sort? Although it's also possible that there was no actual bargain involved and Kitty was just being nice so that Amalia would come back often enough to give Kitty the chance to get free and then possess her, which is her ultimate goal. When dealing with the Warden Kitty offers a nice staff in exchange for letting her take Amalia (side note, did not know you can get a staff out of Kitty (hehehehehehehe- sorry, I'm very mature I promise) by trading Amalia for it). So overall no offers of sex in this one.

Moving on to DA2, Allure from the Exiled Prince DLC offered Lady Harimann power in exchange for feeding on her husband, son and daughter and offers the same to Hawke and co if they let her go, and while there is some element of sex in the feeding (Lord Harimann, anyone?), Flora just gets drunk in the cellar and yells at thin air and Brett starts trying to turn people into statues by covering them in molten gold, so again it's not an automatically sexual thing.

Caress in Night Terrors does offer Aveline an illusion of Wesley, but that's more about her failed desire to save and protect him than any physical desire for him and (based on the wiki, I've never brought Aveline on this quest myself) Caress's aim in using him seems to be more getting Aveline to turn on Hawke by blaming them and their family for his death. Meanwhile she offers Isabela a ship and crew, feeding off her desire to be a proper captain again, which is a decidedly non-sexual deal to offer a character who the game sexualizes as constantly as it does Isabela. So again, no sexual offers in sight here.

And of course Imshael, the only male desire demon we see (other than Herren if we count him) and for what I'm sure are totally unrelated reasons the only one wearing actual clothes. Very slick, Bioware. Not. In TME he offers to let Michel influence the dreams of men in exchange for him sacrificing someone as a host for Imshael, and in DAI he offers the Inquisitor riches, power or virgins in exchange for his life and freedom, but if you ask for virgins he... doesn't have any (or if Cole is in the party he could find one but admits you probably wouldn't like the result) and gives you a rune instead. So much like in Arl of Redcliffe sex is presented as an option he's willing to make a deal for (and I'm sure the fact that he's offering to find people for you to have sex with instead of offering to have sex with you himself has nothing to do with him being the only male desire demon, see previous point re Bioware's slickness or lack thereof), but it's not the only choice on the list.

So out of the eleven major desire demons we've had run-ins with, five don't offer any deals that we know of (Xebenkeck at least probably did based on her age and power but we have no real details on what they were so she doesn't count), three offer deals with no sexual component, one offers a deal that ends with a sexual component for the demon's sake that does not involve the deal-maker (since Lord Harimann doesn't seem to have made any deal with Allure, she's just feeding on him, whatever that entails), and two offer sex in exchange for getting their way but also offer other options in case the protagonist would prefer something a little more useful than getting laid. So that's 3/11—27.27%—that offer deals involving sex in some way, or a little over a quarter. So if most of the deals we see desire demons make don't involve sex, why is their design so obviously supposed to be seen as sexy? It would actually make more sense for them to try to look like normal people, because the name of the game for a desire demon is manipulation. If you see a purple topless demon lady with nipple piercings, you are immediately going to be on your guard! That's suspicious! Why are you going to willingly make a deal with this thing! Bioware got so fixated on the idea of sexy demon ladies that they missed the bit where their desire demons don't work in a way where that design makes sense for them! Not only are the desire demons blatantly designed the way they are because Bioware wanted to shake some boobs at the camera, it actually weakens them as enemies because creatures that work largely through manipulation would not want to immediately look suspicious.

[brooklynislandgirl]

Advent Day XVI ~ All is Calm, All is Bright @whtwclf

Sometimes Beth worries that she asks or maybe expects too much from James. With his hands he built this house back up. It had belonged to his parents, of that she is sure and from his day those decades ago it might likely have belonged to his grandparents, too. in a way it's funny that once more multiple generations are living under the same roof again. He'd tell her if she said so aloud that he enjoys working with his hands. That it gives him a sense of peace using them to create rather than destroy. She notices the more he putters around, sometimes muttering to himself, sometimes making plans with her, the less frequent the nightmares are. She doubts they will ever go away completely but the length of time between them is a hopeful thing. Even the rocking chair that she's in was one he made for her. Without drawing strength from the earth Beth can't really lift or move it on her own, but everything about it describes it's maker. It is white oak, heavy and sturdy and will support her weight for years. It will hold more than that. Much more. It's stained a beautiful deep cherry-wood colour. Hides the occasional smudge of blood, spit-up, chocolate. She had no idea he was going to make it for her but she loves it just as much now as she did when he gave it to her. James goes out Yorktown Heights to cut down their own Douglas or Fraser, and makes sure to wrap the stump carefully. He drives upstate with her to set it free in the wild, and appreciates how she uses her mana to replant the tree to keep it alive. He doesn't make fun of her for preserving nature. He also brings home cider and doughnuts from the fruit and fir farm. She grows the ivy and shapes the pine bough that becomes their door wreath but James isn't one for trying to short out the city power grid by illuminating the entire eastern seaboard with decorations. She loves to listen when he mindlessly croons snippets of carols he recognises. Presents under the tree are always a delight; chemistry and Erector sets to encourage expansion of the mind, art supplies or music to encourage the arts. Whatever little thing that gets ever so sweetly asked for. Never a weapon, never ultra-violent video games. Books and clothes. Not just at home, either. James has been a Secret Santa for local hospitals, shelters. Boxes of food too. Blankets that Beth knits during those long hours of insomnia throughout the year. Scarves and shoes, gloves and hats. No one in the neighbourhood goes without. Wrapping paper and ribbons are saved when they can be for reuse later and he always apologises after the fact. She dotes on him affectionately and reminds him he's being environmentally aware. She rather likes the way he drawls his hatred of single use plastics.

Right now though, making sure the hand-made stocking are not only hung but filled and relying on him to make sure all the presents are wrapped and waiting under the tree. It's amazing how quiet he can be when he needs to sneak around. He knows which boards will creak, and he knows exactly what distance there is between every stick of furniture they have. He doesn't wake Mia who had insisted on waiting up all night for Santa, and who was asleep by nine pm. He tucks her in. Then he makes the trek upstairs. She glances over at him as he takes up the space of the door frame. Their eyes meet in the dim light coming in from the hallway and the little lamp that throws a galaxy of constellations onto the ceiling. "Heya, doll." "Hi-hi." Those two things are the softest of whispers between them, his darker tone wrapping around her like an embrace. He carefully saunters over to her and holds a sprig of mistletoe over her head. She tilts her chin up and offers him the kiss he claims. "Trade you," he says. Beth thinks about it for a moment but then nods. He waits patiently for her to unlatch Andy's mouth. Their infant son wasn't exactly nursing in any serious fashion but hadn't let her go just yet. He tucks the mistletoe behind her ear then scoops the baby from her arms. Once she's sure he's got a good hold, she shakes out her arms and covers herself up with her robe. James carries Andy to his crib ~also hand made first for Mia and now for her brother~ and settles him in it, before tucking him in with the same care and love as he had the boy's sister. Beth comes up beside him and ducks under his arm, the metal cool on her neck, her shoulders. "I know you could stand here all night, Mistah Barnes," she murmurs, watching him in profile. "But Christmas gonna come real early an' dere won' be more sleep until midnight."

[writerfae]

Hi! Want some more sad Ákos facts for Aiden to chew on? (I swear to god the kid's fine. He just has his moments XD They can trade books with Henry for fluff)

Ákos has a lot of difficult, complex reactions to what happened to him. They are usually messy, convoluted ever-changing that's why they're hard to talk about all at once. This is on purpose because Ákos is also having a hard time deciphering his feelings.

You already know the going blank thing.

Now get ready for: The misplaced guilt!

Ahh! Aiden, stop shooting me or I'll show you the bad end au, I swear to god!

The other characters know about it, and the will keep telling Ákos it was not his fault until he understands.

He feels guilty for two reasons:

First because kids are just more likely to blame themselves for the things that happen to them.

Secondly, Ákos has been told many times to be careful or his curiosity will get him into trouble. He wanted to listen to these warnings, he tried to be careful, but... can you imagine you want to walk on a frozen lake and at first you're testing out if the ice is thick enough, then you slowly get more confident? That's what Ákos was doing, even if his tests weren't really careful, because he just wanted to get to the good part. And until now whatever interesting thing he found was worth the risk. This time it wasn't. Ákos found a secret drawer with a secret book and he was so excited, then so scared.

And in his head he can't make sense of the fact that:

"You need to be just a little more careful"

Is a statement that coexists with:

"It wasn't your fault"

Because all Ákos can think is, "if hadn't looked into that drawer none of this would have happened" which is true, but it still doesn't mean that it was his fault! I could write an essay on this but I don't think I have to convince you, Aiden or anyone that it wasn't Ákos' fault! Noone thinks that, but him! NOT EVEN ODETTE!

This is made worse by the fact that Odette helped everyone with all sorts of things, but now she can't and they have to get used to it. And every time Ákos sees Endre struggling with his duties (that Odette helped with), or Adél being extra anxious (that she also helped with) all he can think is: if it wasn't for me she could still help them.

ON TOP OF ALL THIS: Before she pushed him off into the swamp, Odett hugged him and said sorry. Can you imagine how confusing that'd be for a kid after the fact?

Ákos: I mean, I'm not really mad at her, because in hindsight it makes sense that she would retaliate when I didn't want to keep her secret. And even if I were mad she said she was sorry, and it all worked out in the end, so I can't be mad at her, right?

Oh, sweet summer child!

Have fun with this, Aiden! Love you!

Aiden can’t answer right now cause he suddenly needed to sharpen his hunting knife for some reason definitely unrelated to this

Honestly though it is so sad that Ákos blames himself.

The worst thing is I do kind of get it, if I was taught that I should be less curious so I won’t get in situations TM and then this exact thing I was warned about happened, I’d blame myself too probably.

What’s even worse I think is that he blames himself but not Odette, the only person who truly was responsible for the situation.

No one thinks it’s your fault you poor child. Let Aiden give you a hug

[tropic-havens]

Mai Tai

This is the Mai Tai, a classic tiki cocktail created by Victor Bergeron (aka Trader Vic) at the restaurant Trader Vic's in Oakland, CA in 1944. The origin story goes that Trader Vic used a Wray & Nephew 17 year old Jamaican rum, mixed it with a few ingredients and served to his friends Ham and Carrie Guild who are from Tahiti. After trying it, Carrie Guild declared that it was "Maita'i roe a'e" which is a colloquialism that approximates to "Out of this world". After a while, supplies of this specific jamaican dwindled to where Trader Vic needed to use two rums mixed together to approximate its flavor profile. (Fun fact: A few bottles of Wray & Nephew 17 year still exist. They fetch over $50,000 per bottle.) Its success wasn't immediate. In fact, it didn't gain traction until Matson Cruises hired some of Trader Vic's staff to put together a cocktail menu for the Royal Hawaiian cruises. The name caught on more than the actual mixture and the recipe was a trade secret. Other places in Hawaii started mixing rum with just about whatever and called it a Mai Tai. This unforeseen success forced Trader Vic to modify his advertisements to declare that Trader Vic's was "The Home of the Mai Tai." When making your own Mai Tai, the question becomes what rums to use to get the right flavor profile. To do this, I mix in equal parts aged Jamaican rum and rhum agricole. The age of the rhum agricole comes down to preference and budget. Rhum agricole blanc does nicely, but a VSOP can be divine. 1 oz aged Jamaican rum 1 oz rhum agricole (blanc or VSOP) 1 oz fresh lime juice 0.5 oz dry curaçao 0.5 oz orgeat (use the best you can find) 0.25 oz simple syrup Combine all of the ingredients into a shaker tin. Add ice and shake vigorously until arctic cold. Strain into a chilled rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a lime hull (i.e. half of lime after it's been juiced), a sprig of mint and a cocktail umbrella to mimic an island with a tree and umbrella.

[linuxgamenews]

Farlanders Turn-Based: Verified for Steam Deck and More!

Farlanders turn-based strategy game is now Verified for Steam Deck beside Linux, Mac, and Windows PC. All credit goes to the creative genius of Andriy Bychkovskyi. Available on Steam, GOG, and Humble Store. If you’ve been waiting to dive into the Farlanders turn-based strategy on Linux, now's the time. Publisher Crytivo and developer Andriy Bychkovskyi are eager announce that it is officially Verified for Steam Deck. So, whether you’re at home or on the go, this city-building strategy title is ready to give you hours of fun right on your Deck.

Farlanders is now Steam Deck Verified! 🎉

The fate of Mars is (literally) in your hands! 🎮 pic.twitter.com/T7irmWlP1m — Crytivo (@Crytivo) October 23, 2024

Farlanders has positive feedback from the demo, now that the turn-based strategy gets Steam Deck verified. From the looks of things, it offers plenty of depth and strategy due to keep you coming back for more. Let's break down some of the features you can expect in this Linux game. At its core, Farlanders is all about turn-based building and expanding your colony on Mars. You’ll be in charge of creating a thriving city, using over 50 different structures. And it’s not just on the Martian surface – you’ll be building underground as well. So, get creative with your layout and make sure your colony can survive the harsh conditions of Mars. But what’s really neat is the terraforming mechanic. You’ll be reshaping the landscape to suit your needs, and you’ve got a bunch of tools to help you do it. Each time you play, you’ll have different challenges to face since no two maps are the same. The title uses procedural map generation, which means it’s a fresh experience every time. You’ll never know what’s coming next, keeping things exciting.

Farlanders turn-based strategy Release Trailer

Take on Campaigns and Freeplay

The release still comes packed with seven campaign missions, and if you’ve played Farlanders: Prologue, you’ll recognize the storyline and see how the turn-based style ties together. But once you’ve wrapped up the campaign, there’s still plenty to do. The freeplay mode gives you three scenarios to play with, where you can challenge yourself and your planning skills. The best part? It’s competitive, so get ready to push yourself as you manage your resources and expand your colony.

Dynamic World and Weather

Mars isn’t exactly a vacation spot, and the gameplay makes sure you feel that. You’ll have to deal with dynamic weather changes and anomalies, so you can’t just coast through the game. One moment everything’s fine, and the next, an anomaly or storm could throw your colony into chaos. It keeps things interesting and adds that extra layer of planning where you’ll have to adapt to whatever Mars throws at you.

Research, Trade, and Alien Artifacts

No good turn-based strategy is complete without a tech tree, and Farlanders is worthy. Offering a research tree with 19 technologies to unlock. This means you’ll be making important decisions on what to develop next, helping your colony grow and prosper in new ways. And because trade is key, you’ll be able to trade with other colonies. The market’s not static either – prices and demands will shift, so you’ll need to stay sharp and make smart deals to get ahead. Oh, and did I mention alien artifacts? As you dig deeper, you’ll uncover mysterious artifacts. Who knows what secrets they’ll reveal? It’s just another layer of intrigue that makes the title stand out.

Why You’ll like Farlanders turn-based style

If you’re a fan of city-builders strategy games, gameplay offers a unique experience by taking the action to Mars. There’s a lot to manage, from terraforming to research to trading, and the dynamic challenges keep you thinking on your feet. The fact that no two games are the same thanks to procedural generation means you’ll always be coming back for more. So, whether you're new to turn-based city-building games or a seasoned strategy fan, Farlanders has something for you. Now that it’s Verified for Steam Deck, you can also take the adventure anywhere. Along with support for Linux, Mac, and Windows PC. Available on Steam and Humble Store priced at $7.49 USD / £5.69 / 6,24€ with the 50% discount. On GOG it's only discounted 35%.

[xoxochb]

— prue’s pretty in pink garden party! ﹡ ֺ ۪ ❀

as always the rules, the rules. my regular account rules apply to this so please make sure to read all of those first! also I will not take any event related requests after the end date which is 10/6 (aka next thursday)

you take a right turn through a flower adorned archway revealing a beautiful garden, colors of all kinds, a lacy table with tea cups and finger foods and people trading flowers all around. In front of you, a girl, unruly dark curls, brown eyes and the widest smile, hands you a lilac (her most favorite flower) “welcome to my garden party!” she takes your hand and drags you along “come, join us!” …

୨୧ rises the moon: send me a hyacinth (🪻 ) flower for a moodboard of whatever you’d like! preferably something it’ll be easy for me to find photos of please and thank you!

୨୧ secret gardens in my mind: send me a tulip (🌷) flower and reveal a secret about yourself, in return I’ll expose myself also!

୨୧ happiness is a butterfly: send me a daisy (🌼 ) flower and a fun fact about you, in return I will decide which riordanverse character matches your vibe

୨୧ the way things go: send me a bouquet (💐)and pick a prompt from one of these lists: one, two, three for me to write about w/ the riordanverse character of your choice. (please also write the dialogue you chose from one of the prompt lists, it’ll make my life so easy if I have it in front of me when I’m writing)

— mutuals only below this!! (or if you were added onto the guest list)

୨୧ good looking: send me some of your attributes and I’ll give you a ‘playlist’ based on your vibe (basically I’ll just jot down a couple of songs)

୨୧ everything in between: I’ll tell you which aesthetic matches your personality

୨୧ dumb & poetic: give me a setting and I’ll use my best attempt to write you a poem

୨୧ spring breaks loose: I’ll guess your chb cabin based solely off of your top 3 personality traits