#i need and deserve more than ‘maybe we can do some recording sometime’.

[ccherrycolouredfunk]

at this point, i’m incredibly tempted to make anyone who wants to collaborate with me sign a contract. lol

[violetarks]

hello hello!! congrats on 3k. i love your work so much so you deserve it!! ^_^

if it’s okay could i request luka from alien stage with miscommunication & high school au? ( ´ ▽ ` ) and if it’s okay could the reader be amab? thank you!!

congrats again!!ヽ(；▽；)ノ✨✨💖💖

“but we can’t take back all the words that we said!”

show: alien stage

character: luka

summary: you overhear luka tell his friends that he missed being in ‘the single league’.

warnings: g/n! reader, no pronouns used (i didn’t end up put any gender indications at all, i hope that’s okay!!), miscommunication, high school! au, hurt/comfort, angst/comfort, reader is very self-conscious, established relationship, popstar! luka, he’s nicer in this au LMAO

"are you kidding me?" luka laughs out from inside the classroom.

you recognised that sound from anywhere. it was lunch time and you had told your boyfriend that, as class president, you had to prepare some things for the upcoming school festival during lunch, so you wouldn't be able to eat with him. he was a bit whiney and teasing, but soon let you go. you thought he'd be with some of his friends from his choir class, but no; he was in the classroom with a few of his peers.

you stop before you enter to talk to him for a bit. you were wondering what he was doing here.

"i mean, it's a bit hard, isn't it?" someone says.

"i wouldn't say it's hard," luka sighs out, "it's just a bit of a hassle trying to work around other people."

you're even more curious now. you hold your clipboard to your chest and wait to hear more.

"do you ever miss it? being on your own?" another person asks.

you stop, even halting your breathing in case he would stop talking because you were there.

dating someone as popular as luka was hard, but it was worth it. he was such a handsome guy and had an even sweeter voice. it was hard not to fall for him. you felt lucky enough that he loved you too. he was always on tv or always in the studio, and he brought you along too. you wondered the same thing sometimes; did he miss not being in a relationship?

you weren't a jealous person, but you didn't enjoy luka having a partner in music videos or anything. you had told him such, and he told you that he could fix that. maybe he didn't like the hassle.

"oh, of course," he replies far more quicker than you'd like, "i'd much rather be a single idol. i could do whatever i want, but now… i always gotta’ think of others. such a pain…"

the others around him begin to ask questions about why, but you only stand still. hearing it for yourself only confirms it; luka didn't really want to be with you. it only made his life harder. you somehow always knew that.

he probably didn't want to be rude in fear that you might spread something around to everyone that he was a bad boyfriend and ruin his reputation. or maybe he was just bored.

after all, you weren’t a popstar like him. you were just another student.

“y/n, hey,” mizi and sua turn the corner to see you. the pink-haired girl holds out a pamphlet to you with a smile. “here, this is what we came up with for the concert. is it okay?”

you take it from her and try to ignore the tears threatening to spill. you don't care to stay and listen to more. instead, you turn around and walk away with the girls at your side. you couldn't let him know that you knew, not until you were ready.

after school, luka is waiting at your locker. he is leaning against the wall and scrolling on his phone with his bag on his shoulder. once you're close enough, he tucks his phone away and smiles.

"hey, pretty thing," he greets you as you put your books away, "how was your little presidential duty?"

"it was fine," you retort shortly as you pack up your things, "don't you have a recording today?"

"oh, uh, yeah," he says as he watches your face, "it's later though, i can walk you home."

"it's okay, luka, i need to do some things before i go home anyway," you state as you shut your locker. you look back to him and his pretty face that tilts at you. it takes everything in you to not show that you’re upset. “i’ll see you on monday.”

“hey, wait,” he grasps your wrist as you try to walk passed him. he’s a music sensation, he knows when people are upset and when people are angry with him. you have both of those looks on you. “what about…?”

you two are supposed to go out together on sunday. you had organised something this time — a nice picnic by the lake. the both of you were so excited for it. until now, that is.

“oh, right,” you sigh out. he freezes as you lean closer to him and press a kiss to his cheek. “have fun.”

with that, you slip out of his grasp and leave. luka doesn’t call out. maybe you were just not in the mood, or it slipped your mind and you would come to your senses later.

he texts you when he gets home, when he leaves two hours later for his recording session, and when he gets home. he even sends you photos of his dinner with him and his new band. you only heart the photo and reply dryly. you’ve never acted like this.

you just want to make it easier for him to break up with you. maybe if he realised how little you added to his amazing life then he’d finally agree to let you go.

saturday comes and goes, and finally sunday does too.

sweetheart

sorry, can’t come today, i have some things to organise before the school fest next week

luka stares down at the text with his other hand holding the picnic blanket. he stands outside his door in dismay. at this point, he’s had enough.

love

seriously? whatever.

there, you think, he’s finally done with you.

he's gotten annoyed with this change of pace. you weren't acting like yourself, and he hasn't had any good time to ask you about it properly. you just shrug it off and then leave.

he tries to think about what he did, if he did anything, and nothing comes to mind. maybe he forgot to pick something up for you? or maybe he made you miss an important meeting? he couldn't think of anything.

monday comes around and you’ve prepared yourself. you two haven’t spoken since sunday morning and you’ve found it a bit hard to do so.

luka is upset with you, and you feel unable to be enough for him. so you put your things away, attend homeroom and explain the plans for the festival that runs from wednesday to friday, and head off to help your peers.

“y/n,” a voice calls from the doorway. you glance up from painting something. luka stands there with crossed arms. “can i talk to you for a sec?”

you stand up and and follow him out to the school yard. everyone else is planning their things for the festival, so nobody would be out yet.

“okay, out with it,” he grumbles with furrowed brows, “what’s going on with us? you’ve been totally gone and i have no idea why. did something happen?”

you don’t say anything, despite what you want to say. and that makes luka a bit more upset.

“y/n, seriously. can you just talk to me? i really wanted to see you yesterday and…” he holds his breath as you continue to stare at the floor, “why are you being so distant? you act like you want nothing to do with me! and instead of talking to me, you just—”

“you’re the one who wants nothing to do with me,” you grumble out with a hot face. luka stops. “you and… you just want to be by yourself, you don’t want to be with me anymore, luka.”

“what are you talking about?” he questions, now even more confused.

“i heard you!” you say as you jab a finger into his chest, “you told your friends that you missed being single and—and you didn’t like having me around. so i… i just thought that if i stopped being around you so much, that you would break up with me. at least then it would make sense.”

you have tears pricking your eyes. luka is almost the same, simply by looking at you. he knows what you’re talking about.

“i know it’s impossible, but i sometimes wish you and i were the same,” you mumble out, “it’s hard for the both of us, i guess. i’m sorry.”

he lets out a small sigh to himself before a smile dawns on his lips. he pushes his hair back and tugs you closer, gently.

“c’mere,” he mutters out. you’re reluctant, but seeing him with a sorry smile makes you step forward and wrap your arms around his waist. he holds you around your shoulders and presses a kiss to the side of your head. “oh, you poor thing. that must’ve been holding you down all weekend.”

“luka…” you say against his shoulder as tears stain his blazer.

“i know, baby, i’m sorry,” he shushes you, “i didn’t know you were nearby when i said that, i confused you. i wasn’t talking about you, sweetheart. i was talking about how much i missed being a solo idol.”

you blink and slowly lift your head from him. with slightly puffy eyes and an embarrassed look on your face, you stare at him.

“solo idol?” you repeat.

he chuckles and reaches a hand up to brush away the tears from your cheek.

“yes, i was talking about music,” he states, “not you, my love. i’m sorry that i said it that way, i didn’t intend on making you feel that way. i would’ve never said something like that if i knew it would make you feel like this.”

you can’t even look at him anymore. you cover your face with your hands.

“ah, i’m so sorry, luka,” you mumble into your hands, “i made a big deal out of nothing.”

“it’s okay, i understand, sweet thing,” he replies to you, “you can make it up to me with that picnic date if you feel so inclined.”

you nod your head at him before luka begins pressing chaste kisses to your tear-stained cheeks.

“aw, look at you, my poor baby,” he says to you, “don’t ever think i’d say such a thing. you’re my favourite person in the world, okay? don’t want you thinking otherwise.”

you wipe away your tears and nod your head again with a smile. luka grins as well at your return of personality. he leans forward and finally presses a sweet kiss to your lips.

“now c’mon,” he says after he pulls away from you, “let’s skip the planning stuff and go get something to eat.”

“no, luka," you chuckle out as he tries to drag you away. he forgets that you take your job as class president seriously. "i need to talk to class c's representative about their event."

"ivan's such a bore," he groans, "hang out with me instead."

you have to pull him by his blazer back to his classroom as he sulks behind you. you were glad that things were back to normal, at least.

[rhys-writes-some-shit]

Learn to Take "No" for an Answer

Alastor x Reader (Queer-Platonic)

Alastor was often a busy man, but he always managed to keep tabs on you. The moment your heart rate started to increase, he could feel it. He’d stopped what he was doing immediately and went off to find you. The moment he saw you surrounded by Sinners, with Vox at the center, he was ready to initiate a massacre. 

But instead, he watched as you held your own, not once swaying from your opinions. 

Once you tackled Vox to the ground, though, Alastor knew he needed to step in. He knew you could definitely hold your own for now, but you were not powerful enough to combat Vox if he retaliated. He only wished he’d been able to watch you stab that knife through Vox’s throat…

A few minutes earlier...

Humming to yourself, you skillfully sidestepped a bloody corpse on the sidewalk. Sometimes all you needed was a nice walk to clear your head. Today, the walk improved your mood immensely. The only thing that could make it better was if Alastor started one of his broadcasts. You knew it was unlikely to happen, but that didn't stop you from glancing up at the speakers above the streets in hopes they'd turn on.

You passed by the VoxTek TV display, pausing to watch the news highlights. Another turf war on the other side of the city, an ad for some sort of imp hitman business, clips from the latest episode of Hell’s Next Top Idol. Anything owned by VoxTek wasn’t allowed in the hotel, which meant you didn’t have access to all the media you would’ve liked. Sometimes, watching the TV display was the closest thing you got. 

“Like what you see?” A tall figure suddenly appeared behind you. The small group of Sinners who’d also crowded around the TV display suddenly burst into exclamations and talking.

Turning around, you found yourself looking up at Vox's flatscreen face, causing you to grimace. 

“Oh, come now, don’t be like that. I expected better from Alastor’s little pet.” Vox was grinning slyly, arms behind his back with authority. “I have a proposition for you, sweetheart.”

“If you’re here to ask me to watch Al for you, the answer is ‘no.’” Glaring, you attempted to find a way out of the crowd circling around you and Vox, but the wall of Sinners had increased, becoming impenetrable.

Vox rolled his eyes. “Of course not, hot stuff. I’m not an idiot. Alastor doesn’t deserve you anyway.”

“Maybe he does, maybe he doesn’t,” you shrugged. “Regardless, I really should be on my way.”

Even with that statement, the crowd of Sinners didn’t move. They were all watching Vox, enamored with the scene playing out in front of you. As your heart rate increased, you could only hope that Alastor would notice. 

“We should talk some more, sweetheart. You’re such a handsome little thing.” One of Vox’s hands reached towards your face, caressing your cheek. “If you ditched that old-fashioned prick and came with me instead, I think you’d find yourself much better off.”

Clenching your jaw, you angled your face out of Vox’s grasp. “I'm doing just fine as I am right now, thanks.” You made your voice cold, desperately trying to get your disinterest across. 

“Don’t be so sure.” Vox raised an artificial eyebrow. “I could give you more than Alastor ever could. Join me, and you can become one of Hell’s most powerful Overlords.”

The talking from the surrounding crowd grew louder, people taking pictures and recording the confrontation. The idea that Vox just asked to share his power with some random Sinner was crazy to the rest of the public. It wouldn’t take very long for word to travel all throughout Hell. The idea of your face plastered across cell phones and TV screens across the city made you nervous. Not to mention, you’d have to report to Vox, and he was an asshole. 

“I'm not interested,” you ground out, keeping your back straight to feign confidence. 

Vox scoffed. “Playing hard to get, are we?” He was grinning. “You look so fucking hot when you’re pissed off.”

Silently, you were begging someone, anyone, to come and rescue you. You couldn’t guarantee that you could keep your composure much longer. “I’m not interested,” you repeated, just as sternly. 

“Aww, are you mad, sweetheart?” Vox cooed mockingly. “Upset your owner isn’t here to save you? If you came with me, you’d never have to worry about being on your own.”

In a flash, your hands twitched and a knife was suddenly being held to Vox’s throat. You’d tackled him to the ground, the sharp blade reflecting your bright eyes. His eyes were wide, clearly not expecting you to retaliate.

“Call me sweetheart again and I’ll castrate you, you flat-faced fuck.”

“Oh my!” A dark shadow appeared behind you, quickly followed by Alastor’s tall figure. Despite his smile, you could clearly see he was just as pissed as you were. “Darling, is Vox bothering you?”

“Not anymore.” You pressed the knife closer to his neck, allowing a few droplets of blood to slide down the knife before withdrawing. Licking the blood off the blade, you gave Vox a dark grin. “You taste like battery acid. No wonder no one wants you.”

Alastor laughed heartily. “How true! Come along, my dear! Charlie is probably wondering where we are.” Placing your arm in his, you allowed Alastor to escort you away from the now-silent crowd. 

“I fucking hate that guy,” you snarled once you’d gotten a few blocks away.

“A nuisance, surely,” Alastor agreed. “I must say, you handled that wonderfully. Quite an entertaining display.”

Smiling lightly, you found yourself flushed at the compliment. “It was nothing. He just needed to learn to take ‘no’ for an answer.”

Chuckling, Alastor matched your smile. “I’m sure you got the point along just fine, dearest. And if he didn’t…” Alastor’s face darkened, smile turning sinister. Now it was your turn to laugh, and that was how you walked into the hotel, giggling at each other like a couple of teenage girls.

[yourfavepookiebear]

Hii, can i make a request? Yandere and self aware twisted wonderland please?

So the characters could hear the player after some time, although it is very difficult unless you pay attention, they actually don't know the appearance of the player!

But yeah, yandere Heartslabyul with a player who's pretty expressive? Like whenever something frustrates them they'd almost always curse out loud, when something makes them happy and satisfied they'd yell out a "Yes! Oh my god bro", etc

Okay so basically a player like me (and many others), cool, got it. (Im panicking I suck at writing for heartslabyul) I fucked up at ace's part idk what to write for him

God the old hag is waking up

Rushed asf

Riddle Rosehearts

You're pretty easy to read, at least on the terms of mood and emotion, which could be considered a good thing for him ?

At first he didn't believe it, because how could the player be anything but perfect ?

But then he realized that you don't need to be emotionless to be perfect.

Now this vaguely depends on whether we're talking about before OB or after OB Riddle, but if it's after OB then he doesn't mind it much

In fact, he likes hearing you mumble in frustration whenever you lose or see something irritating, it makes him...melancholic, in a way. Because these are all the signs that you're pretty normal just like them, you feel. It reassures him sometimes, to know that.

It's pretty cute and funny to him, but he won't show it

Hates that you show that side of yourself to others, he wants to be the only one to see this, but alas..not much can be done.

At least, not within the rules.

Cater Diamond

A bit like Riddle, it's sorta funny for him. God he wishes he could tease you, but he can't because of the damn programming..

Will definitely sneakily film it or record it he can't pass up on such an opportunity !

Depending on his mood he may or may not post it as well, but most likely on his private account

Can't have anyone else seeing such a cute thing, can we ?

Trey Clover

Now this is a bit complicated (more so than the others)

He wouldn't show it on the outside ofc, but he finds it endearing. (everyone does.)

May or may not crack a little smile when he sees you jumping in joy (or banging your head on the wall in frustration)

Doesn't care what others think about it, he will listen to your little outbursts with all ears.

And if anyone dares to comment about it, they better get ready for hell.

Deuce Spade

Doesn't really know what to think about it,

Ofc like everyone else he loves to hear you jump in joy or excitement, but frowns when you whine or complain about something

You deserve the very best !! If he could, he'd do anything to make you happy, just to see your little smile

God he wishes he was with you, but he can't...except-

Right, maybe draconia could help him with this.

Ace (I forgot his last name)

Oh well.

Seeing how expressive you are, he would definitely sneak in a few teases in his dialogues.

You know that cheeky smile of his ? Yeah, that's the one he has

Unlike a few others, he doesn't care if you're jumping in joy or in sadness, all he cares about is hearing you, seeing you..

Don't worry, soon enough, you'll be right next to him. So if you one day wake up to find yourself locked up in a room, just know that he means no harm

He can't help but wonder what you look like...ah, no use thinking about that since you'll be here soon.

This sucks ass ngl, my writing is trash right now but whatever

I did better than I thought since it's been a few months since I last wrote anything

Dividers by @cafekitsune

[skeletoninthemelonland]

Hi Starbs, sorry to hear about your situation, I am a bit younger than you and a couple of years ago I was put into a similar spot, even right now as I'm finishing up high-school my housing isn't very stable. I'll give you some tips if it's something that could help you. (I am from the USA so things are probably different over there) also apologies I am not good with English!!

SAVE. SAVE. SAVE. Budgeting and being frugal when it comes to money is extremely important!!

Do keep a bit of spending money as treats and keeping morality in check will do you good in the long run.

My storage unit costs me 66$ USD a month it's the size of a walk in closet. Whatever isn't essential or you can't carry in a backpack it's best you have a safe place to store it. Some will ask you to buy your own lock so keep that in mind.

Reach out to youth shelters! The one I'm staying at lets us stay 60 days but makes us leave at least 7 until we can come back. We can keep coming back as many times needed for us to find housing (as long as we don't have a record with causing problems at the shelter)

Learn your bus routes if you can, it saves more money than using a car.

Let trustworthy people know about your situation, friends, teachers, whoever, let them know as community and building a support system is essential.

Communicate with your college, perhaps they have dorms or programs that may be of assistance.

Eat!! Drink water!!! Take care of your hygiene!!!

Some gyms have showers so you can get a membership just to go shower if you need!

Cars can be very useful as you can sleep in them, there are camping spots rangers won't look through sometimes you could sleep at, 24 hour opened store parking lots, or in my case outside the gym you have a membership for that's open 24 hours!

Keep distance from your parents. I don't know your situation but from my experience, KEEP A DISTANCE AND HAVE FIRM BOUNDARIES!!! You don't owe them anything, not your location, who you're with, you're schedule, they don’t need to know that.

Apartments usually want you to make 2-3 times the rent. Example: rent is 600 a month? Then you need to make around 1200-1800 a month.

If you have a job communicate with your boss about your situation, they can be very flexible and understanding.

Don't burn bridges in the professional field!

Social networking is a life saver, if you make the right impressions with the right people it can come in clutch later on.

I'm repeating this again but building community and a support system is essential. Maybe a friend you get along well with also wants to move in, you could be roommates. Or an older woman who is fond of you learns about your situation and is willing the rent you a room in her home.

Pay attention to red flags!

Red flags in apartments can be how well maintain it is (mold underneath the sink) and how you’re landlord approaches it.

Red flags in people, like they could know you're desperate and will try to use that against you.

Do your laundry at friend's homes or in public laundromats.

Red flags in environments, maybe you end up in a bad part of town, get out ASAP!!

Share and update someone trustworthy often, you never know what could happen.

I wish I could offer you more but I'm currently still figuring out my situation as well. Stay safe!! Remember someone out there really loves you and wants you to be okay!! And you deserve to be okay!!

.

[thephooka]

Happy Webcomic Day! My webcomic White Noise is a labor of love--according to Procreate, this page took me 15.5 hours to complete.* Here's a look into that process!

Some other notes:

The thumbnails are done on graph paper and I script while I do them--there is no separate written script for White Noise. I usually spent a couple hours on weekends as needed thumbnailing, sometimes at a coffee shop or at home listening to records.

I then set up the file in Photoshop, so I can lay in the text and use the template I have with bleeds already set up. The text is rasterized and I shuttle the file over to my iPad via Airdrop.

The bulk of the actual work is done in Procreate, which records timelapses that I sometimes share to my Patreon. I usually spend a couple hours most nights after my day job or on the bus commuting doing this.

Once everything art-wise is done, I shuttle the file back over to my desktop to re-set in the text, add a stroke around the speech bubbles (Procreate doesn't have that took fsr) and do the resizing/exporting for web.

On Sunday mornings I get up, queue the page and write the page descriptions. I don't spend any time on the page descriptions outside of that.

Also, this process goes for the whole first arc of White Noise. I'm done with that arc (which means you can binge the whole thing I'm js!!) and am experimenting with some different methods these days, but my workflow is still generally the same.

*Some more talk about the labor (and burnout) involved below the cut:

This particular page (and most of the pages I did in 2023) took a lot longer than normal because I was heading into a burnout period that I'm still lowkey in/recovering from. It's obvious to me now in retrospect watching the timelapse here and seeing how much noodling I'm doing and how much I'm struggling with the process, but at the time I was just very frustrated generally. When I'm not burned tf out pages take maybe 10 hours max.

2023 was a pretty stressful year--lots of big life changes, uncertainty, pet death, health issues--so it's no wonder it propelled me into burnout, but it just goes to show that even the slowest and steadiest pace is not sustainable forever. I've been doing one page a week following this general process for over a decade! And I stuck to that pace because I knew it was one I could maintain. But even so, by the end of this arc I found myself working more and more slowly, not really looking forward to the work, feeling anxious about being behind, unhappy with the finished work, and extremely annoyed with myself for not being able to give it my all right there at the finish line.

I did stop for a while after the epilogue and took a more or less complete break from drawing for about a month--the longest I have EVER gone without drawing, much less working on White Noise--which did help, but these days my ability to work is...inconsistent. I should probably take another total break, but I'm reluctant. What if my passion never comes back? What if people forget about WN? It's already pretty obscure, and with the general social media collapse, it's harder than ever to get people to read my work. Now that I've left Hiveworks, WN doesn't even get the benefit of being linked to other comics (although objectively very, very few readers actually got referred to my comic that way.) And frankly, I'm also just too proud to go too long without comic updates. I've always told myself, I might not be the best artist or the fastest worker or make a popular comic, but I'm consistent. Difficult to let that go.

This is all to say that webcomics are hard. We do them because we love them, we have stories to tell, we are seized with the human compulsion to create. We spend hours of our time, almost always on top of the paying work that allows us to eat, to make something that we then give away for free. It has consequences on us that the reader doesn't often see, no matter how careful we are about it. If you ask me, webcomics deserve to be valued more.

Happy Webcomic Day! Read webcomics!

[megamagimugi]

Well, my dear Mugi! I hope you're ready because I'm about to send you my list of emojis... and it's not gonna be short either 🤭💖

🫀🌻🍄🪻🧠🕹️💿♟️🥊 (with and for you!) 🍁🕰️ (always platonically like the heart says) 🍬💧🌑 (I'm always here even if I take too long to answer, but I'm always willing to listen) 🐚 (of course I was gonna give it to you too!) and last but not least...

🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂

Based on this ask game.

Let's see, 1, 2, 3... 16?! You broke my record and sent as many as SIXTEEN (No, sending the same emoji 88 times doesn't count, you cheater!). You really just had to one-up me, huh? Okay, I see how it is. Congrats, you won!

Jokes aside, I'm really touched, Zahra. I don't even know how to properly react to something like this. For starters, thank you!!

Boy, oh boy. So many emojis, so many feelings. Maybe I'll just comment directly on each one.

Let's see whatcha got there:

🫀- I love you in a deeply concerning platonic way <- Thank you for loving me. Love you too! Somehow you make saying these words easier than normal, even though I'm still not exactly used to saying them.

🌻- I'm proud of you <- I don't understand why, but thanks😃

🍄- you didn't deserve what happened to you <- ...Yeah, I know, or at least hope so😔 Thanks, friend.

🪻- you are so so cool and awesome oh my god <- Oh yeah😎 Haha, thank you, and so are you!

🧠 - I love hearing you talk. you should ramble to me more often <- That's a relief, because I wanna keep talking to you! But also...

I mean, private ramblings aside, your fics and headcanons are always a pleasure to read. Not to mention your lovely reblogs of my art, especially those where you dig deeper and analyze what I try to portray🥹 I love them all dearly and have, in fact, reread each one a few times.

🕹️- I wanna go to an arcade with you <- Glad you share my excitement about this, let's-a go! How about some Mario Kart, for example?

💿 - I wanna listen to music with you in a treehouse in a summer night <- Pack your suitcase, we're going over to @vulpixfairy1985's place, build a treehouse if she doesn't have one already, and doing just that for hours on end.

♟️- you, me, board games. <- You're on. Also a good treehouse activity, eh?

🥊- I'd beat someone up with you <- Then I already have one deserving candidate in mind😏 But for me? No need, my friend, but I sure appreciate your willingness to do so!

🍁 - I'm so glad you're my friend <- Aww... So am I, times 10.

🕰️- I'll love you until the end of time, dear friend. <- Oh... That's a nice sentiment, dear friend, and I appreciate the thought. But after everything I've been through and learned about people, I know better than to promise anyone forever, or take someone's word for it. If you love me like a close friend right now, then that has to be enough❤️ Oh, and don't worry, of course I know it's all strictly platonic, this entire ask game is! And I wouldn't have it any other way😉

🍬 - I'd go to a candy store with you and steal all the candy <- Mmm, candy... But why steal tho?😥 You know what, I'll just suggest the same thing I did to @bberetd. We can go at night, have fun staging it as a raid and take all the candy, but secretly leave the money for the owner to find next morning. We can even draw them a map so they can have fun treasure hunting, too😜

💧- you are an important presence in my life <- Got to keep this one in mind, thanks. And you're in mine!

🌑 - you worry me sometimes. just remember im here if you ever wanna talk about anything <3 <- Sorry for worrying you. I'm so grateful for your support, kindness and compassion though, you have no idea🫂

🐚 - our souls are linked in ways I can't put to words <- If even you, such a talented writer, can't put it to words, then there ain't no way I can🤣 No, but seriously, I'm honored and touched knowing you feel the same way. Makes me about 30% less embarrassed.

🫂 - I wanna hug you <- Same. Very much. Like actually, physically hug you. But since we can't do that, the gifs will have to suffice:

...Okay, I don't think I can add 88 gifs, but hope these are acceptable 😄

[frozenjokes]

CuteGuy Would Prefer Greatly If HotGuy Never Ever Had Any Nice Things, But Especially Not His Good Friend And Roommate Cubfan135 (3/3)

prev

this part ended up much darker than the first two, related to Grian’s mental state after the cut. He thinks and says things he does not mean or want, so please check the ao3 link for the content warnings.

Grian gave himself a few days to recover after his fight with HotGuy, too sore to do much else than sit at his laptop and send out job applications; something he should have been doing anyway, but looking for work with a criminal record was nothing short of demoralizing. So what if he had a history of violence- so did everyone in this damn town, only some people were better at running from the police.

At least Cub was always around to help, sending links for possible options and filling out applications at his side; honestly, Grian wouldn’t be able to accomplish half of what he did without Cub’s help. Even then, the process of writing and waiting was stressful, and Grian was never good under pressure. Anxiety made him restless and restlessness made him lash out, and he didn’t want to lash out, not at anyone who didn’t deserve it.

So he gathered his things as the sun set, comforted, at least for now, by the idea of release. Maybe he’d catch a petty thief in the act, or spot some asshole from an earlier time- oh what he would give to get his talons on Cub’s shitty manager, but that was off limits, especially now. Regardless, it would only create more work for Cub in the long run, and Grian wasn’t trying to cause him any more grief.

Cub was.. pretty down after the night with HotGuy. He hadn’t gone out once besides to work, and while he wasn’t visibly upset, he was distracted, and just a tad clingier. Cub needed a lot of downtime, and usually he spent that time alone, but in the past few days he lingered in the common area, and sometimes even Grian’s room if Grian hadn’t left it in a while. Grian never minded. It was nice to hang out like that, quiet, doing separate things, but doing them together. Though, it was much harder to squash the temptation of ‘Bother Cub Instead Of Working’ when Cub was right there.

Grian wouldn’t have it any other way. He just wished he could help Cub feel better.. Especially when it was at least partially his fault Cub was so down in the first place.

He didn’t know exactly what Cub and HotGuy had been texting about, but it was clear enough that Cub was pretty upset. Grian didn’t fully understand why; was it really such a big deal to fight, even if it was staged? Was it the being misled? Now, Grian didn’t want Cub to have anything to do with HotGuy, but this didn’t feel good either, especially when he had a part to play. If Cub knew it was Grian behind the mask, would he be just as upset that Grian had gone through that much effort just to try and force a rift between them? Well, in fairness, Cub would definitely be more concerned with Grian having a supervillain alter ego, but that wasn’t- it didn’t matter.

Still, he felt guilty.

It was guilt that stopped Grian at the front door when Cub called his name. Guilt, that kept him home to watch a movie when Cub asked instead of going out like he desperately wanted to. And the next night, when Cub asked to play board games, and the next, when Cub told him simply he just didn’t want to be alone.

But the next night, over a week after the incident with HotGuy, Grian was too restless, too anxious, too stressed. He needed to leave, he needed to fly, he needed to hit something so he could just be normal again. So when Cub asked him to stay, Grian said no.

“Please.”

Grian hadn’t expected ‘please.’ He didn’t like ‘please.’ He didn’t like the way Cub said it at all. “I’m just going for a fly. We can play cards when I’m back.”

“Can’t you fly during the day? Doesn’t the sun feel better?” There was something too desperate about Cub’s tone, like his composure was just crumbling away. It was wrong. Grian felt his stomach turn.

“I like the cold. I like the moon. And it’s too busy during the day, I don’t have to pay as much attention in the dark.”

Cub wasn’t satisfied. “Grian, I want you to stay. I’m asking you to stay.”

“I-I know-“ Grian felt his own composure begin the crumble, his knees beginning to feel weak, “I just have to go, Cub. I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

“You don’t have to.” Cub met his eyes, and saw directly through him. Grian could have thrown up.

“I need to,” he insisted, almost shrilly, but Cub did not budge, he didn’t understand.

And all at once, everything came crashing down. He was so stupid. He- Grian- This wasn’t about HotGuy at all! Cub didn’t care about HotGuy- they were barely even friends, and honestly, Cub had never been all that romantically inclined- Maybe he’d been angry with the hero, but that wasn’t why Cub had been staying home-

Cub saw the spiral behind Grian’s eyes, and the change was instant.

“Grian, come here, please. This isn’t- we can figure this out. I’m not angry with you, I promise I’m not angry. We’re going to figure this out.” Cub took a step forward, arms raised. Grian’s breathing hitched as he took a step back. He felt his hand tighten around the door knob. He saw Cub’s eyes flick to the spot, then freeze. “Don’t run.”

Grian was out the door faster than Cub could lunge to reach him, and even without wings, Grian was in far better shape, far faster, and they both knew it. Grian beat his wings violently, drowning out the sound of Cub’s voice calling his name. He needed to go. He needed to be away. He needed to run. He didn’t want to hear himself think.

…

High above the dappled city lights, the first bar with music loud enough to hear from the sky called his name. The lights were garish and red, the people loud and grating, and it was everything he needed to stop thinking forever. Maybe he could get a guy to buy him a drink, and really make some bad decisions. Panic heightened his delusion. He wanted to black out. Didn’t want to remember where he was when he woke up, or anything about the night before. He wanted to wake up in the woods miles away from town. He wanted to wake up in a stranger’s bed. He’d never had sex before. He hoped it would hurt.

Something like mania clouded his vision as he stumbled into the bar, or maybe it was the lights. It was crowded, so crowded, and people were bumping his arms and his wings as they danced and again he was sure he would vomit over the sensations. He needed more.

Grian reached half-blind for the first man he saw, grasping for contact he viscerally didn’t want. The hand his talons fell across was big, peppered with scars and adorned with dusty gray rings- the skin didn’t quite feel right, though the person attached to the arm turned when he was touched, distracting Grian with his large green eyes.

“Dance with me?” Grian heard himself say, and the man grinned, wide enough to swallow him whole.

“I’d love to!” He took Grian’s other hand, pulling him closer, and Grian pushed in, whether to avoid contact from others or drown himself in the stimulation of one man instead, he had no idea. The crowd shifted around them as they danced, loud and careless and sharp, everything was so sharp and they were touching his wings, they were touching his wings and he needed them to stop. He held the hands of the man he was with like a vice. His grip must have hurt, his claws surely, but his partner never reacted and never let go. Grian felt his mouth hang open as the crowd enveloped them both, choking on the proximity. Someone stumbled against his back and Grian wanted to die. He couldn’t get enough air. He couldn’t breathe.

Someone was speaking, but Grian couldn’t hear them over the music. Maybe he wasn’t listening at all. He had to keep dancing. The current song switched over to something new, and Grian wretched as the base shook his entire body. He was going to die. He felt himself being pulled and had no choice but to follow. People were talking. Someone was talking to him.

He didn’t remember leaving the crowd, but he must have, because he was sitting on a stool at the bar, and he could breathe again. He was holding something, something cold, and was disappointed to discover it was water. Fuck, he was thirsty. He drank the entire thing.

“Shots. I want shots,” someone said, and that someone turned out to be himself. “Whiskey. Or tequila. Yes, tequila.”

“Uh, no. I don’t think so,” someone annoying said, and the annoying voice belonged to a person with a very broken nose, whoa, wild, and hey this was the bad hands guy!

“I’m having a bad day. You should buy me tequila shots.”

“I’m pretty sure you’ve had enough.”

“I haven’t had anything!”

“Then you’re either on hard drugs, or something is very wrong.”

“I’m sober!” Grian snapped, “And nothing’s wrong with me- nothing’s- you’re making this very hard on me, so if you won’t buy me something to drink, I’m going to go back to dancing.”

“Well, you’re shaking like a leaf and burst into tears while we were with the crowd, so I’m kinda thinking you’re not doing so hot. Honestly, I was surprised to even see an avian in a place like this- I was pretty sure you guys liked your personal space. Everyone’s different, I know, but still.”

Ah. That’s why he felt so wet. Hm. Bad Hands Man seemed to think for a moment, before waving the bartender over, which pleased Grian until he asked for another water.

“What’s your name, stranger?”

Grian considered not answering out of spite, but at the same time, he was still thirsty, and being annoying and having bad skin wasn’t a crime. “Grian. I’ve come up with my own name for you, but it’s not nice.”

Bad Hands Man snorted, the smile returning sharp on his face, “You can’t just say that and not tell me. Maybe I’ll like it.”

“Bad Hands. Because I hate touching you.” Bad Hands Man blinked a few times in rapid succession, which Grian found to be very satisfying, throwing him a smirk of his own before going to sip at his water.

“You know, I kind of want to be offended for several reasons, but I also kind of respect you for that. I don’t want to be called Bad Hands though, so give me a second to come up with something else.”

“Well I call you Bad Hands Man, not Bad Hands but- hey, what are you doing?” Grian hopped off his stool, poking his head over Bad Hands Man’s shoulder where he was scrolling on his phone through- baby names? “What- Do you not have a name?”

“Oh, I’ve got one, but you could be fae. I won’t risk it, no, no. Strangers get fake names. Occasionally, if I decide I like you enough, you’ll get my other fake name for good friends only.”

“What? When do I get to know your real name?”

“Hm. Suspicious.”

“I’m not suspicious! We live dead in the middle of the worst city in the world- there’s hardly a tree for miles! There are no fae here!”

“That sounds like something a faerie would say,” Bad Hands Man trilled, then laughed at Grian’s reddening face, “I’m joking, I’m joking. I’m not going to tell you my name though.”

“But I want to know! I- oh, is this a superhero thing? Are you just trying to cover yourself? Or are you one of the villains, and really trying to hide it.”

But Bad Hand Man’s lip curled at the mention of superheroes, and Grian had never respected someone so instantly in his entire life, “No. I wouldn’t be caught dead in all that riff-raff. The only reason I’m here is because, as you said, this city is cold and dead and devoid of all things green. They won’t catch me here.”

Grian stared for a moment, processing. “Whoa. You’re kinda nuts, aren’t you?”

“The same people that call me crazy give their names freely when strangers ask.”

“So.. everyone?”

“My point stands.”

“You know, I’m not sure if it does.”

“Well, do you want to help me pick a name? I’m thinking about something with an ‘M,’ take a look,” Bad Hands Man showed Grian his phone, and Grian very much did want to do that, so he paid close attention while Bad Hands Man scrolled slowly.

“Micah. I’ll call you Micah.”

Micah looked pleased, nodding in his approval. “Is there a reason? I’m just curious, I like to know why people pick the names they do.”

“My-cah!”

“Mycah!”

“My-cah!”

Micah broke the back and forth, laughing, though Grian could have gone for hours, “So what’s the reason then?”

“I like the way it sounds.”

“Oh! Guess I could have figured that out on my own, couldn’t I?” Micah chuckled, and Grian Looked at him for what felt like the first time. He was handsome, really, in most senses of the word. His hair was relatively short and pulled back into what was quite frankly, a silly little ponytail. He had glasses too, but even despite the harsh light in his eyes, Grian was pretty sure they didn’t have lenses. His outfit was fun, his dark top cropped to an almost ridiculous degree, while his pants were red like his glasses, floral patterned, and little too short on him, but cute. Grian cringed inwardly at what he must be looking like right now; a total mess certainly, feathers probably all puffed up and hair wind-blown to hell. Well! If Micah hadn’t abandoned ship already, Grian might still have a chance here.

“I!” Grian began, holding himself a little higher, “Think you’re cute.” He preened, pleased with his grand show of affection, more so when he opened an eye and saw Micah smiling.

“Thanks. This is a new outfit, a little different from what I’m used to, but I kinda like it. Usually I show a bit more chest and less stomach, so this is honestly a bit weird for me. Good though. I’m always looking for a little change.”

“Well I definitely wouldn’t say you’re hiding too much when it comes to the chest.”

“You think it’s too much? Maybe it doesn’t leave much to the imagination, but that doesn’t bother me.”

“No! Not too much at all! I like it! I like you.”

“I’m glad,” Micah looked away, the smile falling just slightly. With some distress, Grian wondered what he was doing wrong. This was how this was supposed to work, wasn’t it? Was he forgetting something? A bead of mangled frustration crept through, a reminder of the pain, the fear, of the desperate need to run. He needed this. He needed this to work.

“I want to go home with you,” Grian was painfully aware of how breathless he sounded, a result of his hiking heart rate.

“Grian..” Micah began, but Grian couldn’t handle the gentle rejection on his tone, he needed to be better, more desirable-

“You could have your way with me. You could do whatever you want.” Pathetically, he felt like crying. He needed this so badly and he was losing, he just couldn’t stop losing.

“Grian, no. Stop this.” Micah was firm, and Grian felt like shattering.

“Please.”

“You’re not well. Where do you live? We could walk, or I could call you a taxi. You need to go home, okay? This place isn’t good for you. Is there anyone I could call? Anyone who could pick you up?”

“No!” The sound ripped out of his throat with a wretched sob, “I have nowhere to go. I have no money- I have nowhere to go.” Just like that, everything was wrong again, everything was awful. Why did this have to be so hard? What would it take for him to just be normal, to stop being so hopelessly angry all of the time?

“Hey, Grian, it’s okay. You’re going to be okay. Let’s go outside, alright? Let’s go outside.

“It’s not okay-“

“Breathe with me. Breathe. Can I take you outside? Can I touch you?”

“Don’t- not my hands.”

“Can I touch your sweater?

“Touch-“ Grian pulled in a strangled breath, but he just couldn’t keep the air in, “Yes- The sweater.”

“The sweater’s okay?”

“Yes.”

Grian was painfully aware of his hands, of his wings, of his skin, as Micah guided him along, cringing at the attention Micah brought when he loudly cleared the way, but also grateful for the lack of accidental brushes against his feathers. He didn’t think he could take it. He didn’t think he could survive.

The nighttime air was a massive relief, and Grian managed to take his first real breath through heaving lungs. There was a bench right outside, and Grian all but collapsed onto it, burying his head in his hands and curling inward. It was too much. It was just too much.

He didn’t look up when Micah spoke.

“My place isn’t far from here. I have a spare bedroom, and the door locks from the inside. You could use it, if you want, for however long you need. My work is unpredictable, and I can’t promise I'll be home much, but maybe that’s better for you. There’s not much to eat there right now but- I can grab groceries tomorrow morning. You don’t need to tell me anything, or pay me- it doesn’t matter. I don’t want you on the streets tonight, okay?

Grian didn’t know what to do with that. He barely processed any of it.

“I promise you’re going to be okay. You’ll be safe.”

He didn’t like that promise. No one could know what was going to happen to him. What might become of him. But damn if Grian didn’t want to believe it. To collapse and curl up and feel a little less like everything was falling apart.

“Okay,” he managed, his voice little more than a whimper, “I’ll go.”

[jamiesfootball]

Curious what you’d do with ”Did it ever occur to you that maybe we don’t want to see you get hurt?”

”Did it ever occur to you that maybe we don’t want to see you get hurt?”

If it's not the first thing he hears coming off anesthesia, it's the first thing that cuts through the fog, though Roy has a sneaking suspicion his sister's been at it for a while.

Roy wakes to lingering nausea, clammy shivers that prick against his skin, and his sister glaring at him from the foot of his bed.

It's weird, seeing Sarah out of scrubs; it's even weirder seeing her with a child held up against her hip. He's still not used to it.

From her perch, his niece watches him intently. Only age two and she's fucking huge, all her soft baby features spilling out into a toddler mould. The bigger she gets, the easier it gets to be to tell what she's thinking. Right now, she may as well be hiding her distress behind a pane of glass.

She waves at him. He waves back. Her arms tighten around her mum as she buries her face in her neck.

Roy's heart thump thump thumps on the monitor.

His hand falls back to the bed. Squinting against the light, he fights against the hot dampness building behind his eyes.

His throat croaks, "Is it bad?"

Sarah sighs. "As bad as the last one? No. But you can't keep tearing your knee up, or pretty soon you won't have a knee!"

She punctuates her statement with a thunderous frown; her eyebrows, similar to his own but just a tad neater, cut across her forehead like bushy lightning bolts.

Still under some sort of drugs, he shrugs off her concern and says, "Eh. I'll buy a new one."

Sarah's eyes narrow dangerously, but Phoebe giggles into her hiding spot. It's almost cheating, that - Phoebe's at the age where she thinks everything Roy says deserves a hearty round of laughter. Already she's wriggling and giggling, simply delighted that Roy's there to string together words, even if they aren't for her.

Can't understand him; thinks he hung the moon.

It tugs at his chest, threatening to unstuck the zipper and unravel him at the seams.

He stretches his arms out. "Can I hold her?"

Sarah thaws. In record time, and in spite of his callousness, he's being gifted a bundle of Phoebe. Curling up against his side, she flings her chubby little arm across his chest and digs her baby fingers into his shirt with an impressively strong grip. She's so big. She weighs nothing. She's so little. She fills up his entire world. Just having her near soothes the thing that lives agitated inside his chest.

She is no danger of accidently knocking his leg about, tiny as she is. As far as he's concerned, she can stay where she is for as long as she likes.

Sarah slides a chair closer to his bed. Sitting down on Phoebe's other side, she strokes her daughter's hair back. Roy gets the impression that she's doing it for herself too. Showing affection doesn't come naturally to either of them. Best to start as small as they come.

They're not that close, him and Sarah, but sometimes it feels like they might be one day.

After a while, Sarah breaks the silence.

"You can't scare her like that," Sarah says, in a tone more serious than he's ever heard from his baby sister -- she doesn't even need to curse to get her point across. Oh, she can swear like the worst of them, but she's better than that. She better than the brother who only knows football and fame and broken teeth. Better than someone who only knows the best ways to break themselves down and still be useful.

She's better than Roy and she's right.

The problem is Roy.

"I'll try," he says, as close to a promise as he can make. His card's already punched; all that's left is to stave off the inevitable for as long as he can until his debt finally gets called up. Until then-

"I'll try."

[silenzahra]

Okay. I confess that I grinned deviously when I saw that you'd also reblogged the ask game we've recently started playing. Because this is gonna be a record number of emojis I send. Brace yourself!

🫂🧠(in writing but the point still stands)🫀(hopefully not too concerning xD)💿🪻🌻🍄🌵💧🕹️��(more like FOR you... but you knew that already)🌑(thankfully not that worried anymore, but you can still talk to me about anything, anytime)♟️🍁🐚(sorry if the last one is too much, but if I'm gonna give it to anyone, it's got to be you)

In reference to this ask game ✨

🫂 - i wanna hug you

🧠 - i love hearing you talk. you should ramble to me more often

🫀- i love you in a deeply concerning platonic way

💿- i wanna listen to music with you in a treehouse in a summer night

🪻 - you are so so cool and awesome oh my god

🌻- im proud of you

🍄- you didn't deserve what happened to you

🌵- you could stab me and i wouldnt mind as long as its you

💧- you are an important presence in my life

🕹️- i wanna go to an arcade with you

🥊- id beat someone up with you

🌑- you worry me sometimes. just remember im here if you ever wanna talk about anything <2

♟️- you, me, board games.

🍁 - im so glad you're my friend

🐚- our souls are linked in ways i cant put to words

My God, Mugi... Where do I even begin??? My friend, you sent me 15 emojis. FIFTEEN. I can totally see why you grinned like that as you really weren't kidding! 🥹💖

Okay, first of all: let's go listen to some music together and share our favorite songs with each other! 😄 Though perhaps we should go to the southern hemisphere first as summer is far behind from us in the northern one 😂 Maybe we could pay our dear @vulpixfairy1985 a visit and listen to music together! 🥰

LET'S GO TO THE ARCADES AAAAHHH 🤩🤩🤩 I'd LOVE to!! We'd have so much fun together, Mugi, and also playing board games!! I actually really enjoy playing them, but I'm afraid I usually don't have anyone to play with 😅 So it'll be a pleasure to play board games wirh you, my friend!! 🥰💖

Also... thank you so much for the 🌻 and the 🍄, and also for the 🌑 by extension. My dear friend, I truly can't thank you enough for being there for me when I needed it the most 🫂🫂🫂 Your help and support really were life-saving for me. Thank you so much 💖💖💖

And this is exactly why I would NEVER stab you!! 🥺🥺 I could never, my friend, you're also a VERY important presence in my life and I want you to stay that way!! Otherwise, how could I ramble to you?? And how could you ramble back to me as I'm always willing to listen as well?? Writing or otherwise, but what matters is that we ramble to each other 🥺🫂💖

Don't worry, my friend, 🫀 is not concerning whatsoever as I feel exactly the same way about you 🥰 And the same applies to 🐚! Gosh, Mugi, I'm just so honored you decided to give this emoji to me 🥹🥹🥹 Of course it's not too much, it's actually a privilege and I'm not even sure how I'm worthy of it 😭 You flatter me, my friend 💖💖💖

I'm very sorry for all the times I've worried you, but I really appreciate that you care so much about me, and of course I'm also here to talk even if I'm so slow answering 🫂🫂🫂 And yes, I knew about 🥊 indeed, but we can also beat someone up together if needed 🤭 Needless to say I'd do the same for you!! 💖💖💖

Mugi, please believe me: YOU are the cool one, my friend!! In more ways than I can describe!! I really can't express in words how incredibly glad and grateful I am that we're friends, and you know what?? Bring in that hug, my friend!!

I love you, Mugi. I love you so much 🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂💖💖💖💖💖

[gotta-pet-em-all]

[Audio begins. There are a few moments of silence, before Fluff says, “Am I interrupting something?”

“No, not really. Oh, are those pokepuffs?”

“Mm. I figured I’d bring some over for you, here.”

“What, ‘cause you’re afraid you’ll get rejected if you don’t bring food to people?” Rei asks wryly. 

“….do you want them or not. Also, fuck off, having social anxiety sucks.” Fluff definitely doesn’t sound happy about being read for filth like that. 

“Ah, sorry. My social skills have, uh. Declined.” Rei doesn’t sound especially sorry. “You’re here to ask me about Hisui, right? Are you the short blonde’s lab partner?”

“Something like that.” She doesn’t elaborate. “More about the people who came with you from Hisui.”

“Well, the other guy took a train home. I don’t know a lot about the Miss Fortune sisters; they’re a sort of found family. They… despite being from Hisui, they weren’t as suited for it as me.”

“You enjoyed being in Hisui? Why?”

“It was thrilling,” Rei says quietly. “I had a divine patron who wanted me to do research. They’d been… well, Giratina’s banishment meant Arceus was separated from the world for a long time as well. And they wanted to understand how the land was faring. So I surveyed for them. We learned about Hisui together. I never got hurt too bad; if I lost enough blood to get worried, there would be this golden light and I’d wake up in the infirmary.”

“You weren’t worried about going home?”

“I’m seventeen, you know,” Rei says wryly. “Without going into too much detail, I had a mental health scare as a kid. Bipolar, and bad. It took a while for my parents to let me go on my journey, and when I did, I felt… alienated, like the world was too small. But Hisui? It was amazing. It was a dream. I wanted to stay and help these people. Until I didn’t.”

“So, about Volo… you guys don’t get along?”

“That’s personal,” Rei says bluntly.

Fluff gives a small cough. “They broke out of quarantine rather than stay with you.”

“...we have history.”

There is a brief mental calculation of ages and likelihood of romance. “So, you guys weren’t— or, rather, you didn’t have any—”

“There was absolutely no situationship or unrequited romantic feelings going on.” Rei sighs. “Frankly, I… don’t know how to explain it. But they’ve been nothing but polite and accommodating here, so I don’t think it’s right for me to go spreading rumors that don’t matter anymore. Why do you want to know so bad, anyways?”

“I visited them, and just…” Her voice sounds a little choked up. “I was uh. Quite literally raised under a rock. Like, very deficient in vitamin D. So I had a lot of trouble adjusting to the real world. I guess I can relate?”

“Wait, what.”

“What part needs clarification here.”

“The— raised under a rock???”

“Underground cult, but I try not to tell people that when I’ve first met them because I’m trying to break the traumadumping habit, actually.” She sniffles. “Fuck, I’m going to have to wash my hoodie. Point is. Uh. Ah, where was I even going with this. Is it really that weird that I want to help? I want to believe the best in them.”

“The Miss Fortunes frequently tried to mug me, you know.”

“Yeah, you’re not special,” she mutters under her breath. Then, louder, “Sometimes people trapped in a bad place do fucked up shit to survive. Don’t they deserve redemption too?”

“Maybe. I just don’t have any interest in it. I’m not going to stop you, but I’m not going to help. I’ve done my part, and frankly, I’m a little sick of getting betrayed.” His voice is tight. “Volo likes places with history and places with shade and running water. Check the ruins and the little meadow north of the gnarled oak tree. And don’t ask me about them again. However much of their friendship was real, it’s over now. All of it.”

Recording ends.]

[centi-pedve]

been scouring the regretevator wiki cause i was curious (terrible wiki btw i am so sorry. one page has a citation that just links to some discord bullshit which people who are not in the server obviously cant see) anyways i am getting a terrible impression of the creator(?) and i would be interested in your thoughts on this business if youd be willing to share :3

oh goodness gracious... well we do have Some thoughts and we dunno if they match your own concerns since, we purposefully don't go out looking for whatever the creator has said but yeah even from a distance it's. Not looking good. (Already mentioned some of these before but for the sake of putting it in one place we'll be redundant)

definitely has his own takes on certain characters, headcanons, and the like. it was silly at first but as time went on and the more effort he put into pushing negativity over certain things the less fun it became. we think, if you want people to dislike a character, you try and make them dislikeable within the context of the story and then let people form those opinions. rather than being weird about the fact that there are still people who do like the character and punishing them by denying them the most basic things or even involving them in the story at all because Doesn't Deserve It. yes this is primarily about unple/asant

related but... too much of a reliance on telling stories with twitter or other unofficial platforms. did we learn nothing from the dumbledore is gay tweet. like a huge amount of information on the wiki that is very important to understanding the characters are just is NOT in the game, like if you played the game fully you'd still need to rely on the wiki to be able to participate in fandom. honestly a large part of that is why we're so biased towards certain characters! unple/asant and infe/cted are the only characters with lore and trivia and such that we've bothered to go on the wiki for and memorize. we've played the game for hours and hours but that doesnt mean much lol. once again, unple/asant especially, it literally DOESN'T TALK or participate in ANY of the active dynamic story because Doesn't Deserve It but there's still things to know about unple/asant and people who like the game just want something!! like dunno the overuse of social media in storytelling just makes it so much more unfun, we don't like how information is released and the fact that we need to rely on external material that... is sometimes taken back because the creator has gone on record Just Saying Shit. favorite example vv

Which is really funny considering it has 1 piece of dialogue on the game. So it can physically speak, and is also not "mewing 24/7" by result of having that dialogue (pretty sure the creator was just encouraged to say that without giving a fuck but, whatever). but the things that happen in game are second to the creator's twitter feed AMIRIGHTFELLAS

3. the,. the ableism. we've heard people tried to bring it up with the creator in the past and they were ignored so we feel comfortable mentioning it lol. bi/ve is a stereotype of someone who suffers from paranoia really, we mean we love her but... lol... and we will say it again pe/st should not canonically have npd or aspd. like omggg the evil character that robs people has two pds negatively stereotyped as belonging to evil people we're sure there was no bias in this decision. maybe we'd be less bothered if people didn't treat it as so serious and pretend to be cluster b allies like "you have to give him some understanding cuz he has aspd and npd 🥺" like no because he's evil, also maybe it wouldn't hurt to care about real people with those pds instead of a caricature. also the half-hearted throwing around of the word "mute" for unple/asant has been pointed out as ableist by a lot of people.

tldr uhhh wuhgghh NOT A PERSONAL ATTACK nobody get us (: nobody talk us...

[separatist-apologist]

Your response to my message about WNGOOS was so interesting, and I hope my excitement didn’t come across as pressure, above everything I support authors writing whatever and whenever they feel like!

But it’s enlightening to hear you talk about how gwynriel fans can get pigeon-holed, and it’s strange to think that elucien doesn’t have the same fanaticism attached when we arguably have more canon characterization for both Elian and Lucien than we do for gwyn and az. And maybe that’s why? They’re easier to project upon because they’re more malleable? But at the end of the day, they’re still fictional and I can guarantee that the same folks who disagree with your interpretation of them will likely be disappointed with SJM’s actual canon characterization of them when the time comes too. It’s a good reminder to take all of this less seriously and enjoy the fandom and the fiction and the plotless smut and the smutless plot! And thank you for writing both so prolifically!! I know for one I read every word you write 😂 and will support you whatever you choose to do!

I think this happens in most fandoms, to be fair. A couple VERY well written fanfictions get dropped that are wildly popular, coupled with just the way people view characters and it shapes the interpretation of a character.

I don't think there is anything wrong with this, just for the record. I come from Star Wars and this runs RAMPANT over there. I think even for well established characters (please no one bully me but like, Dramione comes to mind), people create new thoughts and storylines and attempt to stitch motivations together in a way that makes sense. Other people enjoy them, they build upon them, and it becomes very popular (for a reason!), and a lot of people enjoy it.

Again, I don't want to speak negatively about gwynriels because I like both the ship and the people who ship it- and even within ACOTAR I see this. I see interpretations of Elain ALL THE TIME I'm like, cite your SOURCES, but its popular because people like this interpretation of her motivations, her potential, etc etc.

I also want to say that I think gwynriel as a ship feels difficult to write when you consider all the pieces you need to stitch together. They have a LOT of combined trauma that, when I was working on LIBTM, I found really hard to like...give a voice to? I think there are tons of very talented authors who have done a beautiful job with their characters- far better than I ever managed to- and deserve every inch of attention they've gotten.

And with all that out of the way, I do think if you really love a specific vision of a ship, and a person you like who writes a different ship steps in, you might be hoping to see that vision of it, too. I think for gwynriel especially, there is a lot of pressure to make it loving that also once existed in the elucien ship because of the outside criticisms. So we can't make it vaguely toxic, or enemies to lovers, or even tense because folks come in and are like "SEE EVEN THEIR OWN SHIPPERS THINK-" and I want to say that because I think it adds nuance and layers to how some of this happens.

I have done the same thing. Remember Exile? I wasn't afraid of other eluciens coming in mad at me hahaha. I was afraid of the people who stalk this blog 24/7 so they can write another vague I don't care about (but two years ago I cared SO much) (time doesnt it give some perspective) in which they paint with EXTREMELY broad strokes, as if a fanfiction I wrote is somehow speaking on behalf of every single person in the ship. Sometimes you just want to explore a dynamic, you know?

Anyway- all of this to say that I don't blame the people who felt like that, nor am I trying to victimize myself. A lot of my problems exist inside my own head. It would be a lie to pretend I don't want people to like the things I read, but I also get SO nervous when things get popular in a large way because I feel like I can't deliver the things people want and I'm going to let everyone down.

[acherontiarchivist]

Hello there ! I've been following your blog recently. I'm allways glad to find some slasher anthousiasts with good contents ! :D

I don't know if you still taking requests but if so, I wondered if you could, maybe, write some Gabriel x gn reader. What if you actually met him and Madison at Simion when you were kids and actually befriended them -and loved Gabriel since always- ? What would happened if you get to meet this boi again after the movie’s events ? Maybe Reader could have a kind of "telepathic" ability Simion wanted to experiment on, which may explain their presence to the hospital.

Have a nice day/night. Take care ! :)

Hi!!! Thank you so much for the ask :) I ruminated on this one for a really long time, and I think I finally got it down. This ask was a really great exercise, I got to explore some emotions and feelings a little bit and... I think I will do a part 2 in the future! I hope you don't mind, it's a little sappy. But I think Gabriel deserves some sweetness, as a treat. Enjoy, and don't be afraid to leave some feedback 💜

Gabriel x gn!reader under the cut

Can be read as romantic or strong platonic, use of childhood nickname "rabbit" to refer to the reader

A familiar voice had been itching at the back of their minds for weeks. At first it was faint, almost unnoticeable. Madison had brushed it off the first time she heard it clearly: she figured she must have needed more rest and was hearing things due to a lack of sleep. Adjusting their sleep schedule, however, did not make it stop. 

"Emily?"

"Can you see me?"

"Please see me."

"Emily, is that you?"

"Do you remember me?"

She would still hear it at the grocery store, on her commute to and sometimes from work, even at the coffee shop she frequented. Some days were quiet, others would have multiple instances of the voice seeping through the cracks in her concentration.

On another such day, she had been making her way down the frozen section and marking items off of their shopping list when it came again. Annoyed and assuming Gabriel started playing mind games with her again, she finally confronted him. Madison held her phone to her ear to signal him that she wanted to talk– something they did mostly when they were in public, to avoid stares. She tapped on the back of her head to wake up Gabriel, almost as if knocking on his bedroom door.

"Gabriel, would you knock that off? It's great that you've learned to mimic voices, but could you please not use them to get under my skin any more than you already do?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't learned or even tried to mimic voices. I like my own. Besides, you just woke me up."

"Well, there's no way I can be hearing something that you don't. So if it's not you, what else could it possibly be?"

"Actually," he started, voice clearer as he fully woke, "I have been hearing something too."

"Oh? Whe–when does it happen? Is it familiar? What does it say when you hear it?" Madison bites nervously at their fingernails as she finds an unpopulated corner to park her shopping cart as they talk.

"Geez, let me think about it for a minute," he paused. After a pensive hum, he spoke up, "I hear it the most at the Library, and that coffee place we go to. And I think I've heard it at the record store, too, once."

"Well? And?"

"It's… the voice itself is unfamiliar, but something about it really gets me– it might be the cadence, or the rhythm."

She sighed, frustrated. She thought the same, but it still got them nowhere, besides only slightly convincing her that he wasn't just pulling her chain.

"How much do you remember from Simion?"

"Not much… though, some of it has been coming back to me in the year since you've… uh."

"I see."

"Why?"

"Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but I think the voice belongs to someone we knew from Simion."

"I thought you killed them all."

A nearby shopper nervously glanced at Madison and quickly pushed their cart away.

He huffed, "I only killed the doctors that stole my body."

"And more than a few orderlies. Look, let's talk about this at home."

"Fine."

Madison fixed her sight on the self checkout to make a speedy getaway. She certainly forgot a few items on her list in her haste to leave, but their conversation left her feeling as if she were being watched. Her hands shook as she placed the now bagged groceries back into her cart.

Wake up, grab coffee, commute to work, run errands. Your daily routine. No matter where you move, it's always the same. Recently you've found yourself moving back to Seattle. At one point in your life you had promised yourself you would never return. It was too painful, there had been nothing here for you but the reminder of your stolen childhood and the loss of your greatest friend. Most of your time had been spent running away from it all, trying to get as far away as possible, to find something new. One day when you were near hopeless, a very peculiar news story broke. Instantly, your zest for life was sparked anew.

You felt kind of silly. Everywhere you went, you kept a hopeful eye out for that familiar visage. Sometimes you would find it in passing and reach out, call out in your special way, praying against all odds that they would hear, that they would stop what they were doing and turn to find your face in the crowd. It never happened. Sometimes you would see her nervously glance around the room. Sometimes you would see him put his book down and study his surroundings. Every time you would lose your courage and slink away. It was like pining over your high school crush all over again; always setting up chance encounters, but never falling through. Just slinking back behind the bookshelf, letting the heavy weight in your chest sink once more. It was easier than possibly facing humiliation. "Not anymore," you decide, "not this time." Next time you see them, you are going to reach out in person. It could be today, it could be tomorrow, it could be two weeks from now. But right now, you really need to pick up some eggs.

But oh– what's this? A beacon of light pushed its way through thick branches and shone on a head of familiar thick brown hair. You stopped in your tracks and stood dumbfounded and, admittedly, unprepared.

"You are shaking like a fucking leaf. Calm down before someone suspects us of theft and draws attention to us."

Though he might have been right, she rolled her eyes at him anyway. It certainly didn't help their case that she constantly looked over her shoulder all the way across the parking lot and almost dropped her keys while opening the trunk.

"Okay, we're almost out of here. I'll be able to think more clearly at home, where it's safe."

"Safe? You are being a lot more anxious than usual. I guess I should have been clearer earlier: I think this voice is an old friend of ours."

Madison paused, flabbergasted. The only memories she had of Simion were vague– it was mostly the strong negative emotions she associated with her time there that she could access just yet. It was unthinkable to her that they could have had a friend in Simion at all.

A sense of urgency to not look like an even bigger creep jolted you to approach before she closed the trunk and saw you staring. God, you wish you could remember her new name.

"Uhm, excuse me," you waved timidly in her direction, only taking another step forward when she noticed you. "You might not remember me, but we uh…" You paused, looking for the right words, "lived in the same facility as kids."

"Oh my god," hearing the familiar voice from a source other than inside her own head was a shock to Madison, and quite the relief. "I see you. I heard you. I didn't remember, but he did."

Before you could utter another word, your cell phone rang. It was an unknown caller. "Oh, sorry," your finger hovered over the decline button.

Her hand reached out and stopped you, "he wants to talk to you." She smiled.

Immediately, you brought your phone to your ear, "Hello?" Your voice wavered despite your best efforts, and your heart fluttered almost painfully. Finally, his rough voice graced your weary ear and confirmed your biggest hope. "Hello, rabbit."

"Gabriel," tears streamed down your face. You laughed at the nickname, one he gave you, and that you hadn't heard since they took him away. "I thought you were gone. I thought I'd never see you again."

At first, you could barely speak through the tears.

Madison hugged you, or Gabriel hugged you, or maybe it was both of them, either way you were grateful. She offered to let you sit in her car to cry it out, and you talked with them for a few minutes, which turned to half an hour, which turned to Madison inviting you home so she could put their groceries away and you could continue catching up. As the three of you talked for hours, the memories began to catch up to her. She could feel the good memories, the good emotional associations. She could also feel Gabriel's stronger, more affectionate emotions bubbling to the surface. Eventually she decided to take a step back and let Gabriel pilot their body. He was very excited to show you the ways he had learned to move and go about his day to day.

"In some ways, it feels more free," he confessed.

You were excited– you knew he would no longer be the way you remembered him, you were prepared for that– but all the same you mourned him for years, and seeing him before you yet again overwhelmed you. The utter loss of that day filled you again, and you embraced him alone this time. "I can't believe you're still here. I can't tell you how much I wished I could see you again, all those years."

He hugged you tighter and didn't let go– there's no way he'd let you find out he was crying, too.

[lieslab]

Possibility

Summary: You have to break the news to Hyunjin that you’ve fallen out of love with him. 

Word Count: 2.1K

Genre: Hardcore angst with no happy ending. 

_ _ _ 

“You can’t possibly consider doing this to me! You’re going to throw everything we had away and why? For what reason? Let’s talk about this, we can do better than this! We can fix this, I know we can. Please, try and work with me here.” 

“I’ve already talked about this with you. There’s nothing more to say, Hyunjin. I’m sorry, but I can’t do this anymore.” 

“Please!” He reached out and grabbed your hand. Crocodile tears dripped down his cheeks. “Please, baby, I love you. What happened to being together forever? I wrote you love letters! I gave you paintings! I’ve done everything I can do to be a great boyfriend. What more do you want?” 

He squeezed your hand between his. “I’ll talk to Chan, I’ll try to be home more. Do you want me to quit the band? Just say it and I’ll quit! I don’t want them, I want you! I want you, baby! Please, please, please don’t do this to me!” 

After Hyunjin had gotten home from dance practice, he came home to find you waiting for him. After dating for months, the two of you had moved out of the 3Racha dorm and found yourselves a nice one bedroom apartment down the street. You were still in the vicinity of the band, so you could reach them whenever. 

This had been happening for a while and you knew it was coming. The worst part was that you didn’t know why. Touches from Hyunjin used to make you feel like you were on cloud nine. Every kiss was magical. He knew exactly how to make your body feel like it was on fire. 

Sparks of electricity used to course through you at the slightest touch, but now you felt nothing. The butterflies that used to live in your stomach, they had flown away. His kisses didn’t make you feel warm inside anymore. In fact, every time he pecked your cheeks, it was just an annoyance now. 

You didn’t know why you had fallen out of love with him, it was just something that happened over time. You used to crave his touch, but now you hated when he slung his long limbs over your body while you tried to sleep. Every time he tried to hold your hand, you pulled away. 

He thought you were mad at him at first. As time went on, he thought that maybe you had found someone better. What could they be giving you that he couldn’t? Time? Commitment? Even though he worked multiple hours a day, he still came home and tried to give you the attention you deserved. 

He made dinners occasionally. He’d order you takeout and surprise you with it on some days. He’d spend his down time during recording sessions and dance practice writing love letters, hoping you’d read them when you felt lonely. They were layered with reminders of how much he loved you. 

He loved you so much that it physically hurt sometimes. He needed you as much as flowers needed the sun. You were a beam of light in his life. You came into his life by accident, but it had been the best accident that had ever happened to him. He felt like he could be himself around you. 

You combed his long blonde hair and reminded him how much you adored him. You traced hearts into his soft skin and insisted that even if he couldn’t see them, they’d always be there. You woke him up with morning kisses and took all of his photos. 

You were the first to congratulate him on his new songs. You loved him and had adored the way he could lithely move his body. You had even taken the time to ask him if he could teach you a dance routine. The two of you spent three hours laughing and giggling soaked in sweat. 

You were trying your best, but you had two left feet. Hyunjin never complained about it. Instead, he took it as a challenge. He swore that he’d whip you into an incredible dancer. After learning a single routine, you called it quits. Playing Just Dance and following the repeated dance moves was much easier than learning real life choreography. 

This evening, you had to look the man you once loved in the eye and break the news that you no longer felt the same way. You didn’t love him like he loved you anymore. You knew you couldn’t keep the secret to yourself. You had to tell him at some point. You knew how much he could get stuck inside his own head. 

One thought spiraled into another and into another and soon everything was confusing and all mixed up. You had seen the look of hurt that flashed across his face when you pulled away from him. It killed you, but you had to create a distance between the two of you. 

When he walked through the front door, he expected you not to be there waiting for him. That’s how it had been for the past week. You used to greet him and wrap him in a warm hug. You used to cover his face with kisses and ramble on about how much you missed him, but that didn’t happen anymore. He’d walk in and find you sitting on the couch watching tv. 

He didn’t know how to bring it up. Were you going through something? Had you been cheating on him? He couldn’t find the courage to ask, so he never did. He was too afraid he’d break what little the two of you had left and he didn’t want to destroy it. 

That’s why he was startled when he walked through the door and you stood near it with your arms crossed over your chest. You were wearing one of your over-sized hoodies and not his. He nibbled on the inside of his cheek trying to ignore the jolt of pain that stabbed his heart. You had always worn his hoodies instead of your own. You insisted that they smelled like him and it was comforting to you when he was away. 

“Can we talk?” You had asked, trying to keep tears from streaming down your cheeks. You didn’t want to do it. You didn’t want to tell your past lover that it was over. You wanted to ignore it, but you couldn’t. 

You knew how Hyunjin was. He deserved someone who could reciprocate his love. He deserved the best, he really did, but you couldn’t give that to him anymore. It wasn’t fair to keep stringing him along. It wasn’t fair to the two of you to play pretend. 

Sitting down at the kitchen table, you had spilled everything to him. You couldn’t stop it once it started spilling out. You didn’t love him anymore, you couldn’t. It wasn’t his fault, he didn’t do anything to cause it. Unfortunately, it happens sometimes. 

His tongue felt like sandpaper while he listened to you jabber on. You kept apologizing while you spilled your truth. He had tried to be understanding, but he couldn’t. What did he do? How could he be better? Was this just some sick fucked up prank on your part? Had he done something to anger you that you wanted to get back at him? With every word you spoke, his heart crumbled more and more. 

With a final apology, you got up to grab your suitcase. You had packed away some clothes and the basic necessities. You didn’t want to pack everything else until he came home and the two of you talked. You weren’t sure if he was going to go back to the 3Racha dorm or if he would stay in the apartment. 

The two of you had equally split the rent. You weren’t going to leave him alone to pay for everything himself. You had your own job and made your own money. Even if the lease wasn’t up, you planned on paying half of everything until it was. 

You had done a good job at keeping your tears away. Your voice had cracked a few times, but you pushed through. You didn’t want to cry in front of him and make everything worse. After all, you were the one who had decided to leave him. 

That’s when he grabbed your hand and started asking questions. You tried to answer them with a steady voice, but it was getting harder not to break down. You hated that you had to put him through this. He didn’t deserve this, nobody did, but you had to tell him the truth. 

He could hate you as much as he wanted. He could yell at you and scream at the top of his lungs. He could block you on every social media app and never talk to you again. He could block your number and pretend you didn’t exist, but he had made you feel like the luckiest person alive at one point. You owed him the truth. 

You pulled your hand away from his. “Hyunjin, you are amazing. You are so kind and caring and you love with every fiber of your being. You were there for me when I thought that I might crumble and never be able to get out of bed again. You are an incredible person and I can’t put into words how much you’ve meant to me during this relationship, but it’s time for me to go.” 

“Please,” he whispered. Tears continued to trail down his cheeks. The whites of his eyes had turned an irritated red. His brown glassy eyes welled up again. “What am I supposed to do without you?” 

“We can always be friends. I will always care about you and want the best for you. This romantic relationship isn’t working out for us. You will find someone and become their whole entire world. This won’t break you. I know it won’t because you’re a strong person.” 

“I don’t want anyone else, I want you!” He snapped. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He sniffled, let out a sigh, and opened up his eyes. “Please don’t walk out that door.” 

You took a step closer to him and gently pressed your lips against his. He felt it all over again. The warmth of your skin. Fireworks crackling and snapping in his bones. Butterflies swarming his stomach. 

You felt nothing. It was just a pair of lips against your own. No fireworks, no butterflies, nothing. The fiery passion you once had for him had burnt out weeks ago. 

You stepped away and grabbed the handle of your suitcase. It had been by your feet the whole time. He knew what was happening the moment he stepped into the kitchen and saw it sitting beside your chair. 

You sat in that specific chair every time the two of you were in the kitchen. You had tried every chair before you settled on that one. You swore that the padding built into the wood was fluffier in it and declared it yours. The memory was like a knife to his chest. 

“Good-bye, Hyunjin.” 

You gave him one last smile. It wasn’t your smile, it didn’t reach your eyes. The crinkles by the ends of your mouth didn’t crease as much. When you smiled, you showed your teeth. It was one of the many things that he loved about you. 

He stood stunned for a few seconds. The rolling of your suitcase thudded across the floor as you went towards the front door. The front door opened and, upon hearing it, he sprinted towards the living room. “Wait!” 

You paused in the frame’s opening. Car key in your hand, you were ready to go. You had booked a room at a local hotel until you could figure out where to go next. 

“Is there ever a possibility that we’ll get back together?” 

You bit down on your lip staring at him. His eyes searched your face desperately. He’d give you all the time in the world if you needed it. He’d wait until you were ready to try again. Fuck it, he’d start over from the very beginning if he had to. He’d take you out on dates and you could live in separate places. The two of you could work your way up again. 

“I don’t think so, I’m sorry.” 

“Oh…” 

Not wanting to continue seeing him so broken, you gave him one last farewell, and shut the door. You unlocked your car and threw your suitcase in the trunk. 

Through the windows, Hyunjin watched you drive away. His knees crumpled beneath him. The love of his life had just driven away and you would never be back. 

[magicwithclass]

Narwhal

Narwhal is a meme. It is a very old meme from back in 2016 and many have forgotten the history of this card. However, its importance in discussions about reserved list bulk and buyouts deserves to be recorded. After all, if we do not know our history we may be doomed to repeat it. In 2016, there were some amount of reserved list buyouts. Particularly, some cards were being purchased seemingly without reason. Typically, a reserved list card spikes in price because of natural demand. Maybe a new card comes out that synergizes perfectly with a reserved list card. Perhaps, a newly released set creates a strong two card infinite combo in commander or some other format. These scenarios sometimes trigger reserved list spikes because there is genuine demand as players jam the latest hot commodity into a deck. 2016 was the first time I saw some reserved list market movement that seemed to be based on manipulation rather than legitimate demand. It is possible that this was the year where it finally clicked that reserved list cards were in limited supply. Reserved list cards can never be reprinted but many reserved list cards were already approaching twenty years old. There was some concern that a group of people or a very wealthy individual would buy up all the bulk on the reserved list for pennies each. Even if there was no desire for any of the reserved list cards currently, some people knew that buying thousands of copies of a card for fifty cents could be very profitable even if those cards only ever reached a maximum of ten dollars per copy. Some people chose to cast their net very wide and buy reserved list cards despite playability or demand. The thought was that reserved list cards would all eventually rise in price due to scarcity and collectability rather than demand or playability. Some people had more discretion and only bought reserved list cards that they thought had potential playability in the long term. Do not forget that every card in the game just needs a single powerful interaction to skyrocket in price. Cards with unique or unusual effects also had strong speculation but there are clearly some reserved list cards that just don't do anything. Narwhal is one such card. For 4 mana you get a 2/2 with first strike and protection from red. Notably, first strike is considered a color pie break in blue but this is not a sufficient reason to play it. The flavor is awesome though! How are you attacking first with that huge horn in the way? How are you casting that fireball on my creature that is under water? The reason I bring all of this up is because in 2016 a youtube personality, formerly called mtglion, started buying out narwhals and then discussing it on his youtube channel. I am not sure if those old videos are still on his youtube channel but he is still active under the new name: UMU. His goal was not to break the market and spike narwhals so he could become rich. Instead, he wanted to see how easily a single individual could manipulate the market of reserved list bulk. Mtglion openly stated that he was buying out copies of narwhal to see the reaction. It was a meme. The card was selected because the probability that the card would ever have genuine demand due to playability was astronomically low. Instead, narwhals are cute, silly little animals and everyone loves those guys. Does anyone remember that episode of Futurama with the narwhals? Would people finally see that reserved list cards are an investment that will go up? Would people get scared that the reserved list was entering the hands of investors looking to pump but not dump? Would certain people hold a monopoly on certain reserved list cards completely controlling the market? At first, the price of narwhal did go up. In June 2016, a single near mint copy of Narwhal was almost ten dollars! That is insane for a card with artificial demand created by someone openly stating that they are manipulating the market. One person literally did move the market and he did not even need thousands of dollars to do it.